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tres-spades-hotel · 4 years

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Candy-Floss (An Eisuke x MC Story)

At the end of 2019, @lin-ful hosted a 1 year anniversary competition on the Otome Fanatics Server and... I won! But then I forgot to post the story.... So here it is! Enjoy!

Tags: @leoamber66 @flatsuke

(The link to the server if you want to join will be at the end of the story! Please do not hesitate to join as it is filled with incredible people!)

It all started with a sweet treat. She had a small craving for something and the opportunity presented itself to her. A small candy-floss stall on the side of the road. The sweet clouds were practically calling her name. Evelyn. And she couldn’t resist.

While buying a large candy-floss, a car pulled up behind her. He rarely had to take this route when out for work but there was extreme traffic on his usual way due to severe strikes. His driver recommended this way to avoid the business of London and Eisuke Ichinomiya mumbled an acceptance to the idea. The sleek black car had to stop momentarily but that was all he needed to see her.

Evelyn turned around when she heard a car horn. Eisuke turned his head to look around the area. They made eye contact instantly and for a second something happened. Something unreal. Something strange. She smiled and waved to him. He simply stared before his lips tugged up into a smirk. Evelyn gracefully took the candy-floss and proceeded on her way home. Eisuke’s eyes followed her form until he could no longer see her.

Of course, that wasn’t the end for them. They met again. This time at the IVC in Eisuke’s Tres Spade Hotel. He watched her walk into the room and saw the stares of men. She turned heads with her elegant red dress. The slit on the side teasing everyone in the room, including Eisuke.

He watched her as she talked to various different people, the man by her side introducing his lovely trophy wife. He showed her off but not as well as Eisuke could. He would let everyone know exactly who she belonged to, would have ravaged her the night before to tease her.

‘Looks like she’s married.’ The man in red whispered. Mitsunari Baba’s eye for women never goes unnoticed by Eisuke, and his keenness to know everyone’s business.

‘Who is that man anyway?’ Baba’s sidekick, Ota Kisaki, asked.

‘Another man to do business with.’ Eisuke had heard from other guests about Alan Hudson. He was an aspiring businessman making his way up the ladder. No doubt at the IVC for networking but Eisuke wasn’t interested in Hudson. Rather, he was interested with the woman on his arm. Mrs Evelyn Hudson. The beautiful housewife more knowledgeable of Hudson’s business than her own husband. Alan was a joke, but Evelyn was something else. Something interesting.

Evelyn was a wedding planner, quite known too. She had organised plenty of weddings for small celebrities and is popular for her creativity. Her husband was nothing compared to her. Ten minutes later, Eisuke was shaking hands with Evelyn, feeling her soft hands, and sending her a knowing look. For a tense moment, Evelyn blushed at the sight of Eisuke. His alluring gaze and handsome form were enough to make any woman fall in love but Evelyn fought the emotions. She was, after all, a committed wife.

‘Thank you Mr Ichinomiya for investing in this idea. I promise to deliver to the Tres Spade standard.’ Alan Hudson bowed politely to Eisuke but he was watching Evelyn.

She smiled at him despite what had happened earlier. They were in the conference room when Alan had to leave the room for a phone call. Eisuke was left with Evelyn and things became heated quickly. He had her cornered, hands either side of her body, lips millimetres away from hers. Her eyes darted all over the place before resting on his brown eyes. She could see in her vision his collarbones peeking out from under his dress shirt. Evelyn wanted very badly the danger Eisuke presented. He was bad and he knew it which made her desire rise even more. They were very close to crossing the line when Alan’s voice could be heard outside the door.

Eisuke was surprised by the soft lips on his cheek before watching her hurry back to her chair. Alan came back in and was none the wiser to the intensity between Eisuke and his wife.

The line of coffee shops under the Tres Spade name was an idea proposed by Evelyn, but it didn’t go undetected by Eisuke when Alan proceeded to take credit for his wife’s idea. If there was anything that Eisuke hated most, it was people who thrived on other’s ideas and not their own. So, Eisuke always made it a point to take Evelyn’s opinion. She may have been a wedding organiser, but she could work well in the business sector too.

One day, the Hudson’s and Eisuke visited a potential building to base the shop in. Alan forced Evelyn to stay outside and wander around while he and Eisuke went into the meeting. When Alan left, Eisuke pulled Evelyn by her waist and whispered in her ear.

‘Have a look around. Take note of any details. Tell me privately after.’ Eisuke is like a tornado, Evelyn thought. A force not to be reckoned with, here and gone within a second, a destructive force creating a contradiction in everyone he meets: attracting people to him while repelling others. Eisuke winked at her before leaving.

When she left the building, she breathed a sigh of relief. The area outside was empty and when Evelyn looked up, she was blown away by how breath-taking the building itself was. It was old but sturdy. Standing against anything that the weather could throw at it. Behind the worn sandstone, was a gorgeous sunset. The sky was filled with pastel blue, pink and purple. It looks magical, Evelyn thought. Petals from the cherry blossom trees swayed and flew around her in the pleasant breeze. She spun around, thinking about a certain brunette in purple dancing in the flowers with her. The orange sun continued to slowly set while the flowers danced in the wind.

But little did she know that Eisuke was watching her, smiling at her happiness.

That night, the unbelievable happened. Alan had to go for a prior engagement, so Evelyn was left alone with Eisuke. They talked about the meeting and how the place would be a wonderful experience for customers.

‘What are you doing now?’

‘Going home I suppose. Why?’

Eisuke took Evelyn to a high end restaurant and they had fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed going out for a meal. And she enjoyed Eisuke’s foot dragging up her leg while they were eating.

‘Mr Ichinomiya-‘

‘Call me Eisuke.’

‘… Okay Eisuke.’

Evelyn revelled in his attention and, there in their private room, they kissed. He tasted like coffee and she tasted of candy-floss. They were hungry for each other, as if their lives depended on that moment. The next thing Eisuke knew, he was on the bed undressing Evelyn while kissing her ear. That night, Eisuke and Evelyn fell asleep more content than they had felt in a long time.

Evelyn woke up to Eisuke by her side rather than her husband. A sudden guilt washed over her as she hurried to get out of the large bed. But Eisuke pulled her back in and dispelled those feelings of cheating.

That night, Evelyn returned to her suite. She promised herself that she wouldn’t think about the Eisuke. Or his touch, his scent, his lips. Evelyn nearly didn’t notice Alan’s phone light up. She went to pick it up, thinking it was a message about a business project. What she got was very different.

A woman, bare from the chest down, with a wine bottle in her hand and a bath tub filled with red roses. Another message popped up: ‘3 month anniversary, come and get it’. Evelyn couldn’t believe what she saw and dropped the phone. 2 years of marriage down the drain, Evelyn thought to herself. What was worse, was that she knew who that woman was.

Over the next few days, Evelyn avoided Alan like the plague. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She was disgusted at both him and herself. Considering her one-night with Eisuke, Evelyn knew she shouldn’t complain. But then he found out.

‘The preparations for the wedding is going well. I still haven’t been able to secure a venue yet. The…’ she paused and breathed shakily ‘The venue the bride wanted is not available for the date they’re set to get married at. I’m still looking for something else that the couple will like but … it’s a bit of a struggle at the moment.’

‘I’m sure you’ll get a venue for them. Evelyn, I need to tell you something. You see-‘

‘Eisuke I have so much to do, this wedding is taking up so much of time now.’

‘Evelyn. Just listen to me-‘

‘I still need to arrange for a cake and the decorations still need to be decided. I have to go Eisuke. There is plenty to do right now.’

‘No. Stay and listen. It’s about your husband. I saw him with the bride. He-‘

‘I know Eisuke. I know.’ Evelyn said in a small voice. There was silence for a moment before she spoke up.

‘Sorry Eisuke, I will come back soon. But I really must be going now.’ Before Eisuke could say anymore, Evelyn hung up the phone. When she opened the door to her suite however, Eisuke was standing there. He took one look at her face and opened his arms up for her. Next thing she knew, she was sobbing her eyes out into Eisuke’s chest.

‘How ironic. Alan has been cheating on me this whole time, but I haven’t been a faithful wife either.’ She said.

‘That man stopped being faithful to you a long time ago.’ Eisuke said in a matter-of-fact tone. This made her giggle and he kissed her temple.

‘Stay with me tonight. I’ll deal with Alan in the morning.’

Evelyn enjoyed the night with Eisuke. She cooked for him and realised later that he was watching her.

‘Don’t worry. I’m not going to poison you.’ Evelyn said, teasingly. Eisuke chuckled, trapping her between him and the countertop.

Eisuke made love to her again that night and not once did Evelyn think about her broken marriage.

The next day, Alan barges into the penthouse lounge.

‘Evelyn you b****! How dare you-‘

‘Shut up. Don’t you dare speak to her in such a disgusting way.’ Eisuke cut Alan off immediately. Alan’s projects were stolen and his bank account was empty.

‘Looking poor are we?’ Eisuke said, smirking at Alan.

‘Adding fuel to the fire aren’t you?’ Evelyn whispered.

‘Did you do this to me?’ Alan said in a hushed voice, clearly in rage.

‘You haven’t been very loyal now have you Alan?’

‘What?’ The door behind him opened and in came the woman from the photo. The one luring Evelyn’s husband to her arms. The bride that Evelyn was planning a wedding for. Her downcast eyes said everything.

‘Take this case. It has 1 million dollars in it. You can have it, if you tell Evelyn the truth and your fiancé what you’ve been doing behind his back.’

The woman bowed to Evelyn several times before Evelyn places her hand on her shoulder, lifting the woman to stand up straight. With no words, Evelyn lets the woman go.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Yeah, I am too.’

With the woman gone, Alan was furious. But Eisuke cuts in again.

‘Don’t think you will be getting away so easily.’ He takes out a small bundle of paper and holds it up for Alan to see.

‘Those ar-‘

‘These, are your bank statements from your private Swiss bank account.’

Alan’s eyes were wide open. Nothing could save him now.

‘Why do you have a Swiss bank account Alan?’ Evelyn says in a quiet voice.

‘He’s been spending his money elsewhere. Haven’t you, Mr Alan Hudson?’ Eisuke smirks in Alan’s direction and he begins to tremble.

‘Illegally?’ Evelyn asks. Alan didn’t meet her gaze filled with rage. His silence spoke volumes. Evelyn stepped towards her husband, lifting his head to meet her eyes. The sound resonated across the lounge, the loud slap of her hand on his face.

‘Show yourself around here again and these will be leaked across the globe.’ Eisuke said, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere.

‘Get out of here. You are pathetic.’ She whispered. Alan ran for his life.

Evelyn felt Eisuke’s arms around her body and she turned to nuzzle her face into his chest. It felt like forever; just them standing in the silent penthouse, holding each other. Eventually, she lifted up her head.

‘What happens now?’

‘Now, you will stay with me. We still have a project to complete.’ Eisuke said, pulling out two other bundles of paper.

‘Do you always keep your paperwork in your suit? How many pockets do you have?’ She laughed and he chuckled.

‘One is a divorce paper for you. The other is a contract stating that you will become my new business partner and will oversee the completion of the coffee shops.’

‘How…’

‘I had the divorce paper hidden with the contract. I knew the moment I saw you that I would make you mine, married or not. And I found out about Alan’s affairs so this contract was made. Afterall, it was you who came up with the idea. It is only fair that you control the project. Up to my standards of course.’

Evelyn smiles and reaches up to cup Eisuke’s face. They lean in, resting their foreheads against one another.

‘I love you.’

‘Hm, let’s see how well you can please me to make me say it too.’

‘Eisuke which colour do you want?’

‘Choose whichever.’

‘But there’s so many!’

Behind Eisuke and Evelyn was one of the Tres Spade coffee shops. The line of people extended down the street and many were enjoying their hot beverages.

‘Okay, I’ll take two candy-floss mixed with purple and pink please.’ While Evelyn rummaged around for her purse, Eisuke pulled out his card. When she looked up, Eisuke was holding the candy-floss in his hands. Evelyn’s heart fluttered at the sight and she committed the image to memory.

‘It’s just pocket change.’ Eisuke said, while they walked down the street, and Evelyn looked up at his profile.

‘What?’

‘Nothing!’ Evelyn broke off a piece of candyfloss and held it out for Eisuke. He leaned in and took it into his mouth, licking her fingers in the process. She leaned in and kissed him.

‘I love you Eisuke.’

‘And I love you.’

Their sweet kiss was one of many to be shared in the future, filled with love and happiness.

Otome Fanatics Server

#kissed by the baddest bidder #eisuke ichinomiya #kbtbb #voltage inc

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thesethingsofours · 4 years

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Nina Simone, Duende & Pastel Blues

Nina Simone’s Pastel Blues is a true embodiment of duende — the rare depth and darkness that impels her work.

1969 © Jack Robinson / Hulton Archive

Her distinctive warble permeates thousands of movie soundtracks, hip hop samples and advertisements, let alone the countless personal moments by which people demarcate their lives. This omnipresence allows us to forget who Nina Simone was, and the outright value of her music. For the streaming generation, knowledge of such an artist is limited to “top hits”; on some Spotify, Sunday Mood playlist. Or worse, the songs will only wriggle into the brain from various attempts to sell Coca-Cola, Seat Atecas, Renault Clios, Volvo XC90s, Fords, Apple Watches, Chanel №5, Warehouse discount clothes, Virgin Flights, HTC Phones, Jockey underwear and Behr Paint.

Most egregious among these is the Muller Light yoghurt advert, inescapable for anyone sentient in early 2000s UK. It uses her 1968 song I Ain’t Got No, I Got Life, but only the second, I Got Life half; carving it off entirely from its I Ain’t Got No essence. In its truncated form, the song sounds like a free-wheeling celebration of life and limb: Got my hair, got my head / Got my brains, got my ears / Got my eyes, got my nose / Got my mouth, I got my smile. Yet the missing section is a lengthy condemnation of segregated American society, where disenfranchised black people had been given nothing to cling to: Ain’t got no mother, ain’t got no culture / Ain’t got no friends, ain’t got no schoolin’ / Ain’t got no love, ain’t got no name /…Ain’t got no god / Hey, what have I got? / Why am I alive, anyway?

Yes, the song contains positivity in tune and verse, but stripping the darkness from Simone’s work also strips away its incandescent light. It would be like taking Rodin’s Gates of Hell and shrouding everything except the seemingly peaceful thinker at the centre; or cutting the lightbulb from the top of Picasso’s Guernica and presenting it as a bright, merry, representative segment. Or a millionaire DJ taking Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech and turning it into a dance track during race protests and a global pandemic. But surely not even David Guetta would do that.

The reduction of such a deliberate and profound artist to commercialised snippets is saddening. In Simone’s case this is particularly true because of the highly unusual, powerful darkness that clutches her music. She has something rare. In Spanish, it is known as duende.

Duende

Rooted in Iberian cultures, duende derives from “duen de casa”, meaning “possessor of a house”. Originally the superstition of a dark, goblin-like spirit, it is now the concept of impassioned, death-endorsing, creative invention; typically associated with the performative aspects of Flamenco. In that context, poet and playwright Federico García Lorca describes its contemporary meaning (in his 1933 Buenos Aries lecture, Theory and Play of the Duende), as the “buried spirit of saddened Spain”.

As a guitar maestro explained to him, “the duende is not in the throat: the duende surges up, inside, from the soles of the feet”. Lorca quotes others, one, after listening to Paganini’s violin, identified it as, “a mysterious force that everyone feels and no philosopher has explained”; or another, upon hearing Manuel de Falla perform Nocturno, proposed that, “all that has dark sounds has duende”. In Lorca’s own words:

For every man, every artist called Nietzsche or Cézanne, every step that he climbs in the tower of his perfection is at the expense of the struggle that he undergoes with his duende. Not with an angel, as is often said, nor with his Muse…

…With idea, sound, gesture, the duende delights in struggling freely with the creator on the edge of the pit. Angel and Muse flee, with violin and compasses, and the duende wounds, and in trying to heal that wound that never heals, lies the strangeness, the inventiveness of a man’s work.

Nina Simone embodies duende.

1968 © Hulton Archive

It exists not only within her more explicit protest songs, born of the Civil Rights movement, but is present in everything she did — a ferocity, fragility, sadness and authenticity that claws its way up her throat and flings itself from her open mouth. It’s an otherworldly channelling of something very few can access, but which audiences pray to feel. With music so steeped in darkness, using it to gleefully sell products is a comedy — a joke on the shamelessness naivety of consumers and marketeers — as well as a tragedy.

A Brief History

Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in 1933 and raised in Jim Crow-era North Carolina, Simone was ambitiously desirous of becoming a concert pianist — an uncommon career path for a young black girl at the time. Despite obtaining the ability to do so, she was instead funnelled into performing a mixture of jazz, gospel, soul and folk. And blues, in every shade. Her voice — ostensibly untrained — was burnished in the fire of necessity: if she wanted to earn money in the clubs, she had to sing as well as play piano. She electrified audiences, but remained persistently dissatisfied with how she was received and perceived:

It’s only normal to want acceptance from one’s own country for one’s gifts God has given you. I’m tired of begging for it. It took me 20 years of playing in clubs, in nightclubs, on the concert stage doing all these records to get a decent, real accurate review of my gifts by the New York Times… It was the first time I had been compared to Maria Callas as a diva. All before that I had been labelled a jazz singer, a blues singer, High Priestess of Soul, which… I am not sure what that is. I have studied piano 18 years! So yes I’m tired. I’m too old to keep asking for love from the industry. (Nina Simone, 1984)

Elevated by activists and aficionados alike, yet shunned by the industry at the height of her popularity after vigorously speaking out for black rights (see: Mississippi Goddam), she evolved as an artist in parallel with the revolution of television; first appearing in grainy monochrome and then in saturated technicolour. In the 12-year period between 1959 and 1971, she released 16 studio albums. In the years that followed, before her death in 2003, she released just four more.

Pastel Blues

These days, the idea of albums is virtually defunct, Drakefied to an incoherent heap of songs occasionally “dropped” like laundry, to be worn or discarded at the listeners behest. But as with other great artists, if the extent of Simone’s depth and duende is to be appreciated, it is essential to listen to her albums — the home of her authorship.

Pastel Blues is a nine track, 36-minute LP, mainly of covers and blues standards. It was released in October 1965, eight months after Malcolm X was assassinated, seven months after Bloody Sunday in Selma, and two months after the Voting Rights Act became law. Arguably, it arrived at the height of the movement. Nina Simone was 32. Just imagine.

Although the title suggests something soft and light, underneath the label, the substance is preternatural. As you listen, watch the image on the cover transform from a gentle gaze into a pointed glare; a stare in stereo. Altogether, it is a marvellous enunciation of Nina Simone’s darkness, with which she writhed in body, mind, and soul to give us some of the most memorable artworks of the 20th century. Pastel Blues gives her duende its due.

Listen to Pastel Blues on Apple Music

Listen to Pastel Blues on Spotify (1965 Live Version)

Listen to Pastel Blues on YouTube

Track-By-Track

Be My Husband

It opens with Be My Husband, featuring lyrics incidentally written by Simone’s own husband (and manager), Andrew Stroud. Slightly off-kilter, echoey, four-beat stamping and clapping, heightened by the tight splash of a high-hat, introduces a languid, yet driving pace. With purity of purpose, Simone’s voice drawls intensely into her opening repeated demand: Be my husband and I’ll be your wife / Love and honour you the rest of your life.

It suggests a woman pleading for the hand of her lover, committing to do all he would expect of a wife: If you want me to cook and sew / Outside of you there is no place to go. In return, she asks him only to curb his wandering eye: Stick the promise man you made me / That you stay away from Rosalie, yeah. This is presumably the intended (somewhat biased) perspective of the lyricist. But the way Simone sings it, with improvised shrieks dropping into deep, bassy groans, something quite different is suggested.

Nina Simone & Andrew Stroud, photographer unknown.

At this point, Simone was four years into an emotionally and physically abusive marriage with Stroud. Knowing this, it has far more resonance to picture her in a kitchen, staring down a boorish, unsatisfactory, and unsatisfying man; stomping on a linoleum floor, and throwing him a powerful, sacred ultimatum — give me what you promised. To imagine it otherwise is to imagine how Ed Sheeran might perform it — with the frivolousness of a millennial wedding on a sunny day in Surrey, and all the stamping, clapping vigour of a gaggle of giggling, inebriated aunts.

Furthermore, Be My Husband is effectively a re-worked chain gang song from the segregated south — a version of Rosie by the Inmates of Parchman Farm Penitentiary recorded in 1947 Mississippi by ethnomusicologist, Alan Lomax (and notoriously sampled by… well, well, well… hello again, David Guetta). The original lyrics ring out: Be my woman, gal, I’ll be your man… Stick to the promise girl that you made me / Won’t got married til’ I go free. Even aside from Simone’s interpretation, its genesis as a song of imprisonment immediately gives it a grimmer tone.

Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

As it bows to track two, Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out, the heavy opening of the album is extended. A blues standard written in 1923, it was popularised by Bessie Smith’s 1929 recording and re-introduced to a new audience by Eric Clapton, who performed it throughout his career. Sam Cooke, Otis Reading, Janis Joplin, Bobby Womack, John Lennon, Derek and the Dominos and Duane & Gregg Allman all put their spin on it, with wildly varying degrees of quality, duende and notoriety.

It begins deceptively upbeat: Well once I lived the life of a millionaire / spending my money I didn’t care / Taking my friends out for a mighty good time. Simone’s version is no different as she lightly pads major key piano chords, but what immediately sets her rendition apart is the tremble in her voice. It sounds like she is singing through tears, not least when the song reaches its sobering bridge: Nobody wants you / Nobody needs you.

In Simone’s case, the song became painfully prescient. Following her fall from grace within the music industry, she left for Barbados in 1970, where she had an affair with then Prime Minister, Errol Barrow. Her subsequent divorce from Stroud limited access to her income, which he, as her manager, controlled. Also, due to an arrest warrant for taxes she withheld in protest at the Vietnam War, Simone was unable to return to the US, so ended up first in Liberia, then living across Europe. With little money to live from and few relationships to speak of, for a time, she came to epitomise the song.

End of the Line

The first fully original song on the album, End of the Line is initially carried by another deception of positiveness, this time through its melody; romantic and light despite the lyrics: This is the end of the line / I’ve clearly read every sign / The way you glance at me / Indifferently / And take your hand from mine. Such is the flowing nostalgia of the tune, it is plausible to imagine the same song with all words made positive (e.g. The way you glance at me / So happily / And place your hand in mine).

Divisible into two parts, the first has the feel of Simone sipping a martini in a Rogers & Hammerstein bar (perhaps offering some musical theatrical hope of salvation). The second, however, gives way to resigned sorrow, over a steady, rumba beat. Aside from showcasing Simone’s prodigious classical piano-playing ability — albeit only through twinkling, floral runs — the richness of her vocal tone spills forth, smoothly and lusciously, particularly in the second half. While lyrically it lacks the forcefulness of other tracks, its simplicity opens the door to Simone’s abundant musicality.

Trouble in Mind

Written in 1924, Trouble in Mind is another blues standard, but given its title, after three tracks of despair, it surprisingly brings a degree of levity.

The original lyrics (as sung by Dinah Washington, Janis Joplin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ella Fitzgerald, Marianne Faithful, Johnny Cash and original recording artist Thelma La Vizzo) are far darker than this version. Typically, the singer, wrestling with the irrepressible demons of their psyche, contemplates suicide by train: I’m gonna lay my head / On some lonesome railroad line / Let the 2:19 train / Ease my troubled mind. Yet on Pastel Blues, it never gets that far.

While refrain of the song always concludes: I won’t be blue always / ‘Cause the sun’s gonna shine in my back door someday, Simone’s version leans more heavily on those lyrics than others’ versions; giving it a more hopeful perspective. She also dresses the music with a quicker, cheerier pace. Furthermore, instead of seeking the certainty and finality of a gruesome suicide, she resolves only that: I’m going down to the river / Gonna get me a rocking chair / If the Lord don’t help me / I’m gonna rock away from here.

Given she was be known to perform the full lyrics on other occasions, it is an interesting choice to uplift them on Pastel Blues. In terms of the album’s full narrative, however, it makes sense to offer a moment of optimism, keeping us on an undulating journey of emotion, rather than wallowing solely in melancholy.

Tell Me More and More and Then Some

The dynamic changes once again in Tell Me More and More and Then Some, as Simone hints towards her unapologetic, simmering, sexuality. Sex is known to have often enthralled her — as she wrote in her diary, “My attitude toward sex was that we should be having it all the time.”

Originally recorded in 1940 by Billie Holiday, Simone tweaks the lyrics to make the titular line more demanding, more desirous: I want more, more and then some. Accompanied by quivering, raunchy harmonica and clanging, insistent piano chords, Simone’s phrasing and emphasis draws lustfulness from the lyrics: You know how I love that stuff / Whisper from now on / To doomsday / But I never no no no no, ooh / I never, no I never, will get enough. It’s an erotic elaboration on Holiday’s already sultry interpretation, loading the request for whispered sweet nothings with a throbbing, sexual overtone.

Chilly Winds Don’t Blow

Chilly Winds Don’t Blow acts as a natural, also largely optimistic companion to Trouble in Mind, making Tell Me More and More and Then Some the bawdy, thick-cut meat between two, forward-looking slices of bread. That said, the song was previously released by Simone as single in 1959, as an even more upbeat spiritual, with denser orchestration and less of her signature vocal style.

On Pastel Blues, however, it is likely sung from a position of matured disappointment towards the unending hostility experienced by black Americans. With a sparser arrangement and greater vocal freedom, the new context is pointedly conveyed: There will be red roses round my door / I’m going where they’ll welcome me for sure, oh baby / Where the chilly winds, they don’t blow. Notably, as her piano rumbles, mimicking the sound of a rolling, cold wind, Simone also refers to her own maturity, as a woman. In this new version, she no longer wants to go where her father waits for her. Instead, it’s her daddy who will be waiting.

1968 © David Redfern

Ain’t No Use

Recorded in 1959 by Joe Williams and Count Basie, Ain’t No Use manifested as a break-up song. In that bright, brassy version, Williams croons at the opening: Ain’t no use of hanging round / Ain’t no use I put you down / There’s no love left / In my heart for you. In Simone’s rendition, the subject of the warning is much more ambiguous. When considered alongside Chilly Winds Don’t Blow and the tracks that follow, Simone instead implies a sense of exasperation, perhaps a desire to withdraw from broken American society, or the increasingly hostile music industry. She opens not with fallen love but accusation and fatigue: Ain’t no use baby / I’m leaving the scene / Ain’t no use baby / You’re too doggone mean / Yes I’m tired of paying dues / Having the blues / Hitting bad news.

To this point, Pastel Blues is a solid, often special, blues album, but here it really begins to soar; marking it apart. The underlying anguish of the blues is of course ingrained in the genre, but with Simone, her duende, fraught personal life, and civil rights activism, a dramatic narrative acceleration begins to emerge in the gap between Ain’t No Use and Strange Fruit (and again between Strange Fruit and Sinnerman). Without realising, tracks one to eight have been quietly coaxing you towards the edge of a cliff. The final two rip through you, forcing you over the edge before you can pull back. Amidst the silence between the songs, everything that preceded becomes re-contextualised with a deeper, darker tone. Embrace the fall.

Strange Fruit

The majesty of Strange Fruit is well documented — in 1999, Time named it the best song of the century. It was written by Abel Meeropol — a white, Jewish sometime Communist, and real-life MacGuffin, who intersects with numerous historically important features of 20th century America, but never appears at their forefront.

As a student and then teacher at Dewitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, he crossed paths with a young James Baldwin and numerous other luminaries of American culture. After seeing a photograph of a lynching, he felt compelled to write; originally penning the words as an anti-lynching poem. Published in a teacher’s union publication, it concisely described the horror he had seen through the sinister metaphor of a seemingly innocuous fruit tree. He later set it to music and presented it to Billie Holiday, who recorded her socially and sonically remarkable version in 1937. In 1945, he gave up teaching to become a full-time songwriter under the pen name Lewis Allen (the first names of his two, tragically stillborn sons), most famously writing Frank Sinatra’s Oscar winning, patriotic short film and accompanying song, The House I Live in. Not only that, but in 1953 he adopted the two sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg — a Jewish couple famously executed for spying on America for the Soviet Union.

Abel Meeropol with sons Michael and Robert Meeropol in 1954, via Robert Meeropol

As for the song itself, if Holiday’s recording is classical — a regretful, tender jazz lament — Simone’s is something more modern, more openly enraged; a cutting, resonant howl; transcending genre. The arrangement is minimal and masterful at once, with often dissonant piano chords treading like distressed steps through fallen leaves towards the horrifying tree at the agonising conclusion. It climaxes with a literal wail as the end nears: Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck / For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck / For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop / Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Its intensity lent itself perfectly to the sample on Kanye West’s scorching rebuke of destructive celebrity relationships, Blood On the Leaves.

Sinnerman

Simone’s Sinnerman is virtually unrecognisable from the first, folky version recorded by the Les Baxter Orchestra in 1956. Baxter adapted (read: plagiarised) the song from On the Judgement Day, by the Sensational Nightingales, which in turn takes elements from the 1924 No Hiding Place Down Here, by the Old South Quartette. But much like Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s similarly spiritual Hallelujah, Simone’s version remains, and will forever remain, the definitive iteration; the most copied, covered, celebrated and recognised; never bettered beyond that point.

As her Sinnerman evolves, it reveals the preceding short, eight tracks to have been little more than an (excellent) overture to this — the epic, operatic finale. At ten and a half minutes, it makes up nearly a third of the entire album. Brace yourself.

After the silent gap following Strange Fruit — another inhale between urgent roars — the first few bars are timeless, perhaps some of the most familiar notes ever recorded. Piano keys clamber over one another, skipping like a broken record. A foot taps out a light beat in the background. The percussion joins: a double-time, racing, hi-hat heart rate, yielding only to the occasional heavy, melodious thump of a double bass. Simone enters, Oh, Sinnerman, where you gonna run to? / Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?

1967 © Tony Gale

After Strange Fruit, the question takes on new meaning. Picture Simone in a deep purple Cadillac Deville n hot pursuit of a fleeing lynch mob; hood down, foot down, brow furrowed, engine roaring, steering on the edge of control. This toying with tumbling gives the song its energy. Like running down a steep slope, with the slightest misstep, all would be lost. As the beats impatiently trip over the piano notes, it feels like it’s constantly accelerating; never settling into a regimented pace.

After erupting into a minute-long call and response of: Power!, Sinnerman changes gear. A jangling, twanging guitar breathes heavily in contemplation of the next charge. The music fades, leaving only intimidating clapping, until the piano returns most wonderfully with a couple of pleasingly apparent (yet well-intended) mistakes; three or four notes missed, misplaced, or hesitated over as the tune searches again for its order among the tumult. When found, it resurges with renewed purpose; Simone audibly hyperventilating in anxious anticipation: So I run to the river, it was boiling / I run to the sea, it was boiling / All on that day. Judgement Day has arrived, and the devil is everywhere.

(Should this masterpiece really ever be used to sell hatchbacks?)

It ends with a pleading prayer, agitated piano chords and chaotic drums: Don’t you know, I need you Lord?, Simone cries. Whether the prayer is answered, we’ll never know, but as the percussion takes over and batters us into a final, frenzied submission, it feels too late.

Exhausted and exhilarated, Pastel Blues is at its end. But within it, Nina Simone’s duende forever persists.

#music #women #art #nina simone #album #race #civil rights #duende #1960s music #jazz #soul

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spideyy-girl · 5 years

Text

Let Me In ~ Winter Soldier!Bucky Barnes

Request: Hi!!! I was wondering if I could request a song fic with wintersoldier! bucky x reader? The song is called Lily by Alan Walker, K-391, & Emelie Hollow. I’ve been listening to it nonstop lately. Thank you!!

Song: Lily - Alan Walker, K-391, Emelie Hollow

Summary: Bucky feels stuck with hydra always controlling him, and he can’t quite get a grip of himself. One day he escapes and finds someone that could change his life.

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Warnings: Sad Bucky, HYDRA being a bitch (as per usual), sorta sad but fluffy-ish ending

Word Count: 4526 (12.6 pages) long af

Date: March 31, 2019

A/N: thanks anon now I’m obsessed with this song too lol. Also, I didn’t know which character you wanted to be “Lily”, but I feel like it suited Bucky better with the whole locked in his super soldier mindset thingy. Hope it makes sense? Hopefully this is what you wanted, and if it isn’t, I’d be more than happy to rewrite it to better suit you! Also sorry if it sorta sucks I was running out of ideas :/

This takes place a few months after CA: Civil War, with a little bit of Infinity War reference at the end.

Lily was a little girl Afraid of the big wide world She grew up within her castle walls

Bucky laid in his board stiff bed, eyes baring straight up into the ceiling above him, a dull beige colour with pipes running along it. He raked his mind, over and over again, trying to remember anything he could. Hydra was starting to get in his head, and he had started to think of what had happened before hydra made him who he is today.

A monster, a murderer. A soldier.

Now and then she tried to run And then on the night with the setting sun She went in the woods away All afraid, all alone

He always thought the word was quite a stretch, aren’t soldiers supposed to help people? He asked in his head. Although his commander says that what they do is to help others, he didn’t feel like that was truly the case. But he didn’t dare say that, not unless if he wanted to be strapped down in that room again, tortured until his mind was a blank slate with nothing but kill.

He hated it. He couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted out.

From the little things he could remember of his past life, he feels happiness, laughter rings in his ears. There’s one little blonde guy that seems to appear a few times as well. But those are just flashes. He needed answers. And he needed them now.

He sat up from his position on his bed and looked out the window, watching the sun turning from light blue to pastel pinks and oranges. He looked the opposite way, out the open door and into the empty cold hallway. He saw this as his chance. He stood up with haste, grabbing his gun from its place under his bed and shooting the window. As he was climbing out, he heard security screaming the only name he knew.

“Soldier! Get your ass back in here!” He heard his commander yell at him, before hearing the familiar sound of the loading gun. As if second nature, Bucky lifted up his own gun and shot out 3 bullets, hitting his targets with practised perfection, before slipping out and running into the abandoned woods outside of the compound. He was free. Finally free.

They warned her, don’t go there There’s creatures who are hiding in the dark Then something came creeping It told her, don’t you worry

Bucky walked for what felt like days, looking for anything, anyone. Maybe even someone that might help him rediscover his past. The blonde boy from his leftover memories kept flashing through his head. He must know something. So that was Bucky’s new target.

He continued to wander, thoughts running through his head, crowding his brain so much he couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t hear the sound of quickly paced footsteps, he couldn’t see the shining brightness of the nearing lantern.

“Hello?” the girl questioned again, putting the lantern up as she continued to walk closer. “Sir? Are you ok?”

The soft sound of her worrying voice triggered him, taking him out of the depths of his mind and causing him to raise his gun, merely missing the woman and hitting the light beside her, causing it to go out. “Holy shit!” she screamed, dropping the shattered object to the murky woodland ground. The feminine voice startled the man as well, and he quickly lowered his weapon. She looked from the shattered glass on the woodsy floor up to the soldier's weary eyes, seeing many things in only a matter of seconds.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I scared you," she whispered, trying to get closer to him, trying to help. He looked like he could use some. "I know you must be concerned, lost maybe. I just wanted to help you." Her words were gentle and held an unfamiliar comfort in them, making him let down his guard completely for just a few moments. He nodded, not knowing why, but not questioning his actions either.

"I'm sorry-"

"There's no need for that," she quickly reassured, cutting off his unnecessary apology. She reached out her hand towards him, in a welcoming matter instead of the usual threatening one he received. "Now, I have a little cottage just a bit down. I don't mean to sound... weird or anything, but you're more than welcome to stay the night and I'll get you some food before you continue on whatever journey you're going through at the moment." She said with kindness, a matching smile adorned her beautiful face. He couldn't refuse, so, of course, he didn't.

Follow everywhere I go Top over the mountains or valley low Give you everything you’ve been dreaming of Just let me in, ooh Everything you wantin' gonna be the magic story you've been told And you’ll be safe under my control Just let me in, ooh Just let me in, ooh

Bucky stayed with the girl he met in the woods, whose name he learned was Y/N. She told Bucky that she lived in New York and that she was going back next weekend, and offered for him to stay with her until then. Bucky told her about his blonde friend, and how he was trying to find him. Of course, he refused to tell her about his super soldier past. Bucky felt an odd sense of protection around her. He felt as if he could trust her, like he already knew her for many years.

Bucky sat at the round wooden table, the room was dimly lit by a weak ceiling fan, the only sound coming from the scraping of the metal spoon against the bowl filled with warm soup in front of him. The annoying sound was almost white noise to him as he stared at the girl visible from the other room, presumably the kitchen, preparing for food for him. The girl felt eyes boring into the back of her head, and she smiled and poured out her own cup of soup and took a sit with him. They sat in silence for a while, both enjoying their meals, before the silence was broken by the super soldier.

"It's good," he said, his voice quieter than what he remembered. The girl looked up, a slight hue of red across her cheeks as a smile spread against her innocent looking face.

"So he speaks," she teased, her bowl completely forgotten about at this point. She put her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands as she observed him in the (not so) better light. "So, you want to talk about what was happening out there? I thought you had to be on something but.. it doesn't look like it." She told him, observing his mannerism or any other signs that might help her find out what a handsome man was doing somewhere like here. Bucky gave her a quick skeptical look but proceeded with explaining the odd circumstances in which they met.

"I'm... I'm looking for a friend," he said in a small voice, avoiding eye contact. "I'm not sure where I am." She sighed, reaching out to grab his hand, trying to comfort him. He flinched back from her touch but let her take his rough palm in her soft, rather small one.

"Ok, listen," she said, squeezing his hand and rubbing her thumb against the "I can't guarantee that your friend will be in New York, but I may have some friends who can help. I just want to let you know, I'm not trying to hurt you Bucky." She said with a smile. Bucky frowned and took his hand out of her grip.

"How did you know my name?" he said, his free hand gliding down to the hidden knife on his thigh. Y/N giggled, but her eyebrows furrowed.

"You told me, don't you remember?" She said, looking concerned for him. Bucky stopped his movements, shaking his head and offering her an apologetic smile and nodded, looking at the floor. "It's ok, there's probably a lot going on in there. C'mon, I'll show you the spare room, leave you to get comfy. You look like you could use some rest." She got up, the old wooden chairs scratching against the laminate floor, Bucky following in suit going down the hallway and examining his new victorian looking room. He smiled and gave a quick thanks to the girl before closing the door, going to sit on the double bed.

On the other side on the bedroom door and down the narrow hallway, Y/N sat in the small living room, picking up the telephone and dialling a well-remembered number. The familiar deep scruff voice picked up the phone with a 'hello?'. "Steve? I think we found our guy." She stated in a soft voice, so the man she met that day wouldn't hear. "And I think he remembers us."

She knew she was hypnotized And walking on cold thin ice Then it broke, and she awoke again

Bucky woke up to the bright sunlight shining through his window the next morning. He rolled off the bed, his instincts telling him to grab for his gun and get suited up for today's mission, that is until he bumped into the tall dresser, which came tumbling down towards him. Luckily, he caught it, but the insides fell out, creating a large crashing sound. Bucky cringed, before pushing the cabinet back up against the wall and trying to stuff the contents back into it. Suddenly the door opened with Y/N showing on the other side, her hair in a messy bun and an apron wrapped around her waist. She saw the current situation and gave out a small chuckle.

"I make you food and give you a bed to sleep in, and in return you decide to trash my house," Y/N jokes with him, rushing over and helping him clean up. Bucky looked at her with a guilty smile, and she rolled her eyes, her grin only getting wider. "Come on, I made you some breakfast before we head out. I hope you like pancakes?" A confused look came on his face as he put the last of the things away before following the girl outside the room.

"Never had them," he said. As he walked into the dining room he was greeted with the best smell in his life, his stack of pancakes placed neatly on the dining room table. She gasped, before pushing him towards the table and seating him on the chair, placing a fork and knife in front of him.

"I like to think mine are pretty great," she said excitedly, placing a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see the girl beaming back at them, before nodding to the breakfast food. "They're my favourite. Go on, eat up!" She smiled before patting his shoulder and going back to finish packing her suitcase. Bucky ate as if hasn't in months, more than satisfied with the sweet treat. Y/N giggled as she saw him scarf down the pancakes, grabbing a plate of her own and going to sit beside him, starting on her own.

"So, tell me more about your friend," Y/N said as she set her fork down after finishing her pancake. Bucky looked up at her, before swallowing what pancake he had left in his mouth and beginning to talk. A good sign.

"He's small, blonde, umm..." Bucky started, trying to kick start his memory, anything else he knew. He saw Y/N across the table tilt her head, slightly resembling a lost puppy, he couldn't help but think. "Truth is, I don't know much about him. But I remember him, from my past." Bucky tried to explain.

"Your past?" Y/N questioned further, trying not to sound suspicious. Bucky looks down and nods. "Did something... happen in between?" Bucky looked up at her, being cautious of what his next words would be. He didn't want to scare her off.

"You can call it that," he said in a whisper. "I can't remember much of my last few years." He tried to explain, Y/N nodded in understanding.

"Like long term memory loss?" She kept questioning. He nodded his head, his long hair falling in front of his face. Y/N's face changed, her eyes going soft as she reached over and pushed his hair out of the way, startling the boy. He's never been shown this type of affection. She blushed and took her hand away, mumbling a sorry. The room stayed in silence for another few minutes, before broken by Y/N.

"I'm sure you'll find him, Bucky," she said, offering a hopeful smile towards him. He looked up and gave her a small smile back. Y/N stood up and took their plates and cleaned up a bit as Bucky took the extra time to freshen up a bit, before trying to get some research done on what might've happened to him before. Maybe it will give him a hint as of where to go.

The week went by relatively fast, and Y/N did everything she could to help Bucky find what could've happened to him and his friend before HYDRA took him back and brainwashed him once again. Of course, Bucky didn't reveal that certain detail to Y/N. Soon enough, Friday afternoon had reached and Y/N was packing her small buggy car and the two now closely bonded pair went on their way home. Well, Y/N's home at least, or what he was told was her home.

Then she ran faster than Start screaming, is there someone out there? Please help me Come get me Behind her, she can hear it say

Y/N was oddly silent throughout the ride. Music played in the background as Bucky kept stealing glances at the girl beside him, she seemed almost nervous. He pushed it off as normal, thinking that he would probably be nervous taking someone he only met a few days prior to his house. But that's wasn't what was running through the Y/H/C's head.

Y/N was starting to wonder if she should maybe turn back, feeling as if she was selling the man off. Of course, she knew what she was doing was for his own good, which is the only reason why she kept on the crowded highway. But she had made a bond with Bucky, and she was hoping this wouldn't ruin anything that's been growing between them. Especially if the said bond would eventually grow into a more than friendship thing. Hopefully, her colleagues would be ok with it.

"You alright?" he asked, looking at the girl in concern. Y/N shook her head, trying to shake her thoughts out of her brain. She put on a smile and gave him a quick nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little bit nervous." She laughed, though it sounded uneasy. The music seemed to get louder in the sudden silence as Bucky slowly put his hand on her leg, not in a very implying way, just as a sign of comfort. He felt her relax under his touch and she turned her head to give him a smile. Within another few minutes she pulled into an underground garage park of a tall glass building, with a bit of a weird structural design, Bucky thought to himself. Y/N took her suitcases out of her trunk, which Bucky quickly took out of her hands, claiming: "a pretty girl doesn't have to carry her own bags. Just let me be a gentleman."

They got into the nice elevator, which had plenty of levels. Y/N pressed a button closer to the top, and the sliding doors closed and it jolted before smoothly going up. AC/DC came through the speakers, of course, considering the building they were in. After a minute or two, the metal box stopped and the doors slid open again. The first thing Bucky realized when he walked out with Y/N, was that they were not alone, and he realized this probably isn't her real apartment.

At the sound of the elevator dinging across the room, Steve Rogers halted his talking with Sam, Wanda, Natasha, and Clint. Everyone's eyes darted towards the two new people who entered the room. Bucky's eyes widened as he saw the one and only Captain America. He looked between him and Y/N, who was walking over to hug Wanda, a close friend of hers.

"Y/N, what the hell is going on," Bucky asked once Y/N broke apart from the Scarlet Witch, grabbing her shoulder and turning her towards him, but not too harshly. Y/N diverted her gaze and sighed, looking down before meeting his gaze. HEr eyes looked like they were starting to water.

"I'm just trying to help, Buck," she said, reaching for his hand. He pulled it away from her, taking a step back. He looked up at Steve, he knew it was his blonde friend from his almost ancient memories, even though he looked extremely different, he could tell. Actually, he recognized everyone in the room. He doesn't know from where, but he can't deny it. He scanned the room again before turning back at Y/N.

"So you did already know my name that night, didn't you?" Bucky jokes to try and ease the tension. Y/N let out a laugh, sounding relieved, before nodding. A small tear ran down her cheek.

"Yeah, you have no idea how scary that was," she smiled, and he gave her one back. He wasn't mad that she had brought him here like she originally thought. If anything he was extremely thankful. For the first time in his life, he felt safe. Y/N spoke again, raising her hand as if to present the other people in the room. "Well, Bucky, meet the Avengers. Or a part of them at least.

The team went back the large glass table in the back of the room with Y/N and Bucky, to discuss the plan to send Bucky to Wakanda. Steve explained that Y/N would accompany him there, to make sure he stays safe and doesn't go back into Winter Soldier mode again. Bucky was a bit reluctant at first, but with a little bit of convincing from Y/N, he agreed to the plan. The two went to Y/N's room, where she would pack the remaining of her stuff for the trip, and Bucky would pack his new clothes and leftover personal belongings he left there.

"So, you're an Avenger too?" He asked as he neatly folded a t-shirt before placing it in his suitcase. "Got a special power or anything?" Y/N giggled, a sound Bucky had grown accustomed to already.

"Yes I am an avenger," Y/N said, feeling proud. "I can jump through and manipulate space." Bucky looked back at the girl, obviously confused with what she said. She rolled her eyes, a goofy smile coming on her lips. "Basically I can teleport and move objects," she dumbed it down for the 100-year-old man, to which he nodded, an 'ah' coming from his mouth, before looking at her and giving her a smile.

"Sounds pretty badass," he commented, a smirk on his lips as he left his packing for a second to go walk towards her. Y/N laughed at the comment, dropping the jeans she was folding and turning to the taller man as well. She gave a nonchalant shrug.

"I guess so," she said. He smiled down at her, thinking of how cute she was. His hand reached out and grabbed her own, which she gladly accepted with a small squeeze. She glanced at their interlocked hands before looking back up into his brown eyes again, which seemed closer to her than they were a second ago. "I hope you don't mind me going with you to Wakanda. I'm sure you'd rather it be Steve but I'll try and be just as good of a company as he is. I've always wanted to go to Wakanda too, I've heard it's stunning and they've got really amazing technology. I'm sure you'll find it interesting as well. Maybe that might not make up for Steve but-"

Y/N's excessive nervous ramblings were cut off by Bucky, or his mouth did. Bucky's kiss was soft, his hand still caressing the back of her hand as the other one reached up to her jaw. Y/N's hands reached up to his long hair, running her fingers through the surprisingly soft locks. The pulled apart after a few second, foreheads leaning against each other. Y/N kept her eyes closed, but her smile grew slowly more evident on her face. Bucky couldn't help his own grin when he saw this.

"Trust me, I'm more than happy that I'm going with you," he said in a whisper, but just loud enough for the girl to hear. This only increased the growing smile on her face, so much that her cheeks were starting to hurt. But she didn't mind. "I wouldn't want anyone else."

Everything you wantin' gonna be the magic story you’ve been told (Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh) And you’ll be safe under my control Just let me in, ooh

*A FEW YEARS LATER*

Bucky awoke from the bright Wakandian sun shining through the large window. He couldn't complain about his new life, as if he never escaped HYDRA he'd be waking up to the same annoying alarms and slaps on the back by upper officers. Bucky stretched his arms over his head, a soft groan passing his lips.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," he heard a raspy voice coo from his chest. There lay his amazing girlfriend of almost 5 years, Y/N, looking up at him in adoration. He smiled and left a kiss on the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her exposed waist as she cuddled into his bare chest again.

"Morning, darling," he whispered, giving her another kiss on the cheek before meeting her lips. He could feel her smile into it. The cute moment was broken by a knock on the bedroom door, followed by a voice.

"Sargeant Barnes, Miss L/N, they're here." Shuri's voice came from behind the giant metal doors. Y/N groaned before sitting up, followed by her boyfriend as they got changed, exchanging in light conversation and a few stolen pecks here and there. The couple walked out together, meeting Okoye, a fierce warrior and the commander of the Dora Milaje, and T'Challa, the king of Wakanda and a new close friend. As they met, the group walked out of the grand doors to be met by big quinjet and an all too familiar group of people. T'Challa talked to the remaining of the Avengers about what seemed like a defence plan.

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Molaje, and..." T'Challa stopped speaking and motioned towards the pair walking towards them.

"A semi-stable 100-year-old man," Bucky said as he walked towards them. Y/N kept beside him, Bucky's hand placed on the small of her back. He removed it to go over to hug his old friend, as Y/N took the chance to say hi and give hugs to the rest of her team, her family.

"How you been, guys," Steve said as he hugged Y/N, She happily gave him a tight hug, as Steve was like a brother to her. Y/N returned to Bucky's side as he wrapped his metal arm around her waist protectively

"Uh, not bad," Bucky said as he looked down to the incredible woman beside him. She looked up at him as well, offering him a smile as she briefly leaned on his shoulder.

"For the end of the world, at least," she finished, causing Bucky to roll his eyes, though a smirk was still on his face, and Steve let out a chuckle. The reunited team head inside to speak of how to get Vision's stone out of his head. Bucky and Y/N soon departed to go with the Kingsguard to speak of a gameplan. Bucky and Y/N suited up, getting ready for probably the biggest battle of their lives.

"You sure you'll be alright?" Bucky asked her, slightly worried as he saw her practising her spatial jumps around the room. Y/N teleported right in front of him, a smirk coming across her lips.

"Might I remind you, I am a former Avenger and all-time badass," she joked, wrapping her arms around his neck, to which he automatically put his around her waist. Bucky laughed.

"You remind me at least twice a day, Y/N," he snapped back. The girl feigned a hurt expression, before letting out a laugh. Bucky let go and reached for his gun and soon, an alarm went off from Y/N' kimoyo bracelet, signalling the threat has finally arrived. Y/N sighed, looking over at her partner, and gave him a soft smile.

"Time to go," she said quietly. Bucky gave her a sad smile, not wanting to think of what might happen to either of them out there. He grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. Y/N quickly responded, her hands going up to his hair and his shoulder. He pulled apart before resting his forehead on hers.

"I love you, Y/N," he whispered to her, his hands still on her jawline. She smiled up at him, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "So much."

"I love you, too, Bucky," she said, a tear slipping from her eye. Bucky wiped it off with his thumb and Y/N sniffed, parting from him as she stood up straighter and grabbed her knives. She grinned at Bucky one last time before the terrible events that happened during the Battle of Wakanda. "Now, let's go kick some alien ass."

Follow everywhere I go Top over the mountains or valley low Give you everything you’ve been dreaming of Just let me in, ooh Then she ran faster than Start screaming, is there someone out there? Please help me Just let me in, ooh

#bucky barnes x reader #infinity war #avengers #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #songfic #lily #bucky barnes #requested #winter soldier #winter soldier!bucky barnes #winter soldier!au #au #avenger!reader

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sandydragon1 · 5 years

Text

Time Well Spent

Alan pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at the blood at the corner of Amanda’s mouth. She whispered an apology before lapsing into another coughing fit. Only the black clock in the otherwise completely white hospital room watched them. Seconds marched past, each tick ringing in Alan’s ears like a funeral toll.

His gaze rested on to the life counter on Amanda’s wrist. 25 years, 4 months, and 15 minutes. She was supposed to have more than two decades ahead of her still. A few more years weren’t out of the question either, especially if she got another promotion. At least, that was how most people’s lives worked these days. They lived out the time they earned, typically around 70 years, before the counter signaled the brain to shut down.

Amanda wiped at the blood and tears on Alan’s face. She gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m not dead yet, you know. It’s going to take a little more than smoke to do me in. Imagine that, death by fumes. If those Marlboros do end up killing me, feel free to write ‘lost a fight to gas’ on my tombstone.” Laughter rattled out of her, shaking her so hard that she trembled like a spider web in the wind.

Shaking his head, Alan walked over to the curtains. “If we’re going to lighten the mood, we might as well let Mother Nature do her share of the work.” Alan opened the curtains.

Golden rays of afternoon light flooded the room, pouring over the wires, tubes, and beeping monitors surrounding Amanda. She closed her eyes as sunlight washed over her face. Alan returned to her side, allowing himself to smile. “I haven’t felt sunlight this warm since we went to Hawaii.”

Amanda nodded. Neither of them had travelled out of Illinois in years. “Hope was just starting college that year wasn’t she?” Her eyes clouded over as her hands gripped the blankets. She tightened her grasp into fists until blue streaks threatened to pop out. “That trip cost each of us a year and a half. But it was worth it,” She relaxed her hands, releasing the crumbled sheets. She sniffed. “She was probably right: she was too good for us. At least, she was more than I deserved. I just wish I could see her again.”

They embraced in silence. Amanda’s eyes drooped before she yawned. Alan helped her ease back onto her pillow and kissed on her forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow, honey.” He took a package out of his backpack and placed it next to Amanda’s bed. Amanda raised her eyebrows as the box’s contents slid around audibly. “No peeking until I come back. I want to be here when you open it.”

She pouted, sticking out her lip. “We can’t open it now? It’ll only take a minute.” She inched a hand towards the box. Alan guided it back to her side. He waved a finger at her.

“Don’t even think about it. I want you to be fully rested for this.” He pushed the box until it was just out of her reach. “Besides, that will make a good reward after all of the testing the doctors have lined up. I’ll be here at 5:30 on the dot, the same as usual. We’ll open it together then. Okay?”

She blew out a puff of air. “Oh, okay. I guess I can wait. One day isn’t that long.” She stifled a yawn. “See you tomorrow, Alan,” she said as she drifted off. She was snoring within seconds.

Alan slipped out of the room after closing the curtains, shrouding the room in darkness.

Amanda’s doctor met him at the end of a hallway covered wall to wall with pastel paintings of smiling people, clutching a clipboard to his chest. His eyes lingered on Alan’s wrist. “Have you considered your options, Mr. Grayson? We’re beginning to run out of treatment options.”

Alan sighed and rubbed his temples. He squeezed his eyes shut to block out the bright colors assaulting him from every angle. “I have. How much did you say the radiation therapy would cost again?”

The doctor took a step back, pressing himself against the image of a happy couple strolling along a shoreline. “That’s going to be very expensive, Mr. Grayson. Are you sure you’re willing to pay for something that might not work?”

A series of hacking coughs echoed down the hallway. How could they not know his answer? “I would do anything to save my wife, Doctor. Now tell me, how much time will this cost?” Alan’s foot tapped away on the linoleum floor, the only sound in the hallway once the coughing ceased. He had wasted enough time on their other ideas already. This was his last chance, his family’s last chance.

The doctor gulped. He fingered his own life counter. 40 years. Wealthy son of a bitch. “Well, we can give her up to 40 treatments. If that doesn’t cure her, nothing can. Each of those will cost 6 months.” He squirmed under Alan’s glare. “Like I said, it’s pricey. If you’d like, you could split the cost between people. Surely Mrs. Grayson has other loved ones who could help you cover it.”

“No, I’m covering all of it. Bring me a pen. We’ve got some paperwork to fill.” The doctor stuttered, babbling about the insanity of lowering the life counter so much. “Pen. Now.” He bolted, nearly colliding with a nurse wheeling a dinner cart. Alan rolled his eyes. Doctors. That package would make everything worth it though. Hopefully he could earn enough time to buy both him and Amanda tickets to California before Hope changed her mind. He might not have much time left after that trip, but every second spent with his daughter would be worth more than a year.

This short story originally appeared in the winter 2016 issue of Breath & Shadow.

This was the first piece of creative writing I ever got published. I think it’s corny and very rough around the edges now, but it still holds a special place in my heart. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

#writing #writeblr #creative writing #short stories #flash fiction #science fiction #published #my writing #my short stories

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carrot-gallery · 5 years

Note

hello sweet gf please do all even numbered end of year asks! also i love u

I LOVE U BABEY

2. best moment of the year?

Oh wowee… maybe Casey arriving at the hostel in Poland at the start of our 12-day journey around Central Europe and knowing that now my friend was there and I was off on a big adventure and didn’t have to be lonely anymore…. Or perhaps every moment I spent with my beautiful gf….. Or crushing a final and getting my internship on the same day. That was pretty rad. Or maybe the moment the sun came over the mountain in the Wadi Rum desert and hit my face. I’m so lucky

4. what was the biggest change you experienced this year?

I feel like I became an adult this year. Like I haven’t really felt like a real adult in terms of competence before 2018 but being abroad for 8 months and starting the job hunt journey and living in a real apartment and being loved by my friends and gf have made me realize I can handle a lot of situations that would’ve overwhelmed me in the past.

6. best album of the year?

Oh damn….. The new neko case and florence + the machine albums are both real good…. But tbh probably that lil mini thing hozier put out. Or parks squares and alleys tbh i lov them

8. best book/book series of the year?

This year i read the first half of the line of beauty by alan hollinghurst, the first 20 pages of breakfast of champions by kurt vonnegut, and sections as needed of the underground railroad by colson whitehead and birds of america by lorrie moore. But i didn’t finish a book. And that makes me sad. I need to step it up.

10. how was your love life this year?

UM EXCELLENT I AM IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL GF

12. biggest regret of the year?

Oof… probably not being more proactive about my time and mental health in England. I should have sought help thru the international insurance WAY WAY earlier, and gotten more involved in the strike protests. And joined more groups. Now I know, though.

14. favourite place you travelled this year?

DAMN IDFK UHHHHHH Either Jordan, Budapest, or Athens Greece. Difficult af decision though

16. did you learn anything about your sexuality this year?

Um yes i learned that sex is good and i enjoy it very much no further questions

18. what surprised you the most this year?

The fact that I actually bit the bullet after all this time and decided to pursue journalism and bust ass and follow my dreams even though it’s gonna be really hard, and actually took action to put myself in the best position possible for this after graduation (fingers crossed lol)

20. how did this year treat you in general?

Great! It treated me very well. It gave me a huge number of opportunities and I didn’t take all of them. But the ones I did take turned out really, really well. So I’m really grateful.

22. has your fashion style changed this year?

I’ve moved marginally closer to my ultimate ideal style aesthetic, which is roughly 40% japanese street fashion, 50% wes anderson vintage pastels, and 10% Maximalist Farmers’ Market Aunt

24. who has made the biggest impact in your life this year?

MY GF WHOM I LOVE and also my dear sweet friends and also my lady at the career office shoutout to nadine BUT LET’S GIVE IT UP FOR MY SWEET GF WHO ASKED ME THIS QUESTION I LOVE U BABEY!!!

#me #ask #thanks boo!!!

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aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

Free Guy: On Set With Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

“Let’s get those energy levels up guys… let’s just get this done!” Shawn Levy is in motivational mode. The Night At The Museum director is cajoling his crew via megaphone for another action-packed take on the set of his new movie, Free Guy—it’s nearly the end of the working day, and the finish line is in sight.

The scene is reset, and a worn-out Ryan Reynolds–looking decidedly un-badass in a pastel blue Henley t-shirt and beige chinos—psyches himself up for another highly choreographed fight sequence. His opponent? A very badass-looking stuntwoman in combat pants, leather jacket, and sunglasses, pistol at the ready.

As soon as Levy yells “Action!,” though, Reynolds flips the switch into action hero mode, throwing himself into some impressively complex—and lightning fast—gun-fu, before the weapons are tossed aside and the fists start flying. Appearances, it seems, can be deceptive.

It’s May 2019, and the action is unfolding on a wobbly monitor underneath Boston’s huge Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge (simply “the Lenny” to the locals), just beside the famous Charles River. Sure, it’s a picturesque spot, but—Reynolds’s presence aside—this feels more like the guerilla shoot of a modestly-budgeted actioner than a huge Hollywood production.

But again, things are not as they seem. This set-up is actually a tiny fragment of a much more ambitious canvas. Boston is doubling for Free City—a bustling open-world video game setting that’s home to Reynolds’s Guy, an increasingly self-aware non-player character (or NPC for the gamers among us).

“What you’re seeing today,” Levy enthusiastically explains, shouting to make himself heard over the almost gale-force spring breeze, “is Guy taking control of his life and fighting back against some of the people who are wreaking havoc and violence in his city.”

Guy’s burgeoning sentience is spurred on by the appearance of “Molotov Girl” (played by Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer), the captivating, tough-as-nails avatar of human programmer Milly. Before long, the two are fighting side-by-side to save Free City from being shut down for good by the real-life “bad guy”—obnoxious game publisher Antoine (Taika Waititi). “Guy realizes that he doesn’t necessarily need to just accept the world as it is presented to him,” Levy says. “He can actually have input on it. And that’s something I think we can all understand—the possibility of affecting the world around you is a powerful thing.”

“It feels like a five-year-old getting an accelerated education on life,” adds Reynolds, joining Levy quickly before another take. “There’s something sweet and child-like about this guy. I love that there’s this kind of wish fulfilment element to it, which I don’t see too often in modern films. It felt important and timely—I like playing an optimistic character right now.” (Little did he know at the time, that sentiment was to become even more relevant to Free Guy’s delayed release in a post-Covid world.)

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

A high concept often requires a high bar when it comes to onscreen action, especially in today’s post-Marvel blockbuster landscape (Free Guy, incidentally, was one of the last Fox films to be in production as the Disney takeover was completed). Judging by today’s on-set antics, Levy and Reynolds have that box ticked—and then some. “It’s a video game, so anything is possible,” the actor says. “That’s just one of the greatest tools or gifts you can have as people who love creating stuff—it allows you to think outside the box.” When it comes to the stunts, Levy describes that “absence of rules” as “liberating;” for Reynolds, we imagine it’s pretty exhausting, too. “I mean, days like today I definitely feel 42 years old,” he laughs. “But no, it’s a ton of fun. I mean, I’m running around, doing choreography… I’m having the time of my life.”

Jodie Comer Q&A

You’re playing two versions of the same character in the film. How different are they?

They both have their strengths, but in very different departments. In the real word, Milly is a games programmer, and then Molotov Girl is this avatar she’s created within the world of Free City—she’s this badass chick who rides a motorcycle and is ridiculously cool.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of the role?

The physicality of Molotov Girl. I’m having to learn so much, because she’s very agile, super athletic, does everything very smoothly… and I’m not! It’s requiring a lot of physical training and an awareness of my own physicality. I did a scene the other day where she was even just walking away, and everything about her has to be otherworldly and fierce. Shawn was on the other end of the street and he was just like, “More Beyoncé!” And I was like, “OK! I know what that means.” [Laughs]

This is your first big Hollywood blockbuster. What was it about this project that really stood out for you?

There’s something very new about this script. This is a video game, but it’s live-action—and seeing how [the filmmakers] are getting those nuances in, whether it’s the speed or angle of the camera or the sets or what the costume and make-up departments are coming up with, is just brilliant. With games and film, I feel like a lot of it is becoming intertwined now, and this is a very fresh outlook on the gaming world and how it’s shown on film.

Are you much of a gamer yourself?

I don’t actually play a lot of video games, but I have been recently—I was like, if my character is a gamer, I should probably get into it… Spider-Man is my favorite at the minute. I tried Grand Theft Auto but it just gave me mild anxiety. I was coming away from that quite stressed. So I am sticking to Spider-Man—he’s my go-to guy!

Free Guy is set to be released on 21 May 2021

The post Free Guy: On Set With Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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mermaidxandria · 4 years

Video

youtube

Gugudan “Wonderland” Act. 1 The Little Mermaid Jellyfish Entertainment 2016 Dir. Zanybros

Gugudan are a South Korean girl group. They made their official debut in 2016, featuring Produce 101 contestants Kim Sejeong, Kang Mina, and Kim Nayoung. (Of them, Sejeong and Mina appeared in the show’s resulting project group, IOI.) They debuted under Jellyfish Entertainment (heh) as a nine-member group (hence their name often stylized as “gu9udan,” based on the Korean word for “multiplication table,” and sometimes even “gx9″), but became an octet after the departure of Cho Hyeyeon in 2018.

Much ado was made of Gugudan’s debut from the beginning, as PD101 fans were excited to see what Jellyfish would do with its Produce trio. In June of 2016, Jellyfish revealed all nine members of Gugudan and followed it up with their debut music video for “Wonderland,” off their debut mini album, Act. 1 The Little Mermaid.

That Act. 1 bit is important. Gugudan’s concept from the beginning (if you don’t follow K-Pop, just know that concepts are a big thing in this industry) was “theater.” Every one of their concepts is treated like a production in their “Gugudan Theater” and “Wonderland” is the best example of this concept. In “Wonderland,” we quite literally enter the Gugudan Theater and watch its nine performers put on their own unique production of The Little Mermaid. Later “productions” would be based on the myth of Narcissus, the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Puss in Boots (centered around the cait sith of Gaelic mythology), and apparently Ocean’s Eight, but I don’t buy that, because I’ve seen Ocean’s Eight and I’ve watched “Not That Type” and honestly, I don’t see it. Which one of you is the hacker played by Rihanna? Or the jeweler played by Mindy Kaling? Or that one Sarah Paulson character that had a dragon’s hoard of stolen merchandise to resell at a markup on the internet? WHICH ONE ARE YOU SEJEONG??? WHICH ONE???

This is a mermaid blog. Let me continue.

Helmed by Korean production company Zanybros (a company behind some of the most iconic videos in K-Pop history), “Wonderland” is a dreamy paradise awash in blues and pinks, pretty pearls and sparkles, iridescence and watery floors. We see shots of the then-nine members of Gugudan just living their best mermaid lives, such as playing hopscotch, sightseeing through a telescope, and spilling pearls all over the floor. You know, as you do. (Get it together, Hana.) These are interspersed with shots of the group dancing in pearlescent rooms that look straight out of the Animal Crossing mermaid series in what look like pink cheer outfits, and more choreography shots filmed on that watery floor (with more cheerleadery costumes). Overall, it is a pastel dreamland that fits right into that “cute/innocent” realm of K-Pop. And the decor? Please. The bedroom Mina and Hyeyeon hang out in alone is just aesthetic goals, right down to the Florida beach souvenir shop fishing net. I even bought one of those iridescent wall fringes for my wall because of this video. Gugudan’s impacT.

Before I go on, I wanna talk about costumes. People HATED these costumes (a lot of the artistic and musical choices made for “Wonderland” were much maligned, more on that later). Honestly, nah, I don’t care for the oversized iridescent T-shirts they wear later in the pearly room, and the pink cheer costumes are just alright. But those blue dresses. Let’s talk about those.

It should be pretty abundantly clear that these are the mermaid costumes. Nobody wears a tail in this video because these girls have to dance (that’s a huge part of K-Pop). So whoever designed these costumes got around that by essentially creating a shortened version of a mermaid gown and crossed that with a sort of cheer costume. Each costume is different, with different variations on the striping on each one. Some have sleeves, some have Peter Pan collars, and Mina and Hyeyeon even have single-piece dresses where the rest of the members wear two-pieces (Mina and Hyeyeon were minors at the time, which might explain this decision.). The floofy bits at the bottom of the skirts even appear to be ribbed like fins, and the sequins that cover the majority of the costumes are iridescent like fish scales. Some members even wear pearls in their hair. So the thought went into it. These costumes were cute, y’all are just mean.

Is the song itself really about mermaids? Not really. It’s a shimmery synthpop wave of youthful wonder, the intro to which almost seems to borrow from Ariel’s iconic refrain from the 1989 Disney film (Alan Menken was not reached for comment). Like a lot of similarly mermaid-titled K-Pop songs (such as GFRIEND’s “Mermaid” or one-time subunit Mystic White’s “Mermaid Princess”), much allusion is made to the story of The Little Mermaid (surprise, surprise). In the case of “Wonderland,” it seems to be based around the mermaid’s curiosity about the world above. A shared chorus from Soyee and Nayoung seems to sum this up really well:

I’m curious about everything The faraway place, a new world Let’s start one by one, my first step I’m gonna start now baby

The themes of “Wonderland” seem to allude to curiosity, finding oneself, and maybe even transition. Starting anew, perhaps with someone the mermaid loves, in a new world she’s only ever dreamed about. So, I guess, in that regard, it is kind of mermaid-themed, in its own way. It’s not a love song, and even then, if it were, the lyrics are gender neutral. The “you” in “Wonderland” could just as easily be a girl, or not present with any gender at all. No gendered pronouns are used. This gets even more interesting when you remember that Hans Christian Andersen is said to have written The Little Mermaid as a sort of love letter to the object of his affection, a man by the name of Edvard Collin. But again, it’s about whoever you want it to be. Were Gugudan ahead of their time? Yes.

I did say a lot of the commentary toward this debut was negative. That might be an overstatement, though it certainly wasn’t overwhelmingly positive, probably lukewarm to negative. A lot of the criticism toward “Wonderland” was leveled at the “generic” and “juvenile” concept (friendly reminder there were minors in the group), “cheap” production, poor costume design, and a “waste of members’ talent.” I think there’s a portion of fans who view these types of “cute concepts” as regressive, or even submissive, being about love or being in love or men or whatever. Like I said, “Wonderland” isn’t that, necessarily. Perhaps its drawing on the inspiration of The Little Mermaid--a story criticized by feminists for its submissive undertones--could be another reason why fans were not super receptive to “Wonderland.” I could go on about K-Pop concept wars and how one type of concept seems to be favored currently among girl groups...but this is a mermaid blog.

Basically what I’m saying is, stan Gugudan.

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mrjeremydylan · 7 years

Text

My Favorite Album #185 - Mark Hart (Crowded House) on XTC ‘Drums and Wires’ (1979)

Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumental wizard Mark Hart (Crowded House, Supertramp) joins me for a freewheeling journey through the records that inspired him through his formative years, particularly XTC’s nervy, new-wave classic ‘Drums and Wires’ .

We talk about how XTC hid their intricacy and sophistication through canny pop songwriting, whatever happened to Oingo Boingo, driving to Woodstock on acid, how some Crowded House songs changed after they played them live, Mark’s possibly terrible childhood bands, a cover of “Louie Louie” in the style of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, the time Nick Seymour almost introduced Mark to XTC guitarist Dave Gregory on a boat, why Mark’s height got him fired from Jackshit and much more.

Listen in the player above or download the episode by clicking here.

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes here or in other podcasting apps by copying/pasting our RSS feed - http://myfavoritealbum.libsyn.com/rss My Favorite Album is a podcast unpacking the great works of pop music. Each episode features a different songwriter or musician discussing their favorite album of all time - their history with it, the making of the album, individual songs and the album’s influence on their own music. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer from Sydney, Australia who has worked in the music industry since 2007. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the feature film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, in addition to many commercials and music videos.

If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at [email protected].

LINKS

- Crowded House on Twitter, Facebook and iTunes.

- Buy ‘Drums and Wires’ here.

- Jeremy Dylan’s website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.

- Like the podcast on Facebook here.

- If you dig the show, please leave a rating or review of the show on iTunes here.

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER EPISODES

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Shane Nicholson on 52nd St by Billy Joel 86 - Tired Lion on Takk… by Sigur Ros 85 - Whispering Bob Harris on Forever Changes by Love 84 - Jake Stone (Bluejuice) on Ben Folds Five by Ben Folds Five 83 - Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters) on Are You Experienced? by the Jimi Hendrix Experience 82 - Dom Alessio on OK Computer by Radiohead 81 - Anthony Albanese MP on The Good Son by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 80 - John Waters on Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience 79 - Jim DeRogatis (Sound Opinions) on Clouds Taste Metallic by The Flaming Lips 78 - Montaigne on The Haunted Man by Bat for Lashes 77 - Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd) on Quadrophenia by The Who 76 - Homer Steinweiss (Dap Kings) on Inspiration Information by Shuggie Otis 75 - Best of 2015 (So Far) ft. Danny Yau, Montaigne, Harts, Joelistics, Rose Elinor Dougall and Burke Reid 74 - Matt Farley (Motern Media) on RAM by Paul McCartney BONUS - Neil Finn on The Beatles, Neil Young, David Bowie and Radiohead 73 - Grace Farriss (Burn Antares) on All Things Must Pass by George Harrison 72 - Katie Noonan on Blue by Joni Mitchell 71 - Harts on Band of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix 70 - Tim Rogers (You Am I) on Bring the Family by John Hiatt 69 - Mark Seymour (Hunters and Collectors) on The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen 68 - Jeremy Neale on Graceland by Paul Simon 67 - Joelistics on Graceland by Paul Simon 66 - Brian Nankervis (RocKwiz) on Astral Weeks by Van Morrison 65 - ILUKA on Pastel Blues by Nina Simone 64 - Rose Elinor Dougall on Tender Buttons by Broadcast 63 - Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus) on Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins 62 - Keyone Starr on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 61 - Chase Bryant on Defying Gravity by Keith Urban 60 - Brian Koppelman on Southeastern by Jason Isbell 59 - Michael Carpenter on The Beatles White Album Side 4 58 - Pete Kilroy (Hey Geronimo) on The Beatles White Album Side 3 57 - Mark Wells on The Beatles White Album Side 2 56 - Jeff Greenstein on Colossal Youth by Young Marble Giants 55 - Laura Bell Bundy on Shania Twain, Otis Redding and Bright Eyes 54 - Jake Clemons on Surfacing by Sarah McLachlan 53 - Kristian Bush (Sugarland) on The Joshua Tree by U2 52 - Kevin Bennett (The Flood) on Willis Alan Ramsey by Willis Alan Ramsey 51 - Lee Brice on Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars 50 - Davey Lane (You Am I) on the White Album (Side 1) by The Beatles 49 - Joe Camilleri on The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones 48 - Russell Morris on The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones 47 - Mike Rudd (Spectrum) on England’s Newest Hitmakers by The Rolling Stones 46 - Henry Wagons on Harvest by Neil Young 45 - Megan Washington on Poses by Rufus Wainwright 44 - Andrew Hansen (The Chaser) on Armchair Theatre by Jeff Lynne 43 - She Rex on BlakRoc by The Black Keys 42 - Catherine Britt on Living with Ghosts by Patty Griffin 41 - Robyn Hitchcock on Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon 40 - Gideon Bensen (The Preatures) on Transformer by Lou Reed 39 - Harry Hookey on Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan 38 - Rob Draper on Faith by George Michael 37 - Best of 2014 ft. Danny Yau, Andrew Hansen, Gideon Bensen (The Preatures) and Mike Carr 36 - Doug Pettibone on Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris 35 - Ross Ryan on Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne 34 - Michael Carpenter on Hard Promises by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 33 - Davey Lane (You Am I) on Jesus of Cool by Nick Lowe 32 - Zane Carney on Smokin’ at the Half Note by Wes Montgomery 31 - Tony Buchen on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles 30 - Simon Relf (The Tambourine Girls) on On the Beach by Neil Young 29 - Peter Cooper on In Search of a Song by Tom T Hall 28 - Thelma Plum on Stolen Apples by Paul Kelly 27 - James House on Rubber Soul by the Beatles 26 - Ella Hooper on Let England Shake by PJ Harvey 25 - Abbey Road Special 24 - Alyssa Bonagura on Room for Squares by John Mayer 23 - Luke Davison (The Preatures) on Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs 22 - Neil Finn on Hunky Dory by David Bowie and In Rainbows by Radiohead 21 - Neil Finn on Beatles for Sale by the Beatles and After the Goldrush by Neil Young 20 - Morgan Evans on Diorama by Silverchair 19 - Emma Swift on Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams 18 - Danny Yau on Hourly Daily by You Am I 17 - J Robert Youngtown and Jon Auer (The Posies) on Hi Fi Way by You Am I 16 - Lester the Fierce on Hounds of Love by Kate Bush 15 - Luke Davison on Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs 14 - Jeff Cripps on Wheels of Fire by Cream 13 - Mark Holden on Blue by Joni Mitchell (Part 2) 12 - Mark Holden on Blue by Joni Mitchell (Part 1) 11 - Gossling on O by Damien Rice 10 - Matt Fell on Temple of Low Men by Crowded House 9 - Pete Thomas on Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix (Part 2) 8 - Pete Thomas on Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix (Part 1) 7 - Sam Hawksley on A Few Small Repairs by Shawn Colvin 6 - Jim Lauderdale on Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons 5 - Mark Moffatt on Blues Breakers by John Mayall and Eric Clapton 4 - Darren Carr on Ten Easy Pieces by Jimmy Webb 3 - Mark Wells on Revolver by The Beatles 2 - Mike Carr on Arrival by ABBA 1 - Rob Draper on Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan

#podcast #mark hart #crowded house #supertramp #xtc #andy partridge #neil finn #steve lillywhite #nick seymour #matt sherrod

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soliloquyy · 7 years

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La La Land Will Make You a Believer & It’s About Damn Time

The word “magic” gets thrown around a lot, but… Image via IndieWire.

I walked into the movie theatre on Saturday honestly expecting to hate La La Land. It has the most hype for a movie so far this year, and I’m usually disappointed when a movie has this much excitement behind it. But the hype train is real, you guys. And after its record-breaking sweep at the Golden Globes, the hype train has turned into an unstoppable freight train.

This dreamy, pastel-painted Hollywood magic only comes along once every few decades. Living in a post-Debbie Reynolds world and having just pored over Singin’ in the Rain for the millionth time, La La Land was exactly what I needed to start feeling hope about the world again. The songs are catchy, the story is human, and the cinematography is dizzying in the best, dancey way.

It’s not without its problems, though. Most of the women sing in high, falsetto voices, which bothered me, because I know Emma Stone can really sing (she played Sally Bowles on Broadway opposite Alan Cumming, for god’s sake), but whatever doubts I had were lost after “A Lovely Night,” the tap number the 21st century needed, and when Stone’s character Mia gets her spotlight at the end, they finally finally let her belt. I also wish that there had been more songs when the characters were upset or angry, as they have to feel extreme emotions on both ends of the spectrum and not only sing when they’re happy.

But really – these are nitpicky, musical snob things. If you don’t scope the Broadway scene for current ensemblist news like I do, you might not even notice these things.

I’ve heard people say that although they don’t like musicals, they loved this movie. Well, I hate to break it to you, pal – but you like musicals. You just hadn’t seen one up until this point that resonated with you. Musicals can be cheesy, and some of them are plain ol’ just not good, but they can also be political, passionate, and can sweep you off into self-reflection and imagination like only theatre can.

So get out there and go see what is already the most award-winningest film of the 2017 awards season. But if you like it, then go out to your local theatre and give them a shot too. If you love the artists in this movie, you’ll love the Mias and Sebastians of real life who are trying to achieve their dreams.

Look, I made a hat! I’m launching my first novella, SON OF SONDHEIM, on January 28 at 7 pm at the King’s Head Pub. Pre-order your copy now & get your launch party tickets here!

from La La Land Will Make You a Believer & It’s About Damn Time

#La La Land Will Make You a Believer & It’s About Damn Time #theatre #musical theatre #broadway #broa

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cheswirls · 7 years

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Rules: tag ppl ya know (guess i should tag tagger @mari-m-rose)

How old are you? c:

Current job/dream job? dream is to work from home w/ an online GDI store!

What are you talented at? well this is awk uh.. being creative? and cheering ppl up. and getting bruises that i never know the cause of. and somehow finding good music.

What is a big goal you working towards (or have already achieved)?

I rly wanna go to a uni up north, a few hours from where I live now. Its where my former AT supervisor went for her undergrad, and a couple friends have been accepted already. Getting a double major in graphic design and sports medicine is the dream, but something rly huge I that I wanna go to an Olympics as an athletic trainer!!

Another bigger one is a web design degree. I took a class my junior year that started me on it, and I've been independently working on it since. my school is gonna pay the fee for me to take the test, and then ill have an entry-level degree!

What is your aesthetic? wow lots um. i like the whole playing cards/spades motif, and the king/queen stuff, skylines and pretty sunsets, cute pastel art!!! fuzzy socks and big sweaters, colorful notes, owls and foxes. so uh.. different things.

Do you collect anything? i guess somewhat?? books? pokespe is the big one, then kuroshitsuji is right up there too w/ magi. copic markers ig although i uSE them aha. oh blankets. yes. i collect blankets sure.

What is a topic you are always up to talk about? really depends! fankids i guess, and ships im currently interested in. kinda a ppl pleaser, so anything someone wants to bring up ill try and keep up with, depending on how much i know.

What’s a pet peeve of yours?

aha.. when ppl dont knock on doors before entering. But especially when ppl assume stuff abt others. I actually have a quote from a story I had to read for world lit, its ‘if you think mindless presumption is a virtue, then you’re not thinking straight.’ aka.. stop assuming shit aha,,,

Good advice to give? be kind to people!! you never know what someone is going through.

Recommend three songs?

oh no only three. well.

Echo by Gumi has always been a fav of mine

Kaze Ga Fuku Machi the bsd ed 2 by Luck Life

Sing Me To Sleep by Alan Walker bc edm music yass

i mean its 2017 im letting this die but ty mari!!

#this is...so late #so late #memes #ive had this in drafts for forever #bc mycomputer has been broke a ha..

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the-voice-of-hell · 6 years

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Rent is Theft, part 10

Read from the beginning here, read the previous chapter here. Note: My MC is a Filipina trans woman. If you have any feedback on that or anything else, let me know. ***

We went door to door. I was slipping and tripping - feet clumsy on the warped floor, hand sliding through a barely perceptible film of mucus on the walls. At last we got everyone together in Olivia and Knobby's living room.

Methadone Mike said, "What's this about, Courtney? I bet we all thought the same thing - that the dicks had us."

Grime said, "I don't think that's what's going on, but just, everyone stay quiet until she's done, OK?"

Perry started to bark something but Patrick caught him.

I said, "I almost died just now. We've been having some problems on the floor here and trying to ignore them, but if it's this dangerous, we can't do that anymore."

Grime looked more confused than anyone, but stifled himself. Good boy.

I continued, "The building is somehow allergic to us. I don't get it, but my bedroom window opened and my fucking bed got sneezed out. It's probably in the alley right now, unless it caught enough air to land on the building across the way." People were quiet, straining for something. Understanding? "Does anyone not believe me? Who needs to go see my room?"

Leimomi shook her head, followed by Patrick, Marcie, Deandre, Mike, Olivia, and Knobby. Perry and Richie didn't gesture but seemed to be in silent acceptance.

Grime said, "Maybe I should look at your room. You're totally convincing, but I'm having trouble accepting this - it's too bizarre."

Marcie said, "It could be real dangerous. And how can you not believe it? You see the floor out there today? It comes and goes but it's real bad right now."

Patrick said, "Allergies though? I can see it's all fucked up, I don't get it, I kinda don't wanna get it, but where do ya get allergies from?"

Grime said, “What’s wrong with the floor?”

Deandre said, “Are you kiddin’? How can you not see that, feel it under your feet?”

Grime shook his head and threw up his hands.

“Look,” Olivia said in her usual blank way, “He’s different.”

Everyone followed the direction she pointed - Grime’s feet. They looked normal enough. But he was standing between Deandre and I, and the carpet around our bare feet was swollen into little ridges. The floor at Grime’s feet was flat and smooth.

“Oh god,” I slapped my head. “Stand where I’m standing, Grime.”

“What.”

I stepped aside to vacate the spot, leaving light swelling and foot shapes in my place. “Stand there.”

“OK, but my name is Graeme, Courtney.”

“Oh, shit, whatever. Please, now.”

He stepped onto the spot, and the flooring smoothed out beneath his feet, laying perfectly flat.

Everyone started chattering among themselves.

Patrick asked, “Why? What’s he got? We all covered in human dander and godda take more baths? Is he a fuckin’ Portuguese water dog?”

Momi said, “I can’t tell the difference in how it’s pronounced. Greeme?”

Deandre said, “This is officially fucked up.”

Knobby said, “Is it because he’s white?”

Olivia said, “No, so is that guy, and that guy.”

Deandre added, “Maybe it’s because he’s got a job and none of us do.”

Patrick said, “Naw, I’m working.”

Methadone Mike said, “We broke the rules. This has to mean God hates us, man.”

Richie said, “No gods, no masters. If that guy is immune, we can find out why and do it ourselves.”

Marcie said, “How? We can’t know anything. It’s magic, isn’t it?”

Perry said, “It’s more like Graham, isn’t it? I don’t care.”

Grime said, “Graeme. It’s spelled with G-R-A-E-”

I said, “It doesn’t matter!”

Momi said, “There ain’t no words with E after A.”

I reiterated my point. “I have it! Graeme, you have allergies, don’t you?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Maybe you aren’t affected by the building’s allergies because you have allergies? Like a double negative thing?”

Deandre said, “No, I got allergies too. I got shook out of bed last night.”

Patrick and Marcie started to speak, but then Grime, who had been looking at the way his feet smoothed the carpet, silenced them with an idea. “I take medicine. Do you?”

Deandre shook his head. “Living downtown I don’t have to. It’s mostly plant shit, worse in the suburbs.”

I flared my nose and stamped my feet. The ground blistered at my touch. “That’s it! That’s it. We need allergy medicine.”

Methadone Mike said, “I don’t like the feeling, the drowsiness.”

“I have another idea, but we’re going to need a lot. We’re going to need a fucking lot of allergy medicine.”

Knobby said, “Just like starting a meth lab!”

Grime said, “Yeah, that’s what it’ll look like if we go out to lay down a bunch of money on Benadryl.”

“Then we steal it.”

***

It was time to take care control of our lives again. The Myrmidon Apartments would have to take their medicine. We all got into our rich bitch drag and strolled out in groups. Olivia and Knobby looked like they were going to play racquetball. Marcie was the church lady with young Richie in a tweed suit at her side. Momi was going with them, but in hipster drag with a skirt over leggings and puffy ski vest. Methadone Mike was in a navy blue blazer with an anchor on the lapel, over pastel clothes and sockless boat shoes. He wanted a hat like Alan Hale on Gilligan’s Island, but we couldn’t find one and I thought it was a bit over the top anyway. Deandre was in his purloined dapper queer style. Patrick, Perry, and Grime were already well groomed and dressed enough to not look too out of place. I was in my apartment people disguise from back when I got the keys. Wherever possible, we were rocking sunglasses. It was what the occasion called for.

Grime and I took the express bus north to a car rental place, in preparation for a day of hitting every place we could find. With that we could go farther afield than the rest, which would help keep us from overlapping in our travels and wasting time.

I did some research to see which area would have the fewest meth labs, so the store clerks would be less suspicious. I’d heard that the south end of the county was the meth capital of the planet, so we went north. Claims of the south side being the meth capital yielded forty thousand search engine results, and the north side only got twelve thousand. Very scientific. Sadly methy.

Grime drove dangerously, like some kind of California asshat. Turned out he was from San Dimas, of Bill & Ted fame. I had always been told that people in Washington were more careful about breaking the speed limit, preferring to do it when traffic was light enough to have some car lengths between. But that as soon as you cross the border from Oregon to Cali, everyone is doing a hundred ten, right on each other’s tailpipes. I’d never traveled to witness the spectacle, but with Grime at the wheel, I believed it. I didn’t want to get arrested with a trunk full of allergy meds - or at all - but how annoying would it be to nag him about it?

He tore ass up I-5 all the way to Snohomish County, then hopped off onto highway 99 to start the mission. We pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall and parked. I held my baseball hat in hand. “How much of your money are you willing to waste on this? I think we should be stealing.”

“Yeah. I never wanted to be a thief - not like this. It seems low. And I know that’s some lingering classism on my part, like, why shouldn’t people steal the shit they need? But it feels… embarrassing. Trying not to seem like meth heads while doing meth head shit.”

“I know. What’s the least embarrassing job? Grabbing the stuff, or running distraction?”

“Grabbing the stuff, definitely, but I’ve never been slick before.”

“Well, you’re also a medium young white guy in clean clothes, so people will be less focused on you. I’d rather be filling the bag myself, but whatever your lack of experience? Seems like you’d be best for it.”

“Yeah.”

I put on my hat and we got out of the car. Grime went into the back seat to grab a reusable Whole Foods bag I’d modified for a similar job. I crafted a fake pile of clothing on a flap. Stolen goods would go in, the flap could be easily pulled up over them, so a glance in the bag would look like it contained goods from elsewhere. The hardest part was cutting a package of socks in half and gluing it into place. I’d made it for another foolish quest. Today it would get a more important use.

We walked into the store and split up, doing a few rounds of the aisles to case the locations of employees. Seeing Grime had a decent opening, I decided to corner the nearest employee with some bullshit. They were one aisle away from him, could walk around that corner at any moment. Not with me in their grits. “Hey hey, I need to know where you keep your batteries.” I knew where they were, of course.

It was a young white lady who tensed visibly at my voice. That made it easier to burn her, for sure. “They’re on aisle 12 A.” She kept about her business.

“Hey, hey, how am I supposed to know which one is 12 A? Where are the signs?”

She sighed. “Right up there.” She pointed them out.

“Oh? They’re so small. Are they in the same place on every aisle? Why don’t you just show me?”

In between breaths, between words, I could hear a clatter of thin cardboard boxes, a rattle of pills, of Grime filling the bag. It was maddening and I added words to my fast-talk just to cover it up. “I mean I think it’s very rude. I don’t feel like you’re giving me the same customer service you’d give anyone else.”

She tensed and tried not to glare, by focusing awkwardly on my shoulder. “I apologize, sir. Let me show you to the batteries, OK?”

“Gee, thanks.”

She walked that way in a huff and I followed, a Marx brother following someone who told me to “walk this way.” I hoped I wouldn’t get misgendered everywhere we went. At the batteries she pointed, wheeled, and walked away without saying anything.

I noticed someone looking at Grime as he walked out the door, so I made enough noise to pull that person’s attention back to me. “Thanks for nothing, bitch! I’m not even going to buy your shit! I’m taking my business down the street!” She hustled out of sight, into a back room.

I started toward the door and the other cashier was glaring at me like daggers. “You better leave this store, sir, or we will call the cops!”

“Yeah, fuck you too, Jack!” I gave him the double deuce as I went. That was probably a bad idea, but felt right in the moment.

Grime whipped up to me and opened the passenger side door from inside. I hopped in, the cashier coming out to give me the business. Yeah, the double deuce was a mistake I wasn’t going to repeat. Grime drove fast enough to hopefully keep the man from clocking our license plate number.

He said, “Are you nuts? The distraction can stop when I’m out, can’t it? Shouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’ll do better next time. What did you get?”

“A wicked case of the heebie jeebies. Just a moment.” He pulled up to a red light, then reached back for the bag, handing it to me.

“This is the reason we should hit up multiple places. This isn’t enough.”

“I’m just doing everything you tell me and trusting it’ll work out, but why? This is gonna get me a record, baby. I can’t fuckin’ wait.”

“I can’t believe you’re gonna gripe about a little property crime while driving the way you do.”

“What? I stopped at the red. I hear in Kansas they consider red lights more of a polite suggestion than an absolute.”

“Why, you’re just a model citizen. I didn’t mean to impugn your righteous ways.”

The light turned green and he started out along the highway again. “Nyeh nyeh nyeh. So next time you’ll distract smaller?”

“If you’ll make less racket with the pills.”

“What? How loud was it?”

“It was loud. Like Carmen Miranda with maracas.”

“You think you can do better?”

“You know how bad the distraction game was?”

“How bad was it, Courtney?”

“The distraction game was so bad, I got misgendered twice and had a dude fixing to assault me.”

“Damn. Damn,” he got serious, “I should be doing that part.”

“No, I shouldn’t have mentioned the serious stuff. I can handle it. You learn and adapt, right?”

“Yeah, but--”

“I can guess what you’re going to say and I really don’t wanna talk about trans stuff with you, even if you’re a good boy. It’s just awkward. Like someone can be ninety-eight percent right and that two percent becomes maddening.”

“Mm, OK, I can see that. But seriously, if this hurts you, I’m taking over.”

“I need you on bag patrol. The guy at the front was watching you leave. Your white boy -ness bought you the seconds you needed to get out the door without getting caught with the goods.”

“You think?”

“I know. Here. I have a good feeling about this one.” I pointed to a ramshackle Safeway with garbage bags blowing around the parking lot.

“Good call.”

A few hours later, Grime stopped for lunch at Shari’s. He ordered fries and a chocolate milkshake and I ordered a steak salad with blue cheese dressing. He was drinking water, I was having coke.

When we were sitting at the table waiting for the food, I tried to relax my fluttering ragged nerves. A day of repeated confrontations, brushes with violence. In that dark booth, maybe I could forget it. The man sitting across from me sipped his water and regarded me with gentle grey eyes. Grime. His nose was five percent eagle beak, but more heroic than goofy looking. His cheeks were soft, but the stubble was beginning to come back from the daily abuse. His lips were firm and his teeth perfect in there.

I hadn’t thought about that before. Perfect teeth are an artifact of money, almost every time. Who raised this San Dimas commie? No doubt the kind of creeps that had once made Reagan governor of the state. But this was a gentle wolf boy. His dark hair had a few strands of silver. I think he figured out that I like it hanging out, so he lost the pony tail. Devilish.

I wanted to put my leg on his leg under the table. Lose my shoe, work my foot up to his thigh, see if I could reach closer. I imagined myself going for that dick and accidentally pushing my toes into his belly and it amused and aroused me at the same time. Maybe if we hit it again, I could ride on top and rub his body with both hands.

OR NOT. My foot hadn’t even inched that way. Exhaustion helped, but there was a queasy feeling of moral horror settling into me at the same time. It wouldn’t be a sin to get fucked here, not a bad thing in the least. But I couldn’t forget how I felt when I told Leimomi. My head sunk, my shoulders slumped. I felt that ice in my belly and stinging heat in my face and in my skull. I rubbed my forehead, made like I was having a headache. I wondered, if I was more headache prone, would that pain distract from feelings like this?

He looked at me with concern. “What’s the matter, Courtney? My offer still stands.”

I shook my head and fake smiled. “Nothing, just a headache.”

“If you say so.”

I felt like I wanted to say something but not anything that would lead to particulars. I puzzled it out a few moments and came up with, “Why do fools fall in love, Graeme? Sometimes people get really emotionally invested in making something happen, or in some crazy dream about something that was never gonna happen, and then… Sad. Shouldn’t people be able to manage their feelings?”

“Oh? What brought this on?”

“No one is in love with you, dude.”

“Heh, a boy can dream, can’t he?”

“Besides, I just mean it generally,” I lied. “So yeah, why can’t people check themselves before they wreck themselves? Heartwise.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t fallen uncontrollably in love since I was in high school, so it’s easy to imagine it’s all hormones or something. I heard that teenagers have thinner coats of insulation on their neurons, which makes them more impulsive.”

“So why would a grown-ass adult do the same thing?”

“Lots of things can mess with impulse control. You hear it in drug commercials, like the stop-smoking pills whose side effects can include gambling and suicide. Brain damage. Hormones can change a lot during a person’s life, I’m sure you know.”

“Let’s say my abstract subject of conversation love fool isn’t a slave to nature. Let’s say there’s hope. Let’s hope there’s hope. How do they rein it in?”

The food came. The waiter said, “Enjoy. I’ll be back to see if you need anything else, OK?”

I said, “Thank you.”

Grime said, “Thanks,” and resumed the subject without missing a beat. “That’s the trick, isn’t it? We all have to learn that because all our songs and stories are about love and sex and romance, but no one tells you how to approach it realistically. How to give yourself permission to get over a broken heart, or anything. Probably we all have to figure that stuff out for ourselves. I think I did OK. You’re not so sure about yourself?”

“It’s about someone else, man.”

“Of course, I meant, you don’t feel sure because you asked me about what advice to give them, right?”

“Oh yeah, right.” The salad dressing had come in a little ceramic dish and I glopped it onto the leaves unceremoniously.

He finished a sip of the shake with an unconscious “mm” and continued. “So if I’m thinking back, trying to remember, what did I tell myself, that helped me stop feeling heartbroken? After the worst time I resolved to always withhold a bit of myself when I go into a new relationship. To always have something that’s me, that’s… I don’t know, maybe it’s kind of hard or cold. But it was useful. Now keeping a level head about infatuation is just second nature to me. Not that it’s always easy, but I can get through it.”

I ate a single leaf while he talked. When he was finished I said, “That’s like a love prophylactic. You use it to keep from falling hard. But what if you’ve already fallen, and prevention is not an option?”

“That’s just going to be brutal no matter what. But your love fool has to realize they aren’t always going to feel the same way. That’s one thing in life that can always get better. I know you’ve seen movies that say the exact opposite, but fuck that stuff. Life should be healthy and happy.”

“Maaan, I should fall in love with you, Graeme, but I won’t. You’re such a good boy. I hope your parents are proud.”

“Haha, oh that burns. I think they’ll be happier when I somehow magically pull a million dollar startup out of my ass. How ab-- mm, whatever. Want a french fry?”

“No thanks. Graeme?”

“Yes--”

My cell phone rang. It was Momi. My heart skipped a beat.

“I have to take this.” I stood up, tripping over myself and staggered out the front door. Having forgotten my hat and sunglasses at the table, I was as blind as I was sad and twisted. “Hello?”

“Courtney, hey. Richie is in jail. We could use help.”

Oh fuck, I thought. It’s all going down. Everyone is gonna get busted. Oh god, Marcie… She’s gonna kill me. She should kill me. Poor Richie. Fuck!

“Courtney?”

“Um, yeah, that’s horrible.” I had to plug my unused ear completely against the noise of the highway. “What the hell happened?”

“We ran into Walter. Marcie and Richie beat him up but he beat them up too. And the cops...”

“Beat Richie too, didn’t they? Is he alright? Fucking pig bastards.”

“I wish I knew. Maybe Grime can help them? With his, uh, white guy thing.”

“Oh yeah, definitely. We’ll be there in no time. Give me an address...”

It was a massive relief. I couldn’t deal with it being about us in any way. I got my head on straight in a hurry. It was time to save the day.

***

Read the next chapter here.

#Rent is Theft #part 10 #nanowrimo april 2018

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mayramoss-blog1 · 6 years

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12 classic Alan Partridge moments from traffic cones to Monkey Tennis

Alan Partridge is returning to the BBC and we couldn’t be happier (Picture: BBC)

Alan Partridge fans rejoice! The TV legend has finally been granted another series by the BBC (following his brief dalliance with Sky), and will be returning to a terrestrial screen near you in 2018.

But before then, we’re being treated to a documentary about the 25th anniversary of the Norwich legend, who’s come a long way since he was a fledgling young sports reporter turned chat show host (who never got a second series).

Alan Partridge: Why, When, Where, How and Whom? will take an in-depth look at Steve Coogan’s infamous comic creation – talking to those involved in bringing him to life as well as showing some classic clips and unseen footage.

To mark the occasion, here’s a brief reminder of some of those oh-so-classic Partridge moments. Tie and blazer badge sets at the ready, people…

1 Partridge at the races (The Day Today)

An early appearance for Steve Coogan’s infamous alter ego as he appears on satirical news show The Day Today delivering his own unique brand of horse racing commentary. Featuring randomly silly comments about the crowd, a toe-curling interview with a jockey in which he asks him why he isn’t at school, and a horse called Two-Headed Sex Beast. We kid you not.

What to quote: ‘Let’s hope that toomfoolery doesn’t escalate into ugly mindless violence’.

2 Alan steals a traffic cone

Aka that moment in which a bored, despondent Alan gets lured into mischief by his hotel worker mate Michael, only to be stopped by the police after his ill-fated attempts to steal a traffic cone. Which leads to him not only being humiliated on his radio show but also having one of those ‘would you like me to lapdance for you?’ moments, traffic cones and all.

What to quote: ‘I’ve got a clean licence…yours is dirty.‘

3 Dan ‘The Man’ Forrest (Knowing Me Knowing You Ep 2)

In which Alan leches all over a foxy agony aunt on his chat show (played by Minnie Driver), only to discover that she used to be a man. Shock and hilarity ensues.

What to quote: ‘You’ve got great big flapping hands like a man. You could be a goalkeeper.’

4 Alan insults the Irish (I’m Alan Partridge Series 1 Ep 5)

In a moment of cringe-making wonderment Alan meets with two executives from Irish channel RTE and single-handedly manages to pull every single stereotype out of the bag in the space of one awkward meeting (‘horses running through council estates, anyone?), while trying to convince them he doesn’t actually live in the Travel Tavern where they’re having breakfast. Not to mention his own unique takes on U2 songs and The Crying Game.

What to quote: (on the Irish potato famine) ‘If it was just the potatoes that were affected, at the end of the day you will pay the price if you’re a fussy eater.

5 Alan sings Cuddly Toy (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa)

Aka that moment from the opening titles of Alan’s big screen debut, in which he effectively ruins Roachford’s 80s classic Cuddly Toy for just about all of us who might ever want to hear it again without the mental image of him singing along to it in the car – before berating a fellow driver and returning to the track without missing a beat.

What to quote: ‘YOUR FOG LAMPS ARE ON! THERE’S NO FOG…!

6 Alan wants a second series (I’m Alan Partridge Series 1 Ep 1)

Having been told by BBC commissioning editor Tony Hayers (David Schneider) that his chat show has been axed, Alan attempts to impress him with a list of alternative programme ideas which range from the risible (Knowing M.E, Knowing You) through to the ridiculous (Arm Wrestling With Chas And Dave anyone?).Some slightly overripe cheese also makes an appearance.

What to quote: ‘Monkey Tennis?’ Although ‘Smell my cheese’ runs a close second.

7 A Partridge In Paris (Knowing Me Knowing You Ep 4)

In an attempt to outdo a lunatic fashion designer on a French-set episode of Knowing Me Knowing You our intrepid talk show host sets about revealing his own collection of ‘sports casual’ wear. We’ll take two of those pastel blue short suits please.

What to quote: ‘The look…imperial leisure.’

8 The ‘Dan’ moment (I’m Alan Partridge Series 2 Ep 3)

Having made a new friend in the shape of kitchen salesman Dan Moody (Stephen Mangan), Alan spots him across a car park and decides to call him. Repeatedly (all together now: ‘Dan! Dan! Dan! DAN!’ Etc). The friendship sadly grinds to an abrupt halt before the episode’s end when Alan discovers Dan and his wife to be swingers, cue his horrified cry of ‘You’re sex people….!’

What to quote: ‘Dan! Dan! Dan! DAN!’ (oh you get the drift….)

9 Alan’s James Bond rant (I’m Alan Partridge series 2, ep 4)

Alan discovers that Michael’s friend Terry has accidentally taped America’s Strongest Man over his copy of The Spy Who Loved Me – and responds as only he can, by acting out the whole of the opening sequence – and getting increasingly annoyed when others try to join in.

What to quote: ‘Stop getting Bond wrong!’

10 Sidekick Simon Winds Alan up (Alan Partridge Mid Morning Matters)

One of the best moments from Alan’s Sky Atlantic show came after Sidekick Simon tried to convince him the Inland Revenue had been in touch, leading him to casually declare his tax affairs on air. Until he found out it was a wind-up – and we suspect from his reaction his colleague won’t be trying that one again in a hurry.

What to quote: ‘You are this to me…you are nothing!’

11 Alan is definitely not driving a Mini Metro (I’m Alan Partridge Series 1 Ep 2)

Alan’s company is in danger of being made bankrupt, but that doesn’t make any difference to his choice of car now does it?

What to quote: ‘I’m not driving a Mini Metro…!’

12 Apology to the Farmer’s Union (I’m Alan Partridge Series 1 Ep 3)

After managing to offend most of Norfolk’s farmers in the space of one radio show, Alan ends up having to apologise to Farmers’ Union rep Peter Baxendale-Thomas (Chris Morris) on his next show – only to end up hurling a string of increasingly ridiculous insults his way (culminating in claims about farmers raising giant chickens and sleeping with siblings) and annoying the local farming community even more. So much so that they drop a cow on him.

What to quote: ‘You feed beefburgers to swans.’

Alan Partridge: Why, When, Where, How and Whom? airs on BBC Two on Wednesday night at 9pm.

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skiasurveys · 7 years

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1) Are you really ready for 1000000 questions? ok

2) What was the last thing you drank? Orange juice

3) Do you believe in God? Yes.

4) What did you last say? “oh my god.”

5) Do you regret it?

No?

6) Have you ever been depressed? I have depression.

7) Have a best friend? I do.

8) Are you a boy or girl? I am a girl.

9) What is your relationship status? taken. 9 months holy shit!!!

10) How do you want to die? In my sleep. quietly and peaceful, please.

11) What did you last eat? Mac n cheese.

12) Play any sports? Not anymore, i used to play volley ball in school

13) Do you bite your nails? yeah, and i hate itttt

14) When was your last physical fight? Never really been in a physical fight

15) What is the last sound you just heard? my fingers on the keyboard

16) Do you hate anyone at the moment? yep!

17) Do you miss anyone? Yes a lot of people, actually.

18) Twirl or cut your spaghetti? neither. i hate spaghetti.

19) Do you tan a lot? no. only naturally in the summer lmao

20) Have any pets? 2 cats

21) How exactly are you feeling? i feel fine. i had an interview, went good. i few weird right now, though. anixous

22) Ever eaten food in a car while someone or yourself is driving? Yeah, i dont do it often, unless were on trips

23) Ever made out in a bathroom? yes, kinda? i mean we fucked in the bathroom

24) Would you take any of your exes back? No. they all suck

25) Are you scared of spiders? no

26) Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? I would, maybe to stop alan from hurting me, or maybe to tell myself to not trust anyone, but idk it was a learning experience, but it was awful. I dont know, really.

27) Do you regret anything from your past? Oh yes.

28) What are your plans for this weekend? The weekend just past, but for this coming weekend, im thinking im hanging out with my best friend, and then seeing Connor, probably.

29) Did you ever kiss someone whose name starts with a C? Yes, my current boyfriend, connor

30) Do you type fast? Yes.

31) Do you have piercings? I did, I had my ears pierced, and the lady said to take them out within 3 months. so i did, and well i took them out to put new earrings in and it hurt really bad, so i left them out for like 3 hours and by then they were closed. =.=

32) Can you spell well? Yeah, i think so

33) Do you miss anyone from your past? I do

34) What are you craving right now? nothing

35) Ever been to a bonfire party? Not really. i would love too

36) Have you ever been on a horse? yeah a couple times

37) Kissed someone in a pick up truck? my boyfriend

38) Last hug? Connor

39) Have you ever been cheated on? Not that im aware of

40) Last thing you watched on tv? Troll Hunters. LOL yes connor makes me watch cartoons with him. He’s turning 27.

41) Would you live with someone without marrying them? yeah. Connor and I are planning on moving in together in the next little bit.

42) What should you be doing? nothing really...

43) What’s irritating you right now? a lot of things.

44) Have you ever liked someone so much that it hurts? Yes.

45) Does somebody love you? my boyfriend, friends, family. my cats.

46) What is your favorite color? lilac

47) Have you ever changed clothes in a vehicle? Yes.

48) Do you have trust issues? I do now.

49) What’s the last thing you said out loud? “Youre so weird”

50) Have you ever shaved in the kitchen sink? No.

51) Do you have a good relationship with your parents? Yeah

52) What’s on your mind? nothing really.

53) Last book you read? I like him. He likes her.

54) Who was the last person you cried in front of? connor

55) Do you give out second chances too easily? yeah. I shouldn’t, but i do.

56) Is it easier to forgive or forget? forgive duh

57) Is this year the best year of your life? ehhhh, i mean i feel happier in a way?

58) Do you think you’ re a good person? i hope so

59) Do you believe everything happens for a reason? No. not everything

60) What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? I was editing Youtube Videos

61) Does your mind ever get stuck in the past? yeah, im always dwelling on it. wishing i could change time, or wishing it was different

62) What is bothering you? honestly nothing

63) Have you ever been out of province?Out of county? Yes.

64) Do you play the Wii? We have one, but i don’t play on it as much. I play on the Wii U though. But i like my Playstation 4 more

67) Are you listening to music right now? Nope.

68) Do you like Chinese food? Yeah, but i had some last night and made me sick =.=

69) Do you know your fathers b-day? Yes.

70) Are you afraid of the dark? Yes.

71) Is cheating ever okay? No its not.

72) Are you mean? i dont think so.

73) Can you keep white shoes clean? I can.

74) Have you noticed this survey stopped getting personal? No lmao

75) Do you believe in true love? yeah.

76) Are you proud of the person you’ve become? yes and no.

77) Do you like the outside? yeah..when its not snowing. =.=

78) Are you currently bored? noo

79) Do you wanna get married? eventually

80) Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? yeah, i like it when connor calls me that.

81) Are you hungry? no

82) Do you have a bank account? Yes.

83) What makes you happy? cats

84) Ever been to Alaska? No.

85) Do you watch the news? Yes.

86) Do you like Subway? I do.

87) Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? noooo. were dating

88) Who was the last person you were on the phone with? My mom.

89) Do you talk like your friends? yeah, its funny. I notice little things i say and do and im like damn thats just like so and so

90) What’s a word you say a lot? “For sure”, “ I know” “Um..” “Like” “ I dont know “ “ I was kidding” “FUUUUCK” lol that almost makes a sentence

91) Have you ever seen someone you knew & purposely avoided them? Yes

92) Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? yeah

93) Who is the last girl you talked to? My sister

94) Does it matter if your boyfriend/girlfriend smokes? He smokes weed, but i don’t care. I only would care if he was doing cigs, and if it was extreme.

95) Do you go to church? sometimes when i can

96) What’s going on between you and your best friend? nothing ??

97) Who is the last person you had a deep conversation with? Kaylie

98) Have you ever regretted letting someone go? Yes.

99) Do you enjoy piercings & tattoos? yeah

100) What do you wear more: Hoodies, Jackets, Cardies..? Hoodies.

101) You’re a Sharpie marker, what color are you? lilac or a pastel color

102) Do you prefer to shower at night or in the morning? morning, but i like baths at night.

103) Have you ever said you’d never love again? yeah. lol

104) Do you want to please everyone? usually.

105) Have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today? no

106) Has someone ever made you a promise & broken it? Yes.

107) Are you alone right now? yes

108) Did you speak to your father today? he is dead.

109) How many months/days untill your birthday? 10 months

110) Did you enjoy this survey? yea it was lit

#survey #personal survey

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