#by des’ree playing

[wallflowerglitter]

I miss pbs kids. I know a few of the shows are on Amazon prime, but I don’t know, it was an ✨experience.✨

[mia-ugly]

Cardiac

Epicardium

The outermost layer of the heart, mesothelial cells and fat, a cushion of protection with TOM written on it in sharpie. He joined my class in Grade 6, chisel-tipped and quiet and an easy choice when asked which Boy I Liked. Which Boy I had a Crush on. That was the year my mom drew eyelashes on me with thick black pencil before a play where I was meant to be  beautiful. I wasn’t, but I tried to make myself fit into a beautiful shape, just as I tried to fit the indent in your couch cushions, the foot of your bed, the pillows on the floor, a burrowing owl who would say the right names, make the right choices, pretend I knew who was Hot and who was Not, pretend I knew which house was Tom’s, that I walked past it on my way home from school with my heart like an electric peach, so bright he could see it from his bedroom window.

Brian was the Backstreet Boy I chose from thin air, bad answer, should’ve picked Nick, but at least I didn’t say Kevin, sorry Kevin, he seems like a pretty great dad these days, maybe we all chose wrong.

You would peel apples and read the future in the shape they left on the floor: what is the first letter of your husband’s first name? Light candles and ask the ouija board ‘does he like me? Does he love me? Is he the one?’ Commune with the spirits just to beg them for love stories, and spin a globe and close your eyes and put your fingers down to find out where we’d meet the man-of-our-dreams.

But I wasn’t dreaming about anyone.

My dreams were glass and silver, like the colour of the only eyeshadow my mother owned, brushed powdery and stale up to my eyebrows in a play where I had to sing and a prince had to fall ruinously in love with me in front of everyone I knew. I shone pale blue with shame, and that night, I was the only one at your house who didn’t know the macarena - sat in your basement, watched you dancing, like I was looking into an aquarium filled with strange fish. Later, you’d teach me the steps, like you taught me to fold paper into those fortune-telling finger games, salt-cellar, snapdragon, pick a colour, pick a number, 1-2-3, who will I marry, who will I marry, who will I marry. You put on “Kissing You” by Des’ree, told us to listen in silence and think about the boys we loved, and I wore my longing like a mask that didn’t know it was a mask. Thank you Tom, thank you Brian and Robert and Adam, thank you every boy who let me hold his name in my mouth like an ice cube. The letters burnt my tongue, but at least my mouth wasn’t empty. 

Myocardium

The thickest of all three layers, muscle that makes the heart contract, lets it beat beat beat like a kickdrum. I told my first girlfriend that I’d been in love with my best friend growing up, but it wasn’t true, it was just a rhythm I wanted to replicate, to awkwardly dance to. I’d seen the movies and I thought all gay kids had to say it, like it was a shared purple ache in the flesh of us, a thumbprint on a plum. I wanted to feel that bruising early love like everyone told me I should, but it wasn’t like that with us. I wasn’t lying awake looking at the hair on your face, the fascinating black sideburns that you shaved off, like you shaved off the hair on your arms, like I did too.  It wasn’t like that, and the night we said we would travel the world together after college, wouldn’t get married or have children, was also the night you said you were glad you didn’t have any gay friends, and remember that book we found at the second-hand store? The air was drowned with dust and Loving Someone Gay shocked us out of papery silence, made you laugh so much that I laughed too, and then I took that book and rolled it up and shoved it down my throat, got paper cuts under my skin, shredded my trachea like tissue paper wrapped around a present.

I wasn’t carrying any torches. Not even a candle or a match.

Your fingers were never in my hair as you pinned it back, you never leaned in and pressed an eyelash to my cheek so that I could wish on it. I wouldn’t have let you touch me. My face my hands my hair, I hated being touched, cringed away from it like a shameplant, and the not-wanting felt almost worse than not-being-wanted. Felt lonely, always the first person awake in your silent basement, bodies scattered like petals on the floor all around me. There was nothing I could do but wait, wait and read your parents’ headache-coloured paperbacks, Louis L’Amour and Danielle Steele, Christ, I hated them, but I would still sit there, paging through Haunted fucking Mesa or whatever, counting down the minutes on the clock, waiting waiting. Sometimes I would hear your father praying in the kitchen but it never woke you up, and I wanted to ache like Courtney Love ached, wanted to feel anything at all except bored and choking on paper, I wanted a drumbeat underneath my skin but it was all silence and darkness and purple muscle, and your father kept praying, ringing bells like they were birds, and I kept waiting to hear music.

Endocardium

Before the world ended, you pressed play on a discman and flooded my life with the Cranberries.

Before the world ended, I looked up at the ceiling and found it strung with hanging lights, each one of them a city in between us. Before the world ended, I asked you if people could yearn in their thirties, if that was allowed, and I didn’t know the steps to this dance but maybe you could teach them to me. Suddenly there was an electric peach in my mouth and it was shining through the spaces between my clenched teeth, anyone could see it, even you. I thought my skin was too thin, my bones too brittle, thought anything I felt would tear through me or grind me down, and maybe it still will but I’d let you press our hips together, iliac crest to iliac crest, let you paint Valentines in red against my lips and mermaids on my cheekbones, let you braid my unbraided hair. Even if it meant you had to touch me

I would let you make me over. 

Sometimes the distance feels less like miles, more like inches. Like it could be the space separating your eyelashes from the tip of my nose, could be a hand’s width on a sleeping bag where I’m still awake because you’re lying next to me (and we watched an awful movie with Drew Barrymore in it.)  Before the world ended, everything was cold metal and antiseptic, we were hunkering down for the longest winter, planning, preparing, frantic, scared, surviving, sick and I was still the first person awake in a strange basement but suddenly finally now of all the goddamn times I was waking up watermelon-flavoured. My mouth was hard candy, glossy-sweet, and suddenly finally now I was the girl with the most cake, I was peony season, I was Nick Drake and the whole moon shining and the whole sun rising I was pink pink Pink PInk PINK.

[scotianostra]

Scottish Rally Champion Colin McCrae was born on 5th August 1968 in Lanark.

Mcrae’s name is legendary in the world of motorsport. A spectacular, flamboyant and totally committed driving style brought him to the attention of Motorsport enthusiasts at an early age and there was to be no denying the natural talent that ultimately rewarded him with the title of Britain’s first World Rally Champion in 1995.

Born as the son of five-time British champion Jimmy McRae, Colin cut his competitive teeth on two wheels, trials riding. That wasn’t a move which went down well in the Lanark family home.

“I wanted to keep him away from motorbikes,” said his mother Margaret. “I’d always rather he’d been in cars than on bikes.”

His swashbuckling speed was fabulous headline fodder for any number of stories which quickly found their way around the world once he took to the stages. A greater understanding of what made Colin tick involved looking behind the speed and the headlines.

Colin was not just a great driver, he knew how the cars ticked as well, as was testament in Rally Argentina in 1998, after belting a rock with his Subaru Impreza WRC98’s right-rear McRae emerged from the stage with the wheel wobbling around in the wheel arch. Most drivers would have lifted the radio and called the team to tell them they were going no further, not this one!

McRae lifted a rock and set about smashing the suspension link straight again before refitting the part. And then going fastest through the next stage in El Condor.

Oh, and before he even got to that bit, how had he managed to remove a wheel that had ultimately jammed itself firmly into the arch? He drove it down the road until the tyre exploded, freeing up the rim for removal.

Colin did things differently. He wasn’t a driver or a person who pursued the spotlight. Quite the opposite. But McRae’s normal was just a little bit more special. And when word got out about how he made the times he made, that just served to further the fever for a driver who was the first to transcend the sport of rallying.

McRae’s departure from Subaru to Ford at the end of 1998 not only made him the highest paid rally driver of his era, but it also moved him to the next level in terms of brand awareness.

Throughout the 1990s McRae and Subaru had developed and graduated to the world stage in tandem. But the move from a developing Japanese marque to one of the world’s biggest carmakers offered a further boost to McRae’s popularity.

He became part of the marketing strategy for the all-new Focus – a road car replacement for the ubiquitous Escort. To the lyrics of Des’ree’s You Gotta Be Jimmy and Colin demonstrated the sort of father-to-son Ford association and brand loyalty played out every day all around the world.

Colin McRae died on September 15th 2007 when he crashed his helicopter near his home in Lanark. The accident also killed his son and two family friends. In November 2008 he was posthumously inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.

[sanjerina]

Shuffle your 'on repeat' playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people

I was tagged by @heresluck!

I don’t really have an “on repeat” playlist, so I threw together my different favorite playlists (mostly sorted by vibe, emotion, or which fandom I associate with which songs) and shuffled them into a giant “list of bangers to belt in the car.” I skipped repeated artists (look, Ani DiFranco’s late 90s-early 00’s run was *formative*)

(1) Because the Night (Live MTV Unplugged) - 10,000 Maniacs

(2) Parachute (Serbian Ghenea mix) - Ingrid Michaelson

(3) Darkness, Darkness - Richard Shindell

(4) Hail Mary Shy of Redemption- Eddie From Ohio

(5) Pick Yer Nose - Ani Difranco

(6) When I Go - Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer

(7) Ladder - Joan Osborne

(8) You Gotta Be - Des’ree

(9) Pilentze Pee (Pilentze Sings) - Bulgarian Women’s Chorus

(10) Scarborough Fair - The King’s Singers ft. Manuel Barrueco

I feel 2000s pop is underrepresented in this sample, so please allow the additions of the first two that shuffled up:

(11) Sober - P!nk

(12) If I Were a Boy - Beyoncé

The most played non-Hamilton musical on my iPhone is either the 2009 Idina Menzel/Josh Groban CHESS or the 1998 OST for THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. That feels representative.

The most played classical piece is the 1955 version of Glenn Gould playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which is directly wired to affect my nervous system like Valium.

If you have noticed that I haven’t listened to much new music, well spotted! @heresluck and @kouredios are working on me, as are a couple of other friends, but I have been remiss about putting together new playlists, as I have spent most of the last two years listening to audiobooks (especially the Murderbot Diaries and the Goblin Emperor books).

Tagging @megastoat, @cincoseis, @white-throated-packrat, @fremedon, @agentreynard, @dsudis , @changingthingslikeleaves, @bgoodg and @cereta if they’ve thus far escaped being tagged by someone else and would like to play. But anyone is welcome!

[jadegrey711]

Spoilers TSITP season 2

I’ve only finished the first two episodes of the new season of the summer i turned pretty, but I have to say I feel like this is my favorite season already. And I feel like I have to talk about what i love about it right now or else I’ll explode. 

The first two episodes already just feel like a piece of delicate art. 

Watching Conrad finally be something different from what we’ve seen so far, other than being the brooding brother. But finally opening up to us as the audience showing us what Belly always saw. Someone playful, sarcastic, and someone’s love language is definitely physical touch. (Watching this man always reaching for her to brush his fingers across her face is havng me tear up)

But what has been my favorite part so far has been how perfectly the music for this show has been curated. From Belly listening to Driver’s license to my favorite scene of them enjoying the snowy beach to Des’ree’s “Kissing You” which is already a masterpiece by itself. But having them mix such a tender and soft moment between them to her seeing him again with such coldness in his eyes while this song is playing in the background, just feels like this should be an oscar nominated scene. 

that’s my ramble. I’m so excited for the rest of the season.  

[thebowerypresents]

Sam Smith Thrills Adoring Madison Square Garden Crowd on First of Two Nights

Sam Smith – Madison Square Garden – August 8, 2023

For more than a decade, Sam Smith has continued to evolve as an artist, moving from a balladeer to full-on dance-floor ringmaster. Smith’s vocals burst onto the scene as a featured artist on Disclosure’s “Latch.” Bathed in electronic beats, their voice fit like a glove, however Smith later revealed some hesitancy: “I remember hearing ‘Latch’ and I didn’t even know whether it was good or not, because I didn’t know electronic music or dance music. It just wasn’t for me.” Although their early career saw success with such heartbreaking songs as “Stay with Me” and “Too Good at Goodbyes,” Smith embraced a more joyous reverie on 2020’s Love Goes, the singer’s third LP, which they admitted was influenced by listening to a lot of Robyn while recording it. This year’s Gloria takes the spectacle even further, earning Smith and Kim Petras a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. On Tuesday, Smith opened a two-night stand at Madison Square Garden to a sea of rabid admirers.

The show was divided into three acts, beginning with “Love.” With dramatic flair, an enormous golden reclining nude sculpture was revealed from beneath a white drape and served as the night’s centerpiece. Opening with the ballads “Stay with Me” and “I’m Not the Only One,” Smith crooned from their back catalog until opener Jessie Reyez returned to join in on the Gloria collab track “Perfect.” A transition from the first to the second act (dedicated to “Beauty”) had Smith descend into the depths of the stage to reemerge in a ball gown atop the statue. They would cover Des’ree’s “Kissing You” before calling up backup singer LaDonna to share verses on “Lay Me Down,” which brought enthusiastic cheers from the admiring audience.

Dancers in sheer golden jumpsuits cascaded across the stage during “Love Goes,” and Smith donned a simple black ensemble for “Gimme.” Reyez rejoined the onstage antics twerking against the butt of the sculpture. The second act writhed with dance numbers from the Calvin Harris–produced “Promises” to the song that put Smith on the map, “Latch.” For the final act, entitled “Sex,” the playful dancing from the previous acts hit a fever pitch of debauchery with the cover of Madonna’s “Human Nature” and the Grammy-winning “Unholy.” —Sharlene Chiu | @Shar0ck

(Sam Smith plays the Garden again tonight.)

Photos courtesy of Ellen Qbertplaya | @Qbertplaya

[witchthewriter]

Hi! I’m so glad I found your blog! I love it! I was hoping you would be able to do a matchup post for me.

My fandoms: Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and Harry Potter

Level Completed: 3

About me:

• she/her

• INFJ

• Bisexual

• Libra sun, Pisces moon, Aquarius rising

• Introvert

• Hates conflict but will do anything to defend the people I care about

• Generally an anxious mess

• Passionate to a fault

Hobbies: Cross stitching, reading, cooking/baking, history, snuggling my cat

Likes: hanging out with people in small groups, prefers staying in to going out, trying new food, sarcasm, morally grey fictional men, all women ever, a big thunderstorm, the smell of fresh roses and gardenias, cuddling up under warm blankets

Dislikes: mess, people who feel the need to be loud at all times for no reason, the cold, having to make decisions, weirdly specific but eels (why they gotta look like that tho?)

Thank you so much!!

Want one? Here be the rules 🦋🌈

Thank you for being patient!

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Ginny Weasley! Moreso book Ginny rather than movie Ginny - no hate to Bonnie, but they completely ruined her character. I mean she wasn't even a character in the movies, she was just ... there.

Anyway, I think you and Ginny would be a great couple. She would always look out for you and make sure that you're okay.

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・She takes note of what you do to calm yourself down if you’re feeling anxious, or when your sad or overwhelmed. She does her best to take any burdens she can from your shoulders

・Would absolutely love to braid your hair, or playing with it. She’s a very physical person, and likes to hold your hand, or cuddle into you whenever she can. 

・Would throw herself in front of you if there was even a tiny threat of danger. 

Theme Song:

↬ ‘Hares on the Mountain’ by The Local Honeys

Relationship Tropes:

↬ Outgoing and Bold (Ginny) x Introvert Who Doesn’t Like Many People (You) 

↬ Aggressively Supportive 

𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Sansa Stark! Specifically, the woman she develops into after leaving King's Landing and the Boltons. She's an independent, strong and smart woman, who knows what she wants and how she's going to get it.

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・She loves to pepper kisses all over your face, it’s always done in private because Sansa isn’t big on PDA, but she is so loving when it’s just the two of you. 

・She’s very witty and has a lot of good banter. She loves when you two sit and laugh about awkward interactions and embarrassing stories. 

・Would kill anyone for you, without a moments hesitation 

Theme Song:

↬ ‘I’m Kissing You’ by Des’ree

Relationship Tropes:

↬ Sun x Moon 

↬ Mutual Yearning (TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE SHE WANTED YOU SO BAD)

𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Rhaenyra, I think you two would have a relationship based in friendship. You have similar personalities and I think she would appreciate being with someone who likes to be away from the crowds and sneers.

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・She would defend you against ANYONE AND EVERYONE. No one talks ill of her partner, and she would go down swinging if she must

・Loves humming and you can always find her in the castle because she’s absentmindedly doing so

・And she loves to slow dance, she would love swaying with you back and forth

Theme Song:

↬ ‘To Bring You My Love’ by PJ Harvey

Relationship Tropes:

↬ Childhood Friends to Lovers 

↬ Forbidden Love

[pennewithmeatballs]

not des’rees im kissing you playing in the other two and me having a visceral reaction

[sazlew]

Romcoms

(Declan if u reading this fuck off fuckOFF)

K so I’m writing this on my phone and alsooooo I’ve had a bit to drin k so soz if it’s weird looking or whatever! Just wanna write some words while i have this idea in my mind!!

(also im babysitting Dee while he sobers up sooooooo… love him but i am scared for him always)

Romcoms.

They’re so great. They’re amazing! I love them. They’re probs my favourite film genre of all time. Declan doesn’t like them but that’s cause he likes films the best that are long and boring and about the meaning of life or whatever

Look i like some old old old films by famous directors - much ado about nothing from 1996 is my favvvv (KENNETH BRANAGH IS SO HOT) - but i can’t do the smart film thing. I am smart but not smart enough to city in a movie theatre and watch something where people just talk all the time and don’t even kiss. 

I like rom coms. Cause they’re nice and fun and cute.

I know sometimes they’re all the same, but I think most fims are the same once you get down to the heart of it. Three act structure, right? Someone doesn’t want to do a thing, but then they need to do a thing, and on the way to do a thing, that thing goes wrong, and then they overcome that problem and then do the thing and then there is a climax! (heeeee) and then the film ends and the character has change - better or worse than before but theyve gotta chanre or else there is no point. People change all the time but not probably as fast as rom com characters do cause some of those stories tae place over like four days.

Four days is too short to fall in love. I fall in love in long stretches of time. Like… sitting at work for two months spending time with people and then going ‘oh i love you’. The best thing about people you love is the weird bits. Ike a thing about them that they think is ugly but makes u smile. Or something they know lots of things about. Or a thing that thye aways wear but not for any fashion reasons.

I think life would be real boring if we all loved the same people all the time…

Ok wait 

I just got dee some water 

And me some water

What was i writing uh.

Romcoms.

My favourite romcom is defs defs defs The Proposal!!!!

I’s got all the best bits of rom coms in it. They don’t like each other, then they’re trapped in a place at the same time, plus weird humor that’s very silly, plus sandra bullock is a babe, plus she DEFS FOR REASLS DOMMED ryan reynolds

Fuck me you must think i have a ryan reynolds thing [gif of Ryan Reynolds in The Proposal, he’s pulling off his shirt and looks hot as fuck] 

ive reblogged enough pics of him

Hot boy summer????? 

It’s winter in NZ

Hot boy winter

(Dee laughed at that. Im kinda talking this post out loud now whooooops but i cant seem to stop)

The Proposaal. ICONIC!!!! 

What else

It’s not a rom com but i love the baz luhrmann romeo and juliet. The fashion is so so much and the music is too - that scene to “Kissing You” by Des’ree? I wish i was alive for more of the 90s cause that shiz was iconic

And Mercado?

Wait

Mercution! As a drag queen? I love

So more rom coms.

(Declan is telling me about a rom com he saw at the NZIFF in 2016 about time travel called.. chrono - krono? Theeisa???????? Look idk it probably wasnt a rom com knowing him it was probaby just something about death or murder or the meaning of life or whatnot)

The romcom i saw last week thaat everyone at work loves (EXCEPT DEE CAUSE HE DOESn’T WANT T WATCH IT) is called Set it up

It’s got the guy from Scream queens (hot guy??? chad???) and queen zoey deutsh and they play two PAs for two bosses that try to set their bosses up cause their bosses are real mean to them and they think if they set them up then they will be less mean cause they’ll be getitng laid - vibes

But then they both FALL IJ LOVE

Also pete davidson from SNL is there which is real weird 

But yeah tey fall in love and its cute

I love it i love it

I wish real work was like that

OH ANOTER ONE

10 Things I hate about you

So picture health ledger (RIP) being like a bad boy in a school and then kate - who is blonde and kinda a bitch but like she’s badass and it’s cool and i wilsh i was that badass - her dad says that her sister can’t date her crush (josepg gordon levitt but young AS) until kate dates someone

It’s shakespeare apparently i think if i remember from school

Wait wait wai

[DECLAN: Ten Things I Hate about You is Shakespeare yes. It is a retelling of the Taming of the Shrew which is one of the Shakespeares that people feel weird about these days cause it seems sexist and maybe is. In the movie Kate has much more agency than in the play which is good. It is a good movie that I like a lot,]

FOR ONCE DEE IS RIGHT IT IS A GOOD MOVIE  

Another one i like is clueless which i also studied at high school

Look it is iconic!!!!!! The outfits

Cher

Paul rubb but young and pretty and i mean hes still pretty and hes like fifty but he was real pretty then

Weird that they were cousins 

aCTUALLY i saw a paul rudd movie ast week and it was an art movie

(shut up Dee stop laughing) 

Ideal Home! It was real good actually

He was paying a gay film producer???? With his husband/parner played by……. That english guy

Fuck he was in that other series of movies for old peop

Fuck i dont remember

But yeah they were breaking up - i guess it was kinda a rom com actually

They were breaking up but the other guy - the english lover whos name i cant remember - his estranged son was jailedfoor being a piece of shit and his son (the english guys grandson) came to live with them

And it was a story about paul rudd and englsh guy falling in love again and it was actually real nice, i like it a lot. Funny and passionate

Like it when romcom couples have actual chemmisty cause liv and drew have both said that it s hard to make chemistryyy that seem real on screen whew ur are castingg gg iand mking movie s sssssssssssss,sssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss s f

[DECLAN: Ideal Home was a great movie. I enjoyed it lots and lots. Go and see it if it is on at your local. Saz has dozed off so I guess I will just post this. Take nothing sshe has said as true.]

[wrongarmofthelaw]

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs you like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to tag 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨

1. You Gotta Be -Des’ree

2. Fight The Good Fight -Triumph

3. Power Play -Eddie and The Tide

4. Strength -The Alarm

5. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going -Billy Ocean

[trulymadlysydney]

It’s official I’m getting tattoo #7 tomorrow with my mom and I’m stoked

[scotianostra]

Scottish Rally Champion Colin McCrae was born on 5th August 1968 in Lanark.

Mcrae’s name is legendary in the world of motorsport. A spectacular, flamboyant and totally committed driving style brought him to the attention of Motorsport enthusiasts at an early age and there was to be no denying the natural talent that ultimately rewarded him with the title of Britain’s first World Rally Champion in 1995.

Born as the son of five-time British champion Jimmy McRae, Colin cut his competitive teeth on two wheels, trials riding. That wasn’t a move which went down well in the Lanark family home.

“I wanted to keep him away from motorbikes,” said his mother Margaret. “I’d always rather he’d been in cars than on bikes.”

His swashbuckling speed was fabulous headline fodder for any number of stories which quickly found their way around the world once he took to the stages. A greater understanding of what made Colin tick involved looking behind the speed and the headlines.

Colin was not just a great driver, he knew how the cars ticked as well, as was testament in Rally Argentina in 1998, after belting a rock with his Subaru Impreza WRC98’s right-rear McRae emerged from the stage with the wheel wobbling around in the wheel arch. Most drivers would have lifted the radio and called the team to tell them they were going no further, not this one!

McRae lifted a rock and set about smashing the suspension link straight again before refitting the part. And then going fastest through the next stage in El Condor.

Oh, and before he even got to that bit, how had he managed to remove a wheel that had ultimately jammed itself firmly into the arch? He drove it down the road until the tyre exploded, freeing up the rim for removal.

Colin did things differently. He wasn’t a driver or a person who pursued the spotlight. Quite the opposite. But McRae’s normal was just a little bit more special. And when word got out about how he made the times he made, that just served to further the fever for a driver who was the first to transcend the sport of rallying.

McRae’s departure from Subaru to Ford at the end of 1998 not only made him the highest paid rally driver of his era, but it also moved him to the next level in terms of brand awareness.

Throughout the 1990s McRae and Subaru had developed and graduated to the world stage in tandem. But the move from a developing Japanese marque to one of the world’s biggest carmakers offered a further boost to McRae’s popularity.

He became part of the marketing strategy for the all-new Focus – a road car replacement for the ubiquitous Escort. To the lyrics of Des’ree’s You Gotta Be Jimmy and Colin demonstrated the sort of father-to-son Ford association and brand loyalty played out every day all around the world.

Colin McRae died on September 15th  2007 when he crashed his helicopter near his home in Lanark. The accident also killed his son and two family friends. In November 2008 he was posthumously inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.

[bananakarenina]

Tagged by @innytoes!

“you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they isten to. put your favorite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs then tag ten people.”

So I used to be the kind of person who had themed playlists, plural, and then itunes wasn’t really a thing anymore and I lost my hard drive full of music (an enormous tragedy i’m still in denial about.) I literally have a playlist on spotify called “Reconstruction” that’s just me trying to remember my 20s through music.

That being said, I just let YouTube play “My Mix” to see what it thinks I’ve been into lately.

1. Backseat of a Greyhound Bus - Sara Evans (I FULLY blame @where-you-go for this one; she put it on the jane/missy mix for a star sweetly gleaming and i became obsessed with it)

2. Asheville - Bright Star (the musical) (I very much want to perform this; it fits in my voice so perfectly. SOMEONE CAST ME. OR I NEED A REGGIE TO PLAY BANJO FOR ME)

3. I’ll Cover You Reprise (Rent) (For all your crying needs!)

4. Neon Moon - Brooks & Dunn (I just think Reggie loves this song and it would be a great JatP cover, complete with Julie on fiddle)

5. I’m Kissing You - Des’ree (from the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack, this was the processional at my wedding and it was amazing)

6. Run Away With Me - Michael Arden (Kerrigan & Lowdermilk) (a fantastic musical theatre-style song I’ve sung at open mics before)

7. This Love - Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) (I’m obsessed with this because it’s extremely to love’s self alone vibes)

8. Cowboy Take Me Away - boygenius, live on KEXP (this. version. holy shit. i’m obsessed with it and also it influenced a whole ass fic that jay and i are working on so.)

9. It All Fades Away - Bridges of Madison County musical (this musical got me through 2020, I swear. epic romance. also Steven Pasquale’s voice. whew.)

10. Now or Never - Sunset Curve (I listened to this nonstop while writing the Beatriz ficlet. a fucking banger)

tagging...anyone who wants to play. there may be some double tags because i have like 2 friends, and do not feel obligated, but: @breakaway71 @daintyduck99, @merihn, @where-you-go, @invisibleraven

[wharnal]

Thanks for the tag @chaoticnostalgia ! :)

Favourite colour

Yellow

Current reads

Trollbyen by Karsten Alnæs to practice my Norwegian, it’s a bit of a random read but I borrowed it from a friend after I saw it on his bookshelf figuring he brought it home from his Oslo trip, knowing he doesn’t speak Norwegian.

As for fanfic, I’m waiting for so many wips to update. 😭 Mainly play my song by @ishotforthestars, I love their late night radio host Simon.

Last song

I’m currently listening to one of my playlists on shuffle and it’s playing You Gotta Be by Des’ree (can you guess my pre-YR obsession?)

Last series

YR

Sweet/spicy/savoury

Savoury

Currently working on

I’ve never actually written anything save for the few outlines I started and then discarded 😬

I’m tagging @olleoskifelle , @purplehoodiesimon and @stayoutofitnick if you’re in the mood 

[servegrilledcheese]

tag game!

lets go girls ! tagged by @astystole & @meksims

Nickname: nino

Zodiac Sign: cancer sun, capricorn moon, pisces rising

(i have no clue what that means but my that’s what my co--star chart says)

Height: 172 cm or 5′8″ according to my drivers license.

Last Movie I Watched: i don’t remember anymore. the next movie i want to watch is jurassic park (1993) bc jeff goldbum.

Last Thing I Googled: hbomberguy. i was watching his video essay about the origins of the anti-vax movement.

Favorite Musicians/Artists: according to my spotify on repeat playlist, mariah carey, olivia rodrigo, and slayyyter

Current Song That is Stuck in Your Head: i’m kissing you by des’ree bc of the romeo + juliet clip i referenced

Lucky Number: 12 i just decided

Currently Wearing: worn out white v-neck tee and blue and white striped betlog pj shorts

Dream Job: lottery winner or trophy wife

Dream Trip: paris again or tokyo probably. i want to replace all the water in my body with ramen soup and kohee.

Languages: english and filipino

Ocean side or Mountains: ocean! gimme that amalfi coast view.

Do you play any instruments?: i’ve been playing the piano for 9 years!

Current Favorite Song: touch my body by slayyyter

One random fact about yourself: when i walk my cat, i bring a plastic poop bag and toilet paper with me which are just props to make me seem like a responsible pet owner who picks up after his cat. (i am not and i do not). my cat conceals her shit exquisitely (she digs a hole, squats on the hole, and covers the hole). the other cats in the neighborhood do not, and i don’t want my neighbors to make the assumption that the shit lying around near the sidewalk is my cat’s. sometimes when my cat has finished shitting i roll out some toilet paper, pretend to get the shit out of the soil, and fold the unused toilet paper into the poop bag, but only when i’m visible from the security cameras.

Describe yourself as an aesthetic: static playing on a spray-painted baby pink tv from the 90’s with bedazzled antennas inside a trashed apartment unit.

tagging @kazuaru @aniraklova & @klayde!! do whatever you want.

[witchthewriter]

hey again!! i hope you’ve been doing good, it’s always a joy seeing your writing on my dashboard. i was wondering if i could participate in the ship event?

fandoms : mcu, grishaverse, stranger things

a little about me! : i define myself as queer (attracted to whoever basically, regardless of gender or whatever) and asexual, and i use any pronouns. 

my mbti type is enfp, and i’m a libra if that helps any <3

i’m pretty outgoing! i like talking to people, i just suck at small talk lmao. apparently i come off like i’m flirting with people a lot of the time whoops-

shitty jokes are my jam. i have a mix of 13 year old boy and grandpa humour.

i’m creative but work in sporadic bursts, i’ll do nothing all day but then bust out a painted jacket because i get a surge of energy at one in the morning

big fan of organized chaos, my room is kind of cluttered but i know where everything is. i’ve got a personal vendetta against minimalism

i love making stuff for people and giving them gifts! it’s my love language lmao

i kickbox and do mma, i like the contrast of me having bright pink hair but being able to kick ass ahsgdgg

i also play bass and guitar! can’t sing for shit though

dream job is either as a freelance illustrator or museum curator. something that i’ll enjoy but will still give me time to myself. my idea of hell is having an office job

Want one? Here be the rules 🦋

I actually literally want to be your best friend. You are CHAOS PERSONIFIED and I love it. I really hope you enjoy your ships <3 message me whenever!!!

What the ships have in common:

⋆ They’re lively/outgoing  ⋆ Fun-loving ⋆ Chaotic ⋆ Interesting ⋆ They literally ARE the party / scene/show stealing

𝐌𝐂𝐔/𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Valkyrie! (Pls keep in mind I haven’t seen the recent Thor movie so if things don’t make sense ... idk man, I guess they’ll just not make sense ;) ) 

I think you would be absolutely brilliant together. Valkyrie would not shy away from you at all; you would make her life even more exciting (which is hard to do btw). I think people would be incredibly intimidated by the both of you too. 

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・Pick each other’s outfits. I think you two would be ICONS. Like seriously. 

・You know she has responsibilities and duties, but she juggles them really well. 

・She likes to call you really over the top names, like ‘sugar bun,’ ‘sweet cheeks,’ ‘bunny boo.’ She likes embarrassing you

・You two love sparring with each other. Both very competitive and are always trying to one up each other. 

・She likes slow dancing with you thought - look up the song, ‘I’m Kissing You’ by Des’ree. It’s literally your guys’ song.

𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 

I ship you with Jesper Fahey! (And don’t worry, I looked up his sexuality and he’s bisexual.) 

 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・When he first laid eyes on you, his breath hitched. Even in the Grishaverse you found a way to go against the crowd. 

・Relationship tropes: ‘chaotic duo,’ ‘something usually breaks wherever you too go,’ ‘aggressively supportive.’

・I do feel as if there is angst in this relationship - especially at the beginning. You would see Jesper as this playboy who wouldn’t even notice you. But he thought you hated him. Obviously that wasn’t the case. Not unti lnej was like ‘pull your head out of your asses guys c’mon.’ 

・Wants you to feel as included in the gang as possible. You were probably hired as Kaz’s bodyguard due to your training. That’s how you’re associated. 

・You become a part of the inner circle; it’s Kaz, Inek, Jesper & you. 

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 

I ship you with THE Eddie Munson <3 absolute king. Okay, so just like with Jesper, you two would be absolute chaos. Just shenanigans outright wherever you go. I definitely think you and Eddie would be a more traditional couple. In the sense that ... it makes sense you’re together. You’re very similar personality wise. 

 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・Met at your job; you worked in a record shop and Eddie was a regular there. Obviously you knew the rumours about him; his ‘devil worshipping’ and one day you decided to ask him about it... 

   “Summoned any demons lately, Eddie?” You asked casually. 

“Ugh - what was that sweetheart?” He looked at you with his eyebrows raised, one arm on the counter, the other reaching for his tapes. 

   “You know, with your satanic worship and such...” You trailed off, and gave him a cheeky smile. 

“Oh definitely. I was going to ask him about my homework question.” 

・You guys are really cheeky with each other; constantly flirting, until one day one of your friends was in the store as well and asked if you guys were together. 

“What...” you looked at Eddie, and suddenly an idea came into mind. 

“Yeah, how’d you find out?” You looked at your friend with a comical expression; eyebrows raised, eyes wide. 

  Eddie played along, after all he did have a secret crush on you ... 

“I think she might be my soulmate,” Eddie said breathlessly, taking you into his arms and pressing your head to his chest (forcefully it was all very very dramatic.) 

・And when your friend had to go, you said: “why don’t we hang out ... you know ... a date ...” 

    He was shocked. 

And immediately said yes, but tried to play it cool. “I mean ... I guess ... I’ll check my schedule.” 

・I could literally talk about you two all day. You’re so easy to write about - I think the gang would know you previously because you work in such a popular store. 

・You would be great friends with literally everyone. You’re so outgoing and they all love you so much. You teach Max how to defend herself, you talk to Lucas about basketball, Dustin literally has a crush on you etc.