#something about being a tv personality as well as a musician

[historymakesmeangry]

The Monkees walked so kpop bands could run

[arcanumofthestars]

sorry if its weird- I just got out of a toxic relationship and have been absolutely LIVING! for the Hazbin and Helluva boss boys being sweet! Could you maybe do something like ideal dates they would do with a reader? Anything really- just in the genre of like 'cute little scenarios you'd make up before falling asleep'

ps loved your alastor headcannon <3

Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss boys' ideal dates (part 1)

Sum: Where they would prefer to spend their time with you as a date.

Characters included: Alastor, Lucifer, Angel Dust, Blitzø, Stolas, Moxie

Warnings: none, it's just fluff, except for like, three curse words and Angel Dust's job (I've put a note on where that part starts). Reader is gender neutral, if I have missed a pronoun here or there please let me know.

Alastor

Alastor lived in the 1930s. That’s all that needs to be said. A really classy dinner in the most expensive restaurant there is, with low lights and candles. And live music. Oh, the live music. Hell might be a filthy place, but the songs are… well… heavenly. You chat and laugh and eat with the soft sound of the sax playing in the background, the Imp on the stage singing “Somewhere over the rainbow” in a sensual voice. Once you finish eating, Alastor gets up and goes over to the stage. He says something to the musicians and they start playing a quicker rhythm, which you quickly recognize to be one of the most popular dances in the 30’s, called the jive. And you’re not surprised when your date offers you his hand and guides you to the dancing floor.

After a long night, you two go for a walk outside, chatting mainly about the Hotel. You tell him that you believe in redemption, and he finds it foolish, yet adorable. After that, the conversation gets deeper. You talk about secret hopes and regrets, about your lives on earth, what you would have done differently. It’s the first time Alastor is being this open with someone, and you know it. Your date ends with him walking you back to your hotel room and kissing your hand gently, before he wishes goodnight and walks away with one of his few real smiles.

Lucifer

Lucifer gets easily bored- no, tired with all the “King of Hell” bullshit. After all, he’s just a father whose wife recently dumped him. And at first it was really hard for you two to get close, him being afraid you would leave him like everyone else did. You’re not that kind of person, and he knows that now. Still, going out can sometimes be too much for him. All the Sinners and Hellborn running the moment they see him, it makes him feel more lonely, even with you by his side.

So he prefers to stay at home. You two make something to eat, like pancakes (they’re his favorite, trust me). As you eat, you start talking about anything and everything- except ducks, that’s a sensitive subject. The conversation will most likely end with Lucifer showing you some old album with photos of him playing with Charlie when she was a child. After you finish eating, you cuddle on the couch, watching TV. He ends up falling asleep in your arms (you’re the big spoon and I’m not negotiating over that), your fingers caressing his blonde hair.

Angel Dust

Before you proceed, I would like to note that this work includes mentions of Angel Dust’s job. If this kind of content is triggering for you, I would suggest reading only the second paragraph.

Angel’s job is a great part of his life. He might hate it because of Valentino but it is what he does best. So of course he wants to show you his talent- pole dancing. The best place to do that is a famous club near the Hotel (one that Valentino doesn’t go to often.) The owner is more than happy to have the famous Angel Dust dancing exclusively in their business, even if it is only for one night. The show starts, and Angel dedicates the night to you, making all the sinners turn around to see the one that stole the pornstar’s heart. The Spider Demon doesn’t fail to make you blush repeatedly during the show, teasing you openly, in a way you haven’t seen before, not even in his movies.

After the performance ends, you’re too shy to even talk to him, a situation that ends with huge amounts of laughing from both of you. After that you go for a walk outside, and probably have some takeout, because, well, Charlie decided that four times a week the Hotel will be serving boiled vegetables for dinner, “so everyone can stay healthy”, and it isn’t exactly the ideal food for a day. You two end up dancing in the music of some other club in the city, hidden from all eyes. Angel is amazed with the fact that you can enjoy something as simple as that. When you finally head back to the hotel, he replays the sweet moments over and over again in his head and that’s maybe one of the first times he’s blushed from something like that.

Stolas

When I say Stolas has money, I mean you couldn't spend one milionth of it in this lifetime, even if you wanted. He's used to paying for everything, so he really doesn't mind you choosing where you want to go- even if it is the most expensive place in Hell. He has a small panick attack on what he should wear, poor thing hasn't been to a date since, well, forever. He is extremely nervous when he comes to pick you up, but quickly relaxes when you start a conversation. The place is absolutely adorable after all you chose it, and the food is really delicious. Well, I don't have to say much, it's your typical ideal date.

After you two finish eating, you go to the Owl Demon's house (or castle I don't think something that huge is a house). You stand at the balcony for a long time, gazing at the stars, occasionally making a comment on astronomy (after you found out about Stolas' obsession with celestial objects you made your own research). The moments are truly blissful, and when he takes your hand and guides you inside, it's the most sweet thing you have ever seen- he doesn't want anything but you close to him, to feel you scent as he wraps his hands around your waist, burying his face in your neck, trying to get as much of you as possible. Not in a naughty sort of way. Just you, him, and the stars.

Blitzø

Blitz simply doesn't have the time. Don't mistake me, he loves you, but his job is taking up most his days and even with Moxie and Millie's help, he barely manages. He always finds a way to be with you if not daily, three or four times a week. Sometimes you just visit the I.M.P. "facility" and tidy up a bit while he's away, maybe make lunch for everyone and hang out with Loona, who surprisingly thinks you're a very cool person. Sometimes you join him in his little "adventures" in the human world, after all it's a great workout and you have to keep fit.

If Blitz actually finds some time to spend with you exclusively, it will either be eating snacks, cuddling on the couch with him complaining about work. Or. The most extreme fucking thing you ever imagined, like, extreme sports or something. The Imp loves the adrenaline in his veins, and you do too, once you get used to it. After all you'd do anything to spend time with the man you fell in love with. You're a bit dazed afterwards but for some reason he loves seeing you tripping around.

Moxie

Moxie is what you'd call a lovebird. The stereotype one. He buys you flowers and escorts you to the car, putting a rose in your hair or something like that. His suit is literally perfect and you wonder how many times he must have ironed it before he came to your place. Moxie is nervous. Really really nervous. He wants everything to be perfect, but once you reassure him, telling him that everything will be perfect just because you two are together he finally gets to relax. As he drives you there, you constantly ask where you're going (he only told you to dress classy and he's not disappointed with the results), but he doesn't tell you anything. "It's a surprise, you'll like it, I promise". The place is absolutely gorgeous but you can't help but wonder how much it cost... But Moxie's got you covered.

It's the ideal date. And gosh you have so much to talk about. When it ends (the Imp implies every four seconds that there will be more), the moment finds you standing in front of your house door, starting into each others eyes. Because in Hell, you found a soulmate.

That's all for now! I'm sorry that it's too short, I didn't have more time with my upcoming exams. I promise there will be a lot more though! I'm already working on a part two.

The characters that will be included are: Husker, Vox, Valentino, Adam, Sir Pentious, Fizzarolli, Striker.

If you want me to add any more, feel free to ask.

My requests are closed at the moment, regarding anything else. I will open them again around mid or end of March, though it's not sure yet.

Thanks for reading!

-Selena

[justananxiousweirdo]

Joost Klein x Interviewer Reader

Joost finds himself attracted to the person interviewing him

I shook out my nerves and wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. I was about to interview the Joost Klein. I was both nervous and excited. I’ve been a fan of him a short period of time before Eurovision began and had developed the slightest crush on him over the last year or so. And when I say slightest I’m totally lying, it’s a major crush. Exempt from the fact I’ve never met him (yet) I have the biggest crush on the albino boy. My producer knocked on my dressing room door reminding me my show starts in five. Trying to remain professional might be hard but I have to. Even of the Joost is going to be on my show. Feelings be gone; I have an interview to do.

“Hellllllooooo Europe! How is everyone tonight!” The crowd erupted with cheers as I walked to my chair. “You’re here with your host Y/N Y/L/N! Tonight we have a very special guest, everyone give it up for the Europapa! JOOOOOOST KLEIN!” I always feel like some sort of sports announcer when I introduce my guests I love it.

Joost walked out waving to the crowd and I stood to hug him. He smelled amazing like expensive cologne, cigarettes, and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. But the mix smelled wonderful. “So, Joost, you’ve been a musician for quite some time now, what’s it like stepping from your much smaller, personal label out to something as big as Eurovision?”

“It’s an honor. I’m honored to have been chosen as my countries representative. I told my dad that one day I’d get on the stage and make him proud.”

“I’m sure your father is very proud of you Joost.” Joost seemed rather out of it and I was worried I started off too personal. I really didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable. “Well, the fans certainly love you and are more than glad you stepped out onto that stage. If you had one message to deliver to all your fans what would it be?”

Joost raised his eyebrows and thought for a second, “I love you all. Without you guys I could have never gotten as far as I have. Thank you all so very much.”

“Touching.” Did that sound sarcastic? I think that sounded sarcastic it wasn’t meant to. The one chance I get to spend with the guy I’ve had the fattest crush for this long and he’s going to think I’m a jerk. Great. The rest of the interview went fairly well I stuck to the regular questions like what’s your biggest inspiration, what’s it like being gone for so long, all those sorts of questions. Joosts answers were all very sincere and the crush I had on him was only growing. But he seemed off and distracted the whole interview I really just hoped I wasn’t boring him or making him uncomfortable. “That’s all the time we have for tonight. Is there anything you’d like to say Joost?”

“Just: 12 POINTS TO THE NETHERLANDS!!” He shouted and got up to kiss a camera.

I covered my smile with my hand breathing deeply to try to keep my composure while we were still live, and in front of an audience. Joost walked along the audience signing things and taking pictures as soon as the cameras cut. He really cared for his fans it was very admirable. And adorable. People eventually had to leave and Joost headed back to the dressing rooms. I went back a little before Joost did and I began changing into my regular clothes when there was a knock at my door. I quickly through on a tee shirt before answering to see a vase of sunflowers and blue roses with a small card. I thought it was cute he sent me flowers with his signature colors. I set the flowers on my desk and opened the note:

Y/L Y/L/N,

I enjoyed meeting you very much. I’ve been a fan or yours for quite a while and to say that I’ve made in on your show is both an honor and a pleasure. I had a wonderful time, you really are as nice in person as you are on TV. I admire that. I admire you. Thank you for inviting me onto your show. Love,

Joost Klein

I smiled after reading it. He really is as sweet as they say. I went to knock on his door to thank him but it was left open and no one was in there. I feared I missed him before I headed out to see him smoking.

“Thank you.”

Joost jumped and I stifled a laugh.

“No, thank you.”

“You already thanked me.”

“Well, I can’t thank you enough.”

“You really are as sweet as they say.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, you’re admirable Joost.”

Joost tossed his cigarette bud to the side and stomped it out. Turned to face me, “as are you.”

Our eyes locked before his drifted down to my lips and then back up again. I felt my face heating up as he stepped closer leaning down. My heart beat quickened. The world seemed to slow down as we met each other for a kiss. His hand cradled the side of my face the other resting on the small of my back. My hands reached up to the back of his neck, my fingers toying with the ends of his mullet. He pulled away with the biggest smile on his face.

“I heard of this coffee place down the street-“ a bright flash cut him off.

“OHMYGODJOOSTKLEINANDY/NY/L/NCONFIRMED??!” Some teenaged girl screamed before running off emitting a chuckle from Joost.

I just stood there surprised. Joost’s laugh was contagious and I soon fell victim to the laughter. As soon as I was able to breathe again I offered my hand to him, “coffee sounds lovely.”

“Good.”

AN: I wrote this very differently than anything I’ve ever written before. I actually hate writing in first person but I figured I’d give it a shot.

[gemsofgreece]

OK some things about Greece's Marina Satti results and we're done with this

JK I am not done with Marina I love her but we're done with the circus Marina was in, for another year

So, she is a perfectionist but I hope she will soon understand how much SHE SUCCEEDED. And it will look like a love delirium but no I am not being biased.

Marina Satti got 11th place. Missed Top 10 by one. She was basically killed by the juries.

In the televoting she won 8th place. So she was in the top 10 of all people's votes. She was also 8th in the votes from the Rest of the World, which is a big deal in my opinion.

I won't be mad at the juries because their voting overall made sense in many ways and we were aware that Zari was a not jury-friendly song in any way. It had zurna, it had rap, obviously juries don't go for this stuff. So, it's okay. We knew that.

BUT Marina Satti got 8th - 11th place:

By singing exclusively in the Greek language.

By singing in an entirely Balkan, eastern melody during a year that a lot of the Balkans and East Europe had withdrawn from the contest.

By kinda rapping / reggaetoning, which is generally hated in Eurovision.

By doing exactly her thing, despite knowing how much she would be fought by certain people.

By knowingly choosing the very risky song instead of a ballad and a typical dance song that she also had available as options.

By not trying to be "understood" and get sympathy votes.

By being given a tiny budget from the Greek delegation, much smaller than any previous years including to last year's NQ lame tycoon nephew entry. So GD gave a famous artist like Marina much less money than to those small unknown kids that had gone before her. WTF

By being hated for her song and her (genius) music video and a large percentage of the population writing in English and asking foreigners to not vote for her and blaming her for insulting Greece, Greek culture etc (HINT: No she did not insult it and a blog called gemsofgreece tells you that so relax) and insulting her, her morals, her family, her father's descent and her talent relentlessly for three months

By the unprecedented thing of the freaking SHOWBIZ of the country making openly insulting attacks against her and her song. Like, seriously, there were FAMOUS celebrities going on TV and calling her song "cat vomit", a fashion designer (before her dress choice lol) saying she should go to Eurovision naked because there's no other hope for her to get votes. I am serious. You might say, oh, she must have done something. NO. Guys, no. She has never said or done anything wrong to any celebrity in the country as far as I am aware. She was attacked by musicians, fashion designers, TV shows and honestly nobody knows why. It's a different thing to not like something than to get a polemic position openly as a celebrity against another famous person. This has never happened before, I don't remember anything like this. Celebrities shitting on another artist's effort out of nowhere, especially in advance. To put it simply, now that Marina will have to return to Greece (poor thing), she has good reasons to sue half the country.

By losing her father one month ago.

By getting pretty ill during the semi-final, losing her voice and being administrated medication every three hours.

By suffering chronically from severe anxiety, which is why she refused three prior propositions from the Greek delegation to represent the country.

Well, by receiving a new massive wave of hate from people from or supporting Israel and the Greek government controlled media and press, who all started a fierce campaign against her the last two days before the final. The reason was that she showed intentionally boredom / sleepiness during the time the Israeli contestant was speaking. Make of that what you will, I am only presenting the facts of how her placement was formed here. Many Jewish people wrote they had voted her in the semi but now they wouldn't. I believe because Israel is an eastern country, probably several people of Jewish descent voted for her and then all those votes were lost. It's no matter, I am just explaining that she would probably otherwise be 7th in the televoting, 10th overall. Here we analyze if Marina succeeded her goal, we don't nitpick for Eurovision's sake.

And as you see, she succeeded. With all the odds against her, with a LOT of people hating her and making her life harder and her effort impossible, with the loss of her father, she succeeded in her vision. Bring back Greek language, the eastern sound and having the world dance with it. Shoutout to Armenia who also succeeded in this and made top 10, the song was a little more conventional. Let's be real, Satti achieved all this with a VERY difficult song. The definition of a difficult song and in a little known language. Nothing else, just congratulations to her and I hope she realises all this and does not let her trademark anxiety and perfectionism get the better of her. Also, she really created an international fan community with this and I think there are good things coming for her in the future :)))))

PS1: Odds had her 8th-10th place but they underestimated the juries and the last day's hate she got. In general odds were not very successful this year.

PS2. No worries Greek and Cypriot televoting exchanged the 12 points again :D

PS3: to the ageist haters who wondered why she looks 20 though she is 38, kitties reach her age and you will be crying to look like her

PS4: Marina’s 8th place in televoting was the best placement since 2013, surpassing Amanda and Stefania with the English jury friendly songs 😃😃😃 Greek delegation take a bloody hint

[toomanythoughts2]

You know how influencers and celebrities do soft launches of their partners? Well, I can't stop imagining Skwistok soft launch, starting on Murderface's Chitter account and then evolving into an all band ordeal.

It would start with something accidental. Murderface takes a picture of himself for his account in the living room and his head is blocking Toki, except for his arm and the top of his head, which is resting on Skwisgaar's chest, who is in plain view. They are cuddling on the couch watching TV. Murderface posts the photo and the fans immediately notice the lovey-dovey action going on behind him with Skwisgaar and a mysterious person. They are going feral in the comments because they only know Skwisgaar as a player, they've never known him to be cozy with someone. Especially not in their private space.

So the band is freaking out a bit and Charles is trying to do damage control. Skwisgaar and Toki aren't out yet but they do want to be. However, Charles notices the rise in sales and "clicks" since the photo was posted. With the help of the band, they devise a plan to maximize profit, privacy, and eventually helping the guitarists come out with their relationship.

So it becomes a game. A member will post a photo of something, either themselves or whatever they're doing for the day, or a reel about their process in the studio. And all of these photos have small hints of a relationship occurring with Skwisgaar. A hand here, a leg there, the color of their hair, gifts in view that are meant for a partner, a kiss mark left someplace where the camera was not suppose to pick up. The list goes on and on. The photos have to go through an expert social media Klokateer then Charles before it can be posted, to double check that just enough is expose without it being too much.

And it works like crazy. Fans are going wild trying to figure out who Skwisgaar's partner is. Interviewers are even getting bold, asking him to his face about the mysterious person. For the plan to work, Skwisgaar can not confirm nor deny what status this person is. He can confirm that it is a person in his life, though. So the speculations start up.

Some think it's a famous model who has finally won over his heart. Others think it could be another musician from another band. Other speculate that it might be one of the single-moms he left and then rekindled his life with. Some even say that he's falling in love with one of the older women he bangs. The theories are all over the place, with people creating threads on their chosen person and why. Their record sales and revenue has never been better.

But alas, there is always a mistake somewhere. Toki posts a picture to his account one day with 0 intentions of including anyone or having it be part of the plan. In the background, behind Toki, is Skwisgaar's belt buckle. And the fans go crazy. They start putting 2 and 2 together and soon enough, they have the evidence that the mysterious person in Skwisgaar's love life is Toki.

The band isn't too upset, the goal was to have them eventually come out anyway. So, Charles sets up an interview with a reputable interview, someone respectful, for the couple to go on and announce their relationship. Charles literally watches their sales spike during the interview and concludes that this was the best way for this it end financially.

[thepotentialof2007]

Quick reference for the LH excerpts from Kate Wagner's behind the scenes at COTA article.

All sports are powered by the personalities of their practitioners, and Formula 1 has those in spades—the chipper, effusive Daniel Ricciardo; Mr. Suave, Carlos Sainz; plucky George Russell; the deep-feeling Charles Leclerc; and, perhaps above all, the sport's longtime great champion, a man from some of the humblest beginnings in motorsport, the regal and soft-spoken Lewis Hamilton, who just announced an absolutely shocking move to Ferrari after an illustrious 11 years and six championships behind the wheel of a Mercedes (and six seasons and one championship with Mercedes-powered McLarens).

. . . .

The day's activities commenced with a tour of the garage. In the garage, there are many mysteries one is not allowed to know or see. The use of phones is forbidden lest one incur accusations of espionage. When we got into the garage, Lewis's car was naked, its insides visible for all to see. I think this was the moment where my respect for the sport as it exists really made itself clear. It is hard to describe what I felt looking at that car. The closest phrase I have at my disposal is the technological sublime. I pictured a living, breathing animal of extraterrestrial origin, hooked up to a thousand arcane sensors that delivered messages in little pulses. All the tubes and sculpted carbon-fiber parts and the endless net of wires all working in service to the godhead engine, formed something totally incomprehensible to me, a feat of engineering so vast it breached the realm of magic. Hamilton himself walked through in his helmet, unexpectedly on an errand. After being in the presence of the car, I perceived him differently than before, when he was just a guy driving in circles on TV. The scope of his capabilities became more directly known to me in the face of that which I believed to be unknowable. All of that was built in service of him. He stopped and looked into the open maw of the car. The tour guide led us hurriedly into the back room where the coffee and tire bags were stored so that no one could listen to what Lewis said.

About half an hour later, they brought him up to the paddock to talk to us. It wasn't a press conference, but rather a kind of a TED Talk. The questions were rote and a guy with a microphone asked them as though they were being broadcast on television. Hamilton talked rotely about how much he loved America and the fans here, talked—to the people who needed reassurance—about how the car was "getting there" but made it pointedly certain that they knew it still needed some work, which surprised me, making me realize this was still a private setting. I come from a sport where chivalry never died and no one is allowed to say anything negative because it is "unsportsmanlike" and every cyclist has to play his part in the farcical pageant of being a dull, humble farmer's son. It is a pretty open secret that a lot of cyclists don't like their bike sponsors but they would never, ever, ever say it. It's somewhat contradictory, but the sheer financial calculus of F1 is what makes it possible for Hamilton to be critical. This is a multibillion-dollar industry putting its full heft behind him doing well. It's reminiscent of the patronage system of precapitalist times, when rulers and nobles with endless riches paid musicians and composers to live in the palace with them.

. . . .

Frustrated, I returned to watching the cars as they started up again, knowing that the drivers were pushing them to their limits, engrossed in their personal kaleidoscope of motion and color. Hamilton was in one of them. In the last shootout, he drove differently than before. A great verve frayed the lines he was making, something we can only call effort, push. Watching him, I understood what was so interesting about this sport, even though I was watching it in its most bare-bones form—cars going around in circles. The driver is the apotheosis of quick-moving prowess, total focus and control. The car is both the most studied piece of human engineering, tuned and devised in lab-like environments and at the same time a variable entity, something that must be wrestled with and pushed. The numbers are crunched, the forms wind-tunneled. And yet some spirit escapes their control, and that spirit is known only by the driver. Yes, we watch this perfect blend of man and machine, but we speak of the machine as though it were not of human origin, as though the machine, being born from science could—eventually, through its iterative processes—sublimate human flaws. The driver, being human, knows this is false. His intimacy with the machine is the necessary missing connection, and even if the machine were perfect, it was made for imperfect hands. But it is never perfect. The gaps in its perfection are where disasters transpire, but also miracles. As we waited for the van to take us where we were parked, a part of the track was still visible to us. Hamilton distinguished himself by the lines he cut along the corner and the loudness of his engine, that pushing. We heard over a loudspeaker that he had finished third, a remarkable improvement above the last two sprints, where he lagged behind in the midfield. This made everyone in our camp happy. They always called him by his first name. It reminded me of how I used to talk about cyclists after I started interviewing them, with the swagger of knowing them.

. . . .

When Hamilton came into the room he was wearing a cool pair of pants with shimmery colored mesh sewed in and had an exhausted appearance, having come just from the track. We were allowed to talk to him but were told not to make any recordings or transcriptions. When he spoke, it was notable how often he mentioned his father and how deeply-felt his political convictions were. Some people are totally different off the record, but Lewis was simply a more lively version of himself. I find him a fascinating figure. A lot of fans either love or hate him, see him, paradoxically, as both humble and arrogant. The word quiet is better. Not reserved, not shy, just quiet. He belongs to a special group of people. The ones I've met in life include the violinist Hilary Hahn and Pogačar, the Tour de France winner—human beings who walk the earth differently, with an aura that transcends it. He appeared perpetually relaxed, controlled and refined, both present with us in the room but on a higher plane within. We used to call this magnificence when we believed in kings. I don't know what we call it now. Excellence, maybe. The irony of parading someone incredible like that around in the backrooms of petrochemical executives is not lost on me. I was grateful that I got the opportunity to speak to Lewis Hamilton, someone I am not ashamed to say I admire. I would have preferred it if they let him go home and rest instead.

[genderqueerdykes]

it's still equinox, we changed our URL

i've had a lot of time to think about it and after my experience with and very deep exposure to my local punk community, i no longer feel safe or accurate calling myself a punk. it's not a community or ideology for me- at its core, what it's supposed to be, sure, but there are dangers that come with this community and label and i'm not interested in participating in them.

i don't really like the idea of associating with people who are focused on building a community centered around violence. i don't want to associate with a community that ignores its sick, injured, disabled, addicted, mentally ill and queer because people are too focused on ignoring reality for the sake of complaining about how bad things are instead of doing something to change them. i'm not comfortable in a community that would rather just hand the active addict another beer or line of coke because they'd rather just momentarily placate the person than get them help.

i'm not interested in being a part of community that values music being played way too loudly, at volumes that damage people's hearing, and fucking around with flashing lights for hours over people's safety and well being. i'm not here for people who are literally screaming things like "Let's play loud noise and piss people off!", proudly stating that they enjoy pissing off people's neighbors. i'm not here for music that i can't even fucking hear.

i'm not here for a community of people who get too drunk and wasted to appreciate the music that's being played for them, and i really don't appreciate a community full of drunk and wasted musicians who go to house venues and trash the place and scream and disrespect the venue owners and literally admit they played the entire set wrong because they were too fucking drunk. i'm sick of perpetually dealing with dirtbag musicians who take advantage of the vulnerable people who join the punk community and see intoxicated minors and shy people and instantly assault them.

i'm not here for people who are intentionally offensive. i'm not here for people who go out of their way to be aggressive and to anger people for no reason whatsoever. i'm not here for unnecessary hatred and violence. i'm not here for performative activism. i'm not here for all the lies and emotional manipulation that goes on. im not here for people who are proud to be assholes. i'm not here for an attempt to re-phrase bullying, exclusion and hatred as counter-culture revolutionary behavior.

i'm not here for talking about changing the world, talking about being better to other people, talking about dismantling oppressive power structures and doing nothing to actually put that into action, and in fact, contributing to those structures. i'm not here for people who say they help their community when in reality all they do is sit around on each others' couches wasting away drinking beer and watching TV for 14 hours a day. i'm not here for listening to people talk about how evil the rich are and then watching them refuse to help a homeless person who needs money or a meal.

i'm not punk. i don't wanna be considered one anymore. i'm just me. i have my own thoughts and feelings about humanity- like how we should prioritize inclusion and safety, but i don't need a label that might misinform people to convey that. i'm just me, a bunch of genderqueer dykes in a trench coat, and i'm fine with that. i'm happy to just be myselves

[jqmalikhsgib]

love of my life

chapter one

spring happened to be the best moment in your life. your first kiss was in spring, first date was in spring, first time was in spring, and the man you’d spend the rest of your life with, you met him in the spring time. most importantly you have your first baby in spring.

you and harry couldn’t be happier with your lives. unfortunately all good things must come to an end.

you met harry at one of the first few tours one direction had. your little sister was obsessed with the band. your dad, having amazing connections, bought the tickets and you took your sister to see the band live. your dad had got two backstage passes and you could tell your sister was gonna pass out just by how she looked.

finally getting to meet the boys you didn’t expect to fall in love. but the curly haired boy was beautiful. plus the accent wasn’t all bad either.

you didn’t wanna get ahead of yourself but he didn’t even miss a beat. he asked you out that night. since, you two have been inseparable. falling in love with a pop star wasn’t easy though.

you’ve seen front hand what that could do. your dad, being a lawyer, had many celebrity clients. you had met so many people in your life. and some of them even opened up to you as you got older. and the things you’ve heard.

the hate fans give people simply because they’re dating their favorite musician or actor. you knew if you wanted to be with harry you had to keep your relationship extremely private.

and you have, since the very beginning! the two of you were careful. very careful! no one knew who you were and the media made harry out to be a player.

the truth was you’ve started dating when you were fifteen, he was sixteen, got engaged when you were twenty-one, and got married a year later.

now you’re thirty and you have a beautiful daughter together. and still no one suspected a thing.

until the day you got caught

you two were enjoying each other. it was your first night out since having maybelle. she was currently with her grandparents while you and harry spend a evening out. harry has been planning his tour while filming two different movies.

the two of you rarely get to catch up. you missed your husband dearly but you knew he loved his job. seeing the smile on his face as his fans scream the lyrics back to him. it was something magical.

harry talks about the movies he’s starring in. he enjoyed the cast on both sets. you just loved listening to him. his eyes shining bright.

“babe, you’re gonna love my policeman.”

you hum as you sip your wine.

“what’s that look?”

“it’s just the movies aren’t always as good as the book. i don’t wanna be disappointed.”

harry playfully rolls his eyes at his wife. you just shrug your shoulders. harry continues to talk about the cast. the two of you were too busy enjoying each other.

normally more self aware of your surroundings. making sure paparazzi wasn’t around or a fan wasn’t taking pictures.

today you just wanted to enjoy each other. unfortunately the paps had been called when a ‘fan’ spotted harry on a date with a mystery woman.

neither of you noticed. after awhile harry grabbed the check and paid. he leaves a generous tip before he grabs you hand and kisses the back of it.

you lean your head on his shoulder as you walk towards the car. he opens the door for you before getting into the car himself and driving off. neither of you ready for the storm that’s coming your way.

you weren’t paying too much attention to the tv. it was just white noise while you played with your four month old daughter.

you never knew you could love a person so much until you had maybelle. she was your life! she looked so much like harry. her eyes were even a beautiful green.

she had harry’s dimples as well. you basically birthed a photo copy of your husband. harry kept telling you she had your nose and your smile. but the only thing she had of yours was your skin tone. you didn’t mind though, she was just adorable.

“next topic, harry styles.”

“oh, look may, they’re talking about daddy.”

her head turned when you called his name. she looked at the tv and smiled when she saw her father. her body bouncing up and down excitedly.

“looks like our pop star is in another relationship!”

you roll your eyes. it’s been years and they’re still labeling your husband as a womanizer. sure he had a lot of female friends. but you know all of them personally. plus you trust your husband completely. he loved you and he’s proven that time and time again over the years. you didn’t care what the media thought.

“he was seen on a lunch date with a mystery woman. we have no idea who she is but she sure was cuddled up to the superstar.”

you turned your head and gasped. their you were on tv. how the hell did they find you? you wanted to shed tears. instead you grabbed your cellphone and called your father.

“daddy,”

“i was just about to call you darling. ive seen the news.”

“what can we do?”

“i can try to find the son of a bitch and sue his ass for everything he’s worth. it’ll take some time but ill get it done, baby.”

“daddy, this isn’t—i have maybelle now. i gotta protect her first.”

“i know darling. we’ll make sure she’s safe from any media outlet. have you talk to harry?”

“no, called you first. i—i don’t think he’s seen. he would have called me.”

he was most likely busy filming. you knew when he was done for the day he’d have multiple notifications.

you just knew you needed to prepare yourself for what’s to come. for the sake of your sanity and your family.

[thislovintime]

1968.

“‘Actually, I wanted to leave the group over two years ago when the first season ended, but the guys convinced me not to. I didn’t care about all the things that were happening, all the acclaim. I hated the work! It was tough, and I didn’t like it. I just wanted to record for all my life. Also, the pressure was awful. We were working in an incredibly new environment. Half of the crew on the show was young and had very little experience at that level of work. Many of them were getting their first big break. Actually, after the TV show was canceled it was easier for me to leave. Doing the TV show was the worst. Then came the movie, and I couldn’t forego the movie, so I did it. You know, there were moments here and there — lots of good, funny stuff happening throughout — but the only time that I was really happy was when we were recording the ‘Headquarters’ album. The concerts were fun, but during the concert tours you are removed from your friends except for the guys. And even when we did take a few friends along it was only a mild relief. This last tour of Australia and Japan wasn’t fun because I felt hideously under-rehearsed. I was constantly pushing for rehearsals, and they were constantly saying well, like later. We couldn’t get together. Also, we didn’t play any new music this last concert tour. It was all old tunes, nothing from our newer albums, and it was a bore. But I think they suspected I was leaving anyway. For me, a lot of the pressure was off. When I felt a part of the group every time someone said something that jarred my sensibilities, I’d raise a huge ruckus and everybody thought I was out of my mind. While we were making the TV Special, knowing I was not going to be there any longer, I just thought to myself — I don’t have to worry about this thing — and I just let everything slide off my back. They must have though something was screwy. Then I finally told them, ‘Gentlemen I’m in negotiations to resign from the group.’ And they said, ‘Okay, well, there’s not much time, we’d better get to work on this Special.’ So we taped the thing and that’s the last I saw of them. The last day of the taping they gave me this little testimonial memorial watch.’ From his pocket Peter drew out a silver, antique-looking timepiece with the back side engraved, ‘To Peter Tork, from the guys down at work.’ ‘I’m free, I don’t know what I’ll be doing. I’m actually a little apprehensive, because there’s no doubt that there are three other incredibly talented fellows out there. They’re very talented guys. Mike is one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. Micky is even funnier and Davy is just cute as a button. Who could ask for anything more? Davy dances so great, did you see him dance in the film? I’ve not seen dancing like that on the screen except from Fred Astaire. The only other thing is that I’m both really relieved and really, really apprehensive. I’m terribly glad and also terribly sad.’” - NME, January 25, 1969

“Peter and I were the bulk of the playing ability because we were musicians. But when Peter left it rather unnerved Davy and Micky — and I changed my mind [about leaving]. After all, the personal appearances were pretty well satisfying, the music was fun, and the whole thing was fairly lucrative. And Davy and Micky left alone would have been in real trouble.” - Michael Nesmith, Disc and Music Echo, September 19, 1970

"In a telephone interview this week, Tork explained why he left the group in 1968, three years after it was formed. ‘Musicians were being auditioned in an effort to create the Monkees, and the purpose was to reap money,’ he said. ‘But for our first two albums, studio musicians were hired to do the instrumentals and we just did the lead singing. I didn’t want that.’ Tork convinced the other three members, Davy Jones, [Micky] Dolenz and Mike Nesmith, to do the third album themselves. ‘But I couldn’t get the guys to go for that again, so the fourth album was half and half,’ he said. Critics had frowned on the Monkees for this. ‘Every single malcontent felt he had the right to tell me what was wrong with the situation. I took the critics to heart,’ Tork said. ‘When I talked to the guys about it, they told me if I want more I should get my own act.’ Tork describes his current relationship with Jones, Dolenz and Nesmith as ‘cordial.’ ‘I learned to put all my bitterness behind me,’ he said. ‘I hear about them through the grapevine, but we have no real call to talk to each other, although, I had a brief lunch with Davy Jones in Japan recently.’ When Tork joined the Monkees in October 1965, he was 23 years old and inexperienced in handling fame and fortune. ‘There’s a lot of things involved with money and recognition, and the price was much higher than I expected,’ he said. ‘There’s an isolating pressure that goes along with success. I couldn’t handle it.’" - article by Lisa Stenza, Connecticut Daily Campus, February 26, 1982 (read more in an older post)

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 4/23/22

three months unemployed YAY. also wherein i get SUPER pressed about star wars lore

listening

funeral by tele novella. popped open tiktok to see something my best friend sent me and this was there, the first thing on the for you page. let's yoink a description of their previous album from an interview i'm going to quote at length in a bit: "The result was “exactly what we wanted it to be,” a perfumed mist of jingling, jangling, lilting, off-center pop—a strange little snowglobe gathering dust at the back of the shelf."

the lyrics did hit me like a train bc i often find myself mourning places and situations that were not necessarily good for me but were familiar.

Oh, you're not tied up Here comes the train The tracks feel safe because you know 'em

if you had told me this was made in about 2007-2009ish i would have believed you. very spare production in the way folksier songs of the time were spare. a bit raspy and direct in her delivery. there's a bandcamp interview wherein i found out this is the side project of a vintage/antiques dealer and she has a fascinating perspective on her own music:

Her passion for the craft is evident—in our conversation as much as in listening to the band—but music, for her, is a means to an end, a way to transmit stories. “As a musician, I’m mediocre at best,” Ribbons says matter-of-factly. “I think that my talent lies in my storytelling ability. I think that I’m a good storyteller.” It’s something instilled in her by her grandparents, “voracious readers” who were always buying her books and secretly wanted Ribbons to be a writer, she suspects.

i really adored this whole album as a cohesive work. "vampire cowgirl" is another standout for obvious reasons.

You came barrelin' down Rabid with some talk Of a gal who rides at night Picking off the stock

remarkably good at reproducing the general vibe of the midcentury cowboy western album, when tv cowboys were sweeping the nation

-

reading

T. Kingfisher's Nettle & Bone. enjoyed it, but not quite as much as her other stuff. whereas her other series are almost always comical and often stray into farce, this one was a bit grim. even with the addition of a demonic chicken. had to stop and really think about if my own experience with funerals and funerary rites (too many, too often) was coloring this for me but i think it is simply not as funny or interested in being funny as her other works. not a ding against it, but not what i was really expecting or in the mood for. image from tor, let's yoink the description from macmillan

This isn't the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince. It's the one where she kills him. Marra — a shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter — is relieved not to be married off for the sake of her parents’ throne. Her older sister wasn’t so fortunate though, and her royal husband is as abusive as he is powerful. From the safety of the convent, Marra wonders who will come to her sister’s rescue and put a stop to this. But after years of watching their families and kingdoms pretend all is well, Marra realizes if any hero is coming, it will have to be Marra herself. If Marra can complete three impossible tasks, a witch will grant her the tools she needs. But, as is the way in stories of princes and the impossible, these tasks are only the beginning of Marra’s strange and enchanting journey to save her sister and topple a throne.

paywalled article, sorry, but i personally have a bone to pick with fanduel due to [REDACTED INCIDENTS] from [PREVIOUS JOB] so it does not surprise me in the slightest that they don't really seem to be doing a single fucking thing about money-laundering. allegedly.

-

watching

the bad batch, or the 13/16 episodes of the third and final season that are out. all these images are from comicbookreview bc i watched this on my actual television

one of the plots i hate most is the trying to get someone back plot. for example, i think finding nemo does this really well bc it's also a coming of age/parenting movie. i do not think the second finding nemo movie does this well bc as soon as one person is reunited with the group, through a wacky series of coincidences they lose another member. plus that movie is part of the downturn of modern pixar where they forgot how to tell interesting stories but that's neither here nor there. the bad batch falls into the finding nemo 2 category. it's simply frustrating to watch. it turns into a desperate floundering after whoever happens to be missing instead of using a The Searchers style plot to say something about the act of the search itself. i realize i am once again saying "what if star wars was good" but like. come on.

the bad batch s3 is surprisingly focused on retroactively filling in the backstory of how and why palpatine got cloned with his force powers intact, which is apparently a difficult technical problem. i would have cared about this if this show came out before the last movie and we had a cool breadcrumb style approach leading up to the movie. unfortunately that movie (and the sequel trilogy more broadly) killed a lot of my interest in modern star wars. anyway, this cloning problem leads to a lot of very technical conversations in a children's' show that are interesting to me, a grownup, bc no star wars media has ever successfully explained 1) what midichlorians actually are and 2) the biological processes by which they operate but refuse to be cloned? which is extremely funny to me bc midicholrians aren't supposed to be real. qui-gon has that whole little speech and blood test in the phantom menace but the series had So scrupulously stayed away from explaining how the force works before that. they still fail to explain it but they at least attempt to break two inches of new ground. side note this show gives us TWO canon trans girl clones and i really wish they were in a better show.

it's annoying that i'm annoyed about a children's show meant to sell toys. some fun things: the pyke syndicate shows up, a slew of my favorite bounty hunters show up, this show is much better at painterly backgrounds and has an overall more concept-art feel than the clone wars proper or rebels. i think it would be cool if they stopped whitewashing the clones. i'm going to finish out the season but i don't exactly have a lot going on in my life right now. i am not terribly sad that this is the final season but BOY do they have a lot of loose ends to wrap up in three episodes.

-

playing

new genshin update on uhhh thursday and it's kind of exciting bc i THINK it will finally fill in this hole on the map and the associated shorelines of three different countries!

i thought i had long since found all the chests in liyue (the second area released) but in the process of doing a recently released character quest set in liyue i found another chest. this game is very good at hidden objectives and little secrets but i wish it was better at letting you know when you have Actually cleared an area completely of all the little hidden stuff. anyway i have been holding back the last character hangout (ningguang, my best beloved ruthless girlboss business high femme) for a terrible day and that day came! unfortunately hanging out with the fake pretend video game lesbian did make me feel better!

also unfortunately i fucked up and cannot count so the gacha pity system (every 90 pulls you're guaranteed a 5-star character) gave me Neuvillette. who i don't hate but i wasn't really planning on pulling for. i do like his questline and his voice actor, he simply doesn't fit in super well with a mono-electro team bc i play this game like an insane woman.

the real bitch of the thing keeping me from upgrading him is going out in the overworld and collecting enough sea stars. why can't he need flowers or little gears or anything else i have a thousand of.

anyway this gal will be dropping sometime in the next six weeks and i AM extremely excited to pull for her. she has some cool abilities (GUN) and is part of a popular pair with the steampunk lolita character i love and leads my other main team. i hope their abilities play well off each other but she has such a cool storyline and design i don't super care if she fits in with my playstyle. i will adapt for her in a way i am not willing to do with neuvilette

-

making

i am once again obsessed with gallery walls, bc a friend has asked me to find the correct gigantic size frames to put some comics on his wall, and that has given me an excuse to go to thrift stores again.

unfortunately i have mostly found frames for me, and the projects i have been working on have kind of a long tail of when they will actually be on my walls. i picked up four 16x20 frames for $2.50 each (solid wood! remarkably detailed!) bc i eventually want to put up these fallout maps in the style of national parks maps up on the map wall in my office. i suppose this means i should join @ruffledringdove and actually play '76, bc that's the one modern game i haven't played. these are getting scuff sanded with 120 and painted with a eggshell paint sample in a bright white u all know the drill at this point. ive painted a lot of frames in the past few weeks.

left is one of the painted 16x20 map frames, right i have also finally sanded and painted both 12x16 deckle-edged wood frames i picked up off the side of the road in MA. and found glass + backs for them! eventually i will procure fancy mats and print + frame my grandmothers' portraits. they will eventually go on the living room wall, which is a neutrals and blue-greens wall of slightly disdainful women. this will help me swap the three maps in there to the office map wall.

i have also acquired this gigantic plaster-over-wood mirror for $15. i am using leftover rub n buff bc i don't have a great spot to spraypaint here without sheeting my entire front porch, and rub n buff is way less susceptible to 80% humidity than spray paint. also i would have to buy spray paint. i am looking up suspiciously bc i thought there was a bug. not sure what mackie was looking at.

[kinuhanino]

The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives is Lena Sabrewing's song.

A Lyric by Lyric breakdown ✨✨

Because each verse fits Lena so well it's actually so insane

Like... this song fits her backstory to a T. I'm half convinced she wrote it herself.

also note! I imagine the song being sung by Lena. As in, This is Lena talking to Magica, or telling Magica these things she feels.

another note: this is solely my interpretation of Lena's backstory and how it could fit in the song! any other interpretations are valid but this is my personal take on it.

So without further adieu, here it is!

The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives

Tell me once again I could have been anyone, anyone else Before you made the choice for me

Born from the shadows, Lena could've literally been anyone. She could've been just a homeless kid roaming around the streets. She could've been adopted by a family. She could've made friends. Could've started a band. Be a musician. An Artist. She could've stayed in Italy. Be among the people there. Have a life of her own.

But no, she couldn't. Didn't.

Because she was the shadow of Magica De Spell. A mere puppet used for trickery and deception. And the key to setting her former caster free.

My feet knew the path We walked in the dark, in the dark I never gave a single thought to where it might lead

Lena was made on Mount Vesuvius, which is in Italy. She had to - practically on her own - ('cuz i doubt that Magica was helpful) go from Italy to the US to get to Duckburg, whilst being a newly made living person from the shadows, most likely not having a single clue on how to be a person.

She was probably so confused at first. I feel like Magica immediately ordered her to do something complicated and yelled at her for not understanding what to do.

For the first few years, she probably just blindly followed Magica's instructions. She followed the path Magica paved and led her to, and it was littered with shadows and darkness.

All those empty rooms We could have been anywhere, anywhere else Instead, I made a bed with apathy

Eventually, Lena probably learnt about Magica's nature and the morality of it. She probably saw how other people treated each other, or maybe she was able to watch a TV show that showed her what a good and honest person would act.

Eventually, however, she would have to arrive at Duckburg and follow through with the plan her master made for her. She'd be at the place where the main plan were to commence, and she'd have to put her morals aside for just a little more to finally be free.

My heart knew the weight Ten years worth of dust and neglect We made our peace with weariness and let it be

*15 years of dust and neglect.

Lena wasn't cared for in the slightest. It's really evident given how Magica treated her throughout the series. Magica only wanted her powers back, and Lena was the means to get it.

She didn't care about where and how Lena was supposed to live in this world. She didn't even consider her alive.

And Lena knew this, so she just chose to live through the bare minimum. There wasn't any point in her making any friends since she was just a tool. There was no point for her to get attached to anything because she wasn't staying anywhere for long.

And eventually, Lena probably got bored of "living". She grew to care less about everything and everyone around her. Her life was just a means to an end. She didn't and couldn't experience what it felt like to be alive because there always was a shadow lingering behind her, telling her that she was wasting her time on something useless.

Name your courage now We could have had anything, anything else Instead, you hoarded all that's left of me

*insert scenepack of Magica possessing Lena's body*

need I say more?

Swallowin' your doubt Like swords to the pit of my belly I want to feel the fire that you kept from me

She wants to feel love. She wants to feel warmth. She wants to feel the embrace of someone who actually cares about her. She craves it. The love, the lessons, the concern, all of it. She wants it, no, needs it at this point. She'd been deprived of it for so long, it's like breathing air for the first time after being submereged in the water.

And that family, the McDuck family, they gave it around like it was free candy. Sure, she had to earn some of it from Mrs. Beakley, but when she did, the love, concern and the protectiveness was offered to her, not only tenfold, but with no strings attached.

She's never experienced anything like it before. The feeling of security, the love that wrapped around her like a warm blanket. For once in her life, she finally felt safe. And now that the had a taste of it, she can never let go.

The moon will sing a song for me I loved you like the sun

At the end of the day however, looking back, she loved her aunt. Despite all of the torment, abuse, and neglect, during that period of her life, she loved her. It was wishful thinking on her part, but she truly deeply wanted Magica's love, approval, and care.

She loved her. She was her creator. She was there when she was made. And although it was probably grudingly, Magica most likely was the person who taught her the basics of life, or atleast, to blend in with the people.

Bore the shadows that you made With no light of my own

Lena is a shadow, case in point.

Additionally, Lena didn't have a life besides being Magica's sentient shadow. She didn't have a life of her own without her. She was just a slave to her master.

I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me

She was only as alive as Magica wished her to be (atleast in her perpective). To her, she wouldn't be alive until she truly had her freedom.

And that was the driving force for Lena to go along with Magica's plan. She didn't want to do it (especially after meeting the McDuck family) but she had to. She never had a choice. The only choices she was able to make were in the guise of furthering Magica's ploy for revenge.

So, she shined (had freedom) only with the light (permission) she (Magica) gave her.

And she shined (lived) only with the light (magic) she (Magica) gave her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank You for Listening to my TedTalk!

u wanted to read it so here's a tag! @threeaxolotlsinatrenchcoat

[bird-inacage]

CALL ME BY FIRE (SEASON 3): Participation of Jeff Satur

Now this has been the most uncanny crossover I never saw coming. A show I've been watching for years, and my introduction to thai BL which initially put Jeff's name on my radar. Here's some context for any fans who have heard of his participation and want to know more.

Call Me by Fire is a mainland Chinese TV competition show. They invite 33 established male celebrities with the goal to form an ultimate "boy band" by the show's conclusion. What tends to be the incredible pulling factor is they'll invite a combination of singers, musicians, actors, dancers, idols, presenters - incredibly well known faces in the industry - many of them hugely respected OGs in their field. (The demographic is usually late 20s+) so there's an intentional sense of maturity, experience and wisdom amongst the ensemble. The emphasis isn't really on forming this 'fictional' boy band, it acts as a mechanism for us to get more up close and personal with these artists. Allowing viewers to appreciate their creative genius, as well as who they are as people.

This show came as a spin off of another series 'Sisters Who Make Waves' which has the exact same premise but for female celebrities. Because it became such an instant hit, they made a male version shortly after.

As a Chinese speaker, I've been watching both shows since they started in 2020. Both are in their third season (with Call Me by Fire broadcasting right now). This year they've decided to include more participants (of mainly Chinese/Asian descent) from America, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand - along with the majority from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Why I find this show both incredibly entertaining and compelling is because you get to watch spectacular collaborations between some of the most talented artists of this generation, and witness them embark on a journey of brotherhood through a shared love for performance (they live, work and perform together for the duration of the show). For me, theres also a massive nostalgia factor, because a large portion of these artists will be people I grew up watching.

There will be a lot of new attention on this show due to the Jeff's involvement (whose dubbed ‘Luo Jie Fu’ in Chinese). We’re only on Episode 2, and he's already making a huge impression, earning one of two MVPs spots after their first live performance - his group ranking 2nd out of 8, and his personal ranking being 7th overall (based on the live audience popularity vote).

The show is uploaded onto Youtube in full (post-broadcast on a Saturday). Just to warn you, the episodes are usually very, very long (sometimes between 2-3 hours in total), but I personally really enjoy that. There are English subtitles but the translations don’t always capture the nuances.

Jeff is doing a superb job so far and he's very brave for taking this on. He brings something distinctly unique in his showmanship and personal sense of style. It's a daunting prospect for someone who can't speak or understand Chinese, but the other brothers are doing their best to help him feel as welcome and settled in as possible.

If anyone has any questions about the show or clips featuring Jeff they'd like to know more about, I'm more than happy to translate.

[joanofexys]

Hi! Sorry for randomly dropping anon into ur inbox, but I’m kind of in love with ur oc’s and I was wondering if you could tell me more abt Ilya? Ik u said they’re just some guy from Penn state and for some reason that really intrigues me lol.

Never apologize I love anons and I'm so flattered you like my little guys. Also sorry this is gonna take a minute and there will be many typos cause I'm typing one handed on my laptop while eating an icecream/my cat tries to steal my icecream bar, not that you needed that info

ANYWAY litte recap on Ilya:

22 years old

5'5

he/they, transman

youngest of 4, has all sisters

Played for Penn State

Now plays for Olympic Court

Goalie

Number 7

I haven't decided on what he majored in yet

Yeah he really is just some guy. He's the only athlete really in his family. One of his older sisters ran track in high school, but otherwise their family is full of musician. Dad is a middle school orchestra teacher, mom is a music professor, his sisters all went into the arts. He can play a, quite frankly, ridiculous amount of instruments and he enjoys them all but he's not particularly passionate about it.

His parents signed him up for little league exy because he saw exy on the tv once and wouldn't shut up about it/was begging them to play. His parents just wanted all of their kids to be happy so they caved very quickly and Ilya developed an intense passion for the sport that obviously never went away.

Ilya's oldest sister (Liliya) is 7 years older than him, the other one 4 years older (Kateryna or just Kat), and the sister after (Tanya) that only a year and a half older. They're all incredibly close despite any age gaps while also very much having a dynamic of lovingly bullying each other

Ilya kind of always knew he was trans and they were always in a safe space to express it. His parents used to joke that they had "3 girls and an Ilya" and they didn't even bat an eye when as a kid he went straight for the "boys clothes" and asked to be called a prince instead of a princess and only responded to being called a boy. At school it was different, in elementary school other kids didn't care but the teachers could be weird about it, and then as a teen other kids started getting mean about it. But his parents and their sisters were always accepting and they filled their house with enough love that Ilya never thought about being closeted or pretending to be someone he wasn't.

He gets recruited to Penn State's team as their starting goalkeeper as an openly trans athlete. His team's respectful for the most part. There are some people who just don't seem to get it, but they're never outright rude or transphobic to him. There are sometimes snide remarks and something Not Cool said on accident and Ilya is always quick to correct it and most of his teammates are decent enough to apologize and try to do better

And he talks A Lot about being a trans and generally queer athlete. He's happy to be one of those people out and proud for everyone who can't be. Ilya has always, unapologetically, taken up space. Not even focused on his queerness, just in the way he exists as a person. If he's in a room you're going to know he's there and you're probably going to know their every thought as well.

They care a lot and they take everything to heart. They're very much a "don't cry cause you'll make me cry" type of person. He's much more willing to take on people's pain and share their burdens than he probably should be.

And he has zero filter. While he's absolutely paving the way as a queer athlete and he has a lot to say to the press about that his press time also has to be limited because he will just say shit. He has insulted other teams, insulted specific players, shared information that he definitely shouldn't have, said "fuck" on camera too often to keep count, and a lot more. He is keeping the Penn State vs Edgar Allan Ravens twitter discourse alive and well with all the shit that comes out of his mouth

He makes his best friend his junior year. She's a sophomore named Alice and she's a defensive dealer. Her sophomore year she comes as trans, MTF, and Ilya is the first person she tells becuase he's one of the only queer people she knows. After that they're pretty much attached at the hip and Ilya would kill and die for her. Her family isn't super accepting so he takes her home with him for the holidays. His family becomes hers and they're more than happy to add one more girl to the family.

Ilya makes court right after he graduates and it's with Jude, Em, Mara, Florian. you know the drill at this point. They're the ones I never shut up about. And I think I'll largely be repeating myself and I don't want to be annoying with that so we'll stop there

Some other fun things about Ilya though:

he never learned how to ride a bike. he will never ride a bike. fuck no (he fell over and scraped his knee once and despite all the balls to the head playing exy that was his breaking point for some reason and he never got on a bike again)

he's a cat person

he teaches Florian ASL and it's the main they talk to each other cause Florian likes to go nonverbal

they were such a huge fan of Jude it took everything in them to not be starstruck when the two first met

the two instruments they stuck with were the violin and the piano

they have an addiction to strawberries

is almost always playing jazz music on a vinyl when they're home/have people over

he has a shitty autograph and Flor has begged him to "get better handwriting" since he signs so much stuff but he's fine with it being an unreadable disaster (Florian's autograph in comparison is gorgeous)

he is an unapologetic foxes stan after they win finals

[diazsdimples]

Writing Patterns!

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Tagged by @exhuastedpigeon @wikiangela @cal-daisies-and-briars @rainbow-nerdss @tizniz @puppyboybuckley @spotsandsocks @thekristen999 @hippolotamus and @aroeddiediaz thank you loves!

Starting from most to least recent.

You've got me whipped (Explicit, 10.8k)

It had only been a matter of time, Eddie reflects, before Buck did something really stupid. He’s heard all about the days of Buck 1.0, where Buck was very much act first, think later, and Hen had given him a thorough retelling of how Buck had scaled a crane after Eddie had been shot, imminent sniper threat be damned, but this is the first time he’s seen Buck go completely, well, Buck, and put himself into an insane amount of danger.

In a drought I'll give you water (Explicit, 8.2k)

Eddie’s hanging out the washing when he notices it. Just for the record, it’s not like he regularly inspects Buck’s underwear, thank you very much, but he’d felt something tacky on the inside of the flimsy fabric when he’d been about to peg it up, and had investigated like any sane person would do.

Kilty Pleasures (Explicit, 8k)

When Eddie had suggested that he and Buck attend a Scottish festival he’d seen advertised, he hadn’t really expected Buck to take him up on the offer, much less turn up at home two days later with two kilts and a shit eating grin.

With you I'm home (Teen, 20.6k) - WIP

“Daddy.” “Hmmm, go t’ sleep, Aid.” “Daddy, up!” “Five more minutes.” “Up now, Daddy!”

Play me like a fiddle (Explicit, 34k) MY BELOVED MUSICIAN FIC

Eddie Diaz likes to think he is a strong man. Physically and mentally.

Buck's Baby (By Accident) (General, 119k)

Buck had just gotten off a long 24-hour shift and was finally relaxing on his couch, beer in hand and TV set to a station that showed crappy reality shows. The shift had been taxing, with the alarm going off all night for various medical calls and then a five-alarm fire that had taken a few hours to get under control. Bobby’s dinner had cheered him up a little and had gotten him through the drive home, but he’d been relieved to finally pull up in the parking lot of his apartment building. Buck had the next 3 days off and planned to spend those days doing as little as possible. He’d organised to meet Eddie and Christopher at the zoo the next day, but the meeting had been organised for late enough in the afternoon that he could sleep in. Hen was going on a brief holiday with Karen for their anniversary and Chimney had made it clear that he and Maddie were not to be disturbed as they were trying for a baby and apparently Maddie was in her fertile time. Buck screwed up his nose as he remembered how thrilled his brother-in-law had seemed at the idea of a weekend of sex with his sister. It was not something he needed to think of right now.

Fucking Finally (Finally Fucking) (Explicit, 3.9k)

The car ride to the hotel felt much longer than it was, mostly because Eddie was fighting the urge to shove his hands down Buck’s pants that second. It was clear Buck was fighting similar urges as he fidgeted in the passenger seat, glancing over at Eddie and biting his lip every so often. When they pulled into the parking lot, Eddie quickly grabbed an overnight back he’d stashed in the back seat.

Burning with Need (Explicit, 3.8k)

The hot July sun was beating down on Buck’s bare back as him and Eddie hiked through Franklin Canyon Park, enjoying one of the few days off that aligned for them. It was a weekday, so Christopher was at school and, being bored and childless, the two men had decided that a hike was exactly the right activity to pass the time. They’d driven through Beverly Hills to get to the bottom of the trails, wistfully staring at the lavish homes and comparing notes on what they’d buy for their family if they had that much money. Eddie, it seemed, went for the more understated homes, generally single story with a large backyard, whereas Buck was of the mind of the more rooms the better, picking out large sprawling mansions that Eddie claimed would be an absolute nightmare to clean.

In sickness and in health (General, 3.7k)

When Eddie woke up with a pounding headache and a nose full of snot, he knew he was fucked. He wasn’t generally one to get sick, something he put down to his immune system constantly getting small doses of exposure to viruses between his job and parenting an elementary-school aged child, but when he did fall ill, he fell hard. He blearily creaked open an eyelid, squinting as the morning light filled his room, and fumbled with his phone to switch off his alarm. Flopping against his pillows, Eddie let out a load groan which quickly transformed into a hacking cough. Deep down he knew there was no way he was going to manage to get to work that day but he pulled back the covers and pushed himself off the bed regardless. He barely got two steps before the room spun sickeningly and he had to grasp his dresser to keep himself upright. With a sigh, Eddie accepted defeat and dragged himself back to bed, pulling up Bobby’s number as he settled back against the pillows, wiping his nose with the back of his hand as he did so.

Your Hands on my Body (Explicit, 1.9k)

Buck stood under the cold blast of the shower in Eddie’s bathroom, willing his erection to subside. It was the first morning in 3 weeks of staying with his friend that he’d woken up with morning wood, all because of a dream he’d had about Eddie. Buck wasn’t usually one to have sexy dreams about his friends and this one had him unusually hot and bothered. He could feel his heartbeat pulsing in his groin as his erection jutted proudly out from his body. When he first got into the shower, Buck had had full intentions of drowning himself with cold water and willing his erection away, but it looked as though that wasn’t going to happen. It almost seemed that the more he tried to ignore it, the harder he got. He tried firmly to not think of Eddie but all he could see in his mind’s eye was Eddie in the ocean, water dripping from his torso, his swimming trucks delicately cradling his package in a way that made Buck’s mouth water.

My writing style has changed SO MUCH. I have 2 eras, the before Buck's Baby era and the after Buck's Baby era and I really learned how to 1. be more concise and 2. where the enter button on my keyboard was adkjhashkdj. Recently I've been going for short starting sentences it seems.

Tagging some mutuals if you want to do it!

@theotherbuckley @daffi-990 @watchyourbuck @disasterbuckdiaz @bucksbackwardcap @fortheloveofbuddie @jesuisici33 @steadfastsaturnsrings @wildlife4life @evanbegins @slightlyobsessedwitheverything @spagheddiediaz @kitteneddiediaz @elvensorceress @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @smilingbuckley @actuallyitsellie @epicbuddieficrecs @sunflowerdiaiz

[harrisonstories]

Hey I've been thinking about this a lot and I wanted to ask you, do you think George was on the autistic spectrum?

Hi there, I apologise for such a late response.

You know, I've thought about that as well. A lot actually. I've been told I could be autistic but haven't been officially diagnosed, so I won't speak on that, but I am neurodivergent. One of the things which drew me to George in the first place was the fact I could relate to certain qualities he had which point in that direction. Namely the way he became obsessive about his interests -- immersing himself in research, watching the same films and tv shows over and over again, losing track of time, using them as a way of connecting with people, etc. and a strong desire for perfection in himself.

Examples of what I'm referring to:

"The thing about George -- and we all feel it strongly now that he’s gone off us -- is that he plunged into things. Whatever he got into, whether it was the sitar and Ravi Shankar or the Maharishi, he walked right in and never looked back." — Marianne Faithfull, Memories, Dreams and Reflections (2007)

"George had a really curious mind, and when he got into something he wanted to know everything." — Olivia Harrison, Rolling Stone (2011)

"When [Olivia] first met George she didn't know what George was talking about half the time, he was always quoting Python or ‘The Producers’. He used to say to Olivia ‘Ah my little Swedish bombshell’ which she explained she obviously didn’t look Swedish, but it was a line from the movie The Producers." — Olivia Harrison in Sydney, Australia (2005)

"Maybe there was just too much to do, but the house and the garden became an obsession with George. He found out everything there was to know about Sir Frank Crisp, how and why he built that extraordinary house and garden, why he wanted to re-create the Blue Grotto of Capri and build a mini Matterhorn in the Oxfordshire countryside. He wanted to get inside Sir Frank’s mind and fit into his old boots, and he seemed to want to do it alone. I can be obsessive, but then I get bored and need a change." — Pattie Boyd, Wonderful Tonight

Whether any of this actually means George was neurodivergent I don't know. It's always made me wonder though. It's difficult because not only do we not know George personally, the concept of there being a wide spectrum didn't become mainstream until after he died. There's such a lot of information nowadays which wouldn't have been available to him.

What you also have to consider is the influence of other factors such as experiencing extreme fame at a young age, growing up in post-war Liverpool, his family, and his introverted personality. He was often said to be very sensitive about his privacy and personal space, but I think most introverted people would struggle with that and being secretive was a common Harrison trait. He struggled to succeed within the school system even though he was smart, but he also grew up in a free-thinking household which would've made the rigidity of the outside world harder.

On the other hand you have quotes like this one from Olivia:

Q: Did George separate his private life from his life as a musician? OLIVIA: He didn’t separate anything, he knew no boundaries and was very open about everything, sometimes excessively so. Sometimes he said very funny, but rude things, and when I pointed it out to him, he just said, ‘I don’t have a private life, I just don’t know when you can say something.’ — Süddeutsche Zeitung (translated by Andrea of harrisonarchive) (2011)

What interests me about this is the last line where George says he "doesn't know when you can say something" and that he attributes this quality to being famous. The thing is, we know from various anecdotes he acted this way long before he was famous, and therefore it's unlikely to be the reason he had trouble knowing what was socially appropriate. His mum, Louise, had a reputation for her bluntness as well, so you could argue he got it from her, but I'm not sure that would hold up long into adulthood and after engaging in as many circles as George did. You also can't rule out the possibility of Louise being neurodivergent.

I've noticed all these parts of George come up repeatedly when his friends and family talk about him in every stage of life, and the suggestion he couldn't control it is mentioned several times as well, mostly by Olivia.

"When he opened up to you, he opened up completely. He didn’t know how to do things in half-measures -- which was really positive and sometimes really detrimental to himself." — Olivia Harrison, Mojo (2011)

"George really said everything that crossed his mind. I used to say, 'You really can’t get a thought to your brain without it slipping out your mouth.’ And he was painfully honest. It was an endearing trait, but sometimes you hoped that he wouldn’t be quite as honest as he was going to be." — Tom Petty, Rolling Stone (2002)

To reiterate what I said before, I'm by no means qualified to diagnose anybody and don't claim this to be concrete evidence. However, I hope it might encourage people to take a deeper look into understanding George's behaviour. I find that because there isn't a traumatic childhood to point to, he's not given the benefit of the doubt or afforded the same sensitivity as the other Beatles. People are much quicker to assume he acted out of spite and analysis of him is shallow.

Thank you for the question and giving me a chance to pull my thoughts on this together! If anyone would like to add their thoughts please feel free to share.

[prpfz]

🎃💉🦇 back at it with a fresh new ad!🦇💉🎃 not replacing anyone!

i'm a 22enby fella who's got an itch for something dark and whump-y! i write in third person, present or past tense, semi to advanced 'lazy lit' over discord! i use servers to keep things organized, and i love chatting ooc with my writing partners :} i love ovsessing over our characters, sending memes/tiktoks, sharing music, etc etc, and i'd love a partner who's the same way! i consider myself pretty active, but i do work most of the week- if i can't get a reply to you, i'll at least be active ooc. i can promise at least one reply per day (usually a lot more, but i don't wanna get anyone's hopes too high, bc again..work).

i'm looking to write some oc x oc stuff! mxm is preferred, but i'm open to potential mxf (i will be picky on this! i have a lot of mxf rps atm). polyamory is also super encouraged, but not required! and while i want to collaborate on a plot, dead dove themes are also preferred! i would also prefer to use *actor faceclaims for this! i think of it as **casting actors in our own movie, lolz. (*open to musicians, models etc as well.) when it comes to nsfw, i write switches and prefer writing against other switches, or doms. no overly submissive characters, please! just not my cup of tea, i fear.

(**about casting actors: i think it would also be super fun to format this like a movie or a tv show! with actors cast as certain characters in our plot, separation into 'episodes,' etc etc! this isn't necessary, but i think it would be neat)

onto the fun stuff 😎

alrighty! spooky season has begun as far as i care, and i'm itching to torment a new character. i want this to be my character's traumatic lore, lol. being me your worst dudes! serial killers, monsters, the worst you've got. i just want an excuse for my character to get smacked around. bring on the torture! psychological, physical, whatever! maybe my character somehow wronged yours, and yours is getting revenge in an extreme way. maybe my character was just in the wrong place at ghe wrong time. whatever the reason is, i want yours to be horrible to my fella >:) noncon, torture, blackmail- the list goes on! i'd love to include a healing journey later on down the line after all trauma (with a new character of yours against my freshly traumatized fella).

i'm open to most genres and settings, but right now, something horror themed, set in the 90s or early 2000s, would be fun! i also don't have many hard limits, but we can talk :}

let's come up with something devious together! like this post and i'll slide into your dms🎃

give a like and anon will get back to you