#nobody knows who her pop star version is

[mgnifique-tion]

— still a hero.

summary || `` trapped in the worst earth to ever exist, the scientist finds herself in a confession made by the dark speedster. ``

pairing: headcanon–blitzkrieg!barry x fem!scientist!reader song recommendation: innocent (taylor swift) lowercase is intended…

— themes and warning/s: fluff, enemies to lovers-ish, swearing (?), suggestive for a moment (but not really?), comfort, mentions nazis, mentions death (nobody dies though), and a bit angsty

— a/n: actually, i have absolutely no knowledge of comic!blitzkrieg but ever since i found out that this character was cut out of crisis on earth-x (alleged..? so not sure), i knew i had to write about angsty barry with a different flavor and storyline… did i nail it? did i nail it better than the cw– anywho, enjoy! (i also write for k-pop on my main account so if you’re into that, follow @mgnifiqueyoo ^^)

[ total words: 3.3k ]

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alright.

here's the so-called thing: it's been weeks since the nazi in the black suit stopped the führer from executing you and you just couldn't stop thinking about it. 

you were from earth-1, a curious scientist who had gone to lengths to explore the multiverse and it just so happened that you landed on this one. i mean, what's wrong with living on an earth where the nazis won? haha, everything.

everything's seriously fucked up.

“hey!” the speedster was aggressive but not in a way that you'd expect as you stood there in the middle of a red 'x' symbol on the cemented ground, ready to be shot with one of those arrows that killed the innocents who chose not to conform. you opened your eyes to see that the hooded führer, leader of the entire world, was even startled by how the black streak was stopping him from ending your final breaths. “i know this is for the fatherland but she’s done nothing. she's not the one who stole the samples from us. you've got the wrong girl.” 

the führer, an awful version of the star city mayor, oliver queen, lowered his bow and you were just mind-blown that he'd even take it into consideration. 

“are you sure about this? because i’ll put an arrow in your eye if we're both wrong.” he taunted through gritted teeth as the speedster ran towards him, stopping right in front of him. he was so fast that you couldn't even tell if he was teleporting or running. 

he is the fastest man alive after all.

“oh, right. i'm sure,” the masked accomplice answered with a chuckle, later placing his hands behind his head as if this was all a game to him. “and also, i can easily kill you right now but i wouldn't do that since i'm telling you the truth.”

“good point.” the archer responded, breathing in as he turned around to face his other men, who had now lowered their guns as well while his kryptonian wife squinted her eyes, quite disgusted.

“we're done here. she's in blitzkreig's hands,” he told her, which almost made her feel nauseous. — she anticipated your death the most but that's not even the weirdest part about her; she's literally an alien. “she's of no importance anyway.”

and somehow, that brought you here; you're now in the headquarters of those nazis, waiting for the speedster to show up. why? because he ridiculously called you in the middle of the night and you think that it's an emergency.

oh, right. you're his speed mentor these days. that's why he did that.

“where is he?” you mutter in almost a whisper, bouncing your leg furiously as the heel of your shoe tapped the floor's tiles. time is ticking and you're getting anxious. what if this is a trap, right? that could get you killed.

but what if it isn't? then, something else must be up. 

a familiar gust of wind strikes into the room, even snatching your wrist watch away as he checks the time himself. “i'm not too late, am i?” he asks in a joking manner as you can't help but let out a sigh, trying to keep your patience together. for the record, you thought he was getting killed and for some reason, you kind of wished that something as serious as that was actually happening instead. 

“... was there even an emergency?” you question, your brows already knitting lower as he lets out a chuckle. “so, there's no emergency,” you utter, still trying your best not to say anything that'd annoy him – which would later convince him to turn you to the führer or just kill you himself. “great. that's understandable.”

the strange meta laughs even louder, later looking down at you with his bottom lip bitten by himself as if he'd been viewing you differently.

“don't sulk about it, doc. remember, you signed up for this,” he tells you to quit thinking about it as a bad thing, tilting his head to the side. you could just see it in his eyes – the desire to annoy you in that high chair you're sitting on. “would you rather be an earth-1 fugitive or be a free man- well, woman, on this earth? plus, you're my property anyway. you've already gotten so many privileges with just that.”

he's smug, unserious, and unbelievably so overconfident that even as bad as siren-x wanted to replace him – but mainly because of her feelings for the one and only führer but let's not dive into that love triangle between an alien, a meta, and the jacked apple of their eye.

“but i do have a problem… surprisingly.”

you raise both of your eyebrows, intrigued by how his mood shifted. you never expected the blitzkrieg, killer speedster faster than thawne, to consult you about a problem. he's never had them before and it just shows how bothered he is by this so-called problem.

so, what is it?

“are you… running differently?” the question almost sounded like a joke to him if it weren't for that genuine look on his face. the speedster crosses his arms, slightly puckering his lower lip out while he's obviously frowning at you through that mask. it's hard to make out what his face actually looks like but for some reason, you can read him so well.

but then, he lets out a quiet snicker. “no, that's a shit guess... guess again.” he was eager to let you find out the reason yourself that you just spent a few seconds (fifteen or so?) thinking of a possible answer.

and when you looked back up at him, you shake your head, causing him to roll his eyes, annoyed again. “guess again- come on, you’re not an idiot. if you were, then i would’ve let you get killed.”

“i literally don’t know. i’m sorry.” you apologize – well, more like forced to do so – as he slouches his shoulders in disappointment. he just couldn’t believe that it’s hopeless for you to know what his problem was!

even though he was being totally vague and unreasonable at this point, he knew you knew him in a different way; in a way that you knew what he’s like even without knowing the face behind the mask. 

so it just surprised him that you had no idea what he’s talking about.

he takes in a deep breath, readying himself to tell you the issue; the main reason why you’re here in the lab at three o’clock in the morning all by yourself and… him, of course.

“i can’t sleep and i don’t know why… this is my first time, alright? don’t judge,” he blurts out, the confidence stripping away little by little as you take a moment to understand what he’s telling you. is he not joking with you? that’s a new thing.

he’s always so fond of ruining your days whenever you come around to work at the laboratory but he seems so different now. way too solemn for you to think he’s even joking at this very moment. 

“... you can’t sleep well, is that why you called me here at 3 am?” 

and shockingly, he nods right away, determined to learn more about his ongoing problem. “yes and god, it’s horrible. everytime i close my eyes, i keep on thinking about something else and the next thing, my mind’s all about her.” blitzkrieg runs his mouth almost faster than he could do with his own legs that he doesn’t even realize that he let an important and rather private detail slip. 

her

who was she?

“... her?” you ask, watching how his already dilated eyes almost jump out of its sockets, terrified to find out that you heard him say those things hilariously clear. in panic, the wrist watch he snatched from you drops from his grip, resulting in him looking down to see what he’s done.

“is she an ex-girlfriend?” you continued to ask him, not letting the key part of his sleeping problem get ignored as you find yourself getting even more interested.

“um… no, she isn’t. not an ex or anything,” he answers truthfully, the unknown awkward side of him taking over his voice as he later picks up the wrist watch from the floor. handing it to you, he manages to keep his distance, his hands intertwined with one another while he stands stiffly. “but, uh, i count her as somewhat of a friend- it’s complicated.” he crosses his arms, slightly nodding as those words of denial flow out of his lips, his eyes clearly avoiding yours.

‘is he having a crush on someone?’ you think, tilting your head to one side as you lean your chin over your knuckles, unsure of what else you could make out of this brand new information that you’d rather expect from the ruthless kryptonian with the heart disease.

“look, i’m not a therapist or anything so i’ll use my logic instead,” you start with a disclaimer, leaning your back against the rails of the high chair as he nods once again, still willing to listen. “so, what are those thoughts specifically? i mean, there’s a really huge chance that those thoughts could be distracting enough to not make you sleep.”

he stares at the other side of the room, silent again. you could tell he was so bothered by his own late-night thoughts that he could spend seconds staying quiet just by thinking about them. “... i keep on remembering how she’s looked me in the eye, scared shitless. untrusting. overall pathetic… but for some reason, i always feel the need to protect her.”

“... you could feel that?”

“i said don’t judge.”

but it was too unexpected for him to feel that way about someone! whoever that girl was, you were so sure that blitzkrieg loved her whether he’d admit it to himself or not.

“but that’s not all, i also think of her in ways that i probably shouldn’t tell you,” he says in a teasing tone, his signature smirk finally showing up within his lips after long moments of just pure seriousness and deep down in him, he’s wishing to make you feel the nosiest you’ve ever been. “... or should i?”

you squint your eyes at him in confusion, torn between being nosy and being a decent “doctor” or whatever he wants you to be.

“you seem excited to tell me so do as you please,” you say with a slight chuckle, trying your best to be relaxed about it as if you’re not interested to listen in the first place – which, in reality, you actually are. 

“what? you want me to tell you?” he’s around the middle of laughing and panicking as he avoids that look on your face again, just like earlier. in response, you hum, still playing the chill listener, who would choose to keep the darkest secrets of her friends to herself than letting them have their own privacy.

after all, you’d swear to tell no one. it’s not really much of a big deal.

he then faces you once more, eyes looking at you from top to bottom as he takes a step or two towards you. suddenly, he lifts away the mask from his face, finally revealing his biggest secret to you with anxiety firing up his nerves – and apparently, you knew who he was all along.

well, his earth-1 counterpart at least: bartholomew henry allen, the chemist from central city’s police department; someone that your past co-worker julian albert used to dislike for months.

“barry allen?” you whisper in disbelief, carefully bringing your palm to your lips to shush yourself as he nods slowly. to be honest, he’s been waiting ages for you to figure that out but it seems that you’ve brushed those thoughts away for a reason that he had no idea about. 

“anyway, back to the topic, are you sure that you want to know what i think of her?” he changes the subject as quickly as possible, which causes you to take a second before nodding along. well, it’s quite a thing for this earth to get shocking with the counterparts – this man in front of you would be called a “modern hero” in your world yet in this one, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

let’s face it. even this version of barry would call himself unkind. “oh, and before you ask why i showed you my face, that’s because i trust you,” he begins with a reminder, hoping that you’d take note of that as you nod once more. your ears are basically ringing, tingling, and almost itching to listen to what he’d tell you. “i want you to tell no one else about this, is that clear?”

and of course, you nod another time, already getting even more impatient as minutes pass by.

“i don’t think i should explain further when i tell you that i think about her a lot in bed,” barry admits with a smirk on his face as one of your eyebrow arches in curiosity. you later let out a hum, a cue for him to continue with his stories; you’re now definitely sure that he really does like her, whoever she is.

“i think about how her skin would feel under my fingertips once she finds out who i really am.”

he takes another step towards you, his eyes fixated on his gloved hands as he looks back into your eyes in a way that he’s almost telling you something that shouldn’t be said.

something that’d put himself in danger. “often times, i’d think of playing the hero over and over again… just so she knows that i’ll put my life on the line for her,” he says, later glaring back at you with a hint of desperation. — he’s been waiting for seconds, minutes, days, and even weeks to tell you this. to tell you all about it. to tell you that this girl he’s talking about is no stranger to you.

he then takes the empty seat next to yours, keeping his head down for a while. for him, saying things like these is a struggle, especially since he lives in a world where freedom couldn’t be an option unless you’re wearing a badge. and even though you were his “speed doctor,” he knew that you wouldn’t still be treated the same way as he was and the constant reminder of that was crushing him slowly.

and then, he lifts his head up and says, “i’ve been thinking about you all the time.”

you freeze in your seat as if time has stopped, taken aback by how he’s now talking about you and not someone else you didn’t know. barry reaches for your hand and you let him take it, placing it over his chest as if he’s asking you to check his pulse.

“when doctor west… iris was executed by thawne, i thought that i could never feel this way anymore,” he admits, softly caressing your hand. the rough leather of his suit grazes over your skin so gently like a feather that he almost forgot that he’d also use that same hand to drill into someone’s chest, even taking their heart out for the fun of it. “but you… you made me realize that i wasn’t always a monster. that i once loved someone… that i was once human.”

“... barry-”

“you don’t have to say anything,” he cuts you off, shaking his head as if he’s actually giving you control of the situation unlike usual, wherein it’s always his call that matters. and deep down, you didn’t know what to tell him.

everything was happening so fast that you couldn’t even believe that this earth’s barry is the man behind that dark mask, which would usually be seen before someone’s death. 

he then takes another deep breath, returning your hand back to you as he looks out at the window, spending a few moments to think about what he’s done. — he fell in love with you already and it’s too late to crawl out of the deep pit that has no floor; a wide space like an ocean but instead of waters, it’s all those things about you. what he liked about you from head to toe. the things that his mind would be focused on every single night.

he couldn’t sleep, yes.

but he’d always smile whenever he remembers that somebody like you exists in his life.

a life so dark, so broken, so warped that he believes that he doesn’t even deserve to feel loved.

“i can take you back to your earth, where you belong. i know you’ve been staying here for months…” he trailed off, thinking about it deeply. he's torn between it. just because he could love, that didn't mean he's an angel – he's a thousand miles away from it. 

he wants you here all to himself and owned by no one else but him. he craves for you to be around him all the time. he wants your eyes on him only.

but he knew it would hurt you.

and it almost kills him to think of that.

“... but you deserve to go home.” he was miserable. deep down that silly, menacing facade was just someone so in need of feeling something. anything. and god, was it so addicting to feel some love for once. “because in the end, you'll always be that person who reminded me of who i used to be… who i wished to be.”

there was long, loud silence. a silence that ticks like a time bomb, pressuring you to think of how this all would turn out to be. after all, what would happen next is in your hands.

“i’m starting to think that there’s a reason why i ended up here,” you said with a gulp, about to make the biggest decision ever. he raised an eyebrow at you, confusion shown within his whole face as he cocked his head to the side with a question that remained in his mind– what exactly did you mean? 

“this world needs saving… and maybe we’ll be the ones who’d save it.”

the speedster had a frozen look on his face, clearly not expecting that those words would even come out of your mouth.

“do you really think that it’s not too late for me to change?” hope was seen in his eyes, his brows furrowed in both confusion yet belief in what you’d tell him next as you nodded, your soft palm later reaching for the side of his face. 

he closed his eyes so tightly for a long moment, his chest rising up and down so quickly in anticipation. 

he’s never felt a touch like that in ages. the last time he’s ever felt a hand graze over his skin was the moment he’s locked eyes with his iris, who had been fighting for her life ‘til her last breath.

i’ll be okay, she said no matter how the red pooled over her chest, the blade that thawne held seconds before was sticking out of her. 

the very moment he’d realized that this agenda that the new reich had implemented was not worth doing at all.

“there’s a hero in all of us,” you said, your hand slipping away from his skin slowly when he’s suddenly reached out for it, holding your arm so dearly like fragile, thin glass. “and you already saved me.” 

“let’s go save the world together, then?”

“of course.”

[usmsgutterson]

paper rings- weddings!! give me a character. a rough word count (10k is the most I’m willing to write, but if you want the fic to be a longer one, specifics are heavily recommended) and where you would want to get married if you were to get married! You can also tell me if you want it to be next level angst or to have the fluff scale turned up to eleven. Provide whatever specifics you want, and along with the fic, you’ll get a moodboard! You can mention if you want the moodboard to replace whatever gif I use as a fic header, but if you want it at the bottom of the fic and for me to include the gif anyway, just let me know!

okayyyy nikolai lantsov andd 1-2k? i've always dreamed of having a forest fairytale type wedding. like the fairy lights, and the green and borwn color schemes. and very intimate, only closeee friends and family (which is still a lot of family on my side but shhhh) fluff scale turned up to 11 plsss! the moodboard, i'm fine either way whatever is easiest<3

Our Forever/Our Eternity- Nikolai Lantsov x fem! reader

Okay, hi! I am so sorry that this coming out so late--I’d started second semester when I went to look at my inbox and having to do assignments on the daily is taking me closer and closer to academic burn out one step at a time. This is coming out on valentines though, so yay! I hope you like this one. The moodboard also came out in the form of a collage, which again, I hope is cool! I made it while tired out of my mind last night and a collage is what my tiredbrain was able to manage at that point lol.

fic type- fluff. 

Warnings- mentions of the consumption of alcohol (wine and champagne, and vodka/kvas) 

You and Nikolai had been dating since you were sixteen, having met by pure happenstance whilst you both worked in the First Army. You were at his side as his partner when he’d met Alina, fought with him as his partner and his confidante in the Ravkan Civil war. 

When he’d proposed at the age of twenty-three, just at the beginning of his kingship, you were overjoyed, and so, it seemed, was he. 

The next year and a half were spent with wedding preparations at the forefront of nearly everyones focuses, though especially Genyas, yours, and Nikolais. 

A fairytale esque wedding was the theme you’d agreed upon, and it was just to your luck that a decent clearing with a couple of large trees was amongst the Little Palaces acreage. 

Genya had said that it was to be the perfect spot for a wedding, and a year and a half later, as you listened to Alina and Zoyas conversation and Genya tailored a bit of powder onto your eyes to give them a pop of color, you had to agree. 

You’d decorated it with a few good tables, chairs painted a deep brown the color of wood, the tablecloths a darker version of leafy green. The centerpieces had been your favorite flowers, encased in small glass display containers that would’ve been used for something like a cupcake display in a bakery, and the tree under which you were going to get married had been laid with lights, making it look like the branches were dripping in stars. 

You’d done your wedding a bit differently to the societal expectations placed onto Nikolais shoulders. It wasn’t public, it wasn’t to occur in the Little Palace and there were no journalists, no reporters or anyone who’s only purpose of attending would be to get the scoop on the happenings of that day. 

You’d only invited the people who’d mattered to you both, those whom you considered family. Tolya, Mal and David were Nikolais groomsmen. Genya, Tamar, Nadia, Alina and Zoya were your bridesmaids. 

Alina and Mal had come along, though Alina had been wearing a wig so that nobody looked at her and immediately knew that she’d been the sun saint, the one who’d been martyred three years before. 

Alina laughed as a breeze picked up and ruined some of the work that Genya had done with your hair, meeting your gaze with a grin. 

“Early summer is a wonderful time of year, isn’t it?” You asked, laugh befalling your lips as Genya gave an exasperated sigh. “There’s a breeze, yeah, but at least it’s warm.”

“Nikolai is just going to faint when he sees you,” Nadia said with a grin. “Oh, the king will faint indeed.”

“Tolya will have to catch him,” Tamar agreed, laugh coming up as she took a sip of her champagne. “It’ll be quite the glorious thing, and no reporters here to tell the tale means that our beloved king and his precious ego will be saved from embarrassment.” 

“He’ll do more than faint,” Zoya said. “He’s never cried a day in his life, I’m sure, but he will. He’ll be crying tears of joy. Men are astonished by beauty, and you look ravishing, so it’s practically par for the course.” 

You took a sip of your champagne as Genya announced that she was done with your hair, peeking out from behind the tree that you’d stood behind, one far enough away from guests and Nikolai to avoid being heard or seen.  

“The king has descended down the aisle,” she said. “Oh, he is going to lose it. I’m so excited!” 

You finished off your champagne as Genya and David walked down the aisle, followed by Zoya with Tolya, Alina and Mal, Tamar and Nadia together. 

You watched, head ducked out from the spot where you stood, as David whispered something to Nikolai and his eyes promptly closed, anticipatory grin spreading across his face. You scoffed, grin coming to yours as well. 

Of course David had listened to Genyas suggestion that he ask Nikolai to close his eyes so as to not see you until you’d walked down the aisle. Photographers were around, and she probably thought it would make for an interesting set of photos. David, as her husband, would’ve agreed, as would you have, as you knew she was probably right. 

Your father walked you down the aisle, and when you reached out, resting either of your arms on Nikolais shoulders and allowing your hands to entwine themselves behind his neck, his eyes opened.

He looked shocked in one moment, mesmerized in the next.

“You look--” Nikolai began, cutting himself off. He laughed after a moment. “It seems I am unable to find the words. You look indescribably beautiful.” 

You grinned. “You clean up nicely, Mr. Lantsov.”

“The same can be said of you, soon to be Mrs.” 

You grinned, rolled your eyes, as the officiant began.

“We are gathered here today for the union of his majesty the king, Nikolai Lantsov, and her majesty the Queen, Y/N L/N,” you’d gotten that part sorted in the weeks prior. You’d been declared queen before the wedding at a small coronation that the public was only made aware of in the days after it’d occurred, so as to pretty much just get the process out of the way. 

“It is my belief that the couple has written their own vows?” You both glanced at the officiant, giving him a slight nod. “Well then, King Nikolai, I’ll allow you to read yours first.” 

Nikolai shot you a smirk, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at him lovingly. He’d always been the flirtatious type, and you considered it luck that those flirts had always seemed to be tossed in your direction. 

Nikolai wasn’t just a flirt, though. He was a caring, compassionate, smart and wonderful guy. He was someone you’d met while serving your time in the First Army, someone who you’d seen act in the bravest manner and only in the interest of saving the lives of those around him. He’d managed to sweep you off your feet somewhere in all of the noise, and when he became Sturmhond, you joined him once you’d convinced your commander to release you on honorable discharge so that you could. 

As you stood in front of him, arms around his shoulders, you found that you didn’t regret it. Not a minute. 

“I have loved you since we worked in the infantry department together,” Nikolai said. “I fell in love with you whilst we were in the ranks of the First Army, and, eight years after I joined up, I can say that I have not felt regret over it for a moment. I love you more than words can express, really, and I’m looking forward to proving it to you with my actions. I cannot wait to get to wake up next to you everyday for the rest of my life.”

He paused, closing his eyes for a moment, and you realized that Zoya may have been right. Nikolai may actually have started crying, or have gotten closer to it. 

“Forever has always felt like such a long time,” Nikolai continued. “It still does, usually, but it’s time that I get to spend with you at my side, so I can’t wait for our forever to start.” 

The officiant grinned. “Y/N, you may read your vows in response.” 

“I love you,” you began. “I used to think that I would never get so lucky as I have. I was sent into the First Army, and as most do, I figured I was doomed. I’m delighted that I wasn’t, and though the First Army, the mandatory service, is not something that I look back on fondly, I’m glad I met you from it. I’m glad that I’ve spent almost a decade at your side, and I’m looking forward to all the decades to come.”

“I’m looking forward to coffee on Sundays, to watching the sun go down and drinking kvas as we talk about how lucky we both feel, and I am really excited that I get to be married to you for our eternity. I have loved you as long as I have known you, and I am looking forward to getting to spend the rest of my days loving you even still.” 

The rings were brought out, and you noticed a tear slip down Nikolais cheek as he slipped the ring onto your finger. You slipped his ring onto his, wiped the tear away and gave him a grin as you registered that you were close to crying as well. 

It was your wedding, though. One of the happiest days of your life. People would forgive you if you cried a bit. 

“Nikolai Lantsov, do you promise to love Y/N L/N for the rest of your days, in sickness and in health, in rich and in poor?”

“I do,” Nikolai looked at you, and you looked at him, and all that either of you noticed in that moment was the sheer love in the other persons gaze.

“Y/N L/N, do you promise to love Nikolai Lantsov for the rest of your days, in sickness and in health, in rich and in poor?” 

“I do.” 

“Well then, the bride and groom may kiss to seal this union,” the officiant said.

And so, you did, a tear slipping down your cheek as Nikolais lips were on yours and you were officially his wife, he was officially your husband. You were so happy, it was more than words could ever accurately describe.

Nikolai pulled away, grabbed your hand and interlaced your fingers, and just like that, the party had started, the violins picking up with an old Ravkan dancing tune. 

You spent the night dancing, laughing, drinking and enjoying the night for all that it was. You were married to the love of your life, and you were sure you would be so happy as you’d been that day for the rest of the days in which you graced the earth. 

When all the guests had left, most of them retiring into their rooms after midnight, when all of the celebrations had been had, the good wine and kvas drank, the dancing done, you were still out there.

It was a group of people, actually. It’d been you, Nikolai, Genya, David, Tolya, Tamar, Nadia, Zoya, Alina and Mal. The violinist was still playing because they’d not yet retired to their own room. They were playing a slow song, and like it was habitual, you all paired off and danced.

Nikolai held you close, arms around your waist where yours were resting on either of his shoulders. You were dancing under the tree where you’d gotten married, and the lights were still on. As you registered the flit of a camera, knowing that the photographers had long gone home, you scoffed.

“Need something for the photo album, Tolya?”

“A few somethings,” he said. “These’ll look good framed, and Zoya most certainly agrees with me.”

“She does,” Zoya piped up. “As does Genya, who anticipated this happening and thought that the disposable was a good idea. You’re welcome, lovebirds.” 

You and Nikolai laughed. “Thank you, guys.”

“We’re glad that you finally tied the knot, Nik,” Tamar said. “Seriously. Tolya and Nadia were beginning to debate placing bets.”

“Who would’ve won?”

“Me,” Tolya said. “A good man does not wait for the perfect time, in accordance to my sonnets. He either creates it or finds it in a day that is seemingly mundane.”

You scoffed. “It was not mundane, Yul-Bataar. He proposed to me when the sun was setting. We were by the lakes.” 

“Mundane enough,” Nikolai said. “And perfect enough, after having tried to find the right time for three years.”

“You took my point, you took my compliment, and you unraveled it,” Tolya said, scoffing. “You’re a drunken buffoon.”

“I’m not drunk,” Nikolai said. “I’ve been too busy dancing with my wife to bother with it.”

“Ah, so you’re just a buffoon, then?” Genya asked. “Makes sense.” 

Nikolai scoffed, meeting your gaze. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you too,” you said. “It’s getting late, and cold. Let’s head back inside.”

“Early start tomorrow,” David said.

“I will have Tamar cut my tongue out with one of her beloved axes before I rise at any time within the three hours after sunrise tomorrow morning,” Nikolai said as the group began the walk back. You heard the violin music stop, the violinist packing up as you left. 

You grinned as you took Nikolais hand and interlaced your fingers. 

You’d married the love of your life. You were so happy in what was just the start of your forever with him, and he was so happy in the start of his eternity with you. 

[whiskeyswifty]

the popcast guys saying that Taylor having no sense for visuals is part of her relatable appeal and that she'd be too untouchable if she was a proper asthete is so real! It has been so strange to see people create a version of Taylor that is an Artiste with Niche Taste and interests when the reason why she is so good at what she does is that she knows what is popular and that she likes it and thus enjoys the popular content she makes.

Hahaha yeah! That was a great episode from a while ago now I think and I loved how they were kinda mean but acknowledged that it’s fundamental to her success. She’s the most basic form of everything she does which makes it the most broadly appealing and accessible to people with no taste. The only area where she gets a bit highfalutin is lyrically, and even then it’s never more than a 11th grade high schooler should be able to easily parse in English class. Idk if everyone who likes her has bad taste, but by appealing to the lowest common denominator, it means everyone feels like they can join in. Nobody feels like what she does is too highbrow for them or has references too specific to any culture or history. Which is why you’ll find 3 year olds and 75 year olds at her shows. It’s not her invention either, as pop stars and boy bands have been peddling what you could call vague specificity for decades now for these very reasons. There’s a very apt parody song by Bo Burnham about the vagueness in boyband songs that are cleverly designed so EVERY girl can easily insert herself into the song.

I also think that lends to why some people project this artiste you mentioned onto her. She’s so blank. So much of her art is quite vague and simple and you can see whatever you want in it and in her, which is why there are full on wars over song meanings and visual interpretations, and even conflicting ideas about who she is as a person. Yes she sets a scene with specific details, but the details are so micro, they can be anything anywhere. They don’t give you a sense of a real place exactly, they let you imagine it happening in YOUR place. People can project the person and places they want to see into her, and she lets them (within reason like she will not let you paint her as a villainous character or one who maliciously deceives and so on). It’s not a negative thing either, and I love how they’re like yeah it’s totally by design and totally a strength and pillar of her success! It doesn’t make her art interesting or progressive in a cultural sense, of course, but she doesn’t trade in that. She trades in relatability and she’s sooooo good at it.

[the-orange-tabby-cat]

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) (11/?)

WHICH PEDRO BOY IS BASED ON? Dieter Bravo

ALBUM VIBES (listen to it on Spotify)

From city heat to kabbalah, Madonna’s classic pop album is intense and provocative. She doesn’t take shit from anyone and lets her music tell everything you need to know about her way to the top, how she deals with love and frustration. Dieter Bravo’s “fuck it” attitude and excess are everywhere in this electronic classic, even if deep down we know he is a little crybaby for the New York minute.

DIETER BRAVO CODED LYRICS

“Every little thing that you say or do I'm hung up, I'm hung up on you” (Hung Up)

“Waiting for your call, baby, night and day, I'm fed up, I'm tired of waiting on you” (Hung Up)

“Time goes by so slowly for those who wait, no time to hesitate, those who run seem to have all the fun” (Hung Up)

“I know that you're still hesitating, don't cry for me, 'cause I'll find my way. You'll wake up one day, but it'll be too late” (Hung Up)

“Do you believe in love at first sight? It's an illusion, I don't care” (Get Together)

“Do you believe I can make you feel better? Too much confusion, come on over here” (Get Together)

“If it's bitter at the start then it's sweeter in the end” (Get Together)

“You're not half the man you think you are, save your words because you've gone too far” (Sorry)

“I've listened to your lies and all your stories, you're not half the man you'd like to be” (Sorry)

“You stayed because I made it so convenient, don't explain yourself, you'll never see” (Sorry)

“I'm gonna tell you about love: let's forget your life, forget your problems, administration, bills, and loans, come with me” (Future Lovers)

“In the demonstration of this evidence, some have called it religion. This is not a coincidence, would you like to try?” (Future Lovers)

“Future lovers ride their ambitions high” (Future Lovers)

“Let me be your guide, put aside your pride, future lovers hide love inside their eyes” (Future Lovers)

“Put away your past, love will never last If you're holding on to a dream that's gone” (Future Lovers)

“I'm gonna tell you about love, would you like to try?” (Future Lovers)

“If you don't like my attitude then you can F off” (I Love New York)

“If you can't stand the heat, then get off my street” (I Love New York)

“Now I can tell you about success, about fame, about the rise and the fall of all the stars in the sky, don't it make you smile?” (Let It Will Be)

“Now I can tell you about the place I belong, you know it won't last long and all those lights they will turn down” (Let It Will Be)

“I'm at the point of no return, just watch me burn” (Let It Will Be)

“About success, about fame, won't you let it be?” (Let It Will Be)

“Just one kiss on my lips was all it took to seal the future” (Forbidden Love)

“Just one look from your eyes was like a certain kind of torture” (Forbidden Love)

“Just one smile on your face was all it took to change my fortune” (Forbidden Love)

“Once upon a time, there was a boy, there was a girl. Hearts that intertwine, they lived in a different kind of world” (Forbidden Love)

“There's only so much you can learn in one place. The more that I wait, the more time that I waste” (Jump)

“I'm not afraid of what I'll face, but I'm afraid to stay” (Jump)

“I'll work and I'll fight till I find a place of my own” (Jump)

“Life's gonna drop you down like the limbs of a tree: It sways, and it swings. and it bends until it makes you see” (Jump)

“How high are the stakes? How much fortune can you make?” (How High)

“I spent my whole life wanting to be talked about, I did it just about everything to see my name in lights” (How High)

“Nobody's perfect, I guess I deserve this” (How High)

“How everybody mentions my name, but they're never very nice, I took it just about everything, except my own advice” (How High)

“You push me, a better version of myself, you push me, only you and no one else” (Push)

“You push me, when I think I know it all, you push me, when I stumble and I fall” (Push)

“You can call me a sinner, you can call me a saint, celebrate me for who I am, dislike me for what I ain't” (Like It or Not)

“Put me up on a pedestal or drag me down in the dirt” (Like It or Not)

“I'll be the garden, you'll be the snake, all of my fruit is yours to take” (Like It or Not)

“Can't have the Femme without the Fatale, please don't take offense” (Like It or Not)

“Fill up your cup and let's drink the wine, better the devil that you know” (Like It or Not)

TRACKLIST (highlighted are the most Dieter Bravo coded songs)

1. Hung Up (05'37")

2. Get Together (05'15")

3. Sorry (04'41")

4. Future Lovers (05'01")

5. I Love New York (04'35")

6. Let It Will Be (04'35")

7. Forbidden Love (04'22")

8. Jump (03'58")

9. How High (04'03")

10. Isaac (05'59")

11. Push (03'32")

12. Like It or Not (04'35")

[jellybeanium124]

actually you know what the more I think about that taika cameo in that shitty simpsons episode the more pissed I get. because taika and the simpsons could be so fucking good. like, early simpsons, and I mean early early, like s1-3, and taika waititi movies are like, in the same family. super early simpsons have this sort of slowness to it, this reality, this mundanity. the family struggles financially compared to the inexplicably financially comfortable simpsons of today. there's a lot more focus on childhood stories. "lisa's substitute" could be a taika waititi movie. so could "moaning lisa." "three men and a comic book," even.

and lisa? lisa would be the ideal taika protagonist. not the pop-culture-worshipping holier-than-thou-ing, zombified little-miss-know-it-all of the HD era, the real lisa simpson. this 8 year old girl who's sensitive and smart, but still a child. her father's a drunk and her mother, a kind, beautiful soul, and brilliant painter, had all her hopes and dreams crushed and remolded into homemaking and child-raising.

give! me! a! simpsons! episode! where! lisa has to come to terms with the real world at the tender age of 8!!!!

I mean like, I understand that they probably can't just let taika guest write an episode of the simpsons. or direct. directing an animated project is going to be super different from directing a life-action one anyways, who knows if he'd want to.

but the simpsons has done clever and thoughtful homages before, even recently with "barthood" (released 2015, fuck that's 9 years ago). they could've done an homage. they could've parodied his style. they could've made something thoughtful. homer and lisa stories have been some of the most touching stories on the show. or, they could've just focused on the kids and done a bart and lisa story.

but they didn't do any of that. they didn't write anything thoughtful, or creative, or even good. they wrote drivel, and racist drivel at that, with two jokes around the asian-caricature character kumiko that were genuinely painful to sit through (and this show has a history of being racist towards asian characters).

they wrote taika as a hyperactive egomaniac with no attention span and gave him 0 direction. his performance in this episode is undoubtably the worst acting performance I've ever seen from him. and like, you know, not all actors are cut out to voice act, but I don't think that's the problem here. I think the problem here is that taika read a shitty script, and it was season 35 of the simpsons so who gives a flying fuck, and he read the lines because this was a paycheck. why bother giving this project effort if nobody else was putting any effort into it either? why bother giving this project effort when they write you as the worst version of yourself, a persona that probably gives you a sense of comfort and control when you're choosing to do it, but probably doesn't feel that great when writers who don't know or care about you write it for you.

and, to be clear, I don't mind that he's the villain of the episode, or even that he wasn't written exactly as himself. like, of course it should be a persona of him on the simpsons. all celebs get a simpsons persona when they guest star as themselves. I think I just hate the fact that it's pushing a narrative that he's a shitty guy that's similar enough to his real life persona at a time where people are violently attacking him for no damn good reason. and the fact that it's poorly written with no love or care for anything. not taika, not the simpsons, not tv, not art, not anything.

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 4, Episode 5. Doctor Who (2023) Review

Doctor Who is back! Ncuti Gatwa takes on the starring role as everyone's favourite Timelord in a new series. Ron and Mon share their spoiler-free review of the first two episodes of the new show, and discuss what we hope to see in the remainder of the season.

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

Hello and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks.

Today, we're talking about Doctor Who.

I'm Ron.

And I'm Mon.

Doctor Who, 2023.

We've got a new doctor in the house.

See what I did there.

Played by Ncuti Gatwa, and his new companion, Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.

So in 2024, we're getting the full season for the new doctor.

We start with Space Babies, episode one.

This is actually the second episode of Ncuti Gatwa as the doctor in the lead.

He was introduced in The Giggle.

Let's not even try and figure out seasons, series, who's the doctor, which number.

I'm not gonna try and figure that out.

Let's just get into it.

We have watched the first two episodes of this season.

We're not gonna reveal any spoilers.

We're just gonna talk about what the episodes were kind of about, how we felt about it, if we're excited for the rest of the season.

So episode one is called Space Babies.

It starts off literally moments after the end of episode zero, which was the Christmas special called The Church on Ruby Road.

There's a theme of babies, which obviously isn't the most interesting for us, but it makes sense because both Ruby and the Doctor are orphans.

This Doctor, I would say, number 15, I believe, is his number.

He remembers a lot more about his life, and I'm wondering if that's because he was split from 14.

13 spent her first few episodes getting her bearings, but 15 is in full flow.

Yeah, Ncuti Gatwa, he's really taken to this role.

He's a very young Doctor as well, but I think he is delightful.

He's so charming, so energetic.

He has this huge smile and two very big hearts.

Well, not him, the Doctor.

Absolutely.

Ncuti Gatwa is very charming.

He's very fun.

And he's playing this Doctor as a kind of free spirit, somebody who's enjoying a life with no strings attached.

So let's get into the episode.

It's kind of Doctor Who-ish, so it's a bit weird.

Honestly, for us, we grew up on Star Trek.

So Doctor Who was not something that we understood that well till we sort of fell upon it on TV one time.

We've definitely got into a little bit more thanks to 13.

And now we're a little bit more invested with 15.

This show has never been subtle, but this particular episode, Space Babies, I feel like it really hits you on the head with some real world issues.

It drops these notes in, in sort of a sarcastic aside, but they're unmissable.

It's kind of obvious that at least this new version of the show is definitely trying to send a message.

Yeah, it addresses a couple of real world issues.

I mean, the big one is genocide and the lasting impact on those who survive.

The doctor may be happy-go-lucky, but he's using that to hide this tremendous loss.

And I feel like this episode definitely touches on the revealing of Roe vs.

Wade in the US.

There's a short but poignant discussion about humanity's insistence on birthing babies.

It has absolutely no interest in taking care of.

And also what happens to those people when they're growing up?

Because one of the things that this episode leans into quite a lot, I would say it's a running theme throughout the episode, is uniqueness.

It's not a problem to be different.

At least that's what this episode is positing.

This isn't a new theme in any pop culture, but it hits differently and more poignantly when it's coming from a character who looks like Gatwa.

I mean, if the doctor wants you to regenerate into a big purple blob, nobody would complain.

But because he's a queer black man, it's like a big deal.

What I will say, and I don't know how you feel about this, I found that the episode was kind of gross.

And while it was just alluded to and not shown, so like we weren't like gagging all over the place, but that for me undermined the strength of the episodic themes.

Yeah, it definitely gets a bit gross at times, and I struggle with that very easily, but I think they wanted to bring in a lot of humor because there were some heavy elements, but I think I could have done without it.

I would say that this episode sets up the chemistry between the Doctor and Ruby quite well.

We got obviously quite a bit of that in the Christmas special, but you can really see them as a time traveling pair.

And I would say that the chemistry in this episode is even stronger than in the episode zero.

I don't know how to feel about Ruby and the Doctor because with shorter seasons, where it's like eight, maybe max 10 episodes, and we already know about the changes that are coming up in this show, it's really hard for me to become invested in the Doctor and Ruby's relationship.

What is obvious is that they're really building up the mystery surrounding Ruby's history.

And I'm curious to find out more about that, as well as what impact it has on the Doctor.

Yeah, good point.

They've laid the groundwork for a lot of that history.

And they also do have a few moments with Ruby's mom and grandma.

I hope that we get to see more of them, because they seem like a lovely family.

And like with 13, every time we got to see, yeah, this family, it just felt like a built up universe.

It's always the supporting characters that sort of give more gravitas to who your main characters are.

And as you said, builds up the world, but builds up their world, helps us become even more invested and interested in them.

So I agree with you.

I would love to see more of her mom and her grandmom.

So moving on to the second episode, The Devil's God.

Now this tritone that is the name of the episode got me excited.

Now in this episode, the Doctor and Ruby travel to the 60s.

They get to play dress up.

It's kind of fun to see them try on 60s fashion.

I honestly feel like 13 and her crew didn't get to do that much.

They didn't travel within Earth.

They traveled mostly to other planets.

And in any case, 13 always wore her t-shirt and jacket anyway.

We should probably make a note about why we're talking about 13 a lot, because we didn't watch Doctor Who regularly until 13 came on the scene, and then suddenly we were just like, we were watching her every week.

We couldn't wait.

Jodie Whittaker's Doctor was very fun.

We were obviously excited because there was a woman in the role.

So yeah, now we're kind of just going along with the ride.

I also think with Jodie Whittaker's Doctor, they tried to do something different with some of the stories, not all, obviously.

And I think that's why we ended up tuning in a lot more.

It was a little bit more inclusive and diverse.

I feel like that's also there with Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor, especially in this episode, which is in the 60s.

I know in the past and on a lot of other shows, if you went back to 1960s England everybody would be white, but they specifically have some extras who are people of color.

So I like that.

This episode, The Devil's Code, is very Doctor Who like.

It's silly, it's campy, it has time travel and very high stakes.

It's like as Doctor Who as you can get.

This episode was my jam.

Wow, that's high praise.

I think one of the reasons why this episode really works is because of Jinx Monsoon, who is the guest star for this episode.

She is very cool.

She really knows how to steal the scene without being cringey.

Well, Jinx Monsoon is a drag performer.

She plays Maestro.

In real life, from what I can see, she goes by she her pronouns, but Maestro uses they them pronouns.

Monsoon is a RuPaul's Drag Race winner and a Broadway star.

So pretty heavy hitter.

No wonder she's just seamlessly stealing the scene in this episode.

So if it's not obvious by now, this episode is about music.

And episodes around music or the arts, they're always very interesting.

Now, I am curious to know how you felt because I think the writing here didn't explore the direct or even the indirect impacts of music on changing the world as much as it should have.

It's definitely hinted at, but it was very, very plot heavy.

And I think that for me, felt like it missed the plot.

Very interesting point.

I thought it was a great sci-fi concept.

So the essence of the plot is that humanity has thrived this long, primarily on the power of music.

I like that the arts are being spotlighted in an episode like this, in a profiteer like this.

Science fiction, you know, it usually discusses the importance of science, exploration, morality.

Well, what about the arts and culture?

We're seeing AI being used as a shortcut to make art, and music, and create stories.

Now is as good a time as any to center human artistry.

I think if this episode had been maybe a two-parter, we could have really leaned into that.

Because you're right, it doesn't examine the impact that music has had on history and the way we are right now.

See, you've brought in a good point here.

AI, especially generative AI, and how it's being used as a shortcut, as you said, to get into arts and culture.

That's a plot point that I really feel like Doctor Who, of all shows, could have easily segued to, and probably done it in a very blunt fashion and still got it to work.

I will say that probably at the time that this episode was being made, generative AI's impact on art was probably not being felt as strongly as it is right now in 2024.

So maybe that's why they didn't lean into that, but honestly, somebody's gotta talk about it.

True, true.

I liked Maestro as a villain.

Thoughts?

I loved Maestro.

In all honesty, I was a bit worried at first.

Another campy, queer villain after Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris, he was phenomenal.

He was having a great time.

I really enjoyed watching him.

So I felt like, oh, is Maestro just doing the same thing?

But it works within the context of the story.

And in all honesty, Monsoon is having such a ball, I can't possibly begrudge her anything.

I will say, I feel like aside from the Christmas special, this show isn't yet really leaning into 15s queerness.

Queer coded villains, they've been a mainstay of friction.

Most Disney properties have had such villains.

And now, remember, Doctor Who is on Disney+.

So we need more queer heroes to balance that out.

Ncuti Gatwa is an out queer actor.

I'm not saying every episode has to be about how he's queer and beautiful, but maybe I wouldn't mind.

No, I agree with you.

I kept wondering while I was watching these two episodes, what's missing, what's missing?

And it really is a case of them dumbing down that aspect of his character.

I guess we can speculate why they don't want to alienate the current fans, you know, the long time fans, but I don't think that's correct.

It's not like they're ignoring the whole queer spectrum.

They do hint at that and they talk about it, but why not with the doctor himself?

Well, let's be honest, with 13, there was a golden opportunity and they just flubbed that.

I hope they don't do that with Ncuti’s as well.

I am very interested to see where this season is going to go with the doctor because he's shared a lot of feelings about his past.

When we were watching 13, again, we haven't seen much before that, so everything we know is from 13.

She learned so many horrible truths about her life and that so much of her existence had been hidden from her.

Is 15 going to be engaging with those?

He's already made a few references now about the losses that he suffered and that he's lived through, he's survived, he's the only Timelord left.

That's a huge burden to deal with.

I'm hoping that this season has some resolution planned for him because if somebody in the very first two episodes has shared such deep sorrow and then he immediately tries to laugh it off, something's going on here.

Well, it's also a little bit weird that we keep seeing the doctor running scared.

We've seen him do that two episodes in a row.

Listen, I'm all for, especially male characters, being vulnerable, being human, being realistic.

But the question is, why is it that the first black doctor is this vulnerable?

Again, most of our references come from 13 onwards.

But whatever we've seen, it's not like we've never seen a single Doctor Who episode before 13, but you know, they're always like kind of macho-ish in some ways.

You know, this is really different.

Yeah, 15 is scared.

He's run from danger twice, and you know, if he's doing it because he's trying to protect Ruby, that's, you know, something that we've seen before.

But I'm beginning to wonder, like, the fact that he didn't regenerate into 15, he was split in half from 14.

Has that made him more attuned to emotions?

Do Timelords have similar emotions to humans?

Is there something bigger at play here that makes him want to run away from danger?

In all honesty, I think this doctor is depressed, y'all.

I kinda agree with you on that.

So I don't know about you, I feel like Millie Gibson was a bit too giggly in this episode.

That took me out, honestly.

I know some actors do the giggle and bouncy thing where they don't know what to do.

I'm really surprised that they kept so many of those moments in the actual episode.

Yeah, honestly, this episode was not Ruby's best.

She got short shrift in the climax, for sure.

She did have one really amazing scene, and she gives us the context for why she's doing a particular thing, and I was just like, oh, I feel this in my heart, but then it doesn't go anywhere.

Yeah, this episode, as fun as it is, it's a bit all over the place, because I'm not sure about that denouement either.

I felt like it was leading up to something, but then the episode kind of just ended, which also kind of undermines the message of the denouement.

Very confused here.

I was wondering whether it was because this episode is about just 50 minutes, and I was comparing it to The Giggle, which was an hour.

They had 10 extra minutes to really lean into the resolution.

I don't think we got that with this one.

Having said that, I did really enjoy this episode, the period costumes, the theme.

This is the kind of science fiction I want to see more of.

I agree with you, and I also feel like not all science fiction, especially science fiction, has to be serious.

But I guess I just want something more out of whatever I'm watching.

If it's an oblique reference, if it's a direct reference, I just needed to say something so that we come away feeling like there's a way to make things better, or that other people who want to watch this world burn will watch something like this and change their minds.

I guess I'm just asking Art to do exactly what this episode tells us Art can do.

Change the world.

But we are looking forward to the rest of the season.

We are looking forward to seeing more of Ncuti.

I don't know what direction Ruby is going to go in this, but I don't care.

I'm quite happy to join this Doctor Who ride.

Hope you'll all join it with us.

Ron: You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email stereogeekspodcast@gmail.com. We hope you enjoyed this episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.

[fibrielsolaer]

FibS lays down the facts: April o' Neil

I'm so fuggin' tired of hearing morons drool out their mouths over this so here's all you need to know:

It's perfectly fine that Rise April is black.

April o'Neil has been portrayed as black before Rise.

April o'Neil was not "originally black" in the Mirage comics.

Rise did not make April black for woke points. Rise makes numerous changes to Turtles orthodoxy so that it isn't a boring repeat of the more traditional 2012 cartoon that immediately preceded it.

(EDIT: Many of the comic scans from this blog post, as well as some of its information, are from this blogspot post from 2018. I neglected to mention this earlier, but at least one person is asking. Unfortunately, people who reblog this post from earlier versions will not see this edit.)

The original creators of TMNT are Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. Laird has always considered April o'Neil to be white other than considering possibly making her Asian in early notes; the confusion over April's race is solely due to Eastman.

In her earliest appearances, April o'Neil conveniently stands right next to known definitely-black character Baxter Stockman:

This April is as white as the Mousers and the lab walls and doesn't have curly hair. If anything she looks like Sigourney Weaver (Dutch, English, Scots-Irish, Scottish), right down to Ellen Ripley's outfit.

Since Alien came out in 1979 and Ellen Ripley is a massive influence on female lead characters even decades later, this resemblance might be intentional.

But Kevin Eastman, who has a habit of designing female characters based on the woman he is seeing at the time, redesigned April two issues or so later based (rather loosely) on his at-the-time girlfriend April Fisher (she has since passed away.)

April Fisher was, as a matter of fact, mixed-race.

Eastman later clarified that April Fisher was, of course, the source of April o'Neil's given name the entire time. (And I would like to point out that the surname of o'Neil doesn't preclude someone from being black.)

But being named after or inspired by a mixed-race person the creator knows does not mean the character is mixed-race, any more than the numerous My Little Ponies based on real people share those people's races (as opposed to being cartoon horse fairies or whatnot.)

April o'Neil specifically states that she got her hair done. That is to say, she got a perm.

Since black women's hair is already very curly, black women get perms to straighten their hair. April got hers to curl her hair - because she's not black, she's a white lady trying to look like a bootleg Paula Abdul (Syrian).

Or, quite frankly, any other 1980s pop star?

Because, y'see, now's a great time to point something out that Twitter & Tumblr seem to hope you'll forget:

The entire 1980s.

I'm pretty sure nobody who cares whether April o'Neil is black or not knows who Paula Abdul is, except maybe that she was a judge on American Idol. Paula herself might be a year or two late for April's redesign to reference her specifically, but April o'Neil looks like any random white woman from the 1980s. Because the Mirage comics were released in the 1980s. They take place in 1980s New York. And damn near every single white woman in the 1980s got a perm at some time or another.

I doubt these black April fanatics recognize half of them:

.....

Even the men got them!!

And eventually, around the time everybody else was over it, the exact same April o'Neil in the exact same continuity lost the perm:

Remember what Eastman said about April's "different looks"? Even in the same damn comic they can't draw her consistently. April here not only looks nothing like Paula Abdul April, but nothing like Ellen Ripley April either. Hell, she looks like a JoJo character.

And there are some panels were Paula Abdul April is shaded darker than in others, which you could take as April being black if you literally ignore the entire rest of the comic and pretend that's the only time she was ever drawn:

You know, like how people pretend Princess Daisy was "originally black" because she was sliiiightly darker in Mario Tennis than usualy, including ignoring that there are earlier illustrations where she is more pale?

A perm and a tan doesn't make you black. That'd be, y'know, blackface. Not like T&T actually knows what that means either, since they think a white person posting an image with a black person in it counts as it.

Don't you think the fact April looks like four different people in the same fucking comic should convince us that we can't deduce her race from interpreting the illustrations and instead, we should, I dunno, recognize that every single time April has appeared in color with Laird and Eastman's oversight, she's been clearly white?

As opposed to that one comic everybody likes to cite, which is a non-canon guest comic by Mark Bode that changes such details as the city it takes place in and April's job, which was originally published in black and white, whose black April was colored that way by another guest artist (Bill Fitts) and looks like a disco queen stereotype which I could've sworn T&T hated, and which was later corrected to a white April when republished:

We really shouldn't listen to uneducated narcissists who want to have their cake and eat it too, don't know who Cyndi Lauper is, and already had their conclusion ready before they looked at any of the evidence, blatantly misinforming us about the world's most inconsistent comic and pretending 98% of that comic and one of the most important decades in modern human culture just never fucking happened.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring for the First Time in Fifteen Years

Ok, so, as we move further into this book, I kind of don't understand why they didn't click with me when I read them at seventeen. I mean, I was DEEEEEEEEEEEP into the Star Wars EU at that point, so maybe it was just genre and writing style whiplash. That said though, I am very much enjoying myself this time around. Let's talk "Three is Company.

So my four key reactions to this chapter were, in the order they arose,

Frodo is the single most relatable hobbit ever. His whole "To tell the truth, he was very reluctant to start, now that it had come to the point" thing is just like...I don't care who you are or when you are, you have felt that at some point in your life. Like...yeah, that hobbit needs a hug and a swift kick in the ass to get him moving.

WHAT THE ACTUAL TITS IS TOLKIEN'S BEEF WITH LOBELIA SACKVILLE-BAGGINS!?!?!? Like yes, she is a deeply unpleasant hobbit, but like...Frodo does not offer her any tea and leaves her the washing up, and frankly that kind of seems unnecessary? Like why is Tolkien a dick to Lobelias?

I had forgotten that Tolkien leaned on characterizations of elves that swing from near-childlike delight and wonder and bluntness ("...and hobbits are so dull," anyone??? Like I was literally raised with better manners than this) to absolute solemnity and wisdom. What I'm saying is that Gildor and his buddies gave me whiplash while Sam was getting starry-eyed.

WHY THE HELL HAS NOBODY TOLD THIS HOBBIT ANYTHING??? Literally they have almost been nabbed by black riders THREE DANG TIMES, and they're still basically in the heart of the Shire. Someone needs to fill these guys in, and frankly I think in Gandalf's oft-remarked-upon absence, then Gildor should probably step up and--as Frodo rightly fucking says--fill in some of the gaps because the vague warnings and ominous allusions are objectively worse than just knowing what is happening.

So with the key reactions sorted, let's walk it back a little and chat through this chapter. I--like every other nerd who existed on the planet in the 2000s--have seen the Peter Jackson film adaptations. I was also tangentially aware that there was a LOT of time compression in those movies, but uh...reading the book is a whole other level of understanding that. There are gaps of literal months and years between "oopsie poopsie, it's the One Ring" and "hey, you probably need to leave the Shire" and "OK FINE, WE'RE GOING." And even once Frodo, Sam, and Pippin get their asses on the road, they're like...meandering. Hanging out. Enjoying the walk.

What I'm saying is, the sense of urgency is utterly nonexistent.

Which is not a judgement, I actually enjoyed the pacing and watching our little hobbit bois be happy hobbit bois, but the feet-nailed-to-the-floor practical side of me was in a screaming match with the -delightedly-kicking-her-feet side of me the entire time I was reading this chapter. Like...guys. The Enemy is LITERALLY ON YOUR DOORSTEP. THEY ALMOST GOT YOU. MAYBE HAUL ASS A BIT??? BUY YOURSELVES SOME TIME AND SPACE???

I'm pretty sure that running into Gildor and his buddies saved their hobbity butts.

Just before we get into Gildor and the company of elves though, I want to take a brief second to just...acknowledge the goddamn WHISPLASH I got when the song movie Pippin sings over Denethor just destroying a roast chicken and cherry tomatoes popped up this early in the trilogy. It's a walking song and it's very hobbity, and I love both versions (book and movie) but for DEEPLY different reasons. The book version is sweeter, a little cheekier, and I imagine it paces because it is indeed a walking song, meant to keep those feet moving. It also is very much Pippin going "bed please!" which is deeply relatable. The movie makes it way weightier, more melancholy. And in the film context, it's also tragic. The shift from "away shall fade" to "all shall fade" is doing a TON of heavy lifting too. I don't have much else about that, really, because in terms of adaptation, that's not so much an adaptation as a recontextualization. And...I like both? Both are good? They're different, and I'm not gonna get bogged down in judging differences, I'm just going to enjoy both versions.

Back to the elves.

Frodo has some social cache with them, given his relationship to Bilbo and his grasp of the elven language, however small. Frodo also goes in for the traditional polite greetings and exchanges, which is all great. That said...

Thank christ that Pippin has no chill, because if he hadn't burst in and gone, "Tell us about the Black Riders," we'd have been doing social graces for literally another few pages. And I'm willing to bet that Frodo might not have actually gotten there, and then the three would not have been taken under the elves' wing, which again, I'm pretty sure saved their halfling asses. So thank goodness for Pippin just cutting through the bullshit and getting the plot moving a little. And he is amply rewarded with just hella good food and a good night's sleep, so all is right in his little hobbit heart.

I might love Pippin. Like, disproportionately.

What I did not love was Gildor. Gildor and his "Then I think it is not for me to say more - lest terror should keep you from your journey," and his "advice is a dangerous gift," and his "is it not enough to know that they are servants of the enemy?" and his "courage is found in unlikely places."

Gildor. My dude. Sweetie, honey, friend. YOU ARE NOT HELPING HERE WITH THE PHILOSOPHIZING AND THE PASSING OF THE BUCK. This is actually how you know Tolkien was a tried and true academic, because you can't get a straight answer to a direct question without being taken through a masterclass in philosophy first.

Like, I'm so happy for you and your education and your erudition, but for fucks sake, if I asked you if the sky was blue, we'd be debating what "blue" is for hours over tea when what I needed was a straight answer so I could plan my day. (I would be a terrible elf, you guys. Just absolutely terrible.)

The best I can say about Gildor is that he names Frodo an Elf-Friend, which I'm willing to bet is going to be beneficial down the road. He also made sure that Frodo, Sam, and Pippin were safe that night, and they got fed. So I guess that's a win.

Overall a fun chapter, and I'm excited to finally catch up with Merry and start planning to bail on the Shire in the next chapter!

[zot3-flopped]

Business Harry is so interesting to me: when you look back at teenage Harry, yes he had adoring teenage fans, but he also had the mums, and not necessarily in a creepy way. He was simply a lovely kid, cheeky, flirty, a bit daft sometimes. So when you look at his non-music business, it seems clear to me that the slice of the market he really reaches is those same women, now in their forties. The 1D fans got left behind a few years ago. I don’t think, music-wise, this is calculated: I don’t think there’s a world where Harry becomes for example a male Taylor Swift and harnesses the twenty-somethings’ doleful, cynical view of life. He was always an older soul anyway. I think those musical references, that forty/fifty year olds feel fondness for, are his, too, and always were.

Where it really seems that smart business is happening is with Pleasing. He gets trashed on hate blogs for Pleasing doing things like advertising, manufacturing products and selling them. Normal stuff. I regularly see it talked about as a flop business. The ex-GOOP guy is not coming on board with a flop business: that’s expansion they’re seeing, and not recognising. It’s expensive, and it absolutely is marketed to Harries. Because an important segment of the market that he has the eyes of is older women with money. It’s so obvious to me that his business people understand that! I wobbled a bit with my theory when the last drop (the cartoon characters) was released and then a friend in her fifties spent $320 immediately. They know better than I do, I realise! And it’s not only older women. He’s doing shows where he sees the same faces in the pit twenty times in a row. They’re buying Pleasing too. It’s not necessarily ’nice’ to think of people being sold to, some people see it as exploitation (which it isn’t) but in business there’s always the question ‘where are we leaving money on the table?’ And tbh I admire Pleasing for answering that question.

If you contrast that with Louis’ business venture, he’s just not operating anywhere near that level. He did have the same affection from older women initially but his real personality won out and since those early days he’s become Harry’s portrait in the attic, in a way. He’s chosen to be rude, sludgy, wreathed in smoke. Apart from a few deviants - who are still most interested in the cleaner, cheekier version of him from 12 years ago! - his audience is much younger and they don’t have cash to spend. ALL he had to do was curate his image a bit (as I’m sure Harry the pop star has also done but not such a big job for him) and lose the fake accent, hide the cigs. Not that he should be doing the same as Harry - nobody expects a cosmetics line from Louis - but a clothing and accessories company from even an Oasis cosplayer could have done pretty well! The nostalgia market is strong, Britpop had millions of female fans! As it is he’ll do ok for a bit but he’s lost his compelling edge years ago, his image is a nothingy sort of a mess, he seems to hate his job, which he’s bad at anyway: he’s just not smart. I know there’s an argument for not comparing the two but his so-called fans cannot stop doing it, so screw that. Even if we ignore the musical differences (lol) and just look at outside ventures, Harry is so far ahead of Louis it’s not even up for debate. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, sorry it’s so long!

👏👏👏👏 Love this! Excellent point about the Goop guy. I'm not super keen on the latest Pleasing drop myself but I know plenty of people who are. My only gripe with Pleasing is that they appear to be pandering to Larries by posting fan pics of blue and green nails with Louis' stoner face on.

[circlemidnight]

We already knew Riverdale was bad, but 🥲. They couldn't have done anything better for the series finale? You hadn't decided if you were going to watch, and just know that nothing makes sense. More than usual, I mean. It focus too much on Betty (and "Angel Jughead"). There was sort of a time jump to their senior year and, why? Then, there's the Poly Quad. I feel like they wanted to please everybody so they ended up pleasing nobody. Except whoever liked the poly quad, I guess. It might actually be a little funny, with a little distance, and if you aren't that invested in these characters or, you know, any narrative cohesion and coherence 😬. And, like, I actually like that Veronica's future is being a successful movie producer, but it's kind of sad that she and Betty didn't keep in touch, I guess. (And no partner is mentioned for her.) It seems like neither of them kept in touch, actually. Apart from Toni and Cheryl, and Kevin and Clay, of course. And that doesn't seem like the best of timelines, does it? And Fangs died, for some reason. And Frank Andrews and Tom Keller were murdered by Chic, what the fuck? And Pop died, too. And just, why be tragic at all, you know? Was there really any need for realism, whatsoever? But. No. Seriously. It's pathetic that they chose to go with Archie just getting married to a not-previously-seen-or-mentioned character and the rest of them just not getting married at all because they couldn't compromise themselves with any endgame. 🙄 Not that being by yourself is a bad future, but we all know it was like that just because they are cowards. And, truly. If they chose to make Archie "unavailable" by setting him up with a character we don't know, why not do the same for Veronica, Betty, and Jughead? Let them end up with their partners we don't know, too. Just cut out the dialogue between Betty and Jughead about not getting married, and imply they all found partners in the course of their lives. Honestly, there was no reason why not. Why decide to let Veronica, Betty and Jughead end up alone instead?

Ugh. thank you for warning me! I don't think I'm really in the headspace to catch up, and only then I would use it for gifs. Like fair enough B*rchie goes their separate ways after high school, I feel like it makes sense after the affair. Like they probably needed time to grow. I think they could have come back together later in life, maybe as a second marriage. I think it's so contradictory to imply that the core four love each other so much but then they never talk after high school? Also keep in mind that each heaven is personalized as we saw before, so this is just Betty's version of heaven. With ghosts from her past. I think the problem with focusing so hard on her POV is that everyone else just becomes a character supporting her story. We never hear their truth, or their version of events. We don't know if her imaginary Jughead angel is even telling her the truth. We never get to see the private conversations between other characters. And it feels like Veronica's happiness is a total afterthought? It seems cold to only mention her career success. When others got a happy ending with family. We know how much it hurt her to lose her family. There was no reason why jeronica couldn't reconnect and end up together, at the very least they could have just dated in high school and then later in life Veronica marries a movie star and Jughead finds Tabitha in Chicago and settles down. The quad makes no sense because Betty and Archie hurt them? Jughead literally became an addict? these events led up to the demise of the previous timeline. With that knowledge they would never be able to sustain a healthy relationship, and from what I understand of it, it just feels like Betty got to pick and choose who she hooked up with her senior year. I don't really think the personalities of the others align with the idea that they would carry out this scenario willingly. It's always been Betty and Archie's trait to stray. It makes sense they might agree to experiment. But Jughead and Veronica were never presented that way, the complete opposite in fact, to the point where their devotion broke them. Like, I don't know how to eloquently put this into words, but it angers me a lot that Veronica cannot have a love interest for herself. She has to share them with Betty, or else Betty will steal them from her. Every plot she has is upstaged or stolen from her. It's been exhausting to watch. Like, I think Ras thought he was being really clever, but the implication is that Jeronica has to share their new relationship with two people who hurt them so deeply they were both still really damaged by it long into adulthood. It's unfair that they died alone, without family. That they never found a second adult love and clung instead to people who hurt them and then forgot about them even when they got a second chance to make things right. idk, I think we all know what the big problem with the show has always been, but I wasn't expecting it to be so prominent in the ending that we'd miss out on the intimate moments of goodbye for every other character. This season has felt like such a waste, and has been so gratuitously vile in places, that like others have said I feel very disconnected from it. You're right it's cowardly. It's also absurd that they chose to relive high school knowing they were adults. To the point where Betty's one regret in her entire life is not signing her yearbook? It's just this weird implication that we all peak in high school and we'll never be that happy or content or beautiful ever again. High school sucks. We all know this. The showrunner loves to fetishize youth in a way that rings alarm bells. But no one seems ready to talk about that. Anyway I am sorry for ranting back at you anon, feel free to share more of your thoughts!

[nochi-quinn]

campaign 3 episode 58: brb flying to la to steal matt's shins

I got sick again today but I'M TRYING

they got him!!

"we really should give all our producers a raise"

marisha that top

I believe the trope is magipunk but obvs I haven't seen it yet

HOWEVER magipunk is one of my favorite tropes so I'm hoping

game now called Taliesin's Baby

I hate literally every second of this

"teeth, tentacles and terror" hate that too

mapphew strikes again

"the trees have bones"

"we had a real estate agent but they ghosted us" BOO

"it's a bit much"

"I think you grabbed the one that was too big"

augh the wolf snouts coming out of it

"six :D"

HATE THAT NOISE

matt's noises are also hurting my brain so this tracks

nobody gets freaked out by legendary actions like travis gets freaked out by legendary actions

"BUT THAT'S METAGAMING"

"he's actually half butts"

matt says Make Expensive Choices

why does laura sound like she's on Old Timey Radio

I WARNED YOU ABOUT STAIRS BRO

it's a Wet Monster it should take double from lightning

Chew Again

BIT IT AND QUIT IT

"how many of its butts fell off"

guiding bolt upp the butt(s)

FEARNE

"matthew how DARE you roll a natural 20"

NINE

FRIDA

somebody curse matt's dice

trade matt's dice with laura's

frida pulling every available feat out to throw at the meat tower

Action Surge Sharpshooter Grit Point is the fighter version of Reckless Great Weapon Master

"please gif that"

"aRe YoU uSiNg ThE sAmE dIcE"

"say parmesan if you want me to hit him" "PARMESAN"

"OKLAHOMA SAFE WORD"

a whole lot of rules just got flung around and I zoned out in self-defense

"a weird divacup for this massive period stain"

AUNT FLOW

"does it have eyes" "occasionally" "you can't SAY THAT"

hey I hate it

"a roll I wish I had failed"

gay

"tree trunk of skin" [lenny]

"it's not the holy grail!" "if you read enough dan brown - kinda!"

liam is here in spirit

AND ON SAM'S GAS CAN APPARENTLY

"GIVE HER BANGS"

"no, we just got the art"

oh hate

oh HATE

please run. please leave.

it is going to Eat You

"I rolled a 1 but it comes out to 23"

this is the closest we've gotten to matt breaking out an hourglass in a while

"paper - not being humanoid - because it's a piece of paper - "

"it's nOT A DILDO"

"frida - take this down"

CHRISTIAN

"and then I burn the notes and leave" okay arkhan

"just be a little smarter, okay?"

and then it WORKED

"this gargamel motherfucker stealing smurfs"

"I've never read a book. I'm actually older than books."

not the dot matrix printer

"be careful, link….the yuck moon rises once again…"

"I only saw her from the back but my god was she beautiful"

"abs for days"

COBOSO

"I don't know why wizards would have abs"

"it was very sad, he died, clearly"

irl gifts IRL GIFTS

SHIRTS

"I invented polyester"

and in the COLOR SCHEMES

"it's segmented, sepratated" sasha nein's mindscape

"you're a mess"

don't chase the rabbit!

if there are stars when you look down -

everybody gets presents

"it's a sweatshirt made out of wood"

YOU ARE WHO YOU CHOOSE TO BE

"one more?" "…….ka-put"

EVERYBODY GETS PRESENTS

eabria come get your smut

their collective quest to get travis to turn into a tomato

I can't believe this is canon

they almost have to swap back now right. right? this is such a good place to wrap up. please return the other half of the table.

thank you for not being That Guy matt

;-;

HEY MATT??

YOU'VE SUFFERED A TERRIBLE FATE HAVEN'T YOU

the RED END

did fcg just become a champion?

IS DEANNA BEING MADE A CHAMPION?

gods going through their whole rolodex sending out SOSes

I forgot how much of a dick pelor is

I'm sorry, the ~dawnfather~

wait is the spider queen freaking out at opal? is this a disaster on both sides of the aisle?

where's opal, I wanna talk to opal

imogen is the kid who grew up secular and heard about every different religion from pop culture osmosis

(imogen is me)

it's a Stuff-Doing-Coin

see in scripted media her giving him the ring would be an enormous death flag. it still kind of is because I'm a paranoid panda but still

you have to give travis the inventory it's the rules

SDKJFLKSD

matt

THE RTA

sam sploded

this is tonight's real lore drop

just throw a dart at the map

it does DAMAGE?

"why does he say it like that"

MATTHOLOMEW MERCER

"WHAT'S NEW JERSEY"

liam's not even here to do the accent

"that's more fun" FOR WHO

NO FUCK YOU

LAURA

MATT

I HATE EVERYONE HERE

"I can't tell if she's doing a bit"

BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WANTED TO FIGHT THEM IN THE PARKING LOT AFTER THE SHOW BUT HERE WE ARE

[true-radiocaster]

"Be careful of that one, she'll play keepaway with your heart."

Meet Invidia, the pop star demon who feeds on the devotion of others. Her magic mask grants her unnatural charisma and the ablity to shapeshift into anyone; most often using these abilities to control people and steal their souls. As a result of her showmanship and success, she's regarded as a celebrity in the underworld. Outside her work, she tends to stay in the same state, mimicking an in-universe popstar named Envi. Her previous life is a mystery, nobody even knows what she looked like or what her name was when she was still alive. She's just one of the many demonic entities in my original story.

Just like Bell, I had a lot of fun designing her, I wanted to give her that "look into my eyes until all you can think about is me" sort of look. Her clothes also get that rocker flair that I enjoy so much. I went through about 3 different designs before settling on this one, though I still might refine parts of it.

She was inspired by a lot of the music I listen to, stuff like Tally Hall's Greener and sElf's Paint By Numbers. She's also based on manipulative creators who take advantage of their fan's parasocial relationships, kind of like a modern day version of the mythological siren. Her name is Latin for "envy" and is also associated with the supernatural belief in being cursed by a malevolent glare, very fitting as evil eyes are a common motif in my story.

As always, criticism is welcome.

[groovesnjams]

gRººv333S,,,n,,,J▲M§ ▬|s|!|O|!| ❤︎|!|t|!|y|▬{{mmxxii}}  

..................number34 ....................of50

“Nobody’s Sweetheart” by Caitlin Rose

DV:

A breakup song that has one foot in contemporary Nashville and the other at Ardent Studios, where Big Star recorded during the 1970s, “Nobody’s Sweetheart” charges forward too powerfully to be entirely regretful, with a lyric too forlorn to be entirely satisfied. Caitlin Rose’s vocal, multitracked and effervescent even when she’s ending lines with a deadpan delivery, floats over some of the year’s best production - a welcome reminder that drum fills and well-mixed guitar riffing can still charm when they’re in service of good songwriting. Which: “Come undone for someone you've never met” stands as one of the year’s best openers, intriguing and instantly paid off, a thesis statement and proof of concept in seven words. That the rest of the song matches that energy is its own minor miracle.

MG:

When DV and I were in college, there was a day where -- this is how I remember it anyway -- we were walking around campus and some label guy handed us CD copies of Mojave 3′s Puzzles Like You. I didn’t know who Mojave 3 were but I think DV told me it was Neil Halstead’s band and, at the time, I didn’t know who Neil Halstead was either. But these were real CD copies, not those flimsy promo things that radio stations and music departments got and when I listened to the album I was honestly a little horrified and repulsed that the label was giving it away for free, as though it had no value. I know this is rich of me because that album came out in 2006 and music was already rapidly losing value in its printed form and has only seen much greater and more depressing erosion since, but, truly, the songs were so good and clearly professionally written, recorded, mixed, and mastered that just tossing copies at a couple local weirdos felt like a strange violation.

It’s not that Caitlin Rose is giving it away for free, if anything, as the child of ringers she should have a keener nose for how to win an audience and make them pay at the same time than most do. It’s that her work has that same thoughtful, bygone quality that Puzzles Like You did. She’s unafraid to be sunny and sad in the same song, she’s unafraid of needing access to a full recording studio and a full band and the instruments they play -- these are luxuries now. While it’s democratizing that anyone who wants to can make music using only the same phone they can’t look away from anyway, and while Rose is leveraging an inherently unfair advantage to work within an increasingly niche space, I’ll still and always have a fondness for these beautifully written and produced songs. Ever since Big Star were ignored in real time their version of twangy pop-rock, a theoretically perfect sound that should capture three different camps of listeners, this sort of music has never gotten the love I think it deserves. 

[is-she-suffering]

Gaesteliste.de “Between trash and art” - 2000

We actually know Queen Adreena, because behind the new name are Katie Jane Garside and Crispin Gray, who caused a sensation in the early 90s as the disturbed pop music apocalypse Daisy Chainsaw, but then relatively quickly got fed up with life as rock stars and with each other . Now they are back, albeit in a new guise and with newly assigned roles. Katie Jane now writes her own lyrics, and while she explores the psychological depths of her own past more confidently than ever before, Crispin’s music today is more oriented towards PJ Harvey and Björk, but for every trip-hopping piece à la “Yesterday’s Hymn” there is also anno 2000 another guitar shocker like “X-ing Off the Days” from Garside/Gray. A band between trash and art. It’s not entirely clear to me where they’re going with this, but the moment they figure that out, Queen Adreena will be a really great band. Promised!

But let’s start at the beginning: In 1991, Katie Jane Garside - for many the female version of Iggy Pop - was already on the verge of becoming a megastar, because Daisy Chainsaw was pure energy, and none other than Courtney Love announced that it was only There are three women who are really important for the Riot Grrrl movement: yourself, Kat Bjelland from Babes In Toyland and Katie Jane Garside. But the pressure became too much and Katie was forced to leave Daisy Chainsaw (“The band was like an untamed animal”). She then spent most of the 90s trying to get her own life back on track before she accidentally met former Chainsaw guitarist Crispin Gray last year and decided to make music with him again. “I live in a world of my own,” Katie admits to us during the guest list interview. “I only very rarely come into contact with the ‘waking’ world. Music is the means of crossing the border, my way of escaping isolation.” “Taxidermy” only partially has something in common with the apocalyptic noise of Daisy Chainsaw. Because between the attractive noise that you are used to from Garside and co, there are also trip-hopping songs, some even have some gothic elements. Katie: “It depends on how you define Gothic, though. If you mean romanticism, that’s okay, but many people think of smoke machines and bats when they hear the term. We have nothing to do with that.” Queen Adrena In a way, Queen Adreena is as chaotic as Chainsaw back then, Katie admits, but now - better organized and with the help of strong management - she is able to separate the chaos within the band from outside influences. She rarely thinks about the future: “It’s like Alcoholics Anonymous. Nobody there says: 'I’ll never touch a drink again’. And just as I don’t say: 'We’ll definitely make another record. I always just think about the next day and hope that things continue somehow.”

Further information: www.queenadreena.com Interview: -Carsten Wohlfeld- Photos: -WEA-

[my-weird-news]

🔥 VMAs 2023: Epic Performances, Hot Nominees & More!

MTV's Musical Extravaganza Returns to Jersey, Baby! Cue the glitter, cue the drama, cue the questionable fashion choices! It's that time of the year again, folks – the MTV Video Music Awards are swooping back to Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center for the 2023 awards show. Get ready to witness music's biggest stars strut their stuff on the red carpet, where fashion statements range from "I'm fabulous" to "I'm trying my best, okay?" Traditionally, this shindig happens at the tail-end of August, but hold onto your sequined hats because this year, they decided to be fashionably late. Yep, the VMAs are rolling into town in mid-September, just to keep us all on the edge of our seats. Jake Reynolds, the Prudential Center's President (and unofficial air-kisser), assured us that even with this schedule shuffle, the "entertainment industry's peepers" will be glued to the event. Trust me, folks, if there's one thing Jake knows, it's peepers. He declared this spectacle to be a musical globe-trot, allowing us to cheer for our favorite tunes from all over the world. It's like the Olympics of music, minus the sweatpants. Jake had his speaking cap on, and he went on to gush, "We're giddy about partnering up with MTV – you know, the music channel that occasionally plays music – and getting ready for a night that'll make your socks dance right off!" Seriously, who needs socks when you've got these moves? Now, let's talk throwbacks. The VMAs have been around since '84, and let me tell you, it's been one heck of a rollercoaster. Remember when Taylor Swift and Kanye West went at it in '09? Classic. Or how about Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus's showdown in '15? They were flinging metaphors like confetti! And guess what? Nobody has a crystal ball big enough to predict what mess the 2023 show will conjure up. But hey, as long as there's drama, glitter, and maybe a llama, I'm game! Hold onto your hats, your cat's hat, and your grandma's hat, because this soirée is going to be lit. You'll spot more stars than at an alien invasion – think Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best New Artist, and a bunch of others. It's like the Oscars, but with fewer tuxedos and more neon. Get Ready to Rock, Jersey Style! Drumroll, please! The 2023 VMAs are dropping onto your screens on Tuesday, September 12, at 8 p.m. ET. Yep, time to get your snacks and sassy remarks ready. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is doing cartwheels in excitement because, as he put it, "the VMAs coming back is like a seal of approval for Jersey's ability to host mega-sized shindigs." Who needs the Big Apple when you've got the Big Tomato? It's a Swift Invasion! Taylor Swift is leading the nominee pack with eight nods. Eight! Somebody needs to check if her closet has enough shelf space. SZA's not lagging far behind, scooping up six nominations. Then there's a whole posse – Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sam Smith – all decked out with five nominations each. It's like a musical version of a competitive potluck dinner. And, hold your breath, we have 35 first-time nominees! Fresh blood, new faces – think Kim Petras, Ice Spice (not to be confused with Pumpkin Spice), Reneé Rapp, FLETCHER, and more. It's like the cool kids' club just got bigger and more stylish. Let the Show Begin – Cue the Glitter Cannons! You want a performance? You got it! The first batch of party animals hitting the stage includes Demi Lovato (in a feather boa, I hope), Karol G (is she bringing tacos?), Italy's Måneskin (they've got the hair to make us stare), and the K-Pop sensation Stray Kids. It's like a musical buffet, and I'm here with my plate ready! And the Host Is...? Hold the phone, MTV forgot to pass on the memo! They're keeping the host's identity locked tighter than my diary in middle school. But hey, who needs a host when the music is the real star? Watch the Magic Unfold! Set your alarms, prepare the popcorn, and maybe dust off your dance moves that you've been practicing since last year's VMAs. The extravaganza goes live on MTV at 8 p.m. ET. It's like prom night for the music world – except you don't have to worry about getting a date. Let the VMAs sweep you off your feet, dazzle your eyeballs, and remind you that life's just a little better with a sprinkle of glitter and a whole lot of music. 🎶🎤🕺🏼# MTV's Musical Extravaganza Returns to Jersey, Baby! Cue the glitter, cue the drama, cue the questionable fashion choices! It's that time of the year again, folks – the MTV Video Music Awards are swooping back to Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center for the 2023 awards show. Get ready to witness music's biggest stars strut their stuff on the red carpet, where fashion statements range from "I'm fabulous" to "I'm trying my best, okay?" Traditionally, this shindig happens at the tail-end of August, but hold onto your sequined hats because this year, they decided to be fashionably late. Yep, the VMAs are rolling into town in mid-September, just to keep us all on the edge of our seats. Jake Reynolds, the Prudential Center's President (and unofficial air-kisser), assured us that even with this schedule shuffle, the "entertainment industry's peepers" will be glued to the event. Trust me, folks, if there's one thing Jake knows, it's peepers. He declared this spectacle to be a musical globe-trot, allowing us to cheer for our favorite tunes from all over the world. It's like the Olympics of music, minus the sweatpants. Jake had his speaking cap on, and he went on to gush, "We're giddy about partnering up with MTV – you know, the music channel that occasionally plays music – and getting ready for a night that'll make your socks dance right off!" Seriously, who needs socks when you've got these moves? Now, let's talk throwbacks. The VMAs have been around since '84, and let me tell you, it's been one heck of a rollercoaster. Remember when Taylor Swift and Kanye West went at it in '09? Classic. Or how about Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus's showdown in '15? They were flinging metaphors like confetti! And guess what? Nobody has a crystal ball big enough to predict what mess the 2023 show will conjure up. But hey, as long as there's drama, glitter, and maybe a llama, I'm game! Hold onto your hats, your cat's hat, and your grandma's hat, because this soirée is going to be lit. You'll spot more stars than at an alien invasion – think Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best New Artist, and a bunch of others. It's like the Oscars, but with fewer tuxedos and more neon. Get Ready to Rock, Jersey Style! Drumroll, please! The 2023 VMAs are dropping onto your screens on Tuesday, September 12, at 8 p.m. ET. Yep, time to get your snacks and sassy remarks ready. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is doing cartwheels in excitement because, as he put it, "the VMAs coming back is like a seal of approval for Jersey's ability to host mega-sized shindigs." Who needs the Big Apple when you've got the Big Tomato? It's a Swift Invasion! Taylor Swift is leading the nominee pack with eight nods. Eight! Somebody needs to check if her closet has enough shelf space. SZA's not lagging far behind, scooping up six nominations. Then there's a whole posse – Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sam Smith – all decked out with five nominations each. It's like a musical version of a competitive potluck dinner. And, hold your breath, we have 35 first-time nominees! Fresh blood, new faces – think Kim Petras, Ice Spice (not to be confused with Pumpkin Spice), Reneé Rapp, FLETCHER, and more. It's like the cool kids' club just got bigger and more stylish. Let the Show Begin – Cue the Glitter Cannons! You want a performance? You got it! The first batch of party animals hitting the stage includes Demi Lovato (in a feather boa, I hope), Karol G (is she bringing tacos?), Italy's Måneskin (they've got the hair to make us stare), and the K-Pop sensation Stray Kids. It's like a musical buffet, and I'm here with my plate ready! And the Host Is...? Hold the phone, MTV forgot to pass on the memo! They're keeping the host's identity locked tighter than my diary in middle school. But hey, who needs a host when the music is the real star? Watch the Magic Unfold! Set your alarms, prepare the popcorn, and maybe dust off your dance moves that you've been practicing since last year's VMAs. The extravaganza goes live on MTV at 8 p.m. ET. It's like prom night for the music world – except you don't have to worry about getting a date. Let the VMAs sweep you off your feet, dazzle your eyeballs, and remind you that life's just a little better with a sprinkle of glitter and a whole lot of music. 🎶🎤🕺🏼 Read the full article

[myloveforhergoeson]

look even after not showing up to the party, his weird possessiveness and shit impersonal apologies, every time he comes up im still like hehe dakkk <3 tucks some hair behind my ear. also whats the deal with him creeping around the palm woods? is it that he doesnt wanna get caught by paparazzi or mobbed by fans like in the pop tiger saga? if thats the case, and may be why he avoided the party, he seriously needs to communicate this to roxy goddammit !!! <- shaking dak by the shoulders

and ! why is he, successful movie star generally agreed by the public to be the heartthrob of the month, so threatened by essentially a bunch of nobodies?!?!? dak pull yourself together man!!!!

i know this dak relationship will eventually lead nowhere, but i just want roxy to be happyyyy to have one positive experience with him without him being all weird about her friends. i get youre laying the groundwork that dak isnt The One but aghhh im so frustrated for roxy!! love the fact that she stood her ground and didnt take his shit !

ajbkajbjksbvr i feel the same way about this version of him loll that's why he's so much of a character in tasw :)) he's literally zac efron for crying out loud what am i supposed to do??? not have him be involved with my wonderful, special, perfect oc??? as a plot device to help continue my slow burn???? and idk i thought she had a really positive experience with him when they first met and on their first date...

in due time we will learn about his strange habits and feelings, hang in there anon... it's not for nothing i promise!

im truly about to go full literary analysis mode on my story for you because roxy and dak's relationship is so important to me and all the things i've built up in my head that aren't evident in the story because roxy is bad at dealing with her emotions (as we know, she loves to push aside her own when it gets too much to bear... i just love to use "she pushed the thought out of her mind" as a scene turning point and then it turned into a fact about her on her silly character trait list🙄) and because some things will be present we haven't got there in the plot yet

please find my thoughts under the cut... there are lots and i cannot wait to further incorporate it into my writing once this ball really gets rolling

first off, roxy has never been in a relationship before, which is something she is pretty insecure about, especially as someone who primarily deals in writing love songs. while this isn't really an issue now, seeing as she's currently on the path to one, we haven't really seen this as something that bothers her. because of this, she really doesn't know how a healthy one works outside of the romance books she reads and rom-coms she loves. in those, everything just happens organically, the two people involved work though everything together and it looks completely effortless. she sees this with her friends as well, kendall and jo almost immediately fell for each other, and now all jo is waiting for is for them to make it official that they're together. she doesn't have to deal with strange teen jealousy or the guy she likes standing her up. camille and logan, while still working though their own thing, at their core gravitate to each other. from the way they interact, talk about each other, whatever, roxy knows that they'll find their way to each other eventually. because of this, she's terrified to bring up her own troubles - partly because it's embarrassing and partly because she doesn't want to be a bother about it to people who "so clearly" get it. if she can't bring up her worries to her best friends, she sure as hell isn't gonna bring it up to dak... and heaven forbid she brings it up to the guys because at this point, they all hate him.

perhaps... this will make roxy realize some things shes looking for in a partner... and perhaps... it will give her an image of what its like to date a famous person...

second off, dak is there to establish her type LMAOOO. we know he's pretty, we know james is pretty, all the posters in her room are of pretty people, and once we learn more about mag, we will learn he is pretty. roxy loves a pretty, pretty, PRETTY person! she's like a crow attracted to shiny things. this is also a byproduct of the books, movies, and other media she regularly consumes. she was supposed to love boy bands and not come out a changed woman? okay...

third off, for someone who thinks she's so in tune with her emotions because she's a songwriter she sure is freaking oblivious to those of the people around her. not only that, she's built some pretty solid schemas of her friends and their pasts based on very little information, considering they don't share all that much since they know literally everything about each other. so MAYBE if someone just TOLD HER many chapters ago that they FELT some type of WAY for her she might not even be in this situation to begin with... if only there were a major turning point in their lives that was about to occur that would not only bring them closer together, but would also let their journey occur for many months throughout the united states without any internet access so they have to like actually talk and hang out and do things unrelated to work and the palm woods... hmmm

anyway... dak and roxy's relationship is important and not just because i wanted to write a long story. thanks for reading :) i love to talk and talk and talk