#common were-ralph W

[artmakerproductions]

TMNT, ArtMakerProductions Edition (#2)

Shredder, Karai, and Tokka and Rahzar: Very much like in the TMNT II film, they were taken from a zoo and mutated; them being a wolf and alligator snapping turtle, (opposed to Ralph, him being a common snapping turtle). At a later point in this interpretation of the series, w/ the reveal of Shredder’s gender, and Karai enters the picture, the two are “born” so to speak. Identical to the film, they misinterpreted Shredder’s words, “Master” as “Mamma”. Imprinting on her, showing total obedience. Only tolerating the two idiot infant minded mutants as their great strength is an attribute to her clan worth the idiocy. Despite the species difference, Tokka and Rahzar see one another as siblings. Both being roughly the same age, mentally. Here’s where things start to get shaken up. At some point, Shredder orders Karai to chaperone the two, the three serving as a B-Team in a sense, and making small talk (being about the extent of the two’s dialect), Rahzar innocently ask if Shredder is her “Mamma” too. Karai says that yes, Shredder is her mother. Tokka and Rahzar glance at each other, “Si-si-sis-tha.” They say. And just like with Shredder, they embrace Karai repeatedly saying “sistha”. Over the course of their time together, Karai does indeed start to warm up to the two and see the dummies as her little siblings, weirdly enough. Tokka and Rahzar are highly defensive of her. Following her command and lead, as they would with a big sister. The two, Karai and Shredder are meant to be a sort of twisted, dark reflection to the Turtles’ family dynamic. Here being an abusive household, rather than a healthy one. Utroms and Kraang: Long ago, the Utroms and Kraang were once a civilization where both entities were of equal grounds, but as time passed and their technological advancements bloomed greatly, the Kraangs’ ego went to their heads and soon saw themselves as the superior thinkers to their lesser relatives and their own higher intellectual status and larger cranium. Now the Utroms serves as the roustabouts and workforce of the Kraangs. Handling all the machinery and work handed to them by the Kraang. Because of this mindset they began conquering other planets and place them under their rule of the Kraang. Many revolutions rose and fell over the millennia, w/ several Utroms siding with the planets they were conquering. Those that didn’t simply self exiled, escaping their home world and fleeing to the farthest corner of the galaxy, earth, assimilating into human society. All hoping that the Kraang wouldn’t reach their spot on the Milky Way. Renet the Time Mistress: Is mostly in character w/ previous incarnations. Where she originates is unclear and never explained: she either claims to be from the far off future, an alternate timeline of the future, invented time travel herself and is from the present day, or from an alternate dimension called: The Time-ension. No one really knows. Energetic, immature, clumsy, brash and a goofball. When Renet visits the turtles, she usually hangs out w/ Mikey and Casey as she finds the two the most fun to hang out with; and they find her time bending abilities cool.  Triceratons: To go along with my interpretation of the Triceratons, being quadrupeds w/ artificial limbs, a 2nd dinosaurian alien race, the Pteranotons. A highly intellectual pterosaurian group that share the same goals and ideals as the brutish three-horned dinos. Inspiration being the Mahars, and that species of arboreal pterosaur w/ the pseudo thumb discovered not too long ago.

Full gallery w/ additional context: https://www.deviantart.com/artmakerproductions/gallery?q=TMNT

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #tmnt fanart #digital art #fanart #teenage mutant ninja turtles fanart #tokka #rahzar #kraang #krang #shredder #karai #triceratons #redesign #reimagined #digital

[golfcattle81]

Not known Facts About Car Electronics, Accessories, GPS, Dash Cams, Alarms

At-home services Car pick-up and delivery At-home companies Auto pick up and shipping You may ask for a quote coming from this business 12 natives lately requested a quote At-home solutions Related Searches in Queens, NY Related Talk Topics All I understand is electronics and water don't go effectively together. This has to be a chat with a girl. A lady desires a quote because I'm a item designer that suches as technology and has products that aren't costly to make but that are very little in cost. The device could operate fine for a although, but will definitely inevitably malfunction when you least… Associated Cost Guides Related Cost Guides Related Service Offering Cost Guides Related Service Offering Cost Guides Frequently Asked Questions and Answers What did folks explore for similar to auto electronics in Queens, NY? 1. Is this brand new product available anywhere other vehicle purchases were offered under this name? 2. What's the cost tag? 3. What is the overall price per device? 4. How many parts are in stock? Folks additionally explored for these in Queens: What are some well-known companies for cars and truck stereo installment? Are there ways you can acquire help coming from our consumers? How are they making use of these? Allow us understand in the comments down beneath! The CarPlay Project is a brand-new and open service provide to assist customers and drivers with their auto stereo installation needs. It's a entertaining method for anyone to link along with CarPlay through a phone or on the internet kind. Some well-known services for cars and truck stereo installment consist of: What are individuals mentioning regarding auto stereo setup solutions in Queens, NY? Have you mounted autos stereo in your community previously? What service would you just like to find put in in a construction along the northern side of Queens, NY? What are the obstacles people encounter to put in a stereo or identical kind of system? Have you tried setting up stereo in your house and found no problems? This is a testimonial for a car stereo installation business in Queens, NY: "My am and fm went out on my manufacturing plant 2004 g35 sports car Bose broadcast. We possessed 4 proprietors in our group and were fortunate enough to pick one of our very own (Ralph). All the owners in our team had the exact same encounter on this brand new (2016) new cars and truck! We opted for this unit so it was hard to take the whole manufacturing plant broadcast apart. Reviewed the evaluations for uncle jacks vehicle stereo, determined to offer them a shot. Currently in its third month, it's obtained a modern brand-new appearance and a refreshed machinery. On Key Reference , I'd mention it's one of the absolute best car stereo bodies I've seen (it's also the one I'd suggest to my clients). All you have to include is a simple-yet-simple configuration. And right here's where it obtains actually interesting. It was a pleasure doing organization along with Adam and George. Give thanks to you thus a lot for making it possible for my pal and my other half to ended up being buddies along with you and right now we get to play a incredibly close activity. Thus thankful for watching a bunch of young people take on all this. Thanks once more for discussing with us all. I like everyone on every level What makes me happiest is simply knowing that therefore lots of of my close friends share your enthusiasm for soccer. As the greatest friend I can, I'm honored of that. For anyone who doesn't recognize, working on 03-04 g35s broadcasts are a catastrophe. They're an obsolete and nearly non-functioning substitute to the common VHF 775, 1125, 700 and 700S, along with limited energy and performance. They are going to not be made use of for reduced regularity apps like reception, phone call opportunity, broadcast celebration and communications. The most considerable trouble is the high regularity bands around 12, 20 and 25 MHz, or about 15-18 GHz.

It is all inter-connected with the temperature command and navigation. The brand-new body might possess the most enhanced sensing unit, and much more enhanced tools and sensors for navigation and electrical power generation. The brand new radar is the most sophisticated radar ever built, consisting of a electronic video recording that is incredibly capable of finding a great deal of points, and can easily be scanned when there is an issue. We don't know also several traits concerning this technology. They performed a excellent task installing the substitute kit and improved broadcast. I will certainly always keep these in the freezer and I am not trying to take them in the freezer so I can provide it yet another appearance and not drop out on the service. What regarding others who ask for a refund? I simply acquired a information from the client company broker that stated they were looking to relocate my vehicle. No review on his ask for and no opinion on anything related to the brand new plan. They even assisted me change out my viper alert alarm and an amp electrical power collection adapter because it was broken complimentary of charge. Once I acquired it back I began saving for emergencies and saving my day. Eventually this little set additionally assisted correct the issue that I possessed with everything regarding the package and it has done a superb project of conserving my life thus much (save $12) 5/5 Thus thanks for the help and I hope you locate it helpful. Adam also provided to contact me and pay out for an Uber to acquire residence after I lost off the cars and truck. He mentioned he would get me what he can obtain, but I wouldn't obtain Uber at all because I was at job all the time. Once once more, my manager told me that my Uber was at threat, and had already relocated on so I couldn't cease calling. He informed me to go somewhere else than that, and pointed out it was the only realistic program of action.

#car #automotive #vehicle

[whatevergreen]

The Occupation of Alcatraz 1969-1970

From top:

- A group of Native Americans including Timm Williams (in headdress) of the Yurok tribe, on one of the trips to Alcatraz Island, c1969. Ralph Crane.

- Games outside the prison wall, with the sign altered from “United States Property” to “United Indian Property.” November 26, 1969. AP photo.

- Occupants cook and eat outside of the Alcatraz Cell Block, 1970 University of Illinois.

- John Trudell, a Sioux activist, looks out across San Francisco Bay from a tipi (aka tepee or teepee) on Alcatraz Island, 1969. AP photo.

- Another view of the tipi, looking towards the Golden Gate. 1970.

- Left to right, Richard Oakes, Earl Livermore, and Al Miller, leaders of the American Indian Movement hold a press conference at Alcatraz on December 24, 1969.

Richard Oakes and others photographed in the Exercise Yard on Alcatraz Island, in November 1970, Kent Blansett.

Alcatraz island was the location of a fort and military prison established during the 1850s, and later the infamous Alcatraz jail from 1934 until its closure in 1963.

Some years after its abandonment, over 120 Native Americans and other supporters siezed and occupied the vacated island from November 20 1969 until June 1971, seeking to reclaim it as indigenous land in accordance with treaties made between the US government and Native Americans. Alcatraz was part of the traditional territory of the coastal Ohlone, Ramaytush and Miwok peoples.

During the occupation period, it is estimated that over 10,000 indigenous people from across North America and beyond spent some time at the island to support the movement. The Black Panthers also provided assistance during the initial move to secure the island.

The group was led by a young former ironworker and Akwesasne Mohawk called Richard Oakes, who was a student at San Francisco State College. Also by LaNada Means, a student at Berkeley who was a Shoshone/Bannock citizen from the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho, and who had come to San Francisco as part of the Bureau of Indian Affair’s (BIA) inept relocation programme. They were leaders of the newly formed organisation, Indians of All Tribes (IAT). Another notable figure was the Sioux actor/poet John Trudell who later went on to lead the American Indian Movement (AIM).

They and others within the core of the group were also accompanied by their families.

Above: Activists view the main cell block, November 1969. AP photo.

Through the technical assistance of the occupiers and support from donors, IAT set about restoring water, sanitation and electricity to the former prison.

IAT created its own Bureau of Caucasian Affairs, requiring all whites to register with the bureau before setting foot on the island. It also staged a mock trial to hold the federal government responsible for past and contemporary injustices.

The occupation, though unsuccessful in restoring the land to Native Americans, did succeed in bringing together many of the indigenous (and non-indigenous) peoples in a common cause, and raised global awareness of the still unresolved issues: the theft from and the neglect, abuse, and racial discrimination against Native peoples.

Above: Some of the community gathered in the prison yard, November 26, 1969 Robert W. Klein/AP photo

After the end of the Alcatraz occupation, Richard Oakes and others of IAT organised several further occupations or takeovers. Many of them were successful. The takeover of Fort Lawton, a military base in Seattle that had been declared surplus property, led to the creation of the Daybreak Star Indian Center. The occupation of a former US Army communications centre in northern California resulted in the site being turned into a Tribal college, or D-Q University.

The occupation also encouraged indigenous movements across the world, from Mexico and Norway to Australia, to continue or revive their fights against discrimination and colonization.

Above: John Trudell on Alcatraz during the occupation with his family: his then-wife, Fenicia Ordóñez; Tara Trudell (left) and Mari Oja (right). At the time, Ms. Ordóñez was pregnant with the couple’s son, Wovoka, who was born on the island on July 20, 1970. Bengt af Geijerstam.

#alcatraz #indigenous #occupation #san francisco #native americans #1960s #1970s #protests #anti racism #colonisation

[electronicgrowth]

Can’t Get Enough Chapter 1

AN: Actual chapter 1. This is already smuttttty. I format shitty. Sorry. Let me introduce you to Miss Billie. I love her and I stole both parts of her name from my different ancestors. 

Summary: The two most stubborn people in Knockemstiff, Ohio have eyes for only each other. Lee Bodecker is determined to become the town’s next sheriff. He knows that image is everything. Billie Dechswaan doesn’t care about her image at all. All she wants is to leave Knockemstiff and never come back. But Lee has other plans for her. Both are far too stubborn to give up their own plans. What happens when they can’t get enough of each other?

Word Count: 2.7k

The first time Lee saw her, like really saw her, was at one of the high school football games. She was cheering on the sidelines. She did a high kick and Lee couldn’t help but stare at her exposed thighs. From there his eyes traced up her body. Her cheer sweater was thick and the neckline was high, but he could tell that her curves were pressing the confines of the sweater. Next he noticed her smile. It was bright and genuine. During the football games he would watch her. Watching her joke around with the other girls. When she would laugh, he swore that his world stopped. He wanted to be the reason she laughed and smiled. 

Sometimes when he watched her, she would look up directly at him. Did she sense him staring? She would smile at him. Was she smiling to be polite? Lee couldn’t figure her out. At church on Sundays he would stare at her sitting with her large family. His mind would wander, wander to places that it shouldn’t be going during church. Between the services she would help serve lunch. She paid special attention to Lee, always making sure that his glass was full of sweet tea or coffee. She often encouraged him to try the dessert she would make. Sometimes she even sat with him and asked him questions about what being a police officer was like. Lee was sure that he bored her, but she always appeared to be engaged and interested. Lee often wondered if she enjoyed toying with him. And Billie wondered if Lee paid any mind at all to her flirting. She was  enamored with young Deputy Bodecker. His jaw was sharp and his eyes were the most beautiful blue she had ever seen. She could tell he was strong, even if he was softer around the middle than most boys her own age. He was a man, and she liked that. She was positive that he didn’t feel the same. The only hint Billie ever got was that Lee slowly started to visit her at her job. 

Billie worked at the diner after school and on the weekends. It was relatively common for the Ross County deputies to stop by the cafe for breakfast or lunch on Saturday. But slowly Lee came in more and more. By April of that year, he ate there for lunch every Saturday. He sat at the countertop so he could talk with Billie between her other customers. He learned that she loved to read, she wanted to be an English teacher. She wanted to go to school in a big city and then teach for a few years before having kids of her own. She learned about his mother and sister. His mother had passed years before. She learned that he owned a house. He always commented that it was a nice house but he didn’t know what to do with all the space. Hinting that it needed a woman’s touch or a few babies to fill it.  

Billie tried to ignore the thrill that gave her. She had a plan and she couldn’t let Lee distract her from it. No matter how handsome she thought he was. Plus, there was no way someone ten years older than her cared at all. And yet, she always caught him staring at her. He looked like a hungry wolf surveying its prey. The thought of being Lee’s prey made her weak in the knees. Billie went on dates with boys from school. None were talented with kissing. They fumbled too much for Billie’s liking. None of them made her feel what Lee made her feel. At night she would think about what it would be like to let Lee kiss her. She would clench her thighs at the thought. Sometimes her hand would slip between her thighs. She imagined that it was Lee touching her. 

Lee did the same. Every time he went on a date and they would jerk him off, he imagined it was Billie. Although, if he got Billie in the front seat of his cruiser he wouldn’t just have her jerk him off. He would touch her and she would be soaking for him. He would be gentle at first, but he would ruin her for all other men. He thought of what Billie would sound like moaning his name when he touched himself. Thinking of Billie always made him come quickly. He started imagining what it would be like to bring her back to his house. What it would be like if he came home to her every night. Lee knew he would probably marry Billie if he was given the chance. He prayed that he would find an opportunity to get her alone. If he was vigilant enough he was sure he could catch her on a date. Separate her from whatever boy she was with. Drive her out to another abandoned location and take what he wanted. 

He caught her once, just before he was elected Sheriff the first time. It was right after her graduation. She was kissing on some old football player after the graduation ceremony, he was sure they’d been drinking. They were parked on a deserted side street. Lee was out patrolling that night, but really he had seen Billie get in the car with the boy, Ralph was his name, and followed them. He saw them pull down that street and park the car. He was quick to walk over to the car, flashlight in hand. He could see them kissing. The boy was clumsy. Billie wasn’t. She moved languidly. She was a little vixen. She opened her eyes and saw Lee before he could knock on the glass window with a flashlight. A mischievous look flashed in her eyes. 

“Open the window, this is Deputy Bodecker,” The window was quickly rolled down.

The boy was nervous, but she just smirked. Almost like she was excited to be caught. Lee watched her make a big show of adjusting her dress. She adjusted it so even more of her breasts were showing. Ralph was focused on Lee, so what was the point of her doing that if not for him?

“Alright break it up. Boy, I’m gonna let you off with a warning. I don’t want to catch you doing this again, or I’ll let your daddy tan your hide. You just get on home.”

“Yes sir.”

“You missy” he points, “you’re coming with me.” 

She rolled her eyes before getting out of the car. Ralph drove away quickly. Billie watched him drive away before speaking.

“What? You gonna run me in or something?” She asked.

“Just wanna make sure you get home safe with your honor intact,” he responded, shoving her into his car.

“What makes you so sure it is still intact?” She inquires as he settles himself into the driver’s seat. 

“Girlie, I know everything that goes on in this town.” She slid over on the bench closer to him. She was practically pressed up against him. Lee’s body was vibrating in anticipation. But he knew he had to keep himself in check. 

“Right, cuz you’re gonna be the sheriff one day, right Lee?” Her hand went to his thigh. 

He raised an eyebrow at her. What was she doing? 

“Careful girl.” 

“Or what?” She teases, “You gonna punish me?” She skated her hand up his thigh and started to palm his crotch. 

“You sure you wanna start that, sugar?” Lee asked skeptically, biting the words out from clenched teeth. 

“I see the way you look at me. I see you getting all hot for me in my cheer uniform.” She whispered in his ear. Her hands go to his belt and she undoes it and his pants. She pulls his cock out, curling her hand around the length and pumping him up and down. He nearly veers off the road in shock. He clears his throat, trying to stay calm. He maintains control until he pulls over into the abandoned gas station parking lot. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” He’s shocked by her actions. He never imagined that she would come on to him. 

“Oh please. I’ve seen you at the drive-in before with those girls you take on dates. I know what you do in your cruiser.”

“W-what?” He asks in a panic. How does she know? Do other people know? 

“Calm down. I only know because I pay attention to you. Just answer me this deputy, have you thought about me when you touch yourself or when those hussies at the drive-in touch you?” She kept pumping him. “I bet you think about really taking me don’t you?”

“You have quite the mouth on you, sugar,” he tells her through gritted teeth. 

She was right. He did think about her. Every time he touched himself he thought of Billie. Every time one of this dates jacked him off he was really thinking of Billie. Lee didn’t answer her, he decided his best course of action was toy with her just as she was with him. He pushed his hand up her leg and to the apex of her thighs. He moved her soaked panties to the side so he could plunge into her with his fingers. She moaned loudly, biting her lip. 

“You didn’t answer me,” she pouts, slowing her hands. 

“You’re right. I think about you all the time. God you’re tight.” 

Lee caught her lips in a desperate kiss. She moaned into his mouth. Lee was spurred on. Fucking her with his fingers. She was pumping him vigorously. The hand that wasn’t between her legs went to her breasts palming them. She had great tits. Lee always thought so. She ran her tongue against his. He could feel her wetness pool into his palm. She grabbed his tie and pulled him down on top of her as she laid down across the front seat. 

He pulled her panties off and tossed them onto the floor, flipping her dress up so he could see her pussy glisten in the moonlight. He couldn’t take her like this. Not in the front seat of the cruiser. He shoved her hands away, but kept his fingers inside of her. With his other hand he rubbed his cock along her pussy lips. Thrusting so his length bumped over her clit, and was soaked by her slit. 

“I won’t fuck you tonight, baby. You deserve to be taken in a bed. But God, you feel so good,” he grunted. 

“Lee,” she gasps. He keeps curling his fingers inside her, she’s obscenely wet. Lee is dying to get inside of her, but he knows he has to wait. 

“So wet,” he murmurs, “You always get this wet when boys touch you?” 

“No,” she whimpers. 

“What’s got you so worked up this time, darlin’?” He smirks, he knows the answer. 

“You.” Her pussy tightens as she answers. She thrusts her hips against his cock. The head doesn’t enter her only because his fingers are inside her. 

He continues his assault of her until she comes with a shout. Her pussy flutters around his fingers. When she’s fully come down from her high, Lee shoves his fingers into her mouth, continuing to rub his cock up against her lower lips. She sucks on each of his fingers with relish, as Lee continues to thrust against her slit. She lets each finger go with a loud pop of her lips. Then she gets a mischievous look in her eye. She pushes her hips up again. This time the head of his cock slips down and rests just against her entrance. Lee raises an eyebrow at her. He knows he could get inside her easily, she’s so wet. Her dainty hand reaches between them, she grips his cock and pushes it inside her so just the tip rests inside. It takes all of Lee’s self control not to thrust the rest of the way in. But he doesn’t want to take her and have her regret it. 

“We can’t,” he huffs, trying to catch his breath. 

“I just wanted to know what it would feel like to have you inside me, just a little bit,” she whispers. 

“Not tonight, baby,” Lee tells her. He tries to pull out, but her legs cage him in. 

“Just put a little more in,” she begs her hips thrust up trying to force the movement, “It won’t even count.” 

“Not tonight,” he repeats, “You deserve to be fucked somewhere better than a car.” She lets her legs drop, and Lee pulls out. The head of his cock is soaked with her. 

“Finish in my mouth,” she pants. Lee goes wide eyed. Sure, he didn’t date the most reputable of women but never had one offered to do that. He sits back up and nods at her. She happily gets down on her knees. She eagerly licks her essence off of his length before taking him into her mouth, slowly, bit by bit. Finally she take him down her throat. She groans around Lee, he doesn’t even have to direct her. She’s already hollowing out her cheeks and bobbing up and down. He’s trying not to thrust up. He doesn’t want her to gag. But he can’t control himself. When she gags around his length, more salvia runs down to his balls. She looks up at him, then forces herself to gag around him. She starts to do that slowly, but speeds up. Lee can’t take the vision in front of him. His little angel on her knees, his whole cock in her mouth. And she’s trying so hard to please him that spit is dripping down her chin. 

“Oh fuck,” Lee growls, grabbing the back of her head and holding her in place while he cums in her mouth. She swallows all of it down, only a small drop appearing at the corner of her lips. She wipes it away with a finger before sucking the remaining cum off of said finger. 

“You taste so good, deputy,” she smirks. Lee is utterly gobsmacked. This little minx has him wrapped around her little finger. She rights her dress as Lee tucks himself back into his pants. She joins him on the bench. Snuggling into him. Lee wraps one arm around her and drives her home. Upon arriving back at her house she hops out of the car. 

“I’ll see you around Deputy Bodecker. Thanks again for the ride,” she teases. She starts to walk away but turns around as if she’s forgotten something, she comes right up to the driver side window. 

“I’m sorry,” she begins, an innocent look on her face, “I almost took these, and they belong to you.” She shoves her soiled panties into the pocket of his leather jacket and winks at him. 

“Goodnight Deputy.” Lee watched her walk up the steps and into the house before recovering enough to drive away. Lee managed to drive himself home, albeit in an intense daze. He was already thinking of how he would court Billie. Make her Billie Bodecker. She was supposed to leave for college in the fall, but he couldn’t let her leave now. She would get a job in town for now. And after the appropriate amount of time he would marry her. Or maybe he would just knock her up and keep her. It didn’t matter how he did it, as long as he got her. He had already made the decision by the time he laid down in bed that night. 

#lee bodecker #lee bodecker x y/n #lee bodecker x reader #lee bodecker x female reader #lee bodecker x ofc #the devil all the time #tdatt #lee bodecker smut

[tomorrowusa]

The Tories fear a progressive alliance, and Labour and the Liberal Democrats seem to fear saying openly that they want one.

Neal Lawson at The Guardian.

The inability of pro-democracy, anti-reactionary forces to cooperate with each other has led to disaster in several Western democracies.

In the UK the Conservatives have ranged between 36.1% and 43.6% of the popular vote in national elections for the past 13 years. Despite the low numbers they have led every government since 2010.

First Nick Clegg of the Lib Dems foolishly got duped into forming a coalition with the Conservatives and then got the blame by the voters for David Cameron’s excesses. Then Labour chose a neo-Trotskyite as its leader and lost a winnable election in 2017.

The Lib Dems and Labour need to choose at least somewhat compatible leaders to be able to work together. They needn’t be on the same page but should at least be reading the same book.

But most of the problem of electability comes from simple math. When Labour and the Lib Dems split votes in constituencies where the Conservatives don’t win by large margins then they let those Conservatives slip through. Without some sort of electoral pact, this will continue to happen and Boris Johnson will keep partying at Number 10.

The US has a different system but also has problems with progressive disunity. Several times this century Americans elected Republicans who got fewer popular votes than the Democratic presidential candidate.

In 2000 car safety activist and gadfly Ralph Nader ran on the Green Party ticket for president. While he verbally denied it, his actions were designed to prevent Democrat Al Gore from winning. He went around the country trying to convince new voters that Al Gore and George W. Bush had the same beliefs (really Ralphie?). His followers sometimes used the slogan, “it has to get worse so it can get better!”. That is an allusion to the amoral Leninist tactic of worsening the conditions of people so that they come over to your side in desperation. For the Naderites this meant electing a rightwing Republican.

Even though Nader got just 2.74% of the vote nationally, he made enough of a difference in Florida, the deciding state, to tip the election to Republican George W. Bush. Bush took Florida by just 537 votes. If just 538 of the 97,488 Floridians who wasted their votes on Nader had voted for Gore instead, history would have taken a different course.

In 2016 the Green Party candidate Jill Stein, a failed folk singer and onetime dinner companion of Vladimir Putin, took enough votes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan to let Donald Trump carry those states and get elected president.

So thanks to ideological hissy fits and purity tests around presidential elections, the US has had its worst and 5th worst presidents in just the past 22 years.

George W. Bush and Donald Trump appointed a total of 5 of the 9 current members of the US Supreme Court. The composition of the court would have not today be 6–3 Republican if Al Gore had won in 2000 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. So now we’re faced with this new judicial calamity...

Report: A leaked draft opinion suggests the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade

Any mindset which fails to understand the consequences of an election is a defective one.

EDIT: A big tip of the hat to Canada. A few weeks ago the minority government of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached agreement with the left of center New Democratic Party to work together. Minority governments in Canada tend to have a life expectancy of roughly two years. This agreement between the Liberals and NDP means that Canada will have a stable progressive-leaning government well into 2025.

Liberals, NDP leadership reach tentative deal to support Trudeau government to 2025

Also a nod to the three-party coalition in Germany elected last year.

Germany’s election result could soon be inspiring Europe’s centre left

Unity, cooperation, and common sense are the keys to keeping power out of the hands of reactionaries and authoritarians.

#uk #parliament #elections #labour #lib dems #conservatives #progressives #usa #democrats #common ground #unity #cooperation #canada #germany #neal lawson

[fallawaystar]

Opinion: Bipolar Disorder Shouldn’t Be Split into Two

When people think of two extremes in one person, they often think of someone who is two-faced. A simple example of this idea is the aptly named villain Two-Face. Two-Face is one of Batman’s enemies, one side of his body disfigured and monstrous. Two-Face’s actions often reflect two extremes of thinking. Popular understanding of bipolar disorder is much the same. Colloquial use of the word bipolar reflects the inaccurate perception of the disorder as a person having two minds about things. Bipolar disorder is in fact a disorder of extremes, not in thinking but rather in mood. According to the DSM, the bible of clinical psychology, bipolar disorder is a mental disorder of extreme highs and lows in mood. These extremes are called mania and depression. Everyone with bipolar experiences these two moods in different ways and will be grouped into different labels based broadly on their experiences. In a clinical setting, bipolar is categorized into two main subtypes. I believe this system is outdated because it fails to acknowledge the subtleties of bipolar disorder’s expression. In the next edition of the DSM, bipolar disorder should be unified into a single diagnosis rather than being split into subtypes.

Both subtypes of bipolar disorder have similar qualities of life. In a 2016 study[1], researchers gave 1900 bipolar patients an 8-week course of an antipsychotic drug called quetiapine. They were interested in how effective this medication would be for patients with the two main kinds of bipolar disorder: bipolar I and bipolar II. In bipolar I, patients experience more severe mania while in bipolar II, patients experience more severe depression. The study found that people with either type had similar backgrounds, quality of life, and burden of illness, which suggests that these two conditions are not that different. Therefore, there is no need to divide the bipolar experience.

People with type I and II also have similar rates of depression. In a five-year study[2], researchers studied 191 people with bipolar I and II through interviews to determine the patterns of their disorder. The researchers aimed to find how often and how long these people experienced symptoms. No difference in the amount of time spent depressed between types I and II was found. This study shows that depression between subtypes is consistent, despite the emphasis on mania in bipolar I. Here we can see the difference between the clinical idea of bipolar and the actual experiences of people with bipolar disorder.

To further this idea that people with both subtypes have similar rates of depression, we will review another example. In a 2007 study[3], researchers sought to find the amount of time patients with bipolar spent in depression and mania. Participants rated their mood daily for one year. The study found that the most common abnormal mood in both groups was depression and the ratio between time spent depressed and manic was similar in both subtypes. They also found that the frequency of highs and lows was the same between both types. From this study, it is clear that there is not a stark difference between bipolar patients in each category and that dividing the two is unneeded.

Bipolar disorder is known for its duality: the fluctuation between emotional highs and lows is a hallmark of the experience. However, the disorder should no longer be split into two. Studies have shown that the differences between types I and II are subtle. Doing away with the subtypes would benefit people with the disorder by improving their care and unifying the community. A single diagnosis would make professionals tailor bipolar patients’ treatments more carefully to their symptoms rather than basing care off subtype generalizations. Turning bipolar into a singular diagnosis also would incorporate people who have been diagnosed with lesser-known subtypes and allow them to receive better care for their bipolar symptoms. Finally, a single diagnosis would erase artificial divides between people with bipolar and help us to form a community of support. For these reasons, the next edition of the DSM should categorize bipolar disorder as a single diagnosis.

[1] Datto, Catherine, et al. “Bipolar II Compared with Bipolar I Disorder: Baseline Characteristics and Treatment Response to Quetiapine in a Pooled Analysis of Five Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials of Acute Bipolar Depression.” Annals of General Psychiatry, vol. 15, no. 1, 2016, doi:10.1186/s12991-016-0096-0. [2] Pallaskorpi, Sanna, et al. “Five-Year Outcome of Bipolar I and II Disorders: Findings of the Jorvi Bipolar Study.” Bipolar Disorders, vol. 17, no. 4, 2015, pp. 363–374., doi:10.1111/bdi.12291. [3]Kupka, Ralph W, et al. “Three Times More Days Depressed than Manic or Hypomanic in Both Bipolar I and Bipolar II Disorder.” Bipolar Disorders, vol. 9, no. 5, 2007, pp. 531–535., doi:10.1111/j.1399-5618.2007.00467.x.

#actuallybipolar #I wrote this for a class but I’d like to share anyway

[forsakenoathkeeper]

I Am Alive (chapter 13/?)

Chapter 13: Shattered Porcelain

Deviant!Connor[RK800] x (fem!)Reader Rated M(18+) for canon-typical violence and gore, medical procedures, and graphic sexual content

Chapters: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • more coming soon

You can also read on AO3 & thank you for supporting me ♥

Author's notes:

There are a handful of android medical procedures in this chapter. Could be uncomfortable if you're squeamish. I'm not an expert with the lore. So, I tried to have it fit with DBH's android anatomy; but, if I'm being honest, I pretty much made this up as I went along.

Also, this chapter is super cheesy with lots of cameos.

...

...

...

The place Connor brought you to was a rundown building that looked like it was an apartment complex once upon a time. The sight left a sinking feeling in your gut, mainly because androids were living in this squabble and there was nothing you could do about it.

You followed behind Connor, who had a death grip on your hand. He was likely more afraid than you were. You placed your free hand on his shoulder to try to urge him to relax. You were ready to tell him as such; however, when you crossed the threshold into the place he called 'Haven', the words died on your tongue.

The floor was bare concrete and the walls were decades behind on a much-needed paint job. The place somehow had electricity, likely from a makeshift generator. At the least, there were some functioning lights; but, they were all covered in dust with dead bugs lining the interior fixtures.

The androids had cleared out the center to make room for the supplies Kamski had wrangled up. They were neatly organized across several crates acting as tables. As soon as you stepped in with Connor, many eyes landed on you, ranging from nervous to distrust.

Their states ranged from pristine to chipped to severely damaged, limbs missing, sauntered poorly to prevent thirium loss. Many of them had stitched together mismatched parts to try to regain some semblance of order. You couldn't imagine what that must have felt like.

You nudged at Connor's forearm until he got the message and let go of your hand. He remained close, his presence looming and protective.

Markus was quick to make himself known. "Thank you for all of this," he said, gesturing to the supplies in the center of the room. "Really I... I don't know how to properly thank you."

"I-it wasn't from me," you said, feeling nervous. "More of a messenger, really."

Your eyes swept the floor, where some androids stared at you with abandon and others were trying not to stare. You swallowed nervously, not knowing where to start, if any of them even wanted you touching them.

Some androids had already taken to the supplies and were patching each other up. Androids might have been more knowledgeable about their own anatomy than humans often were of themselves; but, not all problems were simple.

An android pushed his way through the crowd and approached you with haste.

"It's you," he said, a beaming smile on his face.

You and Connor recognized the android immediately. He had been driving a Cyberlife supply truck that was attacked by protestors. You had pulled him out of the wreckage and saved him.

"When they said a nurse was coming, I was hoping-" he cut himself off, sounding choked up and excited. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead," he proclaimed. His words eased the tension that had been building up inside you and left you bubbling with pride. You didn't know what to do but to smile at him.

"C-can you-" he stammered. "We have someone who's very damaged."

"I'll do my best," you replied, trying to mask how nervous you felt. You squeezed at the handle on your shoulder bag, the weight of your tools suddenly feeling much heavier.

The android ducked back into the crowd with haste.

You were shocked when he returned with another android in his arms. It was immediately obvious to you that the android was shut down. He was limp, eyes open and staring ahead blindly, LED on his temple off, a stoic expression on his face.

He was an WR600 model, still wearing his factory default uniform. However, he had a tarp wrapped around his shoulders, wearing it like a poncho.

The artificial skin on his hands and wrists had been scraped down to the android shell beneath. He had a gaping wound on his right forearm that went beyond the shell and exposed the membrane beneath. It was pulsing blue, indicating he was still functioning.

You followed them to a makeshift table, where the android set the WR600 model down carefully. As you maneuvered around to get a better look, the left side of the unconscious WR600's face came into view, and you audibly gasped.

Someone had struck him, hard, multiple times, across the face. His jaw was indented, skin scraped off to expose the pale white shell underneath. The cuts were so deep that the blue membrane beneath was exposed. Cracks split out from the gashes, like shattered porcelain.

The damage had shattered the protective sheathing on his right optical. Thirium had leaked into it, staining the entire eyeball blue. The gashes ran up into his hairline and one ran low enough to split at the corner of his lip.

You had seen androids looking far worse than this before; but, still, you never got over it.

"W-what-" you stammered, silencing yourself when you realized how pointless it was to ask.

It was obvious what had happened.

"Why is he powered off?" you asked hesitantly, looking up at the android who had carried him over to you. Your first assumption was that something was very wrong with him.

"We had to force him offline," the android replied, not looking proud of that. "He was... erratic."

You wondered if he meant the android was erratic when he heard a human was coming, or if he was always like that. Considering the damage, you wouldn't have been surprised if it was the former.

"I - uhm," you stammered nervously. "I need someone to be his guardian - to consent to this, since he can't. Are you close?"

The android looked uneasy, but also touched by your words. "He's not close to anyone."

You swallowed nervously and did your best to keep your gaze off the room and focused more heavily on the WR600. You hadn't worked on an unconscious android since before the revolution. The thought made your stomach churn.

Sensing your frustration, Connor approached you. His concerned face came into view in the corner of your eye.

'You don't have to do this,' is likely what he was going to say.

Not wanting to give him the chance, you said, boldly, "I'm okay, Connor."

He looked uneasy for a moment, LED solid yellow, as he tried to fight himself on this. You being here made him really uncomfortable; but, he knew how much this mattered to you. Part of him also knew that these androids needed this. It wasn't just for repairs, but to give them some hope that humans like you existed in this world.

When Connor stepped away, you rotated over to the powered off WR600.

"What's his name?" you asked as you set your bag down carefully and unzipped the top.

"Ralph," the android who had carried him over answered.

After pulling out some tools, you reached around the back of Ralph's ear to open his access panel. With a heave, you lifted him by the shoulder to gain access to his upper back and easily found the release for his skull.

His appearance was alarming; but, you were more concerned with the high possibility of damaged internal components.

As expected, one of Ralph's processing units was cracked. The good news is that it was a common model, and one that Kamski had supplied dozens of.

You investigated his eye next. As soon as you opened the socket, thirium leaked out and spilt all over the table. It wasn't enough to concern you, and you carefully removed his optical unit. Upon a closer inspection, you were confident it was still operational.

With a free hand, you yanked a clean container out of your bag to set the optical unit it so you could investigate the sheathing. The gold platers on the connector were still intact; but, the sheathing closest to his temple was cracked. Luckily, it could be repaired the same way you intended to repair the dents on his face.

It was less preferable than completely replacing the shell pieces; however, you didn't have access to any of those. He would have very noticeable scars. You hoped, at least, they would be more preferable to an exposed membrane.

For a moment, you set your tools down and scurried along the line of android parts until you located a box containing processors. Ralph's was easy to locate and was the first thing you replaced on him.

With that complete, you pulled more tools from your bag and a small ingot of android skin. You started with the protective sheathing around the eye before slowly, carefully filling in the cracks in his face. You did your best to match the contours of his cheek bones and jawline, suddenly feeling more like a sculptor than an engineer.

Connor tried to give you space while you worked. He was far enough away to not hover, but close enough to get to you quickly, if needed. You were too focused to notice, thankfully.

"Do you remember us?" a soft, feminine voice beckoned to him, startling him out of his trance.

Two female androids stepped into his peripheral. They were WR400 models, one with long, dark blue hair, and the other with very short, light brown, almost red hair.

Connor didn't immediately reply; but, the look in his eyes gave them his answer.

They were the Traci models who had escaped the Eden Sex Club last winter. The last time he saw them, they were running away, hands cupped tightly together. They looked much the same today, hands still tightly intertwined, the same look of adoration on their faces.

"You had a clear shot," the short haired Traci stated. "I know you did, several times; but, you let us go."

"I-" Connor stammered, finding himself at a loss of words.

Back then, he didn't understand their behavior, why he couldn't bring himself to shoot them, even when they had their backs turned, why Hank looked so impressed - proud - when he let them go. He didn't understand how they could find comfort in each other, why they were afraid of losing of each other, of not being able to hold and touch again.

He had changed since then - changed a lot, in fact.

Now, he understood.

"We're grateful," the blue haired Traci said, standing so close to her partner that their shoulders touched. "We're still together because of you."

"I didn't do anything worthy of praise," Connor said lowly, his eyes expressing the turmoil in his thoughts.

"Even if you don't think so, we know what you did," the short haired Traci declared, expression soft on her face.

"You understand, now," the blue haired android stated boldly, briefly turning around to steal a glance at you. It didn't go unnoticed, the way Connor gripped your hand when you entered the building, how he stared at you protectively while you worked.

Strangely, he didn't feel scrutinized by the two female androids. They seemed... happy for him.

He nodded silently, at a loss for what to say to them, and the two ladies departed, leaving him alone in his thoughts.

He thought about what they had endured, having to be used by strangers, by people who didn't think of them as living beings. Up until that moment, when they jumped the fence, they lived a life where they were believed unfeeling. They would return to one and other's arms to try to find solace in what consisted of their lives: play things for humans.

Connor thought about how strong they were, that they could endure that for so long.

He couldn't bear the thought-

If anyone dared tried to touch you, he would-

You were still hunched over the WR600 when Connor wretched himself from his thoughts before they wandered into territory that should probably be alone.

You had opened the android's forearms, trying to determine if any wires were damaged. Feeling inspired, Connor huffed softly and trotted over to you. You were so focused that you didn't see him coming and gasped when his hand came into view.

"G-geez, Connor," you scolded him softly, catching the sight of his freckled face in the corner of your eye.

He reached into the android's exposed wiring, his artificial, human skin, fading away. "I'll stimulate the wires so you can determine which are defective," he explained.

In the corner of his eye, Connor could see you smile. "That would help a lot. Thank you."

He sent jolts along the lines. Ones that worked properly gave a response, a very subtle twitch of the hand on the powered off android. Ones that didn't gave no response. They were not major, which meant the use of his hands wouldn't be completely severed; but, his movement would be limited, gestures abrupt or sporadic.

Sometime later, with Connor's help, you had replaced seven wires on one hand and four on the other.

You had enough material to at least cover the exposed membrane on his wrists; but, you didn't have enough to fill in gaps where the artificial human skin was lost. At the very least, you could protect the android muscle tissue.

Connor watched you fill in those wounds in silence, knowing he couldn't do much else. When that was done, you retrieved a saline wash from your bag to cleanse Ralph's eye before carefully returning it to the socket.

"Alright," you sighed, patting your hands together. "That's... all I can do for now."

A couple androids gathered around, one reaching for Ralph to prop him up. "Wow. You did all that without a replacement shell?" one of them commented, the awe in their tone making your heart flutter.

The way they admired the WR400 made you feel something sickeningly sweet. The scars on his face were noticeable; but, the fine cracks were filled in well enough to almost be seamless, unless the light hit just right. The fibrous material beneath his android skin was covered fully. His artificial human skin was mostly intact, minus his hands.

All you could hope was that he would like it. The damaged processor could cause speech issues and potential lapses in judgement; however, his behavior, as described by his fellow androids, was likely a developed trait from trauma. You knew you couldn't fix that, only hope that a new processor would aid his recovery.

Connor stepped between you and Ralph as they powered him on. You moved around Connor, trying to push him out of the way. You wanted to see him wake up, wanted to see life blossom into his hazel eyes.

It didn't blossom, per say, but he suddenly jolted forward and twitched, eyes bright and wild, suddenly very much awake. He looked around hastily, annoyance immediately appearing on his face.

"How dare you power Ralph off-!" he whined loudly, pushing against the hands that held him. They let go at his protest, but remained close as a precaution.

Suddenly, Ralph stopped, looking down at his arms. He gasped, rotated his limbs around to examine them. His hands slid over opposing arms, touching the spots you had filled as if he doubted what his optical processor was showing him. His mouth hung agape and his eyes were wide and bright.

"Ralph's hands are-" he stammered, staring at them in wonder and disbelief.

He realized, faintly, that he could see properly again out of his left eye. Ralph's dominant hand rose and he touched his face, eyes shifting away from you and staring into a random direction. He gasped when he felt the scars left behind from the work you had done.

After that, he recognized a firmware update reading on his HUD, and realized one of his processors had been replaced - the very one that he painstakingly ignored for months, his HUD constantly giving him warnings about how the unit was in imminent failure and needed to be replaced.

Suddenly, Ralph looked up and scanned the room hastily. His eyes landed on you and he froze. You were wearing scrubs and had some thirium stained on your hands. It was an obvious conclusion to come to.

"A - a human...?" he asked lowly. "No - no human would help Ralph - me... me..." he uttered, seemingly to himself. He looked down at his hands resting on his lap.

You didn't know what to say to him, if there was anything you could say that he would possibly want to hear. He seemed more confused than anything else.

"She did, Ralph," one of the androids offered softly, their hand falling onto the blonde android's shoulder cautiously.

He looked up at you again, his lips moving slightly in what appeared to be an unconscious, nervous tick. "Humans wouldn't without - without a reason," he uttered.

The android twitched when he saw your hopeful expression shift and sadness reflected in your eyes.

"R-Ralph didn't mean-" he stammered, lowering his head. His hands came up and gripped the sides of his skull, the touch a little rough, but not enough to hurt himself. "-didn't mean to be ungrateful," he choked out.

"It's okay," another android urged him gently.

Ralph avoided looking at you again. He made a movement to stand and the androids huddled around him backed up. He rose to his feet, stealing a glance at you over his shoulder before shuffling away and disappearing into the crowd. It was hard to make clear of his expression; but, to you, it looked like guilt.

You didn't blame him, or hold any contempt, not even for a second. He likely had never been shown the slightest bit of kindness in his short life.

"Thank you," one of the androids said softly, approaching with you a smile. "He may not show it, but..."

"It's okay," you replied, sincerely. "I understand."

Not long after Ralph departed, a TR400 android approached you, asking if you could examine his left eye. After popping the optical unit out and verifying it was undamaged, you noticed one of the connector pins was bent.

"I don't have a replacement connector; but, I have a soldering kit if you trust me?" you asked him. He seemed grateful that you were willing to try more so than anything else.

It took a little while, as you were slow and careful. But, it was worth it to have the optical pop back into place with a soft click and to see the android blink carefully. He looked around, iris shifting subtly in his eyeball as his vision adjusted.

"It's working now," he chirped, the corner of his eyes wrinkling with his smile.

"I'm glad," you replied softly. You meant it, really. It was always a risk to attempt to fix connectors yourself; but, you had some pride in knowing that you were usually successful.

Right as the android left, a WB200 hesitantly approached you, one hand cupped over his opposite elbow in a nervous gesture.

Before he could get too close, Connor startled you when he suddenly grabbed you by the arm and yanked you back, pulling you behind him and stepping into the space between you and the other android. He glared down at the smaller android, who put up his hands defensively.

"Con - what are you-" you squeaked, nearly tripping over your own feet as the android pulled at you.

"Please, wait, I-" the WB200 pleaded, his voice low and frightened. His hair was short and messy and he had a very boyish face that matched his voice. "I'm sorry about what I did, I - I just couldn't let you catch me."

A little annoyed, you pushed at Connor's sides and stepped around him.

"He's dangerous," Connor warned, eyes not yet moving from the other android. You gawked at the detective, recognizing the distrust in his eyes, before moving your gaze to the WB200. He looked afraid of Connor, and it became immediately obvious that they had history.

"I'm sorry - I mean it. If you caught me, I would've been sent back - and - and destroyed - I - I was scared," he insisted.

He had pushed Hank off the roof in order to escape being captured. If Connor hadn't gotten there fast enough, Hank might have fallen to his death. The android had good reason to be afraid. Connor knew that; but, if he was willing to risk a human life-

The detective was taken aback when you nudged past him and approached the android.

"What's wrong?" you asked him softly, ignoring the hole Connor was burning in the back of your head with his stare.

"I - ugh-" the android stammered, startled by your insistence and still intimidated by the detective android. His eyes flickered away from you for a second, giving Connor a worried look. "My - my right leg. I damaged it when I fell."

You stepped back and the WB200 demonstrated. He took a few steps and you could see the awkward way his leg moved. It was clearly unnatural, and shifted in a way that would have caused a human a great deal of pain. The leg also made an unpleasant creaking sound with each step, crying out in protest from the pressure.

"Lay down please," you asked, gesturing to the makeshift table Ralph had been laying on a moment ago. As he did, you explained, "I - I'm sorry, but, you'll have to undress."

"I understand," he replied lowly, struggling to meet your gaze.

He was wearing a scraggly pair of jeans, likely taken from a dumpster, and a hoodie. He peeled his pants down his legs, wearing nothing underneath. WB200's were designed for manual labor, typically farming or light maintenance. You weren't surprised to find he lacked any male anatomy.

Before you had to ask, he opened the access panel covering his knee, which allowed you to look inside at the wiring, artificial muscles and bones.

"The knee joint is out of alignment," you stated, trying to examine his knee without touching him just yet.

"May I?" you asked, holding your hands up to show what you were requesting. He nodded, lips thin and eyes not hiding how nervous he was.

You pulled back the shell loosely covering his knee to take a better look at the artificial muscle that allowed proper leg movement. He had abandoned maintaining a human skin tone on his leg; or, that function had been damaged when he fell. His skin tone ended at his waist and he was factory default white below.

You stepped away from him briefly to locate some pliars.

Connor had stepped back to give you space, but was still watching, now more so out of amazement than worry. You were absolutely fearless. It simultaneously impressed and infuriated him. You also were ignoring him fiercely.

"What's your name?" you asked the WB200 when you returned to the table.

He gave you a look, suggesting he was contemplating not answering.

"...Rupert," he eventually said, swallowing roughly afterward.

"Rupert, we don't have these parts; so, I'm gonna see if I can fix the alignment myself. We'll have to follow at the hip joint afterward to manually reset the alignment. It will likely hurt," you explained carefully.

"I'm not afraid," Rupert blurted boldly.

"That's good," you responded, reaching behind yourself to yank a chair in closer and plop down before digging into his knee.

You were so focused on the joint that you didn't hear the commotion going on around you, not until some music started playing. You paused for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden melody.

You tossed a look over your shoulder and saw that someone had arranged some pieces of equipment to fashion together a radio. "That'll liven the place up," one of the androids proclaimed proudly, admiring her work proudly.

Once, it might have been a funny thought to imagine androids enjoying music. Hearing their excitement over the piano, bass, and gentle drum brought a smile to your face. It was jazz, soft and relaxing, with no vocals. Something so subtle so drastically changed the atmosphere in the room.

"Okay. I think I got the joint back in place," you declared, standing up and smacking the sheathing back into place. Rupert had been hyper focused on you the entire; when you shifted your gaze from his knee to his face, he looked more relaxed than when you had started.

"Can you open your hip?" you requested, standing at his waist. He nodded, lifting his hoodie to his ribs. His skin faded whilst the panel opened. Manual joint alignments required calibrations at the base for most models. Few could do it automatically. Rupert unfortunately was not one of those models.

"Ready?" you asked, gently pushing back the fibrous, artificial muscle to reach the joint panel.

"Yes," he replied immediately.

You pinched the reset key. His leg twitched and Rupert let out a bizarre, staticky sound, clearly one of pain. The alignment seemed to go off fine; but, his power conductors were likely not state of the art, as expected for his model type. The power traveled from his chassis to the joint and gave you a little shock.

You yelped and let go, stepping back. Rupert looked at you, eyes wide with fear..

"Just a little shock," you explained quickly, trying to relax him. "It's normal."

He relaxed and moved his leg around a little. "Wow," he wheezed. "Feels better - much better." With haste, the android pulled his clothes back on and shimmied off the table and onto his feet to test the alignment. He seemed excited as he bounced around on his heels.

"I - thank you - thank you," he stammered out nervously.

You nodded at him with a smile. "Of course, Rupert."

You turned away from him to set your tools back into their proper positions, just so you wouldn't lose them later. As you did, you heard him give Connor parting words.

"I am sorry - I mean it," he said quietly. If the detective android replied, you didn't hear what he said.

Connor was faintly aware of the high possibility that you were irritated with him in that moment; however, that didn't stop him from approaching you and offering a water bottle, bringing it into your peripheral.

You had forgotten that he took the time to pack a backpack with water and food for you. You were prepared to come here with nothing; but, the android had taken the extra step to make sure you had something.

He really made it impossible to be mad at him for two seconds-

"You should take a break," he suggested softly as you chugged the water enthusiastically. You hadn't realized how thirsty you were until that moment. Leave it to Connor to be more attentive to your needs than you.

"I'm fine," you gently retorted.

"You've been going nonstop for almost four hours," Connor insisted.

"I'm fine," you said again, a little firmer than last time.

His hand fell onto your shoulder. "Please?" he requested. Connor stepped around, right in front of you, and offered his hand in a gesture that you recognized, but you had never seen directed at yourself.

Judging by the look on your face, you definitely didn't expect that from the android in that moment. You gawked at him stupidly and Connor looked back hopefully.

The music was quite fitting for that, but, still, you felt nervous.

"I-" you cut yourself off, looking conflicted.

"Am I in the doghouse?" he asked softly, almost uncertain.

Connor couldn't help but crack a grin at the way your eyes lit up and your lips twisted into a smile. You choked on a bubbly laugh at his tease.

"No," you huffed, delivering a gentle smack to his shoulder. "I just - 'm not graceful, at all, and never really..."

You took his hand anyway and the android cupped it and placed his other hand on your waist, pulling you in gently. He took note of the faint blush on your cheeks, blissfully aware that he really liked that look on you.

"I didn't know you liked to dance," you offered quietly as your free hand fell onto his shoulder.

It wasn't so much of a dance as it was two bodies swaying to a melody. But, you were close, close enough that your torso was touching his chassis, and it felt nice, comforting. You didn't really move, but more so followed the sway Connor had set.

"I don't know if I do," Connor said honestly. "I just wanted to, with you."

As always, Connor was full of surprises. Sometimes, you had to scold yourself for thinking that you knew everything about him, only for him to go and prove you very, very wrong.

"I like the music," he added on.

"Yeah," you agreed, breathlessly.

You liked the music. That much was true; but, it was hard to think straight when Connor was so close and looking at you like that.

-like you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

-like nothing else in this world mattered.

His hand, that had been on your waist, shifted around so that his forearm cupped your lower back. He dipped you back, gently forcing you to arch, and you let out a surprised sound. When he pulled you back up, he looked way too proud for forcing that noise out of you.

"Brat," you huffed against his neck. You were glad he didn't apologize, because he didn't look sorry at all.

You lost track of how long you did that. The world seemed to dissipate in that moment. You weren't in an abandoned apartment complex on the industrial side of town, surrounded by damaged androids.

But, then, Connor leaned down slowly, a gesture you were quite familiar with. He gave you a second to protest or turn away. When you didn't, he carefully slotted his mouth over yours, and you suddenly, very fiercely remembered where you were. Yet, that knowledge didn't stop your eyes from fluttering shut or your heart from hammering away in your chest. If anything, it amplified it.

It was a suave kiss, almost chaste. Still, he had done it in front of all these androids. When you parted and looked up at him, his eyes met yours and they said, 'I just had to'. You couldn't bring yourself to be upset with him, or to care that half of the room was staring.

Some part of his software, that he didn't realize existed, wanted them all to know.

You were his, and he was yours.

Human.

Android.

It didn't matter. You were two living beings, and you were fucking happy, and that was all that mattered.

But, then, a sharp gasp rang out through the crowd and the radio was abruptly shut off. Connor turned his eyes to the source of the sound and realized an android had staggered back and tripped, now on their back on the ground and trying to scurry away. You tried to look over his shoulder to see what the fuss was all about.

"Markus," a masculine voice called out in despair. "How could you let them in here?"

The detective android narrowed his eyes.

It was Robert, a gun in his trembling hand.

#connor x reader #deviant connor x reader #connor smut #rk800 x reader #rk800 smut #connor fanfic #dbh fanfic

[binickandros]

Hey I know it was a few days ago you said this but I'm coming into your asks to also complain about how much they sidelined Nick in the Stand. I legitimately don't understand the creative choice to focus on Harold as the main character and sideline Nick and the other, bigger characters. Yes Owen Teague is a fantastic actor, he was amazing, but the decision was presumably made long before his casting. Why was this the Harold Lauder show whereas Nick was barely in it, I... don't understand :(

Stand ranting anon again: I just wanted to add that I would be fine with the amount of screen time Harold got, if all the other characters got the same amount, like if it was a 20 episode season and we could get a whole episode of Nick backstory, of Frannie etc. We only even saw Frannie pre-plague through the fence whilst Harold was creeping on her, which is really... Not Great. So yeah I just feel like it was bizarre they used their limited time in the way they did, very confused.

Listen, nonny, LISTEN: I may never be over this injustice. I am a CANCER, we hold GRUDGES, and you can consider this one fuckin well HELD. Uh this gets long sooo...

I watched the 94 miniseries when it aired and of course immediately loved Nick. Shortly after that I read the book for the first time and loved Nick even more (Larry is 2nd, then prob Fran, then Stu), and over the years I’ve rewatched the mini-series and re-read the book and I was always like “man, I’d love to see an adaptation of this without network TV limitations, just like dark and creepy and atmospheric, but with the good guys winning the day” as they do.

So fast forward to 2011 or whenever and there are tentative announcements of a movie. Eh, not great, nowhere near enough time. Then!! A limited series!! Which is just a miniseries made fancy.

My dumb ass: more time in Shoyo!! Maybe Rita AND Nadine!! More time with Fran and her dad!! Etc etc

Welp I guess I got one of those things, but at what cost!! A whole entire Lucy, and uh...p much everything else I might have wanted.

I was talking about this with someone else (you know who you are but don’t wanna tag you in case you, like me, avoid the mortifying ordeal of being known at all cost) and we were both like “okay what EXACTLY about our culture right now made the adapters here (including King’s own son, Owen) think that a story about good v. evil somehow needed to focus on the red pill incel????”

Like they obviously had some idea about making the story more diverse, but because of the way they then used those characters, it felt like performative with no substance.

Ralph Brentner is now a Native woman?? Love it!! She’s also a glorified extra until the last few episodes?? Oh pls fuck off.

Larry is Black?? Great! A Black main character!! Except of course he’s NOT because HAROLD IS.

Nick’s now Latino! Buuuut played by a hearing actor. Which actually only matters in principle because we’re going to try to sweep our bullshit decision-making under the rug by hardly having him on camera. Won’t show up till episode 3, gone by episode 6, in one 2-minute scene in episode 5. Good job, guys! *high fives all around the writers’ room*

I’d honestly like to see someone with way more time on their hands do a screen time comparison between Nick and Harold, or Harold and literally every other character on this show. They opened with Harold, he was in every episode in a major way, he got a CLOSING MONOLOGUE and MONTAGE of his LIFE, while Nick just blew up and then was mentioned a few times and that was it.

I mean I guess they attempted something meaningful by having him...looking at that picture or postcard before the bomb? Which was like someone on a boat, so was maybe his mom, or reminded him of his mom? But how the hell were we to know that, bc we got the piece of exposition about his mom from FLAGG in ONE SCENE, and we’d never seen that picture before, nor do we have any idea of the significance of “Silencio,” which was written on the picture and was the title of the episode. It was literally not meaningful AT ALL bc we as the audience didn’t know a goddamn thing about it, and it was “blink and you miss it.”

I thought 9 hours would give us more time for backstory. That’s what I was looking forward to. Like Fran burying her dad was sad bc duh he’s her DAD and he’s DEAD, but it’s so much more meaningful when you’ve seen them bonding. Even the 94 miniseries, which had to cut some stuff for time, showed us how close they were, and the scene of her stitching his shroud was heartbreaking.

How did Stu, a 45-year-old man (tho that’s James Marsden’s age and I think they mean for Stu to be younger), come to fall in love w Frannie, a 20ish-year-old girl?? Who knows! He saw her on the road and thought she was cute and I guess that was that. She’s a college student from Maine and he works in a calculator factory (or something idr) in East Texas and there’s a huge age difference, so what do they have in common? Ah fuck it who cares let’s see what Harold’s doing.

I just honestly would like to know the thought process here. I think. Let’s be real. This is what happens when your main creative team is nerdy white boys. They identify with Harold: he’s an “outsider,” he’s “misunderstood,” if only people hadn’t been so mean to him!

An adaptation created by 2 white dudes. A writers’ room with all white dudes, except ONE woman who, for all we know, was just there, again, as tokenism. This is what happens when white men create for themselves without any real input from women, POC, or members of the LGBT community. Because the “gay rep” on this show is a whole other rant.......

Anyway, nonny, I’m writing a Nick fic rn that will hopefully see the light of day soon, and it’s literally. All Nick. And an OC bc Nick deserves love too!! And no Julie does not count. I’m not saying that just as shameless self promotion, but also to show that I was so incensed by this bullshit adaptation that I’ve now written 35k words and they JUST LEFT SHOYO, all while starting school doing something I’ve never even dipped my toe into before, so it’s fairly intense work.

Justice for Nick Andros. He deserved better from the source material, and somehow an adaptation made in 2020 (when we should all know better) made it So. Much. Worse.

#anonymous #asked and answered #the stand #nick andros #the entire thing smacks of whiny white men #i guarantee if women had been more involved #and POC and the Gays #this adaptation would be entirely different #and we'd like it a WHOLE lot more #1 woman like pls #i've read enough horror stories #of women on writing staffs #with all white men #to know exactly how much input she had #hint: none to 'not much' #not any creative decisions i can promise you that

[sadcsf]

Lauren is a master of crafting zapatillas estilo valentino

And you start to feel pain. That can be good for you, but you still don't want it to happen." Lauren is a master of crafting zapatillas estilo valentino idealised images with beautifully made clothes. Set in the context of his painstakingly designed stores these act as a prism for the fantasy lives of his customers. "You see two dimensional puppets with tons of life and different pieces coming and going. We've got this big, rotating centerpiece that gets us going from one scene to another," said Smith. Smith plays Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet and the centipede in James and the Giant Peach. In addition to the treasures they melted down, the Spanish conquerors soon began to produce large quantities of silver from mines in Mexico and Peru. Most important of all were the enormous reserves they discovered at Potosi in what is now Bolivia. Ships laden with silver regularly crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The U. S. It also seems that somebody at the War Office felt that too many of England's best and brightest pilots were being killed by the Fokker Mono Plane (Eindecker) Scourge. Sports proponents is going to your particular degree to find a apparels on their most popular classes. Some people look at the idea any honor to get being dressed in the team jacket if the Football season is szemüveg csúszásgátló at. There is these people a distinctive smučarski kombinezon hlače thought of satisfaction not to mention demure to get component this type of a fantastic purpose. My first thought I don't give a shit what men like. That's not what sexy is about. Sexy is about doing what makes you feel good about yourself. Michael Kors Outlet Store Sie gehen nicht herum kalt und nike air max shoes store hasserf llt , wenn sie w tend , coach purses outlet sie sagt Ihnen dar ber. Dass. Es teilweise oder vollst. 12. The expulsion of the DPRK Ambassador comes at the heels of the decision of the Malaysian government, announced by YAB Dato Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi, the Deputy Prime Minister that effective on Monday, 6 March 2017, citizens of the DPRK require visas to enter Malaysia. This is an indication of the government concern that Malaysia may have been used for szemüveg csúszásgátló illegal activities.. We wonder what the man who epitomizes aspirational American Good Taste would think of this collection. Clearly, American Living is at its best when it sticks to bandanna prints, brass curtain rods and black and white floral sheets. But it harder to imagine what Ralph would say about some of the dreary formal draperies layered with too many valances.. Worst and most frustrating mysterious house smell? Dead mouse. neve e sale amazon It gross and you cannot pinpoint the source. One day,= you going into the basement to do laundry and there it is: dead mouse smell. In the past, computer work was llantas 4x4 online a profession for specialists. Today, however, interaction with electronic devices is a major part of our daily lives. From early childhood onwards we are connected to the internet, telecommunications and networks of computer based technologies. There have been multiple changes in the lineup down through the years, but lead singer Eric Bloom and lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser have been constants since 1968. "Les Braunstein was the original lead singer before me," Bloom explained. "We went to college together. This adds Lauren to the list of designers (as one of the few Americans) with double boutique exposure on both Fifth and Madison Avenues, and this shop puts him on the same block as Armani 5th Avenue and Dolce Gabbana just opened brand palace. Though further details about the store are few, it is expected the the store sill carry a mix of the designer higher end labels including Collection, Purple, Black and possibly Blue Labels. No word yet on opening dates, but the designer continues to be a busy shopkeeper in Manhattan with his first freestanding Denim Supply boutique set to open soon replacing the defunct Rugby store on University Place.. Brady Nelson Homemaking for Youth Group B Ages 1114 dolce gabanna adidași bărbații School Wear 1. Michael Paph, 2. Matthew Paph Sports Wear 1. Psychologist, 29 (3), pp. 158 159.Carnegie, R., Shepherd, C., Pearson, R. M., Button, novolux 60 led K. Around the square are other outlets for sportswear: J. Crew, Patagonia, Pendleton and the ubiquitous Benetton. These mingle with awl wielding bootmakers, ceiling fan saloons, galleries and Western curio shops. nike sb prod x And their currents fed our mills and factories. But as cities grew, we polluted rivers so much that they became conduits for deadly waterborne diseases like cholera, which was 19th century's version of adidas goalkeeper jersey the Black Plague. Our solution two centuries ago was to bury rivers underground and merge them with sewer networks.. WHAT DO Ralph Lauren, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Spice Girls and Rice Krispies Squares have in common? They all owe their success to tweens, 10 12 year old girls who are turning girl power into economic clout. The full page glossy ad for Ralph Lauren's Polo Sport Woman fragrances and toiletries features American supermodel Bridget Hall wearing Polo sportswear. To her left is a fragrance "strip" from which tweens can sniff the aroma with their delicate noses.. A men's team shirt costs $425 and a woman's skirt $498. Special Forces and a T shirt each cost $55. Perhaps it is the high unemployment rate or the in your face patriotism induced by an election year, but the news that Lauren's prep chic outfits are made in China has produced a rare bipartisan storm of criticism..

[herkawaiinovels]

[SS] Chapter 26

At first impression, one would notice his hat which was worn in a skewed way. His clothes were that of an aristocrat, yet his posture was poor. Nevertheless, as if to show a neat appearance, the man was wearing gloves.

What surprised Cecia the most was the fact that the man was still young. Ralph looked to be almost in a similar age as her. His face also seemed more polished than expected. It was a type of face that would make women do a double-take.

When the carriage stopped, Cecia got off the carriage carefully. And before she got to give her greeting, the man griped,

“Why are you so late?”

He jumped on the carriage. In the first place, he had not intended on receiving her greeting. Cecia held a bewildered expression. It seemed he didn’t even have any intention of escorting her inside either.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

He heard him shout boisterously inside the carriage.

“…I’m coming.”

Eventually, she went inside with the assistance of the coachman. Even while they were sitting face to face in the carriage, he did not seem even remotely interested in looking at her.

“I am Cecia Royne.”

Despite Cecia's greeting, he glanced at her with disinterest. As it was her first time receiving such discourtesy, she gripped the hem of the dress.

“I heard a lot about you from my father.”

Nevertheless, she continued to smile. At her words, Ralph began to chuckle.

“What did your father say about me?”

At Ralph's words, Cecia became embarrassed. Normally, people would respond by saying ‘Is that so?’. She had never encountered someone who had actually followed up on the question.

“So what did the lord say about me?”

Ralph knew that Ben would not have told their actual relationship. Most likely, Ben would have spoken about him in a positive light, saying he aided Ben in his business. Ben wouldn’t have talked about anything else.

“Rather than talking about me, wouldn’t he have just asked you to accompany me quietly?”

Once again, Cecia became flustered at his remark.

Unlike Ben, she seemed to be a bad liar. Her face, which contained ocean-like eyes, was something an average man would like.

However, she wasn’t Ralph’s type. His taste was a sprightly woman. He liked the sorrow hidden in that liveliness.

“So why don’t we just have a quiet ride to the mansion.”

He wasn’t even her type, so how could he be in the mood for small talk. Afterward, the silence that he desired finally descended on the carriage.

        ***

        Roman and Prillance were inside a jeweler's shop. Beautiful jewels were dazzlingly twinkling their own color.

“They’re beautiful.”

When she peered at the jewels that she had never seen before in real life, her eyes became sore as each gem brightly shone their own color.

“Choose whatever you fancy.”

Roman told Prillance, who only stared at but did not try on the jewelry around her.

“I think that is the most difficult part.”

Prillance was hesitant because the gems in all sorts of colors were all so pretty.

Roman observed her. If it were her usual self, she would have immediately asked for the most expensive jewelry at once, or have asked to bring out the rarest gem they had, but today she was silent and only gazed at them.

‘Then, as she says, she must really like everything here.’

“This is a Topaz – it is the latest in our collection.”

As they were regulars of the shop, the shopkeeper pointed to the most expensive jewelry available in the shop. She knew that Lady Weiand only took the most valuable jewel each time.

“It’s beautiful.”

However, Prillance's gaze only lingered for a short time. Then she scanned through the jewels once more before looking at Roman.

“What does the Duke think?”

“Is my opinion important?”

Choosing jewelry was usually at the women’s discretion. In the same way that it was the prerogative of the men to pay for the jewelry. He found Prillance’s question unusual. Hence, Roman asked back.

“You are my partner, after all.”

Prillance stated with a slight smile, as if she didn’t find her own question strange. Then her eyes turned toward the jewels once more and she fell deep in thought.

“Then, what about this one?”

Prillance pointed to the Alexandrite. The owner described it as a mysterious gem, although it appeared to be blue at first glance, in the dark however, it cast an amethyst hue.

It was mentioned in the novel that the blonde-haired Roman suited navy blue, so she thought this jewel would be a good match for his outfit.

“If I wear this with my dress, then I think it wouldn’t be necessary for you to match the color of my clothes with the buttons on your jacket.”

“You don’t want the color of our outfits to match?”

Usually, it was common for partners to match the colors of their outfits. If their outfits weren’t matching, then they couldn’t be said to be partners. Didn’t she ask him to be her partner?

If that weren’t the case, he wouldn't have come here. Roman’s forehead frowned as he mused over Prillance's intentions.

“The color that suits the Duke and the color that suits me is different. But when people see me wear this jewelry, it will indicate that we are partners even if we wear different-colored outfits.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Roman exhale in relief. Of course, he agreed to this himself, but he still became startled. Prillance laughed. Perhaps Cecia and Roman suited similar colors, so it wasn’t difficult to choose their wardrobe, but Prillance and Roman suited different colors.

She made the proposal as she figured it would be better to match through the jewel’s hue. Furthermore, since aristocrats were sensitive to the jewelry that others wear, it would be easy for them to recognize that the two matched.

“Then, we should get the finest one.”

Finally understanding Prillance's intention, Roman glanced through the jewels once more. Then, he looked at the Topaz that the owner recommended.

“Red Diamond.”

At his words, the owner’s complexion changed. The owner, who would usually bring the jewels right away, was instead frozen in place.

“Is there none?”

“Ah…that…someone else has already...bought it.”

The hesitant owner carefully replied. This was a difficult situation he had been hoping to avoid.

“There is no way you only had one red diamond in your store.”

“W, well…they’re all sold out.”

Roman stared at the owner, who wore a flustered look and began to sweat profusely. Prillance tried to read Roman’s expression, however, she couldn't tell what Roman was thinking.

“All of them?”

Roman ascertained as he contemplated over the situation. It was known to be the most expensive jewel. Buying all of them would have cost a lot of money.

“Who was it?”

At the same time that Roman asked the question, a knock on the door coming from the outside was heard. It sounded faint, but inside the shop which contained only three people, the sound was distinct.

        Previous | TOC | Next

    If you can, please support the author by purchasing the raws here or here.

#Side Story

[jlf23tumble]

This one’s for @homosociallyyours and @silverfoxlouis, the former because she’s not going to listen and the latter because they’re listening as we speak! I saw a post earlier that low-key annoyed me because it either misrepresented today’s Stern interview or it skipped right over the fascinating bits, so here are the parts I enjoyed (I won’t waste my time on the shit I hated, lol):

Shrooms and the song-writing process are related to Harry’s anxiety about fucking shit up and needing to get out of his own head; related: coming from a band, if there's something you don't like, you can tell yourself that it wasn’t your choice.

The Rob Stringer talk made me SIDE EYE w/r/t the delay, like, okay, you’re a label boss who’s gonna drop a ton of money, but you’re cool with telling the artist to just relax and take all the time they need, you’ll just pick up the thread when hs2 is completely finished, lolz (I have my own theories about allllll of that, but okay!).

I love Stevie and her coven of nocturnal witches, too, but tell me more about how she hated Harry’s choice of first single (in my heart, she wanted “Golden”) and the song that she thought should have been on the album but isn’t, god, she’s such a yoda, and this entire bit was so much bigger than the coven.

I live in Harry’s soft, breathy “thank you” whenever Howard praises SOTT.

I feel like all the White Eskimo talk is a fic waiting to happen, the whole battle of the bands and them winning studio time and how Harry talks to maybe one of them and there’s a guy who IS STILL IN WHITE ESKIMO I GUESS???? WHAT?

Howard Stern hatesssssssssssss Simon Cowell, so his attempts to get Harry to talk shit were both wonderful and expertly dodged, lmao. 

My only positive comment about the discussion around Harry “putting on some timber” during his bakery (cashier at a baker) years was how much it echoed Louis’s comment about “having extra timber” during one of his recent BTS specials.

Were the guys in One Direction REALLY saying that Matt Cardle was “so fucking good” back in the day? This junior statesman!

Ralph pointed this out when we were talking about the interview, but a lot of the time, Howard just makes statements (as per usual), and Harry says, “Right,” which is a great response because it isn’t really an answer, yet it’s still participatory.

Howard is obsessed with coronavirus, so it was hella interesting to hear Harry’s thoughts about it affecting his tour, when his tour is still so far away (yet another tour is so much closer and in the direct line of fire).

Howard (like me) was pleased that Harry’s band is a mix of women and men and not just dudes (I should take a drink every time Bowie is mentioned, like around Harry’s clothes, how Harry is starting his tour in Philadelphia, the entirety of that convo making me want to see Harry’s face as much as all the xarries want to).

One of the things I hated seeing earlier today was this notion that Howard “forced” Harry to talk about the robbery because he absolutely did not, Harry went into CRAZY levels of detail about it when Howard asked, “When did this happen to you?” (and the way Harry talked about it wasn’t full of trauma or sadness, it bordered on humorous in spots but still serious; it clearly shook him up, but he wasn’t about to let it change his life of feeling free to walk around at night). 

I wanted to hear a lot more about all the musicians hanging out in the ‘70s and being competitive in terms of who was writing the best songs about a particular party vs. the competitiveness of banging out the best single today. Harry’s focus was that if you say you like a song, people think you should collaborate…if two musicians hang out, they're dating or recording (like with Adele, and case in point, Howard immediately asked if they were working on something).

I also loved the bit about acting and how nervous Harry used to be about EVERYTHING because he’s waiting three hours to do three minutes, and he focuses so much on his voice or hands shaking, but this last SNL really helped (in my heart, his “little tweaks” were on the Sara Lee sketch).

I live in the guffaw from Harry whenever Howard unexpectedly hit his funny bone (like Harry saying Anne gave him some money to buy clothes when he first moved to London, and Howard saying it was good return on investment for her, what with the house Harry eventually bought her, etc.).

I absolutely LOVED the entire bit about Ben Winston’s attic (and Ralph’s related takes on it), the fine line of the plausibility yet the doubling down; the word “cocaine” coming out of Harry’s mouth; the parts about dating and keeping your relationship normal/secret, etc., GOLD, ALL OF IT. 

Harry, like Phoenix Mendoza, writes every day, which is part of why he wasn’t really into giving up his phone to muggers because that’s his writing zone of choice for lyrics and poems (the whole robbery clapback here: “for the purposes of not getting mugged again, no, they’re on a different device”).

MITCH SPEAKS!! He was into his Nick Drake phase when Harry met him, but apparently everyone is into the open D (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) chord, so he was a shoe-in. Also, Harry met Adam in 2010??? I’d like more information.

We move back into 1D territory with Zayn’s departure, which is still shittily handled but somewhat more maturedly discussed, and yet another attempt to get Harry to talk shit about Simon, which is getting us closer to what we want/need (Harry’s very real answer to Simon being pissed that Harry didn’t consult him about going solo: “I’m in a band since I was 16, there were five of us, we had a lot of managers, lots of people at the label, and all of these decisions affect your life in a massive way, every decision I made was a group call. I didn't know who I was as an adult,” and a lot of that is paraphrased in spite of the quote marks, but just know that I am screaming LIAM).

There’s a lot of weird downspeak to Sarah and Ny (Adam and Mitch were talked at earlier), but everyone’s very much into Sarah, and rightfully so. I loved the slip up where Howard is trying to figure out if there’s anything romantic going on between Harry and the female band members, and someone says, “Mitch!” so you can hear Howard process Harry and Mitch for a hot sec, cracking the Hitch dream, before we get clarification and Harry gleefully taking us into the story of their love. (Me as the speech Howard gives Sarah and Mitch about how dangerous it is to be in a band together and to have a relationship because if you fuck it up, it’ll be terrible.)

SLEDGEHAMMER NICE.

We get a bit into the “Adore You” video because Howard’s an animal softie, and he loves it (it’s downplayed, but Howard also mentions how fans have put a lot of “thoughts” into the fish), but then we get into talk about how this song is about the girl Harry’s banging (HIS SNICKER HERE) and how the common denominator in all of Harry’s failed relationships is him, huh. All of this relationship talk here makes me want to DIE with how much I love it.

Everyone focuses on the gross talk from Howard about Harry having a lady therapist (this is a long-standing Howard trope), but some good shit disappears between those cracks, like how Harry decided to go into therapy, how he’s keeping his LA therapist instead of having two in different countries, etc., and it’s actually Robin who asks Harry about seeming weak or vulnerable in front of a female therapist, but clearly, he’s not bothered.

I’m so interested in how the shrooms tongue-biting incident cured a speech impediment I wasn’t fully aware of but that is still so impossibly endearing.

Harry himself picks out his opening acts, which we already knew but is always nice to hear confirmed. 

The drug convo in text from earlier today makes it sound like he doesn’t smoke cigs, but to me, it seems like he doesn’t like to smoke weed (an edible king, relatable).

Harry says, “you’ve said it all,” which just makes me think he’s a long-time (or recent) Stern listener, because that’s what Howard says when he’s done/interview’s over.

We think it’s all done but the shouting, and then Robin gets into Harry’s clothing, which is where it gets dicey. Howard (of course) mentions that Bowie wore a skirt and how he himself did full drag on TV (“legs shaved and everything, you should see how gorgeous I am as a woman”), but Harry keeps it very much in the realm of what he wears is what he wears because it’s fun for him, he’s not wearing a school uniform or trying to look cool for his friends, he’s a lot more comfortable with himself: “At shows, I tell people to be who they want to be, I plan on telling my kids that, so I don’t want to be a hypocrite, I’m not wearing it for shock value.” 

Howard says people will assume he’s gay or bi (like Bowie, YEAH, SIGH), but Harry says it’s not performative. This whole bit is fascinating on so many levels, he touches (without saying) on the entire queer-baiting issue, and it’s cringe-y, with Howard saying “I’m not criticizing, wear what you want, I’m a big mess, etc.”

Anyway, they pivot out of that with Howard moving beyond into asking Harry who he wants to badmouth: “Simon?” Harry: “This has been great!” and this entire bit about how Howard wants to know if Harry considers Simon a friend, and Harry saying he doesn’t talk to him gives me life. There’s a lot of gross talk about who Harry has his eye on for his next girlfriend, but I will tell you that I never in my life expected to hear the words SUSAN BOYLE thrown into this convo. 

The interview closes out with Harry getting progressively more silent about the women he should date, saying that he doesn’t talk in interviews about his love life, he talks in music (oh?????), so Taylor Swift comes up, and Harry says it’s flattering to think you’re in a Taylor song because she’s such a great songwriter, which, true, I guess?

Harry hasn’t used a dating app (duh), but Howard thinks he should create one, and…scene. 

#recap #stern show

[wetookanoath]

Your relationship with your brother are cute. I hope I can share OTP and fanfics with my sister hahaha. But my fam are a homophobe ;w;

I’m so sorry your family is like that, I know it can become a truly traumatic and uncomfortable, even dangerous, space for you, and I really hope you are okay and know you are not alone.

My brother and I have gone through a lot together and we had the luck and privilage to be raised by good people who understand and like to learn. And it’s also the fact that my brother it’s simply a good man.

He is bisexual, like me, and we grew up very close and have similar taste in the media we like to consume as hobby, so it’s easier for us to share this kind of things from time to time. It’s not always perfect (we disagree a lot in, for example, Star Wars in general and GOT ships), but when we find something both of us like, it can be fun.

In this case, I wasn’t expecting any of it lol. 

I never knew JT was into shipping as I normally do (aka, participating in fandom, reading fics, consuming fanart and participating in discussions) and to find out he is so into it in spite of Karate Kid being his big thing as a child, was actually very... surprising. Because he is a guy, I just didn’t expect him to actually say “shit, that’s my ship” from something considered so manly that he LOVED as a kid. Like damn, I remember he wanted to be Ralph Macchio and had a poster of him as Daniel and another one from Cross Roads in his room from ages 10-13 or so (more or less).

And like, I do remember he liked Johnny too. He liked the Cobras, but it was because he thought they were cool. You know, the way a kid sees the bad guys and thinks they are cool because a) they are all friends and b) they dress cool. But talking to him recently, he was telling me that he was around 17 (which was when I was living in Mexico City, so he was alone almost all the time at home) when he was watching Karate Kid and realized that maybe he liked Johnny because he liked Billy (the actor).

So, now-- I wasn’t aware of this at the time and we just had this conversation yesterday over breakfast, but when he was around that age was when he started to question and realize things about his sexuality (months before he was watching the movie, btw). And all that year, he kept wondering and noticed what pre-teen and teen years heroes, for him, were because he liked the character/person and which were because he was into them (or both). And his Billy Zabka thing was because he liked him That Way (as well as Clint Eastwood and Rick From The Mummy and Young Harrison Ford thing lol).

He came out in 2018 to me, 2019 to my mom and some family members. His friends and so know, of course. It was also in 2018 when he put posters in his room again, it was also when Cobra Kai aired and he watched it since day one. He found out about it and followed through until it was out and I’m actually surprised it took me so long to watch it too and to realize part of why he likes it so much it’s because he is a shipper, so his fandom experience has been fun beyond FIGHTS SO COOL YOU WANT TO FIGHT TOO.

In the ranch, among other things he loves, photos and polaroids, he has these pictures on his wall:

(And another two I can’t find on google so lmao, whatever, you get the point)

I remember having this process too, but I was younger. I realized I was bi around 14 or 15 years old. And 15 years old Nina was a lot into Nina Dobrev from TVD, and Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld movie franchise. I had this poster in my room:

I’m still trash for this woman, btw.

I have found out that the more I think of certain “obsessions” I had growing up, I get the feeling that it’s definately something that has been there forever, you know? The kind of female characters I liked because of their personality and the ones I like dbecause they “looked cool” (hot, Little Nina, hot), stuff like that-- they tend to have things in common and so on.

Really another thing to see my brother has had certain experiences similar to mine when it comes to these things.

BUT BRO, THIS HAS TEACHED ME SOMETHING: MEN SHIP TOO, MEN ACTUALLY CAN AND WILL SHIP IF THEY SEE SOMETHING THEY LIKE, and I’m glad my brother is not ashamed of it and enjoys it the way he does. Also that fandom is hella talented, I’ve been reading some of the fics he has reccommended me and I????? HOW?????? There’s this one that is so good, so, so, so SO genuinely good, I had the instinct of sending it to one of my best friends over DM on instagram but I don’t want to force them to it, so I didn’t at the end lol.

It’s been fun, it really has been fun to discover all this.

#nini got mail #personal #at this rate my brother will find my tumblr and it will be over for me #long post // #it think???? #i'll add a read more later wait #Anonymous

[daggerzine]

Ray Farrell on music and his time at SST, Blast First, Geffen and many more.

Ray Farrell has had a lifetime surrounded by music. First as a fan as a young kid and then eventually working for a series of record labels. He’s obviously a fan first and foremost as you can tell by reading below. It also seemed like he was there at the beginning of some major music scenes happening.

I had met Ray very briefly at one of the A.C. Elks hardcore shows that Ralph Jones put on in Atlantic City in the Summer of 1985 though Ray doesn’t remember it (honestly, a bunch of us were standing in a circle and chatting so I’m not even sure if any proper introductions were done).

Anyway, knowing some of the record labels that Ray had worked for I wanted to hear the whole story. I contacted him and shot him some questions and he was more than happy to elaborate and let us know where he’s been and where he’s going.  Take it away, Ray!

 Where did you grow up?

RF-Jersey City and Parsippany, New Jersey in the 60/70’s. I have two younger brothers.

What did you listen to first…classic rock or stuff earlier than that?

RF-Rock wasn’t classic yet. My earliest memories of music are my parents’ modest collection of 45’s and grandparents’ 78’s. My mom had a handful of singles on Chess and Satellite (pre-Stax)  that she said fell off a truck. We rented our house from a family connected to the mob. The records probably came from them. My mom and her sisters often sang Tin Pan Alley era songs at family gatherings. Harmony was encouraged!

Some records I heard as a toddler stayed with me forever. Lonnie Donegan’s “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor?” is a skiffle classic. Chuck Berry’s “Guitar Boogie” and “Last Night” by the Mar- Keys are still favorites.  I remember being spooked by the overblown production of the “Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams” e.p. on Sun Records. In the mid 60’s, my mom had top 40 radio on in the house unless my dad was home. When I was in kindergarten, a high school neighbor in our building babysat me for a couple hours after school a few days a week.  Her girlfriends came over regularly. They listened to a lot of doo-wop, which I still love today. The babysitter and her friends taught me how to slow dance, even though I wasn’t nearly a full grown boy. J

My best friend in 7th grade was a Beatles fanatic and we immersed ourselves in decoding clues to the “Paul McCartney Is Dead” gimmick. That was a brilliant scam and a fun short term hobby.  It was a deep dive into The Beatles music as a junior music detective.  By the time I started buying records, The Beatles were on their way out.

I happily lived for many months on only three albums-

CCR’s “Bayou Country”, Iron Butterfly’s “In A Gadda Da Vida” and the Beatles “Sgt. Pepper.” I joined the Columbia Record Club. I got the first twelve albums for one buck. That was a popular scam.  Those first twelve records shaped my taste because they were the only records I had. I didn’t know what to order but I chose very well in retrospect. After that, I bought a lot of records. I didn’t smoke, but many of my friends did. A carton of cigs cost the same as an lp- 5 bucks.

I learned in 7th grade that if I knew the songs that girls liked, we would have something to talk about. Girls loved Tommy James and The Shondells and The Rascals. I still do! I had a wider range in music taste than most of my high school friends. Everyone in my extended circle loved the Stones, Neil Young and the Allman Brothers. In a tighter circle we were into David Bowie, Lou Reed, Sparks, Todd Rundgren etc. I loved Mountain, Led Zep, Hendrix, Budgie, The Kinks, Alice Cooper, Sabbath. At first, The Stooges seemed too deep and serious for me. A little scary because I thought if teenagers felt like this all over the world, I’m doomed.  I bought the album with “Loose” and played that song for weeks before listening to the rest of it. The girl next door had Iggy’ s “Raw Power” album the week it was released. When glam rock was happening in England, there was a weekly NYC radio show that played the Melody Maker Top 30 singles. I was fascinated by T.Rex, Slade, Hawkwind.  I don’t recall if prog rock was a tag yet, I knew that I didn’t like songs that rambled on for more than 7 minutes. There were exceptions of course- some King Crimson, Yes, Mahavishnu. I was impressionable. Radio station WBAI hosted “Free Music Store” concerts with local acts. One show was a keyboard  group  called Mother Mallard that had banks of synthesizers on stage. They were similar to the music of Phillip Glass and Steve Reich, who you would only hear on that same radio station. I talked myself into buying their records, but it took years to comprehend them. I was too young to be listening to such serious stuff. I played soccer and ran track for a couple years. During meets at other schools, I made friends. At parties I heard Issac Hayes, Bohannon and James Brown records. Brown was all over top 40 radio. Rhythm guitar was my jam! Soul and funk records were best for that. I spent many nights listening to AM radio. The signal travels farther at night, so I’d listen to stations far away. It didn’t matter what kind of music it was. Some of my relatives had short wave radios. I was more interested in radio production than short wave content. The production quality has not changed much since then.  It often sounds like broadcasts trapped in the ether for the last 30 years.

 While I was in high school, it was common for local colleges to host rock and jazz concerts for low prices, sometimes free. The schools had to spend the money sitting in the student union coffers.   There was a live music club in my town called Joint In The Woods. The venue began as a banquet hall that doubled as a meeting hall for Boy Scout Jamborees and the like.  When it became the Joint, it was a disco. The first night of live music was a show with Iggy & The Stooges. The regular disco patrons were pissed!  The guys were mostly goombah’s in Quiana print shirts and bell bottoms. Three or four guys smacked Iggy around after his set.  Sure enough, he played Max’s Kansas City the next night as if nothing happened. Because of this club, touring bands were suddenly playing in my town. Badfinger, Roy Wood’s Wizzard, Muddy Waters. The NY Dolls were scheduled but didn’t show up. Springsteen was often an opening act. The N.J. legal drinking age had just lowered to 18. It was a great time. I was still in school, so I wasn’t staying out on weeknights.

I was determined to learn NYC music history by hitting all the Greenwich Village clubs and talking to the owners and bartenders. It didn’t matter what kind of music they specialized in- I was into the vibe. There were occasional scary nights parking near CB’s or jazz spots in that neighborhood. Folk music was on FM radio at the time. A high school friend booked a local coffee house called Tea & Cheese. Mostly locals and ambitious tri-state artists. Martin Mull, Aztec Two Step, Garland Jeffries. Some of Lou Reed’s touring band, The Tots, played there.  I went to all kinds of record stores, mainly those that sold rock imports and cutouts. I was fascinated by the street level buzz of a record. In ’74, I heard dub reggae for the first time. The only stores to get that music were in Queens because there was a strong West Indian community there. It may have been the “Harder They Come” soundtrack that got me started. There was a “pay to play” radio station in Newark - WHBI. DJ’s had to buy their airtime. Arnold “Trinidad” Henry had a weekly show playing new calypso and reggae. He was more into calypso than reggae.  A lot of calypso was political and comical. Arnold was fascinating! There was often a personal crisis he’d talk about on the air. My favorite incident was when he said that his life had been threatened during the program, so he locked himself in the studio.. Someone called the cops. They convinced him to unlock the door. He just wanted more airtime.  Arnold played the first reggae dub track I’d heard- full dub albums were a new concept at the time. Most dub was found on the flipsides of reggae 45’s. One of the shows sponsors was Chin Randy’s Records in Queens. I trekked out there by train to buy my first dub records. That was a trip! Randy Chin’s family went on to start VP Records.

 What was the first alternative/independent music you got into? How did it happen (friends? older siblings?)

RF-The term “punk” as a music style hadn’t been coined yet.  I vaguely recall equating “punk” with the great “Nuggets” compilation or something Greg Shaw might have writ in Bomp Magzine. I didn’t identify labels as independent. I knew that if the label design was simple and the address was listed, it was probably a small company.  There were plenty of record stores carrying obscure stuff.   I bought import records from a few NYC stores. I took the bus in until I was old enough to drive.  One store Pantasia, was up in The Bronx. I went there one Christmas eve day to get the import of the second Sadistic Mika Band album. The clerk talked me into buying the harder to find first album as well. He said it sounded like Shel Talmy produced it. I knew who that was and it was a revelation to talk to somebody in a record store at that level. That is what a record store should be! I read Phonograph Record magazine, Bomp and Trouser Press regularly.  Patti Smith and Television self released their debut singles- those are the first “indie” records I bought, followed by the first two Pere Ubu singles.  I remember hearing the Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner” from the Bezerkley Chartbusters comp on WFMU and thinking that there must be more music like that. It was refreshing.

Seeing Patti Smith and Television perform at CBGB’s changed my life. I connected the dots. I had BÖC albums on which Patti had co-writes.  She had a poem insert in Todd Rundgren’s “A Wizard, A True Star” album. She read a Morrison poem on a Ray Manzarek lp. She wrote for rock music mags with distinctive style. I read a brief story about her in the Voice and went to see her do her annual Rock N’ Rimbaud show. Shortly after that she and Television played CBGB’s for six weekends in early ’75. Both bands were really great. Patti didn’t have a drummer yet. Richard Hell was a big inspiration to me.  He looked cool. He played bass like he just picked it up the month before. That was a new concept.  Television changed bass players in the middle of the residency. Television was the first band I saw with short hair and they dressed like teenage delinquents circa 1962. The CBGB’s jukebox had a good number of 60’s garage records. In my head I conceived Television  to be inspired by that music.  Made sense to me- Lenny Kaye, who assembled the “Nuggets” comp,  is in the PSG. When I went back to see Television headline, The Ramones opened. Seeing The Ramones again, Talking Heads opened. It seemed like the streak of seeing great new bands would not end. They were distinctly NYC sounds. They could not have merged anywhere else.  I remember avoiding the band Suicide because I didn’t think the music could be good J. Bands like Tuff Darts, Mumps and The Marbles opened shows but I wasn’t thrilled by them. A CBGB’s band that doesn’t get mentioned much is Mink DeVille. They wore matching outfits like they were playing a low budget Miami dive in 1962J.  The club still had the small corner stage. The p.a. was ok and the bands had small amps. The music wasn’t loud in a “rock” way. You could sit at a table right in front of the band. Although we consider the club a birthplace of punk, the club showcased local bands that had been around for a while. I think the club upgraded the p.a. once before building the big stage. I realized at that point that when a band was great or at least interesting live, the records were basic documents of the band’s sound.

What was your first job in the music scene/industry?

RF- Before realizing I wanted to be in the business, I hounded import mail order guys on the phone about non-lp b-sides and albums that weren’t released stateside.  I was fascinated by the process.  Why were some records not in stores even though they had local airplay? My dad did not listen to much music, but he had an army buddy that made a living in Al Hirt’s band. He came to our house once. He gave my dad a copy of John Fahey’s “After The Ball” album, which he played on.  I liked his stories about the session man side of the business.  Fahey treated him well.  I was generally shy, but when it came to music I would approach anyone I thought I could learn from.  I heard horror stories about the music biz in NYC but learned later that those were a mob related labels. At the time, I thought the entire NYC music biz might be that way. I planned to move to California anyway.   In high school, I go-fer’d at local Jersey radio stations and talked my way into meeting a few top FM radio dj’s. I thought I wanted to be a professional dj, but my dad wisely talked me out of that. The itinerant radio jock life would not be for me. It was a racket.

In ’76, I took a long low budget cross country trip with my high school sweetheart.  Along the way, I stayed in Memphis for three weeks with a cousin who was stationed at the Millington naval base.  Got a job at a hip movie theatre that served liquor.  I found Alex Chilton in the phone book and spent an afternoon talking with him. I wasn’t yet legal drinking age in Tennessee. It amused him that a fan showed up in his town who was not old enough to drink.  En route to Cali, Tulsa, OK was on my route to find Shelter Records and studio , but it  shut down and the label moved to L.A. At the time, Dwight Twilley’s “I’m On Fire” was a radio hit. I didn’t think there were still bands like that. Twilley was from Tulsa, but had moved to L.A. by that time.

When I arrived in L.A. I visited small label record company offices. A few offered me jobs or references. I spent two weeks crashing at the Malibu house of a distant family friend. I didn’t want to live in L.A. but I was encouraged by the opportunities. I got a job at the famous record store- Rather Ripped in Berkeley, CA.

 Patti Smith told me about Rather Ripped before I left Jersey. In ’75, she and her band went to California for shows in L.A. and Berkeley. The northern Cali shows were set up by the store. She did a poetry reading there. This is well before “Horses” was released.  I bought a couple records from the store’s Dedicated Fool mail order service. They had a monthly catalog on newsprint. Thousands of records in tiny font.  Every record was described with a few words. This is 1976 and punk rock was just getting started. I worked as a prep cook in a charcuterie associated with Alice Waters’ famous restaurant Chez Panisse. The proprietor knew the record store owners. I wasn’t actively looking to work there, but I talked about music all day every day. They fast tracked me for an interview. Because of a scheduling mistake, Tom Petty interviewed me for the job. His first album just came out and “American Girl” was close to being a hit single. The band came to the store before a local show. Tom overheard the owner apologizing for not being able to do the interview, so he offered to conduct it.  It was great. I knew all about his label, Shelter Records.  I deliberately avoided talking about The Ramones and Patti Smith because punk was new and against the grain.  At the end of the interview Tom told the owners that if he lived in Berkeley, he’d buy all his records from me.  The store owner still had to interview me formally the next day, but I knew that I nailed it.

 It was owned by two dynamic gents that were connected to Berkeley society and Bay Area journalists. They weren’t typical record store guys. They celebrated the 70’s in the moment. They held court with well known music scribes, musicians, dj’s. They were good friends of The Residents. Perhaps my strangest story is meeting The Residents with the Rather Ripped owners at a S.F. Irish bar that specialized in Irish Coffee’s. I had only recently heard of the group, so I was not cognizant of their marketing myth.   At the bar, we were with our girlfriends and wives. One of the Residents tried to convince me and my gf to go back their place for a hot tub session.  I laughed out loud and said “geez, what a bunch of hippies”! We didn’t go. In retrospect, I should have gone on the condition that they wore eyeball heads in the tub. At that time, The Residents rarely performed live, but they did in 1975 for the store’s birthday party. The early Bezerkley Records (Jonathan Richman, Greg Kihn) was distributed to stores through Rather Ripped. Their office was a few blocks away. At the store, each employee had unique music taste and expertise. Pop music was changing rapidly with a new energy. Some of us were tapped into it.  We all had to know the key new releases in every genre because we were tastemakers. Major labels would beg us to do window displays for new releases. But if they could not find a store employee that liked that artist, it was no go. So, no Pablo Cruise window display.  We weren’t against major labels, but we put a lot of energy into selling the ton of music that we loved. Our focus was on imports, indies, promos and cut outs where we could get a good price mark up.  We had a rare record search service with customers all over the world. We’d find rare records through trade-ins and by combing record stores all over the state.

There were a few import distributors, but they weren’t hip to many small run U.S. independent releases. That was understandable because bands didn’t often press enough records for a distributor to get excited about. In other words, why spend half your day hunting down records that were only pressed in small quantities. Just as they start selling, you’re out of stock. There gonna sell a hell of a lot more Scorpions’ picture discs!   As always, some distributors financed exclusive re-pressings of records that had momentum. The only way to get records like Roky Erikson’s “Two Headed Dog” single or The Flamin’ Groovies’ “You Tore Me Down” 45 was directly through mail order.  I wrote to label addresses listed in Trouser Press and fanzines to buy direct in order to sell them in the store with no competition. Major label sales reps didn’t prioritize us  because we didn’t shift bulk units of the hits. However, we were so plugged in to the lesser known artists that we were a good place for record companies to try and start a buzz. We could swell 50-100 of a record that all the other stores sold a handful of. Bands showed up at the store while touring.  Springsteen bought Dylan bootlegs from us by mail order. Patti Smith’s manager Jane Friedman used the store as a home base when Patti and John Cale came through the area.

Berkeley is in the East Bay of the S.F. bay area. A few months after starting at Rather Ripped, I realized that the city had a rich music scene well before punk /new wave started. There was Fantasy Records, a well known jazz r&b label but best known for CCR;  Arhoolie, Solid Smoke, Metalanguage;  the contemp classical labels- Lovely Music and 1750 Arch; folk and blues labels like Takoma and Olivia. Of course, bands like Chrome and others started labels to release their own music. Ralph Records was started by The Residents, and they began signing bands.  Rather Ripped was also a center for improv, electronic and meditation records.

In ’77 or ’78   I joined the nascent Maximum Rock N Roll radio team. This was well before the magazine. In the early days there were weeks when we didn’t have enough new punk records to fill the two hour weekly show. Tim Yohannon was all about energetic, real rock n roll, so he filled in the program with records by Gene Vincent, The Sonics etc. BTW, Tim applied green masking tape to the three closed sides of every record he had. He gave me a Mekons double single  he decided he didn’t like. It was in a  gatefold sleeve that he sealed shut with his green tape!  Sometimes he re-designed the cover art…never for the better. He made his own pic sleeves for 45’s that didn’t have them. Bands would stare at their own records in bewilderment. Tim was archiving the records of the entire punk and hardcore movement worldwide.

Eventually, Tim brought in Ruth Schwartz, and Jeff Bale as co-hosts- both great people.  Jello Biafra was a frequent guest. Tim assembled the “Not So Quiet On The Western Front” lp and later organized syndication for the radio show. I remember hearing the first Disorder ep and thinking -this is the future! J  It was exciting. But soon, most hardcore records sounded alike to me. It was like- “Do you want more fries with your fries?” I went to plenty of live shows without knowing a lot about the bands playing them. I was happy when the fashion trended away from jackboots to sneakers…getting a boot kick to the head in a stage dive could be brutal.  I didn’t see a lot of skinhead violence at shows, but I know it was changing the scene.

San Francisco and Berkeley were important music centers, activist meccas as well as creative artistic and intellectual hubs.  Yohannon had history as an activist. He identified with public protests for causes & social issues.  For many teenagers, punk rock was a rite of passage. I think it changed a lot of kids’ lives for the better.  The overriding message was to be civically aware of what is going on around you and what affects your life.

 Tell me about your time at Arhoolie Records. Where was it located?

Rather Ripped’s owners had a falling out and the remaining owner just wanted to sell records and antiques with his wife. He moved it to a nearby city. Just before the store closed, he told me of an open position at Back Room Distribution, a division of Arhoolie. It was in El Cerrito, a small town north of Berkeley. Chris Strachwitz, the owner of Arhoolie is a legendary record man. He recorded many of his early blues albums with a tape recorder in his car.  He owned the legendary Down Home Music store in the same building.  Separated by partition behind the store was Back Room.  It was an indie label distributor for blues, folk roots music. Rounder Records was still a new label at the time. I gotta admit, when Rounder issued The Shaggs “Philosophy Of The World’ I was in seventh heaven. I worked primarily for the distributor, grooming to be a sales rep but I spent a lot of time in the store.  At first, I didn’t yet relate to blues and country music. But there were a lot of touring artists in those styles making a living. It was a strong network of clubs, fans, radio shows and press that fueled it. The store had an incredible selection of obscure 50’s/60’s rockabilly and garage band comps. The Cramps were my favorite band at the time.  The rockabilly comps  mostly on a the Dutch White Label, were treasure troves of insane songs.  My heart was in new music- whatever you wanna call it, punk, new wave, art music. That’s the business I wanted to be in.  I used my time to learn more about distribution operations. The people that worked at Arhoolie and in its community were fun music heads. There were a lot of good musicians among them.  It was a great time to live in Berkeley.

What was next, Rough Trade and CD Presents? Was that in San Francisco? I went to that Rough Trade store a few times and it was an amazing store.

I knew folks from Rough Trade UK because I bought imports from them to sell @ Rather Ripped. When they wanted to open in the U.S. they contacted me, but at the time the wage was low and there wasn’t enough space to work. I was interested in working in the distribution division, not the store. They speiled something about it being a socialist business.  I stayed at Arhoolie for a little while longer.  In the meantime, I was offered my own weekly late night radio show on Pacifica’s  KPFA in Berkeley- same station as Maximum Rock N’Roll. I took over a show called “Night Sky”, an ambient music program. My interim program title was “No More Mr. Night Sky” until I settled on “Assassinatin’ Rhythm”. The station’s music director was a contemporary classical composer closely associated with avant -garde and 20th century music. A major segment of my show was for industrial, post-punk and undefinable music. I hosted a few live on- air performances with Z’ev, Slovenly and Angst among others. Negativland’s “Over The Edge” program started on KPFA around this time. KPFA was 100,000 watts of power with affiliate stations covering the Central Valley down to Fresno and Bakersfield.

 When the time was right, I moved to Rough Trade’s U.S. distribution company in Berkeley. The record store was in San Francisco. We distributed a lot of British records sent by Rough Trade UK, often in small quantities.  Rough Trade US was set up to press and distribute select RT and Factory records by Joy Division, ACR, The Fall, Stiff Little Fingers, Crass. It was cheaper and more effective to press in the U.S and Canada. I also distributed some U.S. labels but there was one Brit on the staff that hated most American music.  On top of that, it could be a dangerous place to work. One of the staff was importing reggae records and weed from Jamaica to our warehouse. The local connection was shot on his porch shortly after he picked up a shipment! I was lucky to spend a few days travelling with Mark E.Smith of The Fall. He loved obscure rockabilly and garage band records. I was able to return to Memphis for a while to prep the first Panther Burns album for release. Tony Wilson of Factory put up most of the money to keep RTUS going. He was a brilliant character, but I learned from talking with him how not to conduct business. I often got sample records from bands that wanted distribution. Pell Mell’s “Rhyming Guitars” e.p.  was the start of my long association with the band. I enjoyed selling records to stores all over the country. I learned about local scenes, records, fanzines, clubs and college radio stations everywhere. Making these sources connect for touring bands and record sales was exciting. Because Rough Trade is British, we had the benefit of connections with club dj’s. We pressed and promoted New Order’s “Blue Monday” single on a shoestring budget.  For a long time, it was the best kept secret from the mainstream.  I left Rough Trade for Subterranean Records ( Flipper etc) for a spell while working in a record store. The guy that put up the money for the record store ran guns to Cuba through Mexico. Thankfully, not through the actual store.  I booked Cali shows for Panther Burns, The Wipers, Sonic Youth, Whitehouse.

Who owned the CD Presents label? I remember that Avengers compilation.

It was owned by a lawyer, David Ferguson. He had a recording studio as well.  I didn’t understand why he wanted to run a label. He did not have an ear for music. But we did release a Tales Of Terror lp!  He almost released a DOA album that I thought the band would kill him over. Many years later I got into a fist fight with one of David’s employees in a limo ride shared with Ferguson and Lydia Lunch. We fought through the window separating the driver from the passengers. I would love to recreate that for a film. Good times!

My main role there was to set up the first Billy Bragg record in the U.S. Billy’s manager was the legendary Peter Jenner and both were great to work with. They were using CD Presents as a stepping stone to a major label. In the meantime, I knew a few people at SST. Joe Carducci is an old friend. He was pitching me to move to L.A. and work there,  but I resisted for a while. I had just met the woman that I knew would be the love of my life. I didn’t want to move to SoCal. Joe gave me an ultimatum. He sent three advance cassettes that convinced me to go- Meat Puppets’ “Up On The Sun”, Minutemen’s “Double Nickels” and Huskers’ “New Day Rising” That’s an excellent recruiting strategy. I later married the love of my life.

On the side I booked shows for bands I loved. Gerard Cosloy asked me to book Sonic Youth first northern Cali shows. I also booked shows for The Wipers and noise band Whitehouse

Was SST Records next? How long did you last there and what was that like?

I was there for three years. “How long did you last there?” sounds like I was biding my time :)   I’m often asked about my time with SST.

Carducci hired me to do PR. That meant publicity, college radio, regional press. Video was a valuable promo tool. MTV’s “120 Minutes” program was a great way to promote our records.

In 1987 we put out more records than Warner Brothers. By that time, I hired people to help.

I’ve done a number of interviews about SST. If you have specific questions, shoot. I recall that my social life was almost entirely with my co-workers and bands on the label. I was nearly oblivious to music from other labels. I was a big fan of Dischord and Homestead. Metallica, COC, Voivod and the Birthday Party/Nick Cave were my non-SST staples.

I think around this time I had met you briefly in NJ at one of the Elks Lodge shows that my old friend Ralph Jones put on. Were you living in NJ at that point or just visiting?

You’ve mentioned that before and I don’t recall the specific show. I moved out of NJ permanently in ’76. I came back for annual summer visits to NYC, north Jersey and Philly. Some high school friends went to Upsala College, then the home of WFMU. On my first visit back in ’76  I met Irwin Chusid and R. Stevie Moore. Some high school friends were connected to Feelies before they took that name.

Was Blast First! next? I met Pat Naylor once and hung out with her at a show and she was really sweet.

Yeah around the time I left SST, the folks in Sonic Youth called saying that they had left as well. They wanted me to be involved with Blast First! in the U.S. I knew Paul Smith because he released their albums in the UK. Blast First UK released a number of Touch N Go and SST records. The label was a division of Mute which had a  U.S. deal with Enigma. My job was almost entirely “Daydream Nation” promotion. It was so much fun to be able to go deep  with one album. We issued Ciccone Youth shortly afterward, which augmented the overall Sonic Youth story.  The only other active touring band was Band Of Susans and on a limited level, Lunachicks and Big Stick.  It was only one year of work before Enigma cut Mute/Blast First loose. I went on Sonic Youth’s Soviet Union tour and I had a few memorable meetings with Sun Ra. David Bowie called a few times asking about recording studios that Dino Jr and Sonic Youth used.  Bowie had a brilliant idea to record Suicide’s “Dream Baby Dream” with Glenn Branca’s large guitar group. We tried following up on it but Bowie was immersed in Tin Machine and other projects.

Was it on to Geffen then?

Yes, Sonic Youth had good meetings with the label. I had recently met Mark Kates who was championing the signing.  He suggested that I come in to meet the entire company. He brought my name up with David who said, “we need someone like that here”.

I had fleeting thoughts that working for a major was “selling out”...punching corporate clock. I wanted to apply what I knew on a larger scale.  

What was that like, working for a proper major label? Was David Geffen still involved?

On my second day there, David called me into his office. He is down to earth, street smart. Like many of the best in the biz, he didn’t have an attitude.  He had met with the Meat Puppets. He sensed that Dinosaur Jr. was important. I reminded him that I was not hired for a&r.

He said- “I don’t assign job titles. If you find something else you’d like to do here, you can pursue it ‘after 5pm’ ”. I found reissue projects like the Pere Ubu box and Raincoats catalog. I recorded a new Raincoats album.  I signed Southern Culture On The Skids, Garrison Starr, Skiploader. I assembled and recorded Rob Zombie’s Halloween Hootenanny comp. With Sonic Youth, I pondered making records with John Fahey and Townes Van Zandt. After ten years, it was time to move on.

Tell us what you do now, didn’t you get involved with digital music at some point?

Geffen Records was folded into Interscope in 1999 and I was bored with the limitations of the business as it was.  Digital music was gaining ground solely through illegal file trading on Napster. I knew there would be a major shift in the business moving to digital. I worked for the download site. eMusic.com, signing distribution agreements with labels. This was years before iTunes and YouTube. Major labels would not work with us because mp3 files are open source files that could be traded freely without control.  They saw eMusic as a facilitator of illegal file trading. Like marijuana use leading to hard drugs!  In the big picture, I knew that digital downloads weren’t “sexy”.  But at some point, digital music would develop into something easier to track and use. We skipped the major labels. The bigger independent labels understood that digital music would be the future.  It was a great place to be. I knew a lot of music, but I had no idea there were so many labels in every country. One label owner told me that I had the best  job in the world. I knew that to explain this new unproven music format it could be an uphill climb. So I took the time to research label websites for song samples. That way I could find common ground with label owners. There’s surf music in Brazil? There’s a young female cellist duo in Prague that make energetic music? There’s archaic royalty rules connected to opera arrangements? Bring it on!  It certainly changed how I listen to music.

It was a time when business rules and legal rights had to change in order to deal with digital income disbursement. For example, digital downloads could be sold by the song while royalty payments were based on album sales. eMusic was at the forefront of those changes. When iTunes launched, digital music was “legitimized”. Borne out of eMusic was RoyaltyShare which provides a royalty accounting platform for labels. It is now a division of The Orchard and I divide my time between The Orchard and RoyaltyShare.

Who are some current bands you are into?

A loaded question! I listen to a lot of new music. I spend a lot of time listening to records and cd’s in my collection. Of current artists,  I really like Steve Gunn’s music. I listen to the projects involving members of Sonic Youth.  Bill Nace, Kim’s partner in Body/Head is a guitar genius. Body/Head’s music is a cathartic experience for me.  London is lucky to have Thurston Moore living and working there. I think the music they make separately is far more exciting that what Sonic Youth would’ve made if still together.

Lately I’m digging Melenas from Spain, Hayvenlar Alemi from Turkey. Quin Kirchner is a Chicago based  drummer that put out a great jazz record in 2018 called “The Other Side Of Time”. I think he plays on Ryley Walker ‘s records.

Because I’ve spent so much time with the music of Sonic Youth, Branca and Rhys Chatham, I crave the occasional dive into instrumental symphonic guitar army and tonal stuff. Current favorites in that vein are Bosse De Nage, Pelican, Sunn O)))

Given the chance I’ll see any performance by Mary Halvorson, Ches Smith, Marc Ribot or Mary Lattimore.

It took me years to get it, but I’m now a big fan of Keiji Haino’ music.  Dean McPhee is a British guitarist I really like. I just bought a couple of Willie Lane lp’s on Feeding Tube.

I research music history and the development of the industry. There are historical and social components of every type of music by culture, country, time period. I love stories about riots at premieres of new avant garde works. I read a book about famous classical composers in the 18th Century playing home concerts (salons) where people are talking the entire time…but they are paid handsomely for the performance.   Streaming music sites and YouTube are vast repositories of music and cultural documentation.

Do you still make it out to many shows?

I go to two/three shows a month when I’m home and more when traveling especially NY/London. I start work early in the morning so I’m not out late often.  I understand why people see less live music as they get older. I’m done with music festivals. The Big Ears Festival is the only Stateside event that might inspire me to stand for eight hours.

I always hear music by new artists that I really like. I don’t always go to see the live show. Sometimes I hear a new band that sounds like a band  I liked 20 years ago.  I wouldn’t deliberately see a band that uses another band’s sound as a template.

 What are your top 10 desert island discs?

I cannot do 10. It’s 20 or nothing. If you say sorry Ray, it will be nothing. FineJ If I’m on an island, I’ll listen to the ocean waves and sounds of nature. If I’m relegated to a desert, I’ll listen to the blood coarsing through my veins.

Miles Davis- Kind Of Blue

Television- Marquee Moon

Peter Brotzmann- Machine Gun

Sex Pistols -Never Mind The Bollocks

Rolling Stones- Let It Bleed

Soundtrack – The Harder They Come

Billy Harper – Black Saint

Kleenex/Liliput- First Songs

Patti Smith Group -Easter

Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers- Houserockin’

Led Zeppelin- Houses Of The Holy

Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation

Elvis Presley- Sun Sessions

The Cramps- Songs The Lord Taught Us

Pell Mell -Flow

Procol Harum- A Salty Dog

Sibelius- Complete Symphonies

Lou Reed -Coney Island Baby

Meat Puppets- Up On The Sun

The Kinks- Kinks Kronikles

 “Hmm....Flow or Star City?”

 Any final words? Closing comments? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask.

I’ve been involved off and on with the artist Raymond Pettibon for a music project called Supersession. He has made records under this moniker before. This project began in 1990 and stalled for many years. We revived it a couple years ago. I play bass. Raymond wrote many pages of words and lyrics that he passed to the band, encouraging us to write music behind them. It’s different from Raymond’s other records because it is not improvised. Rick Sepulveda, our guitarist is a great songwriter and he wrote music for Raymond’s words. Rick sings a bunch of the songs because Raymond loves his voice. We did a  NYC performance in November that was really fun. So now of course, I’m thinking we should play monthly in L.A. We are nearly finished with the album that we recorded at Casa Hanzo, the San Pedro studio Mike Watt owns with Pete Mazich. Raymond is a brilliant man; fun and inspiring to work with. When I practice with Rick, he’ll often break into a cover song deep in the recess of memory. Like John Cale’s “Hanky Panky Nohow” ,Kevin Ayers’ “Oh Wot A Dream” or the Doors “Wishful Sinful”. We may cover a Harry Toledo song. It’s a blast.  I hope to have the album finished in July.

 Tav, Bobby, Pell Mell and Ray 

[papergy]

Success Quotes From History’s Greatest Minds

Here are some quotes from the greatest minds in history on success.

1. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” —Dale Carnegie

2. “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” —Albert Einstein

3. “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”—Booker T. Washington

4. “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” —Truman Capote

5. “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well.” —Henry W. Longfellow

6. “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.” —George S. Patton

7. “Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.” —Oscar Wilde

8. “Action is the foundational key to all success.” —Pablo Picasso

9. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” —Henry David Thoreau

10. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill

11. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” —Thomas A. Edison

12. “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”—Abraham Lincoln

13. “The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well.” —John D. Rockefeller Jr.

14. “All successful men have agreed in one thing—they were causationists. They believed that things went not by luck, but by law; that there was not a weak or a cracked link in the chain that joins the first and last of things.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life

15. “The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows.” —Aristotle Onassis

For more historical content, check out www.papergy.com.

#success #quotes #business #inspiration #books #ebooks

[otterbagel]

Urban Explorer- Ralph x Reader

Reader likes to explore old buildings, but one day encounters a damaged deviant.

(Notes: This is a hot mess, no lie. This was something I imagined pretty clearly in my mind, but then I had no clue where to go or how to end it. Sorry for that.)

Warnings: Brief mentions of dead animals.

     When Peter had told you and Tony about the possibility of another free-range exploration, you were ecstatic. Being able to look through abandoned buildings at your leisure, uncovering pointless secrets, and maybe finding some interesting souvenirs of history was an interesting hobby of yours. Definitely not a common one, but one nonetheless. 

  Unfortunately, your friends didn't exactly share this hobby. While you found excitement in old letters and bits of destroyed photographs, they enjoyed scrounging up old jewelry and sellable pieces of furniture.

  Peter walked in front of you and Tony as you all headed for the front door. "I don't think it should be too hard to get out, but we'll see." Peter looked over his shoulder, saying your name. "I don't think we'll need your help, but I'm not sure yet. If you see anything else that might be worth something, let us know. But yeah. We got free range of the place."

  "Gotcha," you responded, following him through the doorway. 

  The house was practically destroyed. Boxes of wood was laid about, chairs upturned, and graffiti was covering the walls. There didn't seem to be much to look at in the living room. 

  "Is that the one you were talking about?" Tony gestured to the arcade game as Peter inspected it. You tiptoed your way to the kitchen, glancing about for anything that piqued your curiosity.

  "Yeah, it's the only one here that I know of," Peter responded.

  You looked around the mangled kitchen, mouth gently opening as you noticed the obsessive carvings on the walls. 'RA9' was written over and over, with no rhyme or reasoning to their placement. You crossed your arms as you turned your head, inspecting the confusing mess.

    "Will it fit out the door? Or in the truck?"

  You looked at the counter behind you. Odd bits of wood and plastic was stacked on all the surfaces. The only things that seemed remotely purposeful was a dead bird laying beside a broken watch and a small amount of cash. 

  "Uh, I think so."

  It was such an unnatural place for a bird to die; had it been moved? You stepped away and turned to walk back to the others when a bright color caught your eye. A plant of some kind. You crouched to look at its leaves closely. 

  "Watch your hands," mumbled Peter from outside.

  It looked perfectly healthy, not to mention the soil in the pot was lightly moist. Your heart dropped.

  Someone had been here recently.

  Your foot bumped something as you leaned up. You glanced down, seeing a large knife at your feet. You bit your lip, trying to think of what to say to the others. Who lived here? Why were they here in the first place? Did the owners know?

  You walked through the living room, seeing Tony and Peter slowly pulling the machine across the yard. You swallowed as you turned to go up the stairs, catching a brief glimpse of your face in a nearby mirror. Your anxiety was showing clearly by your wide eyes and clenched jaw.

  The upper floor was lit by the strong sunlight filtering in through the many windows. There was an open bedroom that immediately caught your attention; a lot of people kept personal items near their beds. You rubbed your fingers together as you slowly entered. This was the first time during one of your explorations where you felt like an actual intruder.

  The mattress was filthy, its stained sheets laying mostly on the floor. You approached the nightstand, lightly pulling open the single drawer. Completely empty, aside from some dust. You closed it, inspecting the room once more. 

  Besides some trash, the only other interesting part of the room was a small closet. With just a few quick strides, the fragile knob was in your hand. You pulled open the door without any hesitation.

  The flashing red light and shuffling made you freeze.

  You hadn't even considered the possibility that they were still inside the building.

  He was an android, that much was clear. His LED was flashing wildly as he tried to push himself away from you, twitching strongly as he whimpered. 

  "Humans are back to hurt Ralph," he whispered at a barely audible level. You couldn't move or respond.

  "Hey," Peter called, causing the android to flinch. "did you find anything up there?"

  Although you gripped the doorknob tighter, your eyes couldn't leave his terrified gaze. "No, nothing," you forced out. "just some ripped up clothes."

  "Ah, sorry 'bout that." You heard some pacing downstairs, the figure in the closet still fidgeting below you. "When you get down here, can you lock up? We're gonna take this and get it appraised."

  "That's fine," you said, angling your voice to the door. 

  "Alright. Be careful on your way home!"

  "You too." 

  You heard the front door shut, making an awkward situation. 

  You tentatively took a few steps away from the closet, keeping a close eye on the android as he slowly rose to his feet. You felt your legs bump against the mattress, neither of you breaking eye contact as he slowly stepped out. Half of his face was mangled. Probably from humans.

  Suddenly, he turned to rush out the door. "Wait! I'm not going to hurt you!" you called, trying to keep up and he bounded down the stairs. You hung onto the banister as you flung yourself towards the kitchen, his green cape fluttering in the archway. You skidded to a halt as he reappeared in the living room.   You had forgotten about the knife.

  "Stay away!" he ordered, holding the knife with both hands.

  You brought your hands up in a calming motion as his light flickered. "I'm not going to hurt you," you breathed. "we didn't know anyone was here. I'm sorry for scaring you."

  He stared at you for a moment before lowering the knife to his side. "R-Ralph wants to apologize for scaring the human as well," He shuffled in place. "he wasn't expecting visitors. Visitors may hurt Ralph."

  You nodded slowly. "I'm-"

  "They took Ralph's TV away!" he chirped, eyeing where the arcade machine had been as he moved around the empty space. 

  You felt your face heat up from the embarrassment. "Sorry... Ralph," you said in an unsure way. "they didn't know you lived here."

  "Mean humans..." he grumbled to himself. He rose his eyebrows in intrigue. "Why was the nice human with them?"

  You rubbed one of your wrists, thinking of how to phrase your odd hobby in a simple way. "I like looking at old pictures and things," you explained. "it makes me happy."

  He appeared to be deep in thought, then smiling and waving his arms around like a giddy child. "Ralph has something the human would like! Follow him!" He motioned to the kitchen with the knife, which you stayed back from. 

  You entered the next room, Ralph then shoving a wrinkled piece of paper in your hand. You inspected it. It was an older photo of an android, similar to Ralph.

  "Its a picture of Ralph! -Or at least it looks like him," he corrected. 

  You noticed him eagerly grinning at you as you held the photograph. You smiled in response. "Its lovely," you responded.

  "Ralph thought the human would like it," he glanced about the room. "do they like Ralph's home? It has many old things."

  "Mhm," you mumbled. The RA9 carvings on the wall caught your attention again. You gestured to them. "What does that mean?"

  "What?" he said plainly, confusion covering his features.

  "RA9. What does that mean?" you walked a few steps towards it, reading the same word over and over with a raised brow. 

  "Ralph doesn't know. But he likes to write!" he cheered. You stifled a laugh, still unsure about the writings or their creator. "He likes plants too. Plants are nice."

  You looked at the lone greenery on the counter. "Is that yours?"

  "Yes! H-her name is Leafy," he stammered, smiling at the small potted plant. "She makes for good company."

  "Would you like some more plants? Or is Leafy enough?" you asked.

  He shifted his weight, eyes darting between you and the plant. "Ralph loves Leafy, but he would like even more friends!"

  "I'll get you another plant when I come back, then."

  His intact eye seemingly lit up with excitement. "Human is coming back?" his features calmed as he took on a more perplexed expression. "But... why? Humans normally don't like Ralph's house... or him."

  Your first instinct was to lightly touch his arm, but his skittishness made you stand back. "You and your house are lovely, Ralph. I want to spend my time here."

  He dropped his knife and enveloped you in a tight hug. You were momentarily alarmed, but the happy squeaks coming from the android brought you out of your worries. 

  "Ralph isn't alone anymore! Oh, um..." he looked embarrassed as he gently moved his face off of you. "W-what's the human's name?"

#dbh #dbh ralph #dbh ralph x reader #dbh x reader

[adamwatchesmovies]

Tales from the Crypt (1972)

Are you a fan of Tales from the Crypt with John Kassir? You’ve probably seen every episode a dozen of times. You own Demon Knight, Bordello of Blood and Voodoo. But you want more. I present to you the 1972 British Tales from the Crypt movie. It’s got the same charm as what you found on TV with 5 ghoulish stories that mix comedic irony and scares well.

… And All Through the House On Christmas Eve, Joanne (Joan Collins) murders her husband (Martin Boddey). When an escaped homicidal maniac wearing a Santa Suit (Oliver MacGreevy) attempts to break inside the house, she cannot call the police without exposing her own crime. This segment has a great premise and offers a nice slice of scares as Joanne attempts to keep the lunatic out of the house. Oliver MacGreevy is great as the maniac. He’s menacing without being too over-the-top. Only way to improve this one would've been to make it longer. Reflection of Death Carl Maitland (Ian Hendry) abandons his family to be with another woman (Angela Grant). As they’re driving away, they get into a car accident. Separated from his new squeeze, Carl attempts to get back home. The twist ending to this story is obvious and the camerawork gives it away too. Nonetheless, the last few moments got me. I jumped out of my seat and not because of some lame jump scare. It’s nice and short with a great payoff. Poetic Justice James Elliott (Robin Phillips) is a snobbish aristocrat who hates his poor, gentle neighbor, Arthur Grimsdyke (Peter Cushing, sporting a mustache). James embarks on a campaign of cruelty that will drive Arthur away. The story has a great, delightfully macabre ending that's well shot and genuinely creepy. As with the other segments, the performances are quite good and it gets to the point before you have the chance of becoming restless. Wish You Were Here Ralph Jason (Richard Greene) and his wife Enid (Barbara Murray) are at the end of their rope when they discover that they have a magical Chinese figurine that will grant them three wishes. Having read W. W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw, they decide to use the artifact and beat it at its own game. I like the twist on the classic story. I hate when the characters don’t have the common sense to double-tap, check the back seat, lock their doors... or do other things you learn from watching horror movies. This one missteps by featuring a dodgy-looking grim reaper and by being inspired by The Monkey’s Paw, you can easily see where the plot is going. I didn’t mind. It’s different enough from the episode of the show that you can watch both without knowing exactly where it’s headed, unlike the first and last segments who were straight remakes when they came to HBO. Blind Alleys Major William Rogers (Nigel Patrick) and his savage German Shepherd live in luxury while the residents of the home for the blind he manages are miserable. A final straw finally pushes the blind to enact their own cruel revenge. I like this interpretation of the story better than when it’s simply on paper (first published in Tales from the Crypt No. 46). There’s something about the performances (notably Patrick Magee as the leader of the blind) that sells the ending. It’s original, and a good way to close up this anthology. The Wraparound story features the protagonists from each of these five tales wandering into a crypt where the Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson) pushes them to remember what brought them there. It’s decent though uninspired.

Overall, Tales from the Crypt is a faithful adaptation of its source material. There’s a nice blend of humor and horror, the acting is convincing and the stories entertain. I even get a kick out of the '70s-style blood, which has a particularly (and incorrect) consistency and is nearly magenta-colored. I have two criticisms. The first is that I think the film suffers from the same issue the television series does. When every story has a twist ending or features a cruel character that eventually gets their comeuppance, it’s satisfying but predictable. What this film needed was at least one regular horror story – original or not – to mix things up and keep us on our toes. My second criticism is more of a missed opportunity. Two of the 5 stories prominently feature the holidays. … And All Through the House is set during Christmas and Poetic Justice Valentine's Day. I say go all the way with it. Many of these stories could’ve been tweaked to be on holidays (Carl from Reflection of Death could be leaving his family as part of a New Year’s Resolution for example), which would’ve given this film a nice uniformity and some nasty annual celebration re-watch value. I was surprised to find myself genuinely frightened during Tales from the Crypt. It’s delightfully cathartic and imaginative with good special effects and a lot of charm. As an introduction or a companion to the comics and TV series, it’s a screaming success. (On Blu-ray, December 28, 2016)

#tales from the crypt #TalesFromTheCrypt #movies #films #reviews #movie reviews #film reviews #horror month #horror films #anthologies #the crypt keeper #crypt keeper #freddie francis #vault of horror #joan collins #peter cushing #roy dotrice #richard greene #ian hendrey #patrick magee #barbara murray #nigel patrick.robin phillips #ralph richardson #1972 movies #1972 films #film criticism