#also abba is epic

[magiccath]

Weirdly specific headcanons Pt. 2 (Tenth Doctor x Reader)

a/n: finals fried my brain again, have some headcanons (new fics coming soon, I promise)

Says stuff like “2+2=5” with such confidence that you almost believe him

Secretly likes it when you and Donna call him “spaceman”

His favorite Earth snack is Goldfish (especially the colored ones)

Insufferable to watch movies with because he corrects everything

Traces words in circular Gallifreyan on your skin, usually on the back of your hand

Things like “I love you” and various nicknames he has for you

Often times when he fixes the TARDIS it doesn’t really need it, he just likes having something to do

Similarly, the TARDIS creates issues so he has to fix them

His love language is quality time, he just wants to be with you

Having you sit in the room while he fixes the TARDIS, showing you every single part of the universe, laying in bed on lazy days, etc

Needs constant reassurance and love

Cuddles too

Might not remember things like your birthday without reminders from the TARDIS

However, he knows exactly how you like your tea, your favorite color, and every single nervous tic you have

900+-year-old toddler 

Requires constant supervision or he will cause harm to himself and/or others

Is absolute rubbish at cooking. Something always ends up burnt 

Makes a mean cuppa though

He loves all kinds of cuddles but he really likes it when the two of you fall asleep spooning

Big fan of wrapping his entire body around you and tangling his limbs with yours

Also goes crazy for a good hug

Maybe his love language is also touch

He likes sitting on the floor for some reason, especially the TARDIS floor

Sits in chairs really weird too. Practically drapes himself across them with his long limbs sticking out and over the chair.

Has boundless amounts of energy. Is it a Time Lord thing or ADHD? We’ll never know (It’s both)

Knows enough random stuff to win Jepordy, but he would epically fail at it

Would correct every single answer and argue that he was right, not the answer sheet.

“Mount Rainier isn’t a volcano, fire aliens were just living under it.”

Loves ABBA and Queen. Can be often caught singing their songs to himself, especially when getting ready

Has a little troll doll collection in his room, among other strange 90s toys and random objects he likes

[groenendaelfic]

Calling all Young Royals ABBA fans for aid for fic research purposes! Please Help!

this post will include spoilers for the setting of the hypothetical The Upgrade 'verse which @simonsapelsin and I have totally not been brainstorming, specifically for fic 3, so please skip if you don't want any more spoilers appart from the giant one already in the title.

Questions I need help with:

imagine you are Simon, having just had epic boat or island beach sex with Crown Prince Wilhelm during your second ever meeting, which ABBA song do you hum? - is Voulez-Vous too on the nose?

which part of ABBA The Museum and its many interactive experiences should Wilmon definitely not miss?

what is Simon's childhood defining ABBA memory which makes him want to visit the museum?

At said museum, what's Simon's karaoke song choice?

is there a more perfect karaoke choice for Wille than Take A Chance On Me?

which song would play in the background while they have sex during/after their tour?

Are there any cool places at ABBA The Museum to have sex at? (the museum will be closed for them and/or they'll visit before or after it opens for the public)

Dancing Queen was dedicated to the irl queen of Sweden the day before her wedding to the king. What does that mean for Queen Kristina and the Young Royal's 'verse? Was it dedicated to her? (ngl I had a minor mental breakdown over this) - timeline wise Pernilla August was 18 when the song came out, I think Queen Kristina is meant to be a bit younger than her actress, but also maybe not? - it could have been dedicated to her as a young Crown Princess - or years later, no one says a song has to be dedicated immediately

apparently ABBA's Frida is best buds or something with the irl queen, I know practically nothing about Frida. Would it make sense character and personality wise if she were also friends with Kristina?

Which ABBA song would be perfect to feature in a Young Royals fic? Why?

anything else which comes to mind which could be helpful re ABBA + Wilmon?

[creative-soul-22]

I watched all 3 Night at the Museum movies!

1. I liked all 3 movies, they were all good!

2. They were all really funny, I laughed a lot!

- Favourite movie:

Hard to tell, but I maybe the second one. Yeah I guess I liked that one best.

- Favourite Character(s):

Jedediah! He's such a cool cowboy and such a buddy you could hang out and really have a good time with him. He's def the one who invites his friends to the saloon (imagine him and Octavius at the Saloon). And of course, I know he hates it (sorry, Jed) he's tiny and cute and I would totally cuddle and kiss him and adore him because he's a small figurine! (@professional-termite would snatch him and run away because tinyyyyy boiiii)

Very close second is Akmenrah! He is a very distinguished, elegant son of a pharao and he is really kindhearted. I like him.

Teddy Rosewelt! He is so caring and such a father to everyone it's heartmelting. Robin Williams, may he rest in peace, was the perfect cast for him because, well, that's how I always saw Robin Williams. As a loving, caring father who encourages others and wants to make everyone feel special and who is there for others when they have a problem (maybe because he was always casted for these roles?).

- Favourite relationship(s):

Larry's and Jedediah's friendship! They are such bros and they really care for each other, it's so cute!

Jedediah's and Octavius' friendship! I know you ship them, and I totally understand why. I see it. But for me it's more like Jed and Octavius ARE a little in love with each other, and maybe would want to make out BUT also don't want to change their relationship so they decide to be bros. It's bromance. Brotherhood with a romantic touch (That's just how I see it please don't kill me!!!).

The exhibits and Larry growing to a big found family!

- What I liked:

The opening scene of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

How natm 3 adressed the "returndiscussion" (as we call it in Germany). It might never went beneath the surface (which is indeed a bit of a pity but it's okay), but still it adressed and paid attention to it. And that's important because this has become a thing for museums nowadays (gonna put this in a seperate post for further discussion/explanation)

The whole lore/story arch about the tablet

Jed and Octavius in Pompeii (I just wish it wouldn't have been by the time it went down because they were finally in a place in the right size for them and they would have really enjoyed Roman citylife, especially Octavius, he almost felt home there)

The opening show for the new planetarium because it's magical (I just wish it wouldn't have been interrupted by the tablet loosing it's magic causing everyone to glitch)

Amelia Earheart's adventurous spirit (she's just an AU Giselle, not only, but mostly because it's Amy Adams)

Abraham Lincoln (I wish he and Teddy had met!)

Dick van Dyke! It's always a pleasure seeing him so this was a nice surprise. Pretty sure it was the best day of their life for the residents of the retirement home when Dick van Dyke came in to dance with them to "Shake your booty".

Everytime Dexter was cute with Larry or anyone else (hugs!!)

Akmenrah's mum, she is pretty

Ben Kingsley playing Akmenrah's dad (that wasn't the only time Ben played a pharao, right? He played a pharao in another movie? Can't put my finger on it rn)

Akmenrah being together with mumy and daddy after 4,000 (?) years

All 3 movies ending with a party - creates a full circle

The Night at the Museum main theme (epic!)

The little bird-thingy before the xiangliu (forgot it's name but it's cute)

Somebody listening to Abba's Dancing Queen on the bus

Jed and Octavius using the internet/phones (the machine for the comments! Commentmachine!)

- What I didn't like:

Everytime Dexter was peeing on somebody/something (Ewwww!)

Everytime Dexter was mischivious

The way the museum director was depicted (seriously, what was that? Messiest character arch ever - if there even WAS a character arch?)

The solution to the problem with the tablet (for real guys that thing looses it's magic and all it takes to fix is to put it in MOONLIGHT?! Okay then how about you put it on the roof of the museum like a solar panel so it can charge like a glow in the dark sticker everytime the moon shines on a starry night?)

The museum director holding the tablet at the end of natm 3 whilst grinning like Dexter (seriously, after what we've seen from him, he knows what the tablet can do - which is no longer in HIS museum - and you're telling me he's not up to SOMETHING?? I'm not buying it.)

The tablet staying in the British Museum (I know they want Akmenrah and his parents to be together and I really like it BUT how do you explain this to the Museum? "Oh, we're leaving the mummy and it's tablet here, you know, the mummy's their son so we think it's nice for the family to be united. They might be very precious artefacts but we'll present them to you. You can have them.")

The ceremony being interrupted by the corroding tablet which caused the exhibits to glitch (this was the ONLY! moment of glory for Larry and the exhibits in public and it turned into a disaster - heartless filmmakers!)

Tilly's and Larry's cringey talk when we first meet her (annoying! Also, her name is Tilly... Jennifer Tilly namedrop here!)

Jed being picked up like a kitten (ruuuude!! And humilliating!)

- What I found hilarious:

The notion of dinosaurs just being doggos who want to catch sticks might not be historically accurat but it's totally funny

The cuts everytime Jed and/or Octavius did something epic to demonstrate how small they actually are (although it's a bit rude)

Octavius in the pillory and Jed watching it like "ooh"😎 by the time the sun has come up so they stand there until the sun goes down

Abraham Lincoln snatching Kamunrah's army as if they were pigeons and them disapearing to where they came from just like "Nah. We're out."

Jed in the cage like a little birdy (although I feel sorry for him but he looks just like a little titmouse in there - yeah, @professional-termite : snatched again!!)

[fudgelling-away]

Shenanigans (I'm sorry I ve been imagining these for days) 🤣🤣🤣

Fudgie: *Is about to open the door*

Amalia : what are you doing?

Fudgie : Opening the door?

Amalia : No, honey I have a better idea

Fudgie : Oh really whats that?

Amalia : Glad you asked! Teehee

Sans sitting on the couch

Amalia with Fudgie behind her back:

Fudgie: you sure this is a good idea?

Amalia : Oh heck yeah hold on!

*Jumps into the room from the window*

Both: There's not a soul out there

Noone to hear my praaaaaaayyyeeeeeeeeer

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight won't somebody help chase the shadows awayyyy

*keeps singing Gimme Gimme Gimme by Abba*

Link 1 Link 2

Sans:.. Ladies?

Both: yes?

Sans: whose idea was it to come from the window?

Amalia: Oh! Oh! Oh! It was me! UwU

Sans: Couldn't you just come in from the door? Like a normal person?

Fudgie : I told you we should have used the door!

Amalia : True... She was about to open the door but I wanted adrenaline and Impressiveness magnificence epicness *sparkle sparkle*

You can continue how it goes or change it of course.

... I'll see myself out :')

Hahahah, Sans would not have a minute of peace with us.

Gimme Sans after midnight!!!

Gimme Sans in the morning

Gimme Sans in the evening

I'll also have Sans in the afternoon, of course I will.

Sans, be a dear and keep the windows unlocked. Remember to drink lots of water. Take care of yourself. Eat some snacks. Rest while you can, baby.

[loneberry]

War + Geopolitics

The world is on the precipice. What is there to say? It’s surreal to live through a war in the age of social media, in the age of AI, when the business model of Twitter/X (monetized virality, pay-to-play blue checks + amplification) incentivizes the rapid spread of misinformation. We are also witnessing the algorithmic suppression (shadow banning) of perspectives that are critical of Israel, along with the proliferation of doctored videos, fake images, and imposter accounts. For this reason I’ve stopped checking social media. I’ve been both inspired by and disheartened by the responses I’ve seen online, but the informational chaos is overwhelming.

Where do things stand at the moment? I’ll try to synthesize some of the information I’ve gathered.

POSSIBILITY OF A REGIONAL WAR

With the bombing of the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza, the region is inching closer to a conflagration that has the potential to ignite a global war. At the moment, I do not think it’s possible to say with certainty who bombed the hospital that killed hundreds of Gazans. Palestinian officials say it was the IDF, that homemade Hamas and PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) rockets are not deadly enough to kill hundreds. The IDF claims it was a PIJ rocket that misfired and published a video that had a timestamp that did not correspond to the time of the bombing. Biden claims it was not Israel, but has not produced the evidence to substantiate the claim. Regardless of who is behind the devastating attack, the effect is the same: fury across the Islamic and Arab world at both Israel and the US.

It is not in Israel, Iran, or the US’s interests to go to war, but structural factors could nonetheless push all parties in that direction. Iran has warned Israel against a ground invasion and occupation of Gaza. Israel is gearing up for such an invasion, but now appears somewhat hesitant. A ground invasion and protracted urban warfare will undoubtedly be bloody for both Israelis and Palestinians. If Israel does pull the trigger on a ground invasion of Gaza, the chances of Hezbollah attacking Israel and opening a front on the northern Israeli border (with Lebanon) greatly increases. Even pro-Israel US hawks don’t think that Israel can handle a two-front war, which is likely contributing to Israel’s hesitation about a ground invasion of Gaza. If Hezbollah jumps in, Iran will as well. If Iran goes to war with Israel, I think it’s almost guaranteed that the US will step in to back Israel, likely with American troops on the ground. Would China and Russia step in to back Iran? (Hard to say at this point.) This is the scenario in which the region would explode into a broader devastating conflict. 

The crisis has been a disaster of epic proportions for the Biden administration. His trip to the region has been a complete diplomatic failure. Landing in Israel soon after the hospital attack, the US has thrown its weight fully behind Israel. Arab leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Abbas, have canceled their diplomatic meetings with Biden. The Arab world will believe that the US has green-lit whatever Israel decides to do. The delicate alliances the US has been trying to build with the Gulf States to check Iranian regional influence are crumbling. This has already started a superpower scramble for influence in the Middle East.

GLOBAL GEOPOLITICS

With US’s regional credibility in tatters, China and Russia have stepped in to call out Western hypocrisy and position themselves as the new power brokers in the region. Of course they are opportunistically seizing on the chance to strengthen an anti-Western alliance, but their message will nonetheless resonate with countries in a region that have been destabilized for decades by US interventionism. China will position itself as a mediator but may not have enough of a rapport with countries in the region to serve as a credible mediator. Despite benefiting from an anti-western alliance, I doubt China will get involved militarily. Russia has clearly been drawn much closer to Iran after their invasion of Ukraine, but they have a complex relationship to Israel. While Ukraine has repeatedly sought military support from Israel, Israel has refused to provide such support and did not sanction Russia. Israel and Russia have coordinated with each other on military operations in Syria. Israeli neutrality toward Russia is partly driven by the huge Russian population in Israel—around 17.25% of Israelis are Russian speakers, many of whom were Jews who migrated from the Soviet Union, making them a vital bloc within Israeli society. At the same time, Russia stands to benefit greatly from a protracted conflict in the Middle East, as such a conflict will draw Western attention and material support away from Ukraine and toward Israel. My guess is that Russia will seek to pit Arab countries against the US while maintaining military neutrality. However, that might change if Iran gets into a hot war with Israel.

India and Israel have grown closer in recent years. I was surprised to learn that India has been a major source of anti-Palestinian misinformation. Modi has developed very friendly relations with Netanyahu, as Modi is a Hindu nationalist who has whipped up Islamophobic sentiments within India.

While the people of the Arab and Islamic world are broadly sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, each country has their own national interests (previously, I discussed the Abraham Accords and the Saudi/Gulf pivot toward the US). Jordan and Egypt are reluctant to accept Palestinian refugees. Many Palestinians also fear that the creation of a humanitarian corridor into Egypt would be a second Nakba that would lead to their permanent displacement from Palestine. Jordan and Egypt have refused to accept Palestinian refugees because they fear that it would destabilize their security and could justify Israeli attacks on their countries. The people in Gaza have nowhere to go. No place in Gaza is safe, as the hospital attack painfully demonstrates.

ENERGY WAR

Iran has called for an oil embargo on Israel. Oil/gas/energy markets have already been disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent oil markets into chaos and contributed to inflation and high gas prices (which also eroded Biden’s approval rating). Oil producing Arab countries may use their leverage as energy suppliers to counter the west’s backing of Israel. What would happen, for instance, if Qatar reduced gas supplies to Europe just as Europe has dropped Russia as their main gas supplier? 

DOMESTIC US POLITICS

No doubt, the current crisis will hurt the Biden administration and the Democrat’s chances at winning the presidency in 2024. The party is basically split down the middle on the Israel-Palestine issue. Young people justifiably feel that Biden’s backing of Israel has contributed to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. (His approval rating was already in the toilet with young people.) At the same time, a second Trump presidency will be even more catastrophic. Trump already brought us to the brink of war with Iran by assassinating Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and further fanned the flames of the Israel-Palestine conflict by moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and facilitating a “peace process” that excluded the Palestinians. 

I do sincerely hope that there is a revitalization of the antiwar left. We failed to stop the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. The US’s “war on terror” was a colossal failure that ensnared the US in a quagmire of pointless wars that lasted decades. I will never forget what it felt like atmospherically to live through the beating of the war drums and to be called a terrorist sympathizer by everyone around me (this was in Florida). Stopping the machine of war will be even more difficult this time around given how deep the US-Israeli alliance is, but we must try. 

*

There is a lot more to say, but I’ll end here. What next? I hope there is a ceasefire and that Hamas releases the hostages. I pray the siege on Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, that Palestinians get their freedom and dignity. The world is a wound. We are grieving. Grief can easily be routed into bloodlust and tribalism. I am holding my breath. I pray the world steps back from the cliff edge and that the peace process begins in earnest.

[epic-song-lyrics-showdown]

About Submissions

Voter Fraud: pretty much not possible at this point, or any point in this showdown. That being said, we are gonna submit song lyrics that are cool as well.

IMPORTANT: this isn’t technically song lyrics that fuck you up, it’s epic song lyrics, a bit of a distinction. Basically, if you just think the lyrics are cool that’s chill.

Closing Submissions:

At the moment, it’s looking like our showdown will be a cursed 512. We currently have 364 submissions, and once we hit 400, we will give three days notice for closing of submissions. After that, we will add in the songs we want to add. Depending on how that goes, submissions may or may not reopen for a bit.

Why does this even work:

We don’t use a traditional bracket. We basically just generate the matchups for each round randomly. Because of this we’re not stuck with really using nice numbers, it just makes it a bit messy on our end. We like to take as many submissions as possible, so we’ll just expand the bracket instead of removing submissions. This also means for ties, we consider them to be when they finish within 1% of each other. If they do tie, they move on separately.

Now for some fun facts

Languages other than English that have been submitted.

French: 3, probably 4, not totally sure though

Japanese: 3

Finnish: 2

Czech: 1

Hungarian: 1

Artists that haven’t been submitted and we think it’s kinda weird:

Abba

One Direction (not horribly weird, but none of the individual guys have been submitted either and that’s kinda weird)

Lana Del Ray

Lorde (1 submission but it seems like there’d be more)

Older Hozier (It’s only ones from Unreal Unearth and like four other songs right now)

[paloma-ascends-into-hellfire]

intro post or whatever because why not i'm bored and i should be studying for my finals but haha, clearly i'm not

~ basic info ~

paloma/palo/whatever | she/they | ace + bi | latine (el salvador)/canadian | infp | bookworm | writer | music lover | theatre kid |

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

~ books and movies and musicals, oh my~

percy jackson / a good girl's guide to murder / one of us is lying /

epic the musical/ starkid/tcb/ dear evan hansen (i'm sorry i'm a cringey teenager) / stranger things (fuck noah schnapp) / the outsiders / glee (again, cringey teenager) / wednesday / rtc

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

~ music ~

laufey, olivia rodrigo, melanie martinez, the cardigans, em beihold, precious pepala, paris paloma, dove cameron, showtunes, taylor swift, abba, seb lowe, daisy grenade, billie eilish, renée rapp, paramore, dua lipa, camilla cabello, kaia jette, kendall nicole, mariah rose faith, haim

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

~ fav albums ~

guts, olivia rodrigo

reputation, taylor swift

1989, taylor swift

speak now, taylor swift

midnights, taylor swift

egg in the backseat, em beihold

when we all fall asleep where do we go?, billie eilish

sour, olivia rodrigo

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

~ misc. ~

i play alto sax, drums, keyboard, and clarinet

my blog is kind of a disaster, but it's mostly hatchetfield, spies are forever, lgbtq+, current events, wholesome stuff, and occasionally a personal anecdote, we're kinda all over the place here but oh well

PLEASE TALK TO ME ABOUT MEDICAL STUFF ESP MEDICAL HISTORY

also i love ranting so if you wanna rant with someone, i'm your girl

free palestine

fuck jkr

trans rights

go away terfs, homophobes, aphobes, islamaphobes, anti-semites, racists, bigots in general

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

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

hoping to do some good in the world (Muslim Hermione- fight me, jkr)

When a little muggleborn girl walks up to the Sorting Hat, a number of purebloods (and a number of muggleborns, to be honest) wonder why they can't see her hair- why her head and neck are covered by a dark blue headscarf.

In the ensuing months, they will learn the word hijab.

---

Hermione Granger is faithful and studious. She hates breaking the rules and is a perfectionist.

(She is also stupidly, irrevocably, wonderfully noble.)

In this universe, as in most others, Hermione Granger carries these traits close to her heart, in her spine and in her head. She holds faith in things that do not have a ready explanation, believes in heroes despite all evidence otherwise.

---

Hermione Granger finds a Summoning charm in her textbooks and figures it out how to perfect it before she even steps foot on the Hogwarts Express. If she is to complete her five daily prayers, then she will need a way to grab her prayer rug easily without having to carry it around all day (the Hogwarts blueprints show a school almost too large to be real- she’ll have to investigate that).

She leaves her first class and her lunch block for five minutes everyday. She heads out into the hallways, summons Abba’s prayer rug, recites a compass spell to orient herself toward Mecca, and recites her prayers.

---

This is not a story about heroes and villains. It is not a story about war and destruction, about magical spells and epic climaxes.

This is a story about the strength of a single girl’s faith.

---

Hermione knows fear. She knows the way that people look at her hijab with suspicion, look at her father like he’ll hurt them and her mother like she’s stupid (despite the fact that they’re both dentists, with their doctoral degrees and a wish to help others). She knows hatred, the way people sneer when they look at her and the way boys at her primary school would tug at her hijab, jeering names at her face.

She knows that Harry and Dean and Lavender and Anthony and Neville and the Patil twins all suffer from the same prejudice as she does, if for different reasons.

When Draco Malfoy spits mudblood in her face, when he curses her origins, she calls upon the spells that she can run past her lips. She summons up a righteous anger borne of years of absorbing others’ hatred, remembers pages and pages of spells. She whips hexes at prejudiced lips, smiles at the crunch of her fist against his face.

---

Hermione Janan Granger does not pray to flawed mentors and old men- she prays to Allah, and to herself. She is more than just a pawn, a fount of unfocused knowledge.

She wants to do good in the world, just like her parents, but she guards her trust close. She bestows it on those who have earned it- Harry, Ron, Ginny, Millicent, Anthony, Neville, Luna- but not on men who people seem to put blind faith in without proof.

Her faith is strong, but it is not without base.

---

She makes friends with Anthony Goldstein, who celebrates Yom Kippur and Hanukkah and the Shabbat prayers with the same devoutness with which she practices her own faith. In a rather secular, magical world, being able to find someone else who puts such effort into their faith is relieving to her.

---

During Ramadan, her mind grows sharp and her spells powerful even as her stomach growls. Her focus increases as her hunger grows, as her faith finds its way past the limits of her stomach and into her bones.

Her dedication to her faith becomes known, and respected. During this month of the year, she is unbeatable even as her skin grows a bit sallow and her stomach grumbles during classes.

(She heads down to the kitchens after sunset and is greeted by a feast. She understands that, magically speaking, it fulfills house elves to provide food for her, but her faith does not abide by slavery of any sort. It is hard for her to process their smiles whenever she asks for food.

So, instead, she thanks each and every house elf, mentions them all by name in her prayers. Perhaps this will help them.)

---

When Hermione tells Harry, the orphan boy, the forced hero of the story, that they are all heroes, she doesn’t mean that they are all saviors of worlds, leaders and princes. She doesn’t mean that they have to save the day, have to be courageous and beautiful and in love.

She means that they are survivors, and that this, in itself, is a heroic act.

---

Her caftan for the Yule Ball her fifth year is modest and beautiful. A long dark blue caftan, trimmed with dark blue lace and embroidered in gold, it is just perfect. Her hijab is dark blue to match.

Viktor Krum looks at her and smiles. “You look beautiful, скъп."

She smiles. “Thank you, Viktor."

Viktor Krum is nothing like the perfect Muslim boy she dreamed of as a little girl, but he is smart, and wonderful, and perfectly kind.

He respects her faith and her boundaries, calls her beautiful. He holds her hands, but does not kiss her. He is the perfect first boyfriend.

---

When she emerges from the lake, her hijab is sodden with water but thankfully still covers her hair and her neck.

---

Viktor leaves at the end of the Triwizard Tournament. Cedric won, Fleur placed second, and Viktor placed third. Despite his loss, he smiles and says, "It vas vorth it, Hermione, because I got to meet you."

Hermione returns his smile. "It was nice to meet you as well, Viktor. We'll continue to write, right?"

He nods. "Of course."

---

Hermione Granger is not meek. She is devout, and focused on her studies, but not meek.

She is full of faith for many things: Allah, education, and herself. She channels this faith into progress, into change.

---

Harry comes to her at the end of fifth year, stomach in his throat. “Hermione,” he says, eyes downcast, “I have something to tell you.”

“Yeah?” she asks, raising her eyes from her book.

“I...I think I like boys and girls.”

She looks at him. She’s suspected for a year or so, ever since his minor obsession with Cedric Diggory last year and the way he stares at Neville’s arse sometimes.

“Okay,” she says, and flips the page. “Tell me when you finally ask Longbottom out.”

Harry sputters, and she smiles.

---

Hermione’s sixth year, she breaks up with Viktor. It is an amicable split, no hard feelings between them. He wishes her luck with school and asks if she’ll mind if he comes to celebrate her graduation next year.

She smiles and says of course not.

---

She walks into the Room of Requirement (a fascinating discovery when searching for an answer to Harry’s Second Task two years ago) and finds Harry and Neville snogging in the middle of the Historic Legends section of the Great Hidden Library.

She clears her throat and they spring apart, looking like they’ve been caught doing something unspeakable. “Mind handing me the copy of the Upanishads, won’t you?” She gestures to Neville, who grabs a copy of the book that she’s seen him reading on the Express and hands it to her. “Thanks,” she says, and heads over to the Muggle Sports section (the far end of the library) so she can read in peace.

---

Hermione graduates top of her class, Susan Bones, Draco Malfoy, and Terry Boot right behind her.

The world is at her fingertips, and all of knowledge is within her grasp. She can change everything wrong with the world.

---

When Hermione Granger is eleven, she climbs a stool and puts a hat on her head. She is told that she will do well in either Ravenclaw or Slytherin, and she smiles.

I want to learn everything, she thinks, and the Sorting Hat shouts her House to the world.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13706415

[findafight]

here is the spotify link to Robin and Steve's Epic Platonic Soulmate Mixtape (vol.1) I'm going to say they made this version in the early spring of 1985. fic link

track list and explanations under the cut!!

Side A--the queer side

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler: I'm gonna take a wild guess and say y'all know why this is here

Rainbow Connection by Kermit: also self explanatory. and a bop. AND about rainbows. what more could you want?

Bangkok/One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head (Original Chess Recording version): 1) a banger. 2) from a whole musical written by the Bs of ABBA 3) Steve likes to listen to musical while vacuuming his pool :) 4) queer vibes. "the queens we use would not excite you" "i get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine" also to note they DID probably shave off the first minute of instrumental, but not all of it. I used this version and not the radio edit because in my heart of hearts I believe Steve picked up the Chess concept album in the fall of 1984, vibed with it, (I've answered an ask about stobin and the musical chess where I talk more) and that's the version he has.

Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen: tbh always sounded gay to me, and it's such a fun song, I think they'd vibe with it and agreed it's a silly little nod to steve's previous rep.

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard by Paul Simon: GAY GAY VERY GAY SONG "it's against the law...what their mama saw/it was against the law" HMM also it's catchy and has so much potential to be an angsty queer ballad too. (also Robin's dad is 100% a Simon and Garfunkle stan that's just. a fact to me.)

I'm Coiming Out by Diana Ross: iconic song claimed by the gays. for the obvious reasons. bit on the nose but this is for THEM.

Sunshine (Go Away Today) by Jonathan Edwards: About not letting someone control your life. It's catchy and heartfelt, dreams about the future. Steve's Vecna Song for me.

You Can't Hurry Love by The Supremes: stobin are losers in the love department, and it's a great and hopeful song about not rushing into things. The Supremes Version because Robin is influenced by her former Hippie parents, and Steve by his Aunt Evelyn and her love of 50's and 60's music. They have appreciation for the Oldie Goldies.

Lady Marmalade by LaBelle: Disco baby. I also feel this was a song for us queer folk. maybe because I'm queer and I like it. it's great, and robin loves hearing women sing about having sex.

Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler: throwback to the first song on the mixtape Steve gave Robin at the very beginning! now with the Upside Down between them it means more too. it's also SO FUN to belt in the car. frantic and with a good beat. I don't think I need to justify this one haha

Believe it or Not (theme from Greatest American Hero) by Joey Scarbury: Robin LOVES this stupid show about a cringe fail teacher with his cringe fail life getting a super suit from aliens and then losing the instruction manual. It just feels like a show she'd like even though it's so silly. The theme song is actually great tho. I think it'd really tickle the part of Robin that feels overly average and a bit trapped in Hawkins, but feels those confines lessen when she's with Steve and getting to feel like there's more out there for her. Personally, I first heard it on cassette of top 100 tv themes (along with MASH, Law and Order, Hawaii Five-oh, Andy Griffith etc) sitting in a booster seat in the front seat of my family's motor home on a long summer road trip in the early 2000's, as my dad drove and told me what show each song was from. (Steve buddy I understand your dream so much ok. There's nothing quite like being a kid and going on a roadtrip with your family. magical.)

Side B--The Besties side

You're My Best Friend by Queen: Love song for your best friend me thinks yes :)

Stuck With You by Huey Lewis and the News: the only anachronistic song on the playlist, but I couldn't NOT put it on. lavender marriage stobin REAL. They're stuck with each other :) also look at Steve. He is a guy who listens to Huey Lewis. We know this. He heard this song a year before it came out and was like robin :') it's us....I'm stuck with you...I'm so Happy about it :))

Stoned Soul Picnic by The 5th Dimension: Robin's parents are former hippies. This song is fantastic. Pure vibes. Steve and Robin are going to get rescue cats that are bonded together and name them Sassafras and Moonshine for this song.

Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles: Bop and a half. Sing along song.

Both Sides Now by Judy Collins: 1)gorgeous song originally by Joni Mitchel but this version is a bit faster 2) Robin's former Hippie parents influencing her taste strike AGAIN 3) she tries to convince Steve it's about being "queer like him" and he doesn't buy it but "I've looked at love from both sides now/.../I really don't know love at all" and "Oh, but now old friends they're acting strange/ And they shake their heads and they tell me that I've changed/ Well something's lost, but something's gained" hit different for him

Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel: I chose this billy joel song because it's 1) catchy as all hell 2) about having sex 3) mentions dying and stobin are like We didn't die!! hell yeah! Steve's a pianist and tbh he loves billy joel. who doesn't. it was between this one and piano man i guess, tho i love many Billy Joel songs that are "deeper cuts" ha. and "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints/the sinners are much more fun" line is like. what are they gonna do. not be an emotional queer teen about it?

Raspberry Beret by Prince: it's catchy, and whilst originally I had put La La Love You By Don McLean here, I like this one better. Robin is definitely a Prince fan. and a beret fan. happy coincidink. and its a fun song! about loosing your virginity to a hot girl in a barn!

Indiana Wants Me by R. Dean Taylor: okay originally I'll admit I put this on the masterplaylist because. obviously post-s4 Eddie running away angst song even if it's more folk-rock than metal. I think Steve and Robin would listen to it and really vibe with wanting to go home but not being able to. even if it's not literally. also they live in Indiana and like. you've gotta respect a song about where you live. ALSO the cop sounds in it. so good.

Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen: a song? about being disillusioned with the American dream after seeing the institutional failures of the government??? very Steve. the whole album is great, and I know I've reblogged a post about Steve and the album (My Hometown hits different). It's angry, frustrated, passionate. Being queer in a small town where the government covers up it's human experimentation and alternate dimensions probably makes you feel a lot of things. All with the veneer of Americana.

Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) by Peter Starstedt: purely self indulgent of me. I adore this song. I think Steve heard it, and thought of Robin. The remembering, the deep knowledge of another person, the longing. When he told Robin that it's a song he always associates with her she tears up a bit, because it's so tender and loving, and a bit silly. Like. Steve knows she'll be amazing and can't comprehend anyone not seeing it. It's sooo tender.

Thank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold: Golden Girls didn't air their first episode until fall 1985, and obviously when it does Stobin are loyal viewers, (Steve is in love with Bea Arthur. as is right) but this song came out in the 70's. It's fun and cute and catchy! They love each other and are so, incomprehensibly grateful that they found each other.

[tisthenightofthewitch]

Ghost: The secrets of an occult-themed, arena-rocking, heavy-metal band

Tobias Forge was a long way from making-it as a musician. He was living in a one-bedroom apartment in Sweden, and dreamt of playing guitar for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He’d never been a lead singer or anything like that.

“I’d always pictured myself more like a Frusciante-type of musician,” Forge recalls, referring to Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. “Like, I’m a guitar player but also a backup singer, and just sort of second-fiddle in a band.”

Then, about 15 years ago, Forge started writing a new batch of occult-themed heavy-metal songs on his black Gibson SG guitar, the horn-shaped instrument used by guitarists like AC/DC’s Angus Young and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi. They were for a new project Forge called Ghost.

Back then he thought, “I’m just gonna write songs that feel intuitive and fun. And Ghost might be a fun little project that I was going to do sometime. One day I’m going to find a singer for this, we can put together a band and maybe this will become a fun hobby.”

Beside writing and recording the music, Forge ended up being the frontman for Ghost too. The songs he created in that small apartment eventually became “Opus Eponymous.” That 2010 debut album made Ghost metal’s buzziest new band. Forge’s eerie, melodic vocals on tracks like “Ritual” made Ghost’s batwing-metal standout from other contemporary groups.

“All the songs on the first record were really written spontaneously,” Forge says. “It was very playful with no expectations, no rules nothing. And after you’ve done one record and if you’ve achieved any form of success, it’s hard to emulate that same thing because of several reasons. That album will always a very special place in my heart. It comes from my old world where I had very little. I had friends and loves and a guitar, but I didn’t have a lot of success.”

Then there was the band’s unique striking look. Onstage with Ghost, Forge performs as Papa Emeritus, a sort of Satanic anti-pope, beneath prosthetics, makeup and costuming. This made him rock’s most mysterious new frontman. Forge’s identity remained a secreted for three album cycles, until 2017. Onstage, Forge is backed by a band of Nameless Ghouls, all wearing identical evil-looking masks and performing incognito. Stage sets for their live shows are designed like an unholy church.

Ghost’s music can sometimes evoke Blue Oyster Cult or Diamond Head. But Forge has been more influenced by KISS and Alice Cooper, rock greats known for putting visuals and songs together.

Ghost’s music, songs and imagery attracted Eddie Munson-type metal-fans and even members of classic bands. Iron Maiden, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses each took Ghost out on tours. Pantera singer Phil Anselmo wore a Ghost T-shirt onstage with his band Down.

Foo Fighters boss Dave Grohl produced and played on “If You Have Ghost,” Ghost’s covers-heavy EP with bitchin’ version of ABBA’s “I’m A Marionette.” The band’s last two albums were mixed by Andy Wallace, the studio legend who mixed Nirvana’s “Nevermind.”

Each of Ghost’s albums has charted higher than the last. Fifth LP “Impera,” debuted at number-two this year, and birthed a pair of number-one rock hits: “Call Me Little Sunshine” and “Hunter’s Moon.”

“Square Hammer,” from 2016, might be the catchiest song ever about sacred coffins. In 2018, Ghost’s single “Cirice,” a prog-metal epic with a video inspired by vintage horror-film “Carrie,” won the band its first Grammy.

By 2019, Ghost was headlining arenas. On a recent afternoon, Forge checks in via phone from one of those arenas, San Diego’s Pechanga Arena, from the band’s current North American tour. (Tour dates at ghost-official.com.) Edited excerpts from our conversation are below.

Tobias, as a singer and musician, what do you love most about performing in arenas?

From a very practical point of view, I love the consistency. We are a very production-heavy band, and playing anything but arenas is tempering with the show.

Even if you’re playing big theaters, which is really cool and really intimate and really nice. But consistency-wise, some of them changed a lot every day. So, whatever people have seen on YouTube, maybe when we came to their city, we couldn’t do X, Y and Z just because of something (at that theater-sized venue) that didn’t allow for that.

There is the occasional rare anomaly in arenas as well. But overall, you’re able to give people the same show. People everywhere pay a very similar price, and when they’re paying for something they expect, I want them to have that.

And as a performer, playing in front of a lot of people, I can’t imagine anything more gratifying than to make people happy. Maybe we can turn a bad day or mediocre day into something great. And that’s what it feels like, more often than not, when we’ve played.

The new Ghost album opens up with the one-two of the tracks “Imperium” and “Kaisarion.” They reminded me of early Queen, in that the music’s regal sounding but also thoroughly rocking. What were you going for there?

That is exactly what I tried to do. I wanted to have you a semi philharmonic but made with guitars sort of intro, as in Queen what they did on … What’s that song from the second album? The Brian May song where he composed this fantastic sort of classical piece for guitar?

“Procession.”

There you go. I always like composing an intro for the record, because that means that we’re going to use that in the show later. So, you have like a new intro every time (the band goes on a new tour).

It was actually an old riff that I had and had been playing around with forever. And that’s how a lot of my ideas sort of come to fruition, because I compose all the time. But just because I’ve been composing doesn’t mean that I’m sitting in studio. It means that I go around humming and after a while I hum it into my phone or grab my guitar or piano or something to sort of memorize it. And then I’m just putting it aside as a sort of a seedling. Then when it comes time to make a record, I just pick up all the seedlings and try to plant them and see which grow into big trees.

Onstage with Ghost, you sing with mic in hand, and not playing guitar. As much guitar as you’ve written and recorded for Ghost, do you ever foresee you playing guitar onstage with the band? Like a frontman who also plays guitar on stage. Like Jimi Hendrix did, but heavy-metal.

I don’t know. Right now I don’t feel that is suitable. But if I change my mind in the future, if it feels more natural that way, maybe. But as we progress and as we grow bigger and as time goes on, we need to flex the show with other things.

I wish I was a better piano player, actually. I’m an able sort of keyboard player when it comes to being in the studio and all that, but I’m not very good at playing something from start to finish. Quite an able drummer as well. So, I can sort of jump between several things. And if it was just like one song or something, we could do that, which could be fun.

The drums that open the Ghost song “Stand By Him” off the debut album remind me of the intro on early Motley Crue song “Starry Eyes.” Was that the inspiration?

Uh, yes and no. I mean, ever since I was very little, I’ve loved the two first albums by Motley Crue (“Too Fast For Love” and “Shout At The Devil”). But the two first albums only. And a little bit of “Dr. Feelgood.”

(“Stand By Him”) just felt like a classic (song). I just wanted a steady beat and then the song to start, and that feels like a very power-pop thing too. Motley Crue’s first two albums were very influenced by a lot of Slade and Mott the Hoople and stuff like that. And so it felt more like just a traditional thing to do. But yeah, I’ve listened a lot to a Motley Crue, so maybe it came from there. But at the time, I wasn’t thinking about anything.

Is it true or false Dave Grohl has dressed up as a Nameless Ghoul and performed with Ghost?

I’m gonna have to answer your question just from a very legal point of view, where I just say yes. He has technically put on Ghoul clothes and played drums together with us in a Ghost concept.

How long does it take before a show for you to get into Pap Emeritus mode, with the mask, makeup and costuming and everything?

It’s hard to say. Because on a day like this when we’re playing, it feels like it’s starting very early in the day, and everything is pretty much scripted in order for everything to function. Because I hate to break it to you to kids, but we are not 20-years-old. So, in order for us 40 somethings not to break a leg every show, we have to keep in shape. I’m lapping around the arena right now. And I try to play drums for an hour before the show just to sort of warm up.

If you mean the actual transformation, that takes about 40 minutes to an hour, depending on if you want to stress through it or if you want to sort of do it in a calm getting-into-character way. But I like it like that. I am very habitual, and I have a hard time functioning when things aren’t scheduled, which I’m sure a lot of readers can relate to if you’re somewhat on the spectrum. [Laughs]

There aren’t many rock bands from your era as big as Ghost. Why was Ghost able to breakthrough at a time when pop, R&B and rap acts dominate commercially?

I think there are various reasons. And it all combined in alignment, sort of created the sum our career. But I think our sound and our way of not writing the same record every time, but still having a signature DNA in it has helped. I think it has helped we have consistently tried to bring a show to the people. It defies logic for a lot of bands, I think, to try to expand beyond their means.

But that was aided by the fact that I was the only one that invested and everybody else was paid. [Laughs] If we had people voting on everything, it would not have happened this way. Because I was so determined that, yeah, I want to be what Metallica was in the’ 80s, on the “…And Justice For All” tour. That sort of band or like “Powerslave” with Iron Maiden. That sort of f---ing theater and playing arenas.

And I’ve always been very, very influenced by Pink Floyd and Rolling Stones. As much as I’m a sucker and grew up listening to really obscure, very extreme death-metal, I also have a huge alignment and childhood love with big-ass arena rock.

And in this day and age, especially when rock isn’t the flavor of the day, I think it has behooved us that we’ve sort of moved against the pack. When we were debutantes, it was still that like emo-core going on, and we stood out like a sore thumb.

Somehow, we were lucky enough people started embracing us as well, even though we weren’t part of any major music movement. Maybe there was a murmur about an underground occult-rock thing going on at the time. But that was at such a low level that wouldn’t have affected people in general.

But then a lot of kudos and credit I must give to (Guns N’ Roses bassist) Duff McKagan, (Metallica’s) James Hetfield, Phil Anselmo, Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains and Dave Grohl, of course. All those guys took us on tours. They lifted up the band Ghost, onto their stages and put us in front of a lot of people. Without that, this wouldn’t have happened.

AL.com

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Was tagged by @call-me-obsessed1755 to continue this long post. And also here and @badluck990 here!

Rules: list songs that start with the same letter of each of your url

I'm going through my main playlist and seeing what's there first

K - Kick it Up a Notch (Phineas and Ferb ft Slash)

A - All Star (Smash Mouth) (sue me)

Y - You Snuck Your Way Right Into My Heart (Phineas and Ferb) (play this at my wedding)

L - Land of Confusion (Disturbed)

I - I Could Fall In Love (Selena)

N -Not Evil (from The Lego Movie 2) (underrated movie underrated song) (this has no right to be even good)

A - Amen (Matthew West) (may not be going to church anymore but Christian rock is still kinda good)

L - Letters (Natasha Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812)

E - Epic III (Hadestown)

X - Xanadu (Rush) (the only X song I can think of)

A - Albuquerque (Weird Al) (I aspire to have this chaotic energy)

N - Never Gonna Give You Up (Rick Astley) (why not) (iconic meme and it's good)

D - Dancing Queen (ABBA)

E - Enter Sandman (Metallica)

R - Ride (Twenty One Pilots)

B - Best Day of My Life (American Authors)

O - Ooh Ooh Song (Pat Benatar)

O - On the Open Road (A Goofy Movie)

K - Keep the Faith (Bon Jovi)

S - Shut Up and Dance (WALK THE MOON)

Eh keeping the tag ✨OPEN✨

[eyesofmyarms]

Some real person speak below!

I really like eyes, so i draw a lot of eyes, sometimes I draw other things, but they tend to take much more time.

Open to art trades when i can. Feel free to text me and ask if i can do one rn.(you can also just text me)

Side blog for reblogs (mostly going through the art tag) -> @reblogsofmyarms

Also here's a very quick summarization of my playlist/music taste, I simply dont know of a better way to show who I am. Currently, I have 804 songs in my main playlist, although it is ever expanding.

Current favorite song: I cut myself, by Talkshow Boy

Know all of the songs by heart - The Amazing Devil + the entirety of Hamilton(Lin-Manuel Miranda)

Next top 10, not in order, with favorite songs:

Will Wood(Agains the kitchen floor), Lemon Demon(Touch Tone Telephone), PhemieC(Ugly story), Fish in a Birdcage(Angel Tango), Talkshow Boy(fry me in a pan), Tally Hall(Misery Fell), Alestorm(Keelhauled), Король и Шут(Танец Злобного Гения), Queen(Bohemian Rhapsody), Mitski(Brand new city)

Honorable mentions, also with song highlights:

Дайте танк(!)(Друг), Сметана band(В моём тихом омуте), Brian David Gilbert(RGSS), Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq(Well this is shit), Gorillaz(Humility), Michael Jackson(Beat It), MIKA(We are golden), Ren(Hi Ren), GHOST(Appetite of a people pleaser), Florence + the Machine(Bird song), Jack Stauber(Dinner is not over), The Correspondents(Puppet loosly strung), Bo Burnham(Comedy), System of a Down(Chkn stu), The Longest Johns(Ashes), Evelyn Evelyn(Chiken Man), The Crane Wives(Never love an ancor), No Buses(Pretty old man), Tom Cardy(Big Breakfast), ABBA(GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!), Алёна Швец(Молоко), Bill Wurts(I'm scared), Frank Sinatra(Fly me to the moon), Saint Motel(Snake charmer), ЧёЗаУродыНаСцене(Патологоанатом), + musicals Heathers and The Epic

Songs too good not to mention(keeping it brief, without previously mentioned composers' songs):

The other side, from The Greatest Showman

Café 1930(Astor Piazzola) by Alexandra Whittingham and Esther Abarmi

The Wallerman

Blood and Thunder, by Mastodon

Little Hero, by Kanaya

I'm still standing, by Elton John

Mr. Blue Sky, by the Electric Light Orchestra

Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos

Saint Bernard, by Lincoln

Be Nice To Me, by The Front Bottoms

The Longest Time, by Billy Joel

There is a Platypuss Controlling me, i know and listen to 26 remixes of this song

Bad Bad Things, by Andrew Jackson Jihad

Charlie's Burger Song

Runs in the Family, by Amanda Palmer

Out of Touch, by Daryl Hall & John Oates

The Silent, by Tragic Tandrum

Камаз, исполнитель неизвестен но можно найти по анимати��у по Metal Family

Disco! In The Panic Room, by Bug Hunter

The Moss, by Cosmo Sheldrake

Hermit the Frog, by Marina and the Dimonds

Kiss me son of god, by They Were Giants

Холодильник, от Александра Пушного

I'm a member of the Midnight Crew

Hardware Store, by Weird Al

Circus, i think by Drew Gasparini

No Children, by The Mountain Goats

Levan Polka, especially by Loituma (1996)

Тёмная Ночь, написанно Владимиром Гариевичем Агатовом но лично предпочитаю исполнение от Марка Бернеса

God Damn, by Avenged Sevenfold

It's over, isn't it?, by Rebecca Sugar

Серёжа, Валентин Стрыкало

House of the Rising Sun, by The Animals

I am (All of Me), by Shadow the Hedgehog

Everybody Loves Me, by OneRepublic

Feeling Good, by Michael Bublé

Voices, by Disturbed

They're Only Humans, Death Note musical

Sh boom life could be dream, by Coasters

The coconut song

Field of Hope, by Toby Fox

Voices, by Derivakat

I hear a Symphony, by Cody Fry

Enchanté, by Dirt Poor Robins

War isn't murder, Jesse Welles

[skinnyscottishbloke]

Three songs ask: 5, 11, 21!

WHEEEEEEE okay here goes

5. three songs you wish you could forget (because listening to them hurts)

huh. well generally I'm a wallower so this doesn't really apply? I'll just go with songs that make me cry I guess.

this is what I listened to a lot when my dog Henry died.

this one makes me cry as soon as I think about it cause Two Socks =(

when Nick and I had this huge fight years ago (it was the closest we ever got to breaking up), I remember driving in the car and sobbing to this song.

11. three favorite songs from movie or TV soundtracks

AAAHHHHH CHOOSING ONLY THREE IS IMPOSSIBLE! ok here goooeessses.

gotta start with the goat. this song gives me goosebumps every time I hear it!! tbh I could have all 3 songs be from LOTR but we'll stick with just the 1 haha.

next the ending song from one of my other favorite soundtracks and movies. her voice just makes me so emotional.

this track was legit the number 1 played song in my itunes library for a longgggg timmme. bbeeauuttiiffullllll.

21. three songs of your childhood

fun!! honestly my childhood was chock full of a lot of music, which probably explains why I still like such a wide variety of stuff.

we'll start with a song from one of my favorite movies (childhood yes but also just in general). see everyone raves about robin williams in aladdin but batty was always what I thought of first.

next one of the earliest musicals I remember listening to (on cassette!!) I was 6. og broadway cast recording OF COURSE.

we had this concert on VHS and we would watch it on REPEAT. so gooooodddddd. the violin battle is epic!!!! Yanni's hair and mustache are magnificent, the 90s fashions are on point and there's even a bongo drum guy. what more could you ask for lollll.

Send me a number from this list and I'll give you three of my favorite songs that fit the category

[mirai-desu]

Eurovision and Eurodance

There's been a lot questions lately about the Eurovision Song Contest thanks to a certain popular Eurodance meme (which btw, the chorus to that song is very similar to a Eurovision song:

"Flying the Flag" by Scooch (United Kingdom 2007 - 22nd Place)

Also simply know as Eurovison or ESC, it's a televised music competition held by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members that began in 1956 to bring Europe together after WWII.

I want to stress that any genre of music can be a Eurovision song. As long has it has some lyrics. Not every entry is trying to be a meme and there's several songs you might know that you didn't know were Eurovision songs, ranging from "Volare" to Duncan Laurence's "Arcade' (which you might know as "loving you is a losing game" from TikTok). And also "Waterloo" by ABBA!

Eurodance at Eurovision

Up until 1999, Eurovision had a live orchestra, and most of the music was performed live. Arguably the first Eurodance song at ESC, "Ooo Aah… Just a Little Bit" had to a have computers on stage to have the "instruments" present:

"Ooh Aah… Just A Little Bit" by Gina G (United Kingdom 1996 - 8th place)

Thus, ESC was still mostly focused on pop that translated well with live instruments in the late '90s. And into the 2000s when backing tracks were required, the upbeat genre that ESC was more into was what I'd classify as "ethno bangers." Not that there isn't some crossover into what's traditionally referred to as "Eurodance" and many dance subgenres, but it was not quite the same thing, at least in my opinion. Your personal criteria may vary - I want to stress I'm not the authority on the minutiae of musical genres (and here's a post on Eurobeat vs. Eurodance btw).

Today, ESC still requires live lead vocals (and backing vocals had to live up until 2021), and being that the songs are performed live on TV, you'll hear some shakier vocals on my following examples… (although for anything from 2016 onward I didn't use the ESC performances due to geoblocking). Not to say that dance breaks haven't been popular in the last few years, and that choreography hasn't been heavy, especially with ethno bangers, but just that Eurodance hasn't always lended itself to having polished and flawless executions.

And of course, there are plenty of songs that I feel do fit the Eurodance category, including some performed by big names, such as:

"Follow My Heart" by Ich Troje feat. Real McCoy (Poland 2006 - Did not qualify for the final)

"Look Away" by Darude feat. Sebastian Rejman (Finland 2019 - DNQ)

"Vampires Are Alive" by DJ Bobo (Switzerland 2007 - DNQ)

"Glorious" by Cascada (Germany 2013 - 21st)

"Ne Ver Ne Boysia Ne Prosi" by t.A.T.u. (Russia 2003 - 3rd)

"Don't Play That Song Again" by Nicki French (United Kingdom 2000 - 16th)

A lot of ESC songs fall under the genre of schlager, as well as songs I'd classify as just EDM, and some with dubstep, especially as time has gone on. Many of the following songs to me are more a mix of genres than purely "Eurodance", but I think people seeking out similar songs will enjoy these:

"No Goodbyes" by Linda Wagenmakers (Netherlands 2000 - 13th)

"Sameyach" by PingPong (Israel 2000 - 22nd)

"No Dream Impossible" by Lindsay Dracass (United Kingdom 2001 - 15th)

"1 Life" by Xandee (Belgium 2004 - 22nd)

"Let Me Try" by Luminita Anghel & Sistem (Romania 2005 - 3rd)

"Tornerò" by Mihai Traistariu (Romania 2006 - 4th)

"This Is My Life" by Euroband (Iceland 2008 - 14th)

"Wolves of the Sea" by Pirates of the Sea (Latvia 2008 - 11th)

"DJ, Take Me Away" by Deep Zone & Balthazar (Bulgaria 2008 - DNQ)

"Lose Control" by Waldo's People (Finland 2009 - 25th)

"Run Away" by Sunstroke Project & Olia Tira (Moldova 2010 - 22nd; "Epic Sax Guy")

"Je Ne Sais Quoi" by Hera Björk (Iceland 2010 - 19th)

"Love Unlimited" by Sofi Marinova (Bulgaria 2012 - DNQ)

"It's My Life" by Cezar (Romania 2013 - 13th)

"Miracle" by Paula Seling & Ovi (Romania 2014 - 12th)

"Spirit in the Sky" by KEiiNO (Norway 2019 - 6th; Televote Winner; here's most of their performance in the grand final here if you are geoblocked)

"Halo" by LUM!X feat. Pia Maria (Austria 2022 - DNQ; co-written Gabry Ponte of Eiffel 65)

And two bonus videos:

Aqua's interval at Eurovision 2001

"I Love You" by Teflon Brothers x Pandora (Finnish Selection UMK - 2021)

And you might know two time champion Loreen, whose song this year is more pop to me than EDM or Eurodance, but it feels weird not to mention "Euphoria" (although I feel it's more straight up EDM, but again, mileage may vary):

"Euphoria" by Loreen (Sweden 2012 - Winner)

"Tattoo" by Loreen (Sweden 2023 - Winner)

While Eurovision does not equal Eurodance, there's still some fun jams, and again, many songs I included here that I feel straddle genres.

[mothermara]

@gaybuzzwole tagged me in a thing (posting 5 songs that remind you of ocs/wips) epic swag. here is me doing said thing <3

Spent Gladiator 2 by The Mountain Goats - Varyn Light-Bringer. Varyn is technically my Vestige, but I don't have enough room on my computer for ESO so her story exists solely in my Minds Eye. But she's a former gladiator who got caught & sacrificed by Mannimarco while attempting to check the Arcane University for her girl bestie, Lythras.

I'm a Marionette by ABBA - Bartalomewl my beloved little boy... He's a kid who got brought into the Dark Brotherhood at a very, very young age. Despite this, he never really gets into the murdering spirit, and finds most of the DB questline just kinda exhausting, scary and traumatizing. He's also a little jester about it.

The Last Shanty by Derina Harvey Band - Rasara. This version of the song in particular reminds me a lot of her <3 the vocals are really powerful imo. Rasara is my HOK/Madgod, also a legendary pirate queen.

Love Came Along by Pansy Division - Maces. I shant elaborate.

Nerevar Rising/Call of Magic (Surf Version) by All in All - Nemesianus "Neht" Jirich, the man the myth the legend. He's my nerevarine, a surfer from Anvil, raised in the temple of Dibella. He's silly and loving, but also very strategic. Surf music OUHHGHH

tagging my beloved @scrib-jelly MWAAAAH

[thetiniestemo]

The problem with people making playlists for Donnie (or any of the turtles, for that matter) is that they want him to have this emo, mad scientist playlist, but the reality is that nobody in that family listens to anything that they look like they would. Mikey: Doesn't pay attention to artists or genres. He will play and listen to just about ANYTHING if he thinks the beat is funky enough, and it will flip back and forth from musicals and tv shows to metal in a heartbeat. Chaos reigns. A playlist for each genre?? What's a genre?? You have more than one playlist? He likes Epic: The Musical Raph: Will listen to anything his brothers give him. He has playlists for each of them and it's very hard to pin down which songs he's listening to because HE likes them. I want to say he'd listen to Mitski and Marina (Specifically Marinas "The Family Jewels" album) but I also think he doesn't like to because they make him sad. He probably listens to Muppets songs. You ask for his favorite musical and he says Muppets Christmas Carol Donnie: Canonically listens to dubstep, and enjoys 80s music. I'm sorry but that boy probably listens to SO much ABBA. He doesn't listen to Will Wood, he likes two of his songs that Leo showed him. To this day he pretends that he doesn't know what a "Wooden William" is. Also musicals. He and Leo are theatre kids that is just very simply canon. (All of them are, if we're honest.) His favorite is SIX The Musical. Leo: The only one who looks like what he listens to. Will Wood, Marina, probably The Crane Wives too. He likes funky lyrics and funkier beats. He *likes* 80s music but he only has like- 5 songs that he listens to religiously and they're all power ballads. His favorite musical is Heathers