#my heads full of rocks! so true 30 rocks

[starcrossedreaders]

After Hours

Leon Kennedy x Reader

Re2 Leon, this story takes place after the events of Raccoon City, but don’t worry there are no spoilers. This story is also inspired by the song After Hours by The Weekend, so I highly suggest you listen while you read.

Angst to fluff, mentions of death

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Y/N! Y/N WHERE ARE YOU?!?”   Time and time again Leon would have the same occurring nightmare.

“NO NO NO, NOT AGAIN,” He ran up to your limp body praying to whatever god would listen that the outcome would be different. You and him aren’t going to die. 

“Come on, come on stay with me sweet girl,” He ripped part of his shirt off with his teeth, he wrapped it around your gushing torso. Blood slowly seeped through as he whispered pleas in your hair. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks with each kiss he placed on the crown of your head. In his head he knew, it wasn’t going to change, he would stay here while you bleed out and soon die. He would die right next to you by his own hands. There was no way he was going to let you leave this cruel cruel world without him. 

Shooting out of bed his breath is erratic as he palms the empty bed next to him. You’re gone. 

“No Leon! I can’t help you if you just push me away. Time and Time again it’s the same shit. I want to be here for you, help you get through this but you are making is extremally difficult. I love you, but I cannot love you from afar like you want me to,” Watching you wipe your tears while packing your stuff makes his heart break. Leon swears he could hear the faint crack in his ringing ears. This can’t be happening, you can’t be leaving. All of his fears have come true. 

“I just hope you know, when you are ready to  love and be loved, I will still be here.” You walked up to him and gave him a longing kiss full of the love. Not like the kisses you shared late at night, or early morning kisses that were lazy and sloppy, no. This kiss was like it would be the last. You wiped one sliding tear off of his cheek before you walked away.

That happened two weeks ago, and ever since Leon hasn’t been able to sleep, and the same nightmare would play over and over when he was able to drift out of reality.  Rolling over to check his clock the bright red number formed a 2:30. He couldn’t take it anymore, he was going call you, despite the late hour. He was going to call and get his high school sweetheart back, no matter the cost.  You and Leon have been friends his since your freshmen year of high school. 

He has never seen anyone as beautiful as you when you walked in the room. He could see the clear dread across you face of having to take history of rock and roll. For Leon though, it was his lucky day the only open seat was next to him.

Upon sitting down he could feel his ears turn red and his body turn giddy. He was quick to stick his hand out and introduce himself. “Hi, I’m Leon,” The look you gave him made his regret his choice. “...Y/N, nice to met you,” Caution laced throughout your voice as your soft small hands gripped his. He sat there shaking your hand for one too many heartbeats admiring your hand in his. This one interaction started his size kink. He knew he had to make you his, so all throughout the semester he would save you a seat, bring some snacks, and help you with your homework. By the time homecoming rolled around you guys were close enough to go as dates, and by the end of the year you guys were dating.

Leon picked up his phone and turned it on, only to be blinded by the bright light, he did not let that slow him down as he raced to open his contacts to find your name. My Love 💖. He took a few deep breaths steadying his beating heart, and calming his racing mind.  He clicked on the call button and listened to the ringing that filled the dead of the night.

One ring

Two rings

Three ri-

“Leon?” your tired voiced floated to his ears and his heart jumped out of his chest.

“Y/N?”

“Are you okay? Why are you calling so late,” He can hear you shuffle around in your bed as you sit up and turn on your lamp. Leave it to you to worry about why he’s calling late at night.

“I need you Y/N. Where are you now that I need you the most,” He couldn’t believe the words coming out his mouth.

“Leo-” He cut you off before you could finish uttering his name.

“I'd give it all just to hold you close. I was runnin' away from facin' reality,  I’m sorry for breaking you heart. Y/N this house is not a home without you. I’ll treat you better this time, I swear it, I won’t break your heart,”

Leon was rambling, he always rambles when he’s nervous or passionate about something. You have seen it first hand time and time again. 

“Y/N You look great today! Is that a new dress? It suits you very well, did you know you’re super beautiful,” He was smitten currently rambling to you during your normal shared lunch of sitting in his car.

“Leon, you’re rambling what did you want to talk about,”

“Oh w-well, you need to know that over this school year I have grown to care for you deeply, and when you walked through the doors to our 4th hour I could only think  ‘wow, she’s super pretty. And now, when I see you all I can think is “wow, I love her so much’. “ The ‘L’ word caught you off guard, normally men who Love bomb you scare you and make you back away quickly, but Leon? Something about  hearing the words ‘I love you’ come from him makes your stomach twist in the right way, your ears turn red, and the butterflies calm throughout your stomach.

“I-”

“It’s okay if you don’t love me back, it’s only fair for you to know how I feel, although I can imagine how akwa-” Leon was quick to be cut off by a pair of soft lips colliding with his. This was definitely his first kiss if he didn’t count the one from second grade. For you? This was also your first kiss. This kiss was not great, meh at best. Teeth clashed and noises bumped, but for you two it was like you were on cloud nine. After a few seconds you pulled back and leaned your forehead on his. “I love you too.”

“Leon.” your stern voice cut him off from his ramblings.

“I’m sorry Y/N, it’s just I can’t stand being apart anymore. I have these awful dreams, and I can’t sleep without you beside me. I want to love and be loved. I want to take this one step at a time with you guiding me.... I think- I think I’m ready to be loved again,” All he could was the ringing in his ears and the silence on your end. He was about to call out to you before he heard a small sigh.

“I think, I think I’m ready to love you again.” A smile creeped up on his face upon hearing those words.

“Gods I love you so much,”

“I love you too Leon, now try to go to bed I’m tired. We can meet for breakfast tomorrow,” He could hear the shuffle of you laying back down and turning the lamp off.

“Of course, I’ll try. I’ll pick you up at 8.” Before you could protest against the early time he hung up. 

Rolling on his back all Leon could do his smile at his ceiling and fantasize about the new beginnings of your shared lives together.

#leon kennedy imagine #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x y/n #leon kennedy x you #leon x you #leon x y/n #re2 leon #leon kennedy #leon x reader #resident evil #resident evil x you #resident evil x reader #resident evil 2

[whattraintracks]

25. Laser Tag Gone Wrong - The Next Mutation

Let's take a trip to Joe's Laser Funhouse

Some thoughts on "The Good Dragon" (S1E23). I've said before Venus and Raph are besties in this show, and I stand by that, but they also give off baby sister and big brother vibes, especially in this episode. It adds an interesting perspective when they butt heads over Raph being too protective and Venus declaring she doesn't need protecting. This is true; she kicks serious shell, and Raph knows it.

ACTUALLY WAIT, DO YOU KNOW WHAT INTERPRETATION WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER?? THEY BOTH THINK OF THEMSELF AS THE OLDER SIBLING. This is perfect. Venus was so sad when Leo said they weren't related (part of my list of things to ignore). I swear she wanted to be their mysterious, long-lost sister so bad. So I imagine she gets to New York, meets the guys, and is like, ah yes, four little brothers, how exciting I've always wanted to be a sister. But Raph, who is the protector ever, meets Venus and is like, ay sweet, baby sis acquired. You guys, I'm so big brain for this. Okay, on to the actual episode.

Brief Inexhaustive List of Ignorable Things:

every incorrect use of the term shinobi, forget the word exists in this show it will make your life easier

weird out of sync running sound effects

weirder dragon noises

the dragons do not look like dragons, they look like humans in baggy clothes, green body paint made to look vaguely like scales, and red-eye contacts

on that note Venus' plastron

don't know how I never realised this before, but there's a scene in the opening where Leo's in yellow instead of dark blue??

whatever puns you don't like, it's 70-30 for me on which land or not

My Commentary:

We open at Joe's Laser Funhouse

Raph and Venus are playing laser tag

Raph: "Oh, Venus! I'm coming for you!"

Raph could probably afford to sound a little less serial killer, but that would be boring, actually

R: "Ya mess with the best, ya fall like the rest"

Raph might just be posing

BUT

I choose to believe he is actually the laser tag champ in this version

R: "Raph rocks"

yes, you do, honey, never change

or maybe do because Venus immediately tags him

or not

not sure if she completely missed him from five feet away or if Raph did actually cheat somehow like she insinuates

R: "Want fair? See a judge"

what could you possibly know about the US judicial system

Venus: "This here town ain't big enough for the both of us"

who showed Venus a Western!! I'm not mad, I just wanna talk!!

literally the cutest thing ever

V: "Draw!"

except it's NOT Raph it's a dragon

good thing he's super dramatic and ominously inches his laser closer to Venus so that OTHER dragon can come in and knock him out

you know, the titular Good Dragon

R: "D'you know why they call them dragons? 'Cause they're a major drag"

Raph saves the day with the power of ninjutsu and puns

After two PowerPoint transitions, we arrive at the lair

obligatory Venus getting mad about it Raph rescuing her all the time

R: "Ah, quit being such a weenie, I'd've done it for anyone"

which is not inaccurate

but we know the truth, he just wants to watch his sister's back

proceeds to jack Mikey's food and leave

Quick jump over to the Dragon Lord's Lair

turns out Joe's Laser Funhouse is actually the Good Dragon's hideout

Mikey: "Hey, Raph! What's the mutatious babe up to?"

you know Raph's hovering when folks start asking him what Venus is up to

he is, in fact, just watching her meditate in this scene

yes, Mikey calls her that. no, I don't know why

I've just been reading it as a silly Mikey thing

Back to Joe's Laser Funhouse

can't believe Venus got past Raph to Joe's Laser Funhouse by herself

V: "Good doggie! Sit! Stay!"

Good Dragon v. rabid dog

FIGHT

R: "Ay, yo! Mei Pieh Chi!"

never mind, there he is

comes in a-shoutin', but it's really sweet that he uses her real name!

alternatively, calling her by her legal name for the full big brother effect

R: "Where you hidin', huh?"

she sneaks up on and judo-flips him

why? why not

as far as I remember, Raph is the only turtle Venus consistently chooses violence with

V: "Goo!" R: "Uh, that's boo, Venus" V: "No. When you're packing these it's 'goo'"

excuse you, Raphael, she got that colloquialism wrong on purpose

they are very physical and constantly in each other's faces in this episode, such sibling behavior

oh no, he fell for the classic made you look + mystic goo ball getaway!

R: "I've been psyched out by a peace-loving mutant!"

hilarious because she gets into and out of as many fights as he does

Raph, I hate to break it to you, but you are also a mutant

V: "Being hunted isn't so bad, trust me I know. Sometimes I even enjoy it"

girl, we need to get you some new nemeses and professional help

V: "Gee, Raphael, you see kind of angry"

metaphorically and then literally pokes the beast

see could be little or big sibling behavior, I don't know

R: "Oh, boy"

he says, after getting kicked into a dumpster and dragged away

V: "Raphael's in the trash!"

how she chooses to announce to the lair that Raph has been kicked into a dumpster and dragged away

Leo: "There's no dragon alive that Raph can't wail on"

okay, Leo's faith in him is really sweet

Donnie: "A . . ." L: "B. . ." M: "3. . ." D: "Shouldn't that have been C?"

Donnie, why do you even bother

Splinter: "Teenagers! Ugh, can't get used to them"

Splinter when nobody ever tells him anything

he's like, where are you going? where is my son???

and they just leave

PowerPoint transition to Props Props Props

that's the name of the prop warehouse Raph is being held captive in

Raph is tied up with tinsel and string lights

why would a dragon who likely has no concept of Christmas also put a star on his head?

Did Raph tell him to do it?

who knows, but Raph is very bothered by looking like a Christmas tree, and the Christmas music in the background sells it

R: "There's no shame in, uh, being good"

Raph's attempts at negotiation

unfortunately, said dragon reacts like he's been called a slur

Good Dragon: "You're my only hope . . . I'll sacrifice you to prove my loyalty"

you have been chosen

farewell, Raphael

you go on to a better place

R: "Here's the concept: you untie Raph, Raph will fight, okay?"

everyone just leaves him tied up while they have an epic fight scene

guys, please, he just wants to fight

this is like his third or fourth entreaty to be untied

V: "Merry Mutant Christmas!

as she drives a pair of dragons pulling her around on a sleigh

one is wearing a zebra mask, and the other has a sombrero that she put on them to blind them? I think?

Venus goes ham in this fight

R: "You know, I sorta liked that Good Dragon dude. He wasn't like a dragon. He was more like, uh, like a turtle!"

Raph has two categories: turtles and everyone else

if he decides you're chill, you get to be an honorary turtle

L: "Raph finally makes a friend, and it turns out to be the enemy!"

Leo, don't do him like this

this is like the fourth to last episode, he's made other friends

like Andre and the gorilla

does the baby turtle count?

Raph gets along well with animals

R: "Hey! He wasn't my friend! He was Venus' friend!"

the turtle doth protest too much, methinks

goes to sulk on the couch with his sister

jokes on him, she will not be a reprieve from the mocking

V: "Actually, I think he liked you best" R: "Oh yeah? how's that?" V: "Well, you guys have more in common . . . You're both pig-headed!"

Venus never wastes an opportunity to make fun of Raph

such big sibling energy to me

gets laughed out of the lair and goes for a ride on his . . . hog . . .

All in all, a delightful episode. Love the new insights I had about Venus and Raph's relationship. Laser tag gone wrong in the funniest way possible.

--------------------------

Bonus: memes for Splinter in these trying times.

#march for raph #still on my tnm is actually good if you ignore all of the bad stuff agenda #raphael splinterson #venus de milo #master splinter #michelangelo splinterson #leonardo splinterson #the good dragon #the next mutation #tmnt #whattrainofthought

[myoshome]

Even though that life's path is full of rocks, I just hope that when I stumble… I still have teeth.

 As I am writing these words, it is now 9:30 pm on March 22, 2024.

I'm a new blogger, and blog with the main purpose of making money, but over time I think that this is a quite suitable place for me to relieve a bit of the burden and negative emotions in life.

I've been writing for nearly 2 months, and have been viewed by 42 people, while my friend, in the same period of time, had 200 views. The feeling of having to watch my friends excel while I still fall behind makes me really helpless and I feel very useless. At first, I only had 8 viewers. Somehow, that friend helped me increase to 35 people in just a few blinks of an eye, through some magical moves that I didn't understand.

I was very suspicious when he said he had 7 Google accounts. I didn't know if that guy was crazy and pitied me enough to use all 7 accounts to help me increase my rank or not. Even though I really hate pity, if my friend really helped me increase my salary in a cheating way out of pity, I think I would still forgive him. If it's true that strangers linger to look at my posts and that's the real power I have, I may feel hopeful and happy then.

See the title, anyway I don't want to show you too much of what I'm concerned about. Yes, I laugh at the difficulties in front of me and if it were human, I would tell "him":

" Beat me if you dare!"

Thinking positively, failure is the mother of success, so I still try to believe in myself every time I feel down and want to give up, the voices in my head keep trying to wake me up every time I feel like I'm falling when my body at some point fell into a state of contemplation and discouragement.

I have a family, a like-minded friend and a dream to take care of. I am now much more focused and disciplined. Other things, no matter how terrible, are probably just trivial matters after all. Sometimes when I sit alone in my room and lock the door, I often think about whether I am too weak or not. I fear myself, sometimes I hate it, because I both writing blog and write books. ... for nearly 3 years in a row and now I still haven't earned a penny. If I didn't have my family and friends by my side, I have no idea about WHAT THE FUCK would I be now?

A persistent loser, hahaha. Anyway, compared to the pressures out there, studying and everything I'm doing now isn't too stressful, so I'm forcing myself to gradually get used to this. My friend will go to America in a few months, which will probably be fun, I have to enter high school, try to study hard, graduate and go to university, hold a degree in my hand and make a living for myself.

But I really don't want my life to go like that, so here I am, a 14-year-old boy and his friend trying to make money with all their ability, gradually accumulating it, even though I still not earn any thing. There is no any fucking bucks for me to accumulating.

Stepping on the path where few people dare to step, even if at that time, you pretend to be brave, you are actually very brave. If you are like me and my friend, trying to pursue your dreams no matter the circumstances, then we are quite similar. The fact, enormous amount of people around us hay sacrified there own dream to find money, just to pure living or exist on this fuking Earth. 

Just keep trying, let's continue walking on this path, if you fall then get up, if your leg is broken then just drag, it's okay to be slow but just keep moving forward, don't forget there's still a lot things and a lot of people are counting on us behind our back. Don't fucking give up, soldiers, it's you the one who have been choose to live on this life, God give us a purpose, we must find and DO IT!

Hope God will always give good things to those who dare to believe.

May God give better things to those who persevere.

And may he also give the best to those who never give up.

I also hope he will give all of us one more day to keep trying to move on.

Wishing you a good day 

[sailforvalinor]

Okay but wait, you went to Athens?! I’m going there for a couple days this June! Do you have any recommendations for what to see/eat while I’m there? (I’ll for sure see the Acropolis but other than that the itinerary is pretty open)

OOOOH that’s so exciting!!! I’m gonna try not to go overboard but here are a few of my favorite things:

• Monastiraki Square—depending on how you come at it, of course, it’s on the way to the Acropolis, and there’s a VERY cool open air market there. (There’s a giant sign, you can’t miss it.) Just make sure you keep a hand on your purse, it’s quite well-known for pickpocketing. Also, if you head up to the Acropolis from there, you’ll pass Hadrian’s Library, which is a really cool set of ruins where you can clearly see the different layers of where it was built over over time. But you won’t really be hard-pressed to find ruins in Athens, and the entry fees are usually pretty cheap—just make sure you always have some form of ID on you, sometimes they’ll ask for that.

• Also, if you take that way up to the Acropolis, you’ll pass Mars Hill (also called the Areopagus), which is where Paul preached to the Athenians in Acts! It’s a bit graffitied over (but that’s just kind of how Athens is), but it’s still REALLY cool, and you get a gorgeous view of the city from up there. Just be careful up there, it’s pretty much just a big rock and I almost fell many times 😂

• Bus tours are also fun if you want to see a broader swath of the city—there are a bunch that leave from Syntagma Square (and they’re double-decker!).

• Speaking of Syntagma, you could see the changing of the guards—they do it every hour, but the only time they do it in full-costume is at 11 am on Sundays. It was interesting, but honestly I think you could skip it, it’s not much to write home about.

• However, what you should NOT skip is the National Gardens—it’s fairly close to Syntagma, entry is free if I’m remembering correctly, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. They have turtles!!!!

• You could go to the Panathenaic Stadium, although they do charge entry. I would say just to go look at it if you really want to see it, but I don’t know that’s it’s worth paying to go inside—I did go inside once, but that was during the Marathon in November when everyone got in free, lol.

• In terms of food, in a strange twist, the Americanized version of Greek food is actually a lot lighter than the authentic kind—true Greek food (or at least in this area of Greece) is a lot heavier. It’s a lot of pasta and meat. I wasn’t actually the biggest fan of it, but if you want to try the staples, go for moussaka or souvlaki, which will be at almost any restaurant. What you definitely need to get though is tzatziki—oh my GOSH that stuff is wonderful.

• Also, you have to try lemon Coke and oregano Lay’s—I’m convinced that when the Ancient Greeks were imagining what ambrosia and nectar tasted like, they were dreaming of the flavors of lemon Coke and oregano Lay’s. I’ve found that no American variation (even with Freestyle machines) even compares to Greek lemon Coke.

• I found that gyros actually aren’t all that popular (or at least in this part of Greece)—I only ever had two in my four months of living there. They were really good, though.

• The coffee is great everywhere, honestly. One of the most popular drinks there is freddo, which is definitely worth trying if you’re big on espresso drinks. It is very intense, though.

• Dinner was honestly one of my biggest culture shocks while I was there. They don’t really start eating dinner until 7 at the earliest (and even that’s a little early)—so be prepared to get odd looks if you go get dinner at 5:30 (not that you can’t, of course). Also, it’s general practice to sit around and talk after your meal for hours—I saw families out with their little kids at 11 pm. Again, you don’t have to do this, but don’t be surprised when you see it, lol. Also, because of this, they consider it rude to interrupt you by bringing you your bill, so you have to ask for it by flagging down a waiter—I once got stuck for nearly an hour because I was waiting for a bill 😂.

• If you’re there on a Sunday, be warned that most stores and restaurants will be closed—there are exceptions, but it’s easy to get stuck somewhere without anything to eat.

I’m so excited for you, I hope you have fun!!

#PLEASE message me if you have any more questions I’m happy to oblige 😁

[jorjmush]

breaking news: idiot with a fish hits 255 and kills god heres the part where i do a personal review all parts of the arcane river story

dont take these seriously

the adversary as a character 0/10: words dont describe how bad he is "...Oh!" "...Ah!" shut up youre an insult to every maplestory class

lost temple keeper + vanishing journey: 7/10

i did this in 2017 but most of the content is fetch quests and an introduction to completely new things you have no attachment to maybe i should give it a little more credit as the kao twist being revealed for the first time was kinda cool and the talk amongst the fandom

reverse city: 7/10 apparently i did this in 2021? i guess that makes sense because this didnt exist in 2017 why is earth real and called friends world still not invested in the story by this point but i liked t-boy

chu chu island: 6/10 this is when i came back so i actually think this story is quite fun and i liked the characters involved but in the grand scheme of things, its not good

feels like filler, wasnt truly important until yum yum was added YEARS LATER, feels like a waste of 5 levels when i still feel like you should fight the black mage at 250 instead of 255

yum yum island: 9/10 cooooooooool cooooooooooooooooooool has the same fun and and loveable whimsy of chu chu but this time it sets up something sinister and adds to the plot

the afrien fusion, the kaling reveal, chefs kiss

lachelein + crack of subconscious: 8/10 honestly i wasnt very invested in this lucid just makes this interesting

plus im a shade so i get extra dialogue

also this town name sucks gms hates non-english words

arcana: 7/10

rock spirits and i love the spirit of harmony was this just setup for tana

morass: 10/10

alright we getting into PLOT jean deserved better, tana deserved better, arkarium deserved what he got, shey deserved better, kritias deserved better

the flying fish TALKS and the moment where he takes the form of jean and shows himself to tana is so AMAZING i love this TRAGIC STORY

the maps are awful though especially if youre low on arcane force which i was

esfera: 8/10

why dont i actually remember much of what happened here i guess the information of tana has been so stuck in my head it doesnt feel like it was presented as new information to me anymore lots of nice exclusive dialogue here though and we get to meet ollie sellas: 11/10 i will cry right here right now this is such a good story with good atmosphere and pacing i CARE for both ollie and shubert greatly

moonbridge: 8/10

this is when the pacing and structure becomes spotty because it was part of the event i chose not to participate in which means i didnt get the full experience theres just so much dread in this questline so many losses from not being ready to fight the black mage the pacing towards the second half is bad though the cutoff is so strange because it feels like you have another 30 minutes to go when really you have 5 labyrinth of suffering: 8/10

hillas beats the shit out of your morale for an hour the dread continues and continues it shall tons of exclusive dialogue, always a favorite limina: 5/10 i feel like im supposed to feel more i feel like im supposed to do more all of the bosses are very weak which is very unsatisfying, orchid is tsundere and says the adversary hasnt lost anything which ranges from maybe true to absurdly false depending on who you are the claudine vs cygnus scene is legitimately pointless, nothing can describe in words how pointless it truly is the flying fish DIES and then suddenly you have to fight the black mage the black mage whos phases last 4 seconds in story mode i only ever got hit once

the adversary dying did make me actually sad though because everyone else thinks youre truly dead the flying fish comes back (yay) and then its revealed NO ONE DIES? and most of the soldiers get UNSNAPPED? the story finishes with orchid being tsundere again and your idiot of a character sitting on the flying fish leaving the scene

i feel like im in a cartoon

kaos memory: 8/10 a tragedy of a character destined to die kao deserved better shade aftermath: 10/10 thank god he gained a reason to live conclusion: why did i even type this out im just ready to move on to the grandis story

#maplestory #im so tired #limina was over an hour and a half long #but the black mage phases lasted 4 seconds each #woops became too much of a negative nancy

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I like going back to old pages on comedy message boards, as part of my general obsession with the idea that everything is better and makes more sense if understood in its full context. Also, I find it a combination of interesting, enlightening, and straight-up funny to read early reactions to comedy things that we’d now think of as classics. Look at something that now is a cool vintage thing where knowing about it means you understand this influential piece of comedy history, and see that when it first came out, it was dismissed as newfangled nonsense that doesn’t have any of the heart or talent behind earlier stuff and comedy isn’t what it used to be.

It's not just comedy, this applies to everything. The Beatles were dismissed by many Serious Music Critics, in their day, as shallow teen heartthrob pop music (as opposed to what they were, which were perpetrators and enablers of domestic violence). Bob Dylan was famously dismissed as a sellout in 1965 by some Mancunians who, when I listen to the kind of shit that’s come from a revolution that began by plugging in guitars, I sometimes think may have had a point. I am now just barely old enough to hear some music getting called cool “classic”, when I can remember that music being new and considered shitty pop music that will never be as good as classic rock.

I think I like those in particular for all the above reasons, but also because there is something comforting in seeing someone say something that made total sense given the information they had at the time, and turn out to be wildly wrong. Makes me think about all the things that seem obvious and definitely correct to me now, given all the information I have, and maybe someday, it’ll turn out to all be wrong. Most of the things I think are true now are pretty depressing, so it’s nice to think maybe no one’s ever really right about everything.

There are a lot of comments along these lines in old comedy forum archives, but my favourite by far of all the lines to have not aged well is the person who said in June 2005 that: “Comedians often seem to be of the ‘world owes me a living’ type - no matter how many times they fail, they'll never jack it in and work in an office. Yes, I’m looking at you, John Oliver.” Honestly, doesn’t that give you hope for the future? If you ever feel like you’re so bad at something there’s no point in carrying on and you should give it all up, remember that person who said that in June 2005. If you just keep working at it for another year or so, you too could have Ricky Gervais mention your name to Jon Stewart one time and get to leave everyone who didn’t like you behind.

Anyway, I came across something today that I’d not seen before, which is an article in The Daily Telegraph from August 2005. This is different from other stuff because it’s not just comments from random people in a place where anyone can post, it’s an actual publication. A shit publication, but still, people get paid to write for it. And in 2005, they wrote an article called “Politics kills off comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe”.

The judges have been lamenting the "soul-destroying" lack of humour at this year's award, the comic centrepiece of the Edinburgh Festival which, over its 25-year history, has previously uncovered talent such as Hugh Laurie, Eddie Izzard, Steve Coogan, Jimmy Carr, Frank Skinner, The League of Gentleman and Graham Norton.

When judges meet for the first time today to draw up a long-list for the £7,500 prize, they are expected to be "hard pressed" to find acts to fill all 30 spaces.

Yesterday, they described this year's shows as "silly", "flat" and "of the level of fifth-form humour", and complained that they concentrated too much on politics, particularly on Tony Blair, George W Bush and weapons of mass destruction.

John Pidgeon, the head of entertainment at BBC Radio and chairman of the judges, lamented the "remarkable overuse of the 'C' word".

In 2005, comedy had gotten too political, too sweary, had run out of steam, would never again be great like it was when it was bringing in giants of hard-hitting, seriously talented stand-up like Graham Norton; epitomes of comedy with a real heart and soul like Jimmy Carr; and noted guy who married a teenage student at the place where he was teaching, Frank Skinner. That list of white men is the greatest comedy ever got, and now all this new stuff is just kids trying to be cool with their c-words and their political material but it will never measure up.

I really enjoy this bit from later in the article:

The judges were at a loss to explain why 2005 was so short on talent. Graham Smith, Channel Five's commissioning editor for comedy, last judged the competition in 2003. "You could say there was a surfeit of rich comedy that year. The winner was Daniel Kitson and - just to illustrate how strong it was - Jimmy Carr came second. Any other year the runners-up would have been winners."

I like that paragraph because:

1) Apparently the decline of comedy took exactly two years; it was at the top of its game back in the glory days of 2003, and was dead by 2005.

2) Apparently the likes of Jimmy Carr only coming second is a sign of the incredibly deep talent pool in a comedy competition, that’s how strong the field was back then!

3) They’re talking about the Perrier Award, which Daniel Kitson won in 2002, over fellow nominee Jimmy Carr. In 2003, Demitri Martin won it. I should know, there’s a video on YouTube from 2003 of Adam Hills yelling about Demitri Martin beating him for the Perrier Award while they destroy a cow. Get your facts straight, people.

That aside, I was amazingly not at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival, so I guess I can’t really say whether it was any good. I’ve seen/heard a number of shows that were done there (Tim Minchin’s Darkside, bits of the Zaltzman and Oliver Show, two Daniel Kitson shows, I’ve seen some of what Flight of the Conchords did there that year, Phil Nichol’s Nearly Gay, I’ve seen Dara O’Briain’s 2006 DVD and I’m pretty sure that’s mainly taken from his 2005 Edinburgh show, I've seen shows by Demitri Martin and Flight of the Conchords that would have also been taken from 2005, 2005 had a Mark Watson 24-hour show), and have enjoyed all of them. But also, the ones I’ve seen/heard are the ones that were good enough for someone to still have heard about and bothered to seek out in 2022/2023, I’m sure there was a lot of shit going on in that year too.

So if anyone ever tries to tell you that comedy, or for that matter anything else, had “classic” years and they just don’t make the great stuff the way they used to anymore, remember that people were already complaining about comedy “getting too political these days” by 2005. I’m continually amazed by how often you can go back years, and find the complaints about “look at the problem with [anything] these days, it’s not great the way it used to be” stays exactly the same.

[yzeltia]

Y'zel Tia's Happiest Starlight Day 10

Title: Sleigh Ride by The Ronnets

Characters: U'rahn Nuhn, @driftward's Nyx Blackmoon

Rating: T for Tia True Nuhn

Notes: Thanks to Driftward for helping me with dialogue and my frequent mechanical issues!

"I have arrived, Rahn."

The Nuhn's ears perked as he heard the monotone of his friend. Cheeks pink, he turned, mouth full of mint leaves, chomping on them to help ease his aether sickness from the port. Swallowing, he shuddered then blinked at his friend, Nyx seeming to be unphased as the cold winds of Dragonhead bustled around them. 

"You came!"

"You requested to meet you at Camp Dragonhead at this hour."

U'rahn nodded then tilted his head before pulling off his backpack to root around inside, letting vials of potions and materia spill over until pulling out his favorite red varsity jacket. "Here, you can wear this to keep warm," he offered.

Nyx stared back blankly, "I can regulate my temperature."

The Nuhn's eyes widened a bit. "Really? That's so cool! I'm from the desert and radiate heat cause of all the aether spilling out of me or something...but the snow still gets to me...You could wear this though to keep the snow off you though."

Nyx stared some more, and then took the garment from the eager Miqo'te, adorning it swiftly as he started to cram the spilled items back into his bag. Once repacked, he waved Nyx forward and headed north of the camp, climbing up a steep hill where Carrots waited in Starlight barding.

"Alright, where did I put it...," the Nuhn sighed, crossing his arms before wandering around until he found a rather large shield with a scraped-up drake painted on it, handles unbolted on the inside, "Here we go! I'd wax this up and use this in the Sagoli to go sand sledding. Shouldn't be too much different doing it in the snow right?"

"The wax used to reduce friction on sand is unnecessary for snow."

U'rahn blinked, then nodded, pretending to understand as he sat the shield down atop the hill. "Sure, sure. Climb in front of me and we can go!"

"I will monitor our speed so that you may have an accurate measurement to compare your sand sledding to, Rahn."

U'rhan wiggled his ears as she sat stiffly in front of him. "Well, I'm not sure if I know my speed on the sand...aside from really fast."

With a nod, he looked back to Carrots. The bird trotted forward then pushed the two with its beak, and down they went in a flash. U'rahn's eyes watered as he howled with excitement, holding Nyx tight as they zoomed at breakneck speeds. Approaching the Witchdrop, his tail perked high, "No no no no no no."

Nyx shifted their weight, "Do not be alarmed. Our current velocity will not result in plummeting to your death. Please remain still; though, should you be injured I am proficient in the medical skills required to treat your injuries."

"BUT BUT BUT," he screamed before finding themselves flying over the crevasse.

Landing on the other side, he exhaled then let out a "YAHOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Maintaining speed, they found themselves sliding through Camp Dragonhead's northern gate, whipping by soldiers who cocked their heads at the stoic woman and excited Miqo'te. Soon they whipped through the south entrance and flew down the part towards Dragonhead proper. Unable to slow, U'rahn began to panic, zooming through the gate before hitting a rock and being flung from the sleigh with Nyx. The latter landed on her feet with grace while the Nuhn found himself flying head-first into a mound of snow. Once the initial shock wore off, she shook out his head then looked back to his companion, giving her a thumbs up. "I think I'm okay, how about you?"

"I am operating within nominal parameters. Given your speed at 30 malms per hour, trajectory at 49°, and the softness of your destination, I do not believe it likely for you to have incurred any damage. I could examine you if you feel that that is not a sufficient diagnosis."

"I trust you," U'rahn answered, swallowing a little as he felt his cheeks warm up.

Slapping at his face with both palms, he let out a bit of a raspberry and shook his head rapidly, blissfully unaware his expressions were being carefully watched. Carrots catching up with them let out a little kweh and rubbed its beak on Nyx's cheek.

"I think that means Carrots thinks it's time to move on from sledding. There's actually a decorated trail from here to Griffin Crossing. Let's take a ride," the Nuhn suggested, approaching the bird only to get a few pecks on the head, "Ow, ow. Cut it out!"

Carrots defensively wandered around then lowered a wing for Nyx as U'rahn slicked back his hair, putting it in place once more. Approaching his friend, he held out his hand. "Can I help you up?"

"Only with my consent."

U'rahn blinked then tilted his head as she stared back at him. After a moment passed it dawned on him, "Oh, may I do that then?"

"Yes, you may, Rahn."

Nodding, U'rahn lifted Nyx up high and then sat her on Carrots. Once certain she was balanced, he hopped up behind her and took the reigns. "Right! Onward St. Helper Carrots!"

"...kweh," the bird responded, sounding almost bitter about the name as it left the east gate and headed onto the trail.

As promised, decorations lined the sign of the path, clumsily painted wooden signs made by the Fortemps and their soldiers that patrolled the land. Scenes telling the story of Starlight, then depictions of the Saint and their helpers, distributing packages. At the end of the trail, a large Yeti sat amid a small clearing. 

"Wow...look at that," U'rahn pointed out, eyes all aglow.

"That is a Yeti, Rahn."

Carrots stopped shirt and let out a Kweh.

"A really cool-looking one! They went all out to close out the trail. Do you want to get a picture with it?"

"I do not think that would be appropriate given the circumstances."

U'rahn's ears drooped a bit. "Oh. Okay...well, would you take a picture of me with it?"

"If you feel that is the best course of action."

U'rahn nodded then handed over his tomestone before hurrying over the decoration. Propping up his leg on a rock, he posted, flexing his arms under his coat while beaming at Nyx who held up the device and clicked away. Carrots soon covered his eyes with his feathers as the creature stirred then raised its fist high.

"You are in danger of injury, Rahn."

"Haha? Yeah? Should I try a funny pose," he asked before pretending to shield himself from the creature. "Ah...was it posed like that before..."

His eyes widened as his tail and ears perked, the fist coming down upon him, quickly pounding him into the snow in several swift beats. Collapsed spread eagle, he let out a groan then watched as fire bolts flew overhead, warding off the creature. Soon the earth shook as the beast fled, allowing U'rahn to pop up and brush off the snow, mostly unharmed. Head spinning, he stood up then found Carrots and Nyx staring at him.

"That was a Yeti."

"Yes, Rahn. I gave you that information."

U'rahn blinked then beamed at Nyx, ears fluttering as he laughed at himself.

"Well, lessons learned, yeah? I guess I should listen better, my pops always says that. Anyroad, let's get back on our way," he suggested.

"May I help you on Carrots?"

U'rahn blinked then nodded, "You can try."

The Nuhn grinned then let his ears and tail fall limp as he was suddenly lifted with ease up and onto Carrots as the bird lowered to accommodate them. "Burning Warden! You're strong!"

"I was designed to be."

With that, Nyx hopped up, facing U'rhan.

"Ah, wrong way?"

"I was unable to face you during our initial ride. I wish to do so on our return back. Your attention span is short enough that the Hawthorne Effect will not significantly affect my observations."

"Alright then. I suppose that would be okay," he answered, tilting his head, unsure how to take the comment.

U'rahn scooted back a bit, then squeezed his thighs to send Carrots into a trot, Nyx keeping perfect balance as they were sent forward. At first, the Miqo'te made small nervous expressions, aware of the eyes that were upon him, but that soon passed, eyes alight as he noticed that the opposite sides of the strung-up decorations had different depictions of Starlight around Eorzea, among them a Saint Helper pouring warm tea out to little Miqo'te, the Drake painted on them. U'rahn was especially in awe over it, Nyx flitted her eyes over for a moment to capture his line of sight before returning to watch him.

Noting the sun's early fall, U'rahn looked down to his friend as they trotted back into Dragonhead, "Ah. I had more planned, but there's something I want to do at a certain time. We should return to Gage Acquisitions."

"Understood."

With that Nyx flitted out into the aether, sending U'rahn over the back of Carrots. The bird looked back then clicked in amusement. 

"Quiet you," he huffed before pulling mint out of his pocket and stuffing it into his mouth. Chomping away, he closed his eyes then concentrated as hard as he could on his destination. Pulled through, he arrived beside Nyx, face green. He gnashed away quickly, still hurrying to the edge of the overlook, prepared for the worst. As he braced himself, he felt a couple of very deliberate rubs at his back.

Turning, he found Nyx mechanically rotating her arm. "I am told this is soothing."

U'rahn swallowed, stomach settling, now occupied with the sting of the intense leaves. "Ah. It did the trick. Thanks."

"Are we to resume your Starlight activities meant for Vauban?"

The Nuhn stared a moment then shuffled his feet while rubbing the back of his head, "Ah. I kinda forgot that's what this was all for already. I'm having such an exciting time with you," he mumbled, pushing the thought back and away from his mind again. 

"I'm having a good time with you Nyx," he reiterated, "And I could be wrong, but I think this wouldn't have been as fun with anyone else."

Giving her an ear wiggle, he chuckled then hurried to the yard and over to the stove. Fumbling around the supplies, he pulled out some milk and began to boil it over the fire while dropping scoops of sweet chocolate powder into two cups. As she watched, he smiled then handed her two rolls of cinnamon bark. "Could you, er, would you grind this into powder for me?"

"Yes," she answered, putting the spice into a mortar then rapidly spun the pestle in her hand.

"Woah. I should bring U'khuba over so you could show him how to do that!"

"U-Khuba, a Miqo'te, does not have that biological capability."

U’rahn grinned wide, chuckling to himself, “Yeah? I think I might want him around to hear that anyway.”

“Why?”

“Hmm?”

“Why would you want for U-Khuba to hear that he lacks the biological capability to ground bark into seasoning?”

“It’s…It’s a Seeker thing.”

“That is insufficient information to explain your meaning.”

U’rahn rubbed the back of his head, “I just want to tease him that he can’t do something. The way you phrase it is sort of funny to a Tia and Nuhn.”

Nyx stared at U’rahn quietly while he fumbled around with the boiling pot of milk.

“Ah, maybe it’s not as funny as I thought. The milk is ready though,” he pointed out before pouring it into the prepared cups of cocoa. 

As it diffused, he dropped some marshmallows on top of the browning liquid before taking the mortar and shaking it gently over the top. Finishing, he handed over both saucer and cup to Nyx before taking his own over to sit, the latter joining him. 

“My mom and dad would make this for me every Starlight. It was special ‘cause it was made with the Limsan Cocoa beans from where my dad lived at the time…and cinnamon from Thavnair where my mom is from. A little bit of both of them…just like me. They’d call it Hero Chocolate, cause I was really into adventure stories and stuff…but it’s really just normal hot chocolate with some spice in it…”

U’rahn lowered his ears a bit as he watched the marshmallows melt away. Catching Nyx lift the cup out of the corner of his eye, he jumped, “Hey! That’s going to be really hot,” he warned, watching her take it down with ease.

“It has distinct flavors.”

Smiling softly at Nyx, watching her closely before he closed his eyes and went to take his own sip, sputtering as his tongue was scalded. Whining, he stuck out the muscle before scooping up some snow to rest on it, remembering what was said about regulating temperature. Dropping a glob of snow in the drink, he huffed and then blew into it before taking a sip. Finding it much more temperate, he happily drank it down, ears perking as he caught Nyx mimicking out of the corner of her eye.

“There is little change in flavour.”

“No, not really. The snow just cooled it down for me,” he explained, catching on to her meaning surprisingly quickly.

“Stirring will assist in releasing heat and is the truest and most efficient method of cooling a beverage. I observe that most blow air over the surface, which is inefficient. Your method seems the most direct and overrides previous data; however, it is dependent on the proximity to snow.”

U’rahn tilted his head again, ear flicking curiously.

“Hero Chocolate is palatable hot or cooled.”

The Nuhn swallowed, suddenly finding himself out of breath. Touching his chest, he stared at the ground for a moment, trying to get his heart to calm down. His face burned, ears starting to tingle as he was overcome by the unfamiliar sensation. Nyx looked upon him quietly.

Standing, he checked his tombstone then quickly reached out for her hand, letting the cup and saucer fall into the snow. “Ah! We’re almost late. Come with me,” he panicked, feeling her remain still until he let out the request.

Hurrying inside, he paused at the entrance to the estate hall, mind flipping through the bowls in the corner of his room, smalls spread out on his floor, and the messy bottom bunk filled with laundry. He hesitated, hand rubbing the wood of the door, suddenly embarrassed by the state he’d left it in even though she’d probably seen it like that a million times. “Ah, actually…let’s go downstairs.”

“Yes, Rahn.”

U’rahn swallowed again, letting go of Nyx’s hand. He’d asked her to call him as such, hadn’t he. He let out a nervous breath, staring at her as she looked back blankly. Shaking it off, he led them downstairs then around the corner to the orchestration player. 

“W-Wait here,” he asked, leaving her in the little hall for a moment.

Heading over to the small lounge, he gathered all the blankets and pillows he could fit into his arms then returned and dumped them out onto the floor before Nyx and then got down to spread a blanket out before setting up pillows against the wall for them to lean on.

“Go ahead and sit down,” he offered, letting her take a seat while he adjusted the large radio, letting it play static before it started to play. 

“Live from Ul’Dah, The Sultana presents “The Night Before Starlight,” read by Redolent Rose of the Weaver’s Guild,” Momodi’s voice sounded out before a small orchestra began to play an intro.

Smiling, he sat down next to Nyx, pulling a blanket up over himself, and offering it to Nyx to share. “Another family thing…even in Forgotten Springs, dad gathers us up in his hut and he turns this on for us. Even the sandworms calm down just for the night…some even are seen resting near the gate while it plays. It’s the magic of Starlight.”

“The lack of adversaries allows them to seasonally take respite near your dwellings as you are not providing a threat.”

“Mmm…I think it’s the magic of Starlight.”

“There is no school of magic for Starlight.”

U’rahn let out a little, feeling that strange tingle come back across his cheeks and ears. “I…I uh…,” he started, pulling at his coat a bit before turning his head as the story began.

“Twas’ the night before Starlight, and all the Brume, orphans shivered in the snow and the gloom. Huddled and gathered they cried, unaware that by the Saint they’d been spied.”

~~The story continued, but U’rahn did not hear, falling asleep before the story could be filled with Starlight cheer. Slumped over from the exciting day he shared, blissfully ignorant of how much for the Garlean experiment he cared. And so there he lay and snored, the Nuhn’s cheek up against the head of the one he didn’t know he adored.~~

Bonus unused shot:

#ythappieststarligh2022 #starlight ffxiv #starlight2022 #ythappieststarlight2022 #u'rahn nuhn #nyx blackmoon #sleigh ride #final fantasy online #ffxiv gpose #ff14 #ff xiv #ffxiv oc #ffxiv miqo'te

[candied-cae]

And Who Are We At The End Of The World? - The Playlists

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Chapter 1/? - - - Read it on AO3

Welcome to my fic - I ended up going a little overboard figuring out all the characters 'music vibes' for my canon so I could plot in some music references. So, I made character playlists for their personal mixes (with cassette cover art they decorated themselves) to help me plan it all out and then made an official Fic Playlist on Spotify that'll have every song in the order they are referenced to make it easy to find a song you might not recognize or remember off the top of your head!

Feel free to use them, or ignore them! They're just tools that available for any readers that'd like them so I wanted to list them right here at the beginning, but none of them are even remotely necessary to enjoy the fic!

Who Are We? - The Soundtrack

The official playlist for every song mentioned by name in the fanfic! Each will be added to the playlist in order of appearance and reappearance to make any references easy to follow! Whether it's a song you don't know, or want to listen to in the moment, this playlist was put together to make that process simple and easy!

(Individual character playlists below!)

Steve's Babysitting Station

Steve's had a very dynamic character arc, during which he's collected a very diverse music taste. This 'station' of his is full of classics he might play while trying to woo a girl to the ones he turns to on his own. He's a preppy boy, but there are certainly layers to his taste that he's learning to share. Because one thing's for sure, these tracks are meant to be enjoyed with company. His bestfriend in the passenger seat or his rotten kids in the back.

Robin's Radio Reel

Robin's such a fun and passionate character, though sometimes a little odd and rebellious, which her music reflects. From exciting, poppy hits to loud, unique tunes, Robin knows exactly who she is and this music is all for her. And maybe she's recently started adding a few love song that strike a certain longing for a girlfriend... it's not a crime.

Nancy's Newsworthy Mix

Nancy's done the sweet, perfect girl thing, and now she's working on the determined, powerful girl thing. While her life as felt like a roller-coaster for the past few years, she's found the comforting kind of music that grounds her. But the influence of new friends might spell for some more... 'hardcore' titles finding a place on her mix. Take a peek into everything that lies within this wonderfully complex girl's heart.

Eddie's Personal Setlist

Eddie a tried and true metalhead, that's for sure, but it's not all he knows. Sure, all the best, house-shaking hits get him pumped like no other, but there's a little bit more hiding around. Whether he's practicing with his sweetheart for Corroded Coffin cover sets, or singing his heart out in the shower - these are the songs he's reaching for. And everyone could stand to give them a chance.

Jonathan's Best Jams

Jonathan may be a little introverted, a little quiet and reserved, a little unsure about himself, but one thing he is sure about is music. It's one of the only things he's really known about himself. Jonathan likes photography and he likes good music. And just like he loves his brother and new sister, he loves the kind of music that he can rock his head to and share with them.

Argyle's Smoke Sesh

Argyle may be a new member to the team, but one thing about him is that he's always in the mood for a bowl. His tape is all about the kind of music that gets his friends relaxed and wearing a smile. Leave all the stress at the door and trust that Argyle can get anyone focused on what matters - or everything but - in 30 minutes or less.

Dustin's Bold Taste

Dustin has never apologized for being his brave, weird little self, and the tape he’s put together won’t either. The mainstream can kick rocks, Dustin's here to have fun with music he likes, not what's popular. So he'll crank up the radio to the off-the-wall artists and all their strange, funny style. It's just the kind of stuff that makes him laugh.

Max's Greatest Hits

Max is a little badass with a certain softness in her heart - but don't tell anyone about it. She's got the kind of tracks that made her feel tough and cool when she was on her own, but now there's a few new ones she's accepted into the mix like she had her new pals. Change isn't bad. So, while there may be a little whiplash between the turbulent and the tranquil, it's all a part of Max's moxie.

Lucas's Favorite Tapes

Lucas's life is all about the people he cares about, his music is the stuff that reminds him of them. DnD, Halloween, Movies, AV and Hellfire Club... all the times they spend together are what makes him the happiest. So, reasonably, all his favorite songs are the upbeat ones that remind him of all his favorite people.

El's Marvelous Tracklist

El's finally had the chance to start learning what she likes, unsurprisingly, a lot of it was influenced by a certain day at the mall and the sleep overs after. Bright, poppy tunes that make her jump on her feet to dance around and sweet, smooth songs that make her feel safe. She has her own taste now, and its the kind of music that makes the world seem just a little bit better.

Erica's Superior Tunes

Miss Erica is all about glitter pens and stickers and sprinkles, and having better taste than anyone else, of course. The song she's got saved are full of bopping, exciting music and fun lyrics. Say what they will about 'their preferences', her mix will have anyone smiling and jumping around as they sing along; it's just that good.

Will's Inspiring Anthems

Will's had a lot of time since moving to spend listening to music and learning to paint. The sort of songs he gravitates to have a certain cinematic and emotionally rich quality that really help him process how he feels. They're the kind of ones that form a story for him, whether it's his own or a fantasy. Caution, listening may lead to creative messiness.

Mike's Rocking Roster

Mike's trying to find his own way in the world now that he's started high school. The nuclear family at home just can't tame him anymore, he's spreading his wings and finding a more alternative route. He's still a rookie to the world of rock music, but with his DM's 'beginner recommendations' he's starting to figure himself out.

#Spotify Playlist #Stranger Things Playlist #Character Playlist #Steve Harrington #Eddie Munson #Steddie #Steveddie #Steve x Eddie #Nancy Wheeler #Robin Buckney #Ronance #Robin x Nancy #The Fruity Four #Stranger Things #Stranger Things 4 #Stranger Things 4 spoilers #Stranger Things 4 volume 2 spoilers #stranger things fanfiction #ST4 fanfic #Steddie Fanfic #Ronance Fanfic #Jonathan Byers #argyle stranger things #stranger things argyle #Dustin Henderson #Max Mayfield #Lucas Sinclair #eleven hopper #jane hopper #Erica Sinclair

[iamnotawomanimagod]

I finally have a chance to sit down and reflect on the Halsey show.

In one word - incredible.

Big spoilers for the Love and Power tour below - I'm going to go over as many songs and moments as I can!

It started with The Tradition, which was especially interesting at Red Rocks because it's an amphitheater (naturally formed by red rock, hence the name), so she when she opened the show on the catwalk rig, it really took a moment to see where she was, and it let the visuals really shine

Speaking of which - fucking AMAZING visuals, all of the graphics for each song fit so well and the lighting was so perfect. Plus there was pyrotechnics and fireworks...it was crazy. I've been to two other Red Rocks shows and this was by far the biggest and most impressive production I've seen there.

The video packages in between songs and sections were so well thought out and really underlined the horror element. I think what I loved the most was how grotesque it got - the visuals were truly disturbing, including stuff like eye gore/horror, one scene where she bangs her head against a sink until her teeth fall out, one of her all wrapped up post-surgery... it was very effective and creepy imagery and it definitely added a whole other level of flavor to the songs

There was even this moment in the middle where they were like "this next part is really sugary sweet and pop-y" and they played songs like Be Kind, Colors, So Good, etc - and the visuals morphed a little more to reflect that, becoming a little sweeter, which was especially cool because that was the "Release" and "Reflect" chapters of the setlist

Plus they had these really beautiful spoken word interludes... I hope someone has transcribed them or recorded them, I really want to see them again. I only recorded a few things because I was so caught up in the show that I completely forgot to take my phone out, haha.

I was so so happy with what they played, I ended up being really excited about a lot of the changes, since I've been following the setlist so closely all tour, lmao. So when she said "tonight's show is gonna be a little different than the rest of the tour" I lost my mind. I mentioned it before but they played "Hold Me Down" and "Heaven in Hiding" and "You asked for this" which were all songs I didn't think I'd hear at all. And I prefer all of those over their alternate songs from other parts of the tour.

They said that Red Rocks is like their living room because they've played it so much, and that it's special to them because it's where they had their first real conversation with Alev. But they also said it was the site of (what they consider) one of their worst-ever shows, during the HFK tour. Someone nearby yelled "It was really good!!" which was cute.

I ended up in a great part of the crowd. One of the weird things about Red Rocks - and I bet this is true for a lot of venues, but especially for Red Rocks - it's such a special and beautiful place to see live music (Halsey literally called it "the most beautiful venue in the world" which like, BRAG) that a lot of times you'll get people there who don't know the artist at all and are just there to see a show at Red Rocks. There was such an interesting blend of ages because of that - everyone from tweens/teens to college kids to people in their 30s and 40s, and even like, a handful of much older people. So it definitely wasn't just an arena full of Halsey stans, haha.

I was a little disappointed, but H put on an incredible show, so I can't imagine anyone leaving not at least a little bit impressed by them. There were a lot of parents with their kids, which was cute - we actually ended up next to a family, a mom and a dad and their kid, and it was the kid's first concert. And the mom and dad were dancing and singing along, and being so supportive, it was sooo sweet. And the mom confided in my best friend that she was worried that her kid wasn't having a good time, so we tried to dance with them - but honestly I think they were a bit overwhelmed, I definitely would've been too at that age.

And on my other side was this gorgeous gorgeous person, I'm not sure if they were gay or nonbinary or just queer, but they were wearing a flawless face of makeup and working this mustache along with it. (Honestly? Incredible place for outfits and looks, people really went all out and it was all really edgy, fun, Halsey-inspired looks. I even saw a girl in Halsey's outfit from "You should be sad") But the person next to me and I vibed so much, we kept screaming the lyrics together and making jokes and stuff - and making a concert friend is one of the best things that can happen at a concert, such a lovely and intimate and honest encounter, even better because it was so fleeting!

I couldn't see the stage suuuuper well, I was definitely in the middle of the amphitheater and someone kinda tall was in front of me, lol. So I ended up watching the screens a lot. But when I did manage to catch her on the stage, I was blown away by how short she is, pahaha. They have such huge stage presence, it's easy to forget. And they really had to work to make the show engaging, because they were the main focus for the entire two hours. They never flagged or complained or dropped their energy.

but I might be getting too old for concerts, lol. My feet literally went numb, and I definitely had to sit down a few times. I'm ngl, there were a couple of lulls and some songs I don't think <.< needed to be on the setlist. Like "The Lighthouse" is an amazing song, but I don't think it's very good live. It felt like it really killed the energy, tbh. >.> That was probably the one song I really wish they had skipped. That and maybe "So Good." But it gave me a chance to sit down, pahaha, so it worked out. For the record, I know not every song should be high-energy, that would make for a boring and overstimulating show - but like, "Darling" and "100 Letters" were slower songs that were still super captivating in a way that "The Lighthouse" just.......wasn't.

But oh my god......y'all, I cried during "Darling" and then on into "100 Letters." I mean they literally started "Darling" by saying "A lot of people think I wrote this song for my son, but I actually wrong it for my first babies. I wrote it for you guys." and of course I was like "awwww" but then when everyone pulled out a light and Halsey sang it I just got so emotional. Like something about the line "until it's time to see the light, I'll make my own with you each night" hits so so SO different when you're literally standing in a sea of lights among other people who love Halsey as much as you do. And then they went into "100 Letters" and it was the stripped version, and that's one of my all-time favorite songs by them, and then line "but I don't let him touch me anymore" just means so much to me, and so when she sang that the floodgates just opened. (My friend who was with me had a very similar experience with "Graveyard" - Halsey's music just Does That.)

"Whispers" is incredible live. They looked so intense, and the difference between the whispers being, well, whispered, versus screamed by a crowd, just adds this whole other incredible element to it. I love songs where something painful and personal becomes something that brings people together, that lets people connect and feel less alone.

And during "Nightmare" everyone was singing and screaming so loud, and jumping up and down, and when the abortion stats were on screen everyone just started screaming even louder. And afterwards, Halsey talked about their thoughts on Roe v Wade, and talked about how if she hadn't had an abortion she wouldn't be here, her son wouldn't be here. And some people walked out (or chose a super bad time to go to the bathroom) but she just went right on talking about why it was so important. And then they led the "my body, my choice" chant and it was just. so cathartic, and healing. and empowering.

And all of the classics - Gasoline and Castle and Hold Me Down and Bad at Love and Colors and Hurricane - were as amazing to see as I knew they would be.

I can't believe the setlist was 26 songs, it went by so fast, it didn't feel like two hours at all. If it weren't for how sore I was (and lowkey sick, my stomach didn't like all the jumping around and I had to puke in the parking lot,) I would've stood there all night listening to them sing and talk.

They sound so so so amazing live. Like I think some of the power of their voice is lost on recordings. Red Rocks also has some of the best acoustics for concerts in the world, so that just made everything she sang sound even better. But I was constantly impressed by how beautiful and rich and powerful their voice was. Halsey's vocals have never been the most important thing about her to me - I'm definitely a bigger fan of their lyrics and their concepts and their visual art style. But that concert gave me a whole new appreciation for how talented they are as a vocalist.

It was like. Truly one of the most incredible nights of my life. I'll post some videos if you guys promise not to make fun of my voice lmao. I was definitely not concerned with how I sounded, I was just taking the recordings for me, so there is talking/my own singing over it. Fair warning, haha.

But yeah. I'm so grateful that I got to go. I'll never forget it. I didn't think it was possible for me to love and respect Halsey more as an artist, performer, and singer, but I walked away from that show with even more appreciation for her.

just.... wow.

#stephspeaks #rambling about my life #love and power tour #halsey

[confessionsofabargainbinaddict]

My Favorite Albums of 2022*

*not necessarily from 2022

Over the past 12 months, I've somehow acquired 260 CDs, so instead of doing a standard, "Top of 2022 list," I figured I'd share 10 favorite additions to my ever-growing collection, no matter if they were released in 2022 or not. I'll also do it in alphabetical order by album name for simplicity's sake (and 10 out of 260 is already subjective enough!). Here goes!

Tyler, the Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost

The brilliant wordplay more than warrants Tyler's oozing braggadocio but the fact that, in many cases, that same braggadocio is only thinly veiling deep insecurities elevates this to a truly astonishing level. "Drama, I need you. Can you turn the noise up?" isn't about getting the party hyped, it's about drowning out that critical voice in the back of your head. It's a call for help. It's a masterwork by an MC who's, somewhat surprisingly, coming for a Top 5 spot.

Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems

The CD came with liner notes and lyrics but you basically need a magnifying glass to read them. But you should get one. Because they're worth it. Verbose, brilliant, genre jumping hardcore.

The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field

Do you remember when "Mr. Brightside" came out and it basically was the "end-all, be-all" song about jealousy? "Expert in a Dying Field," is "Mr. Brightside" for breakups. The rest of the album is just icing on the cake. But the icing is also ridiculously good. Like nearly as good as the cake itself.

Origami Angel - Gami Gang

Dumb puns for song titles ("Neutrogina Spektor," "Tom Holland Oates," "Bed, Bath, and Batman Beyond,"), Pokémon, Game Boy, and Taco Bell references, and a smattering of sick riffs, anthemic choruses, and furious tapping. These 20(!!!) songs are more than just an album, they're a goddamn mission statement for a new generation of nerdy emo kids.

The Hotelier - Like No Place Is There

I can imagine Guy and Ian listening to this album and saying, "yeah, this is exactly where we imagined the genre ending up 30 years later." Devastating, cathartic, rough around the edges, but full of melody, and, most importantly, empathy.

Drug Church - Hygiene

Folks keep labeling this "hardcore," but its New Wave and 90's Alt-Rock influences are too abundant to keep it pinned down. Plus, it's catchy as fuck. An excellent 26 minutes that gets better with each listen.

Pusha T - It's Almost Dry

Focus on the latter half of Pusha's statement of purpose: "Cocaine's Dr. Seuss." It's not just that he raps about slinging coke, it's that he loves the words he uses to rap about slinging coke. That joy, that creativity, that fun is abundant on these 12 tracks. Hell, he even gets Jay to join in. (Hot take: Jay's verse on "Neck & Wrist," is better than his verse on "God DID.")

The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour

A stone-cold-classic that I finally picked up on CD. Maybe my favorite from the fab four.

Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future

Stripping away the vocal acrobatics and spectacle that instantly hooked me, Denzel keeps his tone simple and direct and his lyrics powerful and personal, further highlighting his talent and chameleonic abilities.

Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Holding the controversial opinion that DAMN. was a clear step backwards, from the opening moments of "United in Grief," it was clear that K. Dot made a sharp turn back to the complexity and nuance of TPAB and GKMC. It's a deeply uncomfortable listen, giving us an in-depth view of a man struggling to find his true self and how that clashes with who others want (need?) him to be. It's messy and difficult and problematic and exactly the type of album only Kendrick can make.

Other assorted 2022 stuff

Favorite Albums NOT acquired in 2022:

mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister

Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride

Broadway Calls - Comfort/Distraction

Iron Chic - The Constant Ones

The Beths - Future Me Hates Me

The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation

Hot Water Music - Light It Up

Teenage Fanclub - Songs From Northern Britain

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

Favorite Live Bands seen in 2022

Cursive (Irving Plaza - 1/26)

The Wonder Years (Webster Hall - 3/16)

Motion City Soundtrack (Terminal 5 - 6/19)

Less Than Jake (Saint Vitus - 12/12)

Favorite Movies watched in 2022

Terrifier 2

Nope

Don't Look Up

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Inside

Favorite TV Shows watched in 2022

Severance

Joe Pera Talks With You

The White Lotus

Abbot Elementary

The Rehearsal

Favorite Books read in 2022:

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

Sellout by Dan Ozzi

The Power Broker by Robert Caro

Favorite Podcasts listened to in 2022:

Love and Radio

The Secrets Hotline

Detoxicity

Will Be Wild

The Trojan Horse Affair

#2022 #favorites #tyler the creator #soul glo #the beths #origami angel #the hotelier #drug church #pusha t #the beatles #denzel curry #kendrick lamar #mewithoutyou #polar bear club #broadway calls #iron chic #the wonder years #hot water music #teenage fanclub #lcd sound #queens of the stone age #cursive #motion city soundtrack #less than jake #cds #cd collector #cd collection #subjective #subjectivity

[crouton-knight]

Talk about that time that Old Uncle Hubert found buried "treasure"

OH BOY OLD UNCLE HUBERT TIME

((Link below is where the game starts to be clear))

Okay so this was a long time ago before I was born, and probably before my great grandma on my grandmother's side was abducted in the jungle somewhere in Davao (though that's probably a story better told another time.)

Old Uncle Hubert as we called him wasn't actually an uncle? He kind of got the title posthumously because we realized he was in SO many of our family stories from way back when that it bore mentioning he had to be a cousin or uncle or something. Hubert's kind of a weird name for a Filipino dude of that time but I've never seen pictures of him so he might've been actually American or something.

Anyway, all that prelude aside, sometime in like the 30s or 40s, when All That Stuff Was Happening here in the Philippines, my grandma's (mother's side) family had A Lot Of Land. It's actually a bit awkward talking about that point in history with grandma because she insists that the Philippines was doing GREAT, that's how much land and how rich and unaffected she was at the time.

Old Uncle Hubert, of course, knew my grandma's family was filthy fucking rich. SO filthy rich in fact that there were rumors going around that they weren't JUST as rich as they were, obviously, they had to be Richer. I don't know how it happened, I don't know how he heard about it, but there got to be a rumor that there was buried treasure ALL over the property and you just had to go to a bunch of different spots, dig for like six feet, and find cases full of like, bags of Spanish silver or pre-colonial gold and gems or whatever.

Uncle is convinced that this is true, though I don't know the specifics of why. The fun part is that instead of trespassing, he decided to come up to my great great grandpa, the head of the household, and tell him in probably better ways than I'm about to say:

Uncle: Hey I think you have buried treasure on your property.

Great great grandpa presumably thought this was stupid but also didn't want to refuse Uncle's digging around in case it attracted more people digging around for Reasons. Whatever the case, he gave Uncle and a couple of the other guys in the family his blessing to dig up wherever the spot Uncle said was full of treasure.

They did not find treasure.

Uncle of course, having spent the better part of a day convincing great great grandpa to let him dig, tries digging in a spot like, a few feet away? Must've been a miscalculation, right?

Finds some old bullet casings under the topsoil but nothing else of interest. I unfortunately don't know what happened to the bullet casings, I would've wanted to see one.

ANYWAY this goes on for a pretty stupid amount of time, everyone's tired and filthy and most of the guys just go home and leave Uncle to his digging. I think grandma told me it was like, after dark that this next bit happened? It was past sundown, it was dark, crickets and snakes are about, that sort of thing. Not a good time to be out in the middle of a large pre-electricity area where nobody can hear you scream.

Uncle's shovel hit something really hard and he screams loud enough that people come running anyway, all the way from the house.

Unfortunately for Uncle, well, something you need to know about this island is that it's made of pre-historical limestone reef, and also is a "floating" island, in the sense that not too far down there's a lot of seawater and ground water and other subterranean waters going through caverns and tunnels and wearing away at the rock.

Old Uncle Hubert did not find treasure in the traditional sense.

What he did was he managed to break open a weak part at the top of a cavern like an eggshell, which proceeded to collapse under him for a few meters and leave a gaping hole in the middle of the property.

Luckily it wasn't a deep cavern and he wasn't actually all that hurt, just cold, wet, shocked, and probably traumatized for life.

And that's the story of the time Old Uncle Hubert found buried "treasure".

#tall tales #ask game #fun fact some of this actually is based on family lore #if you don't know which parts are true and which parts aren't #well #good luck #if you DO know #keep it to yourself and laugh with me #lies #fiction #my writing #anonymous #anon #asks

[slowtravelingcat]

Goodbye Alaska

Monday, August 2, 2021

CAL - That time has come again. I knew it was coming when the large, bald one started cleaning our room in the middle of the week. She tried to act like nothing was going on, but I knew that meant it was moving time. 

On Friday morning, Michele loaded the car as usual: all of our stuff, then me, and finally my litter box. Having spent so much time in the car on our way up to Alaska I had developed a newfound comfort in traveling in it.  

We drove for most of the morning, stopping several times in the most interesting places. I lay as close to the back window as possible, watching a myriad of trees, birds, and other cars pass us by. It was only later in the day when we drove into a large, dark, densely packed parking lot that I began to get an inkling as to what would happen next. We were in a moving parking lot again! My suspicion was confirmed when the large, bald one carefully filled my food and water bowl and then left me alone in my private, car bubble. About 30 minutes later, the parking lot started to move. It was no big deal, after all, I am an expert now. 

At first, I thought I was alone on the moving parking lot. I could see other cars, but they all appeared to be empty. However, as the evening progressed, I started to realize that I was not alone. In the car, to my left, I saw two very shy cats slowly peek their heads out of the passenger side window. Now, I generally do not get along with other cats, but something in my heart went out to these two. I could tell it was their first time on a moving parking lot. 

I spent most of the evening pantomiming that everything would be okay for the new cats. It took a while, but I think that I was finally able to get through to them. As the veteran cat on this journey, it is my sacred duty to put others at ease. This is not a job that I take lightly.  

MICHELE - It’s Monday evening and in true Alaska fashion, every time I thought I had my last amazing travel experience, another one popped up. It started with the drive to the ferry port in Whittier. 

I left a little early to allow time to enjoy the day. The first stop was the Portage Glacier Visitor Center, which offers an amazing view of Portage Lake. Next, I backtracked to a quaint little campground just a few miles before the Visitor Center. I found a picnic table just a few feet from a blue and green lake at the foot of Explorer Glacier. As I slowly ate the last of my wild-caught, sockeye salmon I almost shed a tear as I silently said goodbye to this great state. 

Upon arrival in Whittier, I still had an hour to kill, so I drove to the end of Shotgun Cove Road for an overlook of the water. I followed a little trail, bordered by all sorts of berries down to a rocky beach that featured some very usual rock formations, undoubtedly shaped by the aggressive tide. I explored the rocks and watched salmon jumping towards a small creek that ran across the shore until it was time to climb back up the trail and into the car. I was sure that my Alaskan adventure had come to an end as I fought back tears while checking into the ferry. 

On Sunday morning the ferry arrived in Juneau where I needed to disembark for 6 hours and board a new boat for the rest of the ride to Seattle. When I first drove off the boat at the early hour of 6am, I immediately pulled into an empty parking lot for some cuddle time with Cal. After a full cup of coffee and a few Google searches on the area, I developed a plan for the day.  First I drove to Mendenhall Glacier, which was a magnificent sight. The lake had several large icebergs and in the early morning, I had the entire view to myself. 

On the way back to the car I took a peek at Mendenhall River and was delighted to see more salmon. I watched as several of them jumped over rocks and branches to get to their final destination, upstream. 

After a quick brunch and a peek at the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery, I headed to the Shrine of Saint Teresa. A religious site, open to the public, just 10 miles north of town. Upon arrival, the site was silent and a few signs allowed me to explore in complete solitude. I started out by visiting a stunning chapel on a small island, passing several porcupines who almost seemed like guardians on the narrow pathway into the water. The site has a few short walking paths, all of which celebrate the amazing views of the bay and an array of carefully cultivated gardens. 

By the time I got onto my new ferry boat I was sure that I had seen all there was to see in Alaska, but Monday morning featured one more stop in Ketchikan. I originally planned to stay on the boat during the 4-hour stopover, but the uncharacteristically beautiful weather forced me off of the boat and into the cab line. After several unsuccessful attempts in getting a cab (note to self - there are TWO ferry systems in Ketchikan - the airport ferry, also known as the “The Ferry” and the "Alaskan Marine Highway Ferry", which must be indicated as such when ordering cabs), I ended up walking the 2.3 miles into town. 

The best place for walking in Ketchikan is definitely Creek Street, a quaint little area of shops lining a fairly large creek that runs down into the ocean. While most of the stores were closed for the day, I lucked out big time by catching the salmon run up the creek. I watched in awe as schools of salmon charged into the creek past a line of fisherman on a bridge, around a group of hungry river otters, and up a series of small waterfalls and rapids to their spawning grounds. In the game of salmon versus nature, I only saw only one salmon fall prey to an otter and none to human hands. I gained yet a new appreciation for Alaska and its beautiful salmon. 

One cappuccino and croissant later, I successfully call a cab and make it back onto the ferry with plenty of time to spare. As the ferry leaves the port, we quickly cross the border into Canada. Now my Alaskan adventure has finally come to an end. 

#cats #digital nomad #slow travel #travel

[concerthopperblog]

TOOL w/ Elder Live at State Farm Arena

Some days I ask myself, ‘Is this really happening?’. Other days I just pinch myself when things are too good to be true. This is one of those exact moments. Now, I know people make the joke that TOOL is ‘dad rock’ or they are overrated, etc. That opinion or mindset is fine to have, and I have no qualms at all. But for some of us, the ones who care, we live for these moments to see TOOL perform live. I first saw TOOL perform live at Lollapalooza in 1993 at Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta while in high school ({insert old man joke here}. It was a few weeks after my 16th birthday and, a few friends got me a ticket to attend Lollapalooza that year.

 I was excited to go hang out with my friends at a one-day music festival (incidentally, this would be the first of many festivals in my future) in Atlanta with such an incredible lineup. Alice in Chains, Primus, Dinosaur Jr., Fishbone, Arrested Development, Babes in Toyland, TOOL, Front 242, and Rage Against the Machine were all mind-blowing in concert as a teenager. Little did I know this day would be a huge turning point in my musical development. Fast forward 31 years later and, I am now on my 22nd Tool show but something makes this one extra special. I can share exactly with you what I saw through my camera lens.

Kicking off the evening’s festivities, Elder is a four-piece doom metal/progressive/stoner rock band that consists of Nick DiSalvo (vocals/guitar), Jack Donovan (bass), Mike Risberg (guitar/keyboards), and Georg Edert (drums). Elder has released six (6) LPs, three (3) singles/EPs, one (1) Live LP, and one (1) collaboration LP (with Kadavar). After seeing Elder passionately performing in smaller clubs over the last few years, I was excited for their chance to perform at much larger arenas. Plus, they have a huge opportunity to gain some new devoted fans by opening for TOOL on this tour. I am very proud of Elder and, hearing the crowd cheer them on during their breath-taking performance filled me with joy. Atlanta came out early and in full force to support Elder. Although I was only able to catch one song from Elder, I could hear the crowd shouting and applauding in between each song during their set.

Elder’s (incomplete) setlist from this evening’s performance is below:

·         “Compendium”

·         “Merged in Dreams-Ne Plus Ultra”

·         “Halcyon”

  Give my dudes at Elder some love and head over to their Bandcamp page or their official shop directory for some merchandise. If you have followed my column over the years, then you should recognize the band Elder from previous reviews published by Concerthopper.com. You can read those reviews by following these links: Elder, Ruby the Hatchet, & Dreadnought: Live at The Earl (2022) & North American Tour 2023: Elder, REZN, and Lord Buffalo Live @ The Earl (2023).

TOOL is a progressive rock/progressive metal/alt metal/post-metal/art rock band from Los Angeles, CA. that formed back in 1990. TOOL consists of Adam Jones (guitars), Danny Carey (drums/percussion), Justin Chancellor (bass), and Maynard James Keenan (vocals). They have released five (5) LPs, one (1) box set, four (4) video albums, fifteen (15) singles, nine (9) music videos, and two (2) EPs. TOOL’s latest release, Fear Inoculum (August 30, 2019), was released on Volcano/RCA and is their first studio album in over thirteen years. A modern-day Pink Floyd, TOOL has pushed the envelope with their musical vision since releasing their debut album, Undertow, on Zoo Entertainment in 1993. Not to mention their ever-changing elaborate backdrop that accentuates their dynamic and profound live performances.

TOOL kicked off the evening with the title track from their latest album, “Fear Inoculum” and followed with one of my favorite tracks, “Jambi”. Although, while this song played, I was making my best impression of a track star as I hurried to unload my gear so that I could watch the rest of the show. I was able to enter during the third song, “Rosetta Stoned”, but before I went to the main arena, I needed to see if there were any posters left to purchase. To my surprise, the main merchandise table had some posters left which still amazes me as I write this review. Normally the posters are the first thing to go, so I consider myself very lucky (again). Once settled at my spot, TOOL proceeded to melt faces with blistering performances of “Pneuma”, “Intolerance”, “Descending”, and “The Grudge” in a four-song set to close out the first portion of the night. Hearing TOOL pull out “Intolerance” from the album Undertow was a pleasant surprise. It has been ages since I last heard that song live in concert. Not to mention the surprises that TOOL had in store for us during the second half of the evening.

Since the release of the latest album, it has been customary for Danny to perform the track “Chocolate Chip Trip” and put the crowd into a deep trance with his intricate and technical abilities behind the drumkit. Then it all came to a head during the next song as Justin started playing the opening bass line to another epic track from the 1993 album Undertow, “Flood”. It felt like TOOL dug deep into their bag of tricks so they could show the crowd how far they had come from their humble beginnings during the early 90’s.

Check out Tool’s career-spanning setlist from this evening below:

·         “Third Eye” (intro)

·         “Fear Inoculum”

·         “Jambi”

·         “Rosetta Stoned” (w/ “Lost Keys” intro)

·         “Pneuma”

·         “Intolerance”

·         “Descending”

·         “The Grudge”

Intermission

·         “Chocolate Chip Trip”

·         “Flood”

·         “Invincible”

·         “Stinkfist”

Follow this link to Tool’s official online store or check out their YouTube channel for some innovative music videos.

You can still catch Tool with Elder on tour at the following dates:

January 31st - Austin, TX - Moody Center

February 2nd - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center

February 3rd - Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center

February 5th - Denver, CO - Ball Arena

February 9th - Phoenix, AZ - Footprint Center

February 12th - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center

February 14th - Los Angeles, CA - Crypto.com Arena

February 15th - Los Angeles, CA - Crypto.com Arena

February 17th - Ontario, CA - Toyota Arena

February 18th - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena

 Curious about Concerthopper? You can find more music-related articles, interviews, various photo galleries, indie music reviews, our ‘Bars & Bites’ section, our exclusive “She Said, She Said” column, or become a Concerthopper at www.concerthopper.com. Sign up for our monthly newsletter by following this link: The Setlist! Please ‘Like’ our page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date in 2023, on all music-related events/festivals such as Willie Nelson and Family: Live at Seminole Casino Center (Immokalee, FL.), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie: Live at Blue Cross Arena, Metalcore Dropouts – 2nd Semester: Fit For a King & The Devil Wears Prada Live at Town Ballroom (Buffalo), Life Is But A Dream… North American Tour: Avenge Sevenfold Live at KeyBank Center (Buffalo), Shoot For The Moon Tour: Sierra Ferrell Live at The Eastern, Seasons World Tour 2024: Thirty Seconds to Mars & AFI Live at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Dresden Dolls: Live at The Eastern, The Deathless Tour: Set It Off w/ Crown the Empire, Caskets, and Death By Choice Live at Water Street Music Hall (Rochester), RUCKUS! Tour 2024: Movements Live at Water Street Music Hall, We Legalized It 2024: Cypress Hill Live at Tabernacle, King Dunn Tour: Live at The Masquerade, and Crypta Live at Boggs Social & Supply by following us on all social media formats: Concerthopper on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  You can also follow my concert hopping on Facebook and Instagram.

#2024 #Tool #Elder #Atlanta #Georgia #Concert #concert review #Review #Concerthopper #photography #concert photography #metal #metal tours #Prog Rock

[lovejustforaday]

2023 Year End List - #7

Psychotrovas and Mantis, Chosen by Experts and the International Association of Drug Addicts - Headed

Main genres: Instrumental Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop, Sampledelia

A decent sampling of: Trip Hop, Sound Collage, Ambient, Jazz Hop

Gray skies. Paranoid premonitions of an alien invasion. Waking up in your darkened apartment and not being able to tell the time of day, or what day of the week it is. Sadness in the form of hallucinations. A dark and isolating psychosis.

These are the ways I would describe the listening experience that is my #1 most unknown, completely esoteric choice album for 2023 - Psychotrovas and Mantis, Chosen by Experts and the International Association of Drug Addicts.

Full disclosure - I actually knew so little about the actual artist's origins and identifying information, and what I know now that I've done a bit of research still isn't all that much.

In fact, I don't even remember how I came across this record (perhaps bandcamp, or more likely by sorting by 'esoteric' on the RYM charts), but I remember that I saw the cover art and was immediately intrigued.

Anyhow, here's what I did manage to gather for information, at least according to the sparse sources online that I can go off of:

Headed is one of a few projects "headed" (hahahaha why yes I am funny thank you) by Chilean multi-genre musician Camilo Gonzáles, who runs his own independent label called Turnout Music.

According to its official bandcamp page, this record "is a concept album about a boy who takes drugs to stay happy after a separation with his girlfriend and thus not be constantly sad, but after several months he can't take it anymore and ends the addiction, ending in a mental chaos represented in the second half of the album." And true to it's premise, this record is a seemingly endless abyss of trippy, glum atmosphere.

The record is also split into two distinct parts proper.

Psychotrovas, which takes up the better chunk of the record, is a tad more upbeat, marked by winding, introspective corridors of instrumental hip hop and sampledelia. Tracks are often two or even three parters, sometimes alternating between radically distinct movements.

On the latter end, there's the much shorter Mantis, which is mostly a collection of one or two minute surreal, "gloombient" music pieces of the Yume Nikki-esque variety.

Also, can I just gush that I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I actually recognized a few of the samples on this record from albums I already really love, which honestly thank fuck because I doubt there's any information on the internet that could tell me where any of the other samples come from, seeing as how the guy is basically uber-underground.

But I digress. On with the track-by-track highlights.

"Sun Audio" gets right into the pleasure centres of my neural network. A brilliantly choppy sample of the already stellar drumline from Stereolab's "Diagonals" is boosted and overlaid with some moody sci-fi flying-saucer-type synths to create a perfect equilibrium between soft glowy tingling sensations and the eerie atmosphere of deep space isolation. Honestly I could really enjoy just listening to a 30 minute loop of this segment alone, but then the track switches to some very phaser-heavy (whole lotta phaser on this record) piano jazz beats with some nicely done unresolved chord progressions to ease me into the uneasiness that is to follow on later tracks.

My personal favourite cut is "Syria", sampling old melancholic Hispanic folk music over some very Dilla type beats that place me right in the middle of a windswept plateau wasteland with nothing but the clothes on my back and the bitter taste of yearning in my mouth. This segues into another piano piece, this time equal parts sinister and truly heartbroken. Seriously, I frigging love this track but I would not recommend listening to the second half if you're already at your rock bottom.

"Tomorrow... Yeah Tomorrow" carries some very surrendering, indulgent energy, like my muscles are loosening and my mind is slowly melting into escapism, albeit maybe not the healthiest kind. This kinda just feels like being shlonked which has thankfully only really happened to me once or twice. It feels like you could get lost in this track, especially with that distant spoken word piece which feels like it should only be physically happening a few feet away from you, but you're experiencing it as though the dude is murmuring in the other room.

"City Soundtrack / Protocolo Jaco / Sorry" is perhaps where the atmsophere of the Psychotrovas side really sets in at its most intense. This track alone is thirteen minutes and manages to feel ages longer, yet somehow like almost no time has passed at all by the end of it. There's ghosts of the past all around you as you're walking alone at 2:00 am, but you're kind of just content with them lingering there since they all just kind of bleed into the background.

Mantis begins with "Sun Age", an ambient track that blends the phosphenes and eigengrau of when you close your eyes into a single sonic colour, then stretching it to a distorted wavelength that drones with a yawning weariness. Tired eyes as expressed through song.

I also really like "The Coldest Season", which rings with that distinct coldness when you live in a port city and you're down at the waterfront by yourself on a winter night.....other people can relate to this behaviour, rite? But yeah, this one is probably the loneliest and yet possibly coziest track on the LP.

I really gotta give it to this record's ability to effectively communicate its conceptual story with changes and progressions in its mood, and basically no lyrics apart from a few short interluding skits with a fictional radio show host. It's honestly quite stunning. This is some A+ showing (sounding?) instead of telling within the music album format.

That said, I could see how this might be too long for some. I could possibly have even seen myself considering bumping this to a 10 if Psychotrovas had been edited down about two tracks and Mantis having been a little more fleshed out, maybe with one good 5+ minute ambient piece.

But beyond my nitpicking, this is probably the most impressive atmosphere on any album I've heard this year. Psychotrovas and Mantis (etc.) is a great example of one of those brilliantly conceived and executed records that slips through the cracks all the time due to the sheer saturation of music in the streaming age.

If you do check this one out and enjoy it as much as I did, please support the artist on Bandcamp. Idk who this Headed guy really is or what he looks like, but the dude's got mad talent.

9/10

Highlights: "Syria", "Sun Audio", "City Soundtrack / Protocolo Jaco / Sorry", "The Coldest Season", "Sun Age", "Tomorrow... Yeah Tomorrow", "Kaleidoscope", "Mellow Nights (Tape)", "Nunca Ouvi Algo Assim", "I'll Remember April", "Masterful Space Project", "Untitled......."

#Psychotrovas and Mantis #Headed #Chilean music #Chilean alternative #Sampledelia #Instrumental Hip Hop #Hip Hop #Experimental Hip Hop #album review #music review #list #aoty #year end list #2023 #aoty2023

[greensparty]

Album Reviews: Sleater-Kinney / U2

This week I got to review the 11th album from the always reliable Sleater-Kinney. The Pacific Northwest indie rockers have been on my radar since 1997's Dig Me Out (got my copy on vinyl). They've done some great albums, but that still stands as my personal favorite. I saw Sleater-Kinney headline the Siren Music Festival in Coney Island in 2002 and they blew me away. After the band took an indefinite hiatus in 2006, they reunited in 2014. It’s funny that the masses now know Carrie Brownstein for Portlandia and didn’t even know her as the singer/guitarist for Sleater-Kinney. But I digress. The band’s 2019 album The Center Won’t Hold was a polarizing album that was so polarizing drummer Janet Weiss left before its release, but I actually really dug it and I even named “The Future is Here” my #1 Song of 2019. Their first post-Janet Weiss album was Path of Wellness, which I named my #6 Album of 2021. There are purists who feel it's not the same band without Weiss. But Corin Tucker and Brownstein have kept the band going and their newest album Little Rope drops from Loma Vista this week.

album cover

This is an album that came out of tragedy after Brownstein's mother and stepfather died in a car accident. Similar to how Foo Fighters' recent album But Here We Are was Dave Grohl working through the passing of bandmate Taylor Hawkins and his mother, much of this album is about grief and resilience. I am happy to say this is the First Great Album of 2024!

Sleater-Kinney at the 2002 Siren Festival in Coney Island

After Weiss left the band, there were some fans who felt it wasn't Sleater-Kinney without her. That is not true, but it does need to be said that with Path of Wellness, as much as I liked the album - it is a band trying to figure out how to go from being a three-headed monster to a two-headed monster. But with this one, Brownstein and Tucker are clearly past that transition and diving back into the indie rock sound they perfected over the course of the last 30 years. There's some serious standouts on this album like "Say it Like You Mean It" and the epic closer "Untidy Creature"! This is the definition of aging gracefully in alt-rock. All Hail Sleater-Kinney!

For info on Little Rope

4 out of 5 stars

U2 Zooropa 30th Anniversary Vinyl

In October 2023, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of U2's album Zooropa a limited edition yellow vinyl was released. This review is a little late, but better late than never! Coming off the success of 1991's Achtung Baby, their 8th studio album was something of a surprise album. They had planned on recording an EP that turned into a full album, which was very much an extension of the electronic sounds they were experimenting with on Achtung Baby. They only announced the new album a few weeks earlier. This also marked the fastest U2 album ever recorded, they did it in only six weeks in early 1993. I happen to be at Newbury Comics on the day it was released and bought it immediately. It is an excellent U2 album that rarely gets mentioned, but its one of their best. One of their finest moments is the album closer “The Wanderer”, the band’s duet with Johnny Cash! The album went to #1 on the charts and won a Grammy.

the 30th anniversary edition of Zooropa

In the past few years, I have been lucky enough to review a number of U2 re-releases including the 2017 Super Deluxe edition of The Joshua Tree, the 2020 Super Deluxe edition of All That You Can't Leave Behind, the 2021 30th anniversary edition of Achtung Baby, as well as last year's album Songs of Surrender. The thing with the aforementioned Deluxe Editions is they remastered the original album, included some B-sides recorded during those sessions and a live concert (for the most part). This re-release is a little different. Let me back up for a minute: in 2018 there was a vinyl re-release that included 2 remixes of "Lemon" and "Numb". This 2023 vinyl release is basically the same release on yellow vinyl (in honor of "Lemon" I'm guessing) and a new photo of the band from 1993 in the gatefold. It would've been cool if they had padded this with more bells and whistles but I get that it wasn't as robust of a recording session as Achtung Baby was. The 2 remixes are alright, but not worth re-buying if you already have this. The yellow vinyl is cool as is the picture, but in the end it's really just a reminder of what a solid album this was. As we all await U2's first original album since 2017 (last year's Songs of Surrender was re-recordings of older songs), this is a reminder of how prolific the band was during a break from the Zoo TV tour to knock out an incredible album that still holds up today!

For info on Zooropa

4 out of 5 stars

#sleater kinney #album review #music nerd #u2 #reissue #1993 #album reviews

[le-souriant]

#MusicMonday Review - May 2023

#MusicMonday is the hashtag I've been using for quite a while to share music recommendations from up-and-coming artists. Always fresh, and always different, trying to look for trends before they become one. You can check April's review for more music.

Multiple subjects, different genres, yet this month's tracks open up without holding back. Have an honest listen, with a word from the artists themselves. 🎧

Bad Pilot – The sad king & the Singer

We begin this month in Friedrichshain, Germany, with a synth pop hybrid full of drum, bass, and electro beats:

"This song is inspired by one of The Hyperion Cantos' character, The sad king Billy, novel by Dan Simmons that I read during the lock down periods.

The sad king gets bored alone in his Palace while the world is sinking into chaos devoured by a mysterious scourge that spared no one. In love and obsessed with the world of the Arts, he invites his muse and poetess to write and sing songs in a new Babylon that he wants to create with her and 8000 other artists, a world of free spirits without limits to entertainment, without political structure and without police."

The Palava – Comfort Zone

The honeymoon phase it cannot last Just give it two years and it’s in the past I wake from my sleep and I hear your name

The glass is broken and we’re missing a piece Just hold on and follow me We gotta hold tight we can make it work

From York, England, this Indie Rock track let's you channel your broken heart, where you're put in the past, with no signs of going back:

"the song was influenced by the themes of a break up and the feelings that go around clinging onto things you shouldn’t and the feeling of needing to let go but being unable to."

Box Of Kings – Two Timin' Woman

You took all my lovin’, you took all I had You played your part then snuck off to another man

You told me you loved me, said I was your man You’d never ever do me wrong, or so you said

Well, you’d best believe me now, the cat’s out of the bag Your scheming ways are done, too late to make amends

Let's move away from a bad breakup to the Netherlands for some Blues Rock, instrumental interlude included, about trustingly walking into an emotional trap:

"Nothing from personal experience. It’s just a rock song about a deceiving woman. We (the guys in the band) are all happily married. 😁"

Social Station – Secrets to Be Heard

You can be a freak, and I can be a weirdo Take a hit, you can’t quit, look around the corner Push or Pull, empty or full, there is nowhere left Are you talking to me? Well that’s my best DeNiro

From heartbreak, and deception, we travel to Washington, D.C. for a haunting post-punk track that makes you believe. Sink or swim, you have to hold your head high:

"I would say Secrets to Be Heard was a pretty spontaneous track, completed very quickly in the course of a single recording session. The general theme of the song is trying to be comfortable in your own skin, owning up to failings, and just trying to be a better person.

Like many songs on our new album, Secrets to Be Heard is definitely inspired by those trying to be true to themselves and trying to live their best life. I wouldn't say there was one particular experience or person, but a collection of people that I've known personally that unfortunately could not cope with issues of being accepted, mental illness, and substance abuse.

This song is a reflection on those struggles, and imagines if they could have been helped, simply, if their secrets could be heard."

Jared Knapik – Tempered Glass

I blinked just in time to watch it all pass by By in front of me, it's been five years since we're 23 Remember when you said to me, "In five years and we'll be 30"? Is this how you wanted it to happen, or is this just a bad twist?

Now we're 29 and the years are flying by Without much courtesy, just rushing all my memories Remember what you said to me when I told you what you meant to me? Standing out there in the cold, I prayed this life to go slow

We end this month's selection in Granby, CT for an mysterious acoustic track about the concept of time, actions, and consequences:

"I don’t often like to say exactly what songs are about — I think it can detract from listeners’ abilities to extract their own meanings — but I’ll say this:

I like to describe songs as “emotionally autobiographical”. Meaning, maybe there wasn’t an actual car accident like is described in the chorus, but the feeling is real.

The lines in the verses — “Remember when you said to me, ‘In five years and we’ll be thirty’”, and “Now we’re twenty-nine and the years are flying by without much courtesy, just rushing all my memories” — those were real conversations I had with someone about how quickly time seemed to be passing us by. It seemed like as we got older, the times we got to see each other became fewer and farther between; the weeks turned into months, then years."

Listen to them and much more on the complete Playlist:

#music #musicmonday #review #2023 #may #Spotify