#she rebranded so I added the new tag

[texasthegreatdestroyer]

Another interesting thing I was sent. Just saying my guy. If your simself is constantly getting mistaken for being white, then you're white passing and need the to shut the fuck up about dem whities, because you are quite obviously not dark enough to have the same experiences as POC. Especially so when you run around calling yourself literal Native American slurs and you look like one of those people who say they're native American all because you're 1/16.

P.S. Gotta add one more thing. Apparently Gyarutrait now branded as corpsetrait calls themself intersex because they have PCOS. Speaking as someone who also has PCOS, you're not intersex darling. You go to Google and do even a tiny bit of research, you'll find that it's not medically recognized as a form of intersex, and that's because when PCOS is actually managed, the male characteristics tend to go away. PCOS causes an abnormal boost of testosterone which causes women who have it to gain weight, have an insulin resistance (we're predisposed to diabetes as a result of this.) And to grow facial hair amongst other things, but again, when these things are managed through levothroxyn and other thyroid meds (because PCOS also attacks the thyroid.) Those things can be managed, causing the outward male characteristics to go away over time. Where as intersex individuals have to go through surgeries to correct their intersex traits as being intersex is SPECIFICALLY defined as having reproductive tissue of both biological sexes within you. In short, If your only basis for you being intersex is that you have PCOS. Go educate yourself because you genuinely sound ignorant, and what you're saying is actually harmful to both people who struggle with PCOS and people who are intersex.

[sfb123]

Hands Down

Chapter 3: "True"

Catch up here!

Pairing: Liam x Riley

All characters belong to Pixelberry

Summary: Can Liam and Riley still find their way to each other despite Riley turning down Maxwell's invitation to Cordonia?

Rating: G

Word Count: 3,714

Song Inspiration: True - Ryan Cabrera

A/N: Thank you @charlotteg234 for helping me with the opening part of this.

Other than that, it hasn't been pre-read, so please excuse any errors. I'm really terrible at grammar. 😬

Tags are below the cut/in the comments. If you'd like to be added or removed, please let me know!

In the days following his coronation, Liam worked tirelessly to assure the people of his country that, despite his unconventional decision, Cordonia would be stronger and more prosperous than ever under his leadership. The council had rebranded what was supposed to have been his engagement tour into an introduction tour, which would not only serve as a chance to begin solidifying alliances and good-will with other world leaders and political taste-makers, but a chance for him to show everyone just what King Liam’s Cordonia could be.

However, even with the nonstop calls, meetings and interviews, his mind couldn’t help but drift to Drake’s words. 

I’m pretty sure it was obvious to everyone but you that she was into you.

You mean to tell me that you’re not even going to try?

He hadn’t planned on trying. He assumed that by turning down Maxwell’s invitation she wasn’t interested. But once again, he thought about what Drake said and considered Riley’s point of view. If he had been put in her place, he would have made the same choice. Maybe there was still hope. 

Liam decided that before he began his tour, he needed to fly to New York and find her. He had spent months thinking about her, even if she wasn’t the one, perhaps it would give him some closure and allow him to move on. When his final meeting of the week was finished, he boarded the royal jet and made his way to the states. 

When they landed, Liam requested that they go straight to the bar. He couldn’t wait any longer. As his SUV traveled the streets, his mind and heart were racing, thinking of all of the things he wanted to say, and reminding himself not to come on too strong, or get his hopes up too high. 

The car slowed to a stop in front of the bar, and Liam’s head guard, Bastien, walked around the vehicle to open Liam’s door. The young king paused for a moment, taking  a deep breath to prepare himself. He was ready for a life full of deals and negotiations, he had been trained for it since childhood; but having to be open, and speak his heart was something completely foreign to him. 

“Sir?” Bastien’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. 

Liam nodded in acknowledgement and stepped out of the vehicle, moving toward the door. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he was hit with the nostalgia of the last time he was there. 

“Just a second.”

His breath caught in his throat at the voice calling from the kitchen. 

She’s here. 

His heart began racing as he neared the stools surrounding the bar. Just as he approached, Riley emerged from the kitchen, eyes trained on her notepad as she jotted something down. 

She looked even more beautiful than he remembered. She kept her focus on the task in front of her as she walked past him and straight to a table, slipping the customer the receipt she had been writing on. 

As soon as she turned around, Riley locked eyes with Liam and she froze in her spot. She wasn’t expecting to ever see him again. 

“Hello, Riley.” 

She stood in silence for another moment, trying to process the fact that Liam, the man she couldn’t seem to get out of her mind, was standing in front of him. “Hi Liam.” She managed to choke out. 

Shaking off her surprise, she jumped right back into waitress mode. “Can I get you a table? Are your friends here with you again?” She paused for a moment, suddenly remembering what he had been doing in their time apart. “If you’re here with your fiancée, I can give you a quiet table in the back.” 

“No, it’s just me this time.” He smiled at her. She didn’t know, she hadn’t been following the social season. He wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good sign. “I was actually hoping to speak with you, if you have a moment?” 

“Oh, um…” She took a look around the bar. It wasn’t very busy, but there were customers that were going to need her attention. “Yeah, let me just check on a couple of tables. You can sit if you want.” She motioned to the bar. He nodded and took a seat on a stool. 

After visiting each of her tables, and refilling a couple of glasses for the patrons at the bar, she stepped up to the spot where Liam was sitting. “Sorry,” she apologized. “Can I get you a drink?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” He took a deep breath and searched her eyes, hoping for some kind of sign that she had missed him, or even thought about him once since he had left, but she had a wall up, he wasn’t even sure if she was happy to see him. 

“So, how was your social season?” Riley asked, unsure what else to say. 

“It was… eventful.” He mused. “My father officially stepped down from the throne.”

“Oh, wow. So you’re an actual king now?” Liam nodded. “Congratulations.” She noticed that Liam seemed uneasy about his sudden title change. 

“I suppose. It was unexpected, and there was a lot behind it that made it a bit… bittersweet. But I knew I would end up here eventually.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“So how does your fiancée feel about the sudden fast track to queen?” She asked tentatively. She really didn’t want to hear about the woman he chose. She was probably smart, well spoken and gorgeous. Everything Riley felt she could never be. 

Liam let out a breath, grateful that she brought it up first. “I don’t have a fiancée. I didn’t pick anyone.” 

“But I thought you…”

“I was supposed to,” he took one of her hands in his, feeling emboldened by the moment and deciding to just dive in. “Riley, my whole life I’ve known I needed to put my duty to Cordonia above everything else. That included any ideas about romance, or marrying for love. As I went through my social season, I would try to weigh out my options, but my mind kept going back to our night together. I couldn’t pick any of those women because none of them were you.” 

Riley stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by Liams words, and the familiar, calming feeling of her hand in his. She felt him squeeze gently and she cleared her throat to compose herself. “I don’t understand.” 

“I want to be with you, Riley.” It was a bolder statement than he intended to make, but he didn’t regret saying it.  

She felt as though her heart was going to leap out of her chest, she still didn’t understand. How could this man, this king, this handsome, kind king have spent the last few months with women throwing themselves at him, and he’s standing here telling him he wants her. It didn’t add up. 

“Riley?” His voice brought her out of her thoughts. She studied his expression, and noticed a vulnerability in his eyes. 

“But… how would that even work?” She pulled her hand out of his and stepped back. “You’re on the other side of the world, the time difference must be insane.” 

“It’s six hours,” He responded. “And I’m here now.” 

“But not for long. You’re going to have to go home and rule a whole ass country. You honestly think you’re going to have time for me?” 

Liam smirked, she was getting flustered, he took that as a sign that his feelings were returned. “The logistics can be figured out. And I will make time for you, no matter where I am, or what time zone I am in. You’re worth it.” 

Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion. “How do you know?”

“Because I can feel it.” He replied, his eyes intently locked on hers. “Riley, there’s something between us. I felt it that night, it’s practically all I’ve thought about since we said goodbye, and I felt it again the second I walked through the door and heard your voice.” 

“But…”

“Please,” he pleaded. “Just let me take you on one date. If after that, you can tell me that you truly don’t feel the connection, I will walk away and never bother you again.” 

Riley didn’t need a date to know there was a connection, she was feeling everything he was. But she still had so many questions and doubts about the whole thing. The smart thing to do would be to say no, realistically, this would never work. All of the concerns that ran through her mind when Maxwell invited her to Cordonia came flooding back.

But did she want to do the smart thing? That’s what she thought she had done last time, and she’d been regretting it ever since. Riley had always played it safe and done the smart thing. She never took risks, and she was right where she had always planned to be. For the most part. 

The hopeless romantic inside of her, the side she had silenced once before, was screaming at her to say yes. Love wasn’t logical, it wasn’t smart, it was a risk. Some of her favorite love stories included a visit to the seawich, trusting a fairy godmother, or taking a chance on seven strangers in the woods. 

“Okay.” She answered softly, still unsure about where this would lead. 

“Okay?” He repeated her hopefully. She nodded in response. “Wonderful!”

Riley smiled coyly at Liam’s excitement. “I’m actually free tomorrow night if that works for you?” 

“Absolutely. I’ll pick you up at your apartment at seven?”

“Sure.” 

Liam breathed a sigh of relief and stood from his barstool. “Perfect. You’re at the same address I walked you home to?” 

“You remember?”

“Of course I do, I remember everything about that night.” He noticed a blush come over Riley at his response. “Maybe I could get your number though, just in case?” 

Riley smiled, her eyes flitting to the floor. “Sure.” He handed her his phone, and she put her number into the contacts. 

When she handed the phone back to him, his fingers lingered on hers for a moment before he pulled away, placing it in his pocket. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  

Riley watched Liam exit the bar, her eyes watching on the door until one of her customers called for her attention. She took a few orders and began mixing drinks, her mind drifting back to Liam and their conversation. She was nervous, terrified really, about going out with him. She couldn’t help but get ahead of herself, trying to figure out how a relationship with that much distance would work. Or why he would even want it to.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Daniel enter the bar and come up behind her. “Holy shit,” Riley startled at his voice, nearly spilling the martini she had in her hand. “Sorry,” he smiled apologetically at his friend. “But it was important. You should have seen the smoke show I just passed on my way in here.” 

Riley smirked to herself as she placed the drink in front of her customer and moved back across the room. She had a feeling she knew exactly who he was talking about. “Blonde hair, blue eyes, a little over six feet?” 

“Yes, he was in here?!”

“That’s uh…” She picked up a rag and began wiping down the bar, avoiding eye contact with Daniel. “That’s Liam, the guy from the bachelor party.” 

His jaw dropped. “Prince Charming?” She nodded with a small chuckle. “What was he doing here?” 

Riley recapped the conversation for a stunned Daniel. She had given him a full rundown of their time together when she had returned to the apartment that night, but hadn't mentioned anything about him since. However, Daniel knew better than to think it was just a fleeting moment to her. He’d never seen her light up about anything, or anyone the way she did when she was recalling every last detail of Liam and their evening together.

“But you said yes, right?” Daniel asked hopefully. 

“I mean yeah, how could I say no to all of that?” Riley shrugged. “But I don’t know.” 

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Come on Ri, I get it, you’ve got this whole don’t see how great you are thing, and that’s your vibe. But seriously,” he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “This man has already done more for you after knowing you for a couple of hours than your last boyfriend did all that time you were together. Take the hint. He wants you.” 

“How does a relationship like that even work?” She continued to protest. 

“First of all, it’s a date, not a relationship.” Daniel corrected her. “Second of all, if it gets to that, you figure it out. And then you invite me to your lavish royal wedding, because technically this is all thanks to me.” He winked. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll go.” Riley chuckled. “What are you even doing here? It’s your night off.” 

“I wanted to be your last customer.” He smiled, taking a seat at the bar. “I’ll have my usual, barkeep.” 

***

The next day, Riley spent most of the morning rifling through her closet, trying to assemble the perfect outfit for her date with Liam. 

“Daniel, help!” 

Daniel rushed into Riley’s room to find clothes scattered over every inch of the space. “Holy shit Ri, what happened here?” 

Riley looked up at Daniel from her seat on the floor, gripping onto two shirts. “What do grown ups wear on dates?” 

“Oh Riley,” he dropped down on his knees by his friend’s side, wrapping his arm around her. “Just relax.” 

“I can’t relax. I haven’t gone on an actual date in almost four years. I was just a kid. And this isn’t just a grown up date, it’s a grown up date with a king. Fuck,” her eyes went wide and she turned to face Daniel. “Am I supposed to wear a ballgown?” 

He didn’t want to make her feel worse, but Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle at her panic. “I don’t think he’s expecting that.” He pried the shirts out of her grip. “Listen, he asked you out because he likes you, you don’t have to get all fancy. That’s what he turned down to come here to find you. Just be yourself, cute and comfortable.” 

“But what if he’s taking me somewhere fancy? Guys like him don’t go to hole in the wall pizza places, or burger joints.”

“Or dive bars?” Daniel retorted with an arched brow. “You’re overthinking this. Here,” he reached behind her, picking up a green high low dress. “This is perfect. Wear it with that leather jacket you have. Classy and cool, you’ll be ready for anything.” 

“Daniel, it’s perfect!” She wrapped her arms around him and brought him into a hug. “Thank you.”

“Of course, but listen,” he pulled back, looking at her with concern in his eyes. “You need to relax, you’ve got this. He asked you out, he flew halfway across the world for this date, safe to say he wants it.” 

“That’s the problem,” she huffed, standing up and laying her dress on the bed. “He was supposed to pick a fiancée in his own county. He didn’t and then he came here, because of me. Do you have any idea how much pressure that is? He barely knows me.” 

Daniel followed her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “That’s what first dates are for.” 

Over the next few hours, as Riley got ready for her date, Daniel made sure to be there to guide her back when she fell too deep down the rabbit hole of worry and self-doubt about how the evening would go. 

She was putting the finishing touches on her look when her phone chimed. It was a number she didn’t have saved, but the second she saw the message she knew who it was. The butterflies in her stomach kicked into high gear, Liam had arrived. He didn’t have her apartment number, so he couldn’t ring them to be buzzed up. She gave him the number and called down the hall for Daniel to buzz him in. 

Riley slid on her shoes and made her way down the hall, where Daniel was waiting in the living room. She gave him a nervous smile. “Do I look alright?” 

“Like a princess.” Daniel grinned. She rolled her eyes, making Daniel laugh. “You’ve got this Ri, trust me.” 

As the elevator made its ascent to the fourth floor, Liam’s fingers tapped nervously against his thigh. He had spent all day preparing for this, it needed to go perfectly. The doors opened, and he stepped into the hallway stopping in front of the door marked ‘11D’. He took a deep breath before lifting his fist and wrapping gently. The door opened, and Liam’s breath caught in his throat when he laid his eyes on her. 

“Riley you look,” he paused, taking another moment to admire her from head to toe. “Stunning.” 

“Thank you,” he caught the blush in her cheeks just before her gaze dropped. 

They stood in silence, not believing that they were actually here. They had both imagined this moment, but neither thought it would ever be more than that. 

“I brought you these.” Liam broke the silence, holding up a bouquet of roses. “I wasn’t sure what your favorite flower was, I hope roses are okay?” 

Riley smiled, taking the bouquet from Liam and lifting them to her nose. “They’re perfect.” Liam let out a sigh of relief. “Let me just go put them in some water, I’ll be right back.” 

While Riley was in the other room, Liam took the opportunity to look around the apartment to try to learn a bit more about her. The decor wasn’t exactly what he had pictured for her, and she didn’t appear to be in many of the photos. He found it curious. 

“Ready?” Riley pulled him from his thoughts. 

Liam smiled and offered his arm to her. “Absolutely.” 

He led her out of the apartment and to the elevator. As the cab made its descent, the pair stood in silence, Liam noticed that Riley seemed nervous. He could understand that, he was nervous too, but there was also an uneasiness about her that concerned him.

“Is everything alright?” Liam asked tentatively, hoping the evening was not about to end before even getting started.  

“Yeah,” she smiled up at him softly. He felt his heart flutter at the sight. “I’m just a little nervous is all.” 

Liam grinned as the doors opened. “Understandable,” he raised his arm, signaling for her to exit the elevator. Once she stepped over the threshold, he followed behind her. “I’m pretty nervous too.” 

“You are?” 

“Definitely,” he assured her as they moved outside. He walked her to the SUV that was waiting in front of her building, opening the door for her. He slid in behind her and closed the door before continuing. “If we’re being candid, this is actually my first real date.” 

Riley contorted her face into a look of disbelief. “Yeah, okay,” she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“I’m serious!” He chuckled. “Growing up as part of the royal family, things were different. I was introduced to women, but our time would be spent at courtly functions. It was nothing like dating as you know it.” 

Riley nodded in understanding, a brief silence coming over them. “As a matter of fact,” he continued. “I wanted everything to be perfect tonight, so I did some research on first dates.” 

“You did?” She smiled. ‘That’s actually really cute.” 

“I’m very glad you think so.” 

“Well, since we’re having truth time,” Riley took a deep breath, and looked down at her hands, which sat in her lap. “I guess I’m just a little worried that after all this time, and after everything you did to come here and ask me out, I’m not going to be worth it.” 

Liam’s heart sank at her confession. The last thing he wanted was to put any pressure on her, and he especially hated that she was worried she wasn’t enough. He realized in that moment that he may have come off a bit stronger than he anticipated when he had seen her the night before.   

“Riley,” he said, gently placing his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “I’m so sorry for putting that pressure on you. I assure you, while my feelings for you did have a part in the decision I made at my coronation, it wasn’t the only reason.”

He went on to explain his conversation with Leo, and how it had inspired him to forge his own path. He also told her about the conversation he had with Drake later in the night; leaving out the part about how obvious it was to everyone how she felt about him. She was already feeling insecure, he thought that would only make things worse. Instead, he told her that Drake suggested the best way to find his happiness was to go back to the last place where he felt truly happy.

“And you picked the night we met?” Riley asked.

“I did,” he smiled softly at her. “Riley, I can’t predict the future. I don’t know where this is going to go, if it goes anywhere at all. But what I do know is that when I was with you that night, I felt comfortable, free. It was something I hadn’t felt for a long time, and it meant a lot to me.” 

Riley felt her cheeks get warm as she dropped her gaze to her lap. “It was a pretty great night, wasn’t it?”

“Absolutely, and that’s the only expectation I have for tonight. To have a pretty great night, with a pretty great girl.” He placed his index finger under her chin, tilting it so their eyes were locked.

Riley looked into his eyes and was met with a sincerity that gave her butterflies. At that moment, all of her questions and worries were gone; replaced by anticipation and excitement of what the evening, and the future, held. 

Permatag:

@3pawandme @alj4890 @busywoman @charlotteg234 @cordonia-gothqueen @cordoniaqueensworld @differenttyphoonwerewolf @emkay512 @foreverethereal123 @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @imashybish @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @malblk21 @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nestledonthaveone @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @secretaryunpaid @sincerelyella @tessa-liam @theroyalheirshadowhunter @tinkie1973 @twinkleallnight @txemrn

Liam:

@amandablink @custaroonie @jared2612

TRR:

@21-wishes @ao719 @bascmve01 @belencha77 @burnsoslow @imjusthereforliam @kristinamae093 @lovingchoices14 @the0afnan

Hands Down:

@umccall71

@choicesficwriterscreations

[superlustersnew52]

I feel like I should just outright say it and be done with it so here goes

I've only really not talked about this openly because I know people don't like people posting about drama but if I'm getting anon hate over it fine then I'll just say my piece and be done with it

back when I first started up superlusters (side note: the "new52" came later when I moved it from sideblog to main blog), another person made a blog called "powerlusters;" my blog was all dc characters at that point so they made theirs all marvel

I did not know this person before this, but I went along with it for a while until their true colours started to show

I believe it was on that powerlusters (which briefly rebranded to partylusters) account that they posted a smut starter that used m.illie b.obby b.rown as a fc (mind you, this was around 7 years ago, and she is 20 years old currently), which got them mass reported and had their account terminated when others found that starter, I did not personally see this starter but a callout post made the rounds

they came back not too long later as schooloflust, I admittedly was too lenient on them and should've blocked them then and there but gave them a second chance

then there was the incident where they hopped into my messages (and at least one other person, who would publically call them out on it), wanting to do an rp wherein a spell was cast on their muse so everybody saw them as a child and they could not change out of childlike clothes (mind you, they intended for this to go sexual somehow!), and, at least with me, they really pushed for it and went "well what if we just did the clothes part" and didn't want to take no for an answer

seeing the other person call them out on this was what made me decide to finally block them

fast forward to when they remade schooloflust later on, and they followed me from the new account, and I swiftly blocked them again

they would still wind up on my timeline sometimes though so I can tell you they added a.ngourice r.ice as a fc soon after she turned 18 but used gifs basically exclusively from s.pider-man h.omecoming (she would've been 15 at the time of filming that), and added i.sabela m.erced as a fc like the week of her 18th birthday and again used old resources

at the same time as they ran schooloflust, they followed me from another account (I believe this was ofcherrybombs, but maybe with a c or x replacing a vowel there), no part of this blog looked similar to their other ones so I followed back and was immediately messaged about wanting to rp and was tagged in a starter before I even replied, this starter made me go "hey wait that feels familiar" and sure enough upon checking schooloflust the exact same starter was posted on there as an open starter, so I blocked again

fast forward a bit again and I'm followed by an account called tornvoid which again I come to realize is the same person (I believe it might have been ofvoid at first)

at this point I have become paranoid that any account that follows me might be them so admittedly I probably blocked some people that weren't them and most certainly stopped following people back nearly as often

fast forward to relatively recently, they have new blogs yet again and literally have muse ages listed as under 18 on their smut blog and post smut starters saying their muse is 16, so of course I have them blocked and reported them for trying to write sexual content about minors (which is not allowed on tumblr!) and upon vague posting about it the other day I can tell you one person popped into my private messages to say they were trying to pressure them into writing smut about 16 year olds

I have had this person blocked for ages, and yet I keep seeing them on my timeline though others, I'm done, if I see you interacting with them, you are getting blocked, I can't have this hanging over me any longer

I understand they keep making new blogs so it may not be the easiest to recognize them but I can tell you they pretty much always have an oc named brooke redmund portrayed by v.alorie c.urry on their blog so that should help you recognize them (not to mention that they like to have muses listed as 16 or 15-18 on their smut blog so that should hopefully earn a block anyways)

[astronomoney]

a rebrand and a fandom switch all in one night? Who does she think she is

She thinks she’s me that’s who. Hi I’m astronomoney (Mr. NoMoney was my fathers name) and I used to write fanfiction (a lot) but then I got bored and busy and I quit. Now I’m twice as busy and twice as bored so I’ve decided to start writing for fun again.

As I mentioned earlier I’ve decided to rebrand, but I also lied. I’m not switching fandoms, I’m expanding into new ones! I used to write just for DC comics and I still will write for them every once in a while but I’m also adding some new fandoms to the list!

The Fandoms I’ll be writing for include (but are not limited to)

DC Comics

Percy Jackson

Grishaverse

Star Wars

Star Trek (on @starship-argo)

And probably more!

I realize some people are here for very specific things and won’t want to wade through fandoms they’re not in (I get I’ve been there) so I’ll be sure to tag each fandom by the name listed above.

How to request

To get a fic fit for you, all you have to do is request! First check out my rules (+ a small requesting guide if you’re a first timer) then scroll a bit and you’ll see what characters I’ll write for in each fandom. When you see something you like just type it up in my ask box with some details about the fic you want and send!

Rules

Few and simple and subject to change at any time!

I don’t write flat out smut

I don’t write for generally triggering topics (r@pe, pedophilia, self-harm, etc…)

I don’t have a ton of time so while I’ll read every request I get I may not be able to write them/ they may not be ready for a long time. Please be patient with me!

I won’t tolerate hate comments, if you don’t like something I do feel free to block me as I am free to do the same to you

I can change/add to my rules at anytime

Pretty clear cut if I do say so myself. Now on to the fun stuff!

Asks

asks typically (but definitely don’t have to) look something like this:

[greeting of some kind] Hi! I was hoping you could write about [character you like]? Where [vague or specific scenario or trope] happens? Could it be [angst/fluff]y please? Thank you in advance!

At least that’s how I usually do it

Characters the incomplete list (☆ = my favorites)

DC comics

Dick Grayson

Jason Todd ☆

Tim Drake ☆

Damian Wayne

Jon Kent

TBD

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson ☆

Annabeth Chase

Grover Underwood

Luck Castellen

Clarisse LaRue

Leo Valdez ☆

Jason Grace ☆

Piper McClean

TBD

Grishaverse

Alina Starkov ☆

Nikolai Lantsov ☆

Zoya Nazyalensky ☆

Kaz Brekker

Jesper Fahey ☆

Inej Ghana

Nina Zenik

Matthias Helvar ☆

TBD

Star Wars

Luke Skywalker ☆

Leia Skywalker

Han Solo

Poe Dameron ☆

TBD

Star Trek

More info at @starship-argo

MASTERLIST (incoming date TBD)

That’s the gist! I’ll add relevant information as needed but for now, ciao!

[hologramcowboy]

I think another reason she posted is that The Winchesters isn’t getting the hype and attention her and Jensen desperately need it to. No one cares about the prequel beyond a handful of crazies who are so obsessed with Jensen that he could join Al Qaeda and they would support him. Watching them try to get themselves excited for the prequel is hilarious. But anyway, The Winchesters isn’t even getting negative attention right now. The Ackles desperately need to SPN fandom to pay attention to them otherwise the prequel will never make it past executives and they’ll never get paid. If they can prove to the CW that despite how terrible it is people will watch it, the show will get made no matter how poorly it tests. But right now the established fan base isn’t paying attention, and none of the actors have their own fan bases to bring to the project. CM made a big mistake relying on Jensen’s name to get things done. And they haven’t learned their lesson, they’re still trying to bank on the Ackles name. That’s why Danneel posted about being in New Orleans, and why she tagged the post Jensen Ackles. She’s trying to get people to pay attention to the prequel again, only it didn’t exactly work. She’s forgetting that part of the fandom only cares about her because of Jensen, so when they saw that (old) picture they immediately started talking about him despite the fact that he’s currently in another state. And the other part knows her a bit to well to ever fall for any of her tricks. I do think there’s also some truth in her trying to distract from the Steve rumors, which is why she chose a family photo instead of a photo of her and Jensen. A family photo says I don’t have time to cheat, I’m a wife and a mother. It also provides the added bonus of Jensen and Danneel not needing to stand next to each other.

Her ego is going to be so bruised once this whole prequel fiasco ends if it doesn’t end in a show. I think now more than ever people only see her as Jensen’s wife, instead of as an actress and producer like she wants. And that’s her own fault. She hasn’t acted consistently in years and her last job was on her husband’s show. She doesn’t own anything on her own, both the brewery and the production company belong to Jensen. Even if she does the majority of the work for CM (with I highly doubt) she’ll never get credit for because it’s all marketed as Jensen’s, and occasionally as a husband and wife company. And perhaps the real nail in the coffin for her is that she’s never made an effort to connect with people. We have so many videos and pictures of her sitting stone faced in the corner at various events, signing autographs looking like she’s rather be anywhere else, ignoring fans or even being downright rude instead of interacting with them to get them interested in either her or The Winchesters. And she could never be her authentic self on social media because she’s a juvenile mean girl with the personality of a particularly dull rock. That’s why she’s gone through so many rebrands, she can’t be herself otherwise she’d be even worse off than she is now. She tried branding herself as the other half of “couples goals”, she tried being a mom, she tried being a cool girl, she tried being an activist, and now she’s floundering about trying to figure out what her next move is because everything else has failed.

D the Poser Kweeen has just been perfectly described. Thank you for this beautiful post.

[looney-mooney]

S3 Aggretsuko and the risks of making your Hobby a Job

Okay so I just watched Aggretsuko season 3 and everyone in the tag is talking about how she “threw away her dream” in the end by quitting her idol job when... that’s not how I see it at all???

Death metal isn’t her dream, it’s her escape. She sings to express her frustrations with the world, and to help her get through the torture of her everyday life. When she was forcefully turned into an idol, it wasn’t HERS anymore. Her lyrics were unintelligible, her meaning was lost, and she started to see the idol persona as the mask she must put on to please others and the source of her pain instead of her escape from it. True, she ended up starting to embrace it life on the stage, but only because she loved inspiring others. And even then, being an idol was her FRIEND’S dream. Whenever her friend talked about the joys of being an idol, Retsuko just passively agreed, and eventually convinced herself that maybe this IS what she’s meant to do with her life.

But it’s not. And she knows it. The crazed stalker fan might have been the one who pushed her to quit, but in her mind... he was just reinforcing what she thought to be basic truths about her situation. She’s a fake, her words are empty, she’s just doing what is expected of her instead of being her genuine self.

And even though it’s a muddled message, I think one of the things this season was trying to say is that you shouldn’t have to capitalize on everything you do. She started publishing anonymous videos on the internet, but she was doing it for ad revenue - just a little side gig to help her get by, but she never meant for her passion to be exposed and exploited to this level. She wanted to be ANONYMOUS. She never wanted her face to be seen. From the beginning, she published her videos in a death metal face mask, and wanted to preform with her face in a burlap bag (which is a BADASS LOOK, AND SUITS THE THEMES OF THE MUSIC SO FUCKIN WELL, WHY DID HE TAKE THAT AWAY FROM HER, SHE COULD HAVE BEEN DAFT PUNK BUT BABY METAL). She never wanted to be seen, to be known, to be forced into the spotlight the way she was. She just wanted to get by, but in order to do so, she had to sacrifice something integral to who she was. She had to make her passion her WORK. PUBLICLY. Which took away her one escape. It made her favorite hobby into her worst prison.

The thing is, it’s... it’s okay to have hobbies. You don’t have to profit off of everything you do. And like, I get it! It feels good to be recognized for your passions! I should know, I’m a Motion Designer, I turned my love of art, design, and animation into my freaking career! But I still have other hobbies. I can’t keep a tune to save my life, but I love to sing. I stopped taking ballet classes after middle school, but I still love to dance. I decided to stop auditioning for roles in chorus and theatre, but I still love to preform! I still dance, sing, and make silly voices for all the comics I read, but mostly in my bedroom while my little sister rolls her eyes at me. I purposefully try not to capitalize on those hobbies, because if I tried to turn every single little thing I do into a marketable skill or profession, I would drive myself INSANE.

And she.... she LIKES being an accountant. She LIKES managing money, making things work financially, and she’s really really good at it!!! This season showed that off real well, and she was at her happiest this season when she was able to use those skills to make the idol group financially successful!!! When she was a BOSS, and making herself an irreplaceable asset to this new buisiness she basically built from the ground up. It all spiraled out of her control when her boss found out about her hobby, and started making huge rebranding decisions around that discovery WITHOUT HER PERMISSION.

In the end, she withdrew herself from everything. All her friends, all her skills and all her passions, everything she used to take pride in. For WEEKS.

I don’t approve of how aggressively her friends abducted her, and I wish they had cut to the chase a little bit earlier in the season so that her recovery could have had a full episode, but her friends were right to bring her back to the karaoke bar. And I think this was important for more than one reason - Haida wasn’t just raging at her, he was SHOWING her his hobby. He isn’t actually good at it! He kinda sucks at the death metal voice, and his voice gave out halfway through, and he was grasping at straws for the lyrics, but he was having FUN, being HIMSELF, and letting himself be FREE. Same way as his music. He used to be in a band, but he eventually let it slide into a hobby. Something he does for himself, in his free time. And he was really trying to goad her into joining him. He had a lot to say to her, and yes, he was a little mean, he did call her a coward, but he was being open and honest and raw. And eventually, it broke the dam, and she SANG RIGHT BACK. SHE WAS SCREAMING, not just at him, but at the WORLD, crying out for what it had stolen from her, desperate for the freedom of expression, of herself. She was pushing him away, but she was doing something she hadn’t let herself do in a long, LONG time. She wasn’t singing for a crowd, or for money. She was singing for herself.

And Haida understands. He wants to join her. He could hear her, and understand the lyrics of her song, the words she was screaming out with crystal clarity. And he responded to her lyrics, in a way nobody else could.

“Then let’s punch the world back.”

After that, she gave one last performance for the public, regained control of her life, and then returned to her new normal. A normal where she can be anything she wants to be. Where she decides to be an accountant, because as much as she rages about her job, it’s still HER job. And she lets herself lean on her friends a little bit more. Lets herself eat with her friends, instead of separate from them as she had been doing all season. And - there’s the implication in one of her last lines, that she’s still a music producer. Not a professional performer anymore, but a producer. She didn’t give up her side hustle entirely, she just went back to the parts of it she has control over, the parts she actually ENJOYED. And I, for one, am really proud of her!

[choices-binglebonkus]

The most cursed moments in the Choices fandom: a thread

-When James Ashton’s face was changed out of nowhere and he was 100x less attractive with the redesign.

-The CONSTANT and very mockable continuity errors in RoE.

-When HFTH was airing and getting absolutely panned everywhere because of the unlikable cast, weak and repetitive plot, the shitty MC, and the fact that it kept airing all the way until February despite being an explicitly December themed book. AKA, when HFTH was briefly the unanimously most hated choices book.

-When everyone figured out who the villain in The Junior was the very first night it aired and the book was such a flop that it was cut down from two books to one book.

-When MC and her LI broke up in The Senior and everyone subsequently lost their shit.

-When Victoria Fontaine assaulted MC in RCD and the players were so put off by how toxic she was that Pixelberry changed it.

-That time in ATV when the MC swapped hair, clothes, races, and genders for every person who played it for one chapter until PB fixed their grievous mistake.

-The “I now pronounce you husband and wife” in Hana’s route in TRR. Also, the first chapter of TRH when everyone thought Hana and MC were making babies on their honeymoon despite both being women.

-Anytime PB fucked up a female LI’s pronouns, which happened (and HAPPENS) a lot.

-When Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance (blech) was announced and got panned so hard that Luke, one of the writers, made an unprofessional Twitter post about it, then deleted it when he got shit for it.

-That time shortly after the ROD announcement some shithead made a meme about burning down PB’s headquarters.

-When Pixelberry added the shitty “His...to protect” tag line when Nightbound wasn’t doing as good as they hoped, and instead of attracting new players to the story, they pissed off everyone who actually enjoyed it.

-The Ethan Ramsey bisexual discourse that occurred after some straight girls complained about MLM players posting screenshots of Ethan having sex with the male MC.

-The OPH MC and ILB MC being totally ruined and hated by the fandom after being reused too many times.

-Poppy discourse. No explanation needed, everyone knows.

-Professor Kingsley discourse. Again, no explanation necessary.

-The leaked plot where Rafael was killed off.

-The canon plot where Rafael, MC, Danny, and Bobby are gassed, Danny and Bobby die, and Rafael is permanently affected.

-When Pixelberry casually rebranded Drake as a “anything can be masculine! Pink! Makeup! ANYTHING!” after they got shit for Drake whining about pink cake. No character growth: just Pixelberry covering their own ass.

-Pixelberry sloppily covering their own ass AGAIN after they got shit for the sexual scenes in MTFL.

-The fact that older members of the fandom were actively sexualizing and thirsting over barely legal characters (MTFL & ROD love interests).

-The entirety of Witness.

-Also most of The Nanny Affair.

-And finally...I’ve saved the best (worst, really) for last...when Pixelberry said they *might* revisit the It Lives series and left us hanging for nearly two years before they ultimately revealed that, despite its overwhelming success, It Lives would not be getting a third book. The fandom was HEARTBROKEN.

Feel free to add your own.

[maxineswritingcenter]

You Saved Me - Derek Hale x fem!reader

So, back in the day I wrote this story on Quotev. And it was one of my first stories that got into the popular section and I am really proud of it. The only problem is.... It was written in 2013, uber cringe-ville. If you wanna try to find it, be my guest but be warned: the main character is an OC, she has “I’m NoT lIkE oThEr GiRlS” syndrome and there are some weird ass love lines added in. So, I am reviving and rebranding that story so it may live a better life, like witness protection. Anyway, hope you enjoy

* I wrote it in first person just because I thought it would be easier to read

(Y/N)’s family is killed in a fire that seems to plague Beacon Hills, moving in with the Stilinski’s was bound to cause hijinks, but what happens when she gets involved with the the illusive Derek Hale?

TW: Kidnapping, some violence

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

At first glance Beacon Hills seems like the perfect community. It wasn’t until later that I would realize that everything I ever knew was a lie. 

~

I slowly slipped out of the front door and locked it behind me. Sneaking out wasn’t my usual schtick, but it was the last day of summer and for the first time I was going to live a little before starting to work at the Highschool as a volunteer coach for the lacrosse team. It was my first time ever sneaking out and just the idea of it made my heart pound, but the anxiety turned to adrenaline as I made my way out without either of my parents noticing. They were both incredibly heavy sleepers, there could be a parade outside their door and they wouldn’t wake up. 

The party would mostly consist of most of the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, and what would a lacrosse party be like without the team captain?

Walking down the sidewalk, I thought more about college. UCLA was a choice, or a community college too. Most kids would have gone straight after graduation, but I decided a year off would be good for me to de-stress. But honestly, I was just more afraid of the change. That and leaving my best friend, Stiles, behind was a little hard to fathom. We had known each other our whole lives. Another thing was…would he be okay? After losing his mom… who knows. But then there was also Michael. Michael was my boyfriend, and I loved being with him for the last four years. He really hadn’t mentioned plans for college, just working in the family business. What the family business was, I never knew. 

About a block down the road is when I heard the howl. My instincts first go to fear, wolf in the darkness. But then logic comes in, there had not been wolves in California for decades. It was probably the neighbors husky. 

The autumn chill had no mercy, whipping my hair into my eyes, I stopped on the corner of Fifth and Main, pulling my jacket closer and waited for the wind to pass. When it did, the figure in front of me made me gasp. But the shock subsided soon after. 

“Mikey,” I sighed in relief, “Why’d ya sneak up on me like that? Almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing out here?”

“Waiting for you.” He smiled. Ominous certainly, but this was probably just another one of his pranks. 

“I guess so, I thought you said you weren’t going to the party.” 

“We’re not.” That’s when a chill ran up my spine. Something wasn’t right, he wasn’t acting like himself. His goofy smile was gone and replaced by a dark looming presence that I wasn’t comfortable with. It was like he was a completely different person. I took a slow step back. 

“Come on, this isn’t funny.” He said nothing, only matching my step going forward. 

“Michael.” With every step I took back, he took one forward, matching my increasing pace. With no other choice in mind, I chose to run. But as my back was turned, he grabbed me by my middle with one arm and pressed a cloth to my mouth with the other. Without thinking, I breathed in, the chemicals in the cloth slowly numbing my senses and my body. I tried to fight the darkness entering my vision, but it was no use. I was done to my knees, Michael right behind me. 

“Goodnight, (Y/N).” Were the last words I heard before the darkness took over. 

~

“Sweetie, time to get up.” My mother’s voice rang in my ears. 

“C’mon mom five more minutes…” I grumbled. 

“(Y/N), you need to wake up.” Her voice is more urgent. I finally opened my eyes, seeing my mother, her body engulfed in flames. 

“Wake up!” 

My body jerked as I woke up, leading to soreness in my arms and legs as a few things became clear: 

1. I was tied to a chair, and 

2. I didn’t know where I was. 

The events from last night slowly started coming back and nothing made any sense. Michael had never been controlling or abusive. Was I so blinded by the relationship that I hadn’t seen the signs? No, there were no signs. As far as I knew, Michael had no history of mental illness so something like dissociative identity disorder didn’t make sense and it wouldn’t explain the behavior either. 

There was a bandana tied around my head, keeping me from any sort of speech. From the layout of the place, it looked like an apartment Michael had, but everything was different. There was a tack board hanging in the living room with so many pictures of myself and my parents, shots that looked like they were taken without us knowing. There were scrawlings but they were too scribble-like to make out. 

The door opening brought my head to look towards the source. Michael walked in, shoving his phone into his back pocket. 

“Well good afternoon, sleepy head.” He closed the door behind him and made his way over to the chair I was bound to. 

“Alright, I’m gonna take the gag out but you can’t scream.” He smiled. 

I nodded along. With one hand, he pulled the gag from my mouth. 

“HELP! HELP ME!” I cried, hoping one of his neighbors would hear and call the police. 

“Shut up!” He slapped me across the face, the stinging pain only added to my screaming for help. 

“I said shut up!” He pulled a knife from his pocket, pressing the tip of the blade against my cheek. This new threat silences me, leaving me breathing heavily through my nose, tears making their way down my cheeks. 

“See, was that so hard?” He stood up and made his way across the room to the box TV on his floor, “I’m sorry for the mess, but with all my planning I hadn’t had a chance. I’ve been planning a big surprise and it’s finally done.” I didn’t speak, only continued to watch his movements. 

“I figure, even if you didn’t listen, you can still have your surprise.” He pressed the round power button on the screen and it fizzled to life. 

“-the same arsonist on the loose? Coming back to breaking news, the second house fire in six years occurred in the early morning today. Firefighters were called out to the residence of (Y/D/N) and (Y/M/N) (Y/L/N) where their home had gone up in flames.” There was footage of my home up in flames, streams of water coming from the firemen below. “ Both (Y/D/N) and (Y/M/N) were found dead, seemingly from being crushed by a falling support beam in their basement. Their daughter, (Y/N), has not been found and is considered missing. If you have any information on her please call Beacon Hills police.” My photo came up on the screen. 

My heart sunk into my stomach and my throat ached to scream and sob. Michael turned off the TV then and looked down at me. 

“I’m surprised they found the bodies with how hot it was.” He said nonchalantly.

“Why are you doing this?” I whispered. My parents were the nicest people in the world and treated Michael like he was a part of the family, why would he do this?  

”Don’t worry, (Y/N/N). It’s all a part of the plan.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. 

“I’m gonna head to bed, been out all night. I’ll see you in a couple hours.” He made his way to her bedroom and closed the door behind him. 

Finally, I completely broke down. Silent cries poured out. My parents were just gone in a puff of smoke. And all at the hands of someone we trusted. Someone that I trusted more than anything. 

After the grief quickly came anger. I don’t know how or when, but I am getting the hell out of here.

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

Read part 2 here!

Likes, Comments, and reblogs are appreciated!

Message me comment to to added to the General Tag or the tag list for this series!

[ariadnaes]

╭﹒❍﹒𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖊𝖑 — a writeblr re-introduction.

⋆˚﹆⟠﹒𝕮HRISTENING ! 

hi, my name’s aurora (aura / rora) and i use she/her pronouns! i was previously @winteranarchy on writeblr but i’ve decided to rebrand and reintroduce myself. my writing will be posted here on this blog and a list of my current projects can be found on this page, but i’ll also start being more active on my writing twitter @rorawrites. you can also find me at my main @warstorm which is my litblr where i post and reblog edits.  i’m a scorpio, slytherin, i/entj and vietnamese-australia. i’m a lover of literature and mythology as well as classical and fantasy novels and some of my favourite books include the night circus, the picture of dorian gray and perfume: the story of a murderer. please feel free to add me to any of your tag lists or chat with me through my inbox or dms, i’d love to get to know more you lovely people and get acquainted with your writing too !

projects and taglist below the cut.

⋆˚﹅♡⃕﹒𝕿HE 𝖁ISION !

₀₁・𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐

— The first installment in the Iron Star Duology.

Crimson Falling is the story of tempests, of serpents and of saints. It is the story of blood and the tragic fates of the decadent and the cunning. After a night of hallucinated memories leading to their nemesis’ body found floating in the school’s lake, a group of seven students become ensnared within a plot to cover up what they believe to be blood upon their hands. They soon begin to realise that their academy is not what it seems upon the surface, as they begin to unearth the curious evils that lie within the institute and the secrets thought lost and buried alongside the dead heiress.

introduction (coming soon!) | wip page | wip tag

₀₂・𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚜

— The first installment in the Silver Sun Trilogy.

The court has descended into madness. In a land where daylight rises and cedes in a cycle of seven weeks, a kingdom has awoken at the first fall of sun to their beloved monarchs beheaded; murdered by their own son and heir to their throne. The crown now falls into the lap of the youngest prince, a boy who never planned to hold such great power and had no clue on how to keep it. Amidst the battle for his rightful throne, Prince Castiel must not only deal with the rebellion that his brother ignited and his sister’s mysterious disappearance but also travel to the ends of the land to find the last enchantress, the only one who can save his decaying soul, before the sun sets on the seventh week. In a land of deceit, ambition and betrayal; with only one crown to be claimed and a desperate, incumbent prince determined to keep it in the wake of his parent’s assassination, tensions have never be higher within the Court of Silver Suns.

introduction (coming soon!) | wip page | wip tag

₀₃・𝚕𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚢𝚙𝚛𝚞𝚜

— A short story retelling of Pygmalion and Galatea set in the Decadent Era and inspired by Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Perfume: the story of a murderer.

When a single drop of blood falls into a sea of foaming sapphire and azure hues, a monster of beautiful destruction is created. The Birth of Venus catalyses within its sweeping strokes, an even greater beauty that it beholds; but even from the same likeness of the goddess, the Mériadec portrait outshines its predecessor both in aestheticism and in gore. At an Italian gallery exhibit in the year 1817, French portrait painter, Pascal Mériadec, is challenged by scornful critics to commission a portrait more beautiful than Venus herself. With each brush of paint upon his canvas, Mériadec slowly begins to fall obsessively in love with the woman in the frame; spending every waking hour with the girl whom he has named Eglantine, the Lady of Cyprus. Filled with the desperate desire for the love he shared with Eglantine to be real, the artist would do anything in his power to bring her to life, even if it meant leaving death in his wake.

introduction (coming soon!) | wip page | wip tag

₀₄・𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚡

— The first installment in the Pantheon Duology.

A world basked in ivory and gold, painted with age old myth upon every surface; hides the flaws of a government whose corruption will cause the downfall of their people. Unbeknownst to the revelling and immoral power of the city, the seeds of rebellion have long since been planted, flowers now blooming in the cracked pavement where blood and tears have watered them. The House of Pollux, one organisation in a triumvirate of self-proclaimed saviours, has set their sights on overthrowing the government and fighting the rising discord that threatens the city. Seven abducted prodigies, stolen from homes that have never belonged to them and from names they will never remember, are tasked with the infiltration and assassination of their country’s leader. These gifted individuals who have grown where the light has not found them, have now come forth to reclaim the world that belongs to them and to save the country from the clutches of beautiful tyrants. And thus glorious mutiny arises, in the name of the Pantheon.

introduction (coming soon!) | wip page | wip tag

₀₅・𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚢

— Standalone Novel (possibility of a prequel novella).

Eternity appears to be a rather long time for punishment, no matter how malicious the criminal was, however, in her liminal state drifting between immortality and mortality, the Empress didn't care, rather she loved it. The Duchess of the Netherworld floats between beautiful places, corrupting them with her presence, rendering victims mad only for her mere entertainment. And when she tires of her station, she finds herself a new arena for her twisted games, each time a new setting that she has only dreamt of in her eternal torture. She does not greet you as you are welcomed through the entrance of The Winter Anarchy; an opera house of such opulence and decadence so uncommon to mankind. The vestibules of hell embrace your tortured and devious soul and you are welcomed like the mad sinner that you are. You are not dead though, not quite yet at least. She has saved you from such a fate for now and you really ought to thank her for her ill intended grace. You are a puppet, merely here to play a game… her game. Win and you shall be graced with the eternal glory, freedom and power of beings such as she is but lose and you must pay the most treacherous price for every drop of unholy blood running through your veins.

introduction (coming soon!) | wip page | wip tag

taglist. (tagging a few friends, mutuals and writeblrs that i admire. let me know if you would like to be added or removed from future taglists!) @vaelinor . @kalliopeian . @veiliza . @rapunzelle . @aeternve . @laythe . @xiyais . @queen-of-dust . @bintiskandar . @theheartbreakclub . @elizaabennet . @duskbourne . @ortolon . @sourrcandy . @atelierwriting . @sprigofbasil . @serpentarii . @herondalelucies . @thetragediies . @chuchoters . @parsel-tongue . @arkicts . @ikilledmyocs​ . @hiswraith​ . @oasis-of-you​

[opbackgrounds]

FAQ

This is long overdue, which is 100% on me and after much dragging of feet I’ve finally gotten around to making a faq. Hopefully this will help those new to the blog going forward, but if there’s anything I missed or you feel should be added let me know and I can can make an addition

Who are you?

I go by Sarcasticles but most people call me Sarc. I’m a woman so she/her pronouns are fine, and also write fanfic and have a twitter under that name. My main is @creative-type and I post my half-assed art at @sarcs-art. No, I haven’t taken any literature classes since high school. Yes, I’m making this up as I go.

How did you get into One Piece

To be honest I almost didn’t. I remember watching the 4kids! dub of the Pearl fight, and even as a wee babu thought the idea of a man spontaneously setting himself on fire was the stupidest thing I’d ever seen. I wrote the series off and only watched because it was on the Toonami block with Naruto, and even then thought that every Devil Fruit user had a unique weakness and only Luffy was unlucky enough not to be able to swim. 

That changed when I happened to see the episode Croc said Robin’s name for the first time. From there I was hooked but didn’t know how to access it after it was taken off the air. I caught up with the manga in high school, and have been reading weekly since about the time of the Duval identity reveal

Favorite character? 

Robin, 100%. If not for her, I never would have gotten into the series. She’s one of my favorites in all media, not just One Piece

Where do you get your manga caps?

I use mangasee for opbackgrounds—which uses the official English translation, at least for the early chapters—and read weekly using the Viz app

How do you make your posts?/How do you notice all this stuff?

Repetition, mostly. You read a thing once to enjoy it, twice to ponder it, and three times to understand it. I’ve read all pre-timeskip material at least twice and there are some sections I have gone over dozens of times while doing research for fanfic. 

I firmly believe anyone can do what I am doing here, but like everything else it’s a learned skill that needs to be practiced. There’s a reason why your high school English teacher wanted you to analyze the use of the color green in the Great Gatsby. Meta posts are nothing but literary analysis after an aggressive rebranding campaign. 

What’s Your Opinion on (fill in the blank)?

While I love getting questions and writing meta, before sending a question like this I ask that you please keep in mind the following: 

1) My focus for this blog is to comb through manga sequentially. I’m not going to analyze or speculate on current events because, to me, that isn’t fun. We’ll get there when we get there (I say while acknowledging the fact it might take us awhile to get there)

2) Please check the archive before sending an ask. I use the #sarc talks for all asks and have a pretty robust tagging system overall. I’ve hit just about every major talking point within the fandom, and chances are my opinions haven’t changed

3) No spoilers, please. I follow the official English release for the manga, but this also includes other media like movies or the live action series. Also, I don’t follow the anime at all, so if an ask is regarding something adaptation-wise I probably haven’t seen it

4) My policy is ship and let ship, and I have a very Luffyarian view on romance overall--I’m only here for the adventure, so please don’t ask me about specific pairings because I could not care less

5) Please make sure your question is meant for me and not @kaizokuou-ni-naru. While she has some pretty great meta posts and can probably answer any questions sent to her that are meant for me, I know absolutely nothing about Japanese and will only be able to shrug helplessly in your general direction

6) While I enjoy doing analysis and answering questions, it’s not my job to understand the manga for you. If the answer to your question is plainly found in the text I’m probably going to ignore it

7) I feel like this should go without saying, but be courteous. I am infinitely more tolerant of a simple question asked nicely than a meaty question said with hostility. This extends to the comment section as well. Play nice, and we’ll all be able to get along

[sincerelymarinette]

A Recorded Life Sequel (5/10) - Miraculous Ladybug

Words: 1125 Chapter Summary: Another day at the office for Marinette and Adrien, and Marinette even has some time to record a video! Afterward, they run into some trouble. Author's Note: we are back in business! Thank you everyone for being patient with my hiatus, the end of my school semester kicked my butt, then holidays kept me busy. I hope everyone had great holidays and a happy new year! I loved writing this chapter and I'm excited to be back at this story. Halfway done with the sequel!

Prev / Next / Masterlist

Timelapse

---

It was a slow day for Marinette. She didn't have any deadlines coming up too soon, and actually had a day to breathe and just work. For the first time in a few weeks, she even had time to set her camera up to record her process of working on her mockup design on a mannequin. Like the good ol' days, she'd timelapse the video and do a voice over for her fans.

Sure, her team would come in to ask questions and get some help, but those were usually easy answers. It seemed like the universe was giving her an easy day, which was a nice difference.

As for Adrien, it was a little different. Ever since he decided on the rebrand of Agreste Fashion to Emilie's, Adrien and his marketing and branding team had been working around the clock to get everything switched over. There were new logos that had to be made, followed by a new look for the website, business cards for everyone employed, and coming up with the perfect tags for clothing. To say it was stressful was an understatement, and they had planned to release the rebrand fully in a week.

It had already been a few weeks of working on the rebrand, and it was taking longer than anyone expected. Though stressful, they were very excited for Agreste Fashion to change and evolve.

Plagg had gotten bored of listening to Adrien talk about the perfect font and flew through floors and walls to get to Marinette's office. She always had extra cheese in her lunch bag (and it was unguarded, unlike Adrien, who likes to pace Plagg). Plus, Plagg enjoyed talking to Tikki and watching Marinette work when she was focused.

Plagg flew through the wall with a big smile. "Hi, Marinette!" He said and flew past her to land on her desk to sit next to Tikki.

"Hello, Plagg," She greeted, "Get tired of Adrien?"

"He was driving me crazy, asking me which font looked better. If it's not camembert, I don't care!" He crossed his arms, then got up to go find the cheese he was thinking of.

Marinette chuckled and turned away from her work for a second. "At least he's asking you, and he's taking this thing seriously. I swear, he's never thought about fonts more before this," She said.

"I'm proud of him," Tikki said, "Even though Plagg is bored of it, I love the changes Adrien is making. It will fit the company much better," Tikki added.

"I agree; it's going to be a great look," She said and stepped back to look at her work. It was getting to where she wanted it to be, though there were always changes she could make. She was excited to be recording a process, as it has been a while, and was looking for something new to post to her fashion channel. Sure, every so often, she could post things about unfinished projects, or after lines were launched, but there wasn't too much she could do.

On her second channel, though, she was more active. Not as much as she used to be, but there were still things she enjoyed posting there. She and Adrien played a lot of video games, and whenever she saw Alya, they tried to do something fun. Outings, games, storytimes, they always had fun creating videos. One time, they got Adrien to work at the hotel with Chloé for one of the fan's favorite series, and it was determined he could not do that job.

"See, I think it will be good. It's just such a boring process," Plagg complained as he ate his cheese.

Marinette shook her head at him. "I know, it can be a lot of work to sit and listen to Adrien figure things out," She joked. "Give him a break and let him just talk it out; he'll get through it all eventually," She reminded Plagg. Before she could get too much more work done, there was a knock at her office door.

"Good afternoon, Marinette. Would you mind coming to see our sketches for approval?" Two of her team members asked. She was the team lead; she had to approve of everything for her lines and work.

"Of course," She smiled and paused the recording on her camera. "Tikki, don't let Plagg eat it all. Save some for dinner!" Marinette warned as she walked out of her office.

---

Adrien was exhausted. He liked to be out of the office at a decent time, but he was still there later than he wanted to be with so much going on. Finally, he forced himself to close out of his document and head home. Surely, Marinette was already home and waiting for him.

His thoughts were wrong as he walked through the central part of the office and spotted her light still on. With a sigh, he shook his head and headed to greet her. Adrien knocked on the door, but she didn't look up. Adrien pushed the door in slowly. "Marinette," He said, making her jump slightly.

"Oh, hey, Adrien!" She smiled, "I'm still working on my video; you heading out?" She asked.

"I am, and so are you," He walked over and stopped the recording. "It's getting late; let's grab a late-night snack and get some sleep," Adrien said.

Marinette gave in much easier than last time, as much as she wished she could keep working. If it weren't for Adrien, she would probably spend all night working on her designs and mockups. "Alright, what snack are you thinking?" She smirked.

The Kwamis quickly flew to their respectful spots in bags as Adrien and Marinette locked up the office. As Marinette began to walk to her car, Adrien grabbed her hand to stop her. "Let's walk to that place around the corner. It's a nice night, and I think we both could use some fresh air," Adrien said.

"Good idea, Adrien," Marinette replied, and the two of them walked in the opposite direction of their cars. Though it was dark, Adrien was right about it being a nice night, and they both definitely needed to walk and smell the air. Since they don't run around on rooftops anymore, they could use the breaks.

As they rounded the corner, Marinette fell behind as she heard something hit the ground, assuming it was something from her purse.

She glanced down and realized it was not hers, and decided to keep on walking. But before she could get too far, someone grabbed her arm. "Ah!" She yelled.

Adrien's head shot around fast enough to give him whiplash. "Mari!" He started to walk towards her, but someone grabbed him too, preventing him from getting any closer.

---

@lady-of-the-roses-and-lilies @bookishserendipity03 @avatheexceed @gkz10 @coccinellegirl @kat-thatoneweirdo @strawberryblondish @snow-swordswoman @lilgaga98 @evufries  @toodaloo-kangaroo 

[saharamae21]

All of My Wrongs - Chapter Two

Pairing: Topper x OC and Rafe x OC

Summary: As Rory adjust to her new home, she spends her time trying to reinvent herself. She tries to fit herself into a certain image, just like she’s done in every other place she’s ever been. After accidently offending Topper, she wonders if she will ever truly get along with the others around her, but it actually ends up bringing them closer. 

Thanks @anonymous0writer​ for helping me plan and hyping me up! Love you Mags

Word Count: 2.4K

A/N: Sorry if these first chapters come off as boring. Its going to be a slow moving fic in order for me to really build connections with the characters. I really like it though and I hope you do too… Let me know what you think! I really want some feedback on this…

Also I’m only 6 followers away from 300..... Ahhhhh

Get Added to this Series Tag List

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I walked through the house and tried to get used to all of the marble. It was everywhere. I tried not to wrinkle my nose at the decorations, but I was used to wood and low ceilings. This house was nothing like any place we’ve ever had before. It looked as if we told Skip that he got to pick the next house we lived in. I ascended up the curved staircase and ran my fingers across the white walls. This wasn’t who we were.

I opened the door to my room and was greeted by a queen sized bed. A vanity set stood in the corner and the closet was bigger than some of the rooms I had previously occupied. The room was painted this nice off white and my stuff sat sadly in two boxes. There was no way that I had enough stuff to fill this room. I opened the top box and pulled out some picture frames. They were mostly of my family with a few others mixed in, but I had never really had many friends. After the first few moves I stopped trying to make them, so I wouldn’t miss them when I left. I placed them on the vanity before looking at myself in the mirror.

Staring back at me was a girl who looked scared. It was a reflection of the inner me. On the outside, I was this carefree and fun loving girl who just wanted to have a good time, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t understand how everyone saw that. The girl in front of me was terrified. She shook when people stared at her. She was constantly haunted by a ghost from my past. The ghost stood behind me, looming over my shoulder. I closed my eyes and when I looked back up, they were gone. I just wished that the sad girl staring back at me was gone as well.

“What do you think?” I heard my mom ask. I turned to see her at the threshold. I told her the house was gorgeous. “But does it feel like home?”

“Yeah,” I said, lying to her. I didn’t want to make her feel bad and more importantly, I wanted to stay here. I didn’t want to move again. She smiled at me and asked about my friends. She asked where I stayed last night. “Oh, I met the neighbor boy and his girlfriend. I stayed at her house since Skip locked me out.”

I loved my mom. She was always so bright, like a ray of sunshine. The only weakness she had was her emotions. She had very little control on them and it got even worse after Skip was born. We all got through it though. I sat on my bed and looked at her as she continued to make small talk. I felt bad that I wasn’t as close to her as I used to be. I heard the kitchen timer go off and she told me that she was making cookies for the neighbors. I chuckled thinking about how we always did this. I wondered if Topper’s family would even eat the cookies. She ran downstairs to pull them out of the oven. I laid back in my bed and started up at the ceiling. I wondered how mad my parents would be if I painted it. I promised myself that when we moved into a house for good I would paint the ceiling like the night sky. I always wanted to fall asleep under the stars every night.

“Rory, can you run these to the neighbors while they’re still warm?” I heard my mom shout from downstairs. I sighed and got up, making my way down the steps. I grabbed the plate of cookies and walked out the front door. As soon as I was out, I could hear yells echoing through the air. They were coming from the backyard of Topper’s house. I could hear his mom shouting at him and he was yelling back. I walked into my own backyard and his mom stopped yelling when she saw me.

“Hi,” I said, smiling at her. Somehow, she looked even more uptight than her son. “I’m Aurora Lansing. My family just moved in. My mom asked me to give you these.” I held the plate out for her and she smiled. She took them from me and told me to send gratitude to my mother. Everyone here was way too formal. I glanced over Topper who looked distressed. His mom apologized for the noise and excused herself to bring the cookies into the house.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly. His face was tense, but his eyes were emotionless. I couldn’t tell if he heard me or not, so I took a few steps forward and placed my hand on his arm. He flung my arm off angrily and I stumbled back, missing my footing and falling onto my butt. His eyes expression softened immediately.

“Shit…” he mumbled. “I’m sorry Aurora.”

He helped me up and I brushed myself off. At this point, I really didn’t want to talk to him anymore, but the look in his eyes said he needed something. I asked once again if he was okay. He shook his head. I already knew that though. His emotions read on his face like a book. I hoped that he knew how much trouble that could get him in.

“Wanna get out of here?” I asked. For the first time today, he smiled, even if it was only a little one. He walked to the front of the house with me following a few steps behind. He opened up the door to his huge jeep and I crawled in. He closed it behind me and got behind the wheel. “So are you gonna tell me what’s bothering you?”

“No matter what I do, it's not enough in my mom’s eyes,” he said. I stared at his side profile and he truly looked defeated. I listened to him explain that someone sank their boat and his mom won’t listen to him. He knew that it wasn’t his fault. I sighed as I got a better read on him. He had to live to a certain standard that he might never accomplish. His parents expected nothing less than perfection from him.

“I see why you’re so uptight all the time, Bottom,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. He was less than thrilled.

“Is everything a joke to you?” he asked. I felt my chest tighten. “God, why am I even telling you this?”

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “You know that you don’t have to be perfect though right? Who cares if you don’t fit their standards. I don’t really know you-”

“You’re right. You don’t know me. You don’t get it because you’ve never had to be anything, but your annoying, carefree self,” he muttered angrily at me.

I closed my mouth, not continuing my sentence. However, the thought wouldn’t leave my head. I don’t really know you, but you can’t keep taking pieces of yourself off and reassembling them into something else. You’re going to lose sight of yourself and then what are you left with when you have no pieces left to shape? It’s exhausting and you shouldn’t do that to yourself.

I sat in silence as we turned around to go home. I wanted to keep talking to him, but I clearly wasn’t helping. I stared out the window and stared at the ocean. I felt him look over at me, but I didn’t avert my gaze. We pulled into his driveway and I got out quickly. I began walking back to my house, saying goodbye in the process.

“Aurora-” he said my name and I turned to look at him. I could tell apologizing wasn’t something he did often. He opened his mouth to say it, but nothing came out.

“It’s fine,” I said, before turning around and walking back up to my house.

I walked back up to my room and laid down on my bed. I stared up at the ceiling and thought about if I would truly like it here. I shut my eyes and imagined all the Aurora’s before this one. I remembered when we lived in Washington. That Aurora was cool and couldn’t be bothered. She was the stoic, moody, wallflower type. Then there was Minnesota Aurora. She was adventurous and rebellious. I wondered who Outer Banks Aurora would be. Maybe she could be preppy and snarky like Rafe would probably enjoy. Maybe she could be quite and reserved like Topper would probably enjoy. She could be anything I wanted, except for who I actually was. The real me was annoying and hard to tolerate. She was emotional and sensitive. She was vulnerable.

When I opened my eyes back up, the sun was setting. I sat up and placed a smile upon my face. I looked so natural for how forced it was. I pushed myself up from the bed and opened my bedroom door. The house looked even more ridiculous now that the midday light was gone. The fancy chandelier twinkled brighter than the stars and the stainless steel appliances were shinier than anything I have ever owned in my life. I walked into the kitchen and saw my dad working on some paperwork.

“Hey,” I said, opening the fridge in order to grab myself something to drink. He asked me why I had locked myself up in my room all day. I shrugged in response. This wasn’t unusual behavior for me so he didn’t worry too much. He called it my post-move blues. For him, this was an adjustment period and he didn’t ask too many questions. If only he knew that this was a rebranding period. Everything that I was going to tell Topper not to do, I did every few months. I was such a hypocrite.

My head shot towards the door as a knock echoed through our nearly empty house. My dad and I exchanged a weird look and I told him I would get it. When I opened up the door, Topper stood there awkwardly. He was rubbing his neck with one hand and holding our plate in the other. I felt my shoulders sink a bit when I saw him.

“Hey, I brought your plate back,” he said. “The cookies were really good.”

I took the plate from him and told him that I was glad they enjoyed them. I could tell that he still felt bad about earlier and I wondered if he had even volunteered to bring the dish back. I gave a small smile and thanked him for bringing it back. I grabbed the door handle, not expecting the conversation to continue.

“Wait!” he said, placing a hand on the door. “Can we talk?”

I opened my mouth, but couldn’t find the right words. I nodded and told him to wait there. I ran the plate to the sink and told my dad I would be out for a little bit. I told him not to lock the doors and walked back to the front.

We walked in silence from my front door to his dock. I sat down on the wood panels and dipped my feet in the water. The golden light shined down across the water, but even that beauty wasn’t enough to eliminate the awkward tension that filled the space between us. I pursed my lips together and wondered if he would ever start talking.

“I’m sorry,” he said. I turned my head to look at him and smiled. I told him that it was fine. He wasn’t buying it though. I wondered if every little thing was this big of a deal to him? Did he dwell on every conversation for hours? “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. You were just trying to help.” “It’s fine,” I said with a small laugh to let him know that I meant it. I told him that he worried too much and that I wasn’t upset. “You shouldn’t do that to yourself though.”

“Do what?” he asked. His eyes stared at me, clearly engaged in the conversation.

“Expect perfection,” I said with a sigh. “It can be really draining. You’ll run yourself ragged if you continue to shape yourself into a certain image.”

He stared at me as I tried to shake the sad expression from my face. A faint smile painted itself across my face almost in a sarcastic manner. It looked fake unlike any other one he had seen on me. He just nodded and stared back out over the water. He stared at how the water rippled ever so slightly and we sat there, just enjoying another person’s company.

“Hey Aurora?” he asked. I turned to look at him as he spoke. “What do you want to do after this? After high school?”

The truth was far from what I told him. The truth was that I wanted to go to college and make a home for myself. I wanted friends and a family. Most importantly, I wanted to stay in one spot. Surely I would travel, but at the end of the day, I would go back to my home with my family and be happy. I would forget about saving the world and everyone else. I would work on saving me.

“I’ll probably go to college and major in Environmental Sustainability or Journalism. Then, join the peace coup like my parents,” I said. “You know, save the world and stuff. How about you?”

“I’ll go to college in Chapel Hill, just like my mom,” he muttered. “I’ll get a solid job and move back to the Figure Eight.”

“I thought we were talking about dreams, not reality,” I said with a cheeky smile. He smiled back at me before he said something that blew my mind.

“Yeah, but it’s a two way street, Rory,” he said. His smile turned into a smirk as he called me by a nickname for the first time ever. “You don’t get to know mine, if I don’t get to know yours.”

He stood up, holding out his hand to help me up as well. I took it and he gently yanked me to my feet. My smile was uncontrollable and real for the first time in years as I stared at the first person to ever see though my mask. He paid attention in the same way I did. Maybe that’s why he over analyzes everything. The sun was almost completely set at this point. I remember that I had early morning plans with Rafe tomorrow and decided that it was late enough.

“I should head in. Don’t want to get locked out again,” I said with a chuckle, forcing myself to leave despite how intrigued I was. “Night Bottom.”

“Night Rory.”

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Tag List “ @outerbankslut​ @jellyfishbeansontoast​ @jiaraendgame​ @bricksatanakinswindow​ @outerbongs​ @kiarascarreras​ @ilovejjmaybank​ @potterheadhollander​ @rudths​ @spilledtee​ @queenieloveswriting​ @multifandomlovess​ @starlightstarkey​ @tomhardybby​ @diverdcwn​

[almaasi]

GISHWHES 2017 List Of Items

Yes, this archive post is a whole year late. Don’t judge me.

In 2017 the hunt ran from August 5th to the 12th, and winners went to Hawaii with Misha. (Misha scared everyone by implying it was The Last Ever Hunt, when it was actually just rebranding.) Under the cut: The entire item list from 2017, including item numbers, point values, and deleted items.

[ see also: 2011 list // 2012 list // 2013 list // 2014 list // 2015 list // 2016 list ]

Disclaimer: I am not personally affiliated with Misha Collins or any of the organisers of GISHWHES. This blog post is not official. And yes, I am allowed to post it.

#1 / PHOTO / 66 POINTS / Do you live near (or within a fun road trip’s length of) some sand dunes or a beach? If so, the time has come to fulfill your destiny. Make a massive portrait (must be larger than 20 square meters - the larger the better) of either someone who inspires you, or a message of hope beautifully written in sand. Use a drone to capture footage, if helpful. Make sure you are not working on protected or ecologically sensitive dunes.

#2 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 20 POINTS / There was a hobby or talent that you used to do when you were younger that you stopped doing for whatever reason. Do it again. Now.

#3 / PHOTO / 52 POINTS / Pancake art has come a long way, and the art form doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Let’s see pancake art of Guernica, Judith Slaying Holofernes, The Weeping Woman, anything by Hieronymus Bosch., or another famous work. (You may not do the Mona Lisa or anything abstract.)

#4 / PHOTO / 62 POINTS / As anyone who reads “Cosmopolitan” magazine knows, bohemian eco-chic weddings are all the rage. Let’s see a wedding dress made from recycled office paper.

#5 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 42 POINTS / Nobody likes elevator music in an elevator - unless it’s flute or pan flute music played by a wood nymph. (We must see unsuspecting passengers in the elevator with the wood nymph.)

#6 / VIDEO / 19 POINTS / Re-enact the experience of your birth, using (only) shadow puppets.

#7 / VIDEO / 44 POINTS / (Up to 2 minutes.) You love your grandparents, or your great-grandparents, but you've never heard their stories. Get one of them to tell you about the two most transformative experiences of their early life, before they turned 30. These must be experiences that shaped them into the people they are today. They may be difficult situations or lucky ones, but they must be transformative. Subject(s) must be more than 80 years old.

#8 / PHOTO / 82 POINTS / The year is 2021. Of all the unique and amazing human specimens on Earth, it was hard for the aliens to choose which ones to collect, but your team stood out as being excessively weird & worth “analysis". Your entire team was abducted and put into an alien specimen box. In grid form, show each member of your team along with a card explaining where they got you (city, country) and a word stating what special characteristic makes you unique.

#9 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / I can assure you, THAT has never been frozen in jello before! How did you manage to do that?!

#10 / PHOTO / 51 POINTS / Pizza was invented in Italy in 997 AD to honor the Queen Consort, Queen Margherita. The next significant event in Italian history was the start of the Renaissance Period in the 14th century, which spawned a revival in art, architecture, science and learning. Let’s celebrate these two seminal moments in Italian history. Bake a Pizza decorated as a Renaissance painting that would make the Old Masters proud.

#11 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 82 POINTS / There are many old ghost towns (Note that Little Beaver Town on the list has been leveled. We're not sure what happened to the ghosts but they may be smaller/flatter) around the world. I’ve been told, however, that almost all of these are fake and do not contain real ghosts. I refuse to believe this. Help me prove them wrong. Let’s see ghosts (at least 6) doing typical small-town activities (shopping, dropping stuff off in the mailbox, porch sitting, walking ghost dogs, as crossing guards and school kids, etc.) in one of the actual ghost towns at the link above (or in another legitimately publicized ghost town). Provide a caption to your image or video with the name of the ghost town , and the State or Province and Country you’re in.

#12 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / Many of us have lost pets in our lifetime. As a memorial to a loved pet that is now frolicking in the clouds chasing or sniffing whatever it was that pet liked to chase/sniff, write a poem or haiku about that loved one, or create a small shrine in nature comprised of items the pet loved and a photo of him or her.

#13 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / (Side by side) A child drawing of their idea of happiness. Then, make it happen.

#14 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / Over the years gishwhes has always been a supporter of first responders (firemen, paramedics, ER medics, nurses, police, etc.). Let’s give them one last treatment of a proper gishwhes “THANK YOU!” Find your nearest and dearest first responders and bring them The Most Epic Cookies or Pastries the World Has Ever Seen (MECOPWHES).

#15 / PHOTO / 23 POINTS / Groucho Marx a piece of fruit. No, we don’t know what this means either, but we’re excited to see what you come up with.

#16 / VIDEO / 29 POINTS / (Up to 2 minutes.) Take your parent back to the place where they lived when they were 10. Find someone they knew from then and ask them to recall a shared memory.

#17 / PHOTO / 69 POINTS / Spicy Art! Using the spices you have in your spice cupboard, make a picture of your favorite (1) comic book cover, or (2) cartoon character. Either submit it alone, or as a side-by-side image comparison.

#18 / PHOTO / 63 POINTS / Create or provide “gishwhes” welcome blankets (if it’s cold) or cold water and snacks (if it’s hot) for newly arriving immigrants… anywhere on the planet. Here’s some inspiration for you.

#19 / PHOTO / 38 POINTS / (Side-by-side image) A photo of your pet and a photo of the portrait of your pet that you have made from their own food and treats.

#20 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / This family’s toys get into sweet, crazy escapades at night while the kids are sleeping. Your family’s toys make that family’s toys look like do-gooders. Let’s see what happened with your family’s toys while you slept last night.

#21 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 41 POINTS / Let’s see the world famous once-every-3000-years “Spectral Olympics”.

#22 / PHOTO / 50 POINTS / We finally have a confirmed sighting of a mythical beast from urban legends (Bigfoot, Nessie, Yeti, etc.) suffering the effects of climate change.

#23 / PHOTO / 39 POINTS / This morning, my daughter, Maison reported having seen a “moon fairy” while I was sleeping last night. As you know, the rarely-seen moon fairies are mischievous, nocturnal creatures who participate in synchronized, representational flight. Using a long exposure and flashlights (or other movable light sources) photograph these elusive beasts.

#24 / PHOTO / 43 POINTS / She wore a raspberry beret… Wear a beret made out of raspberries as you shop in a second-hand store.

#25 / PHOTO / 56 POINTS / Wombat poop is shaped like little bricks. Sounds like the perfect building material for a tiny house! Show us! If we can figure out the architectural style you chose from your structure - bonus points! You’ll probably have to go to a local zoo to ask for collections of this building material. Enjoy your visit while you’re there. Your image must contain a caption that shares a little known fact about wombats.

#26 / VIDEO / 101 POINTS / (Create an old-school STOP MOTION film - up to 1 minute.) A Romeo and Juliet story... Two young virile socks (unmatched) meeting, falling in love, being kept apart and finally ending tragically.

#27 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / The Internet has brought us all closer together, so this should be really easy: find someone from one of the 10 smallest countries in the world. Have them send you a forced perspective photo of something very small that makes that object look huge in front of a famous public landmark or historical site in that country. Caption the photo with “Big things happen in the tiny nation of [insert country name].” Teams may not share submissions with other teams, so make sure your tiny country helper isn’t helping someone else.

#28 / PHOTO / 58 POINTS / Finger-painting is often thought of as unsophisticated and associated with preschool. But we know it can be deployed for much loftier purposes. Prove the art historians and elitists wrong by finger painting a sophisticated mural with complex messaging about an important global issue on the wall of a classroom. You may want to get a pre-schooler or two to help just to make sure you’re doing it right!

#29 / PHOTO / 37 POINTS / It is either winter or summer where you are. (If it is not, please contact our support so we can send NASA to find you.) There’s something you love to do outdoors in the winter or summer where you live. Do the activity you love to do in the opposite season that you are in.

#30 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! NEW LEASH ON LIFE USA adopts otherwise unadoptable dogs and sends them through a unique training program. Shelter pets rarely get any attention and millions are put down each year. Many times this can be avoided if people on the Interwebs (who would like and could responsibly own a pet) were to see how cute, available, lonely and cuddly they are. Let’s save a pet or two (or thousands). Grab a friend or two and visit a shelter. Spend some time with one or more of the pets there. Post a selfie of your favorite pet looking for a “forever home” on Twitter (tagging @NewLeashUSA) or Instagram (tagging @NewLeashOnLifeUSA), using hashtag #adoptmeplease, and the social media handle or name of the shelter (so people can contact them). Submit the image you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post link in the comment field of the submit page. // UPDATED: Updated tags and social accounts. (Original said “on Twitter or Instagram, tagging @NewLeashUSA”.)

#31 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / You’ll find all you need to complete this item here: https://yung.cloud/index.php?a=track&id=29451

#32 / PHOTO / 50 POINTS / Visit a local bakery or food market. Get them to donate still-edible items to a women’s shelter. Speak to the women’s shelter first to make sure they will accept donations like this. Submit an image of you at the women’s shelter donating the food items. // UPDATE NOTE: Please don't take images that include any of the residents in the background out of respect to their safety & privacy.

#33 / PHOTO / 73 POINTS / From @gishwhes twitter feed: Everyone knows the most ticklish parts of planes are on the undersides of the wings (or "wing pits", to use proper aircraft terminology). Let’s see the wing pits on a full-sized airplane. You can go true bohemian, decorative, or high and tight groomer - but it must really look like (or be) hair to count.

#34 / PHOTO / 89 POINTS / As this is likely the last year of gishwhes we should probably do something to memorialize it. A lot of folks have been saying, “Save gishwhes!” But we say, “Shave “gishwhes”... into the back of your head.” Try to match the amazing logo that Olivia Desianti formed way back when - which we still use today. Bonus points if you include the current or a former gishwhes hybrid mascot in your masterpiece. The same design shaved into a thick matt of back or chest hair would be an acceptable substitute.

#35 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / Hand a bouquet of flowers (or a single flower) to a person leaving a house of worship that is not your religion. For example, if you are a Christian, you could hand a bouquet of flowers to someone leaving a mosque. If you’re Jewish, hand flowers to someone at a Christian church, etc. With the flowers, attach a note saying something in your own words, but to the effect of: “I may not worship in the same building as you, and I may not pray to the same prophets, but I am grateful to be sharing this planet with you in peace.”

#36 / PHOTO / 23 POINTS / The dewey decimal system has long been responsible for keeping good books apart— books that clearly deserve to spend a life together on library shelves. For that matter, it seems so many libraries go out of their way to keep perfectly good literary companions apart as they separate fact from fiction, biography from archaeology, science fiction from politics. Be the matchmaker literature needs and get creative at your local library or bookstore. Show the spines of at least six books together in a library or bookstore (the more titles the better) the titles of which create the perfect oxymoronic sentence or phrase. - Monica Duff

#37 / PHOTO / 92 POINTS / No one talks about the fact that the destruction of the Death Star put thousands of Stormtroopers out of work. Luckily the Empire has a pretty robust social safety net and most of them have been retrained and placed in new jobs, the majority of which have been in the transportation sector. Let’s see a stormtrooper driving/flying a large passenger vehicle. Must be for mass transit, not just a car or a van. A subway, train, bus, ferry, plane, etc.

#38 / PHOTO / 43 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Pick a celebrity social media image post (or an advertisement) and recreate it with a subtle twist like Celeste Barber does here. Tweet, Instagram or FB post your image side-by-side with the original image, “#embracereality @gishwhes” and your team name. (You may also tag or mention the celebrity or brand you are satirizing.) Submit the image you take side-by-side with the original one, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#39 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / You’ve heard of Cabbage Patch Kids, Garbage Pail Kids, and the Pacific Garbage patch. Let’s see a Great Pacific Garbage Patch Kid, (a cabbage-patch kid made from garbage you pick up from your local beach or lakefront), complete with adoption certificate.

#40 / VIDEO / 51 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds.) THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT!. Have a full church choir sing Carry on My Wayward Son while wearing dental cheek retractors. Please make sure that the video shows some of the singers’ faces up close. Then, share the video via twitter with the band Kansas (@kansasband) with @mishacollins @gishwhes.” Submit the video on our site but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page. - Nicki Bentley-Colthart

#41 / PHOTO / 21 POINTS / Show us your own personal “Stairway to Heaven” -Dylan Cacador

#42 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 48 POINTS / You ever heard of “pond dipping”? “river bugging”? Neither have we - but let’s not let that stop us. Invent and show off your own *SAFE* summer wet, wild and messy activity and caption it with a clever name.

#43 / PHOTO / 39 POINTS / Never judge a book by its cover… or bread by its shape. Bake bread or cookies into the shape of something you would DEFINITELY not want to eat. (We hate to have to say this every year, but pornographic pastries will result in docked points.)

#44 / VIDEO / 56 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 20 seconds.) A snail (or similarly VERY slow insect or worm) crossing a path or going up a wall. Put or stick objects in its path so it has to change directions multiple times. Then have it go through some “winner” gates at the end of its arduous trek. To make it a gripping adventure, you’ve dropped frames and turned this into a fast-paced adventure and set it to 1980s video game music, complete with a grand finale sound at the end when it makes it through the gates.

#45/ PHOTO / 72 POINTS / You may not be aware, but leather-clad, tattoo-covered biker clubs love to hang out and play in those inflatable bouncy castles. Catch them in the act!

#46 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / THE FINAL “KALE” ART. (Please note that per Commandment #4 of the 2017 Hunt, this word and material as a Hunt item is not permitted. We are aware of this. That being said, we do not care. You still may not use the word “kale”. Henceforth, it shall be called [REDACTED] BUT you may use it as a material for this item.) Therefore, take a SINGLE glorious piece of [REDACTED] and, using whatever adornments or other decoratives, clipping patterns, etc., create a stunning, museum worthy piece of art that shall then be showcased (and submitted as such) as an ornamental headpiece on you.

#47 / PHOTO / 63 POINTS / Your strict neighborhood HOA (Homeowners’ Association) got replaced by a better HOA: the Hopeful Optimist’s Association. They’ve decided that your lawn isn’t quite up to regulations. Get your front yard up to snuff by building a large-scale, jaw-dropping sculpture or structure dedicated to Hope. Make it so magnificent that motorists backup & park to gaze at its beauty. (Conversely, it could be that YOUR neighborhood HOA got replaced by the Horrible Organization for Awfulness... You get where we're going with this, right?)

#48 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / As most people know, roosters enjoy a good sunrise. But other farm animals enjoy sunrises and sunsets, too. Let's see a photo of you, some friends or companions (such as your dog), and a sheep, horse, cow, or other non-rooster barnyard animal, watching the sun rise or set together. Bonus points if the spectacular skies are reflected in water in front of you.

#49 / PHOTO / 37 POINTS / There’s something important that your local or national politicians are not attending to properly. Stand in front of something that represents the issue/right/minority group/etc. that you care about and that your politicians are not adequately protecting and hold a large, hand-written sign with a message to the powers that be. Tweet this image to an elected official with the power to do something to help tagged “#gishwhesrights”. Submit the image and a link to your tweet in the comments.

#50 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Have too much of a good thing, by which we mean a cream-filled balloon the size of a volley ball. Volley, volley, spike! Play a game of volleyball with it in the middle of a busy plaza.

#51 / PHOTO / 47 POINTS / Anyone who serves in the military is risking their life to serve their nation. Being respectful to not trespass on military grounds, stand in front of a large military craft, ship, tank, or plane with an inclusive sign of thanks to every service member of every kind. You may post this image on social media prior to the end of the hunt, if you choose. Submit the image with a link to your post in the comment section (if you chose to post it).

#52 / VIDEO / 41 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 30 seconds.) Paint a dignified portrait of a President, Prime Minister, King, or Queen. But we don’t want you to waste canvas or paper! Paint this on a loved one’s bare back or abdomen. (use skin safe paints or edible “paint-like” food products!)

#53 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / Write something in frosting on a cake that you’ve always wanted to say to someone, and deliver it to them.

#54 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Listen to this and be scared: http://www.radiolab.org/story/nukes/. But this bill has been introduced to try to solve this global risk. Let’s get it approved! Tweet ALL of your reps to pass the legislation to make congressional approval for first nuclear strike US law. Submit a screenshot of your post. Provide a link to the tweet in the comment field of the submit page. // UPDATE: Edited for clarity: Not senators but representatives.

#55 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 34 POINTS / Make a homemade Castiel kite with a child. We must see the kite in flight.

#56 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / Sometimes things are just too comfy to leave, but you’re prepared for this! Let’s see you in your “Hammock Self-Containment Unit”. This, of course, would be you in a hammock with everything you need to live for one week, including all life preserving items, sanitation supplies and, of course, entertainment (live or otherwise). Make sure it’s clean, well organized, and designed for easy access to everything.

#57 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 52 POINTS / Show us a beautiful mermaid or sea creature performing a politically defiant modern dance solo to the beautiful music of the Sea Organ at Zadar. (Can’t make it to Zadar? The wave organ in San Francisco or the high tide organ in Blackpool may be substituted.)

#58 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 89 POINTS / It’s time to recreate the epic historic Great Zombie vs. Vampire World War II. As you recall, this particular battle took place with Nerf guns (homemade or otherwise) in an arena, forest or field, and was wild, gruesome, and featured multiple soldiers.

#59 / PHOTO / 59 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! This item takes place on Friday, Aug 11th, in whatever city you’re in at 10am in your time zone. Stand in front of your state or province’s legislative building (the building where your laws are enacted) and with your friends, hold up a large sign showing an excerpt or summary of a law that protects civil rights. For example if you live in the US, you could hold up a sign with a portion of the 1st amendment of the US Constitution written on it. Use the hashtag #gishwhes4rights. Submit the image you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#60 / VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Up to 30 seconds - you may speed up or slow down the video if you need to.) Using only air-moving devices or machines, successfully navigate a balloon through a strange series of obstacles. It must be suspended in the air, without anyone or anything other than moving air touching it. It must travel at least 10 yards and culminate with your friend popping it with a needle sticking out from a hat they’re wearing.

#61 / VIDEO / 76 POINTS / (As long as it takes to complete the song.) THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! James Corden hosts Carpool Karaoke in the US— a viral show that has celebrities singing songs with him in a car. (Yes, we realize this is typical lowbrow-American TV, but it works.) We want to upgrade carpool karaoke and make it more high-brow. Create your own carpool karaoke with a political or intellectual powerhouse. Your co-singer must be either a nobel laureate, MacArthur Fellow, a national elected official, Bill Nye, Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, or any past or present member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Oh, and your karaoke song must have sufficient gravitas and must be an 80s pop song. For example, “Like a Virgin” would do nicely. Shoot your video Carpool Karaoke style. Tweet the video to @JKCorden with #gishwhesloveskaraoke and mention who your passenger is in the post. Upload the video on our submit page but be sure to provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#62 / PHOTO / 42 POINTS / Honeybees are a “keystone” species just like sharks. If they’re gone, we’re in big trouble. Unfortunately, there are currently “Colony Collapse Disorders” happening with honeybees throughout the world. This is when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear, leaving the queen and immature bees to fend for themselves (most colonies completely die). This has major global food crop implications, as honeybees perform the magic of pollination of agricultural crops. If bees go by the wayside, we will have to find alternative pollination solutions, and that ain’t gonna be easy. But, let’s roll up our sleeves and give it a shot: Plant something in your garden (or plant a garden if you don’t have one) that is bee friendly (even if it’s just one plant in one pot on a patio). Spring - lilacs, penstemon, lavender, sage, verbena, and wisteria. Summer – Mint, cosmos, squash, tomatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, oregano, rosemary, poppies, black-eyed Susan, passion flower vine, honeysuckle. Fall – Fuschia, mint, bush sunflower, sage, verbena, toadflax. Take a picture of yourself wearing some sort of bee-attire doing your part to pollinate your newly planted plant.

#63 / VIDEO / 265 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 1 minute but preferably under 30 seconds.) Loo goes to space! A person named Loo won our NASA email contest last Fall, and Loo’s prize is out of this world. Write “Loo” on a paper airplane and launch it from the stratosphere (or higher). We must CLEARLY see you writing the name on the paper airplane and folding it, the paper airplane’s journey into space, and then the actual launch where the plane is released from the stratosphere from whatever vehicle has conveyed it to those heights (high-altitude weather balloons are an acceptable means of conveyance). Oh, and one more thing: the paper airplane must be decorated and must have a message on it about a secret, global conspiracy to make the world a better place. It should also have your team name written on it and the following email address: with the instructions: “If found please email picture of airplane and location found to: airgishwhes@gmail.com.

#64 / PHOTO / 58 POINTS / Quilt a gishwhes onesie out of underwear and/or gloves. Strike a pose in the lobby of a financial institution or bank. Bonus points if it’s the floor of a stock exchange.

#65 / PHOTO / 65 POINTS / You know SuperWhoLock? The amalgamation of Supernatural, Doctor Who and Sherlock? Well, that’s been done to death and everyone has moved on to the next big mashup. Let’s see 3D street art on a pavement or wall (in chalk!) that’s of a scene or setting from SuperWhoWatch (an amalgamation of Supernatural, Doctor Who and BayWatch)

#66 / PHOTO / 18 POINTS / Personify your favorite movie title. Include a caption on your image of the title of the movie in quotes. - Tanya Best

#67 / PHOTO / 43 POINTS / Banana Hammock. This year’s summer fashion elitists are all wearing the latest rage: Banana Bikini or Banana Briefs. Join them!

#68 / PHOTO / 51 POINTS / You finally have a use for all the naked bananas you now have sitting around! Bake as much banana bread as you can with “gishwhes” spelled out in bananas on the top & distribute it to your local nursing home.

#69 / VIDEO / 28 POINTS / You’ve been putting this off for far too long. Tell your parents something bad that you did as a child that they still don’t know about. Capture their reaction. This must not be staged. We have an Academy Award Winning Judge on staff that will determine if your parent has already heard this story and you will be docked points. - CJ and Lauren

#70 / VIDEO / 39 POINTS / (Time-lapse down to 20 seconds.) Sidewalk cafes are all the rage, but most “sidewalk cafes” are total posers. Set up a “sidewalk cafe” the way it was meant to be - on an actual sidewalk. Cook a delicious omelet using just a magnifying glass, a hot sidewalk, and the sun. Share your feast with a friend!

#71 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 45 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Rapper B. o. B. seems to think that the world is flat. Perform a highly scientific experiment that proves that it is not and tweet the results to him (https://twitter.com/bobatl). Submit the image or video you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#72 / PHOTO / 111 POINTS / I hate to say it, but this financial company is underwater. Let’s see the board meeting— with professionally dressed people at the table with chairs, paper, pens etc… all fully submerged at the bottom of a swimming pool.

#73 / PHOTO / 39 POINTS / Visit a local laundromat. Place decorated envelopes with enough money (in coins or bills, depending on the machines) for one load of washing and one load of drying on at least one machine with the note: “We swim together, we tumble together. Love, Gishwhes.”

#74 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 43 POINTS / Modify a grocery store shopping cart to be space-worthy. Put an alien being in the pilot’s seat and help them navigate the terrain of the “Earth produce” department to collect specimens.

#75 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 16 POINTS / They told me I couldn’t, so I did. Pose in front of a sign declaring a rule. Break that rule. A few notes: It must be safe (what you are doing), and it MUST NOT be a law or illegal where you are. It must only be a “rule”. For example, you might find a sign that says, “collared shirts only.” You would pose in front of that sign wearing a tank top. - Inspired by Emily Shulman

#76 / PHOTO / 39 POINTS / Have a caveperson demonstrate glass-blowing. - Jennifer Pierce

#77 / PHOTO / 24 POINTS / Personify or embody your team name. Caption your image with your team name. - Shannon

#78 / PHOTO / PHOTO or VIDEO / 48 POINTS / Being in the hospital can be scary and lonely for kids! Visit your local hospital to play a two-player video game with a pediatric patient. Be sure to dress thematically to match your game(s)! Take a picture of yourself in front of the children’s hospital. Do not take pictures with the kids unless they approve, their guardian(s) approve, and the hospital approves; we don’t want them to feel exploited. However, you MUST play with a child to get points for this item. This will be an honor system. You will have very bad karma if you cheat on this one. - Kristin Lindsay - Child’s Play charity.

#79 / VIDEO / 29 POINTS / (Up to 20 seconds.) Why would you move from the couch during a Supernatural binge watching session? Build a complex SPN-themed Rube-Goldberg machine to fill your empty glass, catapult you a snack, or to serve some other couch potato need. - Diane-Audrey Carlier

#80 / VIDEO / 73 POINTS / You’ve all seen “dog shaming memes” on the Internets. You know that crowd that lines up at the plaza of The Today Show and shows up on air? Let’s take it over with gisher-self-shaming signs. Hold up a large, colorful sign that details something you did that you probably shouldn’t have done (for example, “I drank milk straight of the carton and put it back in the fridge without telling my roommates”). Make it a light-hearted trivial violation, not a deep-seated personality flaw, actual violation of the law, or other serious offense. Share with us a clip of the AIRED FOOTAGE that shows your team’s sign and in the comments section of the item submitter, let us know which sign was yours. Do not add your team name or “gishwhes” anywhere on the sign… we want this to be a mystery.

#81 / PHOTO / 25 POINTS / Sometimes it feels like your boss expects you to be in more than one place at more than one time, but you’re a gisher so you know how to deliver. Using the panoramic photo function on your phone, insert yourself at least three times in the same picture in different positions and/or wardrobe to show yourself as you “multitask”. You may NOT Photoshop yourself into the image. (Hint: you have to run around the person taking the picture each time they pass you in the frame.)

#82 / PHOTO / 19 POINTS / In honour of Canada's 150th birthday, even though you may not be Canadian, you and a friend should clearly cover yourself in maple syrup and go roll in some maple leaves. - Jessica G.

#83 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / Lets see your interpretation of fireworks using vegetables and spaghetti as mixed media. - Saty381

#84 / PHOTO / 52 POINTS / (Two Images side-by-side.) The first image is a photo of an illustrated page from a children’s book. The second image is your reenactment of that illustration in 3 dimensions. - Inspired by Sarah Trumbley

#85 / PHOTO / 47 POINTS / Let’s see LABSWHES. The Largest Awesome Balloon Sculpture the World Has Ever Seen. The themes this year are “insect” or “space”—or both. You must be in the middle of this structure.

#86 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 39 POINTS / Everyone thinks unicorns are beautiful, magical, gentle creatures. You know better. Prove it to the world! You may use any media you like, including Photoshop. - Traci Akierman

#87 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Tweet a picture of you or your child dressed as a bear in school to @betsydevos with whatever text you like and “#KeepSchoolsSafeFromBears #Gishwhes”. Submit the image you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page. - Diedra Lookingbill

#88 / PHOTO / 60 POINTS / Three words: 10 Mannequin-pin Bowling. - Ariana Preis

#89 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 43 POINTS / Apply lipstick while jumping on a trampoline. - Emily Schulman

#90 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 42 POINTS / “Why did the chicken cross the road?” There’s no better crossing guard than a mother hen! Dressed as a chicken, offer to help people cross a busy street.

#91 / PHOTO / 31 POINTS / Leave a Yelp review of gishwhes after you deliver food to the homeless or to a homeless shelter.

#92 / VIDEO / 62 POINTS / (Up to 20 seconds.) It’s nice to see a serious sport finally get the recognition it deserves: http://www.euronews.com/2017/04/30/finns-compete-in-annual-hobby-horse-championship. Now, let's see video documentation of "Human NASCAR" complete with the speeding, lane changes, a pit-stop, crashes, etc. You & at least 5 friends must be drivers of "vehicles" of your own design, complete with corporate sponsorship logos. All vehicles must be motor-free and foot-propelled (ala-Flintstones) and all engine sounds must be vocalized by you and your friends. Just to be clear... this is Human NASCAR, not roller derby. All vehicles must be propelled on foot.

#93 / PHOTO / 72 POINTS / Get an elected official’s signature on a statement (written on official letterhead paper) declaring gishwhes an act of lawful resistance or civil disobedience. (Inspired by U of C Scav, 1987)

#94 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / Camouflage yourself in a pet store.

#95 / VIDEO / 58 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds.) The Silicon Gourmet has been teaching a neural network to generate recipes. Learning to cook is hard (as my son can attest)! In the interest of encouraging budding AI chefs everywhere, create a Food Network-worthy video preparing one of the recipes as described in the network’s cookbook. Make sure to sample the results on camera. Oh, and you must look and behave as if you were a droid, of course.

#96 / PHOTO / 38 POINTS / (Try to take a very close-up photo - a.k.a. “Macro” photo.) Nice grill! Combine the “tiny food” trend with urban fashion. Show someone cooking tiny hamburgers & hot dogs on a friend’s “grill” (the dental kind.)

#97 / PHOTO / 61 POINTS / Do something fitting in front of the Gereja Ayam (the abandoned Chicken Church of Indonesia). For example, you could play a game of Duck, Duck, Chicken! Or you could ponder the question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or you could host an easter egg hunt… You get the picture.

#98 / VIDEO / 38 POINTS / A marionette show featuring a puppet of Trump being controlled by a Putin lookalike. Quintuple BONUS POINTS if Putin himself is the puppeteer.

#99 / VIDEO / 47 POINTS / Letterboxing (http://www.letterboxing.org/ or see https://www.atlasquest.com/) is a game where people hide small weatherproof boxes in publicly accessible spaces with a logbook & a stamp. They share the clues to find their box on the web or via word of mouth. Create a letterbox for your team & share clues so other teams can find it over social media. Leave a logbook with your team stamp on it in the box. Then, find another teams’ box and leave them a message of encouragement along with your team’s stamp in their log book. Submit proof that you found at least one other team’s book & the message you wrote. NO COLLUSION! (And that goes for you, too, Donald.) // UPDATE NOTE: Please either pickup your boxes after the Hunt ends or dedicate yourselves to maintaining them post-hunt.

#100 / PHOTO / 38 POINTS / Calliope. Clio. Euterpe. Erato. Melpomene. Polyhymnia. Terpischore. Thalia. Urania. Inspirational goddesses of literature, the arts and science in Greek mythology. On the steps of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, provide a visual representation of the muse that guides you in your art and/or life.

#101 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 80 POINTS / As I'm sure you’ve seen, over the years we have marketed gishwhes relentlessly and shamelessly (because we really want everyone to do it). This is the last gishwhes, so now it’s your turn to go ahead and show us how we should’ve marketed it. Create a gishwhes ad that no one would be able to resist. Note: you may make false or misleading claims if you so choose, but because we’re curious, you could even take a stab at a legit one. …

#102 / PHOTO / 74 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! During the First Annual and Last Ever 2017 gishwhes Tea Party, we identified gishers based on their right-brush or left-brush toothbrushing statuses. Conduct a massive poll on your social networks for the gishwhes Institute of Vital Statistics to prove conclusively whether people brush their teeth starting on the same side of their mouth as their dominant hand or the opposite side. Because this is solid science, your sample size must have a minimum of 400 respondents. Submit a visually-compelling graph of your poll data and the number of votes and the winner. Use the hashtag #gishwhesteeth. Submit a screenshot of your post. Provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page.

#103 / VIDEO / 26 POINTS / Play hopscotch at one of the marker sites of Víddaflakk. (BONUS: Play Interdimensional Hopscotch.)

#104 / PHOTO / 90 POINTS / A far-right Republican senator and a far-left Democrat Senator (or two similarly “diametrically party-opposed” legislative makers in your country) co-wearing a very large (fits two people) “This is Our ‘Get-Along’ Shirt.” Caption the image with the names of the politicians.

#105 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 81 POINTS / We know a little girl that makes a different kind of Advent Calendar. As she marks off each day on the calendar, she gives something away. Make your own version of a reverse Advent calendar. On the first day of gishwhes, create a decorated Advent calendar whereby, for each day on the calendar, you depict something you’re going to give away. Then, each day of the Hunt, take a picture of you fulfilling your calendar item. Submit 7 pictures in a grid (or a video slideshow) showing what you’ve done. Then, continue on through the calendar period. (Yes, this will continue after the Hunt is over, but though gishwhes as we know it may be ending, its spirit will live on in you!) -Keegan Connor Tracy’s 10-year old daughter

#106 / VIDEO / 79 POINTS / The Lumbasumba region is being protected this year by Gishwhes. We gishers managed to purchase for permanent preservation more than 60 square miles of the Lumbasumba forest during the final weeks of registration in July! But the Lumbasumba area is more than just a forest. It’s also the hottest new dance craze. Show us how it’s done. (As all gishers know, you need to do it next to a REAL monkey, a parrot, or a camel to do it right.)

#107 / VIDEO / 92 POINTS / (Up to 45 seconds.) AMOK ITEM! Let’s virtually graffiti the world with kindness! Using a GPS tracking app (like Figure Running or similar), walk, jog, or run as large a path as you can to spell out a message of love, hope, or kindness. As you go, stop and perform acts of kindness and document them. You must show us the map with coordinates at the end of your path as well as the minimum of 3 documented act of kindness. - Inspired by Tia Pogue

#108 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 28 POINTS / The chickens have come home to Proust.

#109 / VIDEO / 71 POINTS / (Up to 22 seconds.) Wonder Woman being “Superman-splained” to.

#110 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / The return of the Three-ingredient Challenge! Show us: Triptych, Transylvanian, takin.

#111 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 45 POINTS / A street vendor handing out toilet paper roses at the toilet fountain in Foshan, China.

#112 / PHOTO / 83 POINTS / A ballet troupe in tutus, engaged in a bar brawl - freeze framed at its most climactic moment.

#113 / PHOTO / 62 POINTS / Set up a Maximum Security Birdhouse in a beautiful public park.

#114 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: Let’s see a TripAdvisor or Airbnb review of your mother’s womb as an “extended stay hotel”. Keep it suitable for work and any child’s prying eyes! // UPDATE: Item only needs listing, no review necessary. / UPDATE: Item deleted.

#115 / PHOTO / 83 POINTS / Make A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grande Jatte by Seraut into an elaborate dot-to-dot image.

#116 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 65 POINTS / Not many people know this, but the Kessel Run was actually a foot race. Let’s see at least 5 Star Wars characters competing in the Kessel Run in a shopping mall.

#117 / VIDEO / 65 POINTS / Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole. Let’s see Dean Winchester driving a pedi-cab or quadricycle with Castiel & Sam as passengers.

#118 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 60 POINTS / Rumor has it that Amazon is teaming up with the Vatican for a bold new service: On Demand Drone Deliverance services. Show us a drone administering a wedding service, confession, last rites, communion or baptism.

#119 / PHOTO / 22 POINTS / Trump l’oeil. (This is not a typo.)

#120 / VIDEO / 91 POINTS / You’ve heard of a soap box derby, but the sofa bed derby is where it’s at. Let’s see two “race car” sofa beds, each with pajama-clad “drivers”, racing down an actual street. Be safe and complete this where there is absolutely no traffic!

#121 / PHOTO / 32 POINTS / The people of Iceland believe in Huldufólk, which are invisible elves. They build tiny houses and churches for them. But the Huldufólk deserve to have a nightlife, too! Let’s see a tiny Huldufólk nightclub in a busy urban area.

#122 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / They say a rolling stone gathers no moss, but can moss gather a Rolling Stone? Make a portrait of one of The Rolling Stones out of moss.

#123 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 38 POINTS / As all gishers know, Saturday, August 12 is “Meet Another Gisher Day.” Meet up in front of the largest art museum in your town at 10:00 AM (of whatever timezone you’re in). It’s a pot-luck coleslaw brunch this year, so bring your favorite family recipe of coleslaw… and as much sidewalk chalk as you can. After brunch, decorate the pavement with a collaborative message to the world. In order for a meet-up to count you need to have representatives of at least 5 teams present, so this will require some organizing. Gishwhes is all about coming together, so teams may collaborate (gasp!) on this one, but your team’s image or video must still be all your own.

#124 / PHOTO / 21 POINTS / Be someone’s “rock” to get them through the hard times. Hand-paint small rocks with a message of kindness & leave them in areas that need a pick-me-up. (On the underside, please write “Pass it on.”) You must paint & hide at least one rock for each member of your team.

#125 / VIDEO / 41 POINTS / (Time-lapse under 20 seconds.) All good things must come to an end, and so it is with the Hunt. Create a “sand” mandala featuring images that symbolize the hunt to you… all using pixie sticks as your chakpur and sand. When it’s done, show us your masterwork and then, just like the Buddhist monks, sweep it away and get ready for what’s next.

#126 / PHOTO / 88 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: Reward! I won’t say that Jensen & Jared are missing their balls, but they were last seen being sent into this quarry at Britannia Beach. Find them, take a photo, and put them back exactly where you found them for other teams to find. If you keep them, you will lose valuable karma & points. // UPDATE: Added safety advisory and strong caution based on reports. // UPDATE: Apparently Item #126, the one in which you are charged with finding Jared and Jensen’s golf balls is not going well. Now, granted, these are jared and jensen’s balls, so one would expect them to be quite hard to find. But it seems their balls are leaving a tremendous number of people unsatisfied as well. (To make matters worse, the owners of the quarry in BC have also installed a “no trespassing” sign since the hunt started and several bears have been spotted there by gishers as well.) So… I’m suspending this item. However, there will be a replacement item soon wherein you will be seeking out my golf balls, (which have never left an unsatisfied customer yet.) Also, if you have already completed item #126, you will be able to submit your photo of Jared and Jensen’s ball(s) for the new item and get full credit. The new item will be assigned the same number of points.

#127 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 64 POINTS / These Kung-Fu Nuns (dare we say “Nunjas?”) are biking through the Himalayas to stop human trafficking. (No, really.) In their honor, let’s see some tricks on a BMX bike. Rider must be dressed in a nun’s habit.

#128 / PHOTO / 84 POINTS / Get a Porcupanda or other gishwhes mascot included as an emoji on an official iPhone emoji list.

#129 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 57 POINTS / IMAGE or VIDEO. Pope St. Francis set up a laundromat to help the homeless get access to clean clothes. Follow his lead by setting up a service station to benefit the homeless or impoverished in your area (a “take what you need” public pantry, toiletries cabinet, water station, public shower, public toilet, laundry facility, open library, etc.).

#130 / PHOTO / 23 POINTS / A tactometer used to measure tact.

#131 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / Make a collage that features things only locals from your town would know about. Display it prominently in a public space in your town.

#132 / PHOTO / 79 POINTS / Couch Surfing 2: The Revenge. Last year, in our infinite wisdom, we suggested “couch surfing: real surfing, real couch.” We quickly came to our senses and pulled the item for safety reasons, but it’s been a year and we don’t hold onto the past. Couch surfing: Let’s see it in the real surf with a BUOYANT (e.g.,inflatable) couch. You may not use a real couch as it’s too dangerous and bad for the ecosystem. Make it happen. (You may not leave any couches in any body of water and you must be super safe with this. If waves are too big, do not do it.)

#133 / PHOTO / 42 POINTS / Waste not, want not. Save every piece of non-biodegradable refuse that you would have normally thrown away from Days 1-5 of the Hunt and on day 6, use this material to create a sculpture of an endangered animal.

#134 / VIDEO / 21 POINTS / My wife is so trend-forward, she recently took a “goat yoga class” (it’s real; you can google it.) Without hurting, upsetting, or endangering ANY animal, show us the next trend in animal-infused yoga that she should get on board with.

#135 / VIDEO / 40 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! (Up to 30 seconds.) Freeze frame on a picture of you (like they do at the end of movies) and then roll a credit sequence for your own life. Include a "here’s what happens to you in the future" sentence or two and then a listing of the people that have helped you get where you are now or where you are going and what their “titles” are. Post this on the social media channel of your choice with the hashtags #gishwhes #mylife. Submit the video, and in the comment field provide the link to the post.

#136 / PHOTO / 29 POINTS / Often misunderstood and rarely properly pronounced, chupacabras just need a good home. Adopt one and show us your favorite bonding moment.

#137 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Take an elderly person (at least 70 years old) on a joyride in their favorite car (same make and model and vintage) from their youth. The elderly person must be at least 70 years old; the car, at least 60 years old... and you and the senior must be dressed in period attire that reflects the era when the car was manufactured.

#138 / PHOTO / 52 POINTS / Prejudice is something we can easily see and call out in others. However, we all have biases and prejudices of our own that we are often blind to. You’re going to have to dig deep here - but you’re a gisher, so we know you can do it. Show us you taking a step to overcome one of your own prejudices.

#139 / PHOTO / 61 POINTS / Each member of your team must knit or crochet one piece of a quilted throw that, when combined, showcases your team emblem or symbol.

#140 / VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Everyone talks about drum circles, but they grossly underestimate the power of other shapes. Create a complex shape with as many sides, angles or curves as you can, and demonstrate the power of percussion geometry - with as many drummers as you can drum up.

#141 / PHOTO / 42 POINTS / At least 8 people walking in twos, on the Tiger & Turtle in Duisburg, Germany as if it were an actual roller coaster. They must keep their hands up as they walk the track, except for one of the front “riders” who is clenching an invisible lap bar, terrified. It’s okay to be nauseous.

#142 / VIDEO / 80 POINTS / As all gishers know, a Gish Gallop can only be performed by a Forbes 1000 CEO in the lobby of that CEO's company’s headquarters on a hobby horse or a live pony. Caption your video with the name of the company and CEO that we are watching as they Gish Gallop. // UPDATE: CEO list changed.

#143 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / Sure, most Stormtroopers toed the line, but back in the 1960s there were a few draft-dodging peacenik Stormtroopers. Find a famous vintage photo of a peace sit-in or Woodstock-level love-in and flawlessly photoshop in one or more Stormtroopers. We must think it’s the real thing. As an alternative, you can stage your own “peace” picture and submit an “aged” stormtrooper sit-in image. YES, YOU MAY PHOTOSHOP THIS ITEM!

#144 / VIDEO / 37 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds.) An impromptu concert consisting of a chocalho, an apito, a reco-reco, and a pandeiro. (Bonus points if you perform in front of, or in, the Teatro Amazonas.) Oh, and of course the musicians are playing Carry On my Wayward Son by @kansasband.

#145 / PHOTO / 71 POINTS / Oversized board games are a trend, with oversized Jenga and such. Let’s see a game of tiddlywinks being played— scaled up to giant-sized.

#146 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / Two nice suburban monster moms out for a day of shopping at Hoxton’s Monster Supplies in England.

#147 / PHOTO / 28 POINTS / Paint an extraordinary portrait of your favorite gishwhes mascot with the brand “D2N” (with the 2 backwards) on the Werregarenstraat.

#148 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 38 POINTS / Dress up as a superhero and perform acts of “kindness” heroism at Hősök tere (Hero's Square).

#149 / VIDEO / 71 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 25 seconds.) Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gets a lot of attention for being super hot. Frankly, it's starting to detract from his ability to govern. Cool things down by making a sculpture of Trudeau out of Canada's most ample resource: ice. A couple of caveats: the frozen water you use must have something added to it to make it opaque, and inside the ice must be something emblematic of canada that doesn’t melt (for example, a hockey skate). The timelapse must be of the sculpture melting revealing the object hidden inside. Make sure to frame your shot with a fitting or neutral background so that the final product really pops.

#150 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / Ireland has the lowest reports of UFO sightings in Europe each year. Something must be done about this! Make and display a convincing UFO in a public place in Ireland to increase the number.

#151 / PHOTO / 54 POINTS / Visit Cat Island (Tashirojima, Japan) dressed as a dog. You must have at least 10 cats in the photo.

#152 / PHOTO / 42 POINTS / Decorate the exterior of your home like the Pan House, using whatever object speaks to you.

#153 / VIDEO / 72 POINTS / Not to be quixotic, but wind power and automation are the future of personal grooming. Create a wind-powered device to automate a self-care process. Could be a wind-powered shoe shining machine, a wind-powered, toothbrush, etc. (It must actually work and must actually be powered by wind.)

#154 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / There’s a UFO Observation Deck (redmonkeygroup.com) in Slovakia. On Sunday, August 6 at 3 PM Slovakian time, grab your friends and dress up as your interpretation of extraterrestrials and go there. Bring luggage and queue up outside of it as though you're boarding to go back home (you don’t have to enter).

#155 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / Over the years, we’ve had menstrual-hygiene supply sculptures of everything from dinosaurs to seagulls to puppies. We’ve also gotten a lot of flak for encouraging waste, and in protest gishers have donated thousands of menstrual pads to shelters, (which actually proves that in fact we at gishwhes can do no wrong). This final year’s list wouldn’t be complete without a menstrual-hygiene sculpture, so we’re ending this by splitting the difference: Create a tiny, perfectly sculpted statue of Michelangelo’s David or another famous historic sculpture of your choosing out of a SINGLE tampon, and then donate at least 1 box of menstrual hygiene supplies to your local shelter. Submit the image of your sculpture. The donation will be on the honor system. Remember, KARMA is a bitch.

#156 / PHOTO / 71 POINTS / Sure, Misha & HRH Queen Elizabeth II had a rocky year in 2016 with their “Brexit Breakup”, but despite a brief conscious uncoupling, theirs is a love that stands the test of time. Prove it by showing us Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek urns, or other recently-unearthed archaeological finds that prove theirs is a love that has lasted through the ages. If you’re choosing to do a hieroglyphic, you may NOT permanently deface any stone - use chalk!

#157 / PHOTO / 38 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! NASA is soliciting tweets to send to Voyager 1. Tweet your suggestion with #gishwhes. I suggest it be the following theme: Voyager 1 ran to the store and you are texting to remind it to pick something up at the store. But we will permit messages of any type so let your imaginations run wild. Submit a screenshot of your post. Provide a link to the tweet in the comment field of the submit page.

#158 / PHOTO / 22 POINTS / Thanks to “reactions” we can now communicate our feelings more clearly to one another! But Facebook limits us to just 6 reactions and we at gishwhes HQ believe that this limitation constraints our ability to express nuanced emotions to one another. Let’s see an updated version of the Facebook “reactions” with feelings like “silently judging you”, “reacting positively to your face but planning to gossip about this later”, and “I’m just not sure how to feel about this” and other more subtle emotions. You may photoshop this item.

#159 / PHOTO / 47 POINTS / Who said you couldn't Hunt while in hospital? Certainly not any of us! Show off your large-scale cartoon skills by writing the longest poem (or drawing the largest mural) you can, all about the adventures of a virus caught in a hospital, on a scroll made from a roll of exam table paper.

#160 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 41 POINTS / As you all know, my grandmother lives at Roland Park Place in Baltimore, MD. It’s a senior assisted-living home. She’s been hesitant to have the shenanigans of gishwhes descend, so let’s legitimize that fear... from Tuesday to Thursday 10AM to 4PM ONLY PLEASE! (DON’T SHOW UP AT ANY OTHER TIME OR IT WILL BE AN INCONVENIENCE TO THE GUESTS AT THE HOME and you will be docked points!) Let’s invade Roland Park Place literally! Show up dressed as an extraterrestrial on an interplanetary goodwill mission. Bring an offering of your home planet’s favorite treats or creature comforts (games, large print books, slippers, slip-proof socks, soft blankets, etc) and specimens of natural beauty from this planet (humans like that). You will get 25% bonus points if you perform this item at Roland Park Place (that’s the added value of nepotism), but you can get full credit if you perform this item at any retirement home/assisted living facility.

#161 / PHOTO / 87 POINTS / David LaChapelle is a renowned experimental photographer known for his kitsch-pop surrealist style. Recreate a well-known painting as a photograph in the style of David LaChappelle. Somewhere in your image there must be a banana, and you may not depict The Last Supper. (2X Bonus: get Dave Chappelle to star in your David LaChapelle homage.)

#162 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 33 POINTS / Lube luge. That's it. That's the item.

#163 / PHOTO / 60 POINTS / This Hunt’s must-have fashion trend: an aquarium hat with live fish. The aquarium hat must not endanger the live fish in any way.

#164 / PHOTO / 62 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: Get a bonafide zillow listing for property on Mars.

#165 / PHOTO / 28 POINTS / https://twitter.com/zenxv/status/845474882607632384

#166 / VIDEO / 38 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 30 seconds.) Follow a tomato back in time from the local co-op to where the farmer grew it. Thank them for their service by sharing a sandwich with them… one that has slices of that tomato in it.

#167 / VIDEO / 29 POINTS / (Time-lapse up to 20 seconds.) There are two things that science has proven unequivocally: 1) global warming is happening and 2) sucking the melting ice cream from a tiny hole in the bottom of a sugar cone is the greatest possible pleasure in life. (Minimum 5 rounded scoops on top and you must suck all the ice cream through the tiny hole.)

#168 / PHOTO / 66 POINTS / When the apocalypse comes and the power goes out you are going to be sorry you are so digitally-dependent! Have your social media page printed on microfiche… just in case.

#169 / PHOTO / 27 POINTS / Write "Ass butt" (in non-toxic kids finger paint or chalk!) on the hindquarters of an Ass. (This should go without saying, but be careful & safe. Approach from the side, never stand directly behind it, and try to keep the donkey happy so you don't get injured.)

#170 / VIDEO / 88 POINTS / Angels may be all-powerful, but they’re luddites (technologically behind the times) and it affects their productivity in the office. Let’s see an angel writing something on an old-school mechanical typewriter (not electric) featuring a working Enochian keyboard. (The keys and keystrokes must correspond to actual Enochian typeface.)

#171 / PHOTO / 41 POINTS / A stump grinder with a unicorn decal, with a child no more than 7 years old wearing a pink princess costume in the driver’s seat. // // UPDATE: Machine should not be operational during photo op. / AMENDED ITEM: A stump grinder with a unicorn decal, being pushed by a child no more than 7 years old wearing a pink princess costume. (Edited because Misha is not much into stump-grinding and thought a stump grinder was something else.) It should go without saying, but this is a photo op. The stump grinder should not be on or operational. Safety first!

#172 / PHOTO / 32 POINTS / Now that this may be the last gishwhes-as-we-know-it ever, it’s time to reflect on missed opportunities. Let’s see the Item List Misha SHOULD have made all these years. Give us your team’s ideal gishwhes Item List with a minimum of 10 Items. If the majority of the items you create look like no thought was put into them (and you were just quickly writing down items to get the points), you will receive zero points.

#173 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 55 POINTS / Complete one of the more challenging items on your team’s homemade gishwhes Item List.

#174 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / DELETED FOR REASONS // ORIGINAL: An Airbnb listing for the gishbus.

#175 / PHOTO / 36 POINTS / Everyone knows “high noon” means “high tea”. Bring a little bit of civilization to the frontier with Wild West teacup and saucer holsters.

#176 / PHOTO / 33 POINTS / For our gish cousins in the antipodes where the days are short and the nights are cold: Establish a “TLC” station at Federation Square, opposite Flinders Street Station in Melbourne or on the steps of the Opera House in Sydney, and provide a little warmth – be it a coffee, a heat pack, or simply a smile – for those making their journey to work on the cold winter mornings. // UPDATE: Melbourne TLC location changed. (Original said “Establish a “TLC” station under the iconic clocks at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne”.)

#177 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / A Scottish terrier in a Scottish kilt eating a scotch egg in front of an Irish monument.

#178 / PHOTO / 54 POINTS / The Prague Astronomical Clock – or Prague orloj – is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world, and the oldest one still operating. But imagine if this feat of mechanical engineering did more than mark the passage of time... Imagine it could actually take you back in time! Gather your teammates, friends, and family members together and show us the time period you would travel back to if this historic clock warped the time continuum. Note: You and your time-travelling companions must be pictured in front of the clock.

#179 / VIDEO / 36 POINTS / (Up to 45 seconds edited.) Share an audio dream diary of your first thoughts as you wake up every morning of the Hunt (so you cannot submit this until the last day of the Hunt!). It must be the first thing you do before you get out of bed.

#180 / VIDEO / 111 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds.) Cinema has evolved, but some actors don’t. Let’s see a silent film actress against a 1920’s style black-and-white-set. The actor/actress must have exaggerated facial expressions and the score must be nickelodeon-style piano music. Suddenly, the music changes… It's hip hop and modern technology comes in with color and sync sound, but she's still black and white and still mouthing words with title card.

#181 / PHOTO / 87 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Let’s see a (SFW) 2,000 word essay published on twitter in 140 character bursts. (no attachments, etc.) about the best way to get pregnant for the 10th time. (I’m sorry, but I promised someone this would be an item.) Submit an image of the first post and then a link to this post in the COMMENT field of the submit page so we can check to make sure you “published” the whole thing.

#182 / PHOTO / 53 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Seamlessly modify using photoshop (or other digital altering software), a well-know oil painting by adding in an anachronistic element. For example, if it were a Monet, you might put one of the ladies under a parasol holding an ipad. YES, YOU MAY DIGITALLY ALTER THE IMAGE YOU ARE SUBMITTING… with a catch. The anachronistic element must be rendered seamlessly into the image in the style of the original painter or creator. It must look like a part of the original composition; we should not be able to tell it was added in later. Post the image on FB and/or Pinterest. Submit the image you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post in the comment field of the submit page. #gishwhesModernMasterpiece

#183 / PHOTO / 53 POINTS / You are all soon going to be a part of a sinister plot to take over the world… in a unique way. But we need your help. Here’s the first thing you have to do: Decide what your favorite point of interest, historical site or national landmark is in your town or city and enter its address here: http://qrickit.com/qrickit_apps/qrickit_qrcode_creator_geo.php . Below the map on that webpage you’ll see an “optional text” field. Enter “Taken by CFG”. Then click “Qcreate” at the bottom. Download the QR code and submit it as your item. Stay tuned for what comes next...

#184 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 92 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds if video.) Last year, we helped people around the world get access to clean water. But it's been a year and the problem certainly hasn't gone away. In fact, as global temperatures rise, the problem is only going to intensify. Work with your team to create a realistic (not a joke or parody) schematic or prototype of an easy-to-set up portable personal AWG (atmospheric water generator) system that could be used anywhere in the world. It must be cheap to build (aim for less than $10) with parts that can be found in any hardware store. It must be compact & light enough for a nomadic or homeless individual to carry around. Ideally, it would collect enough water in a day to sustain someone for that day.

#185 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / Hug a national forest! Grab as many friends as you can and go to your favorite national forest or park and be tree huggers. Set the camera up so we can see all the tree hugging action clearly.

#186 / PHOTO / 46 POINTS / One of the biggest problems astronauts will face when they travel to Mars will be figuring out how to bring enough food for the three year journey. Porcupanda has offered the idea of making their spacecraft out of food. Show them how. Build an edible spacecraft using anything except “space ice cream” (Per our resident Director of Intergalactic Space Exploration, that stuff tastes like strawberry Styrofoam: “Bleecht!” as he so eloquently put it.)

#187 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 51 POINTS / Every year, the scientists at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab make spectacular pumpkin carvings that put our humble Halloween jack-o-lanterns to shame (see https://www.wired.com/2016/10/watch-nasas-high-tech-pumpkins-action/). Whatever. What’s a rocket scientist got that you don’t have? Let’s see you out-do them! Show us your best and most outlandish WATERMELON-O-LANTERN carving. - Dave Lavery // UPDATE: Now PHOTO OR VIDEO submissions will be accepted.

#188 / PHOTO / 28 POINTS / For many years, military aircraft sported spectacular “nose art”— artistic homages to people, places, and ideas important to the aircraft crew. As aesthetically appealing as aircraft nose art may have been, we think they botched it on the choice of canvas. Show us your best nose art - but this time, get it right! All art must be on, around, or incorporate, your nose.

#189 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 32 POINTS / The World’s Worst Lawyer.

#190 / PHOTO / 51 POINTS / Oranges are the new black! Let’s see your most a-peeling cocktail dress all made out of - you guessed it - orange peels. Pose in a crowded urban bar.

#191 / VIDEO / 72 POINTS / (Up to 30 seconds time-lapsed and/or edited.) You didn’t think we were going to let all those oranges go to waste, did you? Wall Drugs has signs announcing Wall Drugs locations hundreds of miles before you get to the store, so drivers get to anticipate the goodness coming. Place signs along 5 miles of road leading up to an orange juice stand that speaks hyperbolically of the life-changing rejuvenation of the coming refreshment with a countdown of the miles. You must have a sign at least every quarter of a mile along the path. If this is insurmountable to you, at the very least, host a freshly-squeezed orange juice party in your backyard for all of your neighbors. You won’t get points for that, but you’ll use the juice and make some friends.

#192 / VIDEO / 47 POINTS / (Time lapse up to 25 seconds). In our busy world, people sometimes forget to slow down and see the beauty around them. Perform a task at work extremely slowly while everyone around you carries on at normal speed. When this is played back in in time lapse, you’re performing at normal speed and it’s the world around you that’s going too fast.

#193 / PHOTO / 10 POINTS / The Riemann hypothesis of mathematics includes the Riemann zeta function, which categorizes some zeros as “non-trivial zeros" and others as "trivial zeros." We think this unequal treatment of zeros, which are clearly all equal, is just wrong! Hold a protest in front of a university mathematics or computer science building with a sign that says something to the effect of "ALL ZEROS ARE EQUAL" or "NO ZEROS ARE TRIVIAL!"

#194 / PHOTO / 67 POINTS / Do you spend too much time indoors while you GISH? It’s time to get outside! Dust off your bicycle, grab a friend or two and go out and ride a 50-mile bike ride (this can be done over the entire period of the Hunt and may be done either on a long road trip somewhere or in different round trip legs to and from your house)! You must track your progress on a GPS drawing app. (Bonus points if you draw a picture of a gishwhes mascot with your path.) Oh, by the way - you need to be wearing part of a pineapple or banana (in some fashion) while you ride. Submit an image of your GPS drawing. Yes, it would be easy to cheat on this item, but let’s all take the high road and practice honesty on this one.

#195 / VIDEO / 235 POINTS / (This video can be as long as it takes to do the job, but we hope the job goes quickly and it is gobbled up fast so the video is short!) Using a steel shredder, shred a decommissioned bus. It must be a full sized bus with at least 10 rows. It may be a school bus or a municipal bus. It may not be a VW MiniBus; it must have been built to seat at least 30. Paint a message that conveys the fact that gishwhes recycled becomes CFG (we’ll explain later). For example, you could write: “Recycled gishwhes = CFG" in large font the side of the bus. Feel free to word this differently, but convey that message. The bigger the bus the better. Oh and paint the windows of the bus to show it’s passengers. (Obviously no living being is in the bus.) Although you should upload a video as your submission, be sure to take pictures of the event in case we need those for the coffee table book (we’ll email you for them).

#196 / PHOTO or VIDEO / 62 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! THIS IS A TOP SECRET ITEM! DO NOT SHARE ITS CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA UNTIL DIRECTED OR YOU WILL RUIN THE SURPRISE AND BE DELUGED WITH BAD KARMA. By now, most of you may know our friend Giles Duley. If not, watch the video at the top of this page. Then, watch here to see what he did with us recently: https://youtu.be/-tOt9LfZF9w ...and he’s doing something amazing with us again with us this year (which we’ll be announcing VERY soon). Giles inspires us and we want to thank him for all of his hard (and often thankless) work. So, we’re going to thank him... BUT WE’RE GOING TO SURPRISE HIM! SO PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT POST ABOUT THIS UNTIL THE DESIGNATED TIME: On Friday, August 11th, at EXACTLY 9am PDT, we are going to give him a “thunderclap” of thanks on the Internet. Because Giles thinks EVERYONE can make a difference no matter their circumstances (and he’s a living embodiment of that), we’re going to prove it. Here’s your job: before the 11th, go out and do an act of kindness. But not just any act of kindness... Giles works hard to help refugee families and landmine victims, so your act of kindness should focus on expanding his work exponentially through the power of gishwhes and gishers. Do something that makes a meaningful, material difference in the life of either a refugee or someone who has been directly impacted by war. If you’re at a loss of how to do this, here are some suggestions: bring a care package to new refugees in your neighborhood, go to a refugee center and volunteer, bring a warm meal to a homeless veteran on the streets, volunteer at a soup kitchen where you know there are war veterans, make a donation to an organization that helps with reconstructive surgery and prosthetics for war victims, or sponsor a child made homeless by the war with a one-time or recurring donation. If you can’t manage to find or coordinate any of the above (but please try!), simply carry out a random act of kindness for another human being on the planet who could legitimately use some kindness. Dig deep on this one, guys. The goal is to cause a ripple effect from the work Giles is doing and expand it worldwide. Let's do this. Capture an image or video of this act. At 9am PDT on Friday, August 11th, post the image or video on Facebook with a detailed description of what you did and crosspost to Twitter. Be sure to mention Giles in the post. (For Facebook, tag @GilesDuleyPhotography and on Twitter, tag @gilesduley with #thanksGiles as the hashtag.) Submit the image or video you take on our site, but provide the link to your social media post link in the comment field of the submit page.

#197 / VIDEO / 24 POINTS / Play a few bars of a well-known tune on a well-known musical instrument—but not in the well-known manner. Play a cello tucked under your chin, a saxophone with mallets, or piano as a string instrument with a bow, that sort of thing. The more unexpected the utilization, the more points. -David Pogue

#198 / PHOTO / 108 POINTS / CHANGE A LIFE. "It gives me hope. I feel special when I'm doing it. If something bad happens to me, all I have to do is dance..." -Timarandarin (14 years old) / Last year gishwhes worked with the charity Random Acts and Giles Duley’s Legacy of War to forever change the lives of three refugee families by raising over $250,000 in just a few days. Anybody who has seen these families' smiles will know what an incredible impact we had working together. / This year, we are teaming up with Random Acts and Legacy of War again to grant the last wish of a dying woman, and in doing so, we will save the dreams of hundreds of children who live in some of the world's poorest conditions. / Fiona Sargeant, a former ballet dancer from England, founded and runs a ballet school in an impoverished township in South Africa that for years has provided ballet instruction, meals, education, safe refuge and ultimately hope for hundreds of children. She is not a doctor, nor running a large foundation or charity, but she does know how to dance and she wanted to give back to the world. She is the living proof that EVERYONE can make a difference, if their heart is behind what they’re doing. / Sadly, Fiona has terminal cancer and only has weeks to live. Once she passes, she expects the school to be shut down. But there is a plan in motion that, if funded, would carry on her legacy. Let’s grant her dying wish and BY THE END OF THE HUNT let her know that her children will be taken care of long after she is gone. / She has no idea we are going to do this! We are going to surprise her with this colossal random act of kindness at the end of the Hunt! / We’ve created a Crowdrise page here that tells her story. DONATIONS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE AND 100% OF THE DONATIONS GO TO THE SCHOOL (for countries other than U.S., deductions are contingent on your laws). The Gishwhes Item here: create a fundraising “page” for your team on Crowdrise where family, friends and others can donate. Since this is Gishwhes and there’s always an extra twist with everything we do, here’s the deal: we also want you to get OTHERS to donate to your team’s Crowdrise page. We know you don’t need “points” as an incentive to help these kids, but since it is part of the Hunt, we want to maximize the power of these points to help. / Here’s your assignment: start a page and get at least 10 donations from people or businesses NOT on your team. You and your team members are welcome to donate to your campaign, but that is not a requirement for points— the Item requirement is to get at least 10 people to make a cumulative total of least 10 donations who are NOT on your team. There is no minimum amount to donate for GISHWHES purposes, but Crowdrise does require a minimum $10 donation be collected, and let’s all please encourage others to be generous above this so we can make a profound impact. SUBMIT a screenshot of your team’s page with a minimum of 10 donations on it. (To initially create a fundraising team, click the “Join the Team & Create Your Own Fundraiser“ button.) // UPDATE: You reached the goal of $150,000 in just TWO DAYS. Now we need to make it to $200,000… If we can do THAT, we will be able to fund multiple scholarships for the students, allowing them to travel to other countries to train, compete, and take their experiences and skills back to South Africa! If anyone can make it happen, it’s the gishwhes family… So let’s do this & make some dreams come true!

#199 / PHOTO / 44 POINTS / Breaker, breaker! Tune in for details: CB Channel 27 (Frequency 27.27500) broadcasting near Lacy Park, San Marino, CA. (Latitude: 34.1204167 Longitude: -118.1201348) DATE & TIME: 8/7 12 PM PDT & 4:30PM PDT or 8/9 9 AM PDT. Listen on Broadcast CB CHANNEL 32 (Frequency 27.32500) broadcasting near Hermann Park Conservancy, Houston TX (Latitude: 29.7160286 Longitude: -95.3886413) DATE & TIME: 8/11 NOON CT

#200 / PHOTO / 72 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! She should run! First, research upcoming local, state, and federal elections in your area. Second, nominate, via social media posts, qualified female citizens you think should run for specific elected offices in those upcoming elections based on their qualifications and/or passion. Make a post on any or all of your social media handles, tag them (so they see it!), and explain why you want them to run, using the hashtag#SheShouldRun. But your nomination post is not what you submit on our site! IF you manage to get a woman to publicly commit to running in the next election cycle this week via their social media, submit two images side-by-side: an image of your post “nominating” them to run, next to an screenshot of their social media post committing to run, and provide a link to their post in the comments field of the submit page. Note: Candidate must not have already announced their intent to run for office. We have assigned a special prosecutor to scour the internet for your candidate’s previous declarations of intent-to-run and will vet them.

#201 / PHOTO / 61 POINTS / Outside US: 00-1-323-645-0703 Within US: (323) 645-0703

#202 / PHOTO / 46 POINTS / A gisher wrote me recently stating, “I started gishwhes in 2015 myself and my children all joined in and had the best week of our lives, so much fun, so much love, so much laughter. In December 2015 I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer… But I didn't let it beat me. We signed up for gishwhes 2016 and made beautiful art together and performed many acts of kindness to those around us and in need, my children now 10 & 8 have those lessons in their hearts now, to spread kindness and love to all around them! Unfortunately I am too sick to participate this year, but hope to still be here to see all the wonderful creations everyone makes, and if I'm not still here when gishwhes starts I will be watching down on you all, cheering everyone on.” Obviously, I cried when I read that. We emailed her back, but haven’t heard back… So this one's for you, S. (and your kids), with love from me & everyone in the gishwhes family: Find a local hospital or cancer center and coordinate with them to deliver a comfort bag(s) to a patient. Fill a cheerfully decorated canvas or cloth bag with items to provide palliative relief and comfort to a cancer patient: soft eye masks, scarves, a soft blanket, socks, ginger tea or candy, unscented natural lip balm, sudoku or coloring books, puzzles, poems, etc. Include a note of support or encouragement if you wish. (Please don't say "get well soon.” Phrasing like, "we're sending you our love" is better.) Please do not take a picture with the recipient... Just the bag. We trust you to deliver.

#203 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / THIS ITEM MUST BE POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PRIOR TO THE END OF THE HUNT! Bearby Von Bearamucci has an interview for a position as White House Communications Director on Saturday, August 12th at 8pm ET sharp! He was all set to drive the Gishbus across the country, but its engine wouldn’t start and he has a terrible fear of flying. He’s counting on gishers to help get him from Redding, California to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC before his appointment (by passenger car or truck only. NO PLANES, TRAINS, SHIPPING SERVICES, OR BUSES). Your instructions are here. Coordinate with other gishers to pick up Bearby and take him at least 5 miles, but no more than 100 miles, from your starting point. On your leg of the journey, post a pic of you, Bearby, and the gisher you’re handing him off to at a diner, rest stop, or point of interest (please geo-tag the location). Tag @gishwhes, the next gisher, and @BearbyVonB and use hashtag #GetTheBearThere. You MUST hand Bearby off to the next gisher to complete your Item or you get zero points. Submit your photo with Bearby to us and provide a link to your post in the comments field of the submit page. You will get 40 points if you take a picture with Bearby and a sign with your team name on it, or 60 points if you take a photo with Bearby and transport him (please include side-by-side image of the map points as well). If he makes it to his appointment at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. by 8 PM ET on August 12th, you will get an additional 50% in points (for a grand total of 60 points for photo only, 90 points for photo + transportation). Yes, we know how convoluted this item is and that it seems destined for failure— but I believe you’ll spit in failure’s eye and say, “Not today!” Sidebar: gishwhes HQ nearly came to blows as we debated over whether providing maps and tools to help facilitate your journey was “helping” and therefore “cheating”, but after a rousing bout of coleslaw-wrestling, “Team Give Them Maps” claimed creamy victory, and so you may use these resources to help you coordinate the journey. But feel free to ignore the map entirely. Because you’re better than that. IMPORTANT NOTES: 1. Members of the same team cannot collect multiple submissions for this item. 2. Make sure other teams get the chance to help Bearby! Yes, this means you can communicate and walk the line of “collaboration” in your hand-off attempts. 3. Individuals transporting Bearby must take him at least 5 miles or up to 100 miles in one trip. 4. You may NOT take him near your homes. We have a GPS locator on Bearby (due to past felonies) so we don’t want to compromise your home locations. 5. Do not exceed the speed limit by more than 5 miles per hour, because that’s what the cops are cool with, obviously. This isn’t Cannonball Run. Make it happen, gishers. Bearby is counting on you to help him land his dream job! // UPDATE: Mileage limit increased from 50 to 100 mile trip.

#204 / PHOTO / 40 POINTS / Escape Gishwhes! https://www.gishwhes.com/escape-room/. If you manage to break out of this wild ride of mystery and mayhem, you’ll be prompted to enter your Team Name to document your success via an online form. BEFORE YOU HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON, take a screenshot showing your team name in the Text Input Field and save the image, THEN hit the SUBMIT button. Your submission will be uploading the screenshot on our item list (backed up by what the online form sends gishbot).

#205 / PHOTO / 28 POINTS / We've received a bit of criticism that the hunt is "not really a scavenger hunt, it's just Misha getting people to help him with his chores." I'm honestly shocked anyone would say that! Also, people have been complaining that there are "too many geographically specific items" (items that require you to show up at a certain place). I want you to know that I'm listening and processing your feedback! So, I'm adding the following item: Help me help you help me help myself. Show up at 10 AM PDT sharp on August 11th at this location in Bellingham, WA. Wear long sleeves (pants and shirt) and bring a small bucket. Pick at least ONE quart of blackberries and DEPOSIT them into my big vessel so I can make lots of jam. For the item submission you must do two things: 1) You must find the woman in the sock monkey hat with the sheet of paper who is taking down team names and 2) You must take a photo of yourself with your bucket of berries. We will cross-check our list with your submitted photo as your proof. No taking pictures with me, because last year we did that and it ended up taking forever. If no one one on your team lives nearby, you may assign a surrogate, but no surrogate may service more than one team.

#206 / PHOTO / 17 POINTS / We got this letter to our support gnomes:

Name: [REDACTED]

Message : Hello Gishpeople. I want to question why there are so many specific-locations-that-aren't-Sweden only items, and no Sweden only items. I speak for all Swedes when we say that we find this very saddening. We don't understand how you could miss out on an opportunity like this, since Sweden is a very beautiful country, containting great things such as Dalahästar.

We, as a nation, expect a formal apology for this, of course.

All our love, and some sad wonders,

[REDACTED]

Sweden, you're absolutely right! You are a beautiful country and it's time we stopped overlooking you. You deserve a formal apology as requested and so in the interest of international diplomacy, it's our duty to deliver and rectify this egregious oversight. With that in mind, (I hope you'll forgive me but this is a location-specific image to appease Sweden, guys): Take a picture of yourself in front of the biggest landmark or point of interest in your town while holding a beautiful hand-lettered sign that reads, "We Are Sorry, Sweden". This is a location-based item, so you may do this anywhere in the world... except Sweden.

#207 / PHOTO / 48 POINTS / Nothing says "good life choices" like a last-minute rush job tattoo. Get inked with a tattoo that includes "We create therefore we live" or another gishy quote written in any language other than English. Feel free to adorn it with mascots or other hunt-inspired iconography. PS: Don't try to repurpose an old tattoo— we'll be able to tell and your team will be docked points.

#208 / PHOTO / 18 POINTS / As you know, no one was able to successfully find Jared Padalecki or Jensen Ackles' balls in Canada. Misha's balls are a lot easier to find... maybe because they really get around. Find Misha's balls in any of the following locations & take a picture with them. Then put them back EXACTLY where you found them so another team can have a chance to get their hands on Misha's balls, too. LOCATIONS: near the Cathedral Basilica, Newark, NJ; outside Gatorland, Orlando, FL, near Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas.

#209 / PHOTO / 77 POINTS / Gishwhes is over tonight! Forever! The crumbs of the great multi-year, wild and weird global feast are soon to be all that's left. Let's see you work magic on these crumbs (real bread crumbs or whatever other crumbs you wish to use) and turn them into a portrait of actor Misha Collins. -the Gish Gnomes

[thefundertaker]

here’s my thoughts about the post wrestlemania 38 raw 4/4/22

who even needs to watch wrestlemania with all the goddamn recaps they do about it?

Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins working together? surely its not another tag team? don’t we have enough of those right now?? (uhhh edge/damian????)

oh great thanks just put the commercial right over my girls' entrance whatever and can we please let Liv do SOMETHING? she hasn't gotten to look good in WEEKS and I’m mad about it 😡

wtf elias rebrand apparently?? i for sure thought he was released, where you been bud

weird choice for veer mahaans first match on raw to be against the guy that just lost against the miz in like 30 seconds, like what was that supposed to prove?

I’m glad we get some finn finally, not really sure why it has to be alongside rkbro but ill take what i can get Awww, I love that randy and riddle did finn’s entrance move with him 🤗 I’m kinda starting to feel the same way about riddle that I have about liv, they haven’t let him look good in a while damn it i am so tired of both the usos and austin theory, and I’m new here

Imma be real, I hate ads with a burning passion, but the snickers and cricket commercials with the wwe superstars make me chuckle every time, especially the alpha academy one

god can we get out of dallas please this crowd will not shut the hell up 🙄

They did it again, commercials during my guys' entrance, get it together raw The street profits may not be my favorites, but montez ford sure is fun to watch

You can say all that about roman reigns but I had never heard of him before a month ago... but I did know about brock lesnar, seth rollins and daniel bryan... 🤔

[technoqueers]

html test 3

2019-11-27

Happy Holigays from TQ! For the first time since sending out the guide v.1, we're going into hibernation for a bit and taking a break! Feel free to email us if you’d like ideas for where to go out, or just check RA! If you'd like to peruse past editions of the guide, they're posted on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Stay in touch, stay warm, and hope to see y’all on the dancefloor in the new year! 💗

How Charlene Incarnate Inherited the Legacy of NYC’s Drag Scene // “That’s what gay people are good at,” she acknowledges, “being audience members and contributing energy.” “We saw the shuttering of every space [queer folks threw] parties in, every space that wasn’t a typical gay dive bar. They’re all gone now.” The artist grieves both her home [Casa Diva] and the community it provided, and the fact that spaces like hers are “even rarer or nonexistent in the neighborhoods that [queer folks are] still occupying.”

“Taking drag out of nightlife is like taking it out of queerness,” Charlene says, adding that drag “happens in the spaces that were left to us.” How Papi Juice Became the Most Important Party in New York City // In 2013, Oscar Nuñez and fellow DJ Adam Rhodes were tired of going to parties catering to white, cisgender gay men — and were thus inspired to create a party that centered queer and transgender people of color. “We are part of a legacy of people who have been doing similar work for years,” Rhodes explains. “Seeing colleagues emerge and get bigger has been amazing. I love that there are more parties that are specifically serving our people. They’re creating spaces where we can be celebrated in all of our beauty and diversity.” Rare photos of New York’s iconic club kids // We were able to set an example for the everyday kid who was coming from the outer boroughs, and maybe it would give them permission to be a little more liberated within their own lives and within their own context. This was very valuable. The real tragedy when they closed all of the mega clubs in New York was that a number of creative people lost job opportunities. That’s why New York really suffered culturally when the nightclub industry was targeted and wiped out because all of a sudden people couldn’t pay their rent or sustain their art practices. That was a really sad moment for New York culturally. Masked balls and gay uprisings: Queer Maps is a guide to 150 years of LGBTQ history // The tool launches at a time of growing concern about the disappearance of queer bars in cities across the country – LA’s last remaining lesbian bar closed in 2017. It honors world-famous institutions alongside little-known haunts that quietly thrived during eras when being gay was criminalized and dangerous. Saatchi exhibits and BBC Four docs: why is 2019 so nostalgic for 80s rave? // These events were communal and often lawless. They were not happening with anyone’s permission but instead were reactions to the prevailing currents of their time. Deller’s film analyses rave’s role in the traumatised aftermath of the miners’ strike. Rave, he proposed, was “a death ritual marking the transition of Britain from an industrial to a service economy”. Techno Titan Carl Craig Commissioned for Sound Project at Dia:Beacon, Five Years in the Making // Craig—part of a fabled lineage for a legacy of techno music that was born and bred in Detroit—said he drew connections between his hometown and Dia:Beacon’s setting in a former factory that had been abandoned for years before it was transformed in an art-world destination. More to the floor: the decade the dancefloor was decolonised // Perhaps partly helped by the global panopticon of the internet, DJs and producers combine everything from the weighty syncopations of footwork to the sparse, percussive rolls of gqom and euphoria of hard trance, until the key compounds are almost unrecognisable – and then add their own distinctive local flavour. The result is a simultaneously global and local sound, and cross-continental collaborations are making it even more cosmopolitan. First Floor #13 – Where Have All the Anthems Gone? // More and more, what matters is contextualizing an artist within a larger socioeconomic and sociopolitical backdrop. Writers and editors obviously still consider the music, but they’re now also thinking about stuff like identity, representation, privilege and structural discrimination, and while that rubs some people the wrong way—particularly the “it should just be about the music” crowd—I don’t see it as a problem. Leave Your Body at the Door: How ketamine became the drug of choice for our dissociated moment. // In the 1980s and ’90s, the growth of rave culture brought it onto New York dance floors and it became a staple of the club kid scene, prompting the first wave of ketamine trend pieces. “Whether it’s a gay all-nighter, or at a hard techno rave patronized by young, white out-of-towners, the picture is invariably the same. Come 3 a.m., the dance floor is littered with those wasted on ketamine,” Muzik Magazine wrote in that same 1998 article. But in 2019, once-fringe elements of rave culture have bled into the mainstream. EDM is elevator music, banker bros and leather-daddies share bumps at Bushwick warehouse events, Silicon Valley has invaded Burning Man, and the wellness world has turned the drugs of the ’60s counterculture into productivity boosters for start-ups. As rave culture has rebranded, ketamine has pivoted with it. Today’s K users are bringing the drug beyond the dance floor: to chilled-out bar nights and tech-world salons, New-Age wellness retreats and quiet nights at home. NYC Votes To Ban Flavored Vaping Products // New York became the first major city in the country to ban all flavored vaping products on Tuesday. The ban is expected to take effect in July. The crackdown also comes amid an outbreak of vape-related lung disease that's killed dozens of people nationwide, including at least two New York City residents. Researchers with the Center for Disease Control have linked the sickness to vitamin E acetate, which is commonly used in black market THC vaping products.

Wednesday

11-6 // parka presents Trust Exercise: Courage @ Market Hotel // The theme of the night is Courage as a reminder of the courage it takes to trust and be vulnerable. We forget that not everyone celebrates the holidays the same way and many have had to sacrifice a lot to move away from home.

10-3 // Thanksgiving eve with justin strauss and juan maclean @ Black Flamingo 10-4 // Marcellus Pittman All Night @ Nowadays // The Detroit don is back to bless us with another marathon set. 10-4 // pure immanence XL @ Bossa // 10-11: Pure Immanence, 11-12:20: Night Doll, 12:20-1: perrX (live), 1-3: quest?onmarc, 3-4: Pure Immanence 10-4 // OD: Yurk \ Skyshaker \ WILHELMINA \ Christy @ 444 Club

Thursday

10-4 // ADAM X & MÆDON @ Bossa 10-4 // Bermuda /\ Thanksgiving night @ Venus in Furs

Friday

10 // ELSEWORLD: Juan Atkins, Noncompliant, Lauren Flax & More @ Elsewhere // 🌎🛸 HALL 🛸🌎 Juan Atkins, Noncompliant, Relaxer (live), Lauren Flax 🌎🛸 THE LOFT 🛸🌎 Cultivated Sound and Friends: Maŕa & Chamberlain Zhang, 夜露四苦4649 [ Haruka Salt & Yuri Mizokami], LOKA $5 off presales

10-4 // Room To Live presents sold and DJ Wawa @ Newtown Radio // sold (Chicago, smartbar, Groove Cafe), DJ Wawa, Room To Live residents 10-4 // Soul 2 Seoul Do Black Friday @ Mood Ring // Tag Team, Back Again, Back by unpopular demand, The original Blasian Super Duo. Chung & Turtle All Night 10-4 // Technofeminism @ Bossa // BORED LORD (LA), AKUA 10-4 // Blazej Malinowski [Live] + Mary Yuzovskaya @ Public Records // Polish-born DJ Blazej Malinowski brings his knack for deep + atmospheric techno to the Sound Room for a live performance. Having released records on Semantica, TGP, SIlent Season + many more, expect a tripped out, mesmerizing set with Monday Off founder, Unter regular, and vinyl-only DJ Mary Yuzovskaya kicking things off and closing the room. 10-4 // Working Women and Martyn @ Nowadays // Nowadays resident DJs Nina, Nicely and Voices, aka Working Women, are teaming up with 3024 boss (and Ostgut Ton, Brainfeeder, Ninja Tune, Hyperdub, Warp and Aus Music alum) Martyn. 10-5 // Stenny, rrao, Only Child, Significant Other Plus Lagasta, Jacques Renault, Boys' Shorts @ Good Room // Stenny is an essential producer in driving forward the sound of Ilian Tape. A versatile, adventurous and tough approach allow for constant forward momentum and a truly unrelenting energy on the dancefloor.

Saturday

10-5 // NEW YORK TRAX x VOITAX @ BASEMENT // In partnership with the forward-thinking, Berlin-based, record label Voitax, New York Trax brings 4 massive live acts for its Basement debut. Makaton LIVE, Swarm Intelligence LIVE, Brenecki LIVE, Deflector LIVE, Cressida, Paàl

10-4 // XXxBORED LORD x NYCxXx @ Mood Ring // ୧༼ಠ益ಠ༽୨ bored lord, pauli cakes, phoneg1rl, nk badtz maru ୧༼ಠ益ಠ༽୨ 10-4 // FIT Siegel / DJ Fire / DJ Healthy @ Bossa 10-4 // Soul Summit Music All Night Long @ Black Flamingo 10-5 // Perel, L&L&L + Lost Soul Enterprises with L. Sangre, R Gamble @ Good Room // Perel will be joined by L&L&L Record Club. Lost Soul Enterprises takes over the Bad Room with party residents L.Sangre and R Gamble. LSE is a party and label focused on mutant sounds past and present: wave, electro, body music, and all things in between. 10-5 // Shelter 002: Timmy Regisford, Francis Harris + Special Guests @ Public Records // Crossing generations of fans in New York, Timmy Regisford joins Public Records music director and partner Francis Harris for a monthly affair in the Sound Room with one question in mind: How deep is your love for House? 11 // Occupy the Disco @ Elsewhere (Zone One) 10-7 // Dee Diggs, Posi-Track and DJ Bone @ Nowadays // For this soiree, HalfMoonBK's Dee Diggs is teaming up with Fermented Frequency's Posi-Track and the inimitable DJ Bone. Good luck leaving before daybreak.

Sunday

3-9 // The Carry Nation All Day @ Nowadays // Nita Aviance and Will Automagic have been working together as the Carry Nation for the better part of a decade. During that time, they've lit up clubs, lofts and warehouses the world over and released music on Nervous, Classic Music Company and W&O Street Tracks.

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[wrestlingisfake]

Takeover: WarGames preview

Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain vs. Adam Cole & Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong & Akam & Rezar - This is a three-way contest and the first official WarGames match since 2000.  Young and Wolfe are the NXT tag team champions, but the title is not at stake.

WarGames was introduced by Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987, the year before the company rebranded as WCW.  Since acquiring WCW in 2001, WWE has appeared reluctant to utilize the WarGames concept, which has added to the mystique surrounding it.  As originally conceived, WarGames occurs in two rings surrounded by a single steel cage (with a roof), and features two teams of five.  One wrestler from each team would start inside the cage, and the remaining wrestlers would enter the cage one-by-one, at regularly scheduled intervals.  The match could only end once everyone was locked inside the cage, and the only way to win was by submission.  WCW tinkered with the format in the late 1990s (including a three-way in 1998 similar to this one), and NXT will implement some changes of its own.

For this match, there will be two rings inside a single cage, without a top.  Three men will start the match--one from each team--while the others will be locked inside shark cages along the entryway between the stage and ringside.  After five minutes, the remaining members of a team will enter the match, so it’ll effectively be 3-on-1-on-1.  Then three minutes later it’ll be 3-on-3-on-1.  Three minutes after that the last of the wrestlers will enter the match to make it 3-on-3-on-3.  After that, whoever scores the pinfall or submission on any opponent will win the match for his team.  The manner in which order of entry will be determined has not been announced, and may be (in kayfabe) randomized.

Young’s Sanity faction has been picking fights with virtually everyone in NXT, but over the summer they were especially focused on separate feuds with Roderick Strong and the Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar).  After Young and Wolfe won the tag title from the AoP in August, Fish and O’Reilly attacked both teams; later in the same show Fish and O’Reilly revealed an alliance with Adam Cole that came to be called The Undisputed Era.  The Era tried to recruit Strong but he turned them down, effectively putting him on the same side as the Authors of Pain in a three-way war.

The psychology of WarGames in general, and this match in particular, is the drama of keeping the babyface team at a crucial disadvantage.  One guy in this match is going to be completely isolated from both of his partners for at least 11 minutes.  It feels like that is specifically designed for Strong to play face-in-peril until the Authors of Pain simultaneously enter the match to run wild on everybody.  Beyond that, the match should just be a colossal trainwreck of styles--the Era’s indy-riffic wrestling, Sanity’s wild brawling, the AoP’s mean-guy power moves, and Strong suffering for your sins.

It’s absolutely bonkers that this is the first big match for Adam Cole since his long-long-long-awaited NXT debut, and I’ve barely gotten around to mentioning him.  That’s how nuts this match is.  I’ve watched some of Cole here and there in ROH and I’ve never been that taken with the guy, but I can’t deny he’s really won over the kinds of fans who have propelled other stars from the indies to NXT to world titles.  I’ll be looking to see what he’s got, and it’ll be especially impressive if he can manage to stand out amid all the chaos around him.  It’s tough to predict a finish, but in lieu of an educated guess you have to figure Cole will be put over build to an NXT title shot.

Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade Almas - McIntyre defends the NXT championship.  The logical direction for Drew is a title match with Adam Cole (who debuted right after he won the title, and beat him up), but that’ll have to wait so Almas gets the shot this time around.

Almas was a big deal as La Sombra in CMLL, and when he was considered a pretty big acquisition when WWE signed him in 2015.  But things didn’t click, and he started sliding down the card.  NXT has cleverly turned that into an angle where Zelina Vega debuted as a business advisor that got him back on track.  It would have been real easy to turn this into a joke, or a retread of Rusev/Lana or Mike Bennett/Maria Kanellis.  But I’m impressed with how they’ve presented Vega, and she really adds something that was missing from Almas’s act.

I could buy Almas winning here, but a title run for him would get in the way of whatever they’ve got in mind for Adam Cole, and I suspect Cole is the priority for NXT heading into 2018.  In fact, I could easily see WWE rushing Almas and Vega to the main roster soon, and that would only increase the odds of him losing here.  There is at least a possibility that Almas could win the title and trade it back and forth with McIntyre, but I wouldn’t count on it.  Drew retains.

Ember Moon vs. Kairi Sane vs. Nikki Cross vs. Peyton Royce - This is a four-way match for the NXT women’s title, which Asuka vacated to go to Raw.  There are no count-outs or disqualifications, and all four women can be in the ring at the same time.  Whoever scores the first pinfall or submission on any other opponent will be the new champion.

Sane earned the first spot in this match by winning the Mae Young Classic tournament.  Royce defeated Cross and Liv Morgan in a three-way to qualify, and Moon defeated Ruby Riot and Sonya Deville in a three-way of her own.  Cross won a battle royal to earn the last slot.

Of the four, Sane has to be considered the favorite. You hear that WWE just signed a cute strong-style lady from Japan and you figure it’ll be Asuka all over again, so there’s a lot of pressure for her to both live up to those expectations and to chart her own course.  The other three women suffer from the flipside of Asuka’s legendary win streak--if WWE was ever really going to get behind any of them, one of them would have snapped Asuka’s streak instead of losing over and over and then waving bye-bye as she left.  For Moon or Cross or Royce, a title win at Sane’s expense would be a step in the right direction, but it could be too little too late.

I kinda want to see Moon or Cross get the belt, but I haven’t seen much of Sane so I’m hoping to get a showcase of her performance.  Pretty sure Kairi’s gonna win.

Aleister Black vs. The Velveteen Dream - Velveteen’s gimmick is that he’s Prince, basically.  Black’s gimmick is that he’s a big mean wrestler who could most likely kick Prince’s ass.  I don’t think Velveteen thought this through.

I first saw the Velveteen Dream in Chicago in what I think was his debut with the character.  Everybody was booing him because...I don’t know why.  I think he’s great.  He’s gonna die pretty bad though.

Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan - I forgot these two existed.  I guess Sullivan has been clubbering people and Ohno thinks that’s mean, and also Ohno is trying to prove he’s still relevant.  That feels like a recipe for Sullivan clubbering Ohno and winning the match.