#joni room edition

[goldenwaves]

woah more unedited apartment pics????

#joni room edition #just morgan's room to do AND THEN IM DONEEEE #gotta finish cause i got scenes to shoot in morgan's room #ts4 #hb extras

[shubblelive]

— SOURCE MATERIAL

summary : tommy’s plan to get you and wilbur back together doesn’t work. fortunately, you don’t need it. a quiet christmas party, joni mitchell and a little bit of alcohol works just fine.

genre : fluff with some angst peppered here and there

warnings : mentions of a breakup, alcohol/drinking (one mention of being drunk in the past, no one’s drunk in the fic), swearing, very minor panic attack, tommy being a little shithead

pairing : cc!wilbur x ex girlfriend!reader

pronouns : she/her

featuring : cc!wilbur soot, cc!tommyinnit (tommy and will are the only creators with dialogue),cc!phil + kristin (mentioned), cc!ranboo (mentioned), cc!tubbo (mentioned), cc!james marriott (mentioned), cc!aimsey (mentioned)

word count : 4.3k

note : christmas fic christmas fic christmas fic!!! december is one of my favourite times of the year and suddenly i am so inspired like i haven’t written anything in ages but december rolls around and boom here’s a 4k wilbur fic. thank you to carrie for letting me yell at her about this fic.

it wasn’t unusual for tommy to call you and ask for a ride home. he would catch an uber somewhere and sometimes he’d go to book one home and the nearest car would be over an hour away, so if his parents were busy he turned to the next best thing; his siblings. 

the internet was well aware of the younger boy’s habit of adopting older creators as family members. phil and kristin were his parents, and you and wilbur were his older siblings, and you were more than happy to give him lifts whenever you were free. 

“can you come pick me up?”

“hello to you too, tommy.” you had just ended your stream, and were processing the footage for editing to go on your youtube channel. “where are you?”

“i’m about twenty minutes from your place, i can text you the address.” tommy answered. “please?”

you were already putting on your coat. “alright, send me the address, i’ll be there soon.”

“you’re a life-saver, atom,” tommy said. you huffed at the nickname, given to you because “you barely matter” as tom had joked one afternoon a few months ago. before you could respond, he had hung up.

“shithead,” you pocketed your phone and bent down to tie your laces. your phone vibrated in your pocket, probably tommy with the address. you pulled it out one handed as you tightened your shoes. without looking, you copied the address into google maps and pressed enter, putting it on your dashboard mount. 

it should have clicked when you passed the dive bar you used to frequent. it should have clicked when you passed the corner shop.  it should have clicked when you passed the ginger stray you used to pet on your walk to the corner shop. perhaps you were in denial, but you didn’t register where you were until you were parked in front of the building.

you were nervous when you’d first moved in there. you had lived in the same shitty flat since uni, and when wilbur had tentatively asked you to to move in with him you had your doubts. not because you didn’t love will, no that was the least of your issues. you just didn’t want to step on his toes, it was his place after all. you were hesitant to bring your things in, feeling guilty when wilbur’s novels were moved to make room for your plants, when he had to install another rack to hold all your shoes, when you had come home from the bakery and found wilbur had swapped out his sheets for a set of yours. but over time, wilbur had eased you into it, and soon it was just as much your place as it was his. 

now it was just his again. it hadn’t been yours for nearly a year, and yet when you pulled into the strip of parking you had to consciously go to the ‘guests’ section. you took your phone off the dock, your knee jumping up and down as you called tommy. he didn’t answer. you texted him. and again. then you called a second time, leaving him a desperate voicemail. fifteen minutes went by and tommy hadn’t even read any of your texts, so you huffed, realising that you were going to have to physically go and retrieve tommy. 

you dug out your key card from the depths of your purse, praying that wilbur didn’t block your card. the light turned green and you breathed a sigh of relief, pushing the door open. in an attempt to make it take longer, hoping and praying that tommy would reply before you reached the third floor. you reached the top of the stairs and sighed, counting to three in your head before knocking. “tom? it’s me!” you knocked again, not wanting mr adams next door to hear your voice and come out to talk to you. he was a nice older man, but you didn’t want to be in this building for a second longer than you had to. “tommy?” you inhaled. “will?”

you heard a muffled voice, and the door swung open in front of you. “tom.” you breathed another sigh of relief. “great. let’s go, i have a video to edit.”

“wait, i have to grab my stuff.” tommy said, and then he was off, and you were alone. 

the first thing that struck you was how the place looked. it was exactly the same as when you had been there. you turned around to the end table behind the door. a few unopened letters, a small wooden bowl, and a small plant. the bowl had been your idea, weeks of wilbur coming to you with “darling, do you know where my keys are?” before you caved and bought it for him. lo and behold, his keyes were nestled inside, spotify code keychain that you had also bought him sitting face up. the plant was new, and you ran a finger over the leaf.

on the couch there was a grey woollen blanket thrown over the back, also yours. though, technically he had bought it. you were the only one who used it, complaining about the cold. as lovely as you thought will’s flat was the heating barely worked. will radiated warmth, both physically and emotionally. 

the entire flat still contained your presence. any random person wouldn’t be able to tell that you hadn’t lived there since you and wilbur broke up. 

“hey.”

you spun around, wilbur smiling sheepishly. “sorry, sorry. would it be awfully cliche if I said I didn’t mean to startle you?”

you laughed breathily. “yes. but it’s okay.”

he nodded, guilty smile still pinched across his face. “tommy’s just grabbing his shit. you know that kid, fucking menace.”

if tommy noticed how awkward it was, he didn’t say anything. you and wilbur both brightened visibly when he came through the door. watching wilbur hug tom goodbye, squeezing his shoulder gently, it hits you suddenly that you haven’t seen wilbur in nearly seven months.

you’re quiet as you drop tommy off, and he wants to apologise. wants to say sorry for making you pick him up and not telling you his phone was on the verge of dying. he wants to say he’s sorry for all those times you cancelled streams, claiming you “weren’t feeling well” when he knew you were upset about wilbur. 

but tommy also saw all those times wilbur was curled up in that grey blanket you left behind. buying plants to fill in the gaps of things you took and to give him a purpose, something that depended on him. he saw the way wilbur’s eyes brightened when he heard your voice, his shoulder’s slumping before the door shut when you left. 

how one time he’d had stood in front of a drunk wilbur, tear tracks running down his face and had to wrestle will’s phone off him to stop him from calling you. 

tommy didn’t know what had happened between you two; you were adults, he was only seventeen at the time. it felt naive of him to think you two belonged together, but he couldn’t help it. 

“thanks for driving me.” he said earnestly as he stepped out of the car. you nodded and gave him a pained smile. “i love you.”

it wasn’t a normal occurrence, saying things like that, but you softened. “i love you.” tommy brightened seeing your more genuine expression, but he could still see that your interaction with wilbur had left you upset. 

you collapsed back onto your sofa once you were home, not in the mood to edit your video anymore. 

wilbur always worked too much. it was something his viewers loved; how dedicated he was to them. but they didn’t see the sleepless nights, when you would wake up to wilbur typing frantically in his notes app, a muffled “go back to sleep, darling” when he noticed you were awake.

but then it turned to missing entire nights of sleep, coming back from streaming to find wilbur passed out on the couch, shoes still on from last night. sometimes he would talk to you about it, laying on your chest as you ran your fingers through his hair and whispering about how he didn’t want to let anyone down.

you soothed him as best as you could, but you knew that the dark circles and the endless cups of coffee would only get worse. he didn’t have the time or energy to take care of himself, let alone you. not that you needed him to take care of you, but the two of you lived together and you probably talked to the fedex person more than you did your boyfriend.

you’d only been split for eight months, but you’d been missing him for far longer.

you were putting up christmas decorations when tommy called next. stringing lights across the shelves in your office, only bothered to decorate the one room. it wasn’t like you’d be doing anything anyway. “yeah, tom?” your phone was wedged between your shoulder and ear as you tried to detangle the lights. 

“hey, me and will were streaming together and i have to get home like, now but my dad isn’t available until three,” tommy explained, and you winced at the sound of wilbur’s name. “i totally get it if you can’t, but-“

“i’ll be there, but i’m going to mcdonald’s on the way back and you are paying.” tommy laughed and you had to move the phone away from your ear, giving up on the lights for the time being. “will still has the same office right?”

“yeah you can get there alright?” he asked. “you don’t need the address?” you assured him you’d be fine, and he paused guiltily. “we may also be locked in. the door broke again.”

“jesus,” you shook your head. “yeah, alright i’ll come let you out. dickhead,” you smiled at his noise of indignation before hanging up.

this time it was worse. the last time you’d been planning on avoiding wilbur until about five minutes before you saw him. this time you had the whole drive over to think about what it would be like. his hair was longer, you’d noticed when you first saw him. you always loved it when his hair was longer but it got in his face too much and he hated the feeling. 

you’d cut his hair for him once. wilbur sitting on a chair in the kitchen of your flat (this was before you’d moved in together) while you sat on the bench behind him, swinging your legs ever so slightly as he gazed adoringly up at you.

“let me take a picture,” you’d giggled, turning to grab your phone. “you look so cute.”

“no,” he’d whined. “darling,” he’d still smiled when you prompted, and you looked softly at your screen, completely enamoured. “do not post that anywhere, can’t have anyone knowing that i simp for you.”

“dork,” you had put your phone down and ruffled his hair, some loose hairs falling out from where you’d cut. 

you pulled your car up to the pavement and went up to wilbur’s office. it was a fairly small building, and you managed to get there without anyone asking any questions. 

you reached the office and peered inside. it was dark. you opened the door and stuck your head in, but there was no one inside. “hey!” tommy said much too loudly, him and wilbur coming around the corner. your eyes flicked between the two of them, narrowing slightly.

“i thought you said the door was locked?” you asked uncertainly.

“it’s not,” tommy said simply, and he reached a hand out and shoved you through the open door, shutting it behind you. “but it will be.”

“what the fuck?” you banged on the window.

tom pushed wilbur over, but the older man just looked at him incredulously. “have you lost your mind?”

“please?” tommy asked, gesturing to where you were glaring at him.

“no!” wilbur said, hitting tommy’s arm off his shoulder. “you’re a dickhead. now let her out.”

“fine.” tommy’s shoulders slumped and he moved out of the way. wilbur rolled his eyes at tommy, saying he’d do it and then making will. his hand wrapped around the doorknob and he was halfway through an apology to you when tommy’s hand collided with his back.

wilbur stumbled toward and you both watched in horror as tommy shut the door, triumphantly locking it with a click.

“tommy you fucker!” wilbur yelled.

“now, i may have been lying about needing a lift and being locked in the office, but i wasn’t lying about needing to go home.”

“thomas if you leave i’m gonna delete your channel!” tommy actually looked nervous at wilbur’s threat. “open the door.”

tommy sighed again, finally giving up. he jiggled the doorknob and his eyes widened. “okay i would let you out but i may have broken the door.”

he backed away, both you and will yelling at him. 

you turned so your back was against the door, sitting down with your knees up to your chest. will came to sit next to you. “are you okay?”

“i just don’t like knowing there’s no way out of a room.” you said quietly. “i don’t like being trapped.”

“i know,” he said softly. “is there anything i can do besides breaking a window?”

you exhaled, smiling weakly. “can you just talk to me?” you fiddled nervously, suddenly worried about what he would think.

“of course i can.” without realising, wilbur had reached out and was dragging his thumb gently over the back of your hand. “you know that step down the street from ou-my flat? the one that you always used to trip on? they fixed it.” you didn’t seem to notice his mistake, so he kept going. “and there’s a new bar a few miles away and we’ve been trying to get them to let us play there, so we might have a new gig bar soon.”

your breathing was more even now, and he squeezed your hand gently. you squeezed back and he smiled.

you could vaguely hear tommy saying he was going to get maintenance, and wilbur shuffled. “i’m gonna see if i can jimmy it with a card. could you grab one for me please?” 

you reached over to will’s desk and grabbed a random card out of his wallet. you went to hand it to him but before he could grab it you took a closer look. “you kept this?”

over a year ago as a joke you’d bought him one of those simp cards from the arthur meme, and it had your name written underneath it. “you’re only allowed to simp for me,” you’d say as you gave it to him, making him crack up.

“yeah,” wilbur admitted, his cheeks turning warm. “guess i forgot it was there.”

he shoved it into the lock and wiggled it around until he heard a click and the door swung open. “here.” he tried to give it back to you, but you shook your head.

“you can keep it, or throw it out. whatever you want. it’s yours,” you babbled, not meeting his eyes.

wilbur wasn’t sure what came over him in the next ten seconds, but before he could stop himself he blurted out “does this mean i’m still allowed to love you?”

your gaze shot up and your eyes met wilbur’s, warm and brown, filled with uncertainty. eventually, you nodded. “always.”

wilbur wasn’t sure if that was if that was an invitation, but before he could stop himself he was wrapping his arms around you. you burrowed into his chest, breathing deeply. “did tommy really parent-trap us?”

“well,” you replied shyly. “don’t they get back together in the parent trap? not exactly accurate to the source material.”

“well we all know how important it is,” wilbur said quietly, eyes flicking down for just an instant. 

“very important,” he could feel your breath on his face.

“it’s a christmas miracle!”

“it’s gonna be if i don’t kill him,” wilbur muttered, teeth gritted as you pulled apart to find tommy. he was holding a stick, and seemed to register your confusion.

“couldn’t find maintenance, so i went outside and found this.” he said proudly. “i was helping.”

“yeah actually,” will said genuinely, holding his hand out. “give us a look.” tommy handed the stick to wilbur and was promptly hit in the face with it. “that’s for locking us in there, bastard.”

“ow.” tommy picked the stick off the ground and chucked it at wilbur, but it just bounced off the door behind him. “okay fine. i’m sorry.”

“you better be,” you stepped towards him and he flinched, clearly sure you were going to attack him like wilbur had. “come on, let’s go.”

as tommy said goodbye to wilbur, the two of you made eye contact over tom’s shoulder. he smiled at you, and you smiled back. he raised his eyebrows slightly, grin overtaking his face. you nodded almost imperceptibly. he’d call you.

he didn’t. 

it had been two weeks since you’d last spoken, and he never called you. you didn’t want to admit that it hurt you. you had spent eight months trying to get over wilbur, all that progress destroyed in an instant.

you’d never deleted his contact, not even when you first broke up. you hovered over it debating on whether to call him, before exiting out and closing your phone.

your phone stayed dark for approximately one second before it was lighting up again. you answered, “yeah, tommy?”

“so, atom, me and a few others were thinking of having a little christmas get together on the 23rd? would you want to come?” he rushed out, wanting to get the words out before you said anything.

you considered it for a second. your parents would be going on holiday. they invited you, but you always wanted to spend your christmas with wilbur. this year, you’d declined again, without really knowing the reason. it’s not like you had other plans.

“yeah, alright,” you said, and you heard tom let out a triumphant breath on the other side. “who’s coming?”

“you, phil and kristin, tubbo, james, ranboo, maybe aimsey, a few other people maybe…” he trailed off, and you frowned.

“wilbur?” you asked.

“yeah.” tommy admitted. “but there will be enough people that you can be a coward and not talk to him.”

“tommy,” you said, voice low. “don’t.”

“okay, i’m sorry. please come?”

it’s not like you had anything better to do. “i’ll be there, tommy. don’t worry.” 

the things you would do for that fucker. he could never know. god knows his head was big enough without you telling him that.

while you were quietly dreading it, tommy seemed almost giddy with excitement. so you forced a smile and acted happy about it, even after tommy abandoned you within thirty seconds of you arriving. 

you managed to strike up a conversation with ranboo, though, grateful that you knew everyone. you’d isolated yourself quite a bit after the breakup, worried that your friends would rather be friends with will.

your worries were shattered when you were  engulfed in a hug from him. they seemed really interested in your upcoming projects and you asked about his with equal fervour. 

the night was going much better than you’d expected, and it was winding down when wilbur finally approached you. joni mitchell singing through the speakers about her lover making her weak in the knees, sipping on a drink with your head resting on top of aimsey’s.

“hey,” he was quiet, words slurred more from being tired than drunk. “can we talk?”

you looked down at aimsey, who was immersed in conversation with james and tommy, so you slid off the counter and followed him down the hall. tommy’s flat was small, so the two of you found a quiet corner. your shoulder was pressed into the wall, looking at him over the rim of your glass as he fiddled with his glasses. “i’m sorry i didn’t call.”

“it’s fine.” you said stiffly.

“no, it’s not.” he pressed. “i fucked up. not just when i didn’t call. i fucked up when we were still together.”

“will,” you tried. “it’s okay. it’s the past.”

“but you’re not.” he said. “you’re not the past, not my past. at least, i don’t want you to be.” he took a shuddering breath. “i was so worried about letting people down that i fucked up, and i ruined us.”

“you didn’t ruin anything.” it came out breathy, just above a whisper and you gave him a watery smile. “definitely not us.”

you didn’t know why you were getting so emotional, maybe it was how cold and dreary it had been, maybe it was exhaustion or the alcohol. or maybe it was because wilbur had taken your hands in his and pressed them to his lips. 

“i’m so sorry, darling,” he murmured against your fingers, squeezing his eyes shut tight. “so so sorry.”

“it’s not your fault, will.” you said. “i could have done something.”

he opened his eyes and met yours, shining as you tried to fight back tears. “i’m so hard to handle, and i’m selfish and i’m sad,” he sang along to joni mitchell softly, pulling you forward to wrap your arms around him. he smelled like cinnamon, and he let you cry for as long as you needed.

you pulled away softly, looking at him as your hand ghosted over his jaw. “you didn’t lose me, will.” 

“you’re saying you think you’re the best baby i ever had?” he asked, eyes shining, and you pushed him away. 

you giggled. “how presumptuous of me.”

“you would be correct though,” he admitted, coming to pull you close again, swaying on the spot. he leant forward and pressed his lips to yours, you threading your hands into his hair.

“you have got to let me cut this,” you mumbled, and wilbur laughed against your mouth. he pressed his forehead against your shoulder, and took a shaky breath.

“i miss you.” he said. “i stopped working so much, i’ve been taking care of myself more. let me love you again?”

his voice wobbled, clearly so sure that you would reject him. he had hurt you, he knew that. will let his thumbs stroke up and down your arms and you got goosebumps even through your jumper. “you do have a permit, don’t you?”

he laughed, relief thick in his voice. “of course, darling. have my card in my wallet.”

“then i guess that’s okay.” you said, as if it didn’t matter to you all that much. “as long as you let me love you.”

“you can do whatever you want,” wilbur kissed you again. “as long as it’s with me.”

#wilbur #wilbur soot x y/n #wilbursoot #wilbur soot #wilbur x reader #wilbur soot fic #🐈 wilby #mcyt wilbur #wilbur mcyt #wilbur soot fluff #wilbur soot headcanons #wilbur soot x you #wilbur x y/n #wilbur x you #wilbur soot x fem!reader #wilbur soot x reader

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

The Girls’ Trip Fairy Tale Ending

Summary:  This is my combined birthday gift for Joni ( @jrob64 ), Marta ( @snowbellewells ) and Krystal ( @kmomof4 ).  Happy birthday ladies! Four fandom friends are nearing the end of their annual girls’ trip when they’re suddenly visited by Isaac, the author before Henry.  He gives them an each a gift--an opportunity to jump into any scene in the storybook they want and fix it.  Large focus on CS, although other characters and relationships will be explored.  A big shoutout to @hollyethecurious and @winterbaby89 for betaing!

Word Count: 1123

Other Chapters: (2) (3) (4)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 1

“Does anyone remember what we used those puzzle pieces for in the escape room?” Krystal asked, looking up from her laptop at the kitchen table of the Pigeon Forge cabin.

“It had something to do with that map of France, didn’t it?” Joni answered from one end of the couch.

From the other side of the couch, Jen looked up from her laptop where she was busy editing.  “Yeah, it led us to that big map on the wall I think.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Krystal said, going back to her typing.

Across the room, Marta sat in the armchair, trying futilely to keep her eyes open.

It was the last day of their second annual girls’ trip, during which they’d crammed as much into the first three days as was physically possible.  This last day had been more relaxed.  They’d spent the entire day writing what was turning out to be an epically long fictionalized version of their adventures.

Now, it was closing in on midnight, and though they were all tired, no one was quite ready to call it a night.  After all, tomorrow morning they had to check out of the cabin and head back home.

For long moments all that could be heard was the clacking of laptop keys as Krystal finished writing her scene while Jen and Joni continued with their editing.

Marta lost her battle with the sandman, and her hands relaxed after which her laptop clattered to the floor.

“You can go to bed if you want,” Joni said.

Marta shook her head. “I don’t want to miss out on anything.”

Jen grimaced.  “At this point, I think all you’d be missing out on is the loud music our neighbors seem to be intent on blasting. An hour and a half past the noise ordinance.”  As though to emphasize her point, there was a loud cheer from the neighboring cabin followed by even louder music.

Marta chuckled but shook her head again.  “I don’t know what it is, but I just have this feeling, if I went to bed now, I’d be missing something.  Something big.”

No sooner had she stopped speaking than there was a crackling, fizzing sound and a formless puff of grayish smoke in the center of the living room.  When it cleared, the ladies found themselves face to face with none other than the smirking face of Isaac, the author before Henry.

For a moment no one spoke, mouths hanging open, brains trying to catch up to the fact that the impossible had just happened to them.

Finally, Jen spoke. “Seriously?  Of all the OUAT characters who could have visited us on our girls’ trip, it had to be you?”

“Could be worse,” Krystal said.  “It could have been Neal.”  She spat the name as though it was the foulest of curse words.

“Might as well be,” Joni pointed out.  “After all, the author is the one who made Neal the way he is.”

Isaac rolled his eyes.  “Everyone’s a critic.  Look, is anyone actually interested in what I’m here for, or do you just want to sit around criticizing my life’s work?”

“I’m interested,” Marta said, raising a hand.

Meanwhile, Joni mumbled “Why can’t we do both?” under her breath.

Isaac rolled his eyes dramatically once again.  “So here’s the deal.  Every writer emits a…for lack of a better word…energy, and fanfiction writers are no exception.  When someone works with an author’s original source material, that author can feel the energy.  Normally, I feel nothing but a ripple, but you, ladies, have been working together ALL DAY on your story, and to keep it brief, I felt a tidal wave.”

“Sorry?” Jen said.

“You fanfiction writers!” Isaac continued to rant as though she hadn’t spoken. “Always so critical of little things like plot holes and timelines and character development.  Always so sure you can do my job better than I can.  Well, I’m sick of it!  It’s high time I put you all in your place.”

“By… monologing us to death?” Joni deadpanned.

“No,” Isaac said, glaring at her, “by letting you try it if you think you’re so smart.”

Four confused looks met him.

Isaac reached into the messenger bag he had slung over his shoulder and pulled out what appeared to be a copy of the storybook.  “I’m giving each of you an opportunity to dive into the story at one key moment you would like to change.  You get to interact with the characters, tell them whatever you want, lead them in whatever direction you want.  Hell, you can even make one of them fall in love with you if you want.”

“But… won’t that change the whole trajectory of the story?” Jen asked.

“It may,” Isaac said, “but that’s the whole point.  If you change one thing, you’ll see the ripple effect–and just how difficult it truly is to do my job.  Don’t worry, though, once you return, all will be returned to the way it should be as though you’d never been there.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Krystal said, “you’re letting us, what, jump into the book and interact with our faves?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Isaac said with a nod.

Krystal’s excited shriek echoed through the entire cabin.

“Sorry to be a bother,” Marta piped up, “but… won’t it require a lot of explanation to the characters why random women just happened to show up in their lives?”

“Ah, exposition,” Isaac nodded sagely, “the scourge of writers everywhere.  Don’t worry, I’m trying to get all of that out of the way in this first chapter of your adventure.  For the purposes of this exercise, all the characters know you and believe you have been a part of their story from the beginning.  No need to pull attention from the narrative to explain your presence.”

“But how does that work?” Jen asked.

“Because…” Isaac sputtered, “because….magic, okay?”

For several moments there was excited murmuring among the ladies as they discussed the relative merits of various scenes they’d like to “fix”

Finally Krystal addressed Isaac once again.  “We’ve only got one more question: How do we get there?”

“That’s where this comes in,” Isaac said, tapping the storybook. “Think of the scene you’re interested in visiting, step up to the book, and in you go.  So who’s first?”

“I know exactly where and when I want to go,” Joni said, getting to her feet and stepping up to the author. “Let’s get this fix-it underway!”

The book fluttered open, the pages flipping until they rested on a drawing of the beanstalk.  Joni placed her hand on the drawing, and suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and then she was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

--When I was thinking about what I wanted to do for @jrob64, @snowbellewells, and @kmomof4​ for their birthdays this year, I thought about our girls’ trip to Pigeon Forge in late May.  We wrote our favorite characters into our trip, essentially, so I thought, what if I write us into their story?  So I asked each of them this question (without explaining the context): If you could go to one scene from OUAT and fix it, which scene would it be?  In order to avoid arousing suspicion, I started the ball rolling by giving my own answer to the question.  What follows will be the results of their answers!  I find any kind of writing involving IRL people as characters to be very difficult, so hopefully this works!

--This first chapter, of course, is basically just a set up chapter containing, as Isaac warned, quite a bit of necessary exposition--but hopefully, as he suggested, most of that will be out of the way now!  Just as a point of general interest, This chapter was nearly word for word what happened to us on our last night at the cabin--well, up until Isaac showing up at least, lol.  The photo I used is the living room of our cabin...where this story starts.

--Up next on August 3rd, we start with Joni’s story!  What if Joni convinced Emma that she really wasn’t wrong about Hook and she could trust him?

                                                                                NEXT CHAPTER-->

#ouat fanfiction #girls' trip fanfiction #captain swan fanfiction #fandom friends' birthday fics #my fanfiction

[quiirrel]

The Pale king isn't a colonizer, the moths joined him willingly. Nor are we condoning his actions. Yes he killed children. But in a fit of desperation. What would you have down? We know he ultimately regretted his choice and arguably died from grief.

Ps. That's a really nice edit!

I made it in 5 seconds in ibis paint which is surprisingly good for editing if you’re interested in getting into that but like. A fit of desperation in which he killed enough children to make a body pit also, taken from my DMs in several posts where I’ve debated with my friend: (colored for dyslexia help!)

there are literal monoliths and structures and statues dedicated to PK completely overwriting the moth’s history as it’s stated plainly ingame

the HK statue the PK fountain the idea of the archives being made to “contain” knowledge the blatant colonist themes of having stations named King and Queen’s station

you can even see the line where it cuts between the impoverished (literally called Dirtmouth) where they live with very little other than ramshackle houses & a well and the city of tears where they have giant spiraling buildings and walls that cut off the outside

it’s even explicitly stated that herrah disallowed PK from doing the same thing to deepnest—the attacks on the destroyed tramway implying he TRIED TO GO THROUGH WITH IT ANYWAY (sorry emphasis) which is like. come on

deepnest bugs are even referred to as beasts and very much made ‘other’ and ‘other’-people because of the fact that they didn’t want to work with PK until herrah gave in with the radiance threat

The way crystal peaks is implied to be a sacred place by the shaman living there and the huge statue of the radiance at the top being taken and used as a mine

And PK himself implied to have abandoned his people and escaped reckoning by removing the entire palace leaving even the higher class people unrelated to the monarchy high and dry

and there’s so little of any culture left in Hallownest beside what pk made and took. Unn abandoned her people to rot and the Lifeblood beast is sleeping with the only person related to it (Joni) being asleep in a sealed room. Deepnest is empty and the Mantises are basically the only surviving colony beside the Hive, who all emit infection clouds and whose queen died.

He literally colonized Hallownest lol like. Even if you see it as gods warring over territory it’s still colonialism if you uproot hundreds of peoples lives and faith and replace it with your own. Also the fucking mass infanticide like you don’t do infanticide not only once not even five times but millions of times MILLIONS of times out of desperation. come on.

Anyway seeing this take so often despite the shit ton of proof is a little annoying but I do love discussing and debate also. Sorry for text dump

[independentartistbuzz]

7 From the Women with Kristen Rae Bowden

Charlottesville-based singer/songwriter Kristen Rae Bowden's music exhibits a bold vulnerability. She’s a confessional storyteller with a theatrical flair who draws from a wide swath of influences, including Kate Bush, Phoebe Bridgers, Radiohead, and Madi Diaz.

Her latest song, "Fault Lines," is a powerful indie pop piece about a break up she experienced. She paints a captivating musical picture using vibrant lyrics and stunning melodies as she compares fault lines to relationships.

We got a chance to speak with Kristen about her music, career, and influences in this edition of 7 From the Women:

What have you been working to promote lately?

I just released a midsummer single called ‘Fault Lines’! It’s a road-trip-worthy indie pop song inspired by a breakup on the Highway 1 in California. In case you’re unfamiliar, the Highway 1/Pacific Coast Highway is an iconic, stunningly scenic road that winds along the Cali coastline. As it does so it crosses several fault lines, including the famous San Andreas Fault, which has been responsible for numerous earthquakes. 

In my song I used the cliff-side scenery to represent the feeling of a breakup… like you’re on the edge of a precipice and can’t see what’s next. And I used the first line, “It’s all your fault,” to word-play with ideas of blame and shaky ground. The whole song grew out of that first line… I’d always wanted to start a song that way. (I wonder what that says about me?)

‘Fault Lines’ came from a collection of my memories, as opposed to just one, so I’m proud of how cohesive I think it is. I never really had a breakup on the Highway 1, but somehow I’ve been in that incredibly vivid part of the world at times when various relationships were failing. The scenery there provides a sharp, poignant backdrop for end-of-the-world feelings.

Sonically I was inspired by 1990’s pop-rock… the stuff I heard on the radio when I was still riding around in my parents’ car.  I think the song reflects that, but with ethereal textures blended into it. Please have a listen! I’m very happy with this version of the tune.

Stream it:

Or listen on YouTube:

Please tell us about your favorite song written, recorded, or produced by another woman and why it’s meaningful to you.

The last time I stopped in for this interview I talked about Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” which is still and forever a classic favorite of mine. Today the first song that comes to mind is Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand the Rain”. It has an undeniable groove that stops my over-thinking brain and lets me forget myself. I love the relatable simplicity of the lyrics. They make me think of every time a sound or a smell has attached itself to one of my memories - it’s fascinating how strong that association can be, where I basically time travel in my head when I smell jasmine or woodsmoke, or hear a song I sang with an old lover, etc. I often attempt to write songs with complicated ideas behind them, but there’s no denying that sometimes simplicity is just the greatest. I also love how they captured the sound of raindrops. And the vocal melody is soulfully ingenious.

What does it mean to you to be a woman making music/in the music business today and do you feel a responsibility to other women to create messages and themes in your music?

I think it’s safe to say that women are still vastly underrepresented in the music industry (even more so with women of color and minority communities). From what I’ve read, most of the studies on this underrepresentation often focus on highly successful artists, the Grammys, etc. But I can say that in my personal experience as an independent artist, my artistic interactions are overwhelmingly male dominated as well. When I’m the only woman in the room, I’m happy there’s a woman in the room!

When I create music I let my thoughts and feelings dictate what I write. I don’t feel a responsibility to other women to create messages and themes, no. Instead I feel a responsibility to myself as an artist to create work that is honest, and to continue pushing myself to express my most private and personal thoughts and feelings. Given that I am a woman and experience the world as such, this is inherently tied up in my artistic expressions. I would hope for a world where all women are and feel free to express themselves openly and with authenticity. We’re obviously not there yet. It’s crazy how many feminine experiences are still considered somehow taboo.

What female artists have inspired you and influenced you?

Too many to list! Lately I’ve been slowly working my way through Kate Bush’s song catalogue… I’m caught up in her Aerial double album at the moment. It’s incredible. I tend to write very narrative lyrics, and I’m inspired by her ability to flash from enigmatic, mythological imagery into real life details. It’s hallucinatory. Recently I’ve also been drawing inspiration from Japanese Breakfast, Aoife O'Donovan, Madi Diaz, Phoebe Bridgers, CMAT, and Birdy.

Who's Your Favorite Female Icon(dead or alive) and why?

The Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is a female icon I’ve delighted in learning more about in recent years. I’d previously admired her beautiful, raw, symbolic paintings, but two years ago I decided to read her biography after seeing an X-Ray of my own spine. I have scoliosis and finally decided to get some physical therapy when my back pain became overwhelming. Seeing the X-Ray of my spine was upsetting, and after I cried about it for a minute I thought, I bet reading Frida’s biography would change my perspective and stop me feeling sorry for myself. I knew she had polio as a child, and then as a young woman she suffered and broken back and many other terrible injuries in a bus/trolley crash, leaving her in pain for the rest of her life. She took up painting while bedridden after her accident, and channeled the pain into her art.

Reading her biography I learned about the origins of her instantly recognizable personal style: she used fashion and her outward appearance to express her Indigenous Mexican heritage, essentially becoming a work of art herself. She challenged traditional norms of gender and sexuality, defying conventional expectations of femininity. Her paintings address deeply personal women’s issues and pain, such as her sexuality and her inability to carry a pregnancy to term, with shocking openness at a time when nobody was doing that. They also address her political stances and cultural heritage. The way she lived her life and created art is incredibly touching and inspiring to me.

Last year I had the opportunity to visit her house in Coyoacan, Mexico City, which is now the Frida Kahlo museum. Seeing her paintings up close, along with her her belongings (her wheelchair, her easel, her back braces and incredible folk style clothing), and walking through the rooms where she walked, gave me goosebumps. If you have the chance to go, I highly recommend it.

Do you consider yourself a feminist? If so, why or why not?

I definitely consider myself a feminist, now more than ever, since a woman’s right to bodily autonomy has been decimated in the US. I am lucky enough to live in a state where my right to healthcare, including abortion, is still intact, for now. But we should not be voting on whether women and their doctors get to decide what healthcare a woman needs and when. Our basic rights should not be on the ballot. Women should not have to wait until they are at death’s door to get the help they need. It’s barbaric, disgusting, and devastating. No one is free without bodily autonomy. It’s really tragic that we have to work to undo the same bullshit that our grandmothers and mothers already fought to change, but we must, and we will.

What do you hope to share with other women in the industry with your music?

My songs often end up being related to self empowerment and the rejection of what I’d call fairy-tale romantic ideas. I hope my little story songs will be a drop in the ocean of music encouraging women to choose themselves and their own needs - to express themselves freely and put themselves first. 

Finally – Where can we find you online?

Website and Bandcamp

Stream:

Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon, Pandora, Tidal

Follow:

Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook

#music #indie #interview #pop #rock #kristen rae bowden #Youtube

[thoraway125]

almost every song Sara Quin has recommended

A Playlist

AFI

A Flock Of Seagulls- I Ran

Again Me!- Boyfriend

AHOHNI- Drone Bomb Me

Alex Lahey- You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me

Allison Crutchfield- Dean’s Room

Allison Weiss- Runaway

All Of This- Perera Elsewhere

ALMA- Chasing Heights

Alvvays

Alycia Keys- Try Sleeping with A Broken Heart

Ani DiFranco

Annie Lennox

An Horse

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion  

Bangles

ASTR- Operate

Atari Teenage Riot

A Tribe Called Red- R.E.D

Austra- I Love You More Than You Love Yourself Babes in Toyland

Bancks- Gemini Feed

Baths

Baybee- Jay Som

Beach House- Sparks, Lemon Glow

Bebe Rexha- Meant to Be

Bec Sandridge- In the Fog, in the Flame

Ben Folds

Betty Who- You Can Cry Tomorrow

Beyonce- Lemonade

Bikini Kill

Billy Idol- Mony Mony 

Bleached- Wednesday Night Melody, Can You Deal?, Flipside

Bleachers- Don’t Take The Money

BLK- My Hood - Stormzy

Blood Orange- You're Not Good Enough, It Is What It Is 

Bob Marley

Body- Julia Jacklin 

Bone thugs and Harmony

Bon Jovi- wanted dead or alive, you give love a bad name 

Bowie

Britta Phillips- Mistress America

Broken Social Scene- Hug of Thunder, Almost Crimes Bruce Springsteen- Im on Fire, Dancing in the Dark, The River, Live 1975-85 (this particular version https://youtu.be/gg3DleXrT-o) Bryan Adams

Bjork- I've seen it all 

Buck 65- Square Two

Cake

Carrie Brownstein

Caribou- Can’t Do Without You

Cassie- Me & U

Chairlift- Romeo

Charli XCX- Track 10

Charlotte Day Wilson- Work

Chloe x Halle0 Drop

Christine and The Queens- iT, Saint Claude 

Chris Walla

CHVRCHES

Classixx- Borderline

City and Colour

Cold Specks

Collide- Krasnoyarsk

Corey Hart- Sunglasses At Night

Couer de Pirate

Cyndi Lauper- The Goonies Are Good Enough, Time After Time

Cypress Hill

Dallas Green

Death Cab for Cutie 

Debbie Wiseman- Wolf Hall

DEDE- Faultline (Single Edit)

Deradoorian- A Beautiful Woman

DIANA- Confession, Perpetual Surrender

Dinosaur Jr

DJDS- Trees On Fire

Dolly Parton

Doveman

Drake- No Tellin Dream- Love/Hate

Diana- Perpetual Surrender

Electrelane - Rock It to the Moon, no shouts no calls

Empress Of- How Do You DO It

Emylia Argan

Erasure

Eugene Francis Jnr

Everything but the Girl

Fatima Al Qadiri- Hip Hop Spa, Szechuan

Feist- Pleasure album

Fever Ray- Mustn’t Hurry

First Aid Kit

FKA Twigs- Good To Love

Four Tet

Francis and the Lights- May I Have This Dance

Frankie Cosmos- Sinister, Accommodation 

Frank Ocean Thinking About You

Friends- I'm His Girl 

FUN Fugazi

Future Islands- Ran

George Hill

Gilligan Moss- It Felt Right

Girlpool- Chinatown

Glass Animals

Gogol Bordello 

Gossip

Green Day

Grimes- Flesh Without Blood

Grizzly Bear

HAIM- Want You Back

Halsey- Now Or Never

HANA

Hank Williams

Hannah Georgas- Don’t Go, Needed Me

Hayley Kiyoko- Girls Like Girls

Hole

Holly Miranda

Hot Hot Heat

IDER- Face On

Jack Johnson

James Ilha

Jamie xx- Girl

Japanese Breakfast- Machinist

Jeremih- Pass Dat

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me 

John Hopkins- I remember

Johnny Cash

Joni Mitchell

John Hopkins- Abandon Window, I remember

Jonathan Coulton

Justin Bieber- Purpose, Runaway Love Justin Timberlake-  FutureSex/LoveSounds Kaki King

Kate Bush

Katy Perry- Chained To The Rhythm

Kathryn Bostic- Love Theme

Kelela- Rewind- Sporting Life Remix

Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid - The Exchange Session, Vol. 2

Kelly Lee Owens- Birds

K.Flay- Black Wave

Kid Cudi- The Commander

Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid - The Exchange Session, Vol. 2

Kimya Dawson- So Nice So Smart

Kinnie Starr

Korn

KraftWork

KT Tunstall- Hard Girls

Kygo- It Ain’t Me (with Selena Gomez)

Kylie Minogue

Lapsley- Hurt Me

LCD Soundsystem- Tonite

Leonard Cohen- Came So Far For Beauty

Leo Kalyan- Fucked Up

Led Zeppelin

Light Asylum- Shallow Tears

Lily Allen 

Lorde- Green Light

Lou Reed- Satellite of Love

Lowell

Lower Dens- To Die in LA, Real Thing

Lucius- My Heart Got Caught On Your Sleeve 

Lupa J- Numb

Neil Young

New Found Glory

New Kids on the Block

New Order

New Skin- Torres

No Shouts No Calls

Nick Jonas- Jealous

Nicolas Jaar- No

Night Terrors

Nirvana

Noname 

Nothing to be Frightened of by Julian Barnes

Now Now

Madonna- Holiday

Majid Jordan (ft Drake)- My Love

Mapei- Don’t Wait

Mariah Carey

Matthew Dear

Melissa Etheridge

Mica Levi- Death

Michelle Branch- Hopeless Romantic

Mike Elizondo

Milli Vanilli - Blame It On the Rain

Miriam Culter- Ethel Main Title

Mitski

Montaigne- Because I Love You

Moonriser- I’m Not Something Special

Moses Sumney- Doomed

Mother Mother

MUNA- Winterbreak, I Know A Place, About You album

Mykki Blanco- Loner

My Bloody Valentine

My Midnight Heart

My So Called Life

Paramore- After Laughter, Told You So

Passion Pit

Paul Williams

Peaches

Porches- Anymore, Be Apart

Partner Band- In Search of Lost Time

Patsy Cline

Pattern Against User 

Perera Elsewhere- All of This

Perfume Genius- Slip Away

Phantogram- Answer 

Pheonix- J-Boy

Phil Collins- Groovy Kind of Love

Post Pavillon

Prince- I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, Little Red  Corvette

PWR BTTM- I Wanna Boi

Q Tip

Rachel Cantu

Rachel Portman- Vianne Sets Up Shop

Ra Ra Riot

RAY BLK- My Hood

REM- Sweetness

Ria Mae- Ooh Love

Richard Marx- Right here waiting

Rihanna- Russian Roulette, Umbrella, Higher, Love On The Brain

Robyn- Do it Again, Love is free (moon boots remix) 

Rolling Stones

Röysksopp- Something in my Heart

Rufus Wainwright

Ruth B- If This is Love Ryan Adams

Santigold

Samphaaa- Process Album 

Sample- Blood on Me

Shamir- If It Wasn’t True 

Sharon Van Etten- Everytime The Sun Comes Up

Serena Ryder- Electric Love

Shondells

Shura- What’s It Gonna Be?

Simple Minds- All The Things She Said

Sinead O’Connor

Siya- Automatic

Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream

Snailmail- Thinning

SNAP!- Rhythm Is A Dancer - 7” Edit

SOHN- Hard Liquor

Solange- Mad

Spoon- They Way We Get By

Speak

Steel Train

Stereogum

Stevie Nicks

St. Vincent, Actor

Supertramp

Supreme

Taylor Swift- 1989

Teenage Fanclub

The Bangles

The Beaches

The Black Keys

The Courtneys

The Cranberries- Dreams on My So Called Life

The Dream- Love Hate, Love vs Money

The Enemy- Bigger Cages, Longer Chains 

The Jezabels- Hurt Me

The Killers

The Lemon Twigs

The New Pornographers

Theophilus London

The Pretenders- 500 Miles The Police- Roxanne- I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, Little Red Corvette The Ramones

The Reason

The Regrettes- Hey Now

The Rentals- The Man With Two Brains

The Replacements

The Smiths

The White Stripes

The xx- xx (2009), Say Something Loving

Thingamajig- Miya Folick 

Tracy Chapman- Fast Car

Tom Petty

Tom Cochrane

Tony Bennet

Too Attached 

Torres

Tove Styrke- Say My Name

Tragically Hip

Tribe Called Quest

U2 - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horse

Us- Empress of

Vagabon- Fear & Force

Vector Xing- Bubble King

Vanbot- Collide, Krasnoyarsk, Not That Kind, Moscow Veckatimest Vivek Shraya- Part Time Woman

VHS or Beta

Violent Femmes 

Warpaint- Whiteout

Waters

Waxahatchee- Silver

Weavves

Weezer

When I’m with Him- Empress of

White Lung- Hungry. Kiss Me When I Bleed

Whitney houston- I look to you, million dollar bill, I will always love you

Wrabel- Bloodstain

Yaeji 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

#Sara Quin #Tegan and Sara #not even close to being everything she's ever said or uploaded to insta but it's a lot so

[billjones2023]

Tuesday 11.07.23: Recording Guardian Angels

Having had my play performed by professional actors 2nd October 2022, I was keen to have it recorded for: i) possible online placement as a podcast and ii) something of mine which had actually been performed. I originally thought it would be in Ray Williams’ studio but Richard announced it would be in the dressing rooms of the ERT, months later on 11th July 2023. We arrived at 9.30 am and met the cast, which for this event included a new actor as ‘Pete’: Clive Kneller, RADA trained diminutive actor whom I’d seen and rated highly. Richard was very sensitive in his direction, intervening tactfully here and there. The play was divided into over 10 sections for later editing, which made things seem a bit out of synch but Ray told me this is how most dramas are made professionally. I had written in an extra input from Leanne: she sang a song, a verse from Big Yellow Taxi by my favourite, Joni Mitchell, so I was pleased about that. I was impressed by the actors’ superb abilities to immediately fall back into character after a short delay in recording. In the end it took 5 hours to record a 50 minute play but it was worth every second. Can’t wait to hear the final product. Paid actors £120 apiece but Ray and Richard refused any payment. I compromised by buying Richard two bottles of whiskey, one his favourite Ardberg, plus a selection of white wines for Ray.

[limejuicer1862]

The Blue Motel Rooms Poetry & Art inspired by Joni Mitchell Print edition link

View On WordPress

[solatgif]

TGIF: Roundup for October 14, 2022

Ashley Kim’s essay won second place in TGC’s 2022 Essay Contest for Young Adults, and I asked her to read it for SOLA Network: I’m a Gen Zer, and I Believe the Bible is Inerrant. For more, check out our Article Reads playlist.

SOLA is proud to co-sponsor the Pathways of Grace Conference, featuring Joni Eareckson Tada, to encourage and equip people from local churches who are currently involved or want to be involved in caring for others in their churches affected by disability.

Our monthly newsletter features our most popular resources. Read our latest edition and join for free. Check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram.

Enter to win this excellent book! Read my review. Special thanks to Baker Academic for providing our giveaway, presented in partnership with my newsletters for @diveindigdeep and FCBC Walnut.

Articles From Around The Web

Faith Chang: Writer Moms

“If one thing surprised me after I became a stay-at-home mom, it was that I’d feel called to something outside the context of homemaking and ministry. And though I’ve settled into writing over the years, I still feel the underlying tension of needing to figure out what to do with my limited supply of time, energy, and health given the various desires and duties I have.”

Related: Keeping Heart: An Interview with Faith Chang by Aaron Lee

Moses Y. Lee: Why Korean-Language Presbyteries Exist in the PCA:

The Vision of Our Fathers (Part 1) and Not Uniformity But Pluriformity (Part 2)

“As the number of second-generation, Korean-American Teaching Elders continues to grow, we must never forget to show honor and respect to our immigrant fathers who did most of the grunt work in building a room for us in our denominational home.”

Related: The Journey and Value of Asian American Churches: An Interview with Dr. Alexander Jun by Jason Chao

Hyoung-ik Kim: Living as Christians in a National Fertility Crisis

“For Christians, the decision to pursue childbearing isn’t ultimately an economic decision; it’s a theological one.”

Related: The Chinese Son Complex: An Excerpt from “The Glorious Gospel of the Son of God” by Victor Guo

SOLA is proud to co-sponsor the Pathways of Grace Conference, featuring Joni Eareckson Tada, to encourage and equip people from local churches who are currently involved or want to be involved in caring for others in their churches affected by disability.

Books, Podcasts, Music, And More

FCBC Walnut: Discipleship Relationships

I spoke with Leslie Ho about the need to disciple the younger generation and the importance of intergenerational discipleship.

Asian American Worship Leaders: O Praise the Name (Tapestry Church)

O Come to the Altar (All Nations Community Church) / Won’t Stop Now (NewStory Church) / Promises (Living Hope Community Church)

Aaron Lee: Related Works

Book Reviews: Confronting Jesus by Rebecca McLaughlin, Preaching to a Divided Nation by Matthew D. Kim and Paul A. Hoffman. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.

Happy Pastor’s Appreciation Month! Check out a new Pastor Appreciation Collection I curated featuring 9 articles from our website.

Featured This Week On SOLA Network

Ben Shin: An Appreciation For Our Pastors

“Whether you know it or not, pastors in the church work very hard. They do a lot of things publicly like preaching, teaching, visitation, and leading but they also do quite a bit behind the scenes like counseling, studying, planning, and praying.”

Ashley Kim: I’m a Gen Zer, and I Believe the Bible is Inerrant

“The same Bible that trapped me with inescapable truths began to sustain me with the steadfast promises of my Savior.”

Aaron Lee: God’s Goodness to Asian Americans: A Book Review of “Learning Our Names”

“Does our culture have space for Asian American Christians? In Learning Our Names, we hear from Asian American Christians on the topics of identity, relationships, and vocation.”

Alice Kim: How We Can Bless Our Pastors for Pastors Appreciation Month

“There are many thoughtful and creative ways to encourage our pastors. May we consider blessing them so that they could fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith with steadfastness, faithfulness, and joy.”

TGIF: Roundup for October 7, 2022

‘Two Taels of Bread’ and Other East Asian Heresies / Trouble in Taiwan / Christian, Do You Expect to Face Persecution? / The Dehumanizing Habits That Social Media Has Normalized

General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.

[quoteoftheweekblog]

QUOTATIONS - SALLY ROONEY’S ’CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS’ (FIRST PUBLISHED 2017)

First sentence:

'Bobbi and I first met Melissa at a poetry night in town, where we were performing together.' (Rooney, 2022, p.3).

On 'normal people':

'Things matter to me more than they do to normal people ... ' (Rooney, 2022, p.30).

' ... a genius hidden among normal people.' (Rooney, 2022, p.34).

' ... he was just another normal person ... ' (Rooney, 2022, p.175).

On music:

'I put "Astral Weeks" on the stereo in the living room and slumped right onto the floor to listen.' (Rooney, 2022, p.30).

'That James Blake song "Retrograde" was playing outside in the kitchen.' (Rooney, 2022, p.57).

' ... listening to Bobbi singing a Francoise Hardy song in the next room.' (Rooney, 2022, p.101).

'Then she put on the Animal Collective CD and turned the music up really loud.' (Rooney, 2022, p.107).

'I put a Joni Mitchell album in the CD player and looked out the window ... ' (Rooney, 2022, p.111).

'Nick had sent me an email that day containing a link to a Joanna Newson song. I sent back a link to the Billie Holiday recording of "I'm a Fool to Want You", but he didn't reply.' (Rooney, 2022, p.207).

'In the conservatory, the stereo was playing a Sam Cooke song ... ' (Rooney, 2022, p.280).

On studying:

'I liked to sit in the library to write essays, allowing my sense of time and personal identity to dissolve as the light dimmed outside the windows. I would open fifteen tabs on my web browser while producing phrases like "epistemic rearticulation” and “operant discursive pratices”. I mostly forgot to eat on days like this and emerged in the evening with a fine, shrill headache.' (Rooney, 2022, p.34).

'I stayed at home for the next few days, lying around and reading. I had a lot of academic reading I could have been doing in advance of the college term, but instead what I started reading was the gospels. For some reason my mother had left a small leather-bound copy of the New Testament on the bookshelf in my room, sandwiched between "Emma" and an anthology of early American writing ... ' (Rooney, 2022, p.173).

On writing:

'Then I read his email again several times. I was relieved he had put the whole thing in lower case like he always did. It would have been dramatic to introduce capitalisation at such a moment of tension.' (Rooney, 2022, p.61).

'I loved when he was available to me like this, when our relationship was like a Word document which we were writing and editing together ... ' (Rooney, 2022, p.185).

On Philip:

'I mentioned to Philip that I had kissed someone I shouldn't have kissed, but he didn't know what I was talking about.' (Rooney, 2022, p.65).

'Wow, Philip said.' (Rooney, 2022, p.189).

'You're joking, Philip said. You're not really having some kind of affair with him, are you?' (Rooney, 2022, p.211).

On life:

'People can be in love and have affairs.' (Rooney, 2022, p.147).

'Everyone's always going through something, aren't they? That's life, basically. It's just more and more things to go through.' (Rooney, 2022, p.256).

On W.B. Yeats:

'If there's one thing you can say for fascism, it had some good poets.' (Rooney, 2022, p.208).

'No one who likes Yeats is capable of human intimacy.' (Rooney, 2022, p.203).

REFERENCE

Rooney, S. (2022 [2017] ) 'Conversations with friends'. London: Faber and Faber.

[egcdeath]

first impressions

pairing: soft!ransom drysdale x reader 

summary: [request] “hmm prompts... Ransom introducing you (a total opposite of him) to his family for the first time, or a Thrombey wedding! if you feel like it” i like where your brain is at anon! but why not a little bit of both? ;)

word count: 3.7k

warnings: pretty fluffy, some angst, toxic family dynamics

author’s note: this has been super lightly edited so pls forgive any mistakes <3 click here if you’d like to be added to my taglist & all reblogs are super appreciated!

You felt slightly out of place driving through the neighborhood of your youth in the passenger seat of Ransom’s beloved Beamer. Thinking of how your parents would react to your boyfriend, let alone his lifestyle of excess, made your heart rate increase, and you shuffled a bit in your seat unconsciously as a result of your nerves. As if he were reading your thoughts, Ransom set a steady hand on your knee and gave it a tiny reassuring squeeze before parking in front of the curb ahead of your home. 

Nervously exiting the vehicle, you watched wordlessly as Ransom grabbed your overnight bags from the trunk, and hauled them over his shoulders. Still saying nothing, you reached out and grabbed Ransom’s hand, constricting his circulation as you strolled up to your door, and rang your own doorbell.

When your mother whipped open the door and offered you an excited grin, you finally were able to let out the breath that you weren’t even aware you were holding.

“Goose!” your mother cheered, squeezing the life out of you while you snuck a glance at Ransom who seemed rather amused by the childhood pet name. “And who’s this?” she asked, pulling away from you and looking him up and down.

“I’m Ransom, your daughter’s boyfriend,” he announced with confidence, offering your mom friendly smile, before glancing back over at you and raising his brows the slightest bit. 

“Finally putting a face to the name, then. I’ve heard all about you from this one. Come on in,” she gestured for the two of you to enter. “Y/N can show you to her room, and dinner will be ready in about a half hour,” with that, your mother was off, and you were once again alone with Ransom.

You showed him up to your room, where he set down the bags and flopped down onto your bright pink duvet.

“Goose, huh?” he questioned, rolling on the hyperfeminine twin mattress. 

“Shut up,” you mumbled, before sitting down next to the headboard of the bed.

“Do you think she liked me?” Ransom asked, seemingly out of nowhere. “Did you tell her good things about me?”

“Since when do you care about what other people think of you?” you giggled a bit, and planted your fingers in Ransom’s hair. 

“I care because…” he thought for a moment, calculating just how honest he wanted to be. “I care because this is the longest relationship I’ve been in, and I want my future parents-in-law to like me.”

“We’ve been together for like, a year, Ran. But I applaud your commitment to me,” you massaged his scalp as you spoke, and ignored the butterflies floating throughout your torso at his mention of marriage. 

“Well? Do you think she likes me?” he asked once again. 

“Mmm, I like when you care about things,” you pressed a little peck to his forehead, and hovered a bit over his face. “She said like, 20 words to you, max. But after dinner I’m sure they’ll like you. At least I hope they will.”

Ransom playfully swatted at you. “How comforting. Wait, stay right there,” he reached up and held the hand that was massaging his scalp in place. 

——

By the time dinner came around, you seemed to have switched emotions with your partner, as you were feeling much more relaxed, and Ransom on the other hand, was not.

He kept a hand on your knee under the table in what seemed like a grounding technique, squeezing every now and then while your father plated your meals.

“So, how did you two meet?” your father questioned, sitting down beside your mom.

“We met while we were volunteering at the Humane Society together,” you gushed, glancing over at your partner who was nervously sipping his water, then back at your parents. “He always seemed so pissed in the beginning. I mean, the amount of times I saw him growling obscenities while tugging on harnesses, or playing the most unenthusiastic games of fetch I’d ever seen in my life is astounding,” you laughed softly, and looked over at Ransom once again as if you were cueing him to speak.

“Yeah, I really didn’t like it there at first. Not really a dog guy, but my grandad said it was community service or no allowance, and I was not interested in the latter,” he chuckled awkwardly and received confused expressions from your parents, which granted you an SOS squeeze on the knee. 

“Um, anyway, one day we were closing, and I went into the last cat suite, and there grumpy old Ransom was, cuddling with Garfield, you know, the old cat with the three legs, and it was literally the cutest thing I’d ever seen. Especially ‘cause Garfield is so hard to please,'' you paused to take a bite of the food in front of you. “We started talking more after that, then he asked me out, and of course I said yes. I guess the rest is history.”

“Aw, Goose, that’s so cute!” your mom cooed, but the moment didn’t last too long. 

“What do you do for work, Ransom?” Your dad asked, tilting his beer at the man. 

“I’m currently in between jobs. But, uh, I’ve been doing a lot of volunteer work.” 

Your father nodded wordlessly and paused for a second. “Volunteering get you a Beamer?”

“Dad!” You interrupted in a yelp, “please.” You frowned as you looked between the men. 

“Y/N, it’s fine. It’s a good question, but I got it as a gift a few years back. And, you know, my family’s comfortable.”

Before your father could respond, your mom popped in to save the conversation. “No money talk at the table, please. Tell me more about your relationship,” she gave both of you a sympathetic look. 

——

After that, dinner went on without much of a hitch, and you agreed upon doing the dishes with your mother while your father and boyfriend prepared a little fire outside.

“He seems sweet,” she commented after a long period of silence. 

“I’m glad you think so. He was really worried about you not liking him, and honestly, I was too,” you rinsed the last glass before setting it in your dishwasher.

“I just want you to be careful, okay? When you have that much money, people do strange things, or say things they don’t mean and expect you to just take it. He seems like a good boy, but just don’t let your guard completely down. The last breakup you went through-“

“Stop, I get it,” you sighed softly. 

“This doesn’t mean I don’t like him. I just don’t want to see you that hurt again,” she gave your arm a soft squeeze. “Let’s go stop your dad from catching a murder charge,” she beckoned you to follow her out to the backyard, where your boyfriend and dad were… laughing together? If you weren’t so relieved, it’d almost be off-putting. 

The rest of the night went alarmingly well, Ransom finding a way to bond with both of your parents after an awkward first half of the evening. As the two of you crawled into your tiny bed and spooned while drifting off to sleep, Ransom slurred a tired ‘I think they liked me,’ into your ear. 

From that point on, Ransom’s position within your family only became better. For the first time, he was welcomed into a familial environment that wasn’t more toxic than a Chernobyl cooling tower, and Ransom was loving it. After suggesting to spend that year’s Thanksgiving at your parents’ home, spending the holidays with the L/N family became a frequent occurrence for the two of you. 

Though you occasionally wondered why you were four years into a relationship with the man, and still hadn’t met his family, which to your understanding, was rather large, you had better things to concern yourself with. You understood and respected that Ransom’s relationship with his own family wasn't the best, from the little that he shared with you, but occasionally curiosity often got the best of you.

Yet, things seemed to shift after your engagement. In the midst of dress fittings and cake tastings, Ransom had decided that it was finally time for you to meet the rest of the Thrombey clan, and that there was no better time than Harlan’s book release party, which was being celebrated out in California, at the Thrombey Vineyard.

In your years of relationship, you’d become no stranger to luxury, and the finer things in life, but arriving at the Vineyard put you in awe at just how affluent these people were. Perhaps that’s what happens when you’re one of the great writers of your time, and your offspring go off to become equally “self-made” successes.

You were a bit tired from the three hour difference between Boston and Sonoma Valley, and as soon as you hopped out of the car at the vineyard, you could only think of getting to your room, out of your baggy travel clothes, and to sleep as soon as possible. 

Trailing behind Ransom, you looked around at the vast expanse of crop-filled land around you in astonishment while you walked up the cement path to the mansion, not really noticing the petite woman with curled blonde hair, and an oversized straw hat approaching you. 

“Oh gosh, you must be Y/N!” she said gleefully. “I’m Joni. I’ve seen you all over Ranny’s Insta,” she paused and looked you up and down. “Well, you do look a little different there,” she chuckled.

“That’s great, Joni. Maybe you can Tweet about how exhilarating and life changing this experience has been for you to all your little pyramid scheme friends.”

“You’re always so rude, Hugh,” she sneered.

“I forgot about your chronic victimhood. Goodbye, Joan,” he rolled his eyes, and practically tugged you inside the massive building in front of you, before dragging you up the stairs. You were honestly in a little bit of shock at seeing how nasty Ransom got from just a small interaction.

You set your Louis Vuitton Keepal, and aluminum suitcase down on the granite floor of the bedroom, before flopping down, and spreading your limbs out on the massive memory foam bed that sat in the center of the room, “What was that, Ran?” you questioned as he sprawled out next to you.

“The reason why I didn’t want you to meet them. They’re like sharks, looking for anything that even resembles blood in the water,” he threw an arm around you and yawned. “We can talk about this in the morning, though. Right now, I think that both of us need a shower.”

“Speak for yourself, you stink bug.”

“But what if I get lonely in there?” 

“Fine,” you huffed, moving his arm off of you, and heading off to the en-suite. 

That night, as you stared at the blank wall in a vain attempt to quiet your mind enough to fall asleep, you questioned if coming to meet Ransom’s family was more of a mistake than you initially anticipated.

The next morning felt a bit frantic. You and Ransom woke up a few hours before everyone else, as they’d been in California for a few days now and had adjusted to the time difference, while you two had not. An in-house chef made you two a gourmet buffet of a meal while housekeepers laid out your clothes back in your room, and you were feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the sudden interferences in your life. Though it was nice to not have to do all of the work, you weren’t sure how you felt about other people doing it for you. 

The majority of your day felt similar to that morning. You quickly realized that Ransom’s fortune was just a small portion of the Thrombey estate, and that his family were essentially a bunch of monsters with money. Throughout the day of horse riding, wine tasting, and wine painting workshops, you couldn’t help but notice how they turned their noses up at you, treating you, and the staff working at the vineyard, like some sort of outsider. 

Your alienation only became more apparent during Harlan’s celebratory dinner, when insults and sneers were tossed at both you and Ransom for being together. 

“Are you trying to get revenge on us, or something?” Richard asked at one point, gesturing to you, and catching you completely off guard, 

“Why would you say something like that?” Ransom asked, trying not to let his offence show as his jaw clenched.

“It’s just not like you to want to settle down, especially with someone like… her,” he spoke about you like you weren’t sitting right there.

“No, I agree,” Walt added. “For once in our lives I agree with you,” he laughed aloud, and a few other folks at the table laughed with him. “Can you believe that after all these years, we’re bonding over Ransom’s little girlfriend?” 

You weren’t even sure how to react, so you laughed awkwardly along with them, and stared blankly at the vast expanse of grape trees behind the row of Thrombey and their friends. What you would give to sprint out into that, and never come back. 

Ransom looked to you in your obvious discomfort, and grabbed your knee, offering it a little reassuring squeeze before he interrupted them. 

“You know what? All of you dickheads can eat shit. Y/N is really the only person who matters to me at this point, and you pricks need to respect that. Hell, you need to respect her.” 

“Look at little Ranny, getting all soft,” Walt chided. 

He ignored the comment and continued on, “And If I don’t start hearing apologies soon, every single one of your wedding invites have a one way ticket to the shredder.”

A silence fell over the table. You were a bit surprised too, since your invites had already gone out, and Harlan was the only Thrombey to receive one.

“...You’re getting married?” Meg asked, breaking the silence. “Why wouldn’t you tell us?” 

“Why do you think?” you muttered, pushing around a few things on your plate before standing up, and pushing your chair away. “Excuse me.”

You knew that by leaving, you were only opening yourself up for more criticism, but you genuinely weren’t sure that you’d be able to take one more second of hostility. You pushed your chair back in, before heading off the patio, into the gigantic home, and up to the room that you’d claimed.

You rolled on top of the bed, and screamed into a feather filled pillow. It wasn’t too long after when tears stung your eyes as you came to the conclusion that these monsters were just a few months away from becoming your in-laws.

You thought you’d heard the most of it after the table, yet a prompt knocking at your door proved otherwise. Letting herself in, you turned to face Ransom’s mother herself, and you just knew that you were in for it.

“Listen, you whore,” Linda began in a sharp, yet quiet tone, “I don’t know what you’re trying to do with my son. Isolate him from us. Try to ‘change him’ like I know you think you’re doing. But just know that at the end of the day, he’ll always pick us. You’ll always be the second choice, especially when Ransom realizes that you barely have a dime to your name, and his bank account starts to runs dry,” she approached you, and pointed an accusatory finger towards you. “You’ll never be anything but a disgusting, sloppy little gold digger. You may be his toy of the week, but at the end of the day, you’re just an afterthought. I suggest that you get out of his life sooner than later. I’m sure Ransom wouldn’t mind, considering we already have your replacement with one foot in the door,” she gestured over to the window facing the back patio, where Ransom was chatting with a brunette woman that appeared to be quite a few years younger than himself.

“You’re cute, Y/N. Really! It’s cute that you’re thinking right now that he would never leave you, cheat on you with some new, younger, hotter piece of ass. Just know that you don’t know Ransom as well as you really think you do. I can promise you, it’ll be much easier to break off an engagement than it’ll be to get a divorce. Especially with that prenup he’s considering dropping on your desk any day.” she tutted as if she cared. “Well, sweetheart, it was great meeting you. I’m glad that these were our first and last words together,” she gave your back a pat before leaving the room, and you looked out the window in shock. 

Shaking as you dig into the pocket of your sundress, you sent Ransom a simple ‘help’ message, before setting your phone aside and trying to pack your belongings in as quick of a manner as possible.

When Ransom opened the door, a steady stream of tears and mascara was staining your face, while you urgently threw things into your suitcase.

“Goose, what happened?” he gasped, hurrying over to your kneeling form, and setting a hand on your shoulder. 

“Why,” you sniffled. “Why would you let her come up here and say all that shit to me!” you croaked, swatting his hand away from you. 

“What?” he watched as you pressed down on the overfilled suitcase and frantically attempted to zip it, to no avail. “Linda said she was gonna come apologize?”

“Telling me that I’ll never be enough for you is just a perfect apology,” you muttered, “I need to go home.”

“God,” he grumbled to himself, “This is exactly why I waited so long for them to meet you. Okay, we can go home then. I’ll buy us tickets right now.”

“This is on you too, Ransom. You didn’t tell them about us, like, at all. You had so much time! You couldn’t give Linda a call and say ‘hey I’ve been seeing this girl’ or even tell Harlan to deliver the message for you?” you hiccuped, but continued. “All of this could’ve been avoided if they had four years to adjust to our relationship. Maybe then they wouldn’t call me a whore and a gold digger every other sentence.”

“I was just trying to protect you from them,” he frowned.

You finally managed to zip up the suitcase, and stood up along with it, “well, you clearly did a great job of that.” 

You dusted off the skirt of your dress, and grabbed your phone. “I’ll let you know when our car gets here,” you huffed before walking into the en-suite and closing the door behind you, just to have a moment for yourself (and make yourself look a bit more put together before you leave.)

A tense car ride, and awkward flight later, you marched straight into the guest bedroom, and cocooned yourself under a copious amount of blankets. You felt like you stayed there for years, only getting out of bed to shower and use the restroom, and living off of the crustless sandwiches and jarred spaghetti your fiancé brought to your door. 

You slept most of the time, and in the moments you weren’t sleeping, you were dwelling on every vicious word thrown at you at the vineyard. Every day, you listened to Ransom apologize through the door, yet every day, you questioned if going through with the wedding was truly the wisest idea. 

A few days into your stay in the guest bedroom, you finally allowed Ransom to stay in the room for more than just dropping off food. He sat down next to you in bed, and cupped your cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb softly back and forth against the skin. 

“I don’t know how I can make things right for you,” he said softly. “I really did set you up, and I didn’t even mean to. I should’ve made better decisions, but I can’t change four years ago. But I can keep those heinous people away from you. They’ll never have the chance to do, or say anything like that to you again, okay?” his thumb caught on a tear, which he promptly wiped away. “Just… please don’t leave me. The bed feels too empty without you, and it’s just been a few days. I can’t imagine feeling that emptiness for the rest of my life.”

You whimpered and sat up, abruptly embracing the broad man. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let your idiot family make me question the validity of our relationship,” you muttered into his shirt. 

“I promise you you’ll never have to worry about them again. They had their opportunity to make things right, and they missed it.”

-----

Things were more or less smooth sailing after that fiasco. You found your perfect venue, decided on your ideal Honeymoon spot, and finished your seating arrangements with time to spare, and the next thing you knew your wedding day was around the corner. 

It all seemed to happen so fast, one second you were being walked down the aisle, the next, exchanging vows and rings as aisles of your friends and family members cheered for you, Y/N Drysdale.

Your reception also seemed to slip right through your fingers, your first dance, toasts and cake cutting finding itself over almost as soon as it started. You were grateful that you hired a wedding videographer, as the day was so overwhelming, you weren’t quite sure how much of it you’d remember. 

As you drove off to the airport, Ransom set his hand upon your knee one more time. A warm, fuzzy feeling formed in your chest at the all too familiar gesture. You turned your head from the window to your husband, who was grinning back at you, and couldn’t help but to think of how perfect your wedding ended up, though it felt like it sped by quickly. More than anything, you were grateful that you didn’t give up on Ransom despite his interesting family. 

#ransom drysdale x reader #ransom thrombey x reader #ransom drysdale #knives out fanfic #ransom drysdale x you #chris evans x reader

[ifuckinglovestvincent]

NY TIMES: St. Vincent Is Trying to Understand People

As she releases her sixth album, “Daddy’s Home,” the musician expounds on the lengthy documentaries, Janet Jackson bust and Joni Mitchell album that feed her creativity.

By Olivia Horn

May 4, 2021, 10:00 a.m. ET

Despite the hardships of the past year, Annie Clark’s sixth studio album came together with remarkable ease. “Maybe I earned a fun one,” Clark, who records under the name St. Vincent, mused. “Usually there’s some kind of ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ moment. And there just wasn’t.”

Clark, 38, spent much of 2020 shuttling between her home in Los Angeles and her family’s in Texas. But the record (“Daddy’s Home,” due May 14) was born at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan, where she and her repeat collaborator Jack Antonoff landed on 1970s New York as their lodestar. The resulting songs ease away from the angular art-pop of “Masseduction” from 2017, opting for gentler, slouchier rock. The relative softness corresponds to Clark’s effort to treat the troubled, complicated characters that populate her record with care. Among them are the broke and lovelorn protagonist of the lead single “Pay Your Way in Pain,” Nina Simone, Marilyn Monroe and her own father, whose release from prison in 2019 inspired the title track.

Clark confessed that she did not meet her quarantine goals of learning conversational Italian or writing a tour bus cookbook, but she did read some books about the gulag. Calling from her “utilitarian” Los Angeles studio, she detailed 10 of her favorite things to watch, read and hear — many of her picks reflecting a fascination with history and an eagerness to unpack social and aesthetic violence. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1. William Scott Sculptures

I discovered William Scott’s work through David Byrne, at his place in New York. And when we were on tour with “Love This Giant,” we went to Creative Growth in Oakland [a nonprofit that supports artists with disabilities]. I had my eye on this bust of Janet Jackson. And then when I was back, I went and bought a bust of CeCe Winans. So I have these busts in my library.

A lot of the artists whose work I collect are people who are marginalized from society in one way or another. What I like about it is that the expression feels very pure. These are people who might not have all of the tools at their disposal or the education, or any of that, but they are compelled to make work. That kind of irrepressible urge in people — that I just find so inspiring and heartening and cool. And it’s completely divorced from any of the status of the quote, unquote, “art world.”

2. Adam Curtis’s Documentary Series “Century of the Self”

The way his work has been described is as emotional history or impressionistic history. The lines that he draws between events and trends are not exactly “A plus B equals C,” but the general thesis is like, “the collective consciousness is saying this.” As a writer, I’m always trying to understand systems and understand people.

3. Ric Burns’s “New York: A Documentary Film”

I used to live in a rent-controlled place in the East Village. But it was shady how I lived there, so I was never able to get utilities in my name. I lived there for 10 years and I didn’t have the internet, so I had DVDs. I used to go to Kim’s Video all the time and buy DVDs so when I would wake up hung over and be like, “Oh, just can’t quite make it out of bed today,” I would have something to put on. If I wanted to watch something it wasn’t like “Netflix and chill.” I associate that Ric Burns documentary with being either hung over or tired or both, and watching it in my bed.

4. Joni Mitchell’s “Hejira”

This is one of those Joni Mitchell records that I didn’t hear until I was in my early 20s. Everybody knows “Blue” and “Ladies of the Canyon,” but this is when I became a Joni Mitchell fan, with a capital F. This record’s just so deep. Her lyrics are … Cubist. I’m thinking of the one where she’s like, “In the mirrors of a modern bank/From the window of a hotel room.” And it’s all wiggles, you know? It’s like water, that record. And I don’t mean to make it about me, but I feel like I can understand some of the things that Joni talks about, like the refuge of the road, or watching the world from an airplane or being in a hotel room.

5. Maggie Nelson’s “The Art of Cruelty”

This is one of those books that I picked up six times and would get through a few pages and be like, “This is really brilliant,” but it felt impenetrable at first. Then I had this one weekend where the clouds parted, and I just could see it and plowed through it. It talks about the ethics of being an artist in a way that is so brilliant, and so not orthodox or finger wagging. I think it’s one of those books you can revisit at various points of your life.

6. Her Own STV Signature Series Guitar

Part of it was inspired by Klaus Nomi’s tuxedo. And I wanted it to hit my sternum in a particular way. I am cis female, so the way that it hits the sternum and then has a little bit of a cutaway, it makes room for my breast. But just one of them. There’s only room for one! I love it. It’s the only electric that I play, with very rare exception.

I saw people’s pictures of it from the Met [in the exhibition “Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll”], because I never got a chance to go and see it in real life. Most of the time, I just kind of like quietly put my head down and work — and then every once in a while, I look up and see something that I’ve made, and it’s mysterious that it’s in the world.

7. Wim Wenders’s “Pina”

I love Pina Bausch’s work. I was really inspired by “The Rite of Spring,” where the virgin dances herself to death. There’s this one particular movement that was like, drawing your hand above your head, and then when you pull it down, your elbow goes into your stomach — sort of like you’re open and then you’re impaling yourself. It just moved me to tears. So when I worked with my friend Annie-B Parson to choreograph the Digital Witness Tour, I was like, “Can we please incorporate this?” Another big thing: I was obsessed with falling. That was another big part of the Bausch work. How do you fall and make it look violent but not hurt yourself? I’d get a rehearsal room with Annie-B and just practice falling.

8. Vintage RCA 77-D Microphone

It’s an old ribbon mic, and it just sounds so good and warm. I know these are words that might not mean that much — when people describe sound as warm, it’s reductive. But it makes things sound and feel true. I don’t mean that it has perfect fidelity. What I mean is that when you sing into this microphone, what comes back at you feels honest. My friend Cian Riordan, who mixed “Daddy’s Home,” hipped me to this mic.

9. “Hidden Brain” Podcast

There was one recently about the idea of honor culture. You know, if someone is insulting someone’s masculinity and masculinity is tied up with honor, you have to avenge that insult. A lot of these “honor societies” end up with more violence because you have to save face and there’s less ways to assimilate conflict. The premise of so much of “Hidden Brain” is that we live by the stories we tell ourselves. And as a storyteller, that idea is very liberating to me, because if we live by the stories we tell ourselves, it means that when we get new information, we can assimilate that information and tell ourselves new stories.

10. Piazza della Signoria in Florence

The first time I was there was with my mom and sisters. I remember just walking through this piazza and having a wonderful time and wonderful conversation, and really being awe-struck by the architecture and the history, and just that life was beautiful. Another time, a number of years later, I was on tour with David Byrne and we had our last show in Florence, and I remember walking through with band members and then having the best dinner of my life after. It’s one of those places where, at very pivotal points of my life, I’ve been there and only beautiful things have happened to me.

#st vincent #annie clark #interviews #i like when interviews/articles contain lil nugs no one has heard about before #such as this one with the shady living situaish in the rent controlled apt #and KIM’S VIDEO #WHICH I ALSO WENT TO WHEN I LIVED IN NY #I feel like we’d always go there to get weird obscure hard to find movies #also: #re:re: ‘warm’​ think the term she is looking for is ‘like butter on tiddies’ #’WELL ITS WARM’ #are those m&ms ive done those #nice brain btw #🦦

[path-of-my-childhood]

Aaron Dessner Talks Taylor Swift’s New Album folklore

By: Sam Sodomsky for Pitchfork Date: July 24th 2020

Like millions of people across the world, Taylor Swift spent the past few months in isolation, stuck at home, changing plans, reflecting on the past, and imagining new connections. One of those new connections was with Aaron Dessner, the multi-instrumentalist and producer from the National.

On release day, he called us from his home in the Hudson Valley to speak about their entirely virtual but highly collaborative process, sounding just as surprised as anyone. “Nobody needs to tell Taylor Swift how to write a song - and I certainly didn’t,” he says with a laugh. “But it did feel like we were going toe-to-toe pushing each other.”

What is your personal relationship with Taylor Swift’s music? I’ve always admired her craftsmanship and talent. But 1989 was the first one I was really listening to as a fan. My brother [Bryce Dessner, guitarist in the National] and I were in Iceland with [performance artist] Ragnar Kjartansson, and he’s a total Swiftie. It was the summer of 1989, and we’d be hanging out listening to it loud. Ragnar is an art historian, so he was just contextualizing every moment. It was a lot of fun. That’s when we became bigger fans.

When did you actually meet her for the first time? We met her at Saturday Night Live in 2014 when Lena Dunham was hosting. And then she came to see us play last summer in Prospect Park during this crazy torrential downpour. She was there with Antoni [Porowski] from Queer Eye. She talked a lot with my brother and me. That’s when we realized how much of a fan she was, and how lovely and down to earth. I don’t know that many people who have that sort of success, so it’s a nice feeling to realize they’re cool. That left a good impression.

She got in touch again at the end of April. I got a text and it said, “Hey it’s Taylor. Would you ever be up for writing songs with me?” I said, “Wow. Of course.” It was a product of this time. Everything we had planned got cancelled. Everything she had planned got cancelled. It was a time when the ideas in the back of your head came to the front. That’s how it started.

You ended up with a credit on 11 of the 16 songs. How did the collaboration get going? At the very beginning of March, Justin Vernon and I had gone to Texas to work on the new Big Red Machine album. I had been living with my family in France as COVID was starting to spiral out of control in Europe. I said to my wife that maybe they should come back to the States with me because I was worried about getting separated. So we got tickets, and my kids and wife flew to [the family’s home in] Upstate New York and I flew to Texas. I was there for a week, and by the time I got back Upstate, the borders were being shut and we got stuck. I have the Long Pond studio here, so in a way it was lucky.

I hunkered down here and started to write a ton of music - more than I ever have. I thought maybe they were National or Big Red Machine ideas or maybe something totally different. Things were happening.

So when [Taylor] reached out, I had this large folder of ideas that were pretty well on their way. She was very clear that she didn’t want me to edit any of my ideas; she wanted to hear everything that was interesting to me at this moment, including really odd, experimental noise. So I made a folder of stuff, including some pretty out-there sketches. A few hours later, she sent “Cardigan,” fully written in a voice memo. That’s when I realized that this was unusual—just the focus and clarity of her ideas. It was pretty astonishing. Over the next couple months, this would just happen; all of a sudden, I’d get a voice memo. And then another. Eventually, it was so inspiring that I wrote more ideas that were specifically in response to what she was writing.

When did it occur to you that an album was forming? There were moments when we started to reflect on what we were doing. The first three songs we wrote were “Cardigan,” “Seven,” and “Peace.” “Cardigan” is probably the closest to a pop song on the record—it’s this epic narrative. And then “Seven” was this nostalgic, wistful, emotional folk song. And then when she wrote “Peace,” I realized she can do anything! She is so versatile. It’s just a harmonized bassline with a pulse and a drone, and she basically wrote a Joni Mitchell love song to it. She only did one vocal take, and that’s what’s on the record.

Were you communicating through the whole process? Yeah. We were pretty much in touch daily for three or four months by text and phone calls. Some of it was about production and restructuring things but a lot of it was just excitement. We both felt that this was some of the best work we have done. That was a strange and surreal thing to have happen, especially at this time.

At one point I was randomly doxxed by right-wing conspiracy theorists who misidentified me as an Antifa organizer in Ohio, long story, but it was in the middle of all this work. I didn’t want to stress her out so I didn’t tell her. But at some point she laughed and said, “So you’re a notorious anarchist?” And I’m like, “Yeah, I was gonna mention that."

How did the collaboration with Bon Iver on “Exile” come about? Taylor wrote that one with the singer-songwriter William Bowery. When Taylor sent it to me as a voice memo, she sang both the male and female parts - as much as she could fit in without losing her breath. We talked about who she was imagining joining her, and she loves Justin [Vernon]’s voice in Bon Iver and Big Red Machine. She was like, “Oh my god, I would die if he would do it. It would be so perfect.” I didn’t want to put pressure on Justin as his friend, so I said, “Well, it depends on if he’s inspired by the song but I know he thinks you’re rad.” Which he does.

So I sent him the song and he was really into it. He tweaked some parts and added parts as well - the bridge where he says, “Step right out.” The end too, and his choral parts. It was fun because Justin and I work on a lot of stuff together, so it was very easy and natural. At some point I felt like a superfan, hearing two of my favorite singers. This was all being done remotely, but it was one of those moments where your head hits the back of the wall and you’re like, “Fuck. Okay.”

There is some fan debate over William Bowery’s identity - I’m not familiar with him. I’m not either. I haven’t actually met him because of social distancing, which is kind of funny. I think he’s a friend.

Did you feel the pressure of working with an artist at Taylor Swift’s level? I tried hard not to think about the scope or scale of making a record that would be heard by millions and millions of people. I did a pretty good job of tuning that out. Music for me is an emotional necessity. It’s therapy. It’s what I live and breathe. All these songs are things I was working on already, and we both felt there was some serendipity in the fact that we ended up in this situation together. I just stayed focused on that, on making this as good as we can.

As the release got closer, I almost thought it wouldn’t happen. Or maybe I just told myself that! The National guys will tell you the same thing - I tend to work until the last possible minute. I didn’t really have a moment to be like, “Holy shit! People are gonna hear this.” We were joking about it last night. I said, “So this actually happened?” And she goes, “Yep!”

What was it like working under total secrecy? There was no outside influence at all. In fact, nobody knew, including her label, until hours before it was launched. For someone who’s been in this glaring spotlight for 15 years, it’s really liberating to have some privacy and work on her own terms. She deserves that. At times, if I wanted friends to play on the record, it was a little difficult because you can’t send a file with her vocals. But everyone was cool. At the end, I reached out to some wizards just to add bits, and that was nice. It was kind of fun: “What? Why can’t you tell me, Aaron?” Then they start guessing. Everyone made a game out of it.

Is there any music that was left on the cutting room floor? There are things I feel could still be songs. It does feel like an ongoing collaboration. Now Taylor is starting to help with other things. We’re bouncing other ideas off each other, whether it’s Big Red Machine or other things. There’s a community aspect. I think that’s how music should be.

#the anarchist comment...please lmao =) #also this could mean she is writing for Bon Iver? or their side projects? now THAT I wouldn't mind at all #Aaron Dessner #interview #about taylor #taylor swift #pitchfork #folklore era #folklore album #release week

[rogersandclarke]

ultimate music ask: 27, 31, 42

27. Enjoy making playlists? Any you'd like to share?

- I do like making playlists :) just tried to edit an old playlist to answer this question but ended up making a new. slightly more cohesive, sub-playlist in the process. here it is.

31. What's your favorite fictional band/artist?

- this is SUCH a good question. i think sing street (you know the band sing street from sing street) might just win out, but i love curt wild & brian slade, daisy jones and the six, the wonders, stillwater, llewyn davis, & many more :)

42. your favorite "no skips" albums:

- just gonna name these off the top of my head, whatever comes to me. hunky dory david bowie, bad girls donna summer, smile sessions the beach boys, the wild the innocent & the e street shuffle bruce springsteen, room 25 noname, blue joni mitchell, diamonds and rust joan baez, sweetheart of the rodeo the byrds, everybody knows this is nowhere neil young, crosby stills & nash, how i'm feeling now charli xcx, 1999 prince, blood on the tracks bob dylan, deliver the mamas & the papas, goodbye and hello tim buckley, and countless others i'm forgetting!

#ask game

[canoedomain2]

All about Home Decorating

If you watch a great deal of HGTV (or have seen the Amy Adams rom-com "Jump Year"), opportunities are you've seen the magic that house stagers can deal with a location. These specialists can change rooms and make also one of the most unsellable houses offer. So normally, they have plenty of excellent house enhancing advice.

This isn't where you can go affordable aroma is everything. Done right, they make a space feel cozy as well as welcoming." Joni Rentz, founder and layout supervisor of Styl, Haus3. Mirrors make a distinction."Lighten up and also enhance the light in an area with mirrors on walls opposing source of lights. I like mirrors because they increase the aesthetic square footage of any kind of space.

Add textured pillows and a hair toss to develop a welcoming sofa." Rentz6. Go large with your art."Larger is much better when it concerns art. Large canvases add a declaration to any area as well as can also make wall room show up bigger." Eisen"Repaint an accent wall. It not just includes a centerpiece to a space but can function as a fantastic background for artwork." Rentz"Wondering where's the very best area to hang art or other wall surface decoration? It above whatever furnishings is below it (couch, sideboard, fire place mantle, cabinet, or console table) and make sure that the middle of the art is about 60 inches from the flooring." Bray, Ad 7.

Go neutral for staples."Choose neutrals for those large items couches, beds, rugs, lights, and so on. You can include color/interest/drama with your art and also devices ... Customers invest a fortune on a bright-colored or extremely stylized couch that they are tired of in three years. When you're tired of the 'look' you have yet not over-invested, you can, on a budget plan, renovate your appearance once more with art as well as accessories.

For tablescapes, maintain it simple if you don't desire excessive stuff out, and bear in mind the tops and also 3. You can utilize one good scale item or 3 of the precise very same type style items (think succulents in beautiful planters, typhoons [candle light owners] or a huge metallic bowl). These are very easy, affordable centerpieces, whether it's for your dining-room or coffee table, as well as these can be altered seasonally also." Otto"When developing a focal point for your tables, begin with a tray and pick 3 items of differing elevations: a hardbound book or 2, a plant, as well as an interesting things work well with each other.

Never ever buy points on the internet as a non-professional 99. 9 percent of the time, you will be let down or the percentages are wrong. Enter into the display rooms as well as request assistance." Chianale, Feedbacks have been lightly edited for quality and style.

A red door suggested "welcome" to weary tourists in early America, and on churches it represents a safe house. 2 other shades obtaining support: orange and yellow, according to San Francisco-based stager Christopher Breining. Both shades are related to delight as well as warmth. One point that should go: an obsolete display door.

"Individuals do that since they assume it will certainly make their room look larger, but in truth, drifting the furnishings away from the walls makes the room feel larger," she says. 4. Let The Sun Radiate In Your Cooking area "When it concerns hefty, outdated drapes, a naked financial institution of windows is much better than an awful one," claims Lynne.

If your space obtains a great deal of sunlight, select light shades that won't discolor. One of the most recommended light-weight materials for panels are cotton, linen, and silk blends since they tend to hang well. 5. Hang at Least One Mirror in Every Area "Mirrors can make a room really feel brighter since they jump the light around the room," says Breining.

You can work with an organizer for a few hours (expect to pay $35 to $150 an hour, depending on where you live) to take on shelfs and storage rooms, which stagers say are often packed with two times the quantity of things they should hold. Breining recommends whittling down what's on your racks by 50 percent.

Some people have an all-natural eye for style, but if you're extra in the camp of those that can not do anything without seeking advice from Pinterest board upon Pinterest board before making any significant modifications, we feel you. And also for those people who live and breathe interior decoration, some motivation as well as guidance never hurts.

But until we win the lotto game, we'll have to go for trusting our gutand taking a lot of interior style ideas where we can obtain them. We've compiled some tricks straight from the pros to aid you with all your designing requires. 1 Usage Lacquer-Effect Wallpaper 2 Transform Eyesores "In this cellar remodel, we would certainly've had to spend a bunch of cash rerouting the HCVA duct.

#Home

[flaxcannon9]

How Home Decorating can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.

If you view a lot of HGTV (or have seen the Amy Adams rom-com "Leap Year"), possibilities are you've seen the magic that home stagers can work on a place. These specialists can transform areas as well as make one of the most unsellable houses offer. So naturally, they have plenty of fantastic house decorating suggestions.

This isn't where you can go affordable aroma is everything. Done right, they make a room really feel warm and welcoming." Joni Rentz, co-founder as well as design supervisor of Styl, Haus3. Mirrors make a distinction."Lighten up as well as magnify the light in a room with mirrors on wall surfaces opposing source of lights. I like mirrors due to the fact that they double the visual square video of any type of room.

For circumstances, add textured cushions and a hair throw to produce an inviting sofa." Rentz6. Go big with your art."Bigger is better when it pertains to art. Large canvases include a statement to any type of space and also can also make wall surface area appear bigger." Eisen"Repaint an accent wall. It not only adds a prime focus to a space however can function as an excellent background for art work." Rentz"Wondering where's the very best location to hang art or other wall decoration? It above whatever furniture is listed below it (sofa, sideboard, fireplace mantle, cabinet, or console table) and also make sure that the middle of the art is about 60 inches from the floor." Bray, Promotion 7.

Go neutral for staples."Choose neutrals for those huge pieces sofas, beds, carpets, lamps, and so on. You can add color/interest/drama with your art and also devices ... Customers invest a fortune on a bright-colored or very stylized couch that they are tired of in three years. When you're tired of the 'look' you have however not over-invested, you can, on a budget, renovate your appearance again with art and also accessories.

For tablescapes, keep it basic if you do not desire also much stuff out, and also remember the numbers one as well as three. You can use one great scale item or 3 of the specific very same type decor pieces (assume succulents in lovely planters, cyclones [candle light owners] or a big metallic dish). These are simple, economical focal points, whether it's for your dining area or coffee table, and also these can be changed seasonally too." Otto"When producing a centerpiece for your tables, start with a tray as well as pick 3 objects of varying elevations: a hardcover publication or two, a plant, and also an interesting things work well together.

Never purchase points online as a non-professional 99. 9 percent of the time, you will certainly be dissatisfied or the percentages are incorrect. Go into the display rooms as well as request aid." Chianale, Reactions have actually been gently edited for clearness and style.

A red door meant "welcome" to weary travelers in early America, and on churches it stands for a risk-free place. 2 various other colors getting favor: orange as well as yellow, according to San Francisco-based stager Christopher Breining. Both shades are related to delight and warmth. One point that should go: an outdated display door.

"Individuals do that since they assume it will make their area look larger, however in fact, drifting the furnishings far from the walls makes the space feel larger," she claims. 4. Let The Sunlight Radiate In Your Kitchen area "When it concerns hefty, obsolete drapes, a naked bank of windows is much better than an unsightly one," claims Lynne.

If your area obtains a great deal of sun, select light colors that won't discolor. The most suggested light-weight materials for panels are cotton, bed linen, and also silk blends since they tend to hang well. 5. Hang at Least One Mirror in Every Room "Mirrors can make a space feel brighter because they bounce the light around the room," says Breining.

You can employ an organizer for a few hours (expect to pay $35 to $150 an hour, relying on where you live) to deal with shelfs and storage rooms, which stagers state are frequently loaded with twice the amount of things they must hold. Breining suggests whittling down what's on your shelves by half.

Some individuals have an all-natural eye for design, however if you're a lot more in the camp of those who can't do anything without speaking with Pinterest board upon Pinterest board prior to making any kind of major modifications, we feel you. As well as also for those of us who live as well as take a breath interior style, some motivation and support never harms.

However until we win the lottery game, we'll have to choose trusting our gutand taking lots of interior decoration pointers where we can get them. We've put together some keys straight from the pros to help you with all your designing needs. 1 Use Lacquer-Effect Wallpaper 2 Transform Eyesores "In this basement remodel, we would certainly've had to invest a bunch of cash rerouting the HCVA air duct.

#Home