#for anyone wondering 'jump for joy' is my favourite album

[korra-the-red-lion]

My Favourite Releases of 2021.

Hey y’all! The end of the year slowly approaches and I wanted just to highlight some of my favourites releases this year! This year was filled with some amazing things, truth be told, so this list wasn’t easy!

Favourite Book:

Tumblr, I read a lot. This book is seriously the best one I read this year, and I read some from my favourite authors. It’s just got this magic about it. It’s a quiet letter passed between friends. It’s intimate. I can’t really find the words to describe this book in a justifiable way. It’s gorgeous. Do yourself a favour and read it.

I think my runner-up would be “She Drives Me Crazy” by Kelly Quindlen which had me grinning like a fool basically the whole time I read it.

Favourite Television Show:

Anyone who knows me knows that this isn’t a shock. But even for a Marvel series, which we’re all supposed to eyeroll at and yada yada, there is something special about this show. Elizabeth Olsen deserves every award in the world for her performance in it. It’s charming, funny, sweet, and utterly heartbreaking. It has the most accurate depictions of grief, especially as Wanda experiences all the stages before the show’s end. Just utter brilliance.

My runner-up is “Only Murders in the Building.” The cast was incredibly charming, the mystery was fun, and the show was very well written. Equal parts funny and tense at times, OMitB is worth the watch.

Favourite Album:

This was a hard choice for me because a lot of great albums came out this year (from musicians and bands I personally listen to, of course). But I have to give it to the boys from INK because every song on this album SLAPS. It’s a non-stop joyride for fans of the band. They really capture the essence of the movies they’re singing about too, and “Farewell II Flesh” is so amazing.

My runner-up is the Pretty Reckless’s “Death By Rock and Roll” because it also slaps. I had a hard time deciding between this, Rise Against’s “Nowhere Generation, and INK’s album. The contest was very close. I recommend all three.

Favourite Anime:

Truth be told, I haven’t watched a lot of anime this year, but this one HOOKED me. It was, colourful, ridiculous, and just straight up fun. Langa, Reki and the rest of the Sk8 gang (except Adam, f*ck him) held onto my soul and brought me joy each week it was out. It was the kind of anime that just made me feel like a giddy kid again, waiting for her favourite cartoon to come on Saturday morning. It wasn’t perfect but it was sure as hell fun.

My runner-up would be the anime adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen! I love the manga and the anime really capture the bonkers energy from the manga. My biggest problem was the pacing from the anime. It blasted through a lot of source material, leaving me to wonder when and how we’ll get future seasons out of one of the best manga in Shonen Jump right now. Hopefully the wait isn’t years.

Favourite Film:

Listen, I don’t watch a ton of movies, to be honest. I’m not a big movie person. I watch MCU and DCEU films, and the occasional Disney movie or action film. This movie was really good. It had amazing fight chorography, stunning visuals, wonderful characters that didn’t feel like typical MCU characters and a really beautiful friendship between Shang and Katy. There were some great movies, and I know other MCU fans will disagree and tell me No Way Home was the best one. And No Way Home is FANTASTIC, don’t get me wrong, but I loved Shang-Chi more and it brought something fresh to the MCU.

My runner-up is “Gunpowder Milkshake.” It was a goofy action flick but holy hell, it was fun. The fights were super well done and the hospital fight gets me cackling every time I think about it. It’s an action flick starring some of the most amazing actresses. I love this movie and think anyone who loves a good action film needs to check this one out.

That’s all, folks. I don’t have a lot more to say, just wanted you guys get a little glimpse of Korra’s likes. Happy New Year and stay safe!

#favourite #one last stop #casey mcquiston #LGBT literature #she drives me crazy #kelly quindlen #wandavision #MCU #marvel #shang chi and the legend of the ten rings #only murders in the building #omitb #television #books #sk8 the infinity #anime #Ice Nine Kills #The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood album #music

[theincuhusbands]

The Jealous Cold Shoulder - (James x Reader)

Summary – James has been acting cold and distant towards Y/N and their sick of it. He was their best friend. The one they always wanted to talk to and their determined to get to the bottom of this, Will things get worse if they call him out on it?

Warnings – Strong Language, Fighting, Kissing, Long, Stressed Reader

Word Count – 1963

I smiled as I snuggled into my new fluffy blanket, relishing in its warmth. I had been so stressed out about school lately, I’d barely had a moment to think. Matthew created this blanket for me while I was at school so now, I get to snuggle up in the library and read my favourite book for the billionth time.

When I mentioned that I was going to go read in the library I had hoped that someone would join me… but he didn’t seem interested. Usually, James and I could spend hours in the library by the fire talking about our favourite books or my favourite TV shows, that’s what made me fall head over heels for him. The way he said my name, like sweet honey dripping off his lips, could make me buckle at the knees. His laugh echoing throughout the room filling it beautifully, but recently, it’s as if he’s put off by the thought of spending time with me.

I understand that I might not be the best to be around when I’m stressed but I guess he must be quite stressed too, with the company and all. With all my feelings aside, I miss spending time with him.

I sigh as I flick through the chapters of my book trying to find my favourite one. Today it doesn’t seem to be bringing the usual joy. I eventually find the page and start reading but it doesn’t take long for me to put the book back on the shelf.

I guess just not today…

My attention is quickly drawn to the hall as I see the blurs of Matthew running away from Sam. I giggle as I start to run after them, sliding around corners in my socks to catch up. I eventually catch Sam and lunge for him, jumping onto his back. All three of us laugh as I gently hit Sam on the back.

We snap out of it though as soon as we hear a very annoyed “Ahem.”

I look up to see James standing with a spilt coffee all over his grey jumper. I hear Sam snicker and look to see Matthew trying to hide his smile. I walk over to James and try to take his cup but he yanks it away from me, just spilling more tea onto the floor and himself. “You three should watch where you’re going.” His voice was stern and powerful.

I was used to him telling Matthew and Sam off but he had NEVER spoke to me like that. “Em, what?” James looks down at me with disgust in his eyes. The look shoots right through me making my stomach drop to the floor. That one look made me feel worse than anything anyone’s ever said to me, well maybe besides my father.

“I expected better from you.”

I cross my arms and snort back. “Yeah, well this is my house. I’ll do what I want asshole.”

James looks at me for a second studying my face. I don’t think he was expecting me to say anything back, least of all that. “Your behaving like a little girl. Y/N. What would your grandfather say if he could see you right now?”

I felt blood rush to my face as I took a step back lowering my face to the floor. The venom dripping from his voices cut through me like a knife. The name he used to say so sweetly, now used against me. I felt utterly humiliated. I look to the side to see Sam and Matthew’s faces. Their twisted in anger or mortification… to be honest it could be either. Sam’s fists were balled up. “That’s too far James.”

In that moment something in James’s eyes snapped. His face fell as the realisation sunk in of what he had just said. I felt my eyes start to well with tears and my vision become blurry. I furiously wiped my tears with my sleeve.

“Y/N I-“

“Get away from me!” I lashed out screaming. James tried to step forward to say something but before the words could come out, I cut him off. “Don’t talk to me you bastard!” I quickly turned on my heal, running out of the room as more and more tears fell from my eyes.

I ran to my bedroom and slammed the door shut, sliding down it I sob harder and harder into my hands. What did I do to him?! I hear loud knocking on the door as someone tries the knob. “Your highness? Can I come in?”

There’s no point in punishing Erik… He didn’t do anything wrong. I stand up and open the door, standing back into the middle of my room. Erik comes in quietly and locks the door. When he sees me his face melts. “Highness...”

He sweeps me up into a bear hug, wrapping me tightly in his arms as I sob into his chest. Erik sighs leaning his head on top of mine. “Highness… if your grandfather saw you now… he’d be proud beyond compare! Think of all the things you’ve accomplished!” I sniffle and look up at Erik.

“It’s not even that that bothers me… he knows that stings and he said it anyway… why would he say that though?”

Erik smiles weakly. “Because as smart as my brother likes to think he is. He really isn’t, especially not when it comes to- …”

I look up at Erik puzzled waiting for him to finish his sentence but he never does. “When it comes to?” Erik goes a slight shade of pink probably realising he’s said too much. “You… Highness” I pull back from Erik slightly moving over to sit on my bed. “Me?”

Erik nods as he makes his way over to my nightstand. He picks up a small framed photo of all the boys, Diana, Saero and I at the beach. We’re all laughing and having fun. It’s definitely one of my favourites! And not just because James has his arm around me. “When it comes to you Highness… although it may not seem like it right now… James cares a great deal about you. More than I’ve seen him care about anyone who isn’t one of us…”

“Then why would he-“

“He’s confused. He’s not good at this sort of stuff. I know it’s horrible but just let him work himself out.” Erik sits beside me gently pressing the frame into my hands. I gently run my fingers over James’s face. I nod slowly and Erik leans in to hug me.

-------

By the time seven o’clock rolls around, Sam, Damien and Matthew have all asked me to come down and join them for dinner. Each time I declined though. I have decided to plunge myself back into school work, working on a 5,000-word scripted essay due for next month.

I sit with my headphones on, listening to the new album I bought. I was about half way through it when I felt a gently tap on my shoulder. I turned around taking my headphones off and jumped in surprise to see James.

His face was torn in guilt. His eyebrows were glued together and his eyes were filled with sadness. His hair was slightly messy and ruffled, a really odd thing for the perfectionist. The sight of him almost made me forget all the anger and sadness. Almost.

“What are you doing in here?”

“I knocked but you didn’t answer…”

“Ever think that was because I didn’t want to talk to you?”

It was a lie of course. I had been hoping all afternoon that he would come upstairs so we could get over this. I had been looking over my shoulder every few minutes hoping to see him standing there however, he seemed to have believed me. He sighs and runs his hands through his messy hair. “I… deserved that…”

He walks over to the side of my desk, perching himself on it. “I’m sorry Y/N… I really am… I just got so… angry…”

“but why?” I stood up from my chair looking at his face, hoping for any sign, any hint of an answer. His gaze dropped from my face to the ground at my feet. “Y/N please come down stairs and eat… you shouldn’t have to-“

“Don’t tell me what to do James.” I warn him. Not viciously but with enough warning in there that he knew I was serious. He nods, still refusing to make eye contact with me. This was too strange. I had to know.

“James tell me why you were angry.”

My voice sounded more like a plea than I would have wish but it finally got James to lift his eyes, if only for a moment. “I… if I say- you must promise to eat.” I nod to him sitting on my bed, getting comfortable and preparing for whatever he is about to say. “I was jealous… you were spending time with Sam and Matthew…” I look at him, dumbfounded in shock. He was jealous of Matthew and Sam? I couldn’t help but let out a shocked simple laugh. James looked at me, his face still covered in guilt.

“But you’ve been avoiding-“

And it suddenly clicked. It was a clear as day to me. I could hear Erik’s words ringing in my ears.

James cares a great deal about you, He’s not good at this sort of stuff. 

and now he’s jealous of Sam and Matthew.

Suddenly I became determined. I had to make him say it. Out loud. “And why were you jealous?” He says nothing. He doesn’t move. He’s silent. I look up at him, I can feel my face burning and my fists ball up as I stand on my knees.

“Why?”

“…”

“Say it!”

“I’m in love with you Y/N…”

I sit back down, in stunned silence. He actually said it. I stare at him saying nothing, almost in a hazy daze. He stares back at me, looking almost terrified. “Y/N say something… please…”

“Why?” It’s nothing more than a whisper but it’s all I can manage. I feel tears start to form in my eyes. “Why ignore me? Why say what you did? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

James shakes his head looking to the ground. “Because I love you and it scares me… Y/N I don’t know what to do. I’ve never felt like this before…”

“Well, me neither.” The tears start to overflow as a couple spill out my cheeks. James looks at me shocked. He walks over to me and kneels in front of my bed to be at my level. He gently lifts his hand to wipe a couple of stray tears. “What did you just-“

I cut him off by grabbing his shirt and pulling him in for a kiss. The kiss is needy and passionate and he responds almost immediately. My hands wonder to his chest as his hands roam up my body and tangle themselves into my hair. I pull him closer to me and toss him onto the bed, climbing on top of him. “I love you too… I don’t know what I’d do without you… please don’t shut me out.”

James shakes his head as he cups my face with his hands. “Not anymore love…” He kisses me again except this time it’s softer, more tender. I lean into it, wanting to be as close to James as possible. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to me. After a while we pull apart to catch our breath and James’s half-smile makes my heart skip a beat. He’s utterly gorgeous.

“Will you join me for dinner now, Y/N?

My face flushes red as I nod, grinning ear to ear. “I’d love to.”

#seduce me #Seduceme #seduce me otome #seduce me demon war #SeduceMeOtome #james #James Anderson #james x reader #James x Mika #Raestrao #raestrao x mika #raestrao x reader #sam #SAM ANDERSON #aomaris #Matthew Anderson #matthew #Zecaeru

[imagine-that-100]

Holiday | Part  18 |

Description of Part 1: Alex Turner x Reader (Female) | You’ve been friends with Alex Turner and the other boys from Arctic Monkeys since you were 13. You never for a second thought that Alex would release a song about you though. From late night phone calls and almost constant texting and teasing, you’ve managed to stay close with him over the years. When a pact is established and a holiday is arranged, life seems to be treating you very well. But a month in LA will either make or break you.

Word Count: 13.2K

Warnings: Mentions of Coronavirus, and a shit load of FLUFF!!!

A/N: So this is it. I can’t believe it. 18 weeks you have all stood by this fic and I can’t thank you all enough. You all literally make my Friday’s so much brighter because I get to see your reactions to this silly little story I’ve created. Thank you so so so so much for sticking by it. And thank you to the people who have edited for me many a time. I love you lots. I really hope everyone enjoys the last part, but I promise it’s not the last you’ll see of Alex fics on this account.

Thank you all a million for reading x

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

| MASTERLIST IN BIO | 

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

~*~*~*~ January 2020 ~*~*~*~

“Y/N Y/N Y/N YN!” You hear Alex yelling from upstairs.

You were in the kitchen preparing dinner, but hearing him yelling your name, you abandoned what you were doing to see if everything was okay.

“What’s wrong?” You ask worriedly as you turn the corner into the lounge.

When you do though, you see Alex running down the stairs with a massive smile on his face. So then, and only then, when you see he’s okay, do you relax.

He is completely beaming when he sees you and he runs straight to you, picking you up in the process, and then spinning you around several times in his arms. You squeal and throw your arms around his shoulders, so you feel more stable and giggle.

Moments like these were more uncommon than you may think.

Alex was rarely so excited about something. Especially to the point where he would be so overwhelmed by emotion that he just embraced you and was practically jumping for joy.    

“What’s happening?” You laugh as he slows his spinning down and returns you back to the ground.

“I’m freaking the fuck out” Alex laughs to himself before releasing you to run his hands though his now shorter hair.

He was still grinning at you as he looked at you dazed, as if something wasn’t real.

“Why? What?” You ask also with a smile.

You loved seeing him this happy. And it was obviously something really good for him to be this excited.

“Oh my god” Alex says more to himself in glee, his fingers trailing down to his jaw to give it a disbelieving scratch.

That was a habit he still hadn’t quite shifted since he’d shaved off his goatee. Something which still made you smile when he didn’t realise, he was doing it.

Alex begins to explain by asking you, “You know how you were excited for Catfish’s new album last year?”

“Yeah” You nod.

You were actually a psycho when they announced their new album last year. You booked every ticket you could to go and see them over here.

Since Y/B/F had moved over at the beginning of last year, you’d been doing everything together. And the fact that you both got to go and see one of your favourite bands together in California was amazing.

You both went to all 3 of their dates that they had over here. Two of the shows you were both in the pit for and one of them you got to watch from the side of the stage because Alex and Matt had gone with you.

Which both of the lads loved because they were both forced to listen to their music that often that they knew all the songs.

You were over the moon when Y/B/F came and moved over to LA. You knew she’d always wanted to do it. It was one of her things on her To Do list.

So, when things became serious between her and Matt, she decided to live her dream. And you loved it.

Breana was fine with their relationship and they both got on well with each other still. And both Y/B/F and Breana’s boyfriend really loved Amelia as well, so they ended up being a big happy family.

And you and Alex as godparents were happily there to support them when they needed it.

Alex then practically jumps in his spot saying, “Well picture that but ten times more intense”

You grin at him, loving his energy, “Why? Who’s releasing an album? You don’t like anyone that much who’s not on a hiatus”

“Unless it was one band in particular” Alex hints very heavily with his eyes as to who it might be.

“No” You gasp, a hand coming up to cover your mouth.

He nods his head frantically, “Yes”

“Oh my fucking god” You say now just as excited and jump into his arms.

You throw your arms around Alex’s neck and squeal. You couldn’t believe The Strokes were making a new album.

“I know” Alex said wrapping his arms around your back.

“Oh my god Alex, I’m so excited” You practically yell down his ear.

He laughs and squeeze you the tiniest bit tighter when you start practically jumping in his arms. He knew you’d be just as excited.

“This means new music and a tour” You say down his ear before releasing him so he can look at you and see the excitement on your face, “And oh my fucking god I’m so excited”

“How did you find out?” You ask, releasing him completely and feeling the need to sit on the settee.

Alex smiles as he watches you take a second to let the news sink in.

Then he begins to explain, “I just got off the phone with Julian. Was asking me something about Tranquility Base and then he told me they have just finished recording. He’s gunna send us a copy”

“You’re joking” You say not quite believing him.

He smiles and shakes his head at you.

“Alex, I’m going to cry” You say covering your mouth.

This news was unbelievable. You couldn’t wait, you were just too excited.

“You’re gunna cry Hun, this is my fucking dream” Alex said before joining you on the sofa and hugging you again.

You giggle when he does that and hug him back. He pushes you both down onto the settee, so you’re lay back on it trapped in a hug.  

“We can both cry together when it comes” You giggle.

Alex brings his head up to look at you smiles down at you softly telling you, “Y/N/N I’m so so so fucking excited”

“Same” You grin back.

You would definitely never get tired looking into those chocolate eyes. You trace your fingertip along his jaw and get lost in his features for a moment.

His fluffy brown hair flops down over his forehead and tickles your forehead. Your eyes dance across his smooth skin and the way he smiles at you, those pink lips pulled into a grin.

Your eyes trailed back up to his and you got lost in those for another second, until his lips met yours.

~*~*~*~ March 2020 ~*~*~*~

“Hey Y/N?” Alex asks you, walking into the lounge from the kitchen.

“Yeah?” You ask looking away from the worrying TV screen that showed things getting worse with the pandemic.

Alex comes and sits down next to you as he says, “Question that I want to ask you”

“Ooo okay, go on” You ask him, seeing that he’s got his phone in his hand.

He runs a hand through his hair, something that was a tell of his for when he was stressed or worried.

He begins to tell you, “The whole world is about to shut down with this Corona shit, and so it should because the government need to keep people safe”

“Yeah I know, Trump is a fucking moron shutting people down who are asking about it” You shake your head looking towards the TV.  

“Yeah” Alex agrees, “Which is the reason why I was wondering if you wanted to go back home?” He asks.

You weren’t quite expecting that, but you ask, “When?”

“Like tomorrow?” He suggests.

Now that did shock you.

“Until when?” You ask slightly wide eyed.

“At the very least until this all passes over. I think we’ll be safer back home than we are over here” Alex says taking your hand in his.

You think about it for a second and nod.

That was probably a good idea, “Now you mention it, that actually sounds like a good idea”

“Yeah and I can’t help but think, if someone in our families gets it and we can’t get a flight over there because they have introduced lockdown, for the very least socially distanced support, it would be a mistake” Alex says giving your hand a squeeze.

“Yeah, you’re right” You nod with a little smile.

“Do you want me to book the flight?” You ask him.

Alex smiles at your offer but then tells you, “Well, that’s why I’m asking now really… Carl wants to take his plane back home and I know we both don’t agree with private flying but if it gets us home safely and with minimal contact I’ll do it one more time. Rather have someone on it than no one on it if it’s gunna fly anyway”

Carl was a pilot of a private jet, from the UK, that the Monkeys had been on many a time, until the boys decided that they didn’t want to use private travel anymore. They didn’t want aid into the destruction of the environment, so they made the decision to fly on normal planes again.

You think it over for a second before agreeing, “Okay. I won’t hold it against anyone this time”

“Right, I’ll ring him now then” Alex says standing up and looking down at his phone again.

You stand too and say, “I’ll go start to pack. Anything you particularly want to take with you?”

Alex shakes his head not really knowing what he wanted to take, “Just as much as we can because I think we’re gunna be there for a while”

You nod and smile, even more so when a thought pops into your head, “Can we start making the house a bit homier when we get back?”

After Y/B/F decided that she wanted to move to LA, she wanted to sell the flat back home. Which was perfectly fine by you, but it meant that all your stuff in there had to be moved somewhere.

And because you and Alex had talked about moving back there in the future, you’d both decided to get a house over there to eventually move into and make your own. It was a lovely house and you’d yet to stay there so you were really excited at the thought of going back.

“We could go to B&Q and get stuff to decorate before they put us all in lockdown?” You grin at him

“I love that idea” Alex says pulling you into his body, arms wrapped around you as you stood looking up at his pretty face.

He continues sarcastically, “But are you gunna help me paint or make me do it all?”

You giggle a little before saying, “I might help you… If you’re nice to me”

Alex just laughs and kisses your nose.

~*~*~*~

You both ended up flying back the second week into March, which was great because work had practically stopped anyway as you’d all been instructed to work from home.

And because you’d informed them that you were going back to the UK to ‘be with family’, they had given you the option to transfer onto a team for the same company over in the UK. That was if you wanted to anyway.

And seeing as you’d currently nearly finished your last one back in the US you thought it would be a good idea, considering you didn’t know how long you were going to be back for. You were just thankful it was a very lenient company and treated its staff well.

When you got back the first thing you did was go and see your families, making sure to be extra careful and considerate around each other and keeping your distance from them when you could.

Both you and Alex, weren’t stupid. You knew your parents were in the age brackets that meant that if they contracted the virus it could be dangerous to them.

So, you were both extremely careful.  

You were also careful when you went around the shops to get colours so you could start decorating your house.

You’d both god a really lovely house in Sheffield. It was definitely a posh one for the area and was a bit out of the way, so you had the privacy you both desired.

But by god you loved it.

It was pretty much all open plan downstairs. A concept which you fell in love with since living in LA in the house over there.

The house was a detached one that from the outside looked a little dated but was completely modernised inside. It was like stepping into a time machine.

From the outside it looked like a country house with the old stone bricks, with bits of Ivy trailing up the side of the house, but when you entered you felt like you were completely up to date on all the modern technology. Something which mesmerised the both of you when you initially looked around it.  

You just remembered wondering around it with a really good feeling in your stomach the whole time. Everything about it you loved.

Especially when you went outside into the back garden as when you turned to look at the house from the back you wouldn’t even guess it was the same place. The stone bricks still covered the place except for the wall of bi-folding windows at the back which overlooked Sheffield, so you still got to see the twinkling lights of the city.

The garden was huge too, which meant that Zoe could run around it all she wanted. And being the age of 9 you could imagine she’d want to do that a lot, especially with her new little brother Lucas also starting to find his feet now.

Inside the house, there were five bedrooms, which both of you knew you wouldn’t need so you planned on turning one into an office and one of them maybe a home gym. It also had a loft conversation too, so Alex had already claimed that as his music room, which you had no complaints about.

But you couldn’t wait to decorate when you got back, as the house had been painted boring plain colours to try and make it more appealing to buyers.

And it was lucky that you both went shopping for the paint when you did too, because two weeks later the National Lockdown was introduced and the whole country basically stopped. You were furloughed from work because there were less things needing to be done and Alex was furloughed too because it wasn’t like he could meet up with the other lads and create an album with them.

It was a weird time the first few months of Lockdown. It did get to you sometimes when you thought about it. You wanted more than anything to give your Mum and Dad a hug but unfortunately you couldn’t.

But you were thankful you had Alex to keep you sane throughout everything. He always had a distraction for you when you needed one, and he liked to keep you busy.

Especially when it came to the painting.

One of the days about a week into lockdown, you were unpacking stuff that you’d had shipped over from the US and as you did that you were listening to Tranquility Base. The reason being that you found it quite relaxing to listen to when you were doing stuff around the house.

That and you loved Alex’s voice with the entirety of your heart.

She Looks Like Fun was playing into your AirPods and Alex could hear you singing along from in the hall where you’d got him painting. He could never get tired of you singing his songs.


He really liked that he had his biggest fan by his side through thick and thin.

He noticed that you stopped singing loudly when it came to the bridge of the song though. And then he heard you gasp.

Alex paid no attention too it though, just thinking that you’d found something you’d been looking for whilst unpacking. However, you’d found something a lot more interesting.

You walked out of the room you were in and Alex looked towards you as you ventured closer to him.

“Alex did you predict this fucking apocalypse?” You ask him with a smile.

He looks towards you and sees you in your baggy painting clothes, with your AirPods still in. You must have paused them because you heard him fine when he replied.

“What the fuck you on about now?” He chuckles.

“In She Looks Like Fun you literally sing, ‘No one’s on the streets, we moved it all online as of March’” You explain.

And it baffled you because that was exactly what had happened. Everyone was now getting their shopping online, a lot less people were out in the city and loads of people were staying at home, where the government had asked them to be.

“Shit. Maybe I did” Alex laughed recognising that his lyrics actually

“Why didn’t you warn us?” You chuckle before making him abandon his paint brush so he would hug you.

He looked so adorable. He had that fine paint splatter across his face and a little of it in his hair. Even when he wasn’t perfect, he still was. God you loved him.

“I did apparently… About two years ago” Alex cheekily grinned at you as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you against him.


You pat his chest and smile back at the fluffy haired man.

“Congratulations, you’re a prophet” You quote Dr Strange in Infinity War and Alex picks up on it straight away.

He shakes his head at you before saying the next quote in a serious voice, “I’m a survivor”

You just giggle though at how nerdy you were both being, and sarcastically say, ruining it, “Yeah, you’re a survivor because we haven’t left the house in a week”

“And because we have a shit load of hand sanitiser” He grins at you and you laugh agreeing.

“Do you think Thanos snapped his fingers and that’s why we’re in this shit?” You wonder out loud.

“Maybe maybe” Alex ponders for a second before entertaining your theory, “Need the Avengers to come save us”

“I’ll have Chris Hemsworth come save me please” You say a little too fast, but Alex nods his head approvingly.

“As long as Chris Evans can save me. That man his built like a brick shit house” Alex says appreciating the Avengers physique in his mind.

“They both are” You laugh, and he nods down at you.

“But don’t think you’re doing so bad yourself” You say before bringing your hands up to the top of his arms and having a good squeeze.

Alex shakes his head at you, “My arms are nowhere near the size of theirs”

“Not saying they are, but you literally went from being pre-serum Steve Rogers to Captain America” You tell him.

It was true though, he used to be a lanky skinny boy, and now he’s got huge muscles and you really really liked looking at them.

Touching, kissing, biting and licking them too.

“Are you saying I’m Captain America?” Alex asked you with a cheeky smile and a raised eyebrow.

You giggle a little, “I’m saying I really like my own personal version of Captain America”

“I know you do” Alex grinned, and you couldn’t help yourself but to lean up and kiss him.

You tried to carry it on, but Alex was having none of it. He pulled away and said, “Come on. We can kiss and actually watch Captain America later on when we finish painting”

“Fine” You pout, and he leans down to kiss it away.

And you both continued to make your new house into a proper home.  

You couldn’t wait to live with him properly back here in Sheffield. The time you’d spent with him in your flat with him was amazing.

So, with even more space, in your own house, you just knew it would be 10 times better. And so far, it was proving to be.

But in your heart, you knew that it didn’t matter where in the world you were with him. It didn’t matter if there was a danger out there that tried to pry you both apart.

And you’d be forever grateful that you gone on holiday and realised the most important thing.

That as long as you had him by your side, you’d feel wanted and safe, because you were home.

Alex was your home.

~*~*~*~ July 2020 ~*~*~*~

You start giggling to yourself for a solid minute before asking Alex, “Al, have you seen this meme?

You’d just sat down on the floor and stopped painting the skirting boards in the living room.

You’d both been painting for hours. Today you’d both painted the large walls in your lounge, and it was a pain because of the number of coats that you had to do on it.

Thankfully you’d finished the last coat of paint on the walls and you’d started the glossing. But it was killing your back, so you decided a break was necessary.

You were both so lazy when it came to the decorating too. You’d go through one room at a time, first painting it, then ordering the things to furnish it, and then set everything up before you moved onto the next room.

And then you would have about two weeks break in between the rooms because your job was now staggering the furlough, and the working from home. So that was the reason why you were both still decorating 4 months after moving in properly.

That, and because you weren’t horrible enough to leave Alex doing it himself. So, whilst you were working in your office that was freshly decorated, you sent him upstairs to make music.

Something which he was doing so effortlessly, and you adored everything he showed you.

“Which meme?” Alex asks you as he continues to paint. “You tweet a lot of them”

“The one that says, ‘There will be a minor baby boom in nine months, and then one day in 2033, we shall witness the rise of the Quarenteens’” You laugh to yourself.

“Amazing” Alex says with a smile, abandoning his paintbrush to come and sit down opposite you.

“I know it made me giggle” You say as you continue scrolling through your phone as Alex picks up his cup of tea that’s probably gone cold.

He doesn’t seem bothered by the temperature though and downs the rest of it in one before abandoning the mug.

He sits cross-legged in front of you, both of you sat on the sheet that you were using to keep paint from spilling onto your carpet. Something which was going well so far but you had to be careful where you sat in your scruffy clothes, because you didn’t want to get paint on your new settee’s either.

“I have a question for you” Alex announces, grabbing your attention again.

You look up from your phone and smile, “Okay”

“So, I’ve been thinking…” Alex begins but your interrupt.

“Oh no. That’s never good” You grin as you lock your phone and out it down beside you.  

“Will you ever stop undermining me using that joke?” Alex shakes his head at you, trying to hide that he found you funny.  

“Al, you know I’m joking“ You say feeling a little bad.

But only a little.

“Mhhh” He hums at you in sarcastic disbelief.

“Yeah I know” He mumbles before leaning towards you to kiss you.  

“I love you” You say quickly before his mouth attached to yours.

You wanted to stay in his good books, despite knowing you were never out of them.

His lips catch yours as he mumbles against them, “I love you too”

Alex plants a good kiss onto your soft lips then and you smile up at him when he pulls away. He can’t quite get the smile off his face either.

You loved that you still had stupid banter with each other after 5 years together. It was one of the many things that kept your relationship alive and fun. You were just glad he still loved you whilst you looked like a tramp like you currently did.

You were wearing one of your very old baggy grey tops that had holes in it, along with some black leggings. Both were covered in various paint splatters of different colours and you were fairly certain your hair, that was in a messy bun, had some paint in it too.

Yet when you looked at Alex, who wore old joggers with holes in it and a plain black top that also had paint on it, you still thought he looked incredibly attractive. Even with the little bits of paint that were in his hair, he was still breath-taking.

Alex takes your paint splattered hands in his and you smile at each other for a good few seconds, before he asked you his question.

“Okay… So, you know how we talked about kids?” He asked you.  

You nodded, “Yeah?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to maybe start trying?” Alex softly smiled at you, whilst rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb.

“You’re very on topic aren’t you” You can’t help but smile and shuffle closer to him.

Alex laughs a little at that. “Well you know, when the opportunity arises…” He trails off looking into your Y/E/C eyes.

“What’s brought this on?” You ask him curiously.  

“Nothing” Alex shakes his head honestly, “I was just thinking… There’s no better time than a lockdown to start trying properly is there?”

“Well, you’re not wrong” You laugh.

You couldn’t lie, being stuck in the house together meant that you often found yourselves entangled with the other. You didn’t know whether it was the two of you just being constantly bored or horny.

Maybe it was both.

But he was right, now lockdown was less restrictive in the UK, trying to get pregnant didn’t feel as scary as it may have done a few months ago if it was brought up then.

Of course, you’d talked about it before now though. And you were both just waiting for the right moment to make the decision.

And you were happy it had just presented itself.

You needed to ask him though, “If we do get pregnant though, are you still okay with staying here permanently?”

When you’d talked about it before, you’d both come to the agreement that if and when you were planning to start a family, you would both move back home. But now you were already back here, you just wanted to double check that he was still alright with that.

Alex nods with a smile, “Of course… It’s time to stay home anyway. I think I’ve been away far too long”

“Yeah I think you have too” You giggle before kissing him.

He can’t quite get the grin off his face when he kisses you back. He was so happy you were on the same page as him.

Alex couldn’t wait to start a family with you.

“Thank you though” You smile brightly when you pull away, you keep your hands cupping his neck though to keep him close. “I just don’t think I could do it without my Mum and our families around to help”

“You’ll be a great Mum. You already look after me” Alex assures you which makes your heart swell.

“Yeah, to be honest, a baby would probably be easier to manage” You giggle as you twirl the hair at the nape of his neck.

He laughs at you then before leaning to kiss you once more. Something which in the 5 years with him still never got old.

“So maybe in like a few months, I’ll stop taking my pill then?” You suggest when you pull away.

You continue with, “Just because I don’t wanna get pregnant first go and then be stuck inside pregnant for months if they restrict lockdown again… I don’t think that would really be very clever or safe. For anyone. Especially a baby”

“Sounds good to me” Alex agrees “We’ll have this house ready and waiting for the housewarming by the time lockdowns over anyway”

“I still can’t believe you have two houses” You say looking around the stunning room you were in, and then out of the large windows that showed the sun setting over Sheffield.

Alex takes your attention again though, scorning you, “Y/N, it’s nearly been five years. We have two houses and this one is definitely yours”

Despite Alex suggesting that you were going to leave him to do the painting, you were actually the one who’d done most of it. You were also the one that had found most of the decor online and just asked Alex for his approval on them.

This house was truly yours. You thought something like the house in LA would be your dream, but no, something which both you and Alex created for yourselves was.

“You know what I mean” You smile before holding his hand again.

“I am so fucking lucky I married you in October… Or I think I’d have been so upset that it would have all been cancelled” Alex says giving your hand a squeeze, that adorned both your engagement and wedding ring.

“I told you Autumn weddings are cute” You grin at him.

And it was true. Your wedding was stunning.

You’d got married back over here Mid-October and you were both very lucky that the weather had been kind to you. Thankfully you could take your wedding pictures outside and you adored them all completely.

Although you think Alex adored them more, he started crying when the photographer sent them over and he had a picture of you in your dress as his Lockscreen and another one of just you as his Homescreen.

Never mind you being his biggest fan, he was definitely yours.

“You know I love the sun” He pouts at you.

“Alex we literally live, or I guess lived in LA. I’m sure coming back here for a few weeks didn’t hurt” You laugh a little at him sticking his bottom lip out.

He gives you that one.

“It was definitely lucky you convinced me to move it” He smiles.

You couldn’t think of anything worse than planning out a full wedding, only for it to be completely cancelled because of everything going on right now. You felt so sorry for the people going through it because you would have been devastated if your wedding had been cancelled.

“We’re definitely lucky” You smile, “That was one of the best days of my life”

You couldn’t help but smile at your memories of the day. You were just so thankful that Alex’s hair had grown back in time for the big day. Because you weren’t getting married to him with that bald head.

However nice he looked; you really wanted your man to have his lovely hair present for your wedding day.

“It was the best day of my life” Alex admits. “What’s top for you that our wedding doesn’t beat it?”

“2013 Glastonbury” You say without a second thought.

After a second though you realise what you’ve said and laugh at yourself. You were still the biggest fool.

“For fucks sake Y/N/N” Alex shakes his head at you chuckling a little.

“It’s not my fault it’s yours… I’ve just never felt happier in that moment where all I could hear was everyone singing along to Mardy Bum” You smile shyly.

It truly was such a magical experience for you. You would never get that moment again and it mean just as much.

Granted you didn’t think you would be getting married again but there was just something about that gig that held such a special place in your heart. And you’d rather not lie to your husband about what the best day of your life was.

“I was crying big time” You giggle a bit, trying to defend yourself.

“I know you were, and I’ve seen you cry at it since” Alex playfully teases you.  

“Thought our wedding might have topped it though” He admits but you just grin shaking your head back at him.

You mumble against his lips before kissing him once more, “It’s a very close second, I promise”

He laughs before kissing you back. His soft hands, which you had a feeling had a little bit of paint on, came up and cupped your cheek making sure you couldn’t escape him.

Not that you were planning too.

Alex’s kisses still caused butterflies in your stomach, which after 5 years, you had no clue how. His kisses really were second nature now, but when caught up in such a meaningful moment, he still made you so nervous.

Yet you wouldn’t have it any other way.

You hoped the butterflies would still be there when you were both old and grey.

Alex then pulled away and as you looked back into those brown eyes, he asked you once more, “So, you’re definitely up for it then?”

“Definitely” You confirm.

And the grin that then makes its way onto Alex’s face was something you hoped you never forgot. You tried to take a mental picture of it.  

After a second of admiring your husband you added, “We can just see what happens… There still no rush, so if it doesn’t happen straight away, that’s alright too. There definitely no harm in continuing to try for one”

Alex smirks at you when you say that.

“Of course not” He agrees.

“In fact…”

Alex trails off to lean towards you again to kiss you. Something which again makes you smile because of how cute the whole situation was. You kiss him back and your hand just automatically goes up into his soft hair.

You also can’t help but giggle when he pushes you back, so you’re forced to lie down on the floor whilst he still kisses you. He moves with you so he’s above you and he pulls away to hear your giggle continue.

You smile up at him as your giggle fades and you lean up to peck his lips.

“I love you Al”

You love the smile that breaks out on his face when you tell him that too.

But your smile grows twice the size when you hear him say back, “I love you too, Mrs Turner”

~*~*~*~ Christmas Eve ~ 2020 ~*~*~*~

“Oh my god I’ve missed you so much” Y/B/F throws her arms around you pulling you into a hug at your doorstep.

You giggle at her excitement and give he a squeeze as you say, “I’ve missed you too”

Oh my god we have so much to talk about” She grins as she releases you.

“We do” You laugh, and she goes to give Alex a hug.  

“Matt I’ve missed you so much” You turn towards him and open your arms.

He leans in and wraps his arms around you and coos, “Oh I’ve missed you too”

“How’s my best buddie doing?” You smile up at him when he releases you.

“Excuse me” Both Alex and Y/B/F say at the same time.

Both you and Matt turn to look at them and see their hands on their hips, looking at you like you’d just said something horrendously offensive.

“I meant my best boy friend” You correct yourself.

That seemed to satisfy your best friend and she wondered into your house, that she’d yet to see decorated. However, Alex still wasn’t too impressed.

“Are you joking?” He asks you with raised eyebrows.

“Jesus Alex, I’m married to you” You roll your eyes before closing the front door.

“I was your best boy friend for over a decade before I was your actual boyfriend” Alex says.

You don’t know why he felt the need to clarify it though, it wasn’t as if you or Matt were denying it.

“Yeah so stop being offended. You got bumped up the pecking order someone had to take your place” You grin as you hug Matt again and he rests his chin on top of your head hugging you back tightly

Alex decides to look to his best mate instead, asking, “Can you give me my wife back please?”

Matt chuckles before releasing you, and as you roll your eyes before scorning your husband, Matt goes and follows Y/B/F into the lounge.

“Alex” You laugh as you walk towards him and then cup his face and give him a quick kiss.

“I’m yours chill out” You assure him, and you smile feeling his hands come up and rest on your hips.

“Oh, I know you are” He says under his breath as he grins.

His thumbs rub over your lower stomach as he holds you and he whispers, correcting himself, “Both of you”

You can’t help but lean up to kiss him quickly before you follow Matt and Y/B/F’s lead and head into the lounge.

Alex goes and makes them both a cup of tea whilst you entertain the two, telling them where you found all the things that Y/B/F kept on pointing out. Thankfully by the end of August, the house was completely redone.

It was well and truly the Turner’s household and you loved each and every room.

However, you were both very aware now that one of the spare bedrooms now needed to be transformed into a nursery. Something which you would both take pleasure in doing when you were a bit further along than the 3 months you were now.

Alex come back into the room with everyone’s drinks in hand and you leave yours on the side for a minute because it was far too hot. It seemed that everyone else in the room had the same idea, so the drinks were abandoned for the time being.

Instead you started chatting for 10 minutes, all catching up properly in person as you hadn’t had the chance to do this yet because of Corona. Thankfully the world had adjusted itself to the new normal and Christmas could actually go ahead.

So, it was amazing that you and Y/B/F could have your Christmas ritual of having Christmas Eve together. Just an added bonus that Alex and Matt were involved now.

“Okay so we want to tell you something” Y/B/F announces from the other settee next to Matt.

You notice that she takes his hand and you smile; They were so fucking cute. You were so glad they got together. You couldn’t believe it had been 2 years.

You and Alex were on the other settee that was opposite theirs and you were already holding his hand. You weren’t usually this clingy but today had been an amazing day.

This morning you and Alex had gone and had your 12 weeks scan and the little baby growing in you was healthy and doing well. News which was much to yours and Alex’s relief.

You’d had some pretty bad morning sickness, so you were just glad everything was okay despite you not being 100% from time to time.

“Ooooo okay” You grin at the couple.

“I’m pregnant” Your best friend says with the biggest grin on her face.

Your jaw drops with massive smile on your face and you squeezed Alex’s hand without meaning to. You definitely weren’t expecting that.

And you doing think Alex expected it either, he asked excitedly with a smile, “Are you actually?”  

“Yeah” Matt nods with a grin.

And you leap out of your seat and dart towards your best friend to trap her into a hug whilst squealing, “Oh my god”

She can’t help but laugh as you wrap your arms around her and say, “Congratulations” down her ear.

Your best friend just giggles down yours before saying a, “Thank you”

You see that Matt gets up and you presume he’s giving Alex a hug from what you can hear, but you’re too invested in Y/B/F to check.

You release her so you don’t suffocate her, and you have to ask, “How far along are you?”

“Sixteen weeks” She tells you with a massive smile.

“Holy fuck” You whisper excitedly covering your mouth as if the baby could hear you. “I bet you’re over the moon”

“I really am. Didn’t really mean for it to happen but we were both excited when we found out after the initial shock of it wore off” Your best friend tells you and you could only imagine the shock for the both of them.

But you couldn’t wait to pry out more information from her, but right now you were too giddy.

“Ahhhhh I’m so so so happy for you” You say before giving her another huge hug.

She giggles in your arms and gives you a tight squeeze before you get yourself up to hug your other best mate.

“Matt come here right now” You say once Alex had finished hugging him.

Alex goes and hugs Y/B/F whilst you hug your Helders.

“Congratulations” You say once your arms are wrapped around him.

“Thank you, my love” Matt grins before kissing your cheek when he pulls away from your hug after a few more seconds.

You look at him, so happy in front of you and you can’t help but say, “I love you so goddamn much… I’m so happy for you”

“Thank you” He says going a little red.

You get all of the gossip from them and get to see their scan photo. You find that they were planning to actually give birth over here, but they will still be primarily living in LA, because of course Matt didn’t want to leave Amelia.

You were so so so happy for them it made you excited to start telling people.

You’d yet to tell anyone because you knew the scan was going to be today, on Christmas Eve, so you and Alex had both decided that you were going to tell your families tomorrow.

You were hosting Christmas in your new house this year and it was going to be your family, along with Alex’s Mum and Dad. And you were both so fucking excited for how you had it planned out to tell people.

You think Alex was currently feeling the same as you about being excited to tell people. You caught on because when you were sat in your original seats again every time, they told you something that the two of you had both been through, he gave your hand a squeeze.

When the couple across from you started asking about the two of you, you gave them the answers that you’d been giving people for the past few months.

But then Alex looked towards you and you share a look. He gave you a knowing smile and tilted his head towards Matt and Y/B/F. You raise your eyebrows ever so slightly asking with your eyes if he was meaning ‘tell them’.

Turns out he was, as he gave your hand a squeeze and smiled and nodded his head slightly. All discrete and not too obvious which meant that the unsuspecting couple across from you were about to get a nice surprise.

You look towards them and grab their attention with, “Hey Y/B/F, you know that thing that I’ve always wanted most in life?”

You smile a bit when you see her eyes widen at what you said. Matt, however, obviously has no fucking clue and makes a joke.

“You wanted something more than Alex?” Matt asks you and both you and your husband chuckle.

You set the record straight though, telling him honestly, “Oh yeah, a lot more than Alex”

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Y/B/F asks you with knowing eyes

She sees both you and Alex grin and her and when you nod your head she screams. She darts to you just like you did to her, but she wraps her arms around both you and Alex and gives you both a massive hug.

Both you and Alex can’t help but laugh and hug her back.

“I’m so fucking happy right now” She squeals down the both of your ears.

“So are we” You giggle back.

She lets you go and sits on Alex’s lap as she talks to the both of you. “So, I need to know everything” She looks at the both of you expectantly.

However, poor Matt is completely lost.

“Wait, what the fucks just happened?” Helders says looking dazzled.

“We’re pregnant too” Alex looks around Y/B/F’s body and grins as he spells it out for his best mate.

“Are you serious?” Matt asks, his face beaming with happiness and shock.

“I wouldn’t be joking about this” Alex chuckles.

Aw guys” Matt says before standing from his seat.

Alex gets up and Y/B/F sits down in his place and gives you a proper hug.

“How far are you?” She asks as her arms are tight around your neck.

“Twelve weeks” You tell her and once sheet you go you explain, “We literally had the first scan this morning, but we haven’t told anyone so don’t scream it from the rooftops just yet”

“We’re the first to know?” Matt asks overhearing what you were saying.

“Yeah” You smile up at him.

“What why?” Y/B/F asks you a little confused.  

“Because we weren’t expecting you to drop the news, but we couldn’t not when you told us… We’re telling the family tomorrow” Alex tells them.

“Me and Y/N need to chat about this. To save our mental states” Y/B/F says, getting herself comfy on the settee in Alex’s space.

You smile at her agreeing, before looking to the boys and saying, “Matt, you need to prep Alex for everything”

“I told you I’m going to be fine” Alex says at you and you just stick your tongue out at him.

“Yeah, that’s what we all think mate” Matt laughs a little before holding Alex’s shoulder and then patting it for some extra drama.  

Alex looks at his mate like he’s just grown another head. Fear very clearly seeping into his features and Matt has to back track.

“I’m joking don’t look so worried” He smiles. “Come on let’s grab a beer and we can chat”

And so, they do, the boys go and chat in the kitchen for a good 10 minutes whilst you and Y/B/F compare your pregnancies along with every minor detail of it. You were both just so buzzing.

She had just shown you her scan picture and you were so happy for her. Your heart was literally melting. You needed Alex to bring your picture in to show her.

“Al” You shout.  

A second later you hear, “Yeah”

“When you come back in, bring the scan picture in with you please?” You ask him nicely.

“Okay”

Not a minute later, Alex and Matt are walking back in and you can see that Alex has shown it Matt, as Helders is holding the picture.

“Y/N I’m so fucking happy for you” He grins at you before leaning down to give you a kiss on the cheek and another quick hug.

“I’m happy for you too Matt” You reiterate back to him, before Y/B/F plucks the photo from him.

Matt and Alex then go and sit on the other settee so you can still continue with your previous chats. Something which you all definitely needed yet you were so bloody excited about everything at the same time.

“Shit” Y/B/F turns to you practically mid conversation to say, “I just realised that yours and Alex baby is going to be fucking stunning”

You laugh at that. You wouldn’t even lie, you really hoped that with Alex’s genes the little one would come out looking good.

You couldn’t help but picture their baby though and you had to tell her, “Yours is going to be the most beautiful child ever”

Y/B/F has a look of disbelief, but you scorn her saying there's no reason why it wouldn’t be beautiful. She was stunning and Matt was fit so there’s no chance the child wouldn’t be.

“I think you’re both going to be having gorgeous babies stop bickering” Matt says, obviously hearing the silly chatter.

Y/B/F furrows her eyebrows at him, “I’m sorry you can’t lie to me and say that their baby won’t have the best genes in the entire world”

Alex shakes his head at her, “Yes Y/B/F but also you are just as stunning as my wife there” He nods towards you and then to his best mate, “and Matt’s also not too bad”

You all have a little laugh at that before you chip back in with, “I mean apart from the musical talent they possess, let’s just hope they take after us instead”

“Cheeky bitch” Matt chuckles a bit shaking his head at you.

You scoff and in jest add, “I’m pregnant, you can’t call me that”

“When are you due?” You then turn to Y/B/F and ask.

“Thirtieth of May” You best friend informs you.

You squeal a little, with a grin on your face, “As if”

“Why when are you due?” She asks.

“Thirtieth of June” You tell her with a big smile.

Your best friend grabs you hand and says, “Oh my god”

You giggle, “We are literally the same person”

“We actually are“

That being because hers and your birthdays were a month apart from each other. Meaning that it was almost poetic that your first babies were due one month apart.

Your best friend and Matt obviously stay for the evening and you have a lovely time with them. You show them around the decorated house, and they seem to love it just as much as you and Alex.

It was funny when you all came back into the lounge though that had the bi-folding windows in and Y/B/F said, “You’re going to be a pro window cleaner”

“I know it’s huge” You laughed.

But then she corrected herself so you understood, “No, I mean because when the baby arrives and they stay crawl they will be all over that. Messy handprints and everything”

“I’ll let that be Alex’s job then” You laugh.

“Thanks Hun” Alex shook his head at you.

You grin back, “You’re welcome baby”

After you’d all finished eating later on, you and your best friend were still sat with each other on the settee and you were practically cuddled together. You loved her so bloody much that the fact that you wouldn’t be living in the same country anymore just left you both needing a cuddle.

You both chatted about anything that came to mind and then your best friend seemed to have a brainwave.

“Oh my god right, so there’s this thing that I saw and it said something along the lines of ‘As days go by they mean nothing to your now, but one day it could be the day you get married or your child’s birthday’” She tells you.

You smile and say, “Yeah that’s so true”

“I know right, so I recon we look back though our Snapchat memories throughout the years and see what we were up to on our due date” She suggests.  

“That’s such a cute idea” You smile.

Your best friend smiles, “I know right”

“Okay let’s go” You said pulling your phone out of your pocket.

You both spent about 10 minutes on it and you’d just got to the date 5 years previous and you had to stop yourself. Your whole body just stopped as if someone had hit a pause button.

You can’t help yourself when your hormones get the better of you and your eyes start gathering tears. You look towards Y/B/F and she spots the tears straight away.

Your best friend looks at your phone then and takes it off you to see the picture.

“Awhhh Y/N that’s so cute” She smiles at you and you just break down in happy tears.

She throws her arm around you and you release a little sob craving the comfort.

“Aw don’t cry” She says before she kisses the side of your head.

“I can’t help it” You weep into your hands, hiding your face.

These last few months your emotions had been everywhere.

“Y/B/F what have you done to my wife?” You just about hear Alex ask over your crying.

“I’ve done nothing” She tells him with a smile and a little giggle.

You hear him get up and he asks you, “Y/N/N what’s wrong?” whilst Y/B/F lets go of you and you think she’s swapping seats with him.

She places your phone in your lap once she moves and you feel Alex arms go around you when he sits down.

He gives you a second before he tries to pry the information from you. You just look up at him and tell him though, stray tears still running down your face.

You look into his brown eyes and tell him, “Our baby’s due on the same date I came on holiday”

Alex seems a little confused as he probably would be. You’d been on holiday a lot, and many times with him. So, you let him off and just confirm what you meant, “You know the holiday… Our holiday”

“You’re joking” Alex says with a look of disbelief.  

“No” You cry a bit more before you throw your hands around his neck and hug him tightly.

“Hormones are a bitch. Why am I crying at everything?” You say through your tears and Alex laughs.

“It is pretty cute though darling” He says kissing your neck as he hugs you.

When you release him, you unlock your phone and show him the picture you found. It was of your plane ticket to LA and it said, ‘Here I come to ruin Al’s life’.

Alex laughs a little when he reads it before

“You didn’t ruin my life by the way. You made it infinitely better”

~*~*~*~ Christmas Day ~ 2020 ~*~*~*~

Christmas had been amazing. After such a shit year this was definitely a highlight of it.

And you had a feeling you were about to make things better.

It was about an hour before you were due to eat, and everything was prepped so you were just chilling out with your big family. Presents had been done a few hours earlier and you loved watching everyone interact.

Your Mum and Penny were chatting away over a glass of wine. David and your Dad were talking about the football match that was happening tomorrow and your brother was chipping in every now and again.

Your sister in law, Jess was primarily taking care of little Lucas who captured everyone’s attention in the room. He was now settling down for a nap though.

You were a little jealous of him.

But you knew that there was going to be a lot of excitement in the room in the next 15 minutes. So, when you saw Zoe sat in Alex’s lap, him still definitely being her favourite member of the family (traitor), you decided to put yours and Alex’s plan into action.

Alex catches your gaze and he raises his eyebrows at you, silently asking if now was the right time. You give a little nod before you say from across the room.

“Hey Zoe” You get her attention.

Her attention immediately finds you and she gives you a smile. A smile that gets bigger when you say, “I forgot about another present for you. Come with me a minute”

You both get up and head to the stairs. You give Alex a little smile before you both disappear off.  

When you reach your room you get out the wrapped up clothing, but before you give it her you say, “Okay so I’ve got something to tell you but I need you to keep it a secret for me for the next five minutes”

“Okay” She smiles at you, trying to keep her eyes averted from the wrapping paper to be polite.  

“Pinky promise me” You say with a smile.

She wraps her pinky around yours and you both take a seat on your bed.

“Okay, open that and it will tell you the surprise” You say handing her the most important part of this present.

You and Alex had got a top made for her. It was her favourite colour and on the front of it you’d had on it in bold writing 'No. 1 Cousin’

You watch as she quickly gets the wrapping paper off and hold back your smile when she unfolded the top to read it. It took her a second, but she gasped and then looked at you.

“Am I getting a cousin?” She asks, her jaw on the ground.

“You are” You giggle.

“Yay” She squeals before she leaps into your arms and gives you a massive hug around her neck.

“So, your pregnant?” Zoe confirms when she releases you.

“I am. and I was hoping you could help me tell everyone downstairs by wearing that?” You ask her.

Zoe excitedly nods, “Yes”

“I got you more clothes so you can hide it first so it will surprise everyone” You tell her, handing her the other stuff to unwrap.

You watch as she unwraps a leather jacket that you had sadly got the One For The Road logo printed on the back of it. You just couldn’t help yourself.

You also got her black wrapped jeans like the ones that you were wearing now. Along with some cute little ankle boots.

She would literally be a mini you.

As she looks at the One For The Road logo, you explain, “I had it made so you can be like me and have Uncle Alex’s song on the back”

You’d wore the One For The Road leather jacket many a time. And Zoe had said plenty of times that she loved it too.

“Is this the video with Jamie on the tractor?” Zoe asks curiously.

“Yes” You giggle.

You really had raised her well.

“I love it thank you” She tells you and say a quick ‘you’re welcome’.

Zoe asks you as she unwraps the other clothing “Are you wearing yours to go down in too?”

“If you want me too?” You smile at her.

She nods, “Yeah and then Uncle Alex can take a picture of us matching”

“That’s a good idea actually and then when he comes and stands next to me, if no one asks about your top then you can open the jacket up and show everyone yeah?” You plan out in your head and she nods excitedly at you.

“Okay, let’s get you dressed” You say excitedly.

After 5 minutes your back downstairs, you head into the lounge first as she waits just in the hallway so people can’t see her yet. Thankfully all the clothes fit her, and she truly looked like you.

It was amazing.

You’re wearing the comfy leather jacket as you enter the room and announce, “Okay, so she wants a photoshoot, so someone have a camera at the ready”

You watch as Alex says he’ll do it, giving you a little grin. He gets his phone out of his pocket and waits for her entrance.

“Alright Zo” You look to the hall and see her excited grin.

She asks you, “Does Uncle Alex have his camera ready for the photo?”

The room laughs a little at that and you just assure her giving her a nod, “He does”

She walks into the room in her new ripped black skinny jeans, her top expertly covered by the zip up leather jacket that she looked cool in.

“Spin for them” You instruct.

She does a twirl for everyone and you can tell she’s loving the attention.

“Oh amazing” You’re Mum says with a big smile.

“Lovely Zoe” Penny tells her and lots of other compliments are thrown her way too.  

“Auntie Y/N/N, picture, come on” She holds out her hand to you and has a hint of a knowing smile on her face.

You smile at her and take her hand before you stand beside her with almost the same clothes on and as you see the flash of the picture on the wall as you were both showing off what the jacket said to the camera.

You hear your brother ask Alex, “Does she still steal your clothes mate?”

“All the time” Alex laughs.

“It’s a cool jacket” You defend yourself against your brother. “Shut up”

“Yeah dad shut up” Zoe tells him sarcastically with a little giggle.

“Yeah” You chuckle along with her and the room laughs too.

“Al can I see the photo?” You ask him and he nods with a smile.

Both of you stand behind Zoe and you look at the phone for a second. Alex wraps his arm around you, so he’s holding your hip and you send him a little smile.

He grins back at you but then you both look to your niece who is still loving the limelight. And then someone asks the question you’d really hoped to hear.

“Did you get a new top too Zo” Jess asks.

“I did. I love it” Zoe nods.

“Show us then?” Your Mum asks her, and you feel Alex’s hold you against him the tiniest bit tighter.

Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest. You look up at him and give him a quick smile and he squeezes your hip a bit, so he doesn’t give anything away too early.

You both look down to Zoe who was just unzipping her jacket and then she opened it up and put her hands on her hips to keep it open.

The room went silent after that and that was when it hit Jess, your sister in law, first. A loud gasp escaped her mouth and you couldn’t really hold your smile back any longer.

“Are you being serious?” She asks you looking at both you and Alex, still seeming to be the only one to understand what was happening and you both nod back at her.

It was then that you heard your Mum gasp and a second later Alex’s mum. You both fully grinned at them as your Mums got themselves up and ran over to you tears already in her eyes.

“Is my baby finally having her own baby” Your Mum shouts as she traps you in a hug.

“She is” You giggle down your Mums ear.

She squeals for you and she won’t let you escape from the hug at all. Not that you really wanted too.

“I’m so so so happy for you darling” She tells you still squeezing you tightly.

“Thank you Mum. I love you” You say hugging her back just as tight.

She then releases you and gives you a big kiss. You wipe away the few stray tears running down her face.

Alex’s Mum, Penny, is already fully sobbing as both Mums swap which child they pour their new found emotions on to.

“Y/N darling, I love you so much” She almost sobs as she hugs you.

“I love you too” You assure her, giving her a squeeze.

Penny lets you go but then holds your arms, probably more to keep her mind completely sane and ensure her that the moment was real.

She tells you, “I’m so happy for you”

“Thank you” You grin at her. This was such a lovely feeling; You were so happy you could finally tell people.

“I can’t believe you kids are having a baby” She says looking between you and Alex, who is currently still being hugged by your Mum. “It feels like I was only at your parents evening a year or two ago”

You giggled at that, “At least we waited a while, so you didn’t have that to chat about in school”

Penny then laughed at that. That would have been

“Yes, thank you for not doing that to me whilst you were in school. I would have killed him” Penny tells you with a little giggle.

“Don’t worry I think my mum would have battered me too” You tell her honestly, with a little chuckle.  

You also add, “You’re finally going to be a Grandma or a Nana”

“I can’t believe you both made me wait five years for my first grandchild” Penny shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, I had to made sure he loved me properly first” You joke. 


“Hunny, he’s loved you since he was Fifteen” Penny assures you and you laugh.

“I know, he’s obsessed with me” You say giving Alex a little grin.

He just looked at you and gave you a little death stare.

But did he deny it…

No.

“My little girl who’s now pregnant with her own baby... don’t you make out like you weren’t drawing hearts with your and his name in it when you were Fourteen” Your Dad says as he stands by Penny’s side.

Penny giggles at your Dad dropping that truth bomb, along with Alex’s laughter as he hugs David.

“Dad” You whine, before you give him a hug.

His hug is tight and comforting, everything that you could want from a hug from your Dad.

He says softly, “Sweetie I love you, and I’m so happy and excited for you”

“Thank you Dad” You say hugging him tight before the hug is over all too soon.

Your Dad smiles at you when he lets you go before asking, “How far along are you?”

“Just over twelve weeks” You tell him with a smile.

“You’ve had your scan then?” Your Dad asks with hopeful eyes.

You can’t get the smile off your face as you say, “Yes… Do you want to see the picture?”

“I’d love too” You get it out from the jacket pocket and show him the first picture of his new grandchild.

Your Dad looks at it for a moment and you can see the smile on his face. He was completely beaming.

When he looked back up at you, you saw his eyes glistening with happy tears and your heart swelled at the sight.

He just about choked out, “Darling I’m so happy for the both of you”

“Thank you Dad. I love you” You say as you give him another big hug.

“I love you a million sweetie” He whispers down your ear as he hugs you back tightly.

Before you even released your Dad from your hug, the picture was snatched out of his hands by the soon to be grandmas to take a look at. The started crying again once they saw it.

Their reactions were just making you giggle.

When your Dad released you, David was then next in line for you to hug. And you couldn’t wait, David was always so lovely to you, you loved a good family hug.

“I’m beyond happy for the both of you” David says looking between you and Alex.

“Thank you… I’m excited for you though. You’re going to be a grandad” You say with a big smile before pulling him into a hug.

“Don’t. You’ll have me crying on you” David says with a little chuckle.

“Don’t worry, your son’s been crying on me the last few months… I can handle tears” You tell him.

Alex had been so adorable with you. When you both found out he started crying tears of joy.

Both of you were just so over the moon. It was amazing.

You were glad you weren’t the only emotional one in the house.

“I love you both so much. And I can’t wait to meet the little one” David says smiling between the two of you before looking down to your stomach that just had the tiniest little bump.

But you couldn’t see it, as you were wearing a loose top.

“Neither can we” Alex grins before kissing the side of your head.

Your brother then runs up to you, pulls you away from Alex before lifting you into the air by giving you the biggest hug in the world. And when he spends you around, you start giggling like a little girl.  

“I’m so happy for you” He yells

You can’t help but giggle a, “Thank you”

Once your back on the ground, your brother gives you another proper hug before letting you go, saying, “I’m going to shout at your husband though”

“Oi Alex. How dare you get my little sister pregnant” Your brother fakes anger as his wife releases Alex form a hug.

“I’m sorry, she just kept asking me to put a baby in her” Alex sighs and then points at you, all with a cheeky smile on his face.

You smile back at him, but you say, “I think you’ll find it was him who brought it up so you can batter him if you want… Just leave his pretty face alone. I have to live with it”

“Hey” Alex scoffs offended, before your brother wraps him up in a big hug.

You giggle to yourself before you hug Jess, “Thank you so much for actually understanding what was going on then”

She laughs, “It’s okay. I just couldn’t believe your family was being so slow”

“Zoe literally got it after a second. I was thinking ‘surely this can’t be that hard to understand’” You tell her smiling to yourself.

“No, it really wasn’t, I got it straight away and then I saw your smile and couldn’t hold in a gasp” Jess giggles.

You chuckle, “Well thank you… They seemed to get it after you did”

“It’s alright” She says before she lets go of you.

“I do have a number two cousin top upstairs for Lucas too” You smile, and she says thanks again.

You little nephew now back to sleep in his car seat just across the room. He was just too adorable.

You both look towards the No 1 cousin though and see that she’s already giving Alex a hug. He then held Zoe at your level by sitting her on his hip like she was still 4 years old.  

And that was when you tuned into their conversation.  

“Thank you for helping us tell everyone” Alex gave her a toothy grin.

“It’s alright” Zoe assured him, “I think everyone is buzzing”

“I think they are” Alex laughed.

He added an, “Are you buzzing?”

She nodded at him and you had to cut into their conversation at that point.

“I should hope you are” You remind the little one, “You’ve been wanting a cousin since you were six”

“I’m proper buzzin’” She said in a very northern accent that made you both laugh.

~*~*~*~

The rest of the day was spent in such high spirits.

Your Christmas dinner was amazing, and you think you and Alex smashed it for your first time doing it. You were such a good team and you could only get stronger at this point.

Well if he wasn’t petty and still tried to get out of doing the cooking claiming that because Christmas was on a Friday this year, that he didn’t have to cook because it was your day.

But all jokes aside you had never been happier with him and you loved him so much.

He’d made your life so much better in every single way he possibly could. He’d given you his love and he was giving you a family.

Something that you’d always wanted.

So, when you both got to your bedroom once everyone had gone back home, you were both tired and emotional.

You lay yourself down on your bed, still fully clothed, and just thought over the past few days.

You’d had your scan, heard your baby’s heartbeat. Matt and Y/B/F told you they were pregnant too, you found out that your baby is due the day you went on holiday to LA and your life hadn’t been the same since. And you’d told your family you were expecting.

Life couldn’t be any better.

So, when Alex sat down on his side of the bed, you just couldn’t help but express yourself to the man that owned your entire heart.

“Thank you” You whisper to your husband.

Alex looks to you then curiously, a smile pulling his lips up when he asks, “What for?”

You start tearing up a big just feeling a bit emotional about everything.

“Just… Thank you for making me happy” You say, wiping away a stray tear away as you looked into those eyes you could forever get lost in.

Alex softly smiled at you when you said that, and crawls across the bed to give you a kiss which you really appreciated. You still weren’t tired of those soft lips meeting your own.


And you were fairly certain at this point that you never would be.

“I love you so much” You say with a big smile.

He was truly your world.  

Alex smiles back, pecking your lips once more before saying, “I love you too baby”

“Your baby is there” You tell him, putting a hand over your stomach.  

“How could I forget?” Alex grins at you but then his gaze moves down your body.

He lies himself down across the bed, so his head is at your stomach and he looks to you as he lifts the bottom of your top. A silent question comes from him, asking if he can lift your top up.

You grin at him and nod.

That was the first and probably only time he’d ever asked if he could take your top off.

He brushed the bottom of your top up to just under your boobs and then he started trailing is fingertips across your stomach.

You laid back and watched as you husband started thinking out loud and it was the cutest thing.

“Okay then…” Alex trails off, looking at your smooth skin.

“So, you listen here you, hiding away in there” Alex softly says as his fingers trace over your tiny bump.

It was barely noticeable to anyone else, but Alex knew your body like the back of his hand. He could tell the little bump was there.  

“You’ve gotta be good for your Mummy for the next six months because we don’t want her poorly like she was a few weeks back”

Alex continues his adorable one-sided conversation, and says to your tummy, “You can crave whatever food you want, and I’ll go and get it for you… But your Mummy doesn’t like throwing up, so just take it easy on her, yeah?”

You couldn’t help but smile at that. You started playing with the hair on the back of his head, which was growing back to how it used it be.

You’d never get used to him being cute. But this was a whole different level.

He carries on after he kisses your stomach, and says against your skin, “We can’t wait to meet you sweetheart”

You couldn’t contain your grin then, “You think we’re having a girl?”

Alex presses his lips down onto your stomach before he nods before giving you more kisses.

“What makes you think that?” You ask him.

You didn’t really want to interrupt his train of thought but you just needed to ask this once.

Alex smiles at you and says, “I don’t know. I just have a feeling”

You smile at him then and keep running your fingers though his hair as he continues talking your tiny bump.

“I can’t wait for you to arrive and we have the best time all three of us together” Alex smiles looking at your skin, resting his hand on top of it for a moment.

“Your Mummy makes me so happy anyway, but I can’t wait until I can walk into a room and see the two of you together” He says, and the thought makes your heart melt.

Especially when he continues on to say,  “I can just imagine when your older that I’ll come home one day and see the both of you sat at the piano, because your Mum will definitely insist on teaching it to you when your big enough”

Alex carries on thinking scenarios up in his head, “I can’t wait to help get your ready for school and I can put plaits in your hair and for your Mum to teach me how to do that because I’m useless”

He then starts tracing random lines on your stomach again and he giggles when he adds, “She’ll have to let me practice on her hair like she practiced on mine the other year”

You had to try not to chuckle at that because you didn’t want to bring him out of his thoughts by your stomach moving up and down from you laughing. But yes, when he had his long hair you plaited it many a time.

“I can’t wait to meet you because I’m not going to leave you alone” Alex says to your stomach once more. “You’re already the best thing that’s ever happened to me…”

He then brings his other hand up to cover his mouth so you couldn’t see his lips moving. But you still heard him whisper, “But don’t tell your Mum because she thinks it’s still me and her getting together after loving each other from a distance for ten years”

You both share a little laugh then.

But Alex isn’t quite finished.

Your husband continues with, “I love you so so much, and I can’t wait for you to start this family off properly… We will get you loads of brothers and sisters though don’t worry. You won’t be lonely”

Your eyes widen at that and you feel the need to just quickly interrupt with, “That is only if Mummy can handle you. But the deal is, your Daddy has to make an album in between each sibling you have”

Alex chuckles again at that before kissing your stomach.

“Wow that’s a lot more music for me to write” He says with wide eyes.

“Like you’ll ever stop making it” You say raising your eyebrows at him.

“Alright alright” He shakes his head, knowing he’s been caught out. “Can I get back to my chat now?”

“All yours” You say gesturing to your stomach so he can continue.

“Right before I was so rudely interrupted” Alex playfully rolls his eyes.

You giggle a little but listen to him as he carries on, “Okay so, I know your Mum’s going to love you to the moon and back like I will, but I’m going to steal you away from her so we can go and do fun things”

“I can’t wait to teach you how to ride a bike and I can’t wait to teach you how to play guitar because that’s better than piano but don’t tell your mummy that either”

You just smile at that.

“I can’t wait to hear you speak; I’m going to put in an early request for your first word to be ‘Dad’ please… That’ll make your Mum really jealous”

The giggle that falls from your lips is music to Alex’s ears. He loves your laugh so much.

“Thank you for making us both so happy already. And for all the happy times we’re going to have” Alex finishes of with before he looks towards you.

“And thank you for being amazing… And for carrying our baby… And for marrying me… And for being my best friend” He tells you.

Alex picks up your hand and kisses the back of it, then says, “I genuinely don’t know what I’d do without you”

“You don’t have to find out, don’t worry” You assure him.

You were here for good.

He couldn’t get rid of you now, even if he wanted to.  

“Just thank you… For everything” He says once again, and you can hear how genuine he’s being.

“I love you Alex” You tell him before leaning forward to press your lips against his.

And Alex manages to say against your lips, “I love you too”

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

Let me know if you want to be added to my Alex Turner Taglist for future works x

Taglist: @the-girl-before​ @murderousginger​ @minigranger​ @turnertable​ @bastillewolf​ @slothgiirl​ @billskarsgard-is-gorgeous​ @watashi-no-namae-wo-yonde​ @fookingsummertime​ @marvel-avengers01​ @shibuikelsi​ @toolateformcrtooearlytoleaveemo​ @gretavanbobatea​ @chocolatecig​ @iamnotjesha @rachaeljayne15​ @edgythought​ @marveious​ @liviasaugusta @boysinskirts​ @musicmania100​ @he4rtbre4khotel​ @innocte​ @beckauhhh​ @whoknowswhatimeant​ @tony-starks-ego​ @tobarmaidswhodontcount​ @elektranxtchiios​ @bettyschwallocksyee​ @alexsvacuumcleaner​ @cornerstqne​ @halfofwhatisayismeaningless​ @juicebox-baby​ @yousuck-marina​ @nrldswita​ @dot-writes​ @skullag​ @b-monkeys​ @babyhoneystvles​ @timchalamxt​ @writingismybiggestlove​ 

Thank you all so much x

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[hmel78]

In conversation with Doogie White ...

Circa 1994, when it was announced that guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was reforming Rainbow, rumours flooded the music community regarding who might feature in the line-up, but ultimately it was a collective of relative unknowns who made it onto the new record, and the tour bus ...

The album, “Stranger In Us All”, was issued under the name “Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow” in August 1995, and features Paul Morris on keyboards, Greg Smith on bass, John O’Reilly on drums, Blackmore’s Night’s Candice Night on background vocals, and fronted by Doogie White, the singer was an inspired choice; a huge fan of Ritchie’s career in both Purple and Rainbow, the singer formed a strong writing partnership with the guitarist. The album includes a reworking of The Yardbirds’ ‘Still I’m Sad’, which had been recorded for Rainbow’s debut, 20 years earlier ; Ritchie’s classical flights of fancy are truly achieved on his arrangement of Edvard Grieg’s ‘Hall Of The Mountain King’, and tracks such as ‘Wolf To the Moon’, ‘Hunting Humans (Insatiable)’ and ‘Ariel’ proved themselves to be worthy additions to the Rainbow catalogue. When it came to playing live, songs from both Rainbow and Purple were revisited, and fans are lucky enough - on the re-issue of “Stranger In Us All” -  to be presented with a unique live recording from a 1995 Swedish concert, of ‘The Temple Of The King’ - it also features a radio edit of the single ‘Ariel’, plus the song ‘Emotional Crime’ that has previously only been released in Japan.

Accompanying the extensive liner notes is a personal account from singer Doogie White, plus plenty of artwork and memorabilia from Doogie’s own Rainbow collection.

Doogie White has had a pretty extensive career as a singer / songwriter since his days with Rainbow - We caught up with him whilst on a train to Mannheim to find out more ...

HR : Having been a fan of Rainbow prior to joining them in 1994, how did it feel to suddenly have such a prominent role in the band?

Doogie White : It was a huge moment for me in every way.   There I was, a cheeky upstart who had long admired all that Ritchie did, being personally asked by him to come to America and join his band. He knew nothing about me and I thought I knew all about him. We hit it off straight away from the first notes we played together. We played old Purple and Rainbow songs and some bar band standards and jammed a few ideas just for him to see what I could do on the improvisation front.

I was only supposed to be there 4 days but he asked me to stay for a week. We discussed what kind of album we wanted to make. We played football. He did some magic tricks and we jammed for hours.

We had a good and healthy working relationship and a fine friendship. I knew my place and was happy to be part of his new adventure. He shared his hopes and fears. He trusted me.

I think we made a fine album with some good songs and a couple of real Rainbow classics. There were a couple we compromised on and we did have better ideas but we never finished them so that they could not be released as “bonus” tracks at a later date. I know how much he hated the re released Purple stuff with alternate takes.

I have hours of material but it’s in the Loft ...

HR : Despite the sudden nature of the break-up in 1997, was the overall experience of those 3 years a positive one?

DW : Yes!  Even at the very end when I decided it was here and no further,  it was all good and positive. It was sad of course as I felt there was more work to do and I had given him a tape with 6 song ideas for the next album. Some ended up on Cornerstone’s HUMAN STAIN and another on a TANK album. I treated my time in Rainbow like Ali treated the Heavyweight Crown.   It was the wrong time for the kind of music we were doing but we did it anyway.

Despite what Ritchie says, or in most cases does not say, we got on well until we did not.  His choice not mine. HR : To me it has always seemed strange that it literally ended over night - like a political coup d’etat! - Especially as You seemed to fit Ritchies criteria perfectly ; with what you contributed as both performer and writer. There are many citations which suggest that through Your input, there was a wider range of material that could be performed live, and also Ritchie stated [at the time] that Stranger In Us All was the best thing he had recorded to date - does  that reflect how You felt whilst working with him and Rainbow?  

DW : I don’t think Stranger In Us All is the best thing he did. I don’t even think it’s the best thing I have done. That’s just him promoting the album. It has its place and that is for others to judge. It was a good album though!

I just followed his lead. If he wanted to go off and jam some blues of folk or silly songs I was there as were the rest of the band (Greg Smith, John O’Reilly or Chuck Burgi, Paul Morris, and others) to back him up. He knew that we knew what was required, and also knew what I could bring to the party - he exploited that to the max some nights! He has said he does not like fun and that music is a serious business, but for anyone who saw that ‘95 tour you know that there was some serious music and some serious fun on stage! We were enjoying each other and pushing each other. He’s quite talented like that.

Then others got his ear and were feeding him negative stuff, whispering’s, designed to disrupt him, for his ears only and that was unhelpful - but it suited their agenda and just made him more suspicious, which he had never been with me before.

No one in the band was doing anything other than enjoying being in the band and RAWKin on stage every night. There were no egos just a happy band doing the best they could every night,  and those who saw it knew it was good. I did say if he had a problem with me, for him to come to me and we could sort it out - But that is not his nature and he never did. So when it came down to it he was prepared to believe what he wanted and what he was being told and have things done in his name that were quite frankly beneath the man. When his management were being obstructive I wrote directly to him and he honoured all his commitments to me and made sure that his management paid what was due at the time. That’s how it should be.

HR : And that’s where it stopped  - until now ... “Stranger In Us All” has just been re-released and given a new lease of life?

DW : Yes they have pumped out the frequencies and it really sounds lot better than the flat linear sound of the original.

We should have added some of the extra tracks I have of the demos. But there are far too many hoops to jump through and it would mean new agreements between him and I. That’s not a path he wants to walk. HR : No, understood - but going back to when the original album was released - Obviously you were unaware of the fact that it would be the only recording that Rainbow would make at the time (possibly the last ever one?)  - does it change the way that you feel about it? Do you ever listen to it?

DW : I don’t listen to it at all. I don’t listen to anything I have done other than a couple of times when I get it. Occasionally something will pop up randomly on my iTunes and and a wee nostalgic smile passes my lips. But actually with SIUA - I remember every ounce of effort ; every change of lyric, key, tempo - So it has a different flavour for me than for others. I am proud of it, yet I know that we could have done better. But I was new to the big spotlight and while I stood my ground for a bit every now and again, it was Ritchie’s band and he got to do what he wanted.  Pat [Regan] was producing it and had his instructions on how to guide me.   I was just happy to be waking up every day knowing that today was going to be a new adventure.

I had so much fun all the time. Even when the dark clouds were hovering as they kinda did for the last while. His management did go out of their way to make band, and on the road, life a little less inclusive or welcoming ... But It was that 90 mins on stage that made anything worthwhile.

From what people have told me it’s a shame he now has such a distorted view of our time together. But it’s not my business and I don’t care what he thinks about it or how he feels about me.  I have seen some of the comments attributed to him that people send me. He really does re write his own history and I always have a good giggle at some of the nonsense he comes out with.   He loved it at the time, but to be fair it was a long long time ago and perhaps NOT the most important endeavour he has done musically. I look back at it slightly differently because it was VERY important to me. It was the best of times and will never be repeated for him, or for me.

HR : Well thankfully it didn’t deter you from carrying on! You have been involved with many great artists and projects during your career - have you any particular favourite memories?

DW : My memory palace is overflowing with errr memories from my times with LA PAZ  and CORNERSTONE, YNGWIE and SCHENKER, through TANK and beyond. I have a wonderful life and I am having a wonderful career - And if I am honest, really honest, my career would have been very different had it not been for that one tape I passed to Colin Hart who passed it to Ritchie Blackmore,  who made that fateful call one Saturday night in April 1994. I am forever in his debt and do you know what? He will get no joy at all from me saying that, and that is kind of pleasing!

HR : [laughs] Now I don’t mean to offend you by comparing you to a musical nomad, but you do seem to have moved around quite a bit -  If you could have settled for any greater length of time, or even permanently with one of those bands, who would it have been?

DW : I always have plenty to do recording and writing and performing. There is no dirt on the back of my shoes.

I was with Ritchie for 3 years, Yngwie for 6, Schenker now for 5. I would have been happy to do another album with Ritchie but he had a time machine and went away to his beloved middle ages with all the comforts of the 21Century.

With Yngwie we had run our course but remain friends, if not in touch much.

With Michael I hope to continue our successful partnership. We needed time away to do other things after the 4 years of intense touring/recording - Just to get some fresh experiences and know what side the bread is buttered.

HR : That’s always a bonus! What about future plans? Any more solo work or new collaborations in the pipeline?

DW : I am doing an album with a Bulgarian metal band called John Steel. (Blaze did their first) I will be finishing it when I am back from my short run of solos shows with my band WHITE NOISE (Italian Chapter).

I am always working. Sometimes under the radar sometime soaring like an eagle. Its all good and its all fun.

HR : You always look content to be on stage, and just take it all in your rock stride! Ha! What’s the strangest gig you’ve ever played?

DW : With La Paz in the 80’s at a place called ‘Roots of Cleghorn’ run by a lad called “Chicken George”. It was farming country and George was the only black guy for 100 miles. We played to a farmer in a bunnet and his sheep dog,  and George was the door man collecting the money! HR : Haha! No way!? Well from ‘Roots Of Cleghorn’ to Stockholm Circus -  If you could take a ‘dream’ band on the road, who would be your line-up, and what songs would make it to the setlist?

DW : I would just want to be backing singer for David Bowie, and cover  anything from “Love you til Tuesday” to “Blackstar”.

#doogiewhite #rainbow #ritchie blackmore #blackmoresnight #rock legends #rockhistory #music #prog rock

[artlessictoan]

Hi. Could I request some butch!yodo/fem!chou (i know you had that one before but I can't imagine anything else for those two)? Maybe in that rivaling music shops AU from that other time you did requests? Thank you very much!

nonski.. i literally screeched when i saw this tHANK YOU (here’sthe other req referenced in the ask!)

(requests open)

(ao3 mirror)

---

She carefully examined her reflection in the shop window,brushing some stray hairs back into place, adjusting her miniskirt to show offa little more leg, before pushing open the poster-laden door and steppingthrough it with the practised confidence of a supermodel.

As embarrassing as it was to practice her strut in themirror at home, she had to admit, the effect was well worth it.

The door creaked slightly as it closed behind her andChouchou was immediately hit with the increasingly familiar scent of sweat,leather and – weirdly, for a store dedicated to all things grungy and hardcore –sandalwood. She had been told by Sarada, that Yodo always lit incense as soonas she got in, while they were getting ready to open the shop.

It was discovering little things like that that kept hercoming back, time after time, in the hopes that maybe she’ll find yet anotherexcuse to fall just a little more in love with the tiny ball of chaos,verve and idiocy that was Yodo.

As usual, the shop was empty. She glanced around, idlywondering how the hell they were still in business when, in all the times she’dvisited, she’d never seen more than three people browsing the aisles at once. Yodoinsisted that metalheads, while not overly abundant in the general population,were extremely dedicated to their genre, however Sarada had explained that Yodocame from a wealthy family and had a doting adoptive father who was very generouswith his money and would do anything for his children.

Just another surprising discovery and another butterfly inher stomach.

When a thorough search of the shop floor revealed no Yodo, shecasually hopped over the counter and poked her head in the storeroom.

A smirk immediately spread across her face. The short blondehad her back to her and apparently hadn’t even realised that anyone was there,judging by the bright wires trailing down from her ears; Chouchou could hearthe muffled drumming the earbuds were emitting from across the room.

She stepped closer. “You know, it would be really easy forsomeone to rob you right now,” Chouchou said.

Yodo didn’t respond, just kept sorting through CDs andnodding her head along to whatever she was listening to. Raising an eyebrow,Chouchou snapped her fingers experimentally. Yodo mumble-sang a fewincomprehensible words and started tapping her foot.

Oh, she’s just asking for it!

Hovering just behind her target – who was still utterlyengrossed in the bass thudding through her earphones – and before she couldthink better of it, she lightly pressed a finger to the middle of her spine andran it all the way up to her neck.

“HAH!” Chouchou barely registered the surprisingly gruffshout, before Yodo spun on her heel, fist already swinging.

Incredibly, she managed to land her hard, bony knucklesright on Chouchou’s elbow.

“AGHHH FUCK! WHAT THE-” Yodo ripped out her earphones “-Chouchou?What the fuck are ya doing? I nearly beat the shit outta you! Fuck, my fist.”

Gripping her arm like it was about to fall off, she had tofight through the shudders racking her entire body before she could reply, “Howdid you hit me right on the funny bone? Fuck.” They were both still swearingand groaning, clutching their respective aching body parts tightly.

Chouchou sucked in a sharp breath as the last of the shakes fadedto nothing. Elbow still hurt though. “Ok, learned my lesson, never doing thatagain,” she said, laughing through the pain.

“What were you even expecting to happen?” Yodo asked, ajustifiably annoyed look on her face.

“I dunno, was kinda hoping I might get a cute little squealout of you or something-” which she still desperately wanted to hear, but waswilling to accept that she would have to find a different tactic in the future;maybe she was ticklish? “-I’m sorry, I promise I won’t sneak up on you anymore,but you do realise that your shop is open, right? Maybe you should turn downthe volume enough that you can hear when the door opens.”

Cheeks puffing up like a hamster, Yodo replaced the earbuds,picked up the box of CDs she had been sorting and pushed past her, shoutingbehind her as she disappeared through the door, “Y’know I don’t come into yourshop and criticise your work habits.”

Trailing behind her, Chouchou leaned against the counter andwatched her friend return to her task, occasionally glancing at the empty store.

“You should at least turn down the volume a little, my earsare hurting in sympathy.”

“God, you’re worse than my dad,” she mumbled, thoughher hand did drift down to her phone and the loud, heavy beat faded to a faint,tinny noise. It was mostly drowned out by the clacking of plastic cases as Yodomoved albums into incomprehensible piles. Chouchou stared at the band names tryingto find some link – or even a single familiar name at all – but came up blank.

She picked up the top CD in the pile closest to her and casuallybegan reading through the track list. “So, what’re you listening to?” she asked.

“Oi, don’t be messin’ up my system.” She didn’t try to take itback though. “And none of your business.”

“C’mon, tell me!”

“You wouldn’t know them anyways.” For someone who wasgenerally down-to-earth, Yodo had an amazingly pretentious streak in her.

She raised a brow, but Chouchou was still grinning uncontrollablywhen she said, “Wow, music snob much?” Dropping the CD back on the appropriatestack, Chouchou turned all her attention to her new game. “Gimme a hint, rock?Metal? Punk?”

“You’re not gonna get it-”

“Just because I’m not hugely into this stuff, doesn’t mean I’mcompletely ignorant.” In fact, she had quite a good knowledge of classic rockand metal; her dad played it all the time when she was a kid and she still hada nostalgic soft spot for the genre, even if she had mostly gravitated towardpop, funk and soul as she’d gotten older. “I’m not going to stop bugging youuntil you tell me.”

Yodo gave her an unplaceable look and silently picked up apile and quickly stomped toward the ‘grindcore’ aisle.

She wasn’t about to give up that easy. Chouchou followedher, playing a very one-sided game of twenty questions as she went, pushing thelimits of her knowledge of Yodo’s favourite music. Outside of the occasionalgrunt and assertions that she was never going to find out who it was, Yodoremained unresponsive.

Well, she couldn’t be having that, the whole point ofher teasing was to get a reaction, to get her attention, with the nebulousend goal of eventually kissing her and hopefully things would just carry onfrom there.

Disaster gay she might be, but she was at least self-awareabout it.

But, until she found the courage to confess, she had anurgent mystery to solve and she’d just thought of a brilliant plan.

Asking what decade the song was from in her whiniest voice,she pulled her phone out and tapped out a quick message. Just a few secondslater, Yodo jumped and frowned down at the pocket of her tight jeans, the onesthat were ripped to the point of being non-existent. Chouchou was veryfond of those jeans.

Leaning over her shoulder, Chouchou snickered at the textYodo had just received – a simple ‘hey girl’ – and, before she could ask whatthe hell she was messaging her for when she was literally right next to her,she reached over and snatched the phone out of her hand, tugging the wire ofthe earbuds with it.

“Hey!” Yodo spun around, glaring up at her with thosebeautiful eyes, that could look anything from green, to blue, to grey,depending on the light. But, right now, they just looked… apprehensive?

That gave her pause, just for a moment, but when her friendgave no sign that she was truly angry, which she knew from experiencewas a valid concern, she decided to push her luck and grin. “Hey, you weren’ttelling me, so I’m just gonna listen for myself to find out.”

“NO!”

She held the phone high above Yodo’s head – not exactly adifficult feat, she barely reached her elbows, even when she wasn’twearing six-inch heels – and stuck her tongue out at her, before catching oneof the dangling earbuds and sticking it in her own ear, all the while, nudgingYodo’s grasping hands away.

The tone was an immediate shock, much softer and lighterthan what she’d been expecting, as was the perfectly clear, lilting voice ofthe female vocalist.

It was also very familiar and she found herself singingalong for half a second before slowly saying, “Wait… I know this song, this is…”Suddenly, it all clicked together and she was biting her lip trying not tolaugh. “Awwww, the scary punk rocker likes sugary bubble-gum pop!”

Yodo slapped a hand against her mouth and glanced around the– still empty – shop. “Not so loud!”

She raised her brows and gently peeled the hand from herlips, maybe revelling in the skin contact a little longer than appropriate. “Seriously?You’re that embarrassed?” she asked, watching in mild amusement as her friendkept looking over her shoulder, as though a horde of metalheads was going to materialisebehind them any second to mock her taste in music.

It was a little cute, in all honesty. Or maybe it was justthat Yodo was so cute that everything she did gained an air ofadorability.

“No, I just…” She bit her lip and, god, thatwas just unfair, because Chouchou really wanted to lean down and try it forherself. “You were raving ‘bout her new album the other day, figured I’d checkit out, see what the fuss was about.”

Literally clapping her hands in joy, she released the mostgirlish squeal she’d probably ever made in her life. “Oh, that’s so sweet ofyou! So, what do you think?”

“It’s-”

Chouchou unconsciously leaned forwards, eyes almost poppingout of her head as she waited in terrified anticipation for the verdict. Shedidn’t know when Yodo’s opinion had become so important to her, but she was silentlypraying that her taste in music had impressed her crush; or at the very leastthat it hadn’t made her decide that she was absolutely not cool enough to behanging out with her and could she please leave the shop before her glitterypop songs scared off any customers.

“-really good. The middle’s a bit weak, but that guitar workis surprisingly solid for a pop artist and that song Paradise Sunsets probablyhas some of the best lyrics I’ve heard all year.”

She didn’t release a sigh of relief, mostly because she wasalready spewing out a rush of words that even she herself only half understood,so rushed and tripping over her words was she. “Right? I dunno that she’llever make another song that good, but it’s definitely one of my all-time faves.”

“Yeah, I’d never really paid much attention to her before,but I did skim through some of her older stuff too, there’s some really greatstuff in there!” Those ever-changing eyes were shining with the same kind ofexcitement she always got when she spoke about discovering a new band, or whenshe sang on stage in front of a crowd of dozens, as though it were a crowd ofthousands.

Music was such a huge part of her life – Chouchou’s tooreally – and seeing how much she loved and cared about a singer she hadintroduced her too…

“You know, I can think of a few similar artists I couldrecommend you, if you’re interested.”

Yodo gave her a blank look for a second, before her cheeksdarkened and she gave a wide grin. “Sounds fun, but if you’re subjecting me to themainstream, then I’m gonna be giving you a crash course in the history of metalin return.”

Even more time spent in the company of the cutest, coolestwoman in the world, bonding over their shared passion for music? Yeah, shecould live with that.

---

#ictoan writes #yodochou #yodo #chocho akimichi #boruto #naruto #sorry it took a while to get to #work is hell when can i quit #can you tell how much joy these two give me? #Anonymous

[wiener-soldiers]

can’t help falling in love - peter parker

request: I was wondering if you could write a peter parker x reader and have the reader being able to play the Ukulele? And maybe have peter not know she plays and he catching he playing/singing? Lots of Fluff? I hope you notice this! Ps love your writing sweetheart💚 (requested by @nevaehsuga)

summary: As an avid music lover, the ukulele was just another instrument you had learned to play. However when Peter catches you playing, he can’t help but be amazed.

pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

words: 1,522

warnings: major fluff like i was squealing while i was writing

a/n: first request guys! this was super fun to write, so i hope y’all enjoy. i’m working on a part 2 to Forgiveness in Time, so that’ll be up tomorrow. remember that requests are open and im honestly so happy when i get them! ALSO ITALICS ARE FLASHBACKS!

There were three constants in you life; your love for your family, space, and music.

Growing up, the relationship between you, your parents, and your sibling was tight. No matter the situation, the love shared between yourselves was constant.

Space was also consistent. To anyone else, space is just something out of their reach; a beautiful sight to behold, but no one bothers to look because they are busy sleeping. Not you, though. Although space had always fascinated you (let's be real; NASA was the goal), space was just a way to show that there was so much you didn't know, and that you curiosity was always overpowering.

Music, however, was not an art. To you, it was a religion. From as long as you could remember, music had been incorporated into your life. In the fourth grade, you joined an Honours Choir, signing in competitions all across New York City. In the seventh grade, you joined the middle school band. You picked up the clarinet and played well enough to have been invited to join the New York City Honour Band less than a year after you started to play.

Your love only blossomed from there. When you became old enough to discover Broadway, you immediately fell in love. You bought countless cast albums, and still cry every time you listen to Hamilton. As soon as you started high school, you were auditioning in the school's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Along the way, you mastered the piano, you taught yourself the guitar, and even learning some trumpet.

But the small, charming instrument called the ukulele captured your heart.

In middle school, you were definitely the 'always-on-Tumblr-oh-my-god-Tyler-Joseph-is-my-dad' kid, and after hearing House of Gold by Twenty One Pilots for the first time, you instantly fell in love with the charming stringed instrument, later running to your favourite music store and buying yourself a ukulele.

You picked up the ukulele very quickly after already knowing how to play guitar, and every extra second you had to spare was strumming that instrument.

Which was where you found yourself that Saturday afternoon. Instead of studying for your biology exam, you found yourself distracted and desperately craving the sound of the ukulele. So, you pushed your textbooks aside and grabbed your ukulele, strumming a few chords.

Before you know it, you find yourself strumming the chords to We Don't Believe What's On TV by Twenty One Pilots.

The song was special to you, solely because it reminded you of your best friend, Peter Parker.

You had met him after school during rehearsal night. You were starring as Esmeralda in the Hunchback and slipped out of the auditorium to grab some water while the ensemble was learning some choreography. As you stepped away from the water fountain, you noticed a blur of someone wearing red and blue skin tight material run past you and up the stairs. Curiously, you had followed him.

The staircase lead to an empty hall, aside from Peter Parker standing at his locker, attempting to stuff something inside it.

"Peter?" you call out, "Peter Parker?"

You watched as his head whips around. "Yeah? That's me. Uh--(Y/N)?"

You walk closer to him. The closer you got, the more nervous he seemed.

"What are you doing here this late?" you question.

Peter scratches the back of his neck. "I could ask you the same question."

"I'm at rehearsal. We're doing The Hunchback this year, remember?"

"Oh," was his only response, forgetting to answer your question completely.

You put a hand on your hip and continue, "Say, did you see someone run up here? Clad in red and blue spandex?"

He stutters out a, "No."

"So then what are you doing at your locker?"

"Getting some books I forgot, I told you."

"No, you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

You roll your eyes, getting impatient. Finally deciding that enough was enough, you grabbed the handle to his unlocked locker. Despite Peter's pleas, you yank it open to find the Spiderman suit hung on the coat hook.

"You're Spiderman," you say in disbelief.

"You can't tell anyone."

So you didn't. You and Peter came up with a deal. Peter was in the same Biology class as you were, and as much as you hated to admit it, you needed a tutor. So in exchange for keeping your secret, Peter helped you not only pass, but ace the midterms.

As the months went by, your 'business deal' turned into a friendship, and on your part, love.

You got to the chorus of the song and began to sing.

“I need to know that when I fail you'll still be here,

'Cause if you stick around I'll sing you pretty sounds,

And we'll make money selling your hair.

I don't care what's in your hair,

I just wanna know what's on your mind,

I used to say, ‘I wanna die before I'm old,’

But because of you I might think twice.”

You continue to strum and finish the song with some occasional singing and humming. As you strum the last chord, a slow clapping comes from the fire escape outside your window.

There you find Peter clad in his Spiderman suit, mask off, sitting on  your windowsill.

A blush comes up your cheeks as you stand up to close the door and pull him inside your room.

"Pete! What are you doing here? Someone coulda seen you!" you scold him, but your insides were screaming in joy that Peter decided to stop by.

He laughs and slings the backpack he was wearing off his shoulders, gesturing for you to turn around so he can get changed. You quickly spin against your heel, but you manage to sneak a glance at Peter's insanely sculpted back muscles before he slipped on a shirt.

You finally become aware that he had finished changing as you heard the squeak in your mattress as Peter sits down. "I didn't know you could play," he says while inspecting the ukulele laying on top of your comforter.

You sit next to him and smile a little, "I picked it up a couple weeks ago. I haven't really shown anyone. Well, until you showed up."

He laughs and nudges your shoulder before replying, "Well, I'm glad I did because you are absolutely breathtaking."

You stare at him and smile, "Thanks, Pete."

He smiles back and look back at the ukulele, turning it in his hands. He plucks each string one by one, before strumming all four together. He turns to look at you again.

"Teach me?" he asks, looking at you hopefully.

You nod in return and move your hand above his, moving his fingers above certain strings to form a chord.

"Now strum," you instruct.

With his opposite hand, his fingers gracefully strum the strings. The beautiful sound reverberated in your ears.

"I did it!" he says excitedly, with the biggest smile on his face.

You let out a giggle at how cute he was, "Yes you did, you big dork. Now, shut up so I can teach you a song."

After a couple of minutes, he learns the rest of the chords. And in less than an hour, he plays the song almost flawlessly.

You watch him with a smile as he stands up on your bed to do a celebratory dance, ukulele still in his hands.

"Peter!" you manage to say in between your fits of laughter, "come down before you break yourself, or my ukulele!"

He laughs at you, but sits back down beside you nevertheless. You had retreated to the floor, using the bed as a back rest in fear that Peter was going to jump on you.

After the laughter dies, he places the ukulele in front of you and turns to you.

"What song did you teach me anyways? You never told me."

"Oh!" you say with a surprised tone, "it was I Can't Help Falling in Love with You."

"Good," Peter says with a slight smirk on his face.

"What?" you ask, utterly confused.

Peter smiles and shakes his head. "Well," he starts, "it's good to know that the girl you fell in love with can't help falling in love with you, too."

Your mouth drops in shock, trying to process what just happened.

Deciding that it didn't matter you quickly uttered, "Peter Parker, you are the smoothest dork I know," before pressing your lips to his.

He makes a noise in response before responding. His arms find their way to your back, pulling you closer to his honey tasting lips, and your hands find themselves wrapped around his neck, playing with his hair. He begins to lean closer, but accidentally ends up kicking your ukulele in the process, a sour sounding chord playing quietly. You both pull away in laughter.

"I'll make you deal. You keep teaching me how to play, and you'll do me the greatest honour in letting me be your boyfriend," Peter says as he tucks a stand of (Y/H/C) hair behind your ears.

You smile and pull him in for another kiss. You whisper back in adoration, "It's a deal."

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker imagines #peter parker fluff #peter parker fic #peter parker fanfic #peter parker fanfiction #tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #tom holland imagines #tom holland fluff #tom holland fic #tom holland fanfic #tom holland fanfiction #spider-man #spiderman #spider-man: homecoming #spiderman x reader #spiderman imagine #spiderman imagines #marvel #marvel imagine #mcu #avengers #avengers imagine #avengers x reader #wiener-soldiers #wiener-soldiers imagine

[nothingbetterthanblog]

Pancakes: you gotta jive if you wanna shrive in Pancake Land (plus my special banana pancake recipe).

(For the recipe, scroll to the end!)

You know that scene in Matilda where she makes pancakes and dances to ’Send me on my way’ by Rusted Root? It’s the most groovy scene ever. Not only because we see Matilda’s awesome magic powers, but despite all odds, she has such a good vibe. Music, pancakes and magic. Brilliant start to a film.

I try to recreate that scene a little every time I make pancakes, because why wouldn’t you? It feels good to indulge in a bit of kitchen boogying and to spend some time imagining that I’m a fictional, magical child that is a lot cooler than myself. She’s got super powers for goodness sake. So we know that pancakes are whimsical, fun, and need a little bit of magic to send you on your way, but they also remind me of birthdays. From as early as I can remember all the way up to the present day, my birthday morning has usually gone like this: demolish an obscene amount of pancakes (upwards of ten), then decide that I shouldn’t have another one because really that would be the one that made this whole debacle appear greedy, and at this ripe old age I should really be keeping it classy.

Hands down, my favourite part in the pancake-making regime, is dancing along while you’re going. I’d go as far as saying that it’s part of the recipe and it truly makes the pancakes taste a lot better. I advise that you come up with a dance that works for you. My pancake-making dance is very silly, a little intrusive, and looks about 50% more awkward than is actually funny. But it does make me happy, and that’s the point. When I was at university in Birmingham, there were far too many essay questions being thrown around, and far too many wonderful nights spent watching Gilmore Girls with my housemates. This perfect procrastination often caused what I can only describe as “a week from hell” towards the end of term, in which we attempted to smash those deadlines. The only way we got through the work was to have frequent “dance breaks” in which we chose to dramatically boogie to either a Taylor Swift or Beyonce song. The sheer physical exertion and hilarity of star-jumping around to “Countdown”, or “We Are Never Getting Back Together”, meant that our spirits were lifted, and we remembered that life can be fun too. This is the purest example I can give to show you what the pancake dance is all about. And thanks to social distancing, it’s unlikely that anyone else will see your crazy moves, so go wild!

DISCLAIMER: In this next section I relate pancakes to social distancing in a way that makes this blog not only 100% relevant, but also #relatable. It’s gonna be great.

So, there’s a pandemic going on at the moment, and we’re all staying at home. Yes, I am bringing up the elephant in the room. The elephant is in the room because she has to stay at home for the time being, due to the current climate. We’re all very worried at times, hyper at other times, and, let’s face it, just as freaked out and grumpy as we usually are the rest of the time. And quite frankly, it’s not helping the situation having elephants in every room, and it’s starting to get really cramped. Who knows what the best reaction to this is? Should we throw our arms up into the air, frantically run around the room, and scream “CAROLE BASKIN!” in a southern accent? Perhaps, yes. We can’t expect ourselves to react perfectly or normally to this very imperfect and abnormal situation.

Take pancakes, for example. The first one’s the throw-away. What a beautiful saying to provide you with confidence even in the face of complete failure. “Don’t worry if that pancake is terrible, that always happens the first time! In fact, here in Pancake Land we welcome you to fall flat on your face at the very first hurdle! Yes, that literal hurdle just there, right in front of you now, just beyond the gates into Pancake Land. That hurdle represents your first pancake which will be burnt on the outside whilst somehow raw in the middle. But if it does, that just means it’s working. You’re fitting in wonderfully in Pancake Land!”. I love applying this approach to any situation. It’s not a new idea, it’s just accepting that nothing is perfect. We’ve never had to stay at home on this scale before, so I say we see it as the first, shitty pancake. The first pancake, that we choose to put all of our effort into, and yet it turns around to bite us in the butt. And it happens to us all. That’s pretty much where this analogy ends because fingers crossed, after the coronavirus outbreak ends, we won’t throw another one on the heat just to churn out a more successful pandemic. All I’m saying is, there’s no right way to do this, so let’s stick together, spread the joy, and spread some magic on those pancakes in true Matilda style.

Finally, for when you’re next feeling crêpe (I’m sorry, I just had to…), below is my own special recipe for very delicious banana pancakes, just for you. Indulge in the whimsical, shake your sexy hips, and enjoy frying up a breakfast that you love. Whether you prefer that fluffy american style, if you like to chomp on chocolatey chunks, or if you’re feeling french, there’s nothing better than pancakes.

Grace’s 5-Step Banana Pancakes

YOU WILL NEED:

1 funky album that makes dancing and smiling irresistible to you (my recommendations: Brothers & Sisters by Lakuta, Geography by Tom Misch, Graceland by Paul Simon) 2 bananas 2 eggs 5 tbsp of self-raising flour (approx.) 1/2 cup of milk 1 big sprinkle of cinnamon (approx.) A big pinch of salt Unlimited butter for the pan (obvs.)

Recipe for 5-6 big, fluffy pancakes… multiply those quantities for more joy.

METHOD:

Step 1: Put on your fabulous album and start to groove.

Step 2: Mash the bananas in a bowl and beat in the eggs and the milk.

Step 3: Gradually add the self raising flour and beat with a fork. I normally follow my intuition here - you want a reasonably thick and gloopy consistency, but not too thick. We are aiming for lovely fluffy boys after all. Add more flour if it’s too thin.

Step 4: Add your cinnamon and a big pinch of salt, with some panache baby!

Step 5: Cook ‘em up! Heat your pan up at a low heat with a knob of butter in there, then drop half a ladle of batter onto the pan and sing “Woohoo!”. Flip when you feel funky, or when you see the top starting to show air holes.

Keep droppin’ that sweet, sweet batter and flipping those ‘cakes till you just don’t care! Serve with yummy toppings like blueberries, icing sugar, golden syrup or nutella for the ultimate delish treat.

#pancakes #banana pancakes #recipe #pancake day #shrove tuesday #self isolation #social distancing #quarantine #cooking #cake #baking #positivity #nobody's perfect

[indiumrubber]

@howling--fantods tagged me to post ten songs I’ve been listening to a lot recently, so here goes! I love waxing lyrical about music at the best of times, so songs I love will get a bit of time lavished on them I think. I have a feeling there will be a great deal of Radiohead included in this list...

1) Just - Radiohead: The song that actually got me to start listening to their stuff. It came on after listening to an album (think it was Parklife), and almost immediately I was hooked. It’s ruthless and savage and exhilarating, and very much a song I needed at that time. Anyway, I can’t get bored of it so here I am, still listening.

2) De-Luxe - Lush: From the offset this song caught me, and I knew I liked it. The harmonies during the verses are such that it almost feels like something’s gonna go wrong, but I mean that in a good way: it feels unstable and capricious. Combined with the stacked harmonies of the choruses, the swirling and layered guitars, and it’s a wall of precisely crafted sound. I love it.

3) In Your Room - Depeche Mode: I’ll admit, I was hesitant to listen to Songs Of Faith And Devotion, if only because of the cover - I just didn’t find it that aesthetically pleasing. And besides, I knew of the background of the recordings, how strained and stressful it is, how it lead to the collapse of one of my favourite bands. However, once I gave it the chance it deserved, I found myself loving almost every track instantly. There were a few which took time, and this was one of them. It’s dark, oppressive, feels heavy and intense; again, a wall of sound, but not gossamer like De-Luxe. This is brutal, and carries the most Depeche Mode* lyrics of probably any song they’ve written. But it’s fantastic and I adore it.

*if we’re to use Depeche Mode as a shorthand for BDSM-y...

4) There, There - Radiohead: Okay, I find it hard to articulate quite how much I love this song, but I really do adore it. It’s basically perfect to me. It consists of a constant escalation of tension, driven by snares which - if you’re listening for it - begin to resemble the clicking of a clock’s hands. I truly believe the song only truly begins to show its potential at 2:53. The texture builds, effects and distortion move from backing guitar parts to lead parts, and these then come to the fore, even before Thom’s, and at one part sounds like distorted wailing. Then he comes back in, and it just works so well. It could’ve been too much, but it’s not. And then it all dies away, soft silence for a good three or four seconds at the end. It reminds me of a summer storm (at least here, where they’re rare and mild). Exciting, and over far too quickly (even for a song whose duration is 5:24). So good.

5) The American - Simple Minds: I love all the arpeggios on here. For some reason, I’ve always loved them as a simple way to spice up chords, and I don’t begrudge their use at all - I perhaps used them too often myself, but it does give a sense of motion. But most of all, my god, the bassline is brilliant. Driving and intent, reminds me of something from John Taylor in its restlessness, and there’s a lot of pops and slaps too, something I think was really popular in the 80s. I do love the vocals too, silly as they might seem on an initial listening. Very catchy.

6) Der Kommissar - Falco: God I love this song. My German is terrible and basic and clunky. I can read for gist pretty damn well, and my listening’s alright, but I am absolutely left in the dust when a more extensive vocabulary is used. That just means that I mostly bop my head when listening to this song, and find the melody intensely catchy. A brilliant song from a brilliant artist.

7) Karma Police - Radiohead: I’m not exaggerating when I say that... I would die for this song. If the only copy in the world was left on one small CD, and the internet was gone, all infrastructure gone except for one CD player with infinite power, I would jump in front of a bullet to protect that flimsy piece of plastic and preserve it for future generations (assuming that this was the only shot that person had at destroying it). That’s how much I love this song. The buildup to the second section with rising bass tones played by the piano, later echoed by the bass, lead to this feeling of ascension, as the key steps up from A minor to B minor, an atypical shift. There’s a wide-open and optimistic feeling to this latter section, something I rarely come across in songs, but when I do find it, I adore it so utterly. This is one beautifully crafted song. And also I just discovered that all members of Radiohead sing the high backing vocals during this section, and that means so much, speaks so much of the collaborative nature of this track.

8) My Joy - Depeche Mode: yet another track from SOFAD, another that I adore, another that took a few listenings to get there. I love Dave’s vocal performance here, the slight off-kilter feel to the guitar, and the bombast of it. Dave’s vocals are raw in places, the edge of cracking (as is typical of this era), and it lends an honesty and humanity to an album very much about the machinations of people and relations. His slight vibrato is at a peak here, and Martin’s backing vocals are excellently mellow in contrast without detracting from the aura. A fantastic composition, a brilliant end to a masterpiece of an album.

9) Methods Of Dance - Japan: My favourite Japan song? Quite possibly, though I’ve only just realised this, I think. It begins quite similarly to Planet Earth by Duran Duran, it’s just occurred to me as I type - a sweeping synth intro. Given DD were recording their debut in the same studio as Japan were recording the album this is from, and looked to Japan for inspiration, I wouldn’t say it’s implausible. Anyway, Mick Karn’s fretless bass is typically agile and intricate, weaving through the song incessantly. David Sylvian’s lyrics and voice answer in kind, woozy and haunting in that way of his. The drums are given plenty of echo, and sound so very 80s. Saxophones are very evident. And yet, it’s not cheesy at all, it almost feels timeless, in a way I’m not sure how is managed. It could be that keyboards once again are downplayed into texture, all blending seamlessly, so nothing quite stands out too much. Brilliant song.

10) Everything In Its Right Place - Radiohead: God, I was struggling so much to narrow down to what I’d have as the last Radiohead song I included. But this song is undeniable from the minute you press play. A damn good album opener, filled with nonsensical fragmented lyrics, obtuse musically as well as lyrically. It was such a difficult feat to create a followup to OK Computer - this much is fairly well-documented at this stage - to the point where the band considered breakup, dissolution, and falling by the wayside. Of all the options they could’ve chosen, the route they took with Kid A is perhaps the wisest, and most oddly prescient choice. It’s interesting and unconventional, makes you wonder. It’s so different from OK Computer that some people hated it, and that’s okay. But I do believe the album is a gift, and it could not have begun with a better song. Just listen to it, and you’ll understand me. Sometimes you have to eschew what you know to move forward.

Thank you so much for tagging me in this, and giving me the chance to be pretentious and irksome as I like being about music that I adore! I shan’t tag anyone, but I hope that anyone who reads through this whole thing, or skims it, might have their attention piqued, and might consider trying out any of these tracks. And if you disagree with me on anything here, I’m always up for a discussion. This was really fun! 

#thank you alex!! #tagged #long post

[celticmythpodshow]

Another Writer's Journey

Please accept my apologies for writing about myself. I generally try and avoid this as I feel I am nowhere near as important as the stories I tell (and those that we tell as far as the Celtic Myth Podshow is concerned). That having been said, let's plunge on in!

When I moved from Primary School to Secondary school (after the now legendary 11+ examination), one of my favourite lessons was the English class. At 11 years old I was far too young to understand much about Grammar or story/poem analysis, but I loved the act of creation involved in summoning imagery and meaning from words. Plain and simple words that when strung together could create pictures in my mind and feelings in my chest.

One memory that sticks in my mind as significant because it told me, even at that tender age that I had an intense desire to write, was a class exercise that progressed over an entire term. We were each asked to write a single-page, short and concise  story and then read it to the entire class. I was in heaven! I wrote an adventure story involving a dangerous trek in the jungle and eventual possible rescue. My story stretched the limits of our allotted time as I had filled well over a dozen pages of the small A5 exercise books that we used to be given at school. After I had finished - I don't remember exactly what the teacher said - my fellow class-mates were asked to give their feedback to the teacher and they all asked for more detail about my story and for the tale to be completed. The teacher, perhaps bowing to popular pressure, asked me to complete the story and for the next couple of weeks I wrote continuing episodes and read each out in turn to the class. The joy I felt in entertaining my peers with my my writing is a joy that has never left me. To give pleasure with mere words is something that can never be underestimated.

As my relationships with my school-mates developed, I played many games and don't remember writing much other that the allocated tasks that we were all set. Our play-ground games however were rapidly becoming increasingly complex. A small group of my intimate inmates decided to each take on the role of a particular leader/hero/ruler on a planet in some imaginary Science Fiction universe that we had decided upon. My own planet of bio-mechanical inhabitants acquired technical drawings of the transport system within its major cities, biological descriptions of the alien inhabitants (vaguely resembling cones on wheels as I recall!) and each city having its own history mapped out. Hours and hours of work. It never got used in our games of course, but for me the creation of back-story was as essential as the game itself.

Writing after Leaving School?

As my school-years were coming to an end, my close-knit circle of buddies discovered the very first 3 volume box-set of an imported game from America, ridiculously named "Dungeons & Dragons". The game was what later came to be known as a 'role-playing game' with one person acting as a story-teller come referee come guide and the other players taking on a role of a character within a Fantasy-based universe.

The big difference between this and other traditional methods of story-telling was that the actions that the players decided to take determined the future course of events within the story. The Fantasy universe moulded itself around us as we played. We were living in the story! I had come home! What an amazing discovery.

It wasn't long before I, myself, took on the part of the Dungeon Master (as the referee was called) and was creating my own interactive stories with a group of players. My own game had maps (based on hex-paper) that were filled in as the players explored the world I had created plastered all over one wall of my very small flat and the remaining space in my flat taken up with as many chairs as I could fill into the space. At one stage, our story had over ten people meeting weekly to continue their adventures and the whole story arc carried on for over a year.

That was something that required almost constant attention and a vast amount of time and energy to complete. Something that I would never advise anyone of even half-sane mind to contemplate doing!

Turning to Myths & Legends

Coming into my early 20's, my daily reading consumption increased and although I didn't put pen to parer at this time not only did my love of fiction grow and evolve but my love of mythological and religious stories also grew. My interests spread into a more academic and factual direction in order to find out where these stories came from and to seek answers as to why some versions of the same story were different and why there were similarities between stories from widely different cultures around the world. This was a long time before I discovered Joseph Campbell! My love of story, mythology and comparative religion eventually lead me to study ritual and magic - which, in my opinion, is yet another variety of living story. But that is really a different tale that I shall save for another day.

One of my greatest loves from my first days at Secondary schools was Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and the whole Middle-Earth mythos. To be fair, it is a love that I carry with me to this day. Back in 1977, I found the Silmarillion to be hard reading at my first attempt, but I fast grew to love it. In particular, the Song of Creation found in the first part, Ainulindalë, tells of the creation of Eä, the "world that is" struck a deeply resonant chord within my soul.

What happened next is something that I look back on with great awe and wonder. Without realising it, my next actions were to act as a prelude to the type of story-telling that I was to take up again 30 years later! I recorded myself reading the Ainulindalë accompanied by music by Tangerine Dream (I think the album was Phaedra) and loved every minute.

It was only when I listened to the cassette recording that I was over-whelmed and the hairs on my arms stood up and my heart raced with some form of excitement that I had never felt before. Something magical had happened. When I was reading about the Horns of Ulmo, resounding in the Deep Waters, there were horn blasts in the music. So much synchronicity happened in this reading whose true significance I missed at the time. This was something unique and wonderful. But hey-ho! - I was 18 years old, and forgot all about it in the rush of rapidly expanding teenage hormones in the following months.

Time for a Quick Break

Let's take a small break in the narrative here, while I grab a glass of water, you get to wonder what on earth you are doing wasting your time reading the drivel that I have written and I skip forward in time. As we go, we can jump over several failed attempts at both fiction and non-fiction writing, and arrive at the point in my life where my long-suffering wife (the gorgeous Ruthie) and I decide to start a podcast about Celtic Mythology. The Celtic Myth Podshow was born at Imbolc, 2008 - it seemed to us a suitable birthing time. Reading the complex Irish myths out aloud seemed to us an excellent way of learning them, understanding them and perhaps help other people out with the same tasks. It was only natural that eventually we would want to cover all the stories of the Celts that we could find.

For two years, I scripted the ideas we came up with and along with friends and family we recorded and released shows every fortnight. There was no way in this or any other universe that we could maintain this pace and were it not for my becoming seriously ill and requiring major surgery due to Cancer at the end of 2009, I think I/we would have burned out and never carried on making any shows or telling any more stories.

Health is something that when you are healthy you can often take for granted. I certainly did. Without it, each physical movement initially and later any focus or concentration became something that rapidly drained my energy. I learned about Spoon Theory very quickly indeed. Google it - it's worth it.

Life events (family, career, housing, finances etc.) began to overtake us in 2015-2016, and the rate at which we could produce shows dwindled as more and more of our focus and attention had to be placed on far more immediate concerns. I think we only managed to get out one show in 2016 and another in 2017. Early in 2017, I discovered that I had Leukemia and we were again forced to focus on health and the need to rapidly find a new home.

Patience, Pacing and Priorities

It is strange that no matter how important your writing is to you, or how much you value your creative work and no matter how much pleasure you get from seeing or hearing the joy that other people have from hearing or reading your work, there is no way that the inspiration will flow when your life's basics are under threat. I thought that writing and creating would be a great distraction form the more serious problems in our lives. I was, however, totally wrong. It just wouldn't happen. It took time - a long time - for me to even begin to accept this. Starting a new podcast, Celtic Tomes, was my refusal to accept that I could do nothing creative during this time. Eventually this podcast too had to come to a halt as life's needs escalated. This was a frustrating time that I am glad we seem to have passed through. It is over and I hope I have learned some very important lessons about patience, pacing and the priorities in our lives.

At the height of the Summer heatwave in this year (2018), we moved and began to unpack and settle. I could feel the relaxation beginning to seep into my bones. Despite the mountains of boxes around me, the presence of inspiration began to make itself felt.

For me, inspiration works in a very strange and yet defined way. It seems I have to make space in my life and my head, start the process off by moving a little way towards an idea and then whatever it is that comes from outside of myself, from the wider universe, from the Realms of the Fae or the Gods or whatever (be it Awen or Imbas or just plain Inspiration), I begin to feel its breath rushing into me towards a new creation. They say the word 'inspiration' comes from from the Proto-Indo-European root *en "in" + spirare "to breathe". Breathing in the Spirit of creation from the cosmos perhaps? It is interesting that the word 'spirit' also has the same roots....

Flexing My Muscles (as if!)

I felt I needed to flex my writing muscles again. "If you don't use it, you lose it" is a common expression, but I am not sure it means you forget how to write, but I think it may mean you lose contact with that flow of "spirit" or whatever that brings a creation into life and full being. I had been listening to podcasts about the Craft of Writing for some time and as October was approaching, I began to hear more and more about NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo stands for the "National Novel Writing Month" and it always takes place during the 30 days of November. In this time you do your best to write 50,000 words to create a novel (novella perhaps?). Success or failure is not strictly the main goal. The main goal of #NaNoWriMo is to get you writing.

So I made a decision to write a novel. Research and preparation of that novel has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding pastimes that I have encountered in the last few years and I am incredibly excited to start writing on November 1st. My novel is going to be a ghost story set in the middle of a disaster zone at a place I know well in Hastings - the town where I was born.

It's only 10 days away now and I find myself 'itchy' to start writing. As I can't start on my novel until November, I found my mind drifting to other projects. Perhaps I could start thinking about the next book for the Celtic Tomes? So, I totaled the votes cast for the next book and started some preparation. Fantastic!

And yet, still the Universe had not finished with me.

Unfinished Business

Last week, I woke up wondering where my work period that day could be directed, opened my laptop and found myself opening up the Script for the Branwen story! The Second Branch of the Mabinogion is the next story to be told in our main podcast, the Celtic Myth Podshow, and the script is about half-way completed and stands at about 22,000 words. I found myself re-reading and editing what I had already written, suddenly aware that I was mentally preparing myself to finish the script. I sent my prayers of thanks up to the Gods or whoever was helping me with the inspiration and went to bed a very happy Gary.

A few days later, the realities of the situation began to sink into my dense, Neanderthal brow and I realised that if I were to avoid the same burn-out problems that I had hit before then I would have to heed the lessons of Pacing that I had tried to learn previously. I would have to take things very slowly indeed. I would have to work in tune with Life and not separate from it.

November is, for me, fully booked with NaNoWriMo and Life events, but after that, in the New Year, I can turn my attention back to the Branwen story and do some editing of my novel, some recording for Celtic Tomes and any other project that leaps into my mind. The important thing I have to remember, and I really must drive this home into my thickest of heads, is that I can only focus fully on one major project at a time. To do otherwise would be to tread, stagger and eventually fall on the stony path to a barren plain where nothing gets written.

Thank you for listening to the story so far.

Check out this episode!

#celtic myth #podcast #mythology #celts

[pinkkahlo-blog]

Spin Off Festival 2018

The likes of The Wombats, The Smith Street Band, Meg Mac, The Jungle Giants, Skegss and Methyl Ethel took over the Adelaide Showgrounds last week for Spin Off. 

The Adelaide only - Splendour in the Grass side show was a sell out gig. The once a year show bag filled Jubille Hall shape shifted to a dimly lit main stage, surrounded by small bars and chill out zones. 

Mane, G Flip, Alex the Astronaut and Yungblud lit the stage from midday. Following these acts, Skegss provided us with the beachy punk vibes we’ve always wanted. The all ages event showed the demographic is shifting to a younger crowd for music fests. Filling their set with the much loved tunes of “Got on my Skateboard”, “Spring has Sprung” and “Mustang” it’s not wonder why the crowd was hyped up.

Methyl Ethel gave us an uplighting atmosphere in the cool hall with their retro psychedelic vibes. Popular tunes including “Twilight Driving” and “Ubu” had the whole room singing along.

The Jungle Giants are pure performers. And they know exactly how to pump up a crowd. Playing their bangers, “Feel the Way I Do”, “Used to Be in Love”, and oldie but a goldie, “She’s a Riot” and “Bad Dream”. There’s no way anyone could contain themselves without boogying. Singing along to a band has never been so enjoyable when it’s with the Jungle Giants. The Giants were the first act of the evening with full audience participation and enjoyment, setting the positive vibes they were aching for.

Meg Mac followed with a chilled set of her moody and strong original voice. She had everyone swaying as her and her younger sister sang in harmony. “Never Be” and “Grandma’s Hands” were definitely a crowd favourite which majority singing along (their very best). Her angelic voice filled the space echoing outside for all to hear. 

After a short break, The Smith Street Band took the stage and began their set of mainly old tunes. Unquestionably, from their recent album, “Passiona” and “Death to the Lads” were played. Skegss joined the stage and shared a kiss with lead, Wil Wagner. By now, the crowd were still pumping with the little energy they had remaining - some sitting reserving it for the headliners. 

$12 Smirnoff Double Blacks trashed the sticky floor beneath the dancing feet. 

Highly anticipated, The Wombats and their English accents made their way on stage. Lasers and lights shot from stage to each corner of the room as the wombats on the screen danced. The fatigue was real, but fans wouldn’t let anything get in their way. “Joy Division”, “Jump into the Fog”, “Cheetah Tongue” were just a few of the many tunes. 

The one thing Spin Off did give us was the opportunity for a town like Adelaide to be home to some of the best Australian (and non Australian) artists for one day. Splendour who?

#spinoff #spinoff2018 #adelaidemusicfestival #adlfestivals #thewombats #thesmithstreetband #thejunglegiants #methylethel #megmac #yungblud #musicwriting

[thepermanentrainpress]

THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH PETER HOOK

Peter Hook’s musical career has spanned forty years, most famously as a founding member and bassist of Joy Divison and New Order. After parting ways with New Order in 2007, he currently fronts Peter Hook and The Light, celebrating the works of both bands. I caught up with the musician prior to his show in Vancouver to discuss touring, his influences, and current legacy.

Peter laughs after I ask which New Order album he’s most proud of. “With hindsight, I’d have to say it’s amazing we really achieved and finished any of them! My favourite is probably Technique. Ironically my least favourite is Republic – which you can read about in my book – and we recorded that one right after. But with Technique, it’s an odd one, the sound of it overall. I was very involved with it. We were not the greatest of friends at the time, and we were so happy to have completed something. This was right after Substance, in which Tony Wilson, the owner of Factory Records, wanted to put all the 7” singles onto one CD. And we said ‘Yeah, just do it.’ It was our first priority, just something tangible.”

Elaborating on the success and how he views Substance, Peter says “that LP appeared to have done well, as we sold over 3 million copies. With Substance now, I hope that in my touring and playing of these songs I can sort of set right what once went wrong. Music to me has always been about pleasing yourself, never other people. I have to agree with what Neil Young said. ‘I’ve made a career out of not doing what people want.’”

I ask what touring with the current band is like, and the difference in vocals and guitar instead of playing bass. “It’s about balance. [The music of] New Order sounds different to me, without a shadow of a doubt. We are celebrating these albums, the songs we are playing for people… My gimmick, if you will, is to play what people have heard on the record. Most people have never heard this music as interpreted by a founding member… it’s nice to give the producers a nod, as we say in England.” 

Opening up about his past experiences with New Order, he speaks honestly. “If there’s one thing about New Order, it’s that they didn’t write as much as other groups. They played very, very few gigs. It was one of the problems I had with the outfit and the different ways in which people wanted to work. Now I’m free to do whatever I like, with my music, my albums… It’s my celebration. If you read about it in my book, Substance: Inside New Order, you can get the gist of the way it was different. The very chemistry that makes a great group with people... it’s ultimately the same chemistry that will destroy it later. Everybody changes. It’s like any relationship, any marriage. People change. Their ideas change, their ambitions change. It’s an interesting thing to witness. I’ve been a musician now for, let’s see, 42 years. The fact that I’m still getting away with it—absolutely fantastic. I tried DJ-ing for awhile, for about five years. I must admit it was wonderful to play other people’s music. But ultimately, the most satisfying and rewarding thing about New Order is to play your own music because people like it. It’s wonderful. And now, I have never not enjoyed a gig since 2007.” 

On June 4th, 1976, Peter Hook saw The Sex Pistols at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, alongside future bandmates Bernard Sumner and Ian Curtis. Now known as “The Gig That Changed the World,” other attendees included Tony Wilson as well as future members of The Smiths, The Buzzcocks, and The Fall. He remembers the night fondly. “A very tiny venue… it only held 150 and I believe there were 43 people in the audience that night. I think 40 of us went on to form a Manchester group! It was a hell of a coming together; I don’t think you’d get big odds on that happening again anytime soon. But it was such a catalyst, the whole attitude of punk. For teenagers as we were, young people unsure of what they wanted to do with their future… the nettles and negativity of punk, the aggression, it really struck a chord. And that chord, as much as I hate to say it, wasn’t really musical. It was more about how you acted towards the world, how the world acted towards you. It was quite an interesting cultural change. The musical change only came after when we started playing. That’s when we started appreciating, you know, music. We appreciated punk for all the wrong reasons, really.”

I ask if that night was the catalyst that got the boys together as a band and said ‘Hey, we want to do this.’ “Well, yeah!” Peter says. “We saw Johnny Rotten basically tell us to go on, to go forth and multiply. We thought we could tell everybody to go forth and multiply. And it was as simple as that! I mean the energy and the attitude… it just seemed to sum up what was lacking in your life. It was a great cause. But ultimately it was very disruptive. We were, at that point, trying to destroy the very piece of what we are now – the establishment musicians we didn’t get along with.”

I jump ahead to five years later in 1981, when New Order had just formed and visited New York City. There, they were exposed to many new up-and-coming genres, forever influencing and changing their direction as a band. Asked what would’ve happened if they hadn’t made that trip, Peter exclaimed “Well, I’d certainly be a much richer man because I wouldn’t have opened a bloody nightclub! Without a shadow of a doubt, they always say the old adage of nightclubs that you should never partake of your own wares. Unfortunately, we partook of our own wares far too much and were the world’s worst club owners! Though I must admit, it did lead us to be a legend. It’s difficult because in my life, I’ve been in the right place at the right time, and being in New York, all those wonderful clubs and the wonderful scene that was happening at the time… to witness it and to bring a little bit of it back to Manchester, refine it and work with it and create a place for people like us to go; it was just wonderful inspiration. I must admit, even sitting here 40 years later now almost, we definitely made the right decision. We have a lot of people to thank who really made our lives, and enriched our lives so much at the time.”

I ask whether New Order would’ve lasted as long as they did had they never taken the trip. “You know what, it’s impossible to say anything like that. It’s amazing New Order lasted as long as we did, with the attitudes we had towards each other. And I include myself very strongly in that. It’s very sad the way it turned out after achieving so much, and I regret that a great deal. I regret that we’re not friends. We should be able to respect each other. Unfortunately, in my opinion, that respect isn’t there. It’s just one of those things – hopefully it’ll change and there will be a point where we’ll be able to shake each other’s hands and say “Well done, we did great, didn’t we?” Because we did! It’s such a difficult thing to do once. To do it twice, even more so.”

I ask about current musicians he listens to, and younger artists he believes are the future. “That’s a very difficult question because the thing is, there is so much music to be delivered with the click of a mouse. You’re absolutely deluged with it, so you hear a lot of old music and new music. We’ve got some very good bands in Manchester at the moment – there’s a group called Blossoms that are very good at the moment coming through. It’s interesting to watch bands like The Cortinas, and Liam Gallagher being influential on his own outside of Oasis. You get a lot of things like that. We’re certainly not short on music in any way. Personally, I myself listen to a lot of dance music and I still do the DJ scene in Manchester. So I never know anyone’s music, what the band is called… that’s one of those odd things, isn’t it, with dance music?” 

“You hear it, you don’t know what it is, and you don’t save it,” I say.

“And you’ve just lost it forever, haven’t you?” he agrees. “It’s weird.”

He only has one piece of advice for up-and-coming musicians: to keep going. “People sit and talk to us about how successful New Order is, how successful Joy Division was—and there were periods in our careers when we were literally doing nothing! Like, a tumbleweed flew in our direction, and we were grateful for the attention. The thing is, we never gave up. People have to realize it is hard work, and it is the ultimate self delusion to think it’s not – being a DJ or in a group or singer in any way, shape, or form. You have to believe in yourself before anyone else does, and you have to keep going, because as soon as you stop, then that’s the end. Always keep going.”

Peter Hook and The Light play Venue on Tuesday, May 8th.

Written by: Cazzy Lewchuk Photo credit to: Julien Lachaussée

#Cazzy #Interview #Feature #The Permanent Rain Press #The PR Press #Music #Peter Hook #peterhook #New Order #Joy Division #Peter Hook & The Light #Peter Hook and The Light #Peter Woodhead #Substance: Inside New Order #neworder #joydivision #Unknown Pleasures #Cazzy Lewchuk #Love Will Tear Us Apart #Low-Life #Waiting for the Sirens' Call #Substance 1987 #Blue Monday 1988 #Blue Monday

[vskpop]

September 2017 ⋅ They’ve got the power

THE WAR: The Power of Music - EXO

I can’t think of a single reason why Kokobop would have been picked as a main concept over the sheer delight of Power, already one of my favourite EXO comebacks ever. Power, the title track for the repackage of last July’s The War, is the silly version of the superpower/space concept that has characterised EXO since their debut. EXO turn into space rangers trying to get rid of a giant robot in a Doctor-Who-esque adventure and it’s simply hilarious.

The song has the anthemic, stadium-chorus quality that Kokobop was completely missing. EXO’s electropop is not taking any risks and it’s definitely not trying to be slick. It’s oversaturated with sound effects and shouting, but it’s danceable and it’s fun, for once.

If there’s anything EXO needed, it was a break from the gravitas of Monster/Lotto. It turns out that that break was not a stoner concept like Kokobop’s: they just needed to do the same thing they’ve always done, but without taking themselves so seriously. The concept is super-cheesy, the CGI is terrible, the song is not especially original, but Power is a breath of fresh air in the gloomy world of EXO.

Love and Fall – Bobby

After iKON’s less-than-successful comeback, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would have expected a Bobby solo release. I’m still pretty skeptical of it as a marketing strategy in a moment where the #OT7 seems so fractured, but musically, this might well be my favourite album of the year.

While there are a couple of hard-hitting, Bounce-esque tracks, Love and Fall centers on my favourite of Bobby’s skills, his magical, super-emotional sing-rapping. There are trendy beats, but there are just as many string orchestra parts; there is rapping, but there are delicate falsetto choruses.

I have some reservations about I Love You. The tropical melody is incredibly un-Bobby and, coupled with the music video, it is virtually identical to Winner’s Love Me Love Me. It feels like someone had written and recorded the song, and the tropical twist was an afterthought, an addition to make the song more palatable to trend-loving audiences. It’s fun enough, but it feels kind of forced for Bobby.

On the other hand, Runaway is perfect: it has the rapping, the singing, the rock flavour, the big strings. It packs the emotional punch I’ve been waiting for from Bobby since Climax. As I said before, I love hyperemotional singers, and there are few rappers who can convey as much emotion as Bobby does. Even without understanding the lyrics, the sentiment of the song is more than clear (and it makes me tear up every time I listen to it). The sweeping bridge is one of my favourite musical moments of 2017.

The only song on the album that is better than Runaway is the absolutely incredible 텐데 (I Would), the toxic relationship love song of the year. My other honourable mention goes to Katie Kim, who has been in the YG dungeon for so long I had sort of forgotten she was even there; it was good to hear her voice after years.

I still find it kind of surprising that Bobby had written these songs (and probably a million more) and iKON still ended up releasing B-Day and Bling Bling. iKON are capable of so much with the extraordinary team of singers and rappers they have, and Love and Fall proves that they absolutely have members who can write a variety of songs, and not just rap bangers.

Bobby has been looking kind of uncomfortable throughout the latest iKON promotions and, after listening to what kind of music he wants and is capable to produce, it doesn’t surprise me that he would like to be excluded from the iKON narrative. I hope that the greatness of Love and Fall guides iKON’s future releases. It’s a shame to have this kind of talent and not use it.

Bonus music videos: 텐데 (I Would) – Swim – Firework

Demo_01 – PENTAGON

On one hand, I understand all the reasons why Pentagon came back so quickly after their last round of promotions: Hui is a star on the rise, the group is gaining recognition, Cube has absolutely no money. On the other hand, I’m not crazy about Pentagon sharply changing style to come out with a song that is more similar to Hui’s successes, Produce 101’s Never and Wanna One’s Energetic, but also kind of jumps on the Seventeen Don’t Wanna Cry bandwagon.

Like This is a good song for what it is; I’ve heard worse ways to force the rappers into the songs, and the big chorus gives plenty of space to the main vocals.

Even if the single wasn’t amazing, the rap line’s unit song, Get That Drink, would make this album worth existing. This track cements E’Dawn (who wrote music and lyrics) as a G-Dragon in the making; I can’t wait to see what inappropriate stuff he will pull off in the future.

Change Up – Seventeen

Sometimes I feel like talking about Seventeen on Vs K-Pop is kind of redundant, since all I do is praise them (ok, not all I do, since I detested their last comeback). However, I honestly have to point out how incredibly talented and most of all versatile Seventeen are: any random group of members is able to write and perform songs that vary drastically in style, and always be amazing at it.

Mix & Match – LOONA Odd Eye Circle

I don’t know if it was how much I liked the aesthetic and sound of Eclipse and Singing in the Rain, or how quirky the unit name Odd Eye Circle is, but this is not what I was expecting from the newest Loona sub-unit.

I wanted something R&B, kind of sexy, a bit moody, very witchy. Girl Front is bubbly, bright, literally filmed on a beach in Los Angeles. I kind of figured out that this is where they were going when Choerry’s single came out, but the OEC teaser had given me some hope.

I still like the song and love the three girls, but I’m disappointed by how similar it is to Loona ⅓, all in all. They were supposed to be radically different, and they are to an extent, but apart from some snippets of the music video, they went in a much fresher, innocent direction than they were designed to.

I hoped that at least the b-sides would bring me joy, but none of the rest of the album brings back the Eclipse sound even though it goes in interesting directions: while it would have never been a single, I love the dreampop of Loonatic.

MORE SONGS OF NOTE

All The Way Up - B.A.P Rollin' - B1A4 Like a Flower - Black6ix Fix Me - Bolbbalgan4 I’ll Remember - Day6 I'm The One - MXM Something Special - Sechskies

STRAYS

CL released a song for the My Little Pony movie soundtrack. I don’t even know.

Still wondering why CLC didn’t promote I Like It.

My goddess Gummy doing an acoustic rendition of EXO’s Kokobop.

#exo #bobby #seventeen #pentagon #loona #odd eye circle

[your-sunshineandrainbows-blog]

UPDATE!

I would firstly like to apologise around the fact that I have SLACKED on this blog. I have my excuses but I won’t input them because it’s not necessary (haha).

Update:

Only a couple days ago did I feel as though I was wondering through a jungle but then I finally met my destination... DUN DUN DUN... the hairdressers. Bet you never guessed huh? Yeahhhh, my fringe was more than a cosy blanket... it was the Amazon rain forest. I couldn’t see a lot. Now I’m free from the jungle and the curtains have been drawn. There’s people who can’t see without glasses and are told to go to specsavers to people who cant see because the have hair growing downwards over their eyes. Oh the joys.

I had recently been on holiday and I rode a horse. A HORSE! I haven’t ridden a horse for around 7/8 years so I was excited to say the least. It is actually so nice to just trot along the beach on a horse, by yourself, with one of the coolest animals ever. Mine was so lovely. I wish I took on horse riding when I was younger - I had the opportunity but I was too scared (oh, hey again - yeah, I was a shy kid...). The views were so pretty - too bad my camera wasn’t charged before I left *facepalm* but thanks to technology I had my phone. Here are some of the pictures I took:

I went to Hillsong London the other week and it was FLIPPIN’ AMAZING. It was one of the most surreal experiences. I’m surprised I didn’t even cry :D Anyone reading this, YOU NEED TO GO SOMEDAY! It will blow your mind. God is surreal and everything He does is flipping amazing. Take a break a minute and just look at the world He created outside your window and all around you. Look in the mirror even. He created you, and you are good enough. No matter what has been placed inside your head people love and care for you, especially Him! Oooh, passionate moment hellurrrrr. Seriously though, Hillsong blew me away. Just all those people, under the same roof... all loving Jesus, all praising Him for His glory - it was breath taking.

https://hillsong.com/lyrics/so-will-i-100-billion-x/ - READ THESE LYRICS! They are BEAUTIFUL <3

I went as a leader on a christian kids camp too which was so cool and I loved every moment. My team were so cute and the encouragement they just pour our on each other makes me smile so much. Ha... ok, so I have a funny story. Quite a few actually. This one I’m going to share though just because I find it hilarious. So, I wear these two rings on my hands as accessories all the time (just because they’re special to me). If you see me without them on then my brain had probably gone kaput that day. So, one of the kids in my team goes ‘Oh my goodness! Are you married?’ I scoff and go ‘NOOOOOO... I just wear them because I think they’re pretty.’ Then I get a crowd of them all around me asking me and I keep telling them ‘No, no, no.. I just like them.’ All of a sudden one of them pipes up and goes ‘Ohhhhhh, so do you have a boyfriend?’ and again I’m like <why are these children asking me these questions?>, of course I go ‘Nooooooooo... haha, no, no, no... I don’t.’ Then it gets worse and they’re looking around going ‘What about him? Do you like him *pointing at younger leaders*.’ I’m just stood there like <is it possible for kids to make you feel so AWKWARD?> haha, yeahh it is apparently. Again I’m stood there thinking ‘Can I roll away right now please?’ Of course I’m again trying to save myself saying ‘Nope, nope, I don’t like any of them in that way. They’re my friends, not boyfriends.’ They’re all like ‘Oh ok... YOU SHOULD GET ONE! I HAVE ONE!’ by this time I’m like ‘Children noooooo, these people aren’t accessories :D You have to truly like them to want to go out with them, not just because everyone else has one :D’ After that, the rest of the trip was ‘I have a boyfriend, you should get one.’ I WAS FLIPPIN’ HALF ASLEEP ON THE COACH AND THEY SAID IT TO ME. *Tap on the shoulder/foot* ‘(whispering) ABI! I have a boyfriend... where’s yours?’ I must have rolled my eyes and face palmed so many times on that trip :D It was funny though because at one point I said about my friend Abi and her boyfriend (who was also on the trip) and said those two are boyfriend and girlfriend, why don’t you go and talk to them about that? THAT was funny :D

Ok, so I have always wanted to do a photo shoot of some sort. I FINALLY ORGANISED IT! I have been so busy over summer. It is ridiculous. All fun though :)

With the photo shoot I wanted to try out the 40′s/50′s sort of style because I thought it would be a cute shoot. It was and the pictures turned out pretty good - I was surprised because I didn’t think I’d do a good job (haha). I shared my favourites on facebook and everyone seemed to like them so I’m happy.

I also tried out some new stuff because I seem to have had this creative juice flow through me this week so yas.  I’ll show you;

For the shoot, I did the hair and makeup myself and then my friend (also named Abi) brought the outfits in which I put together how I wanted.

This picture above is one that my brother actually took (I have taught him well :D) and then I edited. I don’t know if it’s just my laptop but this picture has come out a little fuzzy but trust me it isn’t, that’s just how it turned out on here for some reason.

Last but not least, UPRISING 2017!! IT. WAS. AMAZING. I was super-duper excited this year because the past two years I was held back with fear. I didn’t feel like I could be myself. I wouldn’t properly praise Jesus because apparently everyone would think I was stupid for putting my hand up in surrender to Him, jumping because I loved Him, or that showing the real Abi would scare everyone away because ‘Ew, she’s weird and stupid.’ It truly is amazing how low we put ourselves just because of what is being fed through our brains. On the last night last year, I prayed and put myself in that mind set of ‘it doesn’t matter what other people think because I LOVE JESUS and so do they – no voice is going to tell me to stop.’ If I hadn’t done that, with the help of Jesus Himself, I would not be who I am today. Words can’t describe how grateful I am. The leaf was turned. This year I came to Uprising with great expectation. I was so excited. I think a little too excited honestly :D I went all in and came out crying tears of joy. There are still things (big things) in which I need to process but all-in-all good things are coming. Those good things are scary but scary is an adventure in which God will be there to pick me up along the way. Scary is what is going to push me to reach destinations of ‘crazy amazing’. It’s time to piece things together and create the completed image of ME. I have broken barriers and now the start of the wider journey has begun. I was the one that needed picking up to now the person who is picking others up. It’s actually so surreal. Reaching the summit of the mountain is only the start. You have to then jump and spread those wings. That’s where I am now.

Besides all the spiritual stuff I have received hugs and kisses from the parent leaders (because they’re so cute and lovely), hugs from friends (because they’re amazing – hugs are the best), high fives, and squashed cheeks (also from the parent leaders because apparently that’s something that they do). I witnessed a cat walk which was truly stunning (haha), the cover of an album was taken by moi (releasing their album October 2017 kids - :D), I got to know people better – what tree would you be? :D So much laughter, plenty of smiles and I did almost cry with laughter at one point but I won’t embarrass them (but then who would be embarrassed – be yourself, haha). My friend’s reaction was hilarious even if I did warn her. It was very funny though. I do miss it. It’s always nice to get away from the normal sometimes and spend it with friends (and family). It was such an amazing time and I cannot wait for 2018.

Now it’s time to step out, be as BOLD as LIONS and ROAR. Once one battle is finished another comes but we’ll be stronger, more courageous, with BOLDNESS imprinted on not just my heart but everyone else. Tell anything bad NOT TODAY.

Have a beautiful day everyone :)

[hemcountry]

INTERVIEW: Clare Bowen on bringing a peice of Nashville to Dublin & Belfast

“WE’RE BRINGING THE GRAND OLE OPRY TO BELFAST AND DUBLIN!” – Clare Bowen

When the call came through to ask if I’d be interested in an interview with Clare Bowen, who stars as Scarlett in the tv show Nashville, my response was an immediate, definite, and loud: YES!

I’ve been a fan of the show right from the start, and as corny as it may sound to anyone who’s not a fan, the day I first heard that the music from the show was being released in soundtrack form was one of sheer, unfiltered, and glorious joy! As for the show itself, I watched it religiously for the first two seasons, but then there was a change in the time it was broadcast, then a change in the channel, and unfortunately both these changes clashed with other commitments. Although I recorded each episode I was missing (I say I did, but what I really mean is that my lovely girlfriend Jennifer was always kind enough to do it for me), finding the time to catch up with them all was impossible. So Nashville and I, sadly, kind of lost touch there for a time.

But lately I’ve been finding my way, slowly but surely, back into the loop of what’s been happening. So the chance to spend some time in conversation with the lady behind one of the show’s most endearing characters couldn’t have been better timed. 

The main reason for our chat was the Nashville tour, which returns to Ireland in June with shows in Dublin and Belfast on June 19th and 20th. Given that the show came to Ireland last year as well, and has already toured the United States for a number of years, I began by asking Clare if she ever could have imagined this happening when she first went for her audition for the role of Scarlett….

“Oh gosh, if I was able to predict the future we’d all be in a lot of trouble! [laughs]. No, I didn’t, but I couldn’t have asked for more. It’s so wonderful, and especially to be able to come back to Ireland, which is where so many of my family has come from. When I went for the audition for Scarlett, I turned up looking like a drowned rat! Cos’ it was raining in California and everyone forgets how to drive when it rains, so my bus was late! But they waited for me [at the audition], it was a really serendipitous sort of day that changed my life in about twenty-five hours or something. So no, I could never have imagined all this. But I’m so excited to come back to Ireland, we had so much fun last year in Dublin. And I’m so glad we get to come to Belfast this time as well.”

Big fun in Dublin on #NashvilleTour2016 🦄🍀⭐️✨🐋💕 pic.twitter.com/cMO1xZlgOU

— Clare Bowen (@clarembee) July 18, 2016

For fans who might be coming to the Nashville concert for the first time this year, what can they expect? Will it be a selection of all the songs they’ll know from the show? Will Clare, Charles, Chris and Sam be able to showcase some of their own original material? Will they perform some of their own favourite country covers, maybe? Clare revealed all…

“It’s going to be a bit of all of those, actually. We’re really lucky that we have the Grand Ole Opry behind us, the Grand Ole Opry and Lionsgate (the company behind Nashville), they’re huge supporters. We’ve had the Opry all the way. Basically we’re bringing a cross between a Bluebird [Cafe ] show – a very, very big, loud Bluebird show [laughs] – , and what happens in the Grand Ole Opry. So, it’s kinda like the format of the Grand Ole Opry. We cycle through performers and we all really end together, and that’s what happens on the Grand Ole Opry on a really special night when everybody’s there and we all sing together. And we’re lucky enough that we’re allowed to sing the songs that we write as well, because we’re all songwriters. That was a serendipitous part of what the cast of Nashville became. We just all happen to have roots in songwriting. I don’t know, it was just one of those things that that was what central casting was looking for. So there’ll be a lot of our own music that everybody will surely be able to sing-a-long with because it’s from the show. We worked with the band as much as we could on everything, so that they can participate as much as they possibly can, singing along and all that stuff. It’s a big party! We’re basically bringing the Grand Ole Opry to Belfast and Dublin! [laughs]”

Embed from Getty Images

  Of course being on tour means being on the road, and being on the road means being away from home. I wondered if Clare enjoyed that side of a life as a professional musician? 

“Well I’m really, really lucky because I spent a lot of time alone as a child and my parents pretty much brought me up to be independent from the get-go. But my fiancee, Brandon Young (pictured above with Clare), he tours with me everywhere. When we’re shooting the show, Charles Esten, myself, a band called Sixwire, and my fiancee tour together every second weekend or so. So we go around America all the time. And when we come to Europe I’m so lucky that Brandon is a part of the band for the Nashville show, so we’re always together. Anyone who came last year would have seen him. I guess for me, home has never been a place there’s always been people. I’m just so lucky that I get to bring my person with me. And cos’ he’s so talented he’s been adopted by the ‘Nashville.’ He’s great. He sings with Chris Carmack, he was playing back-up for him last year. And he’s jumped in with me and Jonathon Jackson. And he’s my favourite to sing with in the world, is Brandon, so we get to sing all of the duets that we’ve written together. I’m very spoiled because I get to bring my hun with me.” 

Not a clue what we’re doing here, but it must have been fun. 🦄⭐️✨🐋💕 #NashvilleTour2016 pic.twitter.com/zfG4Z5HZBS

— Clare Bowen (@clarembee) July 19, 2016

Turning to the Nashville tv show itself for a moment, much to the delight of fans around the world, it’s just been renewed. And with Scarlett apparently expecting, then exciting times would certainly appear to lie ahead for she and Gunnar…

“Apparently, yeah! I don’t know how much I can talk about that! [laughs]. But I think it would be very interesting for the characters if it happened. But I don’t think that having children fixes a broken relationship. I think that’s probably the worst idea possible if your relationship is suffering. I saw a lot of fans were like, ‘Yaay!’, and I know Scarlett is excited, but I don’t know. There’s been so much that’s happened between them, those two characters. I hope that we get to find out why Gunnar treats Scarlett so badly. Honestly, I do. The fact that she had to say goodbye to him, in the kindest way…, I don’t know. It’s been an interesting season. But I really don’t know how much I can say cos’ I’m not sure where you guys have caught up to.” 

When speaking about acting once, Clare remarked that, “You play all these different characters as an actor and then you dig under all of that and somewhere down the bottom is you.” Given that Clare has played a character such as Scarlett is, for as long as she already has, and considering that no-one else has ever played this role before, I wondered if it feels like Scarlett is actually a part of Clare herself at times? 

“They all are [all characters she plays]. We share a lot, but we’re also very different creatures, Scarlett and I. Her childhood was challenging for totally different reasons to what mine was challenging for, but we run parallel in a lot of ways. Everything that she feels, I feel. Because physically, if you’re exhausting yourself crying, or screaming or yelling, or being anxious – a lot of Scarlett’s anxiety comes from trying to please other people – in order to project all of that, you have to feel it yourself. Everything you see on her face is coming from inside of me. You can’t fake it because it doesn’t look real if you fake it. And people know. She’s been a really interesting character and I feel very privileged to be able to play her because she is, in effect, a traumatized person. She’s not an average twenty…., I don’t know, she’s twenty-six now, I think, yeah twenty-six, but she’s not a person who’s had a conventional upbringing. But I mean, nobody has! Normal is a setting on a dryer! [laughs]. But with Scarlett, you’re looking at somebody who was beaten as a child and has this in-built need to make people happy. Because in her mind, people not being happy results in abuse. So I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me about Scarlett and everything she’s been through. She’s become like, like a little light in the dark. All she wants is to put good in the world even though she’s been through a lot. That seems to resonate with a lot of our fans so I’m very grateful to play her.” 

When Clare writes, is she able to draw upon her skills as an actor to get ‘into character, as it were? Or is her songwriting something far too personal for that, does it need to reflect her own true feelings, emotions, and thoughts?

“I think it’s a bit of everything. I mean, a lot of times you’re telling somebody else’s story. For me, focusing on the album, it’s my first album and the most important thing for me is that it is me. I try to be true to myself when I’m writing. So you’ll find that there’ll be a lot of stories from my childhood, and dreams that I’ve had. I can’t think of a song that’s not a true story, one way or another, on the album. And I’ll let other people decide what kind of an album it is. It’s definitely rooted in Americana and folk. My grandad was one of the biggest musical people that I knew growing up and he was forever playing ABC radio, beautiful, old celtic music. So that’s a big part of it, too. But yeah, they’re all stories from my life. And I tend to write with my closest people who know me very well, who I can really let into that. It’s quite a process, but I’m excited to see what people take from it.” I had to congratulate Clare on her gorgeous single, ‘Love Steps In’, which is a simply beautiful song. As it was co-written by Brandon, Clare’s fiancee, is in honour of her brother Tim and his battle against cancer, and includes some really touching lines about her mum and dad (‘…with the power and the grace of our mother/ With the calm and strength of our father…’), I put it to Clare that it must be a very, very emotional song for her to sing? 

Thank you, Dublin. #nashvilletour2016 #repost @Brandon_R_Young pic.twitter.com/KSvOLyT3is

— Clare Bowen (@clarembee) June 24, 2016

I had to congratulate Clare on her gorgeous single, ‘Love Steps In’, which is a simply beautiful song. As it was co-written by Brandon, Clare’s fiancee, is in honour of her brother Tim and his battle against cancer, and includes some really touching lines about her mum and dad (‘…with the power and the grace of our mother/ With the calm and strength of our father…’), I put it to Clare that it must be a very, very emotional song for her to sing? “It is. And you know, one of the most emotional times I had

“It is. And you know, one of the most emotional times I had performing it was actually in Dublin on that beautiful stage, with so many people. It was a real privilege to get to speak those words to everybody, to sing for them. ‘Love Steps In’ kind of grew wrings of its own, I have to say. And now Tim is better, and the song has already brought so many people together. People say lovely things to me and I’m so grateful. But for me, when people, perfect strangers, start bonding over this song that they’ve heard because it’s giving them the words to say what they couldn’t express about how they were feeling, but yet they’re telling each other their stories. It’s become this big forum of love, and acceptance, and kindness. And common ground. I think that’s one of the biggest things for me about music, it is a universal language. And in a world where so many people are screaming and yelling, and they’re so divided, for me to have the privilege to stand on a stage and give people something that brings them together and allows them to see that we’re all living on the same rock, we all breathe the same air, we are more similar than we ever would have dreamed. That’s the greatest gift in the world, singing ‘Love Steps In.’ We’re giving all the proceeds to St. Judes Children’s Hospital in Memphis. And all this gave me the chance to tell a little part of my story, and of my brother’s story. It was something important to so before the album, for me, because I get to give it to everybody.” 

With the clock ticking towards the end of our time together, I wanted to swerve away from the music side of things for a moment, and touch on one other subject before we said our goodbyes. Like myself, Clare happens to be a vegetarian. For me, there was a very definite, clear moment in my life when I made that decision. I wondered if the same had been true for Clare?

“I just can’t eat meat. I remember trying and being told that, because I have a lot of missing pieces from all the surgery I had when I was a child [Clare had cancer from age four to seven], being told that I really should eat meat. Because you need the iron and all that stuff. And I totally respect that, and some people really do [need the iron]. And maybe I really do, too. I don’t know. I grew up around more animals than people. It’s difficult  for me to see the difference between a pig leg hanging in a butcher’s window, and a human leg. It’s difficult for me, and it’s become increasingly more difficult for me to differentiate. So I stopped. And I think my health has actually been a lot better since I stopped. But my Grandpa was a butcher and my Grandad was a fisherman. So it was very much well ingrained that everybody ate meat. I don’t know where exactly the definitive point was. It just makes me sad. Eating meat just makes me sad. And it makes me feel sick now. I can still eat eggs and cheese, that’s about it. It’s actually easier for a person who has missing pieces not to eat meat [laughs], to be honest with you. Even when everybody tells you that you should. But I’m happier this way. I don’t think it makes you a terrible person if you eat meat, I just think it’s a personal choice.” 

As luck would have it, only a couple of days after chatting with Clare, I was interviewing somebody on the Irish country scene and when Clare’s name happened to come up in conversation, it turned out that they had met her on a few occasions courtesy of a mutual friend. And, not surprisingly, they had nothing but praise for Clare, finding her to be one of the loveliest, most friendly, and genuinely cool people they’d ever had the pleasure to spend some time with. As luck would have it, only a couple of days after chatting with Clare, I was interviewing somebody on the Irish country scene and when Clare’s name happened to come up in conversation, it turned out that they had met her on a few occasions courtesy of a mutual friend. And, not surprisingly, they had nothing but praise for Clare, finding her to be one of the loveliest, most friendly, and genuinely cool people they’d ever had the pleasure to spend some time with.

Having now had the pleasure of spending some time with Clare myself too, I can second that opinion wholeheartedly. And whenever anyone asks me was Clare cool to interview, my response will always be as immediate, as definite, and as loud as my response to the question of whether or not I wanted to chat with her in the first place….YES!

* The Nashville concert comes to Dublin and Belfast on June 19th and 20th. For more information and grab your tickets, visit the MCD website here: mcd.ie/artists/nashville-in-concert

** Clare’s gorgeous single, ‘Love Steps In’, is out now. 

Clare Bowen New Single ‘Love Steps In’

Get the single now on iTunes | Amazon | Google Play

INTERVIEW: Clare Bowen on bringing a peice of Nashville to Dublin & Belfast was originally published on HEM COUNTRY

#Clare Bowen #Country Music #Country Music News #Love Steps In #Nashville (TV Show) #Nashville Tour 2017 #countrymusic #countrynews. IrishCountry #UKCountry