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#when i was in band in high school i won an award that read ‘most likely to send you bad memes’
biwitchenergyz · 25 days
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When Dragons Dance
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Content Warning: Adult Language, Mentions of Drug Use, and hints towards grooming. I do not own any of the characters or songs used in this story, but I hope you enjoy and if you do, please let me know!
Chapter 3: Meet me backstage.
Cregan is very quiet about the inside man who helped him get backstage access. He dismisses all your questions by simply saying that the guy is an old friend and ending it there. For the most part, you don’t care who the mystery man is. Tonight’s concert changed your whole opinion of the band and meeting them will be a unique experience that not many have. Silly, you think, I’m acting as if I don't have my own fan club. Obviously, having a fan club as an actress is completely different from a band. Although you love your fans it is not as easy to meet or be seen by them in person as it would be if you still did concerts. No, you deliberate, I could never go back to singing. The thought of your past makes your breath come out shallow, but you focus on Cregan's touch and push your thoughts to the back of your mind. Cregan smiles at all the guards you pass, keeping his hand on your lower back as he moves you through the stage crew and to the band’s lounge. Before he opens the door, you rush to smooth down your hair and readjust your light blue sundress, courtesy of your PR manager.
The door opens and you squint at the bright light that gleams from within the room. All the band members are there as well as a few girls that you recognize to be Helaena Targaryen and the Velaryon twins. Baela and Rhaena are in a deep conversation with Jacereys, they look like vultures circling the flustered Jace. “Cregan Stark! Come in dude!” Daeron is the first to notice your boyfriend as he moves you into the room with a gentle nudge. There are plenty of colorful beanbag chairs, a long pitch-black sectional sofa rests in the center of the room and a coffee table is placed before it. The white walls are decorated with certificates, plaques, and awards all won by the band or the band members. Some of the awards aren't for music. You notice a charitable doner certificate in Aegon's name and a high school diploma with Luke's name written in full. Aegon is resting on the sofa with his body spread out and taking up most of the space except for the sofa arm Helaena sits on as she presses glittery bug stickers onto Aegon’s face. Aemond sits at the farthest end, pressed tightly to the corner, with a book in his hand, to your surprise he is reading The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespear. Daeron waves Cregan over to him, “Guy’s this is THE Cregan Stark!” Luke is the first to rush over after that. He practically tackles Cregan with several questions, each more outrageous than the last. Jace seems to notice his brother's excitement and excuses himself from the conversation to save Cregan from Luke. Cregan stumbles over his words as soon as Jace greets him, which makes for an amusing scene. The two men talk with a familiarity that you would not expect from a first meeting, but you can tell they are comfortable, if not a little flustered, in each other's presence. Baela and Rhaena seem to have a sharp gaze on Jace and for a moment you think they may come over and start teasing him but instead, Rhaena grabs Luke with a gentle tug in her direction. You notice Baela's eyes on you, and you smile when you face her. Baela Velaryon is breathtaking. With her dark skin and bright Valyrian eyes that hold your gaze with a curious gleam. Instead of approaching you, Baela turns her attention back to Luke and Rhaena.
So far, you have gone unnoticed, excluding Baela, until you catch the eye of Aemond. Still donning his trademark sunglasses, he sets down his book as he calls out your full name. He continues, “You played in Conqueror with Jace’s mom, right?” You nod in response, slightly confused that Aemond would refer to his half-sister as just Jace’s mom and not as his own family. Aemond stands with a small smirk appearing on his face. “We all loved the show. Aegon and Hel cried when Rhaenys died.”  You also cried when you finally watched Conqueror. It was your first big show and you played alongside Rhaenyra Targaryen. She played Queen Visenya while you played her wild younger sister, Queen Rhaenys. It was an amazing experience that brought you fame and began a new love for Targaryen history in the entertainment industry and your personal life. "Thank You. It was a great experience!" He hums in response, and you feel the need to fill the silence, so you continue, "The best part was learning about Targaryen history. I still find myself reading about it." Aemond's gaze doesn't make you feel insecure, instead, it makes you feel noticed. Even though you can feel a slight heat rising to your face, Aemond's attention is a nice change from just being unnoticed. "We were all made to study Targaryen history since we were old enough to read. But it is impressive that you took the time to study a history that is so often overlooked in the face of all the new Targaryen...drama." His voice comes out deep and smooth, making you wish he had sung on stage more. You thank him for his admiration, but it seems his remarks capture his sibling's attention, and, in an instant, Helaena is stepping over her older brother to meet you. She extends a graceful hand.
You saw pictures of her once a long time ago but now that she stands in front of you it is like looking at an angel. Her hair is cut to her shoulders, platinum white with the curls of her mother's side. Helaena shares the same violet eyes as all her siblings but hers shine more. You take her hand gently and marvel at its softness. “We were addicted to Conqueror. It’s the first time we saw you act but you were so good! We watched The Six Wives of Maegor too, I loved it. I can't wait for the new season.” Helaena has a gentle voice; you wonder why she hasn't pursued singing. “Thank you so much! That means a lot to me! I read your book. The first one, Divine Bugs: A Study of Bugs in Religious Imagery. I still read it every time I see a dragonfly!” The silence that follows is deafening. You worry that you have said the wrong thing but then Helaena practically jumps in place. “You read Divine Bugs? I published that right after I got my bachelor's! Not Even my brothers read that one.” Her grip on you tightens but it is a comfortable hold. “We did read it. It just confused those two.” Aemond argues, gesturing towards his other two brothers as Aegon finally sits up.
The older Targaryen brother is exhausted, barely having the strength to sit up. Gently he rubs his eyes, somehow managing to bypass the bug stickers Helaena has put on him. When his eyes finally adjust, he looks directly at you and nearly falls from the couch as he squeals your name. This catches everyone's attention. “Oh! I forgot. Everyone, this is my girlfriend!” Cregan sheepishly introduces you. You laugh at his embarrassment, clearly not wanting Jace to know he is ‘taken’. Aegon is completely bewildered. “Queen Rhaenys came to my show?” He exclaims, clearly joking. “Queen Rhaenys loved your show.” You add, smiling as he too returns a bright smile. “You have stickers on your face.” Aemond huffs, breaking the moment. Aegon turns his back to you as he rips the ladybugs and dragonflies from his face all while whining about Helaena, who is doubled over laughing. Aegon finally makes his way to you and his siblings. “I never thought I would meet the Queen herself!” Aegon smirks as he stands tall above you. “Well, the Queen goes wherever stupid Stark goes, so…” You joke, receiving a shout from Cregan. “Not my name babe!” Aegon ignores Cregan, not even acknowledging his presence in the room. “Damn, the first time I meet you and you're here with your boyfriend! What a shame.” He raises his eyebrow as if he is challenging you but his smug look doesn't last long as Aemond elbows him in the ribs. Aegon folds over but as soon as you start laughing he straightens his back and brings the fight back to Aemond. They both wrestle with each other as though they were little kids trying to impress the most popular girl at the playground. Helaena watches the scene with just as much amusement as you but when the two start cursing at each other she shakes her head.“Apologies. Our brother is a miserable flirt.” Helaena apologizes as she turns from the scene both of her brothers have caused. “It’s ok. I am too.”
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alsjeblieft-zeg · 1 year
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409 of 2022
I hate my name. I like my name. I have a best friend. My best friend is younger than me. My best friend is older than me. My best friend is as old as I am. I have no friends. I have too many friends. I always answer my phone. I never answer my phone. I don’t answer my phone most of the time. I play along with prank callers. I hate when people don’t reply to my text message/take forever to reply. I have/had blonde hair. I have/had brown hair. I have/had red hair. I have dyed my hair more than five times. I have never dyed my hair. I hate when people can’t spell words right. I get made fun of for things that aren’t even true. I get made fun of for how I dress. I get made fun of for something natural that I can’t change. My iPod/mp3 has over 1000 songs on it. My iPod/mp3 has less than 500 songs on it. I rarely drink soda. I never drink soda. I love soda. I love iced tea. I love ice cream, even in the winter. I love scarves. I love skinny jeans. I don’t own any skinny jeans. I have blue eyes. I have brown eyes. I have green eyes. I have hazel eyes. I have grey eyes. My eyes change colors. I think a lot of people are hot but I rarely crush on someone. I’ve been in a relationship for over a year. I’m straight. I’m gay. I love the smell of gasoline. I love the smell of freshly mowed grass. I’m an alcoholic. I’ve drank beer. I love beer. I think beer is nasty. I have white walls. I have posters up on my walls. I love to draw and doodle. I’m failing at least one class. I have a lot of self confidence. I could use some more self confidence. I’m over 21. I love music. I love the Beatles. I love local bands and musicians. I hate music. I prefer things that are on the radio or TV. I prefer things that not many people have heard of. I talk a lot. I’m very quiet. I live in England. I live in the USA. I’ve finished high school. I’m still in high school. I have more than one favorite color. I enjoy dragons. I have/had a collection. I like to read. I like horror movies. I like romance movies. I like comedies. I like extremely old movies. I have a lot of patience. I could use some more patience. I’m a pathological liar. The colors in my room all match. I’ve won an award of some sort. I’ve played baseball/softball on a team. I’ve played basketball on a team. I’ve played football on a team. I have a British accent. I’ve been to New York City. I have a Blackberry. I have a Nokia. I have a Samsung. I love nature. I love photography. I just don’t get photography. I want to be a doctor when I grow up. I have a fear of spiders. I’m afraid of ghosts. I love ghosts. I’m intelligent about technology and how it works. I text very fast. I hate watching people take five minutes to send a short text. I text slowly. The solar system interests me. I want to go to space. I have short hair. I have shoulder length hair. I have hair past my shoulders. I have hair past my chest. I have a side of my hair shaved. I want to get a haircut. I can’t stand the Twilight series. I hate someone I used to be good friends with. I don’t curse. I’ve memorized lyrics to over 1000 songs. I hate winter. I hate summer. I think too much. I think too little. I wish I was older. I wish I was younger. I like my age. I’ve seen more than five bands live. I’ve seen less than five bands live. I’ve never been to a concert. The band I want to see live isn’t touring. I’ve met someone famous. I’ve seen someone famous at the mall/on a walk/etc. I’ve never met anyone famous. My phone is black. My phone is red. My phone is silver. I’ve painted/put stickers on my phone. I have nice handwriting. I have illegible handwriting. I have freckles. I hate myself most of the time. I hate myself all of the time. I like poetry. I can’t stand poetry. I like to write. I hate writing. I type fast. I think school should be shorter. I think school should be longer. I’ve cried myself to sleep. I cry easily. I go to the movies almost every week or every week. I rarely go to the movies because I’m picky about what I want to see. I rarely go to the movies because no one ever wants to go with me. I always feel alone in a crowded room. I love being the center of attention. I laugh when people fall. It takes me a while to understand jokes. I laugh at my own jokes. I sleep with over five pillows. I own something that I’ve had my whole life and means a lot to me. I play piano. I play guitar. I play trumpet. I play drums. I play bass. I play clarinet. I play flute
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krethes · 2 years
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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖
Sooo I was also tagged by @bluesundaycake and @polyjuicedpadfoot, but I'll just stick to the 5.
1. Did You Miss Me? | Rated E | Wolfstar, Jily, Other | 382,524 published words, 39/58 chapters (COMPLETE, M/W/F updates) Modern, non-magical texting AU with big narrative portions and heavy themes.
READ THE TAGS and Ch 1 for Important Warnings/Descriptions!
Co-written with @fantismal, this feels like a Magnum Opus, lmao. It's the longest (by FAR) fic I've written, and we got to construct a world from the ground up with complex characters and multiple plots that are cohesive and entertaining and heart-wrenching.
Though the new boy at Hogwarts University, James Potter, appears to be an adorable himbo with deep pockets, Remus Lupin and his friends instead find a horrifically dark past on Google. Did he really attack that boy and leave him for dead? Why won't he talk about his mysterious childhood best friend, "Pups"? Would it kill him to stop messing with his hair?
At least Remus got his phone back after losing it, but now he can't stop texting the mysterious number of the man who had sent it back. Padfoot is funny and charming, and Remus is NOT going to fall in love with him.
2. Lines | Rated E | Wolfstar | 23,533 words, 5 chapters Canon Divergent AU, DILF!Wolfstar at 56.
This was just an exercise in self-indulgent, serotonin-boosting smut. This is the happy ending they deserved, and I adore exploring established, secure relationships.
As if feeling Sirius’s eyes on him -- and maybe he does, Remus just Knows Things sometimes -- he looks over his shoulder with eyes heavy-lidded and sleepy. “We’re far too old to be having morning sex and you know it, Padfoot,” he warns, his voice still gravely and deep from slumber.
3. Smoke Trails | Rated T | Wolfstar | 20,156 words, 6 chapters Get-together fic with 6th-year Marauders, involving misunderstandings, miscommunications, and moonlit confessions.
This was my first chaptered fic without time skips. I wanted to put my idea of how Wolfstar got together out there and show some truly tender moments between them. I'm endlessly proud of this fic, and it won several awards on the Harry Potter Fanfic discord, which is still mind-blowing to me!
Sirius has a surprise planned for Peter's 17th birthday, which has the littlest Marauder ill at ease and Remus on high alert. Muggle cigarettes, fancy lighting tricks, firewhiskey, and late-night confessions lead to spilled truths and hurt feelings.
4. Quintuple Meter | Rated E | Wolfstar | 7,811 words, 5 chapters Non-magical, modern, musicians AU. Remus is a renowned cellist and Sirius is an accomplished pianist.
I wrote this for the Wolfstar Discord's 2021 Wolfstar Bingo under the "Musicians AU" prompt and I wanted to do something other than like, a band fic. This is another self-indulgent write for me because I play the cello (and viola & violin) and have been in love with the instrument since before I really knew its name. Sirius knows magic isn't real—that's the stuff of story books and fevered dreams—but now, watching Remus play, he reconsiders his convictions.
Pianist Sirius Black has worked his entire life for this opportunity and considers himself a master of his craft. Remus Lupin, the most sought-after cellist in Europe, proves him wrong.
5. Silver for Monsters | Rated E | Wolfstar | 18,829, 4/? chapters Witcher AU with Wolf School Witcher Remus and Aen Seidhe Sirius.
I don't even know where to begin explaining myself... I fucking love the Witcher franchise and I was listening to Wolven Storm one day like hmm...yeah, I can make this Wolfstar. I've gone full-throttle into my poetic descriptions and the animosity between Sirius & Remus was/is so fun. It's not finished, I KNOW, but DYMM? delayed it and I'm finally feeling up to writing long things again!
Eyes narrowed to protect against further assault, Remus tracks the origin of the noise to a tree 100 yards away at the edge of the river. Lightning shatters again overhead, illuminating a tall, slender figure perched high on a branch and a flash of teeth -- perfectly white and smooth, no cuspids, before they're lost to the shadow of the leaves and he's left with a tinkling, mocking laugh.
"Gar'ean, Vatt'ghern. Aé ess'neén aen aep taedh aep marw." (Careful, Witcher. You'll catch your death out here.)
He squints to stare at the boughs again, bristling. Elves. What an elf was doing in Hogsmeade, a human village of little renown, was beyond him. Grimacing, Remus reclaims his silver sword from the sticky corpses and stalks over to the drowner nests at the riverside. Two carefully-placed palm-sized bombs later, and Remus retrieves the silver necklaces of the two women who fell prey to the monsters. He’ll try to return them to their families, if they even want them back. Superstitious lot, humans.
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neocatharsis · 3 years
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Celebrity Brothers Gong Myung And NCT’s Doyoung Talk About Their Childhood And Seeing Each Other As Colleagues
Actor Gong Myung and NCT’s Doyoung appeared together in a pictorial for W Korea!
The two celebrities are real-life brothers, with Gong Myung’s real name being Kim Dong Hyun and Doyoung’s real name being Kim Dong Young.
Asked how it felt for the “Kim Brothers” to star in their first joint pictorial, Doyoung said, “Isn’t it kind of special in itself that two brothers both work in the entertainment industry? I’ve always wanted to do a pictorial together, so I’m really proud. I even debated for a while about inviting our mom to come watch.”
The interviewer mentioned that during their childhood in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, Gong Myung was known as the “F4” of the town, while Doyoung was the student vice-president of his high school and a vocalist in a band. Doyoung said, “Ever since hyung was young, he was tall and good-looking. Because of him, my own school life went smoothly. The older girls who liked him would try to get me into their clubs. There are seniors who even came to my class specifically to try and recruit me for their clubs.”
Gong Myung said, “It wasn’t quite like that. Guri was a small place. It was often the case that we all went to the same elementary, middle, and high schools, so almost everyone knew each other. Ever since I was little, I liked to play sports and had an active personality, so I had a lot of friends. That’s probably why it was like that.”
Asked who was more popular, Doyoung said it was Gong Myung and Gong Myung laughed and agreed. “That’s inevitable,” he joked. “But Doyoung also went around showing off his singing skills and won awards and got popular.”
Doyoung said, “I was popular as his younger brother. He was really good at running and soccer and all sports. Whenever we had a sports day at school, he would be the star. You know how when you run relays, there’s always someone who runs last and changes the race? That was hyung. Before high school, I wasn’t the type to go around and show off my singing. It was only in high school that I started to appear in talent shows and sing and people started to know my name. But I wasn’t as popular as him.”
Doyoung shared that Gong Myung had been a great older brother to him. “He was the type to take care of me even when it was hard on him,” he said. “He’d go and play with his friends and I’d always tag along and he didn’t have the heart to tell me to go away. Whenever we played together with his friends, he’d check on me now and then to make sure I didn’t get hurt. But I was afraid that he wouldn’t want to hang out with me anymore, so I told him that I could do everything myself.”
Gong Myung said, “Ever since we were little, our parents encouraged us to take care of each other as brothers. Even when we were still in school, I had the mindset that I needed to take care of him, but that’s all changed. He’d become an adult and moved to a dorm and is working as a singer. When we meet at our parents’ house, I often think about how his speech and actions have changed and think, ‘He can do well on his own.’ Now I’m just proud of and thankful for him.”
Doyoung was asked what he thought of his brother as an actor, and Gong Myung vice versa as a singer. Doyoung said, “I think that hyung will become an even cooler actor as he gets older. He’s really good now, but he always says that he wants to live as an actor even as he gets older. I think that it’s really cool that he acts with an eye toward what’s ahead rather than focusing on the results of his most recent project. Because it’s easier to get caught up in the results that you can see right in front of you.”
Gong Myung said, “Doyoung is doing really well now. I can see his desire to show fans the music that he wants to make. He also recently took on the challenge of a short-form drama. I think that people want idols these days to be multi-talented, but even when just reading scripts together, I could sense his acting potential.”
© Soompi
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captain-josslett · 3 years
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Broken Melody - Part One
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven,
Summary: Grammy Award winning Emma Danvers is the first to say she has a pretty good life. But what happens when it implodes around her and it looks like things will never be the same again?
Words: 10k+
Warnings: None... yet...
Pairings: Emma Danvers x Lena Luthor (Eventual)
Right! I wrote the beginning of this fic months ago. It’s going to get angsty so be ready. But the purpose of the first part is to introduce this version of B!D, a well known singer in a grammy award winning band. I honestly had a great time writing this first part!
Thank you for reading and let me know if you wanna be tagged or any general feedback will be greatly appreciated.
For @thewitchandtheassassin​, @natasha-danvers​, @life-is-hella-unfair​, @finleyfray​, @supergirl-writingz​,
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The screeching of Emma Danver’s alarm makes her hazel green eyes shoot open. Normally on a Saturday she wouldn’t have her alarm set and would laze in bed. Especially when she is home from her latest world tour. However, today was going to be a day filled with the Superfriends, and she can’t wait!
Emma had mentioned at the latest game night that she wanted to check out a beach over an hour away from the city and how they could make a day of it. Kara, her Supergirl sister, instantly accepted the idea while bouncing up and down with excitement. Mostly everyone else agreed, happy to know the summer sun would be in full force that day.
Well they still had to persuade a few people, mainly Lena and Alex. But when Emma and Kara both knelt in front of the women with their identical Danvers pouts they were forcibly won over.
Emma smiles as she stretches and runs her hands through her wavy blonde hair. She quickly gets out of bed and opens her curtains. Sighing happily and just enjoying the sunshine blazing into her penthouse bedroom. Emma can totally see how Kara gets her Supergirl powers from the sun, how it recharges her and makes her the Woman of Steel.
After a few more minutes Emma turns and grabs her phone. While making her way to her ensuite she messages the group chat.
Emma: Gooooooodd Mmmoooorrrrnnnniiiinnnngggg!!! How’s everyone? Seriously can’t wait for today!
After having a quick shower Emma wanders back into her room and decides what to wear. She puts on her turquoise surf bikini with her tight black surfing shorts. She wears her blue jean shorts over the top, and a white tank top. She finishes her outfit off with her many bracelets, her apple watch and a layered necklace that has a star, sun and swan pendant. Symbolising each of the Danvers sisters. Alex is the star, Kara is the sun and Emma is the swan.
Swan became one of Emma’s nicknames in school due to there being a lot of Emma’s in the class. Her friends joked she was a swan princess due to doing ballet when she had asked them to come to a recital. Which they did and were in awe, but you know. Emma happily accepted the nickname, taking it as a compliment. Emma smiles as she looks at her ballet shoes strung over her mirror. ‘Another thing I need to get back into.’ Emma thinks wistfully. She still loves dancing, especially the latin styles like samba and tango. But she doesn’t have the time.
As she draws her attention to her reflection she definitely looks like a surfer chick, lean, toned and sun kissed. Which she was happily going for. She’s been dying to surf for ages but just hasn’t had the time. Her band had recently returned from a sell out world tour. And sadly most of the places they played at didn’t have beaches or the right surf. She felt sorry for her neglected surfboard in the back of the tour bus.
Her phone pings drawing her attention away from her musings. Emma laughs when she sees a few messages have already been sent.
Kara: Good morning sunshine! I’m sssoooooo excited too! Did you need me to bring anything else? I got all the food ready!
Kelly: Of course you’d have the food Kara!
Kelly: And good morning Emma! Shall I bring my swimsuit? Anyone going for a swim?
Kara: Ooo I am! And I think Emma is going to surf?
James: Why are you guys texting this early? I could have had at least another hour or more of sleep.
Alex: I agree with James… Emma, I hate you.
Emma chuckles at Alex’s message while she gets a bag ready with a change of clothes.
Emma: Love you too Alex!
Kara: Ahem… What about me?!
Emma: Love you too Kara!
Alex: You love me more though right?
Emma: No I love you both the same!
Kara: *Wink Wink*
Alex: Hey!
Nia: What am I just decoration?
Emma: No of course not Nia! I love you too!
James: What about me?
Kelly: And me!
Emma: Yes James and Kelly I love you both too.
Lena: Do you love me?
Emma pauses before she responds to Lena’s text. Honestly, she’s had a crush on her since the moment they met. But Lena is way out of Emma’s league. A CEO dating a musician and artist like Emma wouldn’t work. She’s not clever or brave like Kara or Alex.
Once when Lena had met her for lunch, Lena had explained what being a CEO entailed. Emma’s mind melted; it was so complex. Lena just laughed at her exasperated expression trying to figure it all out. “And that, my darling, is why you are an artist and I am a CEO.” Emma practically melted at Lena’s smile from across the table.
But that’s one of the things she loves about Lena, her passion for her work and drive for making the world a better place. And her smile. To Emma, Lena’s smile lights up the whole room.
Sighing Emma looks back down at her phone.
Emma: I love you the most… *Delete*
Emma: Yea I love you too. :)
‘Somewhat truthful…’ Emma thinks as she puts her phone in her pocket, grabbings her backpack, guitar case and placing it by the door. Kneeling on her sofa she pulls her surfboard up from behind, giving it a quick hug. Excitement surges through her veins at the thought of surfing the waves.
‘Rao I hope the waves are good today!’ Emma wishes as she swings the board around and accidentally knocks her recent Grammy on the floor. “Shoot!” Emma yelps and quickly drops her surfboard to pick up the award. Emma sighs in relief when she turns it over in her hands, seeing it wasn’t broken. Out of all her awards, this year's Grammy meant the most to her. The album had been a real breakthrough moment for her and the band, Axis, and they swept away the competition. Emma remembers the feeling of pride and honour when their name was called. How she and the rest of the band rushed to the stage in unison and linked arms as each said a thank you.
Emma carefully places the Grammy down and picks up her surfboard. Grabbing the rest of her stuff she locks the door behind her and takes the elevator down to her beloved yellow VW beetle. Which she affectionately calls the ‘bug’. Emma puts her stuff in the car and carefully straps the board onto the roof rack before getting into the driver's seat.
Taking her phone out she sends Lena and Kara a quick message to say she’s on her way to pick them up. Alex and Kelly are picking up Sam. Who did try and persuade Ruby to come but now as a teenager, Ruby has better things to do then hang out with her Mom and her Mom’s friends. James is giving J'onn, Nia and Brainy a ride.
Emma quickly plugs in her phone and chooses to blare out her playlist of her favourite songs. As she pulls out of the underground parking garage she starts singing and making dramatic hand movements as she dances along. Not caring if people see her.
Soon she’s outside Lena’s apartment building and as she turns the music down Lena Luthor herself was exiting the building. Emma’s mouth drops open with how beautiful Lena looks. And how different she looks too! Gone were the suits and smart wear of a CEO. Instead Lena was wearing a thigh length red patterned skirt that matched her red lips with a black crop top. To finish the look off she wore a black bowler hat.
When Lena opens the passenger door Emma quickly closes her mouth.
“Hi Em!” Lena smiles brightly at the blonde and leans over to place a kiss on Emma’s cheek. Making the blonde blush and causing her brain short circuits.
“Hi Lee!” Emma says more high pitched than normal.
Lena grins at her in amusement. ‘Rao I could get lost in those green eyes.’
“Er, Em… We gonna go?” Lena teases causing Emma to jump and pull away from the pavement. “So, how has your week been?”
“Fine. Got a commission to complete before Thursday but I’m almost done. I actually have to thank you, it's the lovely couple we met at the recent gala we went to.”
Whenever Emma is back in the city Lena always invites her to the gala’s. Surprisingly Emma finds she enjoys them, especially when it's one of Lena’s charity events. Lena and Emma are both thrilled to find Emma has a talent in being able to persuade the rich attendees to donate their money. Even from those who have never donated before. “It’s the Danvers charms!” Emma would laugh and wink at Lena when the raven haired women would be dumbfounded at the cheque in her hand from a rival.
“Mr and Mrs Green?” Lena asks, remembering how the couple were enthralled with Emma’s work as an artist and musician. Their donation had been one of the biggest of that night. ‘No surprise there.’ Lena smirks.
“Yea them.” Emma nods while concentrating on driving. She does love the city life but driving through it can be such a pain.
“What did they ask for?” Lena inquires while picking at a loose thread in her skirt.
“Mainly a seascape of a view they had back in the UK. Thatchers rock… I think.” To be honest Emma had been surprised by the Green’s enthusiasm when she showed them her portfolio. How they were willing to wait for Emma’s tour to finish before getting their commission. It had been made easier that there was a reference to work on. Even though she has never been to that part of the UK. Mainly the cities dotting around the island. And even though Emma doesn’t need the money she enjoys doing something different. Her art gives her another escape.
“What style are you doing it in?” Lena asks as she bobs her head along with Emma to the music. Something she’s never done before until getting rides with Emma. Something about the blonde’s carefree attitude rubbing off on her.
“I’m using oil this time. I think it works better with the layering and it can really make the sea look like it’s moving you know? Well… If I get it right.” Emma realises she started to ramble and quickly cuts herself off. Certain Lena wouldn’t want to hear the techniques Emma has been using. “If all goes to plan the painting should look different with the different lighting of the day.”
“I am sure you will darling.” Lena smiles widely at her.
Emma smiles back. Feeling butterflies zoom round her stomach at the term of endearment.
“Thanks Lee.” Emma taps her thumbs to the beat while they wait for a light to turn green.
“How-”
“How’d-”
They both stop when they realise they both started talking.
“You go.” Emma motions Lena to continue.
“How’s everything going with the band?”
“It’s going really, really well! We are already writing songs for the next album. But we’ve also really benefited having this time off too.” Emma grins thinking of the other band members. 
In some ways they’ve become another little family to her. The four other guys were already formed and were looking for a female influence. Emma saw the flyer and thought ‘why not!’ before calling them and doing an audition. The guys were blown away by her voice and talent. Unanimously they agreed she can become a member of the band and ultimately making her the lead singer. That was over eight years ago when Emma was eighteen and Axis were well known in certain areas of America but when Emma joined their popularity skyrocketed. 
However fame didn’t matter to Emma, but she loves performing and writing music. Especially when she gets fan messages about how her songs have helped someone get through a difficult time and gave them hope. She always makes sure to save those messages.
“Sounds exciting.” Lena agrees, nodding her head.
“Speaking of deals.” Emma pauses to concentrate on the traffic. “How’d the deal with the Japanese go?”
Even though Emma wasn’t looking at Lena she could feel the big eye roll the raven haired beauty did.
“That good huh?” Emma jokes but feels for the CEO.
“Honestly it was a nightmare. They kept going around in circles and I’m just getting over the migraine!” Lena dramatically rubs her forehead. Which Emma misses from looking at the road.
“Ah no.” Emma frowns as she quickly looks at Lena. “Are you sure you’re okay to come to the beach?”
“Yes I’m fine.” Lena smirks at Emma’s concern.
“Okay, I am glad you’re coming.” Emma smiles brightly back.
Lena raises an eyebrow. “Did I have a choice?” Lena teases.
“Yes! But it would have made me very sad if you hadn’t.” Emma pouts dramatically and pulls off her best puppy dog eyes.
“And that’s why I said yes.” Lena chuckles at how adorable Emma looks.
Soon they pull up to Kara’s building and she’s already waiting outside. Piles of bags by her feet. Both Lena and Emma laugh at the sight. “Joys of being Supergirl I guess!” Emma jokes about Kara’s metabolism.
As she parks Emma can’t help but remember the day Kara became a part of the Danvers family.
Emma had taken to the alien quicker then Alex, especially as there was only a year age difference between the two blondes. She also found she became the bridge between Alex and Kara. Over time the three learned how to live with the new dynamic and would soon enjoy each other's company. Kara and Alex would laugh when little Emma would cheerfully yell that they were the three musketeers as they played with wooden swords or practically any activity that involved the three of them. Even making hot chocolate together.
When Kara became Supergirl Emma almost had a fit. She’d been in New York for a sold out week of gigs when she had seen the news in the early hours of the morning. Frantically she called Kara to see if she was okay and getting even more frantic when she realised Alex had been on the plane too. The two sisters were eventually able to calm her down after a lot of sobbing and panic from her end. When Emma returned to National City she held onto her sisters a lot tighter that day. Eventually the three ended up falling asleep together on the sofa. Emma in the middle of the two as they wrapped their arms around each other.
Emma’s musings were interrupted when Kara slammed the car boot down hard. Causing the car to bounce.
“Careful Kara!” Emma yells, knowing full well her sister would hear her.
“Sorry little one! I’m just so excited!” Kara squeals as she opens the backseat door before leaping in.
“Hey I’m only a year younger than you!” Emma frowns into the rear view mirror to glare at her sister. Who just sticks her tongue back at her while clicking in her seat belt.
They continue the hour long drive to the beach, chatting and singing along to Emma’s playlist. Lena watches on in amazement as Kara sings the melody and Emma does some beautiful harmonies around her. They all laugh and cheer when Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ comes on.
“Come on Lena! Join in!” Emma yells while she puts the volume right up. So Lena does. When the rock part of the song comes on all three of them dance and headbang along. Lena laughs as she feels so carefree. She pauses when Emma starts singing passionately to the next verse.
So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye So you think you can love me and leave me to die Oh, baby, can’t do this to me, baby Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here
Honestly she could listen to Emma’s voice for hours. Which is probably why she secretly went to as many of Emma’s gigs as possible. But every time she would go to reveal herself to Emma she would back peddle and leave. Knowing that someone as talented as Emma was way out of her league. Her pride for her friend as she watched with the Superfriends at Kara’s apartment as Axis won Grammy after Grammy, award after award. How they screamed with joy and hugged each other after each announcement. Plus Lena thought someone as pure and happy as Emma wouldn’t do well with someone broken like Lena. So she keeps her feelings to herself and tries to be content with being Emma’s friend.
Lena’s heart warms as she remembers meeting Emma for the first time over 3 years ago. She had been at one of her first game nights with the Superfriends when a knock sounded on Kara’s door. Everyone had looked at each other in surprise as no one was missing. Lena watched Kara bounce towards the door and as she opened it a continuous scream of surprise and happiness escaped Kara’s mouth. This caused Alex to rush over in response and suddenly scream as well. The two sisters practically tackled the blonde beauty out into the hallway where they fell into a laughing heap. Kara kissed the blonde’s head over and over while Alex held onto her like a koala bear and kissed her cheek over and over.
Finally they untangled and Kara dragged the other blonde into her apartment. Excitedly introducing everyone to her little sister, Emma. The Superfriends each individually greeted the newcomer and when it came to Lena’s turn Emma had stepped forward and gave her an affectionate hug. Laughing that Kara has told Emma so much about her that she feels she already knows Lena well. When Emma stepped away from the hug they both ignored the warm feelings racing around their bodies. Lena had to agree as both the Danvers sister’s spoke of Emma fondly and how proud they were of Emma’s success. Lena hadn’t told anyone this but she bought all of Emma's music to listen to it after Kara gushed about her sister. She instantly fell in love with the voice coming through the speakers.
Kara soon asked why Emma was in National City and Emma excitedly revealed that Axis was moving to National City. Lena again ignored the feeling of excitement that shot through her. And again Emma was tackled to the floor as both Alex and Kara leapt towards her in celebration.
“Lena?” Kara’s voice breaks through her thinking and Lena turns to look back at her best friend. Listening intently as Kara excitedly explains a new prototype Brainy is designing to help Kara not be so affected by Kryptonite.
“Maybe I can help with it?” Lena offers kindly.
Kara’s smile brightens up even more. “That would be swell!”
Lena gives Kara a small smile before turning back to the front. To be honest it still stings that Kara didn’t tell her Supergirl secret to the CEO. It had been two years after Emma had moved back to National City when Lena and Kara were having lunch but Kara was being called away. Again. Lena couldn’t stop herself and blurted out she knew Kara’s secret. She will never forget how Kara’s face fell and the promise of talking about it after she’s finished. Lena’s face grew cold as her walls shot up. She told Kara not to bother and stormed out of the restaurant to her penthouse apartment. She refused to see anyone or answer her phone. Allowing her past hurts and hatred to simmer and boil.
That was until a knock sounded on her door. She chose to ignore it but the knocking persisted.
“Come on Lena, please open the door. Let’s talk about this.” Emma’s muffled voice sounded through the door.
“Why should I?” Lena spits out as she draws closer, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
“Because you shouldn’t be alone right now.”
Lena scoffs. “And why not?”
“Because you’ll allow your demons to lie to you and it will eat you up.” Emma had experience with this herself.
Tears fill Lena’s eyes and against the screaming in her head she reaches out and opens the door.
“Hey you.” Emma gives Lena a small smile before stepping into the apartment. Placing the takeout bags on the floor and pulling Lena into a tight hug. Allowing Lena to break down as she sobs into Emma’s shoulder. All her past hurts rushing forward and spewing out.
After she was spent Emma gently led her to the sofa and reheated the food. Making sure Lena ate. They talked long into the night and when Lena started rubbing her eyes from exhaustion Emma helped her get ready for bed. As Lena slid between the sheets Emma leaned down to give her a goodnight hug. But stopped when Lena wouldn't let her go. “Stay.” Lena whispered. So Emma grabbed a pair of her spare clothes she left for times like this and got in next to her. Lena shifted over to her and rested her head on Emma’s shoulder. Emma wrapped her arms around Lena and held her close. They don’t say anything more but drift into a peaceful sleep.
“We’re here!” Emma sings out, causing Lena to jump slightly. They pull into a car park right next to the beach.
“Oh wow!! Look at the sea! It’s so beautiful!” Kara gasps as she presses herself against the window and like an excited child she unbuckles and races towards the beach. Having already spotted Alex, Kelly and Sam setting up.
Emma snorts at her sister’s behaviour while she unbuckles her seatbelt.
“Er… She will help us with the food? Right?” Lena looks back at the overflow of food bags in the back of the bug.
“Yea as soon as she realises she will shoot back up here.” Emma chuckles while getting out of the car. And Kara did just that as Emma went to pay for a parking ticket she watched Kara race back up to them, in human speed. “Glad to see you helping.” Emma raises an eyebrow at her sister as Kara reaches the bug.
“Sorry! I just got really excited! It’s so beautiful here!” Kara bounces like a puppy.
“Now you understand why I dragged you here instead of going to the beach at NC?” Emma says while carefully unstrapping her board before lowering it and leaning it up against the bug.
“Yes, yes.” Kara keeps her eyes on the beach.
“Hey.” Emma smirks at her distracted sister.
“Yea?” Kara tears her eyes away to look at Emma. Smiling when Emma opens are arms and they hug. “Haven’t been able to give you one yet.” Emma says in her ear. Kara buries her face into Emma’s neck, enjoying the warmth and feeling of home whenever she hugs her sisters.
The car door closing makes them break apart. “Okay I think that’s everything.” Lena says while looking at the small mountain of bags.
“Thanks Lena!” Kara sings as she grabs half of the bags before Emma can tell her to only take a few. Hopefully no one will question how a slim woman can carry that much weight. Lena catches Emma’s eye and they both roll their eyes at each other.
“Jink!” Emma yells causing Lena to do another eye roll. Before Emma can reach down for her stuff Lena steps forward.
“Can I have a hug too?”
“Sure you can Lee.” Emma opens her arms wide and Lena almost tackles her with her enthusiasm. They both sigh happily as they hold onto each other a bit longer than necessary. Emma breaks the hug and steps back, grabbing her backpack, placing a few food bags on her shoulders picking up her guitar, and securing her surfboard under her arm. “Oh Lee don’t take that many, Kara will come up and get the last few.”
“Okay.” Lena nods while swinging a food bag on each of her shoulders and they start walking towards the beach. “Kara is right though, it’s really beautiful here.”
Emma smiles at her, happy Lena approves. The sand was a beautiful white which made the sea clear and looked like a gorgeous turquoise and teal. The richness of the colours makes Emma want to weep with happiness. They could pretend like they were in the Caribbean or on the Hawaiian islands.
“Hey Peanut!” Alex yells as Emma approaches her.
Peanut has always been Alex’s nickname for Emma since their parents told three year old Alex she was going to be a big sister. Alex had been fascinated about it all and when her Mom had told her the baby was the size of a peanut the name stuck. Even when Emma grew and was the size of tennis ball Alex would still refer to the baby as Peanut.
“Hey sis!” Emma yells back, dumping her stuff on one of the picnic blankets. Alex comes over and pulls Emma into a tight hug, quickly followed by Kelly and Sam. “Been a long time Sam, how are you?”
“I know I’m sorry!” Sam says as she takes a step back. “Life’s been hectic!”
“Oh don’t I know it.” Emma laughs. “Maybe you can ask your boss to allow you to have a life?” Emma teases while giving Lena a pointed look.
“Not my problem she wants to work longer hours then she is contracted!” Lena places her hands on her hips.
“Maybe she’s following her boss's example? And maybe the boss needs to cut down too? Maybe relax a bit?” Emma stalks towards her crush.
“Maybe-” Lena stops what she was going to say and tilts her head as she watches Emma approach. A smirk on her face. “What are you doing?”
Suddenly Emma reaches out and starts tickling Lena who laughs loudly and tries to swat the blonde away.
“Lena! She’s ticklish too!” Alex snickers as she goes through the food bags.
“Traitor!” Emma yells as Lena starts her own assault. The two women fall to the sand in fits of giggles as they wrestle. Before Emma can gain the upper hand Lena straddles her and continues tickling her. “No! Lena!” Emma kicks out trying to shift the woman on top of her. But Lena was not budging. “Argh! I surrender! Please!” Emma wheezes.
“I win?" Lena stops and gazes down at Emma triumphantly.
“You win.” Emma coughs and when Lena moves off her she instantly misses the feeling of Lena’s weight on top of her.
“Are you ladies done or are you going to help?” Alex raises her eyebrow at them as they catch their breath.
“Yes ma'am.” Emma salutes before getting up, rubbing the sand off herself and reaching out to help Lena up. They smirk at each other and set to work getting the rest of the blankets and chairs out for the Superfriends.
Soon the other group arrives and they all sit chatting and relaxing. The men start setting the BBQ up, insisting they can do it, much to the amusement of the women as they try to do it without looking at the instructions.
Alex, Kara and Emma smile at each other as they share a look before giggling. The Danvers sisters have barbecuing in the great outdoors down to an art. But if it keeps the men happy they stay quiet. Sighing Emma turns away from the entertainment and looks out to sea, watching the waves and the surfers riding them.
Alex shuffles up to her, resting her head on Emma’s shoulder. “You can go if you want.”
Emma rests the side of her head on her sister’s. “I know, but the waves aren’t quite right yet.”
“Okay.” Alex wraps her arms around Emma, who returns the gesture and holds onto Alex. Emma moves her head and kisses Alex’s head before resting her own on Alex’s again.
Alex smiles and kisses Emma’s hand that's holding her close. At first Alex wasn’t too keen on the idea of coming to the beach, too much work to do at the DEO and an hour travelling seems like an eternity. But Alex is glad she came. They sit content.
“How can you tell if the waves are not right?” Brainy asks, having left J'onn and James to sort out the BBQ.
Emma looks up at him. “I don’t know, you just can. It’s a feeling.” Emma runs a hand through her hair trying to think of a better way to explain it. “Like when you are out there you know a big wave is coming, the wave. You just got to be patient and take the moment when it comes.”
Brainy tilts his head at her. “I think I understand.”
“Well I’m glad you did.” Alex snorts and yelps when Emma playfully slaps her bare arm.
“Oh come on I didn’t slap you that hard!” Emma laughs but rubs her sister’s arm.
“Anyone wanna play rounders?” Lena asks the group as she picks up one of her bags. She pulls out a rounders bat, which is shorter than a baseball bat, and ball.
“Rounders?” Kara asks, confused. “Don’t you mean baseball?”
“No, I mean rounders, it’s what we played at my boarding school. It’s the game that baseball came from. The first known account of it was in 1744 with the Tudors.” Half of the group look at Lena blankly, while the other half look interested and know who the Tudors are. “Basically you still have four bases, home runs etc. The bowler must do underarm, though we can do overarm…” Lena pauses. “It’s just different okay?”
“Sounds good to me!” Sam leaps to her feet and starts setting the four bases up. Everyone else follows suit and splits into teams, Lena and Sam being the captains of each team. On Lena’s team is Kara, James, Alex and Emma versus Sam’s team which has Kelly, J'onn, Brainy and Nia.
After a coin toss Lena’s team bats first with Sam being the bowler, or pitcher, as Alex yells out.
“And can we make a rule of no powers? We don’t want the ball getting batted into space!” Sam jokes as she jogs to bowler base.
“Sounds fair.” Kara says looking at J'onn who nods in agreement. She gets into position to bat. She hits the ball no problem and starts to run, but she hits the ball too high and Brainy is already waiting to catch it.
“Out!” Sam yells as Brainy holds the ball in his hand, causing Kara to skid to a halt. She turns and walks back to the team, kicking the sand as she goes.
“Hard luck sis.” Alex rubs Kara’s back when she comes back to the line up. Pouting all the way. Emma gives her a hug and kisses her cheek.
“You’ll do it next time.” Emma reassures her.
They watch James get into position and hit quite a good ball. He manages to get to third base before having to stop when Nia catches the ball while on 4th base.
Lena is the next to go and Emma can’t help but watch as she sways her hips getting ready to strike. Her ball goes low and far. She sprints off and her team screams and cheers when she manages to do a home run.
“Nicely done Lee!” Emma holds her hand out to high five the out of breath CEO.
“Thanks.” Lena smiles brightly at the blonde while holding onto her hand longer than necessary.
Alex is up next, feeling the pressure of going after Lena’s home run.
“You got this babe!” Kelly smiles from the 2nd base. Alex smiles back at her before readying herself. She misses the first ball.
“Strike 1!”
Huffing Alex gets back into position again. And misses.
“Strike two!”
“You got this Al!” Emma claps and encourages her sister.
Taking a deep breath Alex readies herself and watches the ball. She manages to hit it and sprints to 2nd base.
“Nice to see you Alex!” Kelly teases the red head causing Alex to gently shove her girlfriend.
“Right you’re up Emma!” Sam calls as she catches the ball.
Emma picks the bat up, wiping the sand off it and stands in position. Noticing the opponents are standing mainly to the left, Emma decides to trick them. When Sam throws the ball she quickly turns her body and whacks the ball to the right side of the field far away from the group. She runs half the way and seeing Brainy is still running to the ball she walks the rest of the way, dancing and blowing kisses. She starts sprinting the last few feet as the ball is being thrown towards Nia. The team celebrates her home run and they play a few more rounds, having a few collisions and lots of laughter. They have two more goes each and swap over. Lena takes over as the bowler. “Pitcher!” Alex yells as she runs to man 2nd base.
The new batting team does just as well and Sam’s team are one point behind. J’onn is up as the last batter, it’s all on him. If he gets a home run Sam’s team has won the game. Emma watches the ball carefully as Lena throws it and in a split second it's coming right at her. She reaches out her hand and catches it. Everyone stares dumbfoundead before yelling in surprise and either excitement from winning or groans for losing.
Emma’s team crowd her and she laughs at the attention.
“Emma?” A voice says behind her.
Emma’s head shoots round and she smiles when she sees her bandmates standing there.
“Guys?” She rushes towards them. Emma had told them of her plans and had invited them to join. They had said they were busy so it's a huge surprise to Emma that they stood in front of her. “What are you doing here?”
“We are… Wanted to talk to you.” Jack, the guitarist and other singer, says before he looks at the Superfriends behind Emma, watching them intently. “Alone.”
“Sure.” Emma shrugs, she turns back to Lena and throws her the ball. Emma walks with her bandmates along the beach until they are far enough away. Though Emma is sure Kara can still hear them. “So, whats up? Everything okay?”
“Er… So about that-” Danny, the drummer, starts but rubs his neck. Feeling very awkward. Frankie, the keyboardist, doesn’t make eye contact with Emma and shuffles his feet in the sand.
Mick interrupts. “We want to leave the band.”
Emma’s mind screeches to a halt. “Leave? All of you?”
“Yea Em. Just with Jack getting engaged, Frankie’s Dad being ill and Danny’s baby is due. We just don’t have the same drive like you do.” Mick looks sadly at her. “We are a great team, but it’s just not the same. After moving to National City we realised we want to settle, have families, the whole white picket fence thing.”
Emma places her hands on her hips, biting her lips to stop the tears threatening to fall. “What about the new album? We’ve already written most of the songs.”
“You don’t need us Em. You are the front runner and can do this with anyone.” Jack tries to reassure her.
“But they won’t be you.” Emma’s heart starts to break when she looks at the finality in each of their eyes. “And… And nothing I can say will change your minds?”
Her four bandmates shake their heads.
“Okay.” Emma looks up at the sky, taking a deep breath before looking back at the men in front of her. “Well, can we do a farewell tour?”
“Sounds like a good plan.” Danny smiles sadly at her and the other three nod.
“Can we give you a hug?” Jack asks quietly, hating seeing Emma so defeated.
Emma nods and they go in for a long group hug. But as the tears start to spill Emma breaks the hug and rushes back to the Superfriends. Ignoring any questions, she throws off her clothes and jewellery and grabs her board. Sprinting to the surf and diving into the sea.
She paddles quickly, still hearing voices, most likely Kara and Alex, calling after her. But she drowns it out by duck diving under a wave as it rolls over her and she resurfaces. Emma continues further out past the swell where she can stop and just lie there. Letting the board bob as she gazes at the horizon. Emma allows her tears to fall. Her face distorts with her disappointment and hurt.
‘What am I going to do?’ Emma thinks. She gets why the guys want to leave. Knowing this would happen one day. Or at least a break, but it still hurts. ‘Since when did it change for them?’ Emma stays like this for a while, lost in her own thoughts.
Some time later splashing behind her makes her turn her head and she sits up. A wet laugh breaks through her lips when she sees Kara and Alex balancing on a paddle board trying to reach her. Alex particularly looks like how a cat would look in this situation. On her knees and very tense having come to a very deep part of the beach. Alex doesn’t like not being able to touch the bottom, or see it. Kara is using the paddle, obviously using a bit of her super strength with how quickly they are going.
“What you laughing at?” Alex snaps.
“Nothing.” Emma smiles sadly at her while wiping the tears from her face. She swings her legs around and places them either side of the board. When the paddle board comes alongside Emma’s, Kara moves to sit down. Causing Alex to shriek as the board rocks dangerously. Emma reaches out and steadies it while trying not to laugh.
“Sorry Alex!” Kara apologises before turning her attention to Emma. “You okay?”
Immediately Emma’s smile drops and her eyes fill with tears again. She furiously rubs her eyes to stop them. “Yea fine.”
“No you’re not.” Alex sighs, hating seeing her sister look so unhappy.
“Guessing you heard?” Emma looks at Kara who nods sadly. Crinkle on her forehead evident of her concern. Emma looks down at her hands, not able to look at her sisters anymore. “I just… I get why…” Emma exhales deeply. “It just hurts you know. We are so in sync with each other and I honestly can’t imagine having to restart all that again.”
“But you will.” Alex reaches out and touches Emma’s linked hands. “Because your voice, your music needs to be heard Em.”
“Yea it's one of my favourite sounds, like ever.” Kara agrees. “But you know you will always have us, right?”
Emma nods, allowing a few more tears to fall.
Alex reaches out and wipes the tears from Emma’s cheeks. “And yes it sucks right in this moment but you will get through this. We will both help you through this.”
“Totally.” Kara agrees.
“Thanks.” Somehow Alex manages to hug Emma without falling in and Kara joins them.
Right on queue Kara’s stomach rumbles. “Oh and lunch is ready.”
“Uh oh the monsters coming.” Emma smirks as she looks at her alien sister.
“Race ya?!” Kara jumps to her feet making the board rock dangerously and had Emma not been holding Alex the red head would have fallen in. After making sure her sisters were okay Emma waves them off.
“Nah, you go on ahead, I’ll be right behind you.”
Emma watches her sisters go, hoping Kara has enough control not to cause Alex to fall in too far from the beach. She keeps her eyes fixed on them, slowly following in case Alex needed her. But when they reach the shore Emma lets out the breath she didn’t realise she was holding. Emma chuckles when Kara returns the paddle board they borrowed to get to her.
Shaking her head Emma starts slowly paddling into the swell and waits, her board moving with the ocean. Suddenly she feels a shift. Emma lies on her stomach and starts paddling hard. She smiles as her board gets picked up by the huge wave. Whooping as her board flies through the tube, she reaches out and skims her hand along the break. She comes out the other end and using the momentum turns her board, shooting her closer to the beach. Until finally her board slows down and she jumps off, wading the short distance to the shore.
“Hey!” A surfer approaches her, smiling flirtatiously. His brunette hair slicked back from the sea.
“Hi.” Emma responds while picking up her board.
“That was a sweet wave you just did!” His enthusiasm makes Emma smile.
“Thanks, kind of wish it went on forever.” She admits, cause really there was nothing like going through the tube of a wave. The colours and sounds were breathtaking.
“Ah man I know right?!” He laughs. “So, I was wondering if I could have your number?”
“EMMA!” She turns to look at Kara who is waving her arms about wildly. Most likely due to Alex saying she can’t eat until Emma joins them.
“Thank you but I’m kind of not available. Sorry.”
“No worries at all.” He looks slightly disappointed but still smiles.
“EMMAAAAAA!!!”
Emma laughs at how Kara’s yells got even louder. “Well I better go, don’t want my sister getting any more hangry.” Emma starts to walk back to the group.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Emma.” He calls after her.
Emma swings round but continues walking backwards. “You too.” She turns back around, smiling and shaking her head.
As soon as Emma gets near, Kara is loading her plate up at top, human, speed. Emma chuckles at the sight and digs the end of her board into the sand before taking the leash off and flopping onto the picnic blanket.
“Who was that?” Kelly asked across from her. Lena pretends she isn’t listening in as she gets some food.
“Oh just some guy congratulating me on my sweet wave.” Emma imitates the guy's accent which makes them laugh.
“And he wanted her number!” Kara teases while she sits next to Emma.
Whistles and ooo’s sound around the group. Alex watches bemused as Lena purses her lips before going back to a neutral expression.
“So where’s the number?” Sam asks excitedly, not missing Lena’s rigid posture.
“Meh, not my type.” Emma tries to play it off cooly while she grabs her top and shorts to change into again. Not minding that they will get a bit damp as the sun is out in full blaze. She also applies her suncream handing it around and reminding everyone to keep it topped up.
“Since when has hunky surfer boy not been your type?” Kara asks confused as she focuses on the surfer. “Honestly I could grate cheese on his abs!”
“Kara!” Emma laughs loudly while she dishes up a plate of food.
“You also said you weren’t available,” Kara presses on, missing the looks Alex was giving her. “Who's the lucky guy or gal?” Emma had come out as bisexual when she was a young teenager. Her Mom and sister’s supported her and Emma was glad she could do the same for Alex when she came out to her. Alex had even flown out specially to where Emma was gigging to tell her. At first Emma was really worried when Alex avoided eye contact and was nervously fidgeting in her seat. When Alex finally blurted it out Emma held her sister close. Saying how proud she was of her and her love for her sister hadn’t changed.
“No one, I just wanted to get him off my back.” Emma says nonchalantly but inside she was freaking out. She’d said it because yes she wasn’t available because her heart belonged to Lena.
Kelly gives Alex a look and watches as Emma settles in-between Lena and Kara under the umbrella they were sitting under. Alex doesn’t miss how much closer Emma sits to Lena than her sister.
The Superfriends continue talking and when everyone has finished eating they split off to do their own thing. Alex and Kelly go for a walk, mainly to come up with a plan to get Emma and Lena together. While Kara, J'onn, Sam, Nia, Brainy and James play volleyball. Girls and against boys. “Original.” Emma mutters causing Lena to snort.
Lena and Emma opt to stay with everyones stuff. Lena is happy to sit back against the pile and read a book she’s been wanting to read for months but never had the chance.
Emma sighs as she looks at her guitar case. Twiddling her thumbs for a moment she draws her knees to her chest and watches the waves. But not feeling quite ready to get back in.
After half an hour Lena puts her book down and focuses on Emma. “Something on your mind?” Lena asks, nudging her shoulder into Emma, causing the blonde to sway.
“Guessing Kara told you?” Emma keeps her eyes fixed in front of her.
“Yes, she was relaying what was being said.” Lena says apologetically.
“It’s okay. Makes it easier in a way.” Sighing heavily Emma turns to look at Lena. Who is watching her with concern. “I just don’t know what to do. I need to look for new bandmates, but that just seems so daunting. Can I really go through that all again?” Emma runs her hands through her hair. Huffing she looks back into emerald eyes. “Okay if we don’t talk about it? Just enjoy what we have right now?”
“And what do we have?”
“Great company, good food and a wonderful view.” Emma motions to the beach around them.
“Yea, I can do that.” Lena keeps her eyes on Emma.
“Go back to your book Lee. I’ll be fine.” Emma tries to smile reassuringly.
Lena doesn’t buy it but starts reading again. She watches Emma from the corner of her eye as she shuffles over to her guitar case, opening it and pulling the guitar out, making sure it is in tune.
Emma gets her songbook out of her case, opening the page to a song she had started writing. Making sure she doesn’t hit Lena with her guitar Emma settles back down. Grabbing her phone she hits record and starts plucking. Softly singing to herself.
Tell me somethin', girl Are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more? Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for?
Emma pauses as she remembers a chorus of a song she’s been working on. She quickly flips to that page and moves her fingers to find the chords. She continues to play. Not realising her soft singing has steadily got louder.
I'm falling
Emma sees Lena in her mind as she sings. Her pain at falling for her friend and not having the courage to take it deeper.
In all the good times I find myself Longin' for change And in the bad times I fear myself
Sighing Emma looks at the sea before turning her head slightly to look at the raven haired beauty. Whose focus is on the book in front of her. Returning her attention to her notebook Emma keeps playing and singing.
I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in I'll never meet the ground Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us We're far from the shallow now
Lifting her head she focuses on the sea again.
In the shallow, shallow
In the shallow, shallow In the shallow, shallow We're far from the shallow now.
Emma pauses and stops the recording. Running a hand through her hair which starts getting more wavy from getting wet.
“Wow Em.” Lena breathes out.
Emma turns to Lena who put the book next to her. “You like that?”
“Yes, seriously… I don’t have the words.”
“Thanks, it’s not really finished. It needs another verse…” Emma goes through her notebook but comes up empty. Replaying the first verse Emma closes her eyes to figure out the words for the second verse.
Tell me something, boy
“What rhymes with boy?” Emma mutters to herself. “Toy? No… Void?”
Aren't you tired tryin' to fill that void?
Emma sighs as she remembers friends she has lost due to depression and addiction. Knowing how hard it is to feel whole and get out of the pit.
Or do you need more? Ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore?
She sings through the bridge and the chorus again, making sure it all fits. But to her horror she realises she stopped the recording.
“Crap!” Looking down her phone wasn’t where she left it. Instead it's in Lena’s hand.
“I could see you didn’t press record so I did it for you.” Lena answers Emma’s questioning gaze as she presses the button to stop the recording.
“Thanks Lee.” Emma takes her phone and grabs her pen, listening to the recording and writing the song out in full with the chords.
Lena watches Emma. “Do you usually write songs that quickly?” Lena asks, fascinated.
Emma laughs in response. “No, not usually. I guess I was more inspired.” She shrugs, placing her guitar back in the case with her notebook. She shuffles back over to Lena. “Can I?”
Lena looks up and nods, letting Emma lean down, resting her head in Lena’s lap. They do this quite often and it always makes Lena’s heart skip a beat. Slowly she puts her book down beside her and runs a hand through Emma’s hair. Looking at the view and doing what Emma said, enjoying the moment.
Time passes on and Emma watches the group playing volleyball. Kelly and Alex have joined them, Kelly staying with the girls while Alex went over to the boys side. Emma smirks when Kara would not so sneakily use her powers to gain an advantage.
But Emma’s attention diverted back to the sea, the tide was coming in and the swell had gotten bigger. Turning her head to look up at Lena Emma pauses. Her eyes linger on Lena’s chest before taking in her profile. ‘Rao she’s so beautiful.’
“Okay if I catch a few more waves?” Emma asks, finding her voice.
Looking down Lena smiles. “Sure.”
“Thanks Lee.” Emma sits up and presses a kiss to Lena’s cheek. As Emma takes her clothes off she grabs her board and runs to the surf. Lena touches her flushed cheek and smiles softly.
Soon the volleyball group end their game, the boys team winning by a few points. They head back to their set up, laughing at how both J'onn and Kara leapt for the ball, only to miss it completely.
“Hi Lena!” Kara says while sitting next to her best friend. “How's the book?”
“It’s…” Lena looks down at the book and realises she’s only got through part of the first chapter. Her attention had mainly been watching Emma surf. “Slow.”
“Ah I hate it when that happens!” Kara hands Lena a drink while they sit and watch Emma. Who had just gone through another tube, much to the excitement of the surfers watching in the shallows. “I don’t know how she makes it look so easy!”
“It’s one of her many talents.” Lena agrees, though there is always a feeling of anxiety whenever anyone she cares for is in any body of water.
“Totally.” Kara says before sighing sadly.
“Kara?” Lena asks concerned for the Super.
“I just… She’s worked so hard. I know she will come back from this, but when Alex and I got to her she�� She just looked so broken.” Kara sighs again. Worry filling her eyes as she watches her sister.
“She didn’t want to talk about it. But said how daunting it is to find new bandmates. Which I can understand.” Lena knows how hard it is to make friends in general.
“Yea it’s not the easiest of processes. She needs to click with them, for them to become in sync with each other and then get on with them. How they managed to drive around in that tour bus all over America and later the world is beyond me!” Kara says with wide eyes, she had joined Emma for a few gigs and thankfully the venues weren’t too far from each other. But Kara found the journey long and boring.
“Kara, anything slower then you flying is beyond you!” Lena's teasing causes Kara to laugh loudly.
“True!”
They continue watching Emma who attempts a few aerial tricks. The spray of the sea flying high above her. “She wrote a really beautiful song just now.”
“Really?” Kara perks up and Lena nods. “Think she’ll play it for us?”
“Maybe.” Lena hopes Emma does. She really wants to hear it again.
While Emma still surfs the Superfriends play UNO. Laughing at how competitive Alex is getting and only getting calmed down when Kelly gives her a gentle kiss. 
As the sun starts to slowly descend Emma finally gets out of the sea. Waving goodbye to a group of surfers she had been talking to.
She notices a fire has been built in the centre of the Superfriends circle and a few of them are roasting marshmallows.
Emma’s body is completely shattered but she smiles at the feeling. Making a note to come back here as much as she can. Even if the weather isn’t perfect like today.
The Superfriends greet her while she grabs her stuff to change. Alex stands and uses one of the blankets to block anyone’s view of Emma. Kara joins in and goes to the other side. Emma scoffs knowing full well she can change without showing anything and there has been no paparazzi bothering her.
Finally dry and feeling much warmer Emma sits next to Lena and places her head on her shoulder. She can’t help but yawn and let her eyes drift.
“Tired Em?” Alex teases from across the circle and smiles at Lena whose cheeks are tinged with red.
“Uhmm.” Emma confirms. “Do we have any more food?” She asks, keeping her eyes closed. “Or has Kara eaten it all?”
“Hey!” Kara swats Emma playfully but causes Emma to jump and glare at her. “Sorry! Did I hurt you?” Kara asks, panicked.
“No, I was just surprised.” Emma sighs before resting her head back on Lena’s shoulder.
“Well I did see a pizza place as we drove in. Maybe we can order?” Nia asks.
“Sounds like a good plan to me!” Emma gives a thumbs up. Pizza is one of her favourite foods.
With the joys of technology the friends order and half an hour later a pizza boy with a mountainful of pizza boxes comes towards them. They thank him and dig in. Emma grabs Lena and her pizza, two cans of soda and some salad left over from lunch.
“M’lady.” Emma holds out the cans which Lena takes. “I got some salad too.” Emma places the container in front of Lena.
“Thank you Em.” Lena says touched that Emma thought about her. She opens the lid and wonders how she can eat it. Looking up she sees Emma holding out a knife and fork for her and she smiles.
“You may need this.”
Lena grins back thanking her and takes the cutlery from the blonde.
Emma happily munches away at the pizza, rolling her eyes when the debate about Hawaiian pizza is brought up.
“Personally I don’t see anything wrong with it.” Sam defends laughing at Brainy’s stunned face.
“But to have a fruit on a savoury dish… it just does not compute.”
“Brainy.” Emma gets the alien’s attention. “Have you actually tried it?”
“No I have not.” He looks appalled that Emma would ask that.
“Then how’d you know if it doesn’t work?” Emma tilts her head.
After a moment of thinking Brainy nods. “Fair point.”
“Next game night I will order one and you can try it!” Sam says happily while winking at Emma, who smiles back.
“Just keep it away from me.” Alex says, shivering at the thought.
“Sorry to change the subject, buuutttt, Emma.” Kara says making Emma freeze while her last pizza slice was near her lips. She lowers it slightly while looking at her sister, who is beaming from ear to ear.
“Yea?”
“I saw you working on a song, wanna share it?”
All the Superfriends turn to look at Emma expectantly. Always appreciative of hearing anything Emma is working on. Taking a deep breath she lowers the slice back to the box and wipes her hands on a napkin.
“Peanut, you don’t have too.” Alex says glaring at Kara. Emma would do anything to make her sisters happy, Alex knew this. So did Kara. And yes, they would both exploit it sometimes.
“No, it’s okay. Would be great to get everyone's opinion.” Emma grabs her guitar and notebook. Reminding herself of the chords. “So… This… Well…” Sighing heavily, Emma closes her eyes to control her nerves. “I kind of imagine this as a duet, but with, well, the band breaking up. I may have to rethink it a bit.” Emma focuses on the fire in front of her, feeling too embarrassed to look at anyone.
She starts playing the chords and sings. Allowing the music to wash over and for her voice to carry with the wind. Emma adds the new verse but as she nears the end she feels her emotions take over, her frustration at her situation and the need to release it. She improvises. Closing her eyes and allowing herself to go with it.
Whoa-oh-ah-oh-ahh
Emma belts out, slamming her fingers into the guitar strings as she increases in passion and volume.
I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in I'll never meet the ground Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us We're far from the shallow now
A smile graces Emma’s face as she lifts her head.
In the shallow, shallow In the shallow, shallow
Emma softens her voice, allowing the natural end of the song to take place.
In the shallow, shallow We're far from the shallow now.
Emma allows the last chord to hold longer than necessary. She keeps her eyes closed and waits.
A huge roar around her causes her to jump and open her eyes. A crowd has gathered round the group and are applauding her. The Superfriends all clap wildly too, Alex wipes tears from her face and Kara beams as brightly as the sun. Emma turns to look at Lena and her smile is as bright, if not brighter then Kara’s. Her green eyes simmering with tears. Emma watches as one falls and she gently reaches out and wipes it away with her thumb.
She then acknowledges the crowd with a small wave and thanks them with a bow of her head. They soon disperse, returning to their own groups and Emma sighs in relief.
“So, was the song okay?” Emma asks while picking at a chipped bit of wood on the base of her guitar.
“Okay?” Alex's voice booms causing Emma to quickly look at her sister. Alex’s eyes are wide. “Okay? Em that song… Wow I don’t have the words!”
“That’s what Lena said.” Emma smiles at the two women.
“Well it’s true.” Lena grins back, nudging her shoulder into the blonde’s.
The other Superfriends nod and agree.
“It really moved me.” Sam says smiling at Emma who blushes in response.
“Yes.” Brainy adds. “Very- touching.” Nia smiles at him. Emma grins too, happy Brainy was able to express himself.
Emma plays a few more well known songs and the Superfriends join in. But as the sun dips slowly into the horizon Emma stops and hands the guitar to James who continues playing. Not as well as Emma but enough.
Emma heads back towards the surf, wading in up to below her knees. Taking deep breaths she watches the colours change, memorising the rich reds, oranges and yellows. Lena comes and stands next to her. They watch in comfortable silence and Lena links her fingers with Emma’s. They smile softly to each other before watching the sun dip under the horizon.
(Part Two)
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symphonicscans · 3 years
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Interview with Hozumi for Sarasate Magazine, 2019
There are next to no interviews with Hozumi, so when I heard about this magazine having one I immediately bought it. Finally got around to translating it, and while it doesn't really talk about much, it's better than nothing! I formatted it to fit the original magazine, but there is also a text transcript as well.
Download the interview in PDF form (or read the transcript below) (I was also really pleased to get my headcannons confirmed XD)
WHO IS SOLLIMA?
Hozumi’s “My Giovanni” was inspired by the piece Violoncelles, Vibrez!
In the story, the main character Tetsuo Tezuka idolizes a cellist named Giovanni Bazzoni, who is modeled after Sollima, and the piece that inspires him is Call of the Cello, which is of course based on Violoncelles, Vibrez!
Giovanni Sollima * Composer, Cellist
Born in 1962 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, he studied cello with Giovanni Perriera and composition with his father Eliodoro Sollima at the Conservatorio di Musica di Palermo. After graduating with honors, he continued his studies on cello with Antonio Janigro and composition with Milko Kelemen at the University of Music in Stuttgart and the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 1997, he founded the Giovanni Sollima Band in New York City, a group made up of musicians who were already active as soloists and chamber musicians, with such luminaries as Claudio Abbado, Martha Argerich, and Philip Glass. His compositions are often said to be strongly influenced by minimalist music, but he has established his own style by freely incorporating a variety of genres, including classical, rock, jazz, bop, and ethnic music from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Africa.
His most widely recognized work is a ballad for two cellos and string orchestra, titled Violoncelles, Vibrez! (1993), which was dedicated to his close friend Mario Brunello, a fellow student of Janigro. It has been performed by many cello ensembles in Japan, including in an arrangement for eight cellos. His other solo cello piece, Lamantatio (1998), which requires the cellist to sing as well as play, is also frequently performed. He also has written a work for shamisen and orchestra, which was commissioned in Japan. He currently teaches at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and the instrument he performs on is a Francesco Ruggeri made in 1679. His first visit to Japan was in 2004 for the “Summer in Tokyo,” where he performed Violoncelles, Vibrez! amongst other pieces.
A Must-Read Comic for Cellists
“Boku no Giovanni”
Writer/Yumi Kogo
Characters
The cast of the comic
Tetsuo Tezuka
A boy who loves the cello. After looking for a fellow cellist to play with, he ends up having mixed feelings about Ikumi’s cello talent. He later goes to study with Yuriko Soga in Italy. After returning to Japan, he enters a competition.
Ikumi Tachibana
The other protagonist of the story. The only survivor of a marine accident, he is taken in by Tetsuo’s family and is introduced to the cello. He grows up to become a emerging cellist in the classical music world.
Tetsuro Tezuka
Tetsuo’s older brother and good friend. He used to play the cello, but became jealous of his brother’s ability and stopped playing. Later he becomes a ‘mental trainer’ for musicians.
Yuriko Soga
A cellist living in Italy, Tetsuo initially refers to her as the ‘witch.’ She has a carefree personality, but she is an internationally famous cellist. She later becomes Tetsuo’s teacher.
Yukari Narita
A student in the piano department in a Music High School. She becomes Tetsuo’s accompanist, introduced to him by Yuriko. She likes his free style of playing and they become fast friends. She brings out the best in Tetsuo.
-
“Boku no Giovanni” is a popular music-themed manga serialized in “Monthly Flowers,” a manga magazine for women published by Shogakukan. There have already been four tankoubon released. The manga depicts the lives of two boys who choose to dedicate their lives to the cello, and it’s become popular not only with women but men as well. The story is different from the usual type that follow music students living happily while competing with each other, instead delicately portraying the struggles of a boy who aspires to find his place in the world of music. It is in this setting that the character modeled after Giovanni Sollima appears, and they play an important role in the story.
The Beginning
Tetsuo Tezuka, an elementary school student who plays the cello in a small port town, feels lonely because his older brother Tetsuro, his only cello-playing friend, has stopped playing. Tetsuro had begun to feel inferior to Tetsuo’s rapid improvement, so decides to distance himself from the cello so he wouldn’t end up hating his younger brother. Unaware of his feelings, Tetsuo repeatedly asks him to play ‘Giovanni Bazzoni’s’ work for two cellos, Call of the Cello with him.
At the same time, a large passenger ship sinks on a stormy sea off the coast of their island; a faint voice in the distance is heard. Ikumi Tachibana, who followed to voice to the beach, loses his mother — his only living relative — in the accident, and is taken in by Tetsuo’s family. There, Ikumi learns that the voice he heard was actually Tetsuo’s cello playing.
World-renowned cellists Sollima and Yo-Yo Ma as models
Tetsuo starts playing the cello at age six. He always asks his older brother to play together with him.
It all started when he saw a video of Call of the Cello by Giovanni Bazzoni, which his father gave him. The character of Bazzoni — who has a great influence on Tetsuo — is modeled on Giovanni Sollima, the cellist and composer, and Call of the Cello is reminiscent of one of Sollima’s masterworks, Violoncelles, Vibrez! The other cellist in the panel, Lesser Curtis, is modeled after Yo-Yo Ma. Tetsuo was fascinated by the ‘shadow dancing’ between the two world-famous cellists and became enraptured with the cello.
***
Ikumi finds out that Tetsuo wants somebody to play cello with, so he can play Call of the Cello with them, so he asks Tetsuo to teach him how to play. Both boys start out lonely, but day by day they grow closer through their connection with the cello, and vow to remain lifelong friends.
The world-famous cello “Witch”
Another person who stands out in this story is the character of Yuriko Soga, a world-famous Japanese cellist living in Italy. Every summer she visits Tetsuo’s house to relax. She has a carefree personality, but her playing is of the highest level. Through Yuriko, Tetsuo realizes how difficult the life of a professional cellist is, but also thinks that he has no talent. As if to fight against this reality, he refers to Yuriko as a “witch” and rejects her as an outsider in his world.
One day, Tetsuo spends a week at his grandfather’s house, and when he returns home he finds that Ikumi has effortlessly learned how to play the Dvorak Cello Concerto, which he is unable to play yet. He becomes angry and jealous of Ikumi’s talent and his ability to play with the ideal sound that he wants for himself, and there are many scenes after this that make the reader turn the pages with a heavy heart; only in comics can you see the mood and atmosphere of a person’s feelings at a glance.
As if to escape from Ikumi, Tetsuo goes to study abroad in Sicily, Italy, where Yuriko lives. Five years later, he returns to Japan only to find that Ikumi’s talent has blossomed. Tetsuo pursues his own unique way of making music, but struggles to find a pianist to accompany him in a competition due to his strange way of playing. Through his connection with Yuriko, Tetsuo is introduced to Yukari Narita, a high school pianist who prefers a free style of playing, and this inspires Tetsuo to search for his own style in earnest. It will be interesting to see how his relationship with Ikumi and his future as a cellist develops in future chapters...
(Caption beneath image: Monthly Flowers March 2019 / featured cover illustration)
Interview with the Author of “My Giovanni”
- Hozumi-san - Discovering Sollima and the Fascination with the Cello
Hozumi-san, the creator of “My Giovanni,” debuted in 2010 with her work The Wedding-Eve, which won the Silver Flower Award at the Monthly Flowers comic audition. She made her published book debut with the same work, which is a collection of short stories of which the title is one. The book won the 4th Pukurog Grand Prix in the manga category, and also placed second in the “Staff Choice: This Manga is Amazing!” It also placed second In the ladies’ comics category. Subsequent works include Sayonara Sorcier, which depicts the life of Vincent Van Gough, and Usemono no Yado.
My Giovanni was inspired by a performance of Sollima’s Violoncelles, Vibrez! The series began in 2016 and is still ongoing. We asked Hozumi-san to talk about her encounter with the cello, its appeal, and how My Giovanni was born.
She first fell in love with the cello through 2CELLOS.
Q: I understand that you have always liked minimalist music. How exactly did you come to know about Sollima?
A: My first exposure to minimalist music was with Michael Nyman’s The Heart Asks Pleasure First, but one day I got hooked on 2CELLOS. I had a CD of cellist and composer Siegen Tokuzawa, but I had never watched a proper cello performance before. When I started listening to 2CELLOS, I became more and more fascinated with the sound of the cello and started listening to serious classical music. That’s when I came across Sollima’s Violoncelles, Vibrez! From that point on, I started buying Sollima’s recordings and playing them while working on manuscripts (laughs). After that, I listened to recordings of Joe Hisaishi, Ryuuchi Sakamoto, and others that had a bit of minimalist elements, but I still find it difficult to listen to completely minimalist music. I prefer works that mix minimalist elements with folk and other styles.
Q: I heard that your encounter with Sollima’s works is what led you to create My Giovanni. What was it about Sollima’s music that appealed to you?
A: More than anything, it’s the drama! Of course there’s a strong element of repetition since it’s minimalist, but after listening to a song I feel a sense of fulfillment, as if I’d watched an entire movie. When I heard it for the first time, I remember being impressed and thinking, “Wow, I’ve found such an amazing piece of music!” I was so impressed. It seemed like all of human life experience was depicted in it, and I racked my brain wondering if and how I could draw a manga like that. I started to draw it, but it still didn’t reach the ideal I have, and I’m still struggling with it (laughs).
Q: Do you have any specific cellists that you modeled the characters of Tetsuo, Ikumi, and Yuriko Soga after?
A: I don’t have anybody specific in mind, because I think the way they perform is related to their personalities, so I wouldn’t want to attach them to a specific cellist. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to use anybody in particular as a model because, for the sake of the story progression, I sometimes have to push through the performance scenes with a more comic-like style…
But I have a feeling that there is a bit of Sollima in all of them. Actually, learning to play the cello has made me realize that more.
Q: Hozumi—san, your drawings of cellists are natural and beautiful. Is there anything you pay attention to when you draw them, or anything you are very particular about?
A: I really appreciate you saying so. But I don’t think I’m quite there yet. I actually started cello classes and tried to play the cello myself, but it’s really difficult to draw not only the instrument itself but also the playing position — and not only for cellists. I will continue to work hard to draw the flow of the skeleton and muscles as realistically as I can.
Q: You said you’re learning to play the cello. What was your impression of the cello when you started playing it?
A: This might not be something to talk about in a classical magazine, but I was in a band for a while when I was in school, so I had a little bit of experience with the electric bass. So, when I started cello, I had the faint hope that I would be a little better than an amateur because it was a string instrument… but (of course) it was completely different. Unlike electric bass and guitar there are no frets, and even just holding the bow is very difficult. It was a struggle for me to make a single note sound good. Since then, when I hear cellists play — which I used to listen to without much thought — now I am in awe of them. When I draw the characters in my work I think, “It’s amazing, they can all play so well.” (Laughs)
Q: What is the appeal of the cello for you?
A: It has a wide range, with high notes that pull at your heartstrings but also deep bass notes. I think it’s great that they can play everything from melody to bass lines, and since I used to play the bass I think it’s really cool to be able to do that! As a manga artist, my motivation for drawing them is to find a way to express the sexiness that cellists exude when playing cello.
Q: What are your favorite songs, both to play and to listen to?
A: I haven’t gotten very far with my playing because I’m too busy with the manuscript, but I often listen to the song Rain by Ryuichi Sakamoto. It’s a trio for piano, violin and cello, and I imagined this song when I was drawing the live performance scene for the same ensemble in the comic. I also like Piazzolla in general, but in particular I often play Duo de Amor when I’m drawing.
I really like to hear the cello played by my teacher.
Q: How much time do you spend practicing the cello? What do you find most difficult when you practice?
A: Actually, I haven’t been able to attend classes since I had a health scare last year, and I’m not able to play as much as I used to. Really, all practicing is difficult, but if I had to pick one thing I’d say that even though my left hand fingering is good, I can’t keep up with the bowing… sorry for being such a beginner…
Q: Is there a moment that made you glad you started playing the cello?
A: I’m really only a novice, so just being able to play a single note with a tight, deep sound is a great feeling. “Amazing! I can make the cello sound like a cello!” That alone makes me very happy. Also, it was really helpful for me to understand how to hold the bow and use proper tilted posture as a reference for drawing, it was really great! I’m also happy just listening to the teacher play so skillfully in front of me.
Q: What color is your case?
A: I haven’t bought a case yet because I’m still at the stage where I’m renting my cello, but I like white ones and the deep red Bordeaux-like color, and in the comic Tetsuo’s case is white and Ikumi’s is Bordeaux.
Q: Like My Giovanni, many of your works feature gentlemen, siblings and their home environments. Are those things you consciously decide to focus on?
A: When I create my stories, I often adapt and build on my own experiences as a teenager, so that might have an influence on my work. However, I think the best part of a story is to leave things to the imagination of the reader rather than explaining everything about how the story came to be. Although there are fragments of my personal memories in some parts, it is undoubtedly the original story of the characters, and I hope you will enjoy reading it until the end.
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frightfurtabby · 3 years
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Himikiyo Week 2021 Day 5: Anniversary Party
// Cute and fluffy, make-up smearing kissies, slow dancing, and awards... enjoy~
Word count: 1434
Links
AO3- https://archiveofourown.org/works/34196977
Amino-  (coming soon)
I need to catch up on cross-posting to amino so I’ll be doing that too.
//
The anniversary party was an important occasion. All actors from the danganronpa franchise were coming together for this event. 10 years ago was the release of the first series starring Makoto Naegi as the protagonist, since then there have been 3 further series and a spin off that took place between the first 2, though it had aired afterward. And they were all gathered together.
There were already plans for another spin-off that was summer camp themed and would be finished later the next year. It was really big but sometimes there were years of waiting between new productions and that led to a lot being covered by tabloids and other media outlets. Korekiyo moved up to a small town in Aomori prefecture with Himiko to stay as quiet as possible, keeping in contact with certain people from among their castmates.
The couple were sitting together in a backstage private dressing room once again, Himiko taking time to brush Kiyo’s hair. Most of their outfits were already in place, a puffy purple dress for Himiko, her matching magic hat sat on the table in front of them.It was so pretty and only a little bit difficult to move around in at first before she was getting used to it. The anniversary celebrations included a dance in the ballroom and awards for the newest batch of fan popularity polls.
“Babe are you sure you want to go for that hat, I don’t know if it fits with the rest of what you’ve got going on.”
Kiyo was wearing a white button-up long sleeved blouse with a burgundy vest, a green coat over both and a long black skirt. Near Himiko’s hat was their own for this occasion, a black fedora which was what she was referring to in her comments..
“I personally think it looks nice.” Kiyo gave an exaggerated pout.
Touching up both their make-up was all the couple needed before they got to head out to the event proper. Kiyo hadn’t decided on lipstick before they had to go to avoid running late. They could do without that but not without eating, which they had to finish on the way out.
When she was finished brushing she helped gather their locks together and band it to make a ponytail.
She chuckled. “Of course you do, well since you insist. Here, have this one, I think this color will compliment everything nicely. Now come closer!” She grabs a nice dark blood red shade. Kiyo had used it plenty of times, including the year they dressed up as a vampire for Halloween, so it was a classic go-to.
Kiyo leaned in like she asked. Puckering their lips out to give her a more complete canvas for her to work with. However, before Himiko touched the tip of the lipstick onto their lips, Kiyo stopped for a moment.
“I wouldn’t want to smudge this so soon, so please give me a kiss?”
Himiko giggled. “Alright, okay. But first…” Her free hand extended and her pointer finger booped them right on the nose.
The former Ultimate Anthropologist feigned shock. “What did I deserve that for?”
“For being cute, ya silly goose.”
They were gearing up for a follow up joke but they were pulled in by the collar and smooched. They leaned into and savored it. Even if it did ruin the set-up, it was fine. Any time was a lovely time to smooch Himiko.
“Okay, now we can do it.” she chirped.
Kiyo re-assumed the proper position and reached out, gently caressing Himiko’s cheek. A deep look into her eyes. “Alright, go ahead.”
She reached up to hold them still with one hand and eased the lipstick close. Drawing it, focused as close as she can on the precision. Even though they had just kissed, she was tempted to ruin it again.
So she did.
They giggled as soon as she let them go. “God I’m so lucky wearing a mask is my trademark. I’m sure people would have a field day if they actually saw how smudged you always end up making this.”
“Yeah well, I’m lucky to have you.” She said, making cute faces in their direction.
Kiyo pulled their mask up and put the fedora on, taking Himiko’s hand as a way to get up out of the chair.
They turned and exited the door. Upon entering the hallway they met up with Shuichi and Rantaro, spending time catching up. Talking about how the cats were doing, how busy it was lately, more recent gigs they’d lent their talents to, that kind of thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upon entering the ballroom, the couple noticed there were danganronpa themed decorations all over. A big banned reading “Happy 10th Anniversary'' went along the rafters. It was certainly doing its job of seeming like a mix between prom and a high school reunion.
At least this one was full of people both of them liked better than most people who’d been at either of their actual proms from back in the day. Even with personal problems here and there it was still more tolerable than that.
A slow waltz tune echoes around the ballroom. All the couples were paired up, most having stuck together pretty much the whole time up to this point regardless, but the Junko was making a big deal up on stage about how  “If you’re not already, couple up and dance!”
Kiyo’s hand was around the back of Himiko’s head. They took time to pet her and look into her eyes as they performed slowly just like they had practiced. It felt nice and warm. Both could close their eyes for a bit and had a good amount of space to nuzzle up.
“I love you dear.”
“I love you too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few dance tracks later, Junko Enoshima got up and did a little bit of MC’ing. “And now everyone, having a good time? Well, it’s time to announce the first batch of winners from the polls! And here to read those names is someone we all know and love. The mysterious…”
She started getting a head count of all the danganronpa alumni, dragging it on for comedic effect. “The mysterious 40-somethingth student that was lying hidden somewhere in this very building… Mukuro Ikusaba!”
The crowd of students clapped, Himiko and Kiyo included. As Mukuro took time to further introduce the concept, showing off the envelopes for good measure, the lovers had a small conversation.
“Do you think we’ll win anything this year?”
“I hope we do. I’m not sure though, since competition is very stiff in all categories.”
“It’d be really cute if we won the couples one” she smiled, holding their arm close. “We may not have won it yet, but there's always a chance.”
“I’ve seen a little bit of buzz online telling fans to vote for us. So we might pull it off.”
It came time, the third category: the cutest off-screen couple. The options were always more open, as there were very few canonical on-screen romances in the show. Mukuro cut open this envelope, like she had done the previous two.
The MC cleared her throat. “Ahem. The winners are… Shinguuji Korekiyo and Yumeno Himiko”
The V3 cast members hooted and hollered. The other 2 main series had just picked up 1 win each and usually SDR2 would sweep these anniversary award contests. Picking up a surprise win would hopefully be a sign.
Escorted by several classmates like they just scored the winning points in a sport together, Himiko and Kiyo went up, and had to make up a speech off the cuff. That’s how much of a last second blindside actually pulling it off was.
Himiko took her spot close to Kiyo’s side and they both stood in front of the mic. Kiyo gently taps it and clears their throat.
“Thank you all, I’m… surprised. I thought for sure it would be another year of us being passed up.” they said
She added “The fans really pulled through!” She raised her award and held it up to clink it with Kiyo’s. “I’m not sure what else to even say.”
“We are grateful for the nomination, and thank everyone who cast a vote.” Asked if they had anything more to say, Kiyo finished with “As difficult as some fans can be, it's always good to feel appreciated.”
Everyone went back down, further winners were to be announced. Neither cared much, but would support friends who could get it. For now all they wanted was to cuddle up together on the bleachers. The rest of the night was for relaxing.
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beomgyushighlights · 3 years
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Circus {H.K}
Day 1 (XII)
"all eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus"
in which the first words Nari's soulmate says to her are "free britney"
or
in which two idols find their soulmates in each other after thirteen days of little comments without knowing who the other was
-a short story soulmate au-
©beomgyushighlights 2021
do not translate or repost without permission
(can also be found on wattpad and ao3 under the same username)
master list
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As the choreographer allows a break, the members of the band sit and cool down while the arguably most chaotic member sings Circus by Britney Spears quite loudly. The sound of footsteps running in the hall catches the attention of the band as someone yells, "FREE BRITNEY!" before they continue running down the hall.
   Confused, Chang Nari looks around the room, her band mates equally confused before she realizes that those are the first words her soulmate says to her. She rushes to look outside the door into the hallway, unfortunately too late to see the culprit. Sighing, she walks back to her band mates and takes a sip of her water.
   "What was that?" Eun asks. "My soulmate." She shrugs. Osamu spits his water out in shock. "What!?" All four members ask at the same time. "Free Britney." She says showing them her wrist. "H.K, 18, XII." Hyejin reads.
   "Okay, your soulmate is eighteen, good you won't catch a case. Twelve months? Days? Minutes?" Yejun says. "Unless you keep track it's hard to tell. Mine said twelve and then the next minute it said eleven so that's how I kept track and found my soulmate twelve minutes after our concert." Osamu says.
   "Duri is so amazing." Hyejin gushes over Osamu's soulmate. "Well it's been a minute and it hasn't changed so it's not minutes." Nari says. "Okay, back to practice." The choreographer says. Practice goes well and soon the band is going back to their dorm.
   The bands dorm is five bedrooms so each member has their own and that proves convenient for when someone wants a guest over. Opening the door, Hyejin hears a loud meow and a hello. "Duri!" Eun yells, running to the kitchen where Duri is cooking for the band. "Nabi!" Nari yells, picking up the small kitten that ran to her.
   Petting the four month old cat, Nari walks to the kitchen were everyone has gathered. "Hi, Duri!" She smiles at the older female. "Hi, Nari. Nabi was very talkative today." She smiles back. "She seems to get more and more talkative every day." Yejun says.
   "She also gets more energetic each day." Hyejin says. "She's only a kitten, of course she's energetic." Nari defends. A knock on the door pulls their attention and Nari goes to open it as she's the closest. She looks out the peephole before she opens it. "Hello?" She says. "Hello, are you one of the members of H.O.N.E.Y?" He asks her.
   "Yes, how can I help?" She asks. "I'm Kang Taehyun of Tomorrow x Together, we wanted to know if you guys have any time that we can meet and ask for advice? BTS recommended asking you guys for more advice if we need it." He says. "One moment." She smiles turning to face the kitchen.
   "CAN SOMEONE BRING ME THE PLANNER AND A PEN AND ALSO GRAB NABI FROM ME!?" She yells. "YEAH." Eun yells back. Eun brings the planner and a pen and grabs Nabi from Nari's arms. "Okay, so, we are really busy training this week but we are available two Tuesdays from now, that's in twelve days." She says. Taehyun pulls out his phone and checks his calendar.
   "We're free then, where do you want to meet?" He asks. "Just bring your band here, as long as no ones allergic to cats." She says. "None of us are, So two Tuesdays from now, here, what time?" He asks. "Two in the afternoon?" She asks. "That works, thank you." He says with a bow. "It's no problem." She smiles.
   She closes the door an shoes back to the kitchen. "WE MADE IT!" She yells. "What!?" Yejun asks. "BTS recommended a newer band to us for advice." She smiles. "Ooh, what band?" Hyejin asks. "Tomorrow x Together." She answers, grabbing the pencil from next to the calendar. She finds the Tuesday that's planned and writes 'txt at 2pm'.
   "Oh, oh, uhh, they have that song with morse code at the beginning that they debuted with, right?" Yejun asks Osamu. "Yeah, Crown." Osamu confirms. "They also have anti-romantic, which has a tiktok dance." Eun says. "I like Nap of a star." Hyejin says. "Two Tuesdays from now at 2pm?" Eun asks. "Yes, it's on the planner and the calendar, just like always." Nari confirms.
   "Taehyun came to the door and introduced himself. He said that BTS recommended us if they needed more advice." She gushes. "You look up to them so much it's hilarious." Eun laughs. "They have over 47 million followers on instagram and they have like over 35 million monthly listeners on spotify. They have fans in probably every country, they have worked with Halsey and others, they have broken so many barriers in the Kpop world, and they have won countless awards. Why wouldn't I look up to them?" She asks.
"Your fan girl is showing, Nari." Duri laughs. "Oh well, it's not a secret I'm an army." She shrugs. Duri finishes cooking dinner and plates it for everyone before they sit and eat together. They share light conversation, just bonding as they usually do. "I'm thinking about getting a puppy." Nari says randomly after a few moments of silence.
   "No you aren't." Eun says. "Yeah, I'm not. It's like that one time I said I was going to cut my hair short, I don't mean it I just said it because I thought about it." I shrug. "Do you wanna dye your hair tonight? I have leftover pink and with your black roots it'll look really good, we can just put it over the bleached part." Hyejin says. "Yes, as soon as we finish dinner that way I have time to shower and be well rested for tomorrow." She says.
After dinner, Osamu and Yejun do the dishes while Hyejin and Nari go to the bathroom and Eun goes and sits in the living room with Duri. Nari sets up her phone to do a live while Hyejin works on her hair. "Hello, hello." She waves as people start joining. "How's my day? My days been very good, we did a lot of practicing dances and then we came home and ate a nice dinner and now Hyejin is dying my hair." She says.
"What color? Pink." She answers. "I got an idea, you trust me right?" Hyejin asks her. "Yes, do whatever you want to my hair." She replies. "Favorite english word? Ricochet or maybe bodacious. I like to say words like ethereal and surreal as well though." She says.
   "Something exciting that happened today? Well, today I had a fellow idol ask if their band could meet with our band and ask some advice because BTS recommended us for if they needed more advice. I was very honored." She answers.
   "My bias in BTS? Not available because they're all kinda like older brothers to me." She says. "Favorite Kpop group? I like Twice and Red Velvet and Stray Kids and BTS and Blackpink and more." She answers. "What are the full names, pronouns, and ages of everyone in the band? Well, fun fact if you're ever struggling to remember one of our names just remember H.O.N.E.Y is our initials. In honey order it's Hyejin, Osamu, Nari, Eun, and Yejun. Age order it's Yejun, Osamu, Eun, Hyejin, Nari. Last names are Kim Yejun, Jeong Osamu, Lee Eun, Yun Hyejin, and Chang Nari." She answers.
   "Oh I forgot to say ages and pronouns, Yejun is 25, Osamu is 25, Eun is 23, Hyejin is 20, and I'm 18. Yejun is non-binary so they/them, Osamu uses he/him, Eun is she/they, Hyejin is gender fluid so any pronouns, and I use she/her." She adds. "What ethnicity is Osamu? Half Korean half Japanese. His mom is from Japan and she moved here and met his dad." She answers.
"How many of us have found our soulmates? Just Osamu, however I believe I almost met my soulmate today because we were taking a water break and I was singing Circus by Britney Spears and someone ran past and said 'free Britney' which are the words on my wrist." She smiles. "Favorite Britney song? Probably Circus because it's really catchy." She answers.
   "How was my english so good at our debut when I was only thirteen? My moms Australian and so that entire half of my family speaks English and from a young age she would make sure I could understand it. Also, my dad was moved to America for work when I was four and so we moved and lived there for eight years then we came back to South Korea when they moved him back and I became a trainee and we debuted a year later when Yejun and Osamu finished their military service." She answers.
   "Are we ever going to take a break? We don't plan to, that's why BigHit had Yejun and Osamu complete their military service pre-debut." She answers. "Do I listen to the neighborhood? Yes, I like Cry Baby, Daddy Issues, and Sweater Weather." She says. "What are my soulmates initials? H.K. and we assume it's not the english way so it's surname, given name." She says.
   "Why am I the main vocalist when I prefer rapping? I'm the main vocalist because I have the largest vocal range." She says. "Song that gets stuck in my head easily? A lot of them but Choke by I Dont Know How But They Found Me is stuck in my head right now." She answers. "Which band did BTS recommend us to? That's a secret but I can tell you that there's a K initial." She says.
   "My soulmate? No, the K is his surname, not first." She smiles. "A question for Hyejin, soulmates initials and age?" Nari asks. "M.L. and 24." She answers. "Favorite Melanie Martinez song? High School Sweethearts." She answers. "Okay, you're hair is done. Let the dye sit for an hour and a half then wash it out." Hyejin tells her.
   "Okay, hour and a half left on live. It's going to be in english now because I saw my moms in the chat and she said she likes the slight American accent I have." She says. "What collections do I have? I have a manga collection, Kpop album collection, Funko Pop collection, and a vinyl collection." She answers. "Favorite color? I like pastel purples, like lavender." She answers.
   "Favorite Harry Styles song? From the Dining Table." She answers. She spends the rest of the time answering questions until her timer goes off. "Okay, I have to go shower and then I'll be going to bed so that I'm well rested for practice tomorrow. I love you all, bye!" She waves, ending the live.
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papermoonloveslucy · 3 years
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LUCY SHUNS AUDITIONS
July 21, 1950
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[In the below article, reprinted verbatim, Johnson writes using a lot of imagery and insider jargon.  This sort of article was common in trade papers like Variety, but seems odd in a daily newspaper.]
Hollywood—(NEA) Lucille Ball slipped me the lowdown on her failure to pin to the canvas the dumb chick role in “Born Yesterday” and make it holler uncle. (1)
She’s got a touch of Francis the mule in her when it comes to auditions. (2)
Instead of scrimmaging for the role with Evelyn Keyes, Judy Holliday, Marie Wilson, Shelly Winters and Jan Sterling, (3) Lucille went bolting the other way. 
The “let’s-see-if-you’re-it” boys pleaded and cajoled. 
But Miss Anti-Auditions wasn’t having any of the competition, thank you. 
“I figure if they want you, they want you,” Lucille plainspoke it. If you’ve got to read and test for it, to heck with it.’
She isn’t chronicled in Hollywood history, but once, badgered by her RKO bosses, Lucille went tripping over to David O. Selznick’s office for a whack at the Scarlett O’Hara role in “Gone With the Wind.” 
That’s what curdled her in the first place. 
“It was awful,’’ Lucille shudders. I was shaking all over when I hit Selznick’s office. My knees gave way. I did the whole audition in scrubwoman position. Selznick laughs and says thanks a lot. (4)
Judy Holliday landed the junkman’s doll role and Lucille grabbed a railroad ticket for a personal appearance tour with hubby Desi Arnaz. She strutted to Latin rhythms, swung a glittering purse in a manner dear to runaway girls and wisecracked for the customers. (5)
MIMICS OSCAR WINNER 
At the last moment she nixed a dancing and singing routine. The star with the forest-fire hair shrugged: 
“I decided it would be silly to compete with Grable.” (6)
A lot of movie queens laid in fresh supplies of smelling salts, ice beanies and copies of “Release From Nervous Tension” when word got around that Lucille was about to whoop it up on the six-a-day circuit. (7)
She’s a blister-raiser from way back and the air was shrill with ouches about a year ago when she whipped up an impression of an Academy Award winner. 
But the girls can go back to worrying about other things—like shrinking from larger-than-life to television screen size. 
Lucille didn’t let any “furriners” see the routine. 
“It's for Hollywood only," she said. “I should take radio-active material on the road?” 
Her Oscar-grabber routine is strictly for unreal anyhow, she says. and no blood relation to Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Ingrid Bergman or any other Screen Duse. (8) She insisted:
“She's any movie star, even me. This character has to go up on that stage and act surprised. She’s only been rehearsing what she's going say flor eight weeks. So she says, ‘Ye gads, me?  But I’m so unprepared. Really, I didn’t dream...” Lucille is generally is as unflinching about the movie queen business as Pearl White was about onrushing trains. (9)
But her knees executed some wobbles that aren’t in Arthur Murray’s rhumba dance book when she checked into her first vaudeville dressing room. (10)
“Those stages—they’re so big.” she gasped. “Hey, I’d hate to get caught in the middle of one of those stages without bread and water.” 
Lucille didn’t take any chances with out-of-town press interviews, either. “I once did a personal appearance tour with Maureen O'Hara and had to show up at a press party,” she grinned. (11)
My sinus - I just die from it - was acting up. The reporter next to me didn’t understand my puffed eyes and cold sores. He called Maureen a lady in his story. But he referred to me as a whisky tenor with red-runny eyes.” 
Lucille’s brain cells work on direct current and she’s not one to make with the figure eights when a straight glide to home base would get her there quicker. 
They still laugh about her exit line to Louis B. Mayer. (12) Mayer always referred to her as a thoroughbred and sometimes compared her to his famous horses. "Yes, and like your other nags, I'm leaving your stable," Lucille said when she decided to bow out of her contract. 
She has high hopes for her new picture “The Fuller Brush Man.” Not that she enjoyed it: (13)
“Honey, this ones that I don t enjoy turn out be the best ones.  This one put me in the hospital. My feet are still bandaged up. I’m a mess. No more physical-type pictures for me.”
#   #   #    FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE
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(1) The 1946 Broadway hit comedy Born Yesterday by Garsin Kanin was bought by Columbia Pictures. Things got complicated when its stage star, Judy Holliday, swore she would not do the film version. Columbia used this as fuel for publicity about who would win the role.  Naturally, Lucille Ball was considered a top contender.  As the article states, she was not eager, however, to prove her worth to the ‘let’s-see-if-you’re-it’ boys (aka producers).  There was talk of Lucille performing the play in London, or summer stock, but her film contracts would not allow her time off for a stage run. 
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(2) Mules are supposedly notoriously stubborn animals - just like Lucy. Francis the Talking Mule was the star of seven popular Universal-International film comedies. The character originated in the 1946 novel Francis by David Stern III, adapting his own script for the first entry, simply titled Francis.  On “I Love Lucy” Fred Mertz sometimes called Ethel “Francis” to indicate she was being stubborn about something. 
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(3) These were some of the Hollywood stars looking to play the part of Billie Dawn in the film Born Yesterday. Evelyn Keyes (1916 – 2008) was best known for playing Sue Ellen, Scarlett O’Hara’s kid sister, in Gone With The Wind (1939).  Judy Holliday (1921-65), changed her mind about playing the role she originated on Broadway, but by then the casting net was cast, and she was just another performer on the short list. She eventually got the role, which defined her career. Marie Wilson (1916-72) was a zany comedic actress in the style of Gracie Burns. She was widely known as the star of radio and TV’s “My Friend Irma”. Shelley Winters (1920-2006) would be nominated for an Oscar the year after this article. She was adept at playing drama and comedy, and had a long-lasting career in Hollywood.  She appeared on “Here’s Lucy” in 1968; Critics raved about her Jan Sterling’s portrayal of Billie Dawn in the Chicago touring company of Born Yesterday and Columbia brought her out to the West Coast to test for the film. At one point, she was actually announced to play the part but the role ultimately went to Holliday.
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(4) Lucille Ball did indeed read (not screen test) for the role of Scarlet O’Hara, just like nearly all of the women in Hollywood in 1938. Ball told the story several times on television, each time with varying details, but probably most completely on “Bob Hope’s Unrehearsed Antics of The Stars” (1984).
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(5) This is a vivid description of the “Cuban Pete / Sally Sweet” portion of Lucy and Desi’s nightclub act to convince sponsors to buy them as a couple. 
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(6) Betty Grable (1916-73) was considered one of the most famous pin-up girls in history. In addition to her million dollar gams (legs), she could sing, dance, and act, too. She guest starred with her then-husband Harry James on “Lucy Wins A Racehorse”, an installment of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” aired on February 3, 1958.
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(7) “Release from Nervous Tension” was an actual best-selling book by Dr. David Harold Fink, published in 1950. Vaudeville and Burlesque shows were often known as the ‘six-a-day circuit’ because sometimes there would be as many as six performances of the same act in a day.  Naturally, this did not apply to Lucy and Desi, who were big film and radio stars at the time. 
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(8)  These were some of Hollywood’s top-line dramatic actors. Bette Davis (1908-89) had won two Oscars, and was nominated for several others during her long career. She was supposed to guest-star on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in “The Celebrity Next Door” in 1957 but dropped out after a horse-riding accident, leaving the role to Tallulah Bankhead; Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020) had also won two Oscars, the second the year this article was published. She was best remembered for playing Melanie Wilkes in Gone With The Wind (1939); Ingrid Bergman (1915-82) was a Swedish-born actress, who, by career’s end, had scored three Academy Awards.  When Johnson talks about “any other screen Duse” he is referring to Eleonor Duse (1858-1924), an Italian-born stage actress known for her grand, dramatic style.  
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(9) Pearl White (1889-1938) was best known as the silent film actress who was tied to the railroad tracks in “The Perils of Pauline” (1914).  
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(10) Arthur Murray (1895-1991) was a ballroom dancer and businessman best known for the chain of dancing schools that bear his name. Murray was often a punchline on “I Love Lucy,” especially when the subject of dancing came up. The Rhumba was a Latin dance that took America by storm in the late 1940s and 1950. Desi Arnaz often called his orchestra a ‘rhumba band.’ 
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(11) Maureen O’Hara (1920-2015) and Lucille Ball had starred in Dance, Girl, Dance in 1940. As a result, the two went on a promotional tour that took them to several US cities, including the nation’s capitol. 
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(12) Louis B. Meyer (1884-1957), along with Samuel Goldwyn and Marcus Loew of Metro Pictures, had formed a new motion picture company called Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1918. Over the next 25 years, MGM was "the Tiffany of the studios," producing more films and movie stars than any other studio in the world. Mayer became the highest-paid man in America, and one of the country's most successful horse breeders. Both he and MGM reached their peaks at the end of World War II, and Mayer was forced out in 1951, just a year after this article was written. 
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(13) Erskine Johnson gets the title wrong. Lucille had madeThe Fuller Brush Girl, a sequel to The Fuller Brush Man (1948).  The film was released in mid-September 1950. 
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1962dude420-blog · 3 years
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Today we remember the passing of Glen Campbell who Died: August 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television from 1969 until 1972. He released 64 albums in a career that spanned five decades, selling over 45 million records worldwide, including twelve gold albums, four platinum albums, and one double-platinum album.
Born in Billstown, Arkansas, Campbell began his professional career as a studio musician in Los Angeles, spending several years playing with the group of instrumentalists later known as "The Wrecking Crew". After becoming a solo artist, he placed a total of 80 different songs on either the Billboard Country Chart, Billboard Hot 100, or Adult Contemporary Chart, of which 29 made the top 10 and of which nine reached number one on at least one of those charts. Among Campbell's hits are "Universal Soldier", his first hit from 1965, along with "Gentle on My Mind" (1967), "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" (1967), "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife" (1968), "Wichita Lineman" (1968), "Galveston" (1969), "Rhinestone Cowboy" (1975) and "Southern Nights" (1977).
In 1967, Campbell won four Grammys in the country and pop categories. For "Gentle on My Mind", he received two awards in country and western; "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" did the same in pop. Three of his early hits later won Grammy Hall of Fame Awards (2000, 2004, 2008), while Campbell himself won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He owned trophies for Male Vocalist of the Year from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and took the CMA's top award as 1968 Entertainer of the Year. Campbell played a supporting role in the film True Grit (1969), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. He also sang the title song, which was nominated for an Academy Award.
Glen was born on April 22, 1936, in Billstown, a tiny community near Delight in Pike County, Arkansas, to John Wesley (a sharecropper) and Carrie Dell (Stone) Campbell. Campbell was of Scottish descent and was the seventh son of 12 children. As a child he almost died from drowning. His family went to Church of Christ, and Campbell's brother Lindell became a Church of Christ minister. In 2011 he claimed his mother was Irish, although this was not true. The family lived on a farm, where they barely managed, by growing cotton, corn, watermelons, and potatoes. "We had no electricity," he said, and money was scarce. "A dollar in those days looked as big as a saddle blanket." To supplement income the family picked cotton for other farmers. "I picked cotton for $1.25 a hundred pounds," said Campbell. "If you worked your tail off, you could pick 80 or 90 pounds a day."
Campbell started playing guitar at age four after his father gave him a Sears-bought five-dollar guitar as a gift, with his uncle Boo teaching him the basics of how to play. Most of his family was musical, he said. "Back home, everybody plays and sings." By the time he was six he was performing on local radio stations.
Campbell continued playing guitar in his youth, with no formal training, and practiced when he was not working in the cotton fields. He developed his talent by listening to radio and records and considered Django Reinhardt among his most admired guitarists, later calling him "the most awesome player I ever heard." He dropped out of school at 14 to work in Houston alongside his brothers, installing insulation and later working at a gas station.
Not satisfied with that kind of unskilled work, Campbell started playing music at fairs and church picnics and singing gospel hymns in the church choir. He was able to find spots performing on local radio stations, and after his parents moved to Houston, he made some appearances at a local nightclub.
In 1954, at age 17, Campbell moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to join his uncle's band, known as Dick Bills and the Sandia Mountain Boys. He quit high school in 10th grade. He also appeared there on his uncle's radio show and on K Circle B Time, the local children's program on KOB television. It was there that he met his first wife, whom he married when he was 17 and she was 16.
In 1958, Campbell formed his own band, the Western Wranglers. "We worked hard," he said. "Six, sometimes seven nights a week. I didn't have my eye set on any specific goals or big dreams."
In 1960, Campbell moved to Los Angeles to become a session musician. That October, he joined the Champs. By January 1961, Campbell had found a daytime job at publishing company American Music, writing songs and recording demos. Because of these demos Campbell soon was in demand as a session musician and became part of a group of studio musicians later known as the Wrecking Crew.
Campbell played on recordings by the Beach Boys, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, the Monkees, Nancy Sinatra, Merle Haggard, Jan and Dean, Bing Crosby, Phil Spector, Sammy Davis Jr., Doris Day, Bobby Vee, The Everly Brothers, Shelley Fabares, The Cascades, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Wayne Newton, The First Edition, The Kingston Trio, Roger Miller, Gene Clark, Lou Rawls, Claude King, Lorne Greene, Ronnie Dove and Elvis Presley. He befriended Presley when he helped record the soundtrack for Viva Las Vegas in 1964. He later said, "Elvis and I were brought up the same humble way – picking cotton and looking at the south end of a north-bound mule."
In May 1961, he left the Champs and was subsequently signed by Crest Records, a subsidiary of American Music. His first solo release, "Turn Around, Look at Me", a moderate success, peaked at number 62 on the Hot 100 in 1961 but reached number 7 on the Hot 100 in a 1968 Vogues cover. Campbell also formed the Gee Cees with former bandmembers from the Champs, performing at the Crossbow Inn in Van Nuys. The Gee Cees, too, released a single on Crest, the instrumental "Buzz Saw", which did not chart.
In 1962, Campbell signed with Capitol Records. After minor initial success with "Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry", his first single for the label, and "Kentucky Means Paradise", released by the Green River Boys featuring Glen Campbell, a string of unsuccessful singles and albums followed. By 1963 his playing and singing were heard on 586 recorded songs. He never learned to read music, but besides guitar, he could play the banjo, mandolin and bass.
From 1964 on, Campbell began to appear on television as a regular on Star Route, a syndicated series hosted by Rod Cameron, ABC's Shindig! and Hollywood Jamboree.
From December 1964 to early March 1965, Campbell was a touring member of the Beach Boys, filling in for Brian Wilson, playing bass guitar and singing falsetto harmonies. He was then replaced on the Beach Boys' tours by new member Bruce Johnston.
In 1965, he had his biggest solo hit yet, reaching number 45 on the Hot 100 with a version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier". Asked about the pacifist message of the song, he said that "people who are advocating burning draft cards should be hung."
Campbell continued as a session musician, playing guitar on the Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds, among other recordings. In April of that year, he joined Rick Nelson on a tour through the Far East, again playing bass.
When follow-up singles did not do well, and Capitol was considering dropping Campbell from the label in 1966, he was teamed with producer Al De Lory. Together, they first collaborated on "Burning Bridges" which became a top 20 country hit in early 1967, and the album of the same name.
Campbell and De Lory collaborated again on 1967's "Gentle on My Mind", written by John Hartford, which was an overnight success. The song was followed by the bigger hit "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" later in 1967, and "I Wanna Live" and "Wichita Lineman" in 1968, remaining on Billboard's Top 100 charts for 15 weeks. He won four Grammy Awards for "Gentle on My Mind" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix".
In 1967, Campbell was also the uncredited lead vocalist on "My World Fell Down" by Sagittarius, a studio group. The song reached number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1968, Campbell released "Wichita Lineman", a song written by Jimmy Webb. It was recorded with backing from members of the Wrecking Crew and appeared on his 1968 album of the same name. It reached number 3 on the US pop chart, remaining in the Top 100 for 15 weeks. In addition, the song also topped the American country music chart for two weeks, and the adult contemporary chart for six weeks.
The 1969 song "True Grit" by composer Elmer Bernstein and lyricist Don Black, and sung by Campbell, who co-starred in the movie, received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Song and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
After he hosted a 1968 summer replacement for television's The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour variety show, Campbell was given his own weekly variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which ran from January 1969 through June 1972. The show's comedy writers included Steve Martin and Rob Reiner. At the height of his popularity, a 1970 biography by Freda Kramer, The Glen Campbell Story, was published.
With Campbell's session-work connections, he hosted major names in music on his show, including the Beatles (on film), David Gates, Bread, the Monkees, Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, and Mel Tillis. Campbell helped launch the careers of Anne Murray and Jerry Reed, who were regulars on his Goodtime Hour program.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Campbell released a long series of singles and appeared in the movies True Grit (1969) with John Wayne and Kim Darby and Norwood (1970) with Kim Darby and Joe Namath.
After the cancellation of his CBS series in 1972, Campbell remained a regular on network television. He co-starred in a made-for-television movie, Strange Homecoming (1974), with Robert Culp and up-and-coming teen idol Leif Garrett. He hosted a number of television specials, including 1976's Down Home, Down Under with Olivia Newton-John. He co-hosted the American Music Awards from 1976 to 1978 and headlined the 1979 NBC special Glen Campbell: Back to Basics with guest-stars Seals and Crofts and Brenda Lee. He was a guest on many network talk and variety shows, including Donny & Marie and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, where he performed "Rhinestone Cowboy". He also appeared on Cher, the Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, The Merv Griffin Show, The Midnight Special, DINAH!, Evening at Pops with Arthur Fiedler and The Mike Douglas Show.
In the mid-1970s, he had more hits with "Rhinestone Cowboy", "Southern Nights" (both U.S. number one hits), "Sunflower" (U.S. number 39) (written by Neil Diamond), and "Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)" (U.S. number 11).
"Rhinestone Cowboy" was Campbell's largest-selling single and one of his best-known recordings, initially with over 2 million copies sold. Campbell had heard songwriter Larry Weiss' version while on tour of Australia in 1974. Both songs were in the October 4, 1975, Hot 100 top 10. "Rhinestone Cowboy" continues to be used in TV shows and films, including Desperate Housewives, Daddy Day Care, and High School High. It was the inspiration for the 1984 Dolly Parton/Sylvester Stallone movie Rhinestone. The main phrase of Campbell's recording was included in Dickie Goodman's Jaws movie parody song "Mr. Jaws". Campbell also made a techno/pop version of the song in 2002 with UK artists Rikki & Daz and went to the top 10 in the UK with the dance version and related music video.
"Southern Nights", by Allen Toussaint, his other number one pop-rock-country crossover hit, was generated with the help of Jimmy Webb, and Jerry Reed, who inspired the famous guitar lick introduction to the song, which was the most-played jukebox number of 1977.
In 2005, Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was announced in April 2008 that Campbell was returning to his signature label, Capitol, to release his new album, Meet Glen Campbell. The album was released on August 19. With this album, he branched off in a different musical direction, covering tracks from artists such as Travis, U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, and Foo Fighters. It was Campbell's first release on Capitol in over 15 years. Musicians from Cheap Trick and Jellyfish contributed to the album as well. The first single, a cover of Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", was released to radio in July 2008.
In March 2010, a then-farewell album titled Ghost on the Canvas was announced which served as a companion to Meet Glen Campbell (2008).
Following his late 2010 Alzheimer's diagnosis, Campbell embarked on a final "Goodbye Tour", with three of his children joining him in his backup band. He was too ill to travel to Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2012. His final show was on November 30, 2012, in Napa, California. After the end of the tour, Campbell entered the studio in Nashville to record what would be his final album, Adiós, which would not be revealed until five years later. According to his wife, Kim Campbell, he wanted to preserve "what magic was left", in what would be his final recordings. In January 2013, Campbell recorded his final song, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You", during what would be his last recording sessions. The song, which is featured in the 2014 documentary Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, was released on September 30, 2014, with the documentary following on October 24. On January 15, 2015, Campbell and fellow songwriter Julian Raymond were nominated for Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards.
On August 30, 2016, during the 10th Annual ACM Honors, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and others performed a medley of Glen Campbell's songs in tribute to him. His wife Kim Campbell accepted the Career Achievement Award on his behalf. Alice Cooper described him as being one of the five best guitar players in the music industry.
Campbell's final album Adiós, featuring twelve songs from his final 2012–13 sessions, was announced in April 2017. It was released on June 9, 2017. Adiós was named by the UK's Official Charts Company as the best-selling country/Americana album of 2017 in Britain.
Campbell died in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 8, 2017, at the age of 81. He was buried in the Campbell family cemetery in Billstown, Arkansas.
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alsjeblieft-zeg · 2 years
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252 of 2022
Reblog | Bold what applies;
I hate my name. I like my name. I have a best friend. My best friend is younger than me. My best friend is older than me. I have no friends. I have too many friends. I always answer my phone. I never answer my phone. I play along with prank callers. I hate when people don’t reply to my text message/take forever to reply. I have/had blonde hair. I have/had brown hair. I have/had red hair. I have dyed my hair more than five times. I have never dyed my hair. I hate when people can’t spell words right. I get made fun of for things that aren’t even true. I get made fun of for how I dress. I get made fun of for something natural that I can’t change. My iPod/mp3 has over 1000 songs on it. My iPod/mp3 has less than 500 songs on it. I rarely drink soda. I never drink soda. I love soda. I love iced tea. I love ice cream, even in the winter. I love scarves. I love skinny jeans. I don’t own any skinny jeans. I have blue eyes. I have brown eyes. I have green eyes. I have hazel eyes. I have grey eyes. My eyes change colors. I think a lot of people are hot but I rarely crush on someone. I’ve been in a relationship for over a year. I’m straight. I’m bi. I’m pansexual I’m gay. I love the smell of gasoline. I love the smell of freshly mowed grass. I’m an alcoholic. I’ve drank beer. I love beer. I think beer is nasty. I have white walls. I have posters up on my walls. I love to draw and doodle. I’m failing at least one class. I have a lot of self confidence. I could use some more self confidence. I’m over 21. I love music. I love the Beatles. I love local bands and musicians. I hate music. I prefer things that are on the radio or TV. I prefer things that not many people have heard of. I talk a lot. I’m very quiet. I live in England. I live in the USA. I’ve finished high school. I’m still in high school I have more than one favorite color. I enjoy dragons. I have/had a collection. I like to read. I like horror movies. I like romance movies. I like comedies. I like extremely old movies. I have a lot of patience. I could use some more patience. I’m a pathological liar. The colors in my room all match. I’ve won an award of some sort. I’ve played baseball/softball on a team. I’ve played basketball on a team. I’ve played football on a team. I have a British accent. I’ve been to New York City. I have a Blackberry. I have a Nokia. I have a Samsung. I love nature. I love photography. I just don’t get photography. I want to be a doctor when I grow up. // wanted I have a fear of spiders. I’m afraid of ghosts. I love ghosts. I’m intelligent about technology and how it works. I text very fast. I hate watching people take five minutes to send a short text. I text slowly. The solar system interests me. I want to go to space. I don’t even have boobs. // lmao it’s obvious, I’m a guy I have short hair. I have shoulder length hair. I have hair past my shoulders. I have hair past my boobs. I have a side of my hair shaved. I want to get a haircut I can’t stand the Twilight series. I hate someone I used to be good friends with. I don’t curse. I’ve memorised lyrics to over 1000 songs. I hate winter. I hate summer. I think too much. I think too little. I wish I was older. I wish I was younger. I like my age. I’ve seen more than five bands live. I’ve seen less than five bands live. I’ve never been to a concert. The band I want to see live isn’t touring. I’ve met someone famous. I’ve seen someone famous at the mall/on a walk/etc. I’ve never met anyone famous. My phone is black. My phone is red. My phone is silver. I’ve painted/put stickers on my phone. I have nice handwriting. I have illegible handwriting. I have freckles. I hate myself most of the time. I hate myself all of the time. I like poetry. I can’t stand poetry. I like to write. I hate writing. I type fast. I think school should be shorter. I think school should be longer. I’ve cried myself to sleep. I cry easily I go to the movies almost every week or every week. I rarely go to the movies because I’m picky about what I want to see. I rarely go to the movies because no one ever wants to go with me. I always feel alone in a crowded room. I love being the center of attention. I laugh when people fall. It takes me a while to understand jokes. I laugh at my own jokes. I sleep with over five pillows. I own something that I’ve had my whole life and means a lot to me. I play piano. I play guitar. I play trumpet. I play drums. I play bass. I play clarinet. I play flute.
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mhdiaries · 4 years
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Wave 2 Cleo de Nile Diary
Ninth Month 15th Day
I didn’t sleep very well last night at all. I had this dream that I was about to lead the Fear Squad onto a stage where we were supposed to perform in front of an undead JV audience with millions of monsters watching all over the world. Only when I looked back Frankie had forgotten her arms, Draculaura had a tiny bat body with her normal sized head and Deuce had turned the rest of the team into stone. He kept saying, “It’s okay we’ll take them home and they can live in the garden with the other gnomes.” Then I realized I was wearing a lunch lady outfit and my pompoms had turned into gravy ladles. Fortunately, I woke up before we had to perform. I told father about the dream and he said, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” Well, perhaps I should lessen that unease with more team practice.
Ninth Month 20th Day
Ghoulia yelled at me today and I must admit that it sort of hurt my feelings. She was sitting by herself in the creepateria drawing something in her notebook and I was going to ask her to sit with the rest of us. When I said her name though it startled her, and she slammed her notebook closed. Then she said, “Oh my ghoul!” “Can you please take your own notes and give me just a moment of privacy?” Then she turned her back on me and started drawing again. I think what hurt my feelings the most was not that she yelled at me but that she thought it wasn’t her company I wanted. She apologized later which I accepted, of course. I like having Ghoulia around because I absolutely trust her. I wish I could tell her that but it’s just not done. I am royalty after all… although perhaps I need to learn to make exceptions for my friends.
Tenth Month 7th Day
Spectra… leave it to her to make a mausoleum out of a molehill. I saw Deuce at the end of the school day, and he told me how everything started. He wrote a song for my upcoming birthday celebration and he wanted Operetta to put it to music and make a recording for me. Of course, there have been thousands of songs composed in my honor but this was different… anyway so Deuce goes into the band room with Operetta and starts reading her the song. Spectra floats through and misinterprets what’s going on, like she always does, and all of a sudden the whole school is in full scale gossip mode. Before I know it I’m being dumped by Deuce and getting back together with Clawd. She even had the audacity to ask me for a comment! I was so angry I shouted at her in Ancient Egyptian… probably a good thing since what I said was not exactly befitting royalty. I even cancelled Fear Squad practice because I totally couldn’t focus. I know that Clawd tracked Spectra down and tried to reason with her but that actually made things worse because if she thinks she’s being persecuted she gets even louder about what she thinks the “real” truth is. I appreciated Clawd trying to stand up for me though. He is an honorable wolf and under different circumstances maybe we’d still be together but undue speculation is something which commoners concern themselves, so I’ll stop now.
Tenth Month 12th Day
Why is it that Headless Headmistress Bloodgood wants us to dredge up the past? The last thing I want to do is write about how my family went from ruling the greatest dynasty ever to being betrayed and dethroned by people we trusted. I will not write about that because even after so many thousands of years it still hurts. What to write then? I have the ability to charm snakes – not with a stupid flute – but I can speak to them and they will do what I ask them to. It’s not something I do all the time – I mostly just use it when Hissette crawls inside a shoe I want to wear and won’t come out. No, I’ve never used it on Deuce although I have been tempted a time or two… just kidding. He likes me for who I am, why would I want to ruin that by manipulating him? I must also wear some of my wrappings at all times otherwise… well it’s not something I really wish to think about. Father also has quite a collection of amulets and charms that will work only for those in my family. Of course, they usually also come with a curse if you overuse them.
Tenth Month 16th Day
I’m beginning to think that allowing Purrsephone, Meowlody and Toralei to stay on the Fear Squad was a mistake. My sister brought them onto the team, she always was a cat person, when she was the Fear Squad captain. If they weren’t so athletic and graceful I would have kicked them off when I became captain, despite my sister’s insistence that I keep them. They definitely have their own agenda and even though on the outside they act like they are sold out for the team I do not trust them. I think if something “better” came along they would leave me up the Styx without a Charon. I even overheard them making fun of Ghoulia one day which they totally denied when I confronted them about it. I on the other hand have one agenda; making the Fear Squad the best it can be. If they get in the way of making that happen I hear Lagoona is looking for new members on the swim team.
Tenth Month 22nd Day
I got an email from Nefera today. Ugh… haven’t had that name haunting over my head since she graduated. Just writing it after so long sends chills down my spine and not in a good way either. She said that she was up for five magazine covers and a spooks model contract. She was also up on all the MH gossip and what was happening on the Fear Squad. Wonder who she’s getting all her information from… not. Of course she gave me a whole list of things I was doing wrong and what I needed to do to fix them. As the older sister she is entitled to correct me if I do anything “unbecoming to one of royal birth.” I am entitled to sit quietly and listen which I did, a lot. The Fear Squad is not about royalty though and as a past captain she is entitled to her opinion but I’m no longer entitled to sit quietly and listen. It’s my team now and even though we haven’t yet won the awards her teams did I believe that we can and will. I don’t know why she should care anyway since her email made it sound like she’s one step away from ruling the world. If I were in her place what’s happing at high school would be the last thing on my mind.
Tenth Month 25th Day
I ran into Clawdeen at the Maul today. We both came out of a dressing room wearing the same thing. I braced myself for some sarcastic comment but she just looked at me and started laughing. I don’t know why but I did as well and before long we were both sitting on the floor of the dressing room howling with laughter. We got kicked out of the store and ended up at the food corpse sharing a basket of fries. She told me that Clawd told her the real story behind our breakup and I told her that I was sorry for not being honest about the situation from the beginning. She apologized too – for not confronting me directly and getting the true tale. We hung out for a while and mocked some current fashion trends and then before we left Clawdeen stuck out her hand, “Frenemies?” she said. “Frenemies,” I said as I shook it. While it is doubtful that two “alphas” can ever be more than that, not have Clawdeen actively against me is a step in the right direction.
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addierose444 · 3 years
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How I Got Into Smith: Part II
In part I, I wrote about my high school extracurricular activities. In this post, I focus on the academic side of my application. I’ll be honest that these posts weren’t as well planned as I would have liked and that ideally, this part would have been first. It was initially going to be a single post, but I didn't have enough time to finalize this part before my unofficial deadline of Sunday at 11:59. It worked out in the end as splitting it into two parts created a new blog post out of thin air. Furthermore, it turns out I had a lot more to add to this part. 
My academics were definitely a strong aspect of my college applications. For some additional context, I applied to Smith regular decision and was admitted with a presidential scholarship. To learn more about merit aid at Smith, click here. Smith was my first choice throughout the application process and I actually submitted my application before the early decision deadline. To read more about why I chose Smith or more accurately why it became my first choice, click here. For additional context, I attended a public high school in Vermont with a graduating class size of 106 with 65% of the class attending two and four-year colleges. If this post is interesting to you, you may also enjoy reading about my academic journey to engineering and computer science. 
I’ve always loved school and education has been a top priority. Between middle and high school, I took six and a half years worth of high school science classes. In addition to the advanced track of our regular curriculum, I took a marine biology class that included a research trip to Bermuda and three APs (chemistry, biology, and physics C mechanics). You can read more about my AP experience here. Of the three main sciences, physics is my favorite. As a class though, I think AP biology was the best. I won departmental awards my first and last years. I was really proud of the first science award as it was a special award created just for me (as opposed to for a specific class year). The crazy thing about taking all these science classes is that I have taken very few science classes here at Smith. Thinking about this irony is part of why I thought to write this post in the first place. Technically I have only taken two science classes (PHY 118 and PHY 210) during my time at Smith. (And to be honest, PHY 210 hardly counts as it's really just an applied math class that’s offered by the physics department). You can check out all of my Smith courses here. The reality is that I fulfilled the introductory chemistry and physics requirements of my engineering major with AP credits.
In addition to lots of science classes, I doubled up on math classes in ninth and eleventh grades. Granted I didn’t take math my senior year and retook calculus at Smith. I think there were some clear flaws in my math education as many of the courses were too easy and had too much overlap year to year. At the same time, we didn’t cover enough trigonometry and had other gaps in our precalculus course. I did learn a lot in my AP statistics class and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the content. It makes total sense in retrospect as I now see math as an interesting and useful tool. Back in elementary and middle school, math was my favorite subject and I loved it in isolation of other subjects and real-life applications. In ninth grade, I got a math award, but unlike the other departmental awards, a lot of people got them. 
My favorite class of high school was AP computer science A. In that course, I learned Java and the basics of object-oriented programing. In ninth grade, I’d been introduced to computer science through a semester-long Python course. In my senior year, I took an online website development course from my state university. I learned HTML, CSS, and some PHP. I also took a semester-long engineering course. It didn’t have math or science prerequisites, lectures, or structured assignments. What it did provide was a fun self-directed opportunity to learn how to use our new CNC machine and work with (mostly fix) the 3D printers.  
Four years of English were required to graduate, so I took our required ninth and tenth-grade courses followed by an advanced expository writing course and an advanced literature course called world authors. I’ve always loved reading, but English classes and literary analysis aren’t really my thing. To read some of my reflections on writing, click here. I managed to win an English award my sophomore year which was cool as I’d never really seen English as a strong subject of mine. Granted, I didn’t like my sophomore English class as it only had seven other students who clearly didn’t want to be there and didn’t do assignments well or on time. I also took French all through high school and won awards my first and last years. I was generally more engaged with school than my peers, but French is where my peers’ lack of engagement had the most negative effect on my learning. I’m not trying to brag about any of my academic awards, but I do genuinely believe I did stand out on my own merit. When it came to French, it was more just that there wasn’t much competition. 
Social science classes were the ones I generally avoided. Knowing that I only needed three years of social science to graduate and having already doubled up on math and science, I skipped the ninth-grade social science class. As a sophomore, I took the advanced version of our sophomore social science class called democratic roots. As a junior, I took AP U.S. history as U.S. history was required to graduate. The other AP courses were of actual interest to me and this was the only one I took for the AP designation. It was one of my least favorite courses, but I defend my decision to take it as the regular version was sort of a joke at my school. Furthermore, the APUSH teacher was also the advisor for the school publication and was able to write what I presume to be a strong letter of recommendation. As a senior, I took a semester of AP art history and another semester of art history through my local community college. The AP course was entirely online through UC Scout. I didn’t finish the AP course as the community college version was free due to my state’s dual enrollment program. The community college course was also fully online and was much more limited in scope.  
I was in the jazz band from eighth through tenth grade. I played the electric bass, an instrument I picked up because they needed a bass player. Jazz isn’t my kind of music, so I never really got into it. To check out some of my favorite songs and musical history, click the respective links. I “quit” the jazz band as it conflicted with AP chemistry. The bass is an integral part of the rhythm section, but rhythm doesn’t come naturally to me and is challenging even with deliberate practice. I was used to being in all of the advanced courses but was in the intermediate jazz band with eighth and ninth graders. Additional required electives included health, financial literacy, and three semesters of physical education. The only class I did over the summer was an independent study for physical education credit. The running I did for the self-directed course probably helped earn me a spot on the varsity field hockey team. I also took a weight lifting class which I absolutely hated. 
I wasn’t planning on sharing my actual stats, as there is so much more to college admissions than raw scores or even academics. What really matters is (in terms of academics) is the rigor of your courses in the context of the high school you attend. However, if you’ve read this far, I don’t really mind sharing my actual grades and scores. I earned straight As throughout high school and had a GPA of 4.26 (unweighted on a 4.33 scale). My school didn’t officially do class rank, but I am almost positive I had the highest grade point average. I do know that at the end of my junior year I had attained the “highest level of academic achievement” which I presume takes into account courses and grades. A lot of schools have gone test-optional due to the pandemic, but it’s worth noting that Smith was already test-optional. I don’t know exactly how merit scholarships work, but I am guessing that a strong SAT/ACT score would be necessary to earn one. My SAT score was 1500 (780 math and 720 verbal). I did study a lot over the summer before senior year and improved by almost 150 points from my PSAT. I also submitted SAT subject test scores of 790 for chemistry and 770 for math level II. 
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surveyhoursss · 3 years
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98.
Prep
I shop at Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle, or Aerospatiale.
I am/was a cheerleader.
I'm pretty ditzy.
I wear pink 24/7.
My looks are very important to me.
I can't live without my cell phone.
My hair is always straight.
I say 'like' and 'omigod' a lot.
I laugh 24/7.
I have a million friends.
I always hang at the mall or movies.
I'll only date popular guys.
I listen to rap & pop music.
I have at least one designer bag.
My myspace pics are of me making a kissy face or are mirror pics
It takes me at least an hour to get ready for school in the mornings.
Uggs + Miniskirts = Love
I don't have a job
I wear lots of makeup. (wouldn’t call it lots, though)
I can be stuck up or snobby sometimes.
I flirt with any guy, as long as he's cute.
Total = 5
EMO
I cry a lot.
I go to local shows.
I wear black everyday (typically I always have something black on)
I write sad poetry.
I play an acoustic guitar.
My favorite bands include: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, or Panic! at the Disco.
I think about suicide or death often.
People have told me to cheer up.
I cry when I see dead animals.
My myspace/Facebook pics are black or white or angled.
I wear many band shirts.
No one understands me.
I don't talk too often.
I look down when I walk.
I wear black eyeliner.
I have an ex I still cry over.
My hair is black
My hair covers one of my eyes.
I always say 'life sucks'.
Total: 4
NERD
I have straight A's.
I wear glasses.
I always do my homework and study.
Lord of the Rings was a massive achievement.
Computer games.
I'm 'teachers pet'.
I've never had a real boyfriend/girlfriend.
I have a bedtime.
I use an asthma inhaler.
I carry a calculator with me.
I bring my lunch to school.
I always follow the rules.
I'm shy around the opposite sex.
I'm always on the computer.
I've never had beer or cigarettes.
I always answer every question in class right.
I correct people's grammar.
I read a lot.
School is very important to me.
I always stump people.
Total: 8
REBEL
I always speak my mind.
I have 0% of school spirit.
F*ck you, I won't do what you tell me!
I stand up for what I think is right.
On spirit days at school, I wear the rival's colors.
Whenever people are doing something, I do the complete opposite.
I won't listen to authority figures.
I always break the rules.
I refuse to compromise.
I'm always arguing with people.
I love debate.
I always do what's unexpected of me.
I don't give a sh*t what people think of me.
If I watch a cruddy movie in theaters, right after it's over, I'll say 'that sucked'.
I'm not afraid to contradict others.
I only respect my own beliefs.
If I don't want to do something, I won't do it, no matter what.
I laugh at compromising people.
I cheer on the rival's sport team to stand out.
Rules were meant to be broken.
Total: 1
JOCK
I'm on one or more sport teams.
I always wear my varsity jacket.
I've won awards for my athletic ability.
I will only date popular girls/guys.
School Spirit
I'm going to a college for sports
I watch sports on TV all the time
I'm muscular.
I play sports or exercise at least 3 hours a day.
Go Team!
I'm a chick/dude magnet.
I eat a lot.
I'm egotistical.
I'm too focused on sports to make really good grades.
I sit at the jock lunch table.
All I talk about with my friends is sports.
I go to lots of sports games.
I'm very athletic
I wear sport inspired clothing.
play at least 3 different sports.
Total: 4
COMEDIAN
I'm funny.
I'm always making jokes.
I interrupt class by making people laugh.
I like to entertain people.
I worship Kevin Smith.
I watch comedies more than anything.
I also watch SNL and Mad TV a lot
I'm sarcastic.
I've been told I'm hilarious.
I always imitate people.
I pull lots of pranks.
I always make sarcastic remarks after everything.
I have to prove myself by being funny.
People expect me to make jokes, always.
I have a lot of pressure to make everyone laugh.
If I don't make jokes, people ask me what's wrong.
Jim Carrey is my idol.
I mostly get along with everybody.
At pep rallies, I'm the one acting crazy and silly.
My teachers or parents tell me I need to focus more on work and less on joking around.
Total: 3
SHY
I don't have a lot of friends.
I don't talk too much.
It's not that I'm snobby, I just get nervous when talking to people.
When people say my name, others say 'who?'
I'm pretty sure mostly no one knows who I am.
People have told me I need to talk more.
I only talk when other people talk to me first
I look down when I walk.
I avoid social gatherings, such as games, dances, or parties.
People have tried to help me be more outgoing, but it never works.
I always plan to talk to more people, but I never do.
I sit in the back of the classroom.
I never participate in class discussions.
I hide behind people to avoid being seen sometimes.
I could never be a cashier, talking to strangers.
I talk quietly.
People have called me shy or quiet.
I usually let others decide for me.
If someone is talking about my favorite book or movie in front of me, I don't join in the conversation.
Total: 12
GOTHIC
I wear black.
I don't like to be seen.
I'm very, very pale.
I only listen to metal or emo-ish music. (neither of these is goth, mallgoths XD)
I love creepy, weird movies.
I love gothic cartoons and drawings.
I don't like people.
I only go out during the night.
I have black fingernails.
I wear a long black coat.
I also wear big black boots.
'The Crow' is one of my favorite movies.
I only date other Goths.
I love black humor.
I love pain.
People think I'm crazy.
I don't talk to anyone who isn't as deep as me.
I love to scare people
I laugh at teenyboppers.
People are scared of me.
Total: 3
WEIRDO
I talk to myself.
I say really random things all the time/have to say it out loud.
I fidget a lot.
I still use a wheeled backpack.
People laugh at me.
I walk really funny.
I have a very different sense of style.
I talk in a robot voice often.
I'll stop whatever I'm doing, and break out in a crazy dance if the mood strikes.
I debate stuff with myself.
I hear voices.
I'm obsessed with aliens and the other planets.
I have a fascination with robots and machinery.
I use really big words no one understands, and they give me weird looks.
I say random lines of babbling that make sense to no one but me.
I dart my eyes from side to side.
I always pretend I'm a robot or other weird non-human thing.
People have no idea why I think the way I do.
I have some very unusual, extraordinary talents.
When people ask me if I like something that's trendy, I pretend to be scared or confused.
Total: 3
ANTISOCIAL
I hate/dislike most people.
I prefer to be alone.
When people talk to me, I just give them a death glare.
Actually, most people don't talk to me.
People are freaking idiots and I wish they'd all die.
I live in my room, writing in my diary. On the computer...
I go out my way to avoid everyone.
I never greet anyone.
I despise people who talk too loudly.
I want people to think I'm a freak.
I never talk.
I can't wait to get off this earth.
I always sit by myself at lunch or anywhere else.
I listen to music on full blast on my ipod/mp4 player/headphones to block out the world.
I don't know why I am the way I am.
People have said I'm antisocial.
I use drugs or alcohol to escape the loneliness.
Why bother when people don't like you anyways?
I occupy myself so it won't look like I'm a loner.
I just don't get along with anyone.
Total: 1
SKATER
I skateboard to everywhere.
If I'm not skateboarding, I carry it with me.
I shop at Pacsun.
I'm obsessed with Tony Hawk.
Oh yeah, and Bam Margera.
I always play skateboarding video games.
I have shaggy hair.
I wear baggy pants.
I wear only skater shoes.
I always wear hoodies. (well, much of the time)
I hang at skate parks 24/7.
I'm always learning new board tricks.
Forget school, I want to be a professional skateboarder.
I've been skateboarding for over 4 years.
I hang with other skaters.
I've been hurt while skateboarding.
I've been in a skateboarding competition.
I wear vans.
Tony Hawks games win.
I've met some of my closest friends at skate parks.
Total: 0
GANGSTER/HOOD
I say 'yo'.
I also say 'fo shizzle'.
I wear extremely baggy pants.
Mah chainz hang low.
I hang with my homies, biotches, and Hoe's
I'm a thug.
I only listen to rap music.
50 Cent is my idol.
I don't give a frick about school.
I steal/have stolen before (as a child lol)
I freestyle.
I breakdance.
Gold chainz is tha way to go, biotch.
I'm white but I act black.
All my heroes are dead rappers.
Tupac is still alive.
I party with all my nigs.
I wear a sideways baseball cap.
I wear hoodies.
I wear converse with the tongue flipped out.
Total: 2
BULLY
I always steal people's lunch money.
Geeks are afraid of me.
I get in trouble all the time.
I steal people's stuff to be an a**hole.
People have called me a bully.
I have beat someone up before.
I'm always looking for a fight.
I pick on people smaller than me.
I push people out of the way when I'm walking.
I've never been in a relationship before.
People are afraid of me.
People know not to mess with me.
I'm taller than most people my age.
I pick on people for the fun of it.
I make fun of everything anyone else likes.
If anyone crosses my path, they're dead.
People know not to try and stick up for themselves when I'm around.
I'm one of the strongest kids in school.
Even some authority figures are afraid of me.
People get out of my way when I'm walking.
Total: 0
GAMER
I own at least 2 different video game consoles.
I love Final Fantasy.
DDR & Guitar Hero
I've missed school before because I was trying to beat a video game.
I'm always trying to beat high scores on games.
I even play a lot of computer games.
I play at least 3 hours of video games a day.
My thumbs are sore often.
I spend all my money on new video games.
My boyfriend/girlfriend has to be into video games.
All I talk about is video games.
I've been in a video game competition before
I pay over 30$ a month in online games.
I have bought more than 5 accessories for my console
I know about more than 10 cheats and mods in the game I play most.
I have played at least a complete week in the game I like most.
I wouldn't know what to do in an afternoon without electricity.
My parents often tell the internet is broken or simply disconnect it so I don't spend whole weekends and holidays playing.
I have more than one online account on the same game.
Total: 2
GIRLY
I have long hair.
I wear make up every day.
I carry a purse.
I have to get someone else to come kill a spider.
I paint my nails.
I use perfume.
I keep my nails clean/shaped
I shower regularly
I used to or still do Dance, Gymnastics, or Cheer/Pom
I like to accessorize
I like flowers.
I don't like to be outdoors.
I'm more like my mother than my father.
I like hanging out with girls than boys.
I like going to the mall/shopping.
I watch my weight/ count calories.
I plan outfits ahead of time
People say I have a soft/sweet voice.
I dream about and am already planning my wedding day
I watch dramatic shows on tv, soap operas, reality TV, etc.
Total: 9
BOYISH
I have short hair.
I hate doing laundry.
I like war type video games.
I like playing or watching sports.
People say I have a deep voice.
I'm more like my dad than my mom.
I beat up or tease my younger siblings or friends.
I act tough, it doesn't matter what's going on inside me.
There's only two emotions.
I shower only when I start to notice I stink
I think about the opposite sex a lot.
My room isn't neat.
I bite my nails instead of using scissors/clippers.
My clothes don't match sometimes, but I don't notice or care
I like to play rough with dogs.
I like the movies 300, Transformers, The Dark Knight.
The best way to get the opposite sex to like you is to act like a jerk.
I don't read
I don't ask for help even if I need it.
Total: 3
scored highest on: Shy lmao
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piracytheorist · 4 years
Text
Allen & Colin interview (pt. 2) summary and tidbits
Again, these are just the bits I found interesting and worth mentioning. I still tried to mention as much as possible, but the interview was one hour long, and I only did this on my own whim to share with the people who, for whatever reason, have no access to the interview. So it is what it is :P
Once again, I recommend supporting Allen on patreon if you can. Without him and the work he shares we wouldn’t have this in the first place. Plus he has lots of interesting podcasts too ;)
(starting off under the cut, I’m very tired right now and there will probably be a lot of mistakes here and stuff I forgot to mention, I’ll try to look it up better tomorrow but I wanted to share it as is now, knowing how not being part of that stuff can be a BIG itch. So y’know, if you want, check it up tomorrow too, lol, it may be better :P)
They started by talking about Colin's career after he graduated from drama school. Colin talked about how in drama school, compared to the "real world", it was like being in a bubble because of the limited number of actors in one’s specific school. So it was difficult getting out and realizing how much more competition there is out there, and how you'll audition for a part that you feel you're ideal for but still not take it a lot of the time. He talked about how early in an actor's career, if they don't get such a role, they may start wondering why the producers don't see what the actor has to offer, when later they realize it can be for any reason, including small ones like their eyes being the wrong colour.
(And I'm here like, how can anyone look at Colin's eyes and think they're "wrong" for anything???)
(joking aside, it was just an example he gave, but I found it fitting because THOSE DAMN EYES)
And he mentioned how, due to the tight schedule any production has, they don't have the time to tell to every single actor they rejected why they rejected them in the first place (he's so understanding about it too, despite how much such rejections could have cost him, I love him so much!), so they can either spend a lot of time wondering what they did wrong or just move on to the next project they can apply for.
"Yeah, you come out thinking that you're gonna be the next James Bond straightaway or whatever, do you know what I mean?" He talked about while school prepares actors a bit about the realities of the world, a lot of people still come out of drama school with very high expectations, and how often that happens. But sometimes it's just pure luck that very young actors get big roles in big productions.
A lot of understanding of the job comes with the experience, he says. Of course training is necessary, but it develops with practice. On that note, Allen asked him if he thought young Colin could handle working on a big production right after finishing college, and Colin said that he can't give a straight answer because while he had experience when working in The Rite, his first big film, he had lots of confidence when straight out of college... so it would also depend on how well the production did, like if it flopped, it would've been a hit to his confidence.
He talked about how his very first job after college was a theater play - also dark and heavy, it was centered around suicide - and they went on tour for it too. He then mentioned Home for Christmas, his first TV role. "It was a great role, it was a really dark, black comedy."
(baby actor Colin finding his place in the world <3)
One of his favourite memories from there was that the prop master had an oyster farm, so you know, instead of biscuits, he'd bring oysters to share with his coworkers. (XD)
He also talked about how different it was to learn to act for the camera instead of the theater, where with a camera you can be much more subtle, and you're not projecting to an immediate audience. He always wanted to do film and TV and he was watching films and such, so it wasn't hard for him to learn to "rein it in", as he referred to it.
The year after Home for Christmas was released, he won an IFTA award for Best New Talent - which wasn't just an acting category, it also included directing, screenwriting, etc. so it meant a lot to him, he hadn't expected to win that award.
He talks about how dark that film was and he sounds so excited about it. Never change, Colin <3
Allen remembers how when they all watched it together, Colin was very self-conscious about it being him on the TV, and Colin said (now) that it's still the same for him now. Like, it's still weird, from acting out emotions ("You don't look in the mirror when you're crying") to the most mundane things like walking ("You don't see the way that you walk"), so even now it makes him self-conscious to watch himself.
Then Allen said about how he couldn't attend the award ceremony, but was waiting on news about it all day and as soon as he learned Colin won he tried to get there as fast as he could. What a proud and supportive bro.
Colin talked how he was in such a high after college, but then due to not getting a job for a long time the toll it had on him and his confidence was very big, especially considering how much more confident he was before. During that time, he was playing with The Enemies as his day job, and he is very grateful to "the lads" for giving him the flexibility to not play for a couple of days if he needed to be elsewhere to have an audition or something. But still he felt fulfilled with playing in the band, making music with it meant a lot to him. He misses playing with them.
At the time the whole "sending out a video auditioning for a role" wasn't a thing yet, especially the way it is nowadays, so Colin had to go to Dublin and London a lot to audition for stuff.
His first agency, before even starting college, was a modelling agency. "We never modeled [laughs]." He clarified that it was mostly because that agency also did commercials and stuff, so it was a way for him to get into acting and make some money before starting college. Through that he auditioned for an anti-bullying video (if I got that right) and the casting directors connected him with an agent in Dublin. He continued with his acting course though, so he already had an agent when he finished college.
His work in theater after that allowed him to hone his craft and work with bigger and more experienced actors, so he kept contact until he worked in The Tudors, where a casting director in the US saw him in. She contacted Colin about connecting him to agents there, and though at the time most of his savings would be going for his wedding that summer, he and Helen decided that he could invest in going to the US and take the opportunity. Six months later, he was on the set for The Rite, opposite Anthony Hopkins. "It was a surreal thing." He talked about how nervous he was for the first read-through with Hopkins, but on that first meeting Hopkins told him "Hello Colin, nice to meet you. Let's just have fun" and it immediately helped him relax and focus.
They originally wanted a big name for Michael Kovak, saying that even though they wanted Colin, the studio might ask for a big name, but once they got Hopkins in for Father Lucas, Colin got it.
(And I just... you know, I find this quite important. Like, it wasn't a common-courtesy promise of the type "Leave your contact info and we'll let you know if you get the role", it was a legit "We want you but the studio makes the final decision", and once the studio had their big name, the casting directors went through with their word.)
He had faced a lot of rejection by that point, so he said that he was very close to giving up before he got cast for The Rite. He still remembers the day he got the call confirming to him that he got the role, and again, how Allen rushed to him to celebrate.
{Ahhh they're adorable, I love getting that glimpse into their relationship :)
Allen mentions how different it is for actors, when they have to deal with a lot of rejection, when that doesn't happen on a regular basis with a lot of other careers. Colin said how one of the most frustrating parts about that is not that you don't get the job, but that you get the feeling that people can't see what you have to offer. And again, they talked about how due to the tight schedule directors can't provide constructive criticism on what went wrong in the audition.
He doesn't consider one thing factoring to his persistence to acting; it felt right for him, but the support from his family had also a big impact.
So much about The Rite was a new thing for him, like even the fact that he had about 3 months to prepare for the role - he even boxed during that time because the description for the role talked about a guy who was boxing all his life - to going to Rome and being part of such a big production was so big but also inspirational for him. Also getting to see posters of the film in places like Times Square or Los Angeles, and having people send him pictures of posters of the film was so wild for him. "It's one of those things where you can't think about it too much, you just sort of hop on and enjoy the ride."
(WHAT A PURE BEAN T_T)
He talked about being introverted and how acting allowed him to put on a facade. When he first went to LA, it not only was a different cultural experience, but also with how it was the thing of going to the right parties and talking to the right people, and Colin said "That's not me." And being a true introvert, he said "I'd rather sit in the corner until I have to go home. I can't go up to some random stranger that I don't know and introduce myself and start telling him how great I am and why they should put me in their movie."
He talked about being considered for a series of big films but he eventually didn't get the role, and I now wonder which one it could be. He said how the directors were interested in changing the character up a bit to make him Irish, so I don't think he meant Superman, for whom he was a contestant at the time...
He then mentioned doing the Pilot for Identity, the show that ABC didn't pick up, then doing Storage 24, then getting hired on OUAT, and how big of a commitment that was, since he had to move to Vancouver, away from his friends and family aside from Helen, who went with him, and sign a contract for six years where it was basically a huge part of his life.
Even though he loved Vancouver, going there was like completely starting over, since he had no support system set before he went. But he was glad for the people who helped him during this change in his life, and even without factoring in what impact working on OUAT had on his career, it was still a very positive experience for him.
Working on OUAT was different especially since he entered a show that was already a hit. Due to his young age he'd never expected he'd play Captain Hook. It was unexpected, but it gave him the job security to have a family, and after working so long he bonded with the cast and crew and felt them as family too (no, he didn't mention any names), especially with people who, like him, had relocated and didn't have that support system set.
(And that gave me the feeling of how it was like when I was studying, when I made many friends who, like me, had left their parents' home to go to a brand new place where they didn't know anyone and made a new start. And that kinda feeling helps you bond deeper with them.)
He talked about how tough it was for him on the first conventions he attended, like, getting up on the stage and answering questions about himself. He became more comfortable, though, when he realized that the actors weren't the central theme of conventions, but rather the feeling of community among the fans. He loves seeing people who even now discover the show and love it.
He talked about how playing in Dolly Parton's Heartstrings helped him "shake off" Hook after having played him for so long, and then being able to jump to The Right Stuff, which was also a commitment (unlike Heartstrings, which was one standalone episode). He's very proud of his work there, he loved the cast and the story, how for those characters going to space was so brand new and unsure whether they'd survive. He's so excited for it to come out, and for people and him to see it.
He concludes by saying he feels good with his career, that the periods of uncertainty and not working prepared him for his future. He feels content, though still ambitious for roles he wants to play but he feels he's given his best self.
He feels so humbled and blessed for his fans that watch his stuff and hopes they'll enjoy his future works.
(We will! :D)
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souryogurt64 · 4 years
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Do you ever worry that you're like an undeveloped 21 yo when all you post is a boy band and fandom stuff, you seem to not really have strong opinions on things, and you don't seem to have much of anything else going on? You were talking about your brother being popular and you weren't and all I could think was "I mean, this kind of fits tbh" I know this is an asshole ask to send but I think you could become a more like, worldly person. You can get involved in art or politics or something
i do think this was a pretty asshole ask to send but i understanding caring about the people you follow and wanting whats best for them, and i believe thats the place you came from. i post about band and fandom stuff because this account is my space for that. im really happy with the kind of person i am and i dont feel underdeveloped at all. i mean yes, i was severely depressed in high school and got bullied and did not do a lot.
but now, im really happy with who i am. i have a lot of friends and go on dates, i founded a music and culture magazine at my college and interview bands for it, i do some photography, i enjoy cooking and baking, i write, i read, i journal, i cross-stitch, i go to house shows, i like biking, and i like to travel and explore places with my friends. i am double majoring, i take my grades very seriously and have made the deans list almost every semester and won a few awards for essays ive written, i work at my college’s writing center, and i work at a grocery store. i just dont really post about that stuff on here. 
i dont think im an exceptionally impressive or special person or anything and i dont think im talented but i dont have to be. but im pretty happy with who i am and where i am at in life right now and i dont really feel unfulfilled at all. i dont know exactly what im going to do or where im going to go post-graduation yet, but ill figure it out. the pandemic kind of threw a wrench in everything as well as a lot of my hobbies, but that cant be stopped either so im trying to make my peace with it and take it one day at a time. 
perhaps my hobbies could be more productive, and maybe i could do a little more, but on a saturday i would rather explore/photograph abandoned radar bunkers and cook a new dish for my friends to try and then write a fanfiction than like, work on a political campaign or be on the soccer team or something. awhile ago i had the opportunity to intern in manhattan and even though it was a great opportunity i just really really fucking did not want to go. this is just who i am and i am happy right now, and i dont want to pretend to be someone im not for the sake of productivity or worldliness.
i dont really feel a strong desire to be someone special or achieve anything, because the truth is, most of us are just normal and if we’re lucky we find our own niche. maybe that makes me weird, but id rather be happy and be writing silly fanfiction than be my 12th grade english teacher, who was a depressed divorced alcoholic deluding himself he was going to be a great american writer. 
also, i dont post a lot of politics on here because i want this to be a peaceful space and not a stressful one, but that doesnt mean i dont have strong opinions. i think that most meaningful thoughts have to be more nuanced than a snappy tweet anyway, and a lot of social media stuff is super performative and based on lies. its like that chris fleming bit about calling yourself a community organizer but not being on speaking terms with your roommates, or that tweet thats like yeah hes versed in feminist/communist theory but does he do the dishes. i always do the dishes. 
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