#rough trade july 2023

[satashiiwrites]

Snippet sunday

Tagged by @monsterrae1 for a seven snippet sunday. Thanks for the tag Rae! I’m pretty sure @outtoshatter also tagged me for a wip whenever earlier this week when I was mostly focusing on surviving the work week (so thanks Gia!).

Low pressure tagging @outtoshatter (you never said no tag backs!) @tkwritesdumbassassins @alyxmastershipper @westernlarch @missanniewhimsy @whimsyswastry @rosieposiepuddingnpie @quietborderline and whoever else wants to play along

From my rough trade project that I’m yeeting tonight.

Title: Scintillation (excerpt from chapter 3)

Fandom: MCU

Pairings: Winteriron, Erik Killmonger/T’Challa, one sided Stucky. Tony Stark & Ho Yinsen.

Tags/warnings: panic attack this chapter. Erik is a warning in and of himself. Deals with canon events with canon level violence + added sex (not this snippet).

Through the bond, Tony can feel that James is… happy. 

He doesn’t know what to do with this feeling and it’s very distracting. 

“How am I not boring you?”  He doesn’t mean for it to sound defensive but it does. 

James is amused instead of offended. “You’re passionate about figuring things out and it animates you.  Why would I not like something that you find interesting?”

Tony is perplexed. “Most people don’t?”

“I am not most people.  I’m your sentinel.”

If he’s telling the truth, Tony’s often been told to get to the point.  He’d been coached on how to make business presentations and had maybe self-medicated with alcohol for years.  Extremis had put a final kibosh on what little drinking he’d done after the whole palladium-poisoning pity party had blown up in his face. 

What was the point of drinking if you couldn’t get drunk unless you actively were trying to poison yourself?  He’d noticed that James didn’t mind a beer or two but otherwise didn’t really touch the stuff. 

“You don’t drink do you?” Tony asks, already onto the next topic. 

“It doesn’t really do much for me and… well….”

“Well what?”

James’ eyes go unfocused, like he’s seeing straight through Tony.  “We used to party when we were on leave—didn’t get too many of them.  One time me and the Howlies were in London and Steve was spending time with his dame, Peggy, and Howard was with us too… it was a bad bombing that night.  I haven’t… I didn’t like those memories and I associate it with being drunk.”

“When exactly did you become a supe?”

“A supe?” James arches an eyebrow playfully and Tony can feel the teasing tug on their bond. 

“A super soldier.  Like Steve.”

James frowns, thinking which feels like an itch at the back of Tony’s brain now that he’s focusing on how the sentinel feels through their bond. “I… things weren’t normal after he rescued me.”

“You mean the first time?”  Tony doesn’t think that James means Steve’s most recent rescue attempt. 

“Yeah. I mean, I could get drunk but it took a lot.  Was told I was being a right unfunny bastard by Dum Dum because I was hogging the liquor and he wanted me to share.”

“So you were showing signs of the serum?”

James shakes his head minutely, rubbing his hands through his hair and tugging on it to show the question was difficult for him to answer. “I… I think I was starting to come online as a sentinel.”

Tony considers this information which is new.  There’d been many failures over the years to reproduce the super soldier serum that had made Steve. Hell, Extremis’ fix had used his dad’s VitaRays as a starting point to solve the energy overload problems. Tony knew the VitaRays weren’t the part that had worked to make Steve into Captain America, despite some other research to the contrary that SHIELD may or may not have funded. 

“Was Steve online before the serum?”

James’ attention refocuses on Tony.  “Yeah.  I’m pretty sure he came online when his mom died.  She was just like him and both of them wouldn’t stand for any sort of thing they thought was wrong.  I spent a lot of time rescuing Steve after he picked a back alley fight with someone twice his size and three times as mean.”

“I’ve seen pictures of what he looked like before the serum.  It really transformed him.”

“I didn’t recognize him at first when he showed up in Austria. He… it wasn’t just how he looked.  He smelled different.”

“Well he’d been running around dodging bullets and bombs so it makes sense that he’d smell like a war.”

“I’m not talking that.  I’m talking… everyone smells slightly different.  It’s… it’s your smell,” James tries to explain, wrinkling his nose and rubbing it. “Steve smelled different after he became a super soldier.”

“Huh.  What do I smell like?”

James’ smile takes on a hungry edge.  “Darling…”

“What do I smell like to a sentinel?”

Instead of answering, James rolls them so that Tony is beneath him.  Closing his eyes, the sentinel breathes in deeply through his nose twice before he lowers himself to settle his weight between Tony’s legs and press his nose to the angle of Tony’s jaw.  It’s not sexual, the bond hums with intense focus and Tony doesn’t feel trapped so he lightly rests his hands on James’ back. 

“Babe?”

James’ inhale in noisy because he does it with his face pressed against Tony’s, eyes fluttering open as he stares right into Tony’s eyes.  “You smell like home.  Like you’re mine,”

The tenderness of his sentinel’s affection laps at the bond like waves breaking on a distant shore. 

Tony’s never been someone somebody permanently wants.  He’s a one-night stand kind of guy because he gets too attached and then relationships implode—for example Pepper.  With Pepper he’s been able to keep their friendship but it’s not the same as it was.  He can tell sometimes that he tries her patience more than he used to, that he scares her when he does what he has to as Iron Man. 

He’s scared to take that final step with James.  To let him in all the way.  Nobody has liked what they’ve seen when they really look at Tony. They like the shiny baubles and the money.  The things he can do for them or give them.

Everyone tires of him eventually. 

“Darling—I don’t know what you’re thinking about right now but stop it,” James growls and it pulls Tony out of the maelstrom of pity and self-hatred he’d been sinking into. 

James’ hold is now claustrophobic and Tony pushes at him. “Can you please…?”

The sentinel rolls away as if burned and sits up next to Tony.  “Tony?”

“Sorry.  I know it’s too much,” Tony has climbed out of bed and is standing awkwardly next to it. James and Elsa—who he’d forgotten—are both watching him with matching expressions of concern. It’d be funny if Tony wasn’t holding on by his fingernails to stop the panic attack threatening to overwhelm him from taking over. 

Before he can completely shatter, T’Challa’s shields cover his, filling in the widening cracks. He hears a snarl of a big cat and Erik’s concerned “Tones?” before he passes out, overwhelmed. 

#snippet sunday #wip whenever #winteriron #tony stark #james buchanan bucky barnes #not cap friendly #Erik Killmonger/t’Challa #erik killmonger #t’challa #Mcu #mcu fic #rough trade july 2023 #25k or bust #scintillation

[nicoscheer]

From 1:41:35 to 1:48:25

“I feel the connection between me and you, when I say you I mean my fans”🫠❤️

Right after “we share the guitars of Glastonbury: the monkeys are back on the Farm” great timing 🤣

I adore his genuine appreciation and gratitude for his fans

Miles for 101 part time jobs with Giles Bidder podcast

"there is a miles kane shaped space in rock music" 🐢🫶🏽👑😭😭🥹

"A young kid coming up to me in Rough Trade crying her eyes out saying 'Your song saved me life', that, to me, is what it's about." 🫠🫠❤️😭

A video of the interview

Miles is Kenough

Baby Miles

https://www.webabo.fr/produit/plugged-n58-aout-septembre-2023/?fbclid=PAAaa9emm92a4V8-zekoimzqe3HnhAsuQ1HrrdHiZHFaMzEUbpn57UaUPz9SA

In case anybody has some money left over, also the way you can see his contact lenses 🫠🥹

Miles for Jam interview in Belgium

#miles kane #31/07/2023 #I will forever be in favor of Miles wearing tracksuits AND only Miles #also why does he look like a kid waitin for his mum to come pick him up after training #jay Forrester #interview #article #did Miles actually generate that Ken pic himself or did a fan share it with him also the blonde hair; flashbacks 🫶🏽 #Youtube #Instagram

[romaine2424]

Daily Blog July 2, 2023

So I'm mad at my beta! We were chatting back and forth on Discord originally about my WIP fic I'm writing. Yes, the one were I wrote the first 7 chapters back in 2007 before HPDH was released. Anyway, the fic will have 4 parts, and part 1 is the original. I asked her to beta the older chapters so they would be ready to go. Ummmm, she mentioned the whole premise of the fic, was making her anxious. So I stopped her from doing anymore and said no worries. Betaing should not cause stress. Okay we'll get back to me needing a beta at the end of the blog today.

But this is not why I'm mad at her. No.... she mentioned she's writing for @hd-fan-fair this year and did I take a look at the prompts. I said absolutely not because I always get sucked in. So we chatted some more and she said oh just take a look and tell me which one you would write for if you were participating this year.

You see where this is going don't you... Since my muse is on fire these days. I spotted a prompt and boom, full shorter story popped into my head. The final lines and everything. So, yes, I've joined the fest and I blame my beta! Actually, I love @myaulophobia dearly.

What I'm reading:

Yesterday I said I would be reading the first posted story for @hd-wireless. Um, that will be tonight. Because I was just taking a look at my Tumblr feed when @drarryspecificrecs posted the longest Drarry fics for June. Bam! So I read Tandem (92K) by fast-brother (AO3). Who is also another NEW author. OMG where are they coming from? We are so blessed in Drarry. This story, this story I read until I fell asleep last night and woke up early on this Sunday morning to finish it.

Here's the summary: Harry and Draco meet by accident six years after the war. Harry's an Auror with a drinking problem and Draco's a broke student. Things don't work out well. Six years after that, Draco joins the British Auror Office as a Potioneer.

Here's a little more from me: Draco was sentenced to 15 years probation of No Magic and all vaults and Manor confiscated. Lucius and Narcissa were sentenced to Azkaban. The Ministry was a mess during the trials and the Ministry is still in a mess. Ron is Head Auror (love this!) and Harry is also a mess. Great Auror, but drinks too much, has sex too much, and works to hard to push down those hard to deal with feelings.

The story is written from alternating POV, which is quite nice and helpful in understanding the place where both of them are coming from...not a good place originally. The story starts with the meeting after the first 6 years, which is rough. Then Draco moves on, marries, and makes something of his life as Potioneer in France. However, he has no magic so he's learned to do things for himself instead of relying on others' magic to help him. Draco is hired with insistence of one Ron Weasley to come back and work for the Aurors as their UK DMLE Potioneer. Then sparks start to fly...

This fic has one of the best relationships between Ron and Draco that I've read. Hermione too, but mainly R & D. They all love Harry, but...... And Harry, oh I love this Harry despite his being an arse in so much of it. However, he has his story and his telling of what happened in the Forest is unforgettable. And you, too, will fall back in love with our Harry.

There are so many scenes that are memorable but I'm not going to say anymore. You need to read this fic and give one of our New Drarry authors love.

Tandem on AO3

Rom needs Beta Help!

Let me state up front that I do have an Alpha, the wonderous and amazing @m0srael. What I'm looking for is a strong SPAG beta and if you can spot inconsistencies and/or canon issues, even better. I'm an engineer by trade and cannot tell you the last time I took an English/grammar class. I'm terrible with my commas! As my beta was also my Britpicker... I might need one of those later on.

Here's the link to The Azkaban Letters so you can read all of the pairings and warnings. Yes, it is a Drarry fic but.... The prologue is also available to read. The fic, I think will come in at about 200K. I have 90K written. It's broken down into 4 parts and Part 2 will be the longest.

I'd list more but no need to bore most of you. So if interested take a look at the link and prologue. If that doesn't scare you and are interested, you can DM me here on Tumblr.

Thanks for this personal indulgence!

Rom

#romaine2424 daily blog #july 2023 #drarry fic rec

[littlemusicreviews]

ANOHNI & The Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross

July 7, 2023 (Rough Trade)

ANOHNI is a generational talent, and her new album My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross feels like a culmination of her 25-year career. She reunites after more than a decade with long-time band The Johnsons, and thus the sonic palette harkens back to their chamber pop releases from the 2000s. However, the influence of her electronic solo album Hopelessness is felt through the presence of the maximalist instrumental builds in “Scapegoat” and “Rest”, as well as the whiplash of “Go Ahead”, which takes an immediate left turn with its bold, experimental structure.

ANOHNI’s vocal performance is chameleonic and also draws from her entire previous body of work. In “Sliver Of Ice” she plays the part of a coy lounge singer, and then a mere song later on “Can’t” she wails like a banshee, evoking urgency within the listener through her pained performance. This urgency is multiplied by the lyrical content of My Back Was A Bridge, which overflows with sadism and masochism in equal measures. ANOHNI addresses dead family members, sings from the perspective of her dead friends, and laments our dying planet, all intertwined with both literal and metaphorical images of violence, aching joints and broken bones.

As grim as it all sounds, the overall tone of the album is confronting rather than bleak, and rather than only inspiring hopelessness it functions as a call-to-arms. One example is the massive riff that bursts into the last minute of “Scapegoat” like a sunbeam through a storm – it is an epic, awe-inspiring moment that unshackles you from the onslaught of dark themes, even if just for a moment.

And then, in the final moment of the album, ANOHNI leaves us with the message “For me / You be free for me”. She has allowed the listener to feel the pain that she feels, but ultimately grants us permission to break through that emotion and push forward with progressive change for both ourselves and our planet.

Favourite track: “Can’t”

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

#anohni & the johnsons #my back was a bridge for you to cross #album review #music review #8.5

[noloveforned]

putting together stuff for tonight's no love for ned on wlur at 8pm. you can catch a repeat of last week's show immediately after at 10pm to give you four solid hours of whatever it is i do on the radio. as is the new norm, last week's show is below and streaming on mixcloud for those of you with more exciting friday night plans!

no love for ned on wlur – july 21st, 2023 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label the certain someones // sad salvation // murderecords 7" singles 1993-1998 compilation // murderecords the edsel auctioneer // slouch // simmer // decoy cheerbleederz // cute as hell // even in jest // alcopop! guardian singles // pit viper // feed me to the doves // trouble in mind the ape-ettes // hearing protection // simply the ape-ettes // snappy little numbers the dad // 2nd best friends // 7 a.m. 7" // unread snooper // pod // super snõõper // third man dr. sure's unusual practice // carol // remember the future? live from the future // marthouse keel her // boner hit // with me tonight 7" // o genesis uppendix // desire's not the one // bliss is solipsis // discontinuous innovation famous mammals // comets for poets // instant pop expressionism now! // siltbreeze private lives // hit record // hit record // feel it andrew savage // thanksgiving prayer // several songs about fire // rough trade prairiewolf // sage thrasher // prairiewolf // centripetal force matthew sage // tilth dawn rustles // paradise crick // rvng intl. laraaji and kramer // ascension // baptismal // shimmy-disc anton lukoszevieze, alexander hawkins and heather roche // variations vii and ix (excerpt) // jack cooper 'arrival' // astral spirits carlos niño // brooklyn zoom, brooklyn zoom // international anthem at public records volume four, december 10th, 2022 // international anthem mike reed featuring marvin tate // call off tomorrow // flesh and bone // 482 music john coltrane // impressions // evenings at the village gate // impulse! napoleon da legend and giallo point // game plan // coup d'etat // fxck rxp billy woods and kenny segal featuring quelle chris // soundcheck // maps // backwoodz studioz kenny g featuring barry johnson // hi, how ya doin'? // g force // arista wendell harrison // the glamorous life // the carnivorous lady // rebirth snoh aalegra // be my summer // be my summer digital single // atrium bernice // underneath my toe // cruisin' ep // telephone explosion ivy // get out of the city // apartment life demos // bar/none bonne idée // it will be back // a dream of you 7" // cloudberry lily konigsberg // at best a #3 // the best of lily konigsberg right now // wharf cat u.s. highball // see you in hell // no thievery, just cool // lame-o the particles // driving me // 1980s bubblegum // chapter music

#wlur #radio shows

[jacksadventuresinwriting]

AO3 Wrapped

Thank you my beautiful author friends for the tags. @thekristen999 @the-likesofus @elvensorceress @jobairdxx @monsterrae1 @spotsandsocks

I know I'm lagging but I've been in full editing mode for a few weeks 😂

Works Published: 20

Word Count:  54k

Hits:  41,926

Bookmarks:  777

Most Popular by Kudos: Dear Instagram, I'm In Love With a Boy 

Most Hits: You Can't Stop Missing Me

Longest:  The Pause Between. It's currently at 18k with 5 chapters posted.

Shortest: One Last Kiss, Then Catch Your Flight | 438 words 

Most Comments: Dear Instagram, I'm In Love With a Boy  

Fic that made me cry:

Your Heart is the Softest Place. After Buck talks to Hen is 6x04, he ends up at Eddie's house.

Fic that made me smile:

Beautiful Rhythms. It's just 1000 words of Eddie being stupidly fond.

Gifts: I didn't write any gifts this year.

Collaborations: No collaborations.

Events: July Rough Trade - Sentinel AU

Underrated: Hmm, I don't know. Maybe a teeny fic. Kiss Me is just 450 words of Buck and Eddie making out in the kitchen.

Coming in 2023:

I'm currently plotting for my Inexplicable Babies fic for the Q1 Big Moxie challenge, I have two new fics in the works for the Love Is... Series and a whole new *redacted* fic that is in the last stages of plotting and scene planning.

Tagging anyone who wants to play and hasn't been tagged yet. I'm SO LATE to this, so I feel like most people have done it by now but I'll tag a few anyway.

@blaidddrwg1982 @lostinabuddiehaze @firemedicdiaz @hattalove @hmslusitania @capseycartwright @cowandcalf

#buddie #buddie fic #ao3 wrapped #evan buckley #eddie diaz #jack writes

[thiawen]

Since I’ve asked about challenges recently, I wanted take a minute to talk about my favorite challenges that I follow. (Though I confess I have yet to participate even though I’ve followed them for years. Someday, damnit.)

These are all multi fandom events that are free for everyone to follow and participate. I highly recommend them.

First up: Evil Author Day

EAD is an annual event that occurs every February 15. It’s where authors post any of their Works In Progress for people to get a peak at and enjoy. Here’s the evil part - there are no promises attached to these snippets. The author may never get back to it. There may never be more than what you see or they may finish it next week. It’s read at your own risk. Seriously.

Jilly James maintains a masterlist of EAD participants that can be found here:

This goes back to 2015 and it’s still going strong. I encourage anyone who wants to participate. I’m thinking of doing so myself this year. When the time comes, you can drop a link to Jilly and she will add you to the masterlist.

Next: Quantum Bang

Quantum Bang is a Big Bang Writing Event and the theme is fix-it fics. It’s been going for a few years now and I love it. It’s too late for anyone else to participate this year but posting begins in June for anyone who wants to see this years offers. They also maintain an archive of previous years if you want to check it out. There are some absolutely amazing fics there and I highly recommend it.

You can find the website and archive here:

You can sort the archive by years, fandom, genre, author and artist. Very convenient.

Next: Rough Trade

Rough Trade is a multi fandom theme challenge. There are three challenges a year in April, July, and November. It’s technically two themes at a time and you can do one or the other or both. Whatever you want. The challenges for 2023 will be as follows:

April: Crossover / Found Family

July: The Sentinel / Natural Disaster

November: Magical World / Second Chances

You can check it out here:

You have to become a member to dig deeper into the site but anyone can sign up and subscribe.

Last: The Big Moxie

The Big Moxie is another multi fandom themed challenge but I think its a little more flexible than Rough Trade. Here are the Rules:

1. Minimum 5,000 words count (no maximum)

2. Any fandom (no RPF)

3. No limit on the number of stories

4. Only unpublished works qualify

The Big Moxie is a quarterly challenge. It’s too late to sign up for the first quarter this year but here they are:

Q1 - Inexplicable Babies

Q2 - Fusion/Crossover

Q3 - Friends to Lovers

Q4 - Time Travel

You can also find the To Every Season Challenge on this site. It’s a seasonal theme challenge that I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy.

Original Winter – January – March

Theme: Original Characters

Alternative Spring – April – June

Theme: Gender and Sexuality expressions outside of the binary

Sapphic Summer – July – September

Theme: Femslash pairing (Yes, it can be platonic)

Vibrant Autumn – October – December

Theme: Characters of color

You can find the site here:

I hope everyone enjoys all of these as much as I have. And I encourage anyone who wants to participate. It’s open to everyone and the fandoms and fics I’ve seen have been diverse and amazing. Go check it out.

#fandom thoughts #writing prompt #fanfic #fandom #danny phantom #DC #Marvel #Thunderbirds #Thunderfam #Fanfiction #fandom writing events #writing events #Evil Author Day #Rough Trade #Quantum Bang #The Big Moxie

[twinkandwink]

Having followed bdrmm from pretty much the beginning was a bit apprehensive about the new material but mind put to rest. Pretty powerful live. Track - Be Careful from the new album.

Bdrmm - Rough Trade, Bristol 3rd July 2023

#bdrmm #gigs #band photography #bristol #bands #indie music #music #gig photography #live gigs #shoegaze #neugaze #dreampop #sonic cathedral #rock action records #rough trade

[alexsfictionaddiction]

The Women’s Prize For Fiction 2023 Longlist Is Here!

I’m pretty sure that anyone who was reading my blog around this time last year will know that I follow the Women’s Prize for Fiction very closely. In fact, it’s the only book prize that I ever want to make the effort to read as much of the longlist as I can. So, this time of year is like bookish Christmas to me and I have been SO excited over the last couple of weeks during the build-up to this announcement. 

For those of you who don’t follow it, the Women’s Prize for Fiction is an annual book prize given to a book written in English by a woman over the last year. The eligibility criteria is as follows:

It must be a full-length novel (no short story collections or novellas).

It must have been originally written in English (no translations).

It must have been published in the UK between 1st April of the year before the prize and 31st March of the year of the prize (so, this year’s eligibility period was between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023).

So, here is this year’s longlist!

I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel. Published by Rough Trade Books on 9th June 2022. Pod by Laline Paull. Published by Corsair on 7th April 2022. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie. Published by 4th Estate on 7th March 2023. Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks. Published by Vintage on 2nd March 2023. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova. Published by Atlantic Books on 7th July 2022. Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo. Published by Vintage on 7th April 2022. The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. Published by Allen & Unwin on 2nd March 2023. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Published by Tinder Press on 30th August 2022. Homesick by Jennifer Croft. Published by Charco Press on 23rd August 2022. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh. Published by Penguin on 2nd March 2023. Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris. Published by Duckworth on 5th May 2022. Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. Published by Bloomsbury on 14th April 2022. Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow. Published by John Murray on 7th April 2022. Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes. Published by Mantle on 15th September 2022. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Published by Faber and Faber on 18th October 2022.

I’ve watched a lot of prediction videos and I was pretty sure I had a good idea of what books we’d see on this list. Having just watched the official announcement of the 16 books on the longlist, I am FLABBERGASTED at how wrong everyone was! 

Demon Copperhead is the only one I’ve already read and it definitely deserves to be there. Cursed Bread, Fire Rush and The Bandit Queens are on my TBR for this month anyway. I have copies of Trespasses, Stone Blind, The Marriage Portrait, Memphis, Glory, Pod and I’m A Fan, so will be getting to them as soon as I can. There are quite a few books on here that I’ve never even heard of, so that’s very exciting!

While I am quite sad not to see some of the popular predictions on here (Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Nightcrawling, A Spell For Good Things, Birnam Wood, Really Good Actually, The Rabbit Hutch), I am really intrigued to see how I get on with these books.

The shortlist of six books will be announced on 26th April, so I’ll be aiming to get as much of the longlist read before then as possible. The winner will be announced on 14th June, so you’ve got plenty of time to read them all before then, if that sounds like fun!

So, what do you think of the longlist? How many have you read? How many do you plan on reading? Are you as surprised as I am?! Now, go and read all the books, my lovely readers!

-Love, Alex x

#women's prize for fiction 2023 #women's prize for fiction longlist #women's prize for fiction #women's prize #books #bookworm

[jamieroxxartist]

So my wife Dani had a year! Here is her thoughts on it:

"✨ This is going to be a really long post✨

As I reflect on 2023, I realize what a wild year it’s actually been. This year has had its ups and downs. I started the year by changing careers and leaving a workplace I was comfortable at for over 15 years to try something new. I didn’t know how it would turn out, but I had to take the chance. It was a really scary decision but now, a year later, looking back, I made the right decision for myself.

There have been a lot of celebrations this year too. We celebrated so many birthdays and milestones. I attended conventions and parties. I traveled across the country to go to a music festival in Las Vegas and while we were there we got commemorative tattoos. I got to see the Chihuly ceilings in the Bellagio that I have dreamed about seeing since I was little. I did small things like go to karaoke and dinner parties and stayed out all night.

This year was also one of the hardest years of my life. We lost a beloved family member. I got sick at the end of July and fought for my life until I finally was able to have surgery in October. During this time my family and friends really stepped up to make sure that I knew I was loved and taken care of. My husband really stepped up to the plate and did everything that he could to try and get me healthy again. He made sure I was medicated on time every single day and I know that my being sick was just as hard on him as it was on me. While I was sick, my cat Jujube passed away. When I say, those almost 4 months were rough, I mean they were life-altering rough.

It wasn’t all bad though. After the surgery, I was really able to start building up strength again and had a renewed lease on life. I felt better than I had in years (and still do). My body had changed, but so had my mind. Something happens when you fight for your life. Every day becomes precious and you don’t want to miss a single moment. I’ve spent the last two months of this year really catching up on lost time. I’ve gone to as many events, trade shows, and get-togethers as I possibly could. I’ve spent a lot of quality time with my family and friends. I think I like this little life. I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings 💖🥰"

#livingmybestlife #life #happytobealive #2023recap #newyear #newyearnewme #lifeisprecious #fomo #happynewyear #happy #travel #tattoo #vegas #musicfestival #birthday #convention #plussizelife

#livingmybestlife #life #happytobealive #2023recap #newyear #newyearnewme #lifeisprecious #fomo #happynewyear #happy #travel #tattoo #vegas #musicfestival #birthday #convention #plussizelife

[safereturndoubtful]

Virpazar, Skadar Lake

Tuesday 24th October 2023

I had five days at Grebaje, in the Prokletoje National Park. It wasn’t at all busy, but I met the odd hiker, and just a couple of other campervans, Vincent from Belguim who I mentioned, and a Swiss family, who were living on the road, heading from Greece and Turkey for the winter, with an 8 and 4 year old.

On Monday morning, low on supplies, I left, and stocked up at the supermarket in Gusinje, where, a banner proclaimed, a round of the World Sky-running Championships had been held in July of this year.

I retraced my tyre-tracks through Andrijevica and over the Komovi pass, in an anti-clockwise arc, so coming back into the Komovi mountains, and the Accurseds again, but this time from the southwest (I’ll post a map in the next day or so).

I stopped for the night at Veruša, which, thanks to a new section of motorway, is only an hour from the country’s capital, Podgorica. Due to that new fast access, this beautiful area of the foothills of the National Park is booming, with plenty of new developments. There are some holiday houses, but many new builds are family houses for commutes into the city.

I stayed at a new campsite, in an early stage of development, with a few cabins built, and a few under construction. There were three cyclists there also, an older couple from Switzerland travelling together, and a woman from Chicago. We sat around a fire chatting for an hour or two.

This morning I headed up, deeper into the National Park, to Bukomir Lake at 1450 metres, where Roja and I took a couple of hours for a circuit on foot. From there, there is a narrow, winding and often steep road for 46 kilometres to the village of Kuč, just on the outskirts of the capital. In its first kilometre it heads up to 1850 metres and is prone to landslides, situated as it is, on the side of a steep slope. I had checked that it was asphalted, as otherwise I would have had no change in the van.

It is an incredible drive, and would make an even better bike ride. It will rank amongst the most spectacular roads I have driven, and I am surprised it is not better known. I saw no one else.

Access up to this part of Komovi National Park is all quite new. Twenty years ago there was no road, just a very rough track, access for shepherds to high pasture. Water for the city was the reason for the asphalt, and with came access for mountaineers, the formation of the National Park, and the infrastructure that brought, cafes, bars, holiday cabins and suchlike.

From Podgorica I headed south to the vast Skadar Lake, which forms a National Park, part shared with Albania, where it is known as Shkodër Lake. The most immediate difference is the climate. It had been -1C first light this morning, but here, almost at the coast, and almost at sea level, it is a humid 20C, with a range of just 3C all day and night. The next few days have big rain forecast, which the locals tell me will mean the end of this unseasonable weather.

I have found a small family run campsite at Virpazar, which has a busy tourist trade in the season, but now is dwindling to just a few. Boat trips and wine tasting are the main attractions. Montenegro has two thirds of Skadar Lake which is just under 50 kilometres long, and 15 kilometres wide. It has huge diversity of flora and fauna, and that means also 270 varieties of birds.

With this humidity my timing is slightly out, I need to get back to some altitude. It’s too early for me to come to the coast.

There’s a broad section of land I’m heading for, between Skadar lake and the sea, on a small wild road that gets up again to above a thousand metres. The forecast rain is considerable though, so we will have to just see how it goes..

[satashiiwrites]

Snippet Sunday

Tagged by @outtoshatter for a snippet sunday. Thanks lovely!

Tagging @monsterrae1 @tkwritesdumbassassins @quietborderline @butterflydm @westernlarch @rosieposiepuddingnpie @whimsyswastry @missanniewhimsy @megasaurus-regina with no pressure. This is only for fun!

Title: Scintillation

Fandom: MCU

Pairing: Winteriron, Erik Killmonger/T’Challa, one sided Stucky, Tony & Yinsen

Tags/warnings: canon typical events and violence. Sentinel/guide bonding with some not-completely consensual bonding. Erik is an angry man with reasons™️. Everyone needs therapy. Wandering POVs. First draft.

T’Challa wakes before Erik.  He exhausted his Sentinel last night, pushing them both to the point where there hadn’t been any residual resistance in their bond which hums strongly between them.  

That lingering resistance had been maddening.  A constant tug and irritation that he didn’t have his Sentinel fully because they’d been interrupted before they could complete the bond like they had last night. 

He shouldn’t have listened to his mother or Zuri for so long—he’d hurt his Sentinel with his reticence.  The one thing an orphan from California hadn’t needed from his true-match Guide was hesitance because he wasn’t one of them. 

Erik has long been unwanted and he, T’Challa, had made his Sentinel feel that way.

No wonder Erik has so much anger about them sitting here safe in Africa with anything and everything they could possibly want while he grew up in foster homes and never had anything after his father passed.  His sentinel had aged out of the system and managed to support himself, seen some of the ugliest poverty in the western world and emerged with a chip on his shoulder the size of a continent. A black man in a world where one in every three spends time in prison. 

T’Challa fears he has built a beautiful gilded cage for his Sentinel without meaning to by tying them together.  Erik had called their bond a leash that led him wherever T’Challa wanted when they first were bound. 

He swears he will do better by his mate. He is not his Sentinel’s jailer and he will not let anyone else be either. 

#snippet sunday #scintillation #erik killmonger/t’challa #winteriron #first draft #rough trade july 2023 #sentinel/guide au

[uneasylisteningradio]

The Music Biz July 22, 2023

stream on mixcloudBay City Rollers - Saturday Night

The Monkees - Ditty Diego—War Chant

Zounds - New Band

DJ speaks over Metallica - The Money Will Roll Right In (Fang)

Spoon - The Agony of Laffitte

The Desperate Bicycles - The Medium Was Tedium

Altered Image - Dead Pop Stars

The Pooh Sticks - I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well

Stiff Little Fingers - Rough Trade

Dinah Washington - Record Ban Blues

The Art Attacks - Punk Rock Stars (Reel Mix)

Smog - A Hit

Public Enemy - Harder Than You Think

Highway Robbery - Promotion Man

Wreckless Eric - Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.)

Nirvana - Feeling Shattered

Helen Love - Girl About Town

The Rezillos - Top of the Pops

Blackalicious - Deception

Blatz - Blatz to the Future

Fugazi - Target

Stan Freberg - The Old Payola Roll Blues (Like the Beginning)

Rudimentary Peni - Rotten to the Core

Belle and Sebastian - Seymour Stein

The Jam - All Mod Cons

The Rolling Stones - The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man

Active Ingredients - Rock Stars

Ruth Brown - I Can't Hear a Word You Say

Half Man Half Biscuit - Eno Collaboration

Statuesque - London in Common Time

Chumbawamba - How to Get Your Band On Television

#radio #community radio #wprb #fame #selling out #music business #punk #30s pop #post punk #oi #60s pop #baroque pop #bubblegum pop #new wave #soul music #no wave #folk music #anarcho punk

[allabouttenille]

Boom goes the Russian Dynamite

Impact Wrestling

July 27th 2023

The last time Tenille Dashwood and Masha Slamovich faced off against each other, it was a rather one sided affair so it was perfectly understandable that Dashwood wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of having to face Russian Dynamite for a second time. Calling it one sided might even be too generous. Instead, Slamovich completely dominated the match and confirmed that she isn’t paid by the hour as she only needed about two minutes to finish the job the first time.

Despite the reluctance, Dashwood takes part in the match, even if it’s likely only because she knows that a victory would put her right back into title contention following her recent losses to the now former Knockouts World Champion Deonna Purrazzo. Slamovich meanwhile looked to simply repeat her performance from the last time out with an early attempt at the Snow Plow, but this time Dashwood managed to squirm free and even escaped to the floor in order to regroup.

While on the floor, Dashwood was clearly trying think of a different approach since Plan A didn’t even get a chance to start before being countered. Before Dashwood can enjoy the safety of the floor for too long though, Killer Kelly happily stalks her way around ringside, quickly forcing the Australian to make a decision. At the count of seven, Dashwood makes the decision to re-enter the ring and continue the match. As soon as she slides in, Dashwood tries to trip Slamovich but has little success in doing so.

Instead, Slamovich is quickly able to retake control of the match but unlike what happened in their previous encounter, Dashwood manages to stay alive and avoids a second attempt at the Snow Plow. Obviously, the Australian did her homework this time. Dashwood’s offense is rare, but the longer she holds on, the more and more annoyed Slamovich grows. Normally, that’s a bad thing for the Russian’s opponents but not in this instance.

Following a third failed attempt at the Snow Plow, Slamovich is ready to explode when she gets her focus taken away from the match. Dashwood backs into the corner and is only too happy to divert Slamovich’s attention to the entrance way where the former Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Taylor Wilde and KiLynn King, have started to make their way to ringside.

Despite spotting the duo first, Slamovich remains in the ring but is soon more focused on Killer Kelly going to greet the visitors. Kelly welcomes Wilde to the party with a rough headbutt, quickly drawing the ire of King as the trio waste little time in starting to trade shots. Watching from the ring as the Coven begin gaining the upper hand, Slamovich decides to act and goes to leave the ring, but instead Dashwood quickly pulls her back by the tights, and rolls the Russian up. Dashwood, with a handful of the tights, puts her full weight into the roll up before showing no shame in using the middle rope for extra leverage, allowing the Australian to score the surprise three count.

Not willing to hang around and risk the wrath of Slamovich, Dashwood scurries out of the ring and gets her arm raised in victory on the floor, a grin quickly forming on her face as the realization sets in. An irate Masha Slamovich starts to give chase to Dashwood, but stops at the ropes and turns to look in the opposite direction instead. In the entry way, Killer Kelly is struggling with the numbers disadvantage against the Coven.

Slamovich hesitates briefly as she now has to make a decision. She can take her revenge on Dashwood, or she can assist her MK Ultra teammate. But there isn’t time for both. After only a few seconds, Slamovich glares at a relieved Dashwood before backing away and opting to assist Killer Kelly in her fight with both members of the Coven. The choice is all the opening that Dashwood needs in order to escape in one piece, and with the upset victory.

[krispyweiss]

Tommy Emmanuel with Jorma Kaukonen at Southern Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, July 13, 2023

Tommy Emmanuel needed a breather.

An hour into his 90-minute show inside Columbus, Ohio’s, Southern Theatre, Emmanuel feigned breathlessness following a scorching run of “Doc’s Guitar / Black Mountain Rag,” during which he deftly flipped his capo off the neck of his acoustic guitar, and “Mombassa,” a track that finds the soloist becoming a band as he employs a drum brush and his hands on his mic and guitar and becomes a temporary drum machine.

“Damn, Tommy, I had to smoke a cigarette after that last song,” opener Jorma Kaukonen said as he returned to the stage, plugged in and helped Emmanuel - and the audience - catch their breath.

Trading solos and singing in harmony, the duo reprised their recording of “Another Man Done a Full Go Round” from Emmanuel’s Accomplice Two before a grimy reading of “Trouble in Mind.”

Calling it a “real treat,” Kaukonen had come up from Athens for a one-night-only opening slot on Emmanuel’s tour. Taking the unadorned stage July 13 at 8 sharp, the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna co-founder was seated in jeans and with picks on his right fingers while he turned in an abbreviated, 55-minute iteration of his headlining show, delivering such numbers as “Hesitation Blues,” “Let Us Get Together Right Down Here” and “Good Shepherd” to the appreciative fans who filled two-thirds of the Southern’s 1,000 seats.

At 82, Kaukonen remains a deft picker and has become a grizzled blues singer, though he briefly turned jazzy on “Where Have all My Old Friends Gone,” a recent and welcome addition to the repertoire that ponders the inevitable and the unknowable.

The anthesis of Kaukonen’s low-key persona, Emmanuel, 68, bounded on stage and launched. Seated, he rocketed through two instrumentals that filled the hall with sound as he bounced his legs and swung his under red-and-white lights that flashed on his black pants and white cowboy shirt.

The palpable energy solicited spontaneous outbursts from the audience. And even Emmanuel - who simultaneously played lead, rhythm and bass parts on his six-string acoustic guitar - was not immune.

Soon he was on his feet, singing “Nine Pound Hammer,” and scratching a rough surface on his axe’s body to add percussion to the mix while playing the melody with his left hand on the guitar’s neck.

“Don’t need no stinkin’ band,” Emmanuel deadpanned mid-song as the audience gasped through giggles.

And he didn’t.

Emmanuel was the band as he waxed contemplative when paying homage to Chet Atkins on their “Smoky Mountain Lullaby” - the last track the man who christened Emmanuel a Certified Guitar Player ever recorded - and turned celebratory on his famed and wordless “Beatles Medley,” his blurry fingers flying around his guitar as fast as time passes when Tommy Emmanuel is on stage.

Grade card: Tommy Emmanuel with Jorma Kaukonen at Southern - 7/13/23 - A/B+

7/14/23

#tommy emmanuel #jorma kaukonen #2023 concerts #jefferson airplane #hot tuna #chet atkins #the beatles

[noloveforned]

friday night finds me hosting no love for ned on wlur from 8pm until midnight, as usual. please swing by if you're around or stream last week's show on mixcloud when you get a few minutes!

no love for ned on wlur – october 6th, 2023 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label pavement // carrot rope // terror twilight // matador soccer mommy // here // karaoke night cassette // loma vista standard fare // philadelphia // huw stephens session on july 1st, 2010 10" // precious andrew savage // my my my dear // several songs about fire // rough trade closet straights // apologise // closet straights // cobra snake necktie pop filter // heaven sent // cono // bobo integral patio // the sun // collection // fire talk kissing party // no advice // graceless // (self-released) blues lawyer // have nots // sight gags on the radio 7" ep // dark entries this is pop // 666 // white monkey // lollipop gentilesky // city of boredom // ways of seeing // hozac collate // erika's trip // generative systems // domestic departure oxbow and peter brötzmann // a gentleman’s gentleman // an eternal reminder of not today- live at moers // sleeping giant glossolalia emily robb // first grow a gold plant // if i am misery then give me affection // petty bunco califone // villagers // villagers // jealous butcher records modern nature // tapestry // no fixed point in space // bella union bobby jackson // desiree song // spiritual jazz volume fourteen- private compilation // jazzman daniel villarreal featuring jeff parker and anna butterss // bring it // lados b // international anthem donald byrd // black byrd // black byrd // blue note quin kirchner, daniel van duerm and matthew lux // pink void // kvl volume 2 // astral spirits tito puente // africa habla // el rey bravo // tico mckinley dixon // run, run, run // beloved! paradise! jazz!? // city slang noname // namesake // sundial // (self-released) l'orange and blu // cafe lover // old soul (outtake) // old soul wiki and tony seltzer // numb // 14k figaro // wikset enterprise pivot gang // aang // aang digital single // (self-released) taken by trees // she loves the way they love her // another year ep // rough trade world atlas // darling, it’s always something // slow love // (self-released) the hannah barberas // you're so?! // fantastic tales of the sea // subjangle / spinout nuggets still submarine // photos i never took // warmer shades of you ep // (self-released) hero no hero // just to be with you // pacific standard time // (self-released) hazy sour cherry // little run // tour de tokyo // damnably wolf girl // good for nothing // mama's boy cassette // soft power

#wlur #radio shows