#the quote appears around 5:22

[theshinysnivy1]

[sejianismodding]

🎁 [BG] CAS Filters -- I did it, baby! 🎓 INSTRUCTIONS (VIDEO) NOW AVAILABLE!

☠️ REMINDER: Double-check the OP for updates!

⚔️ Requires - TS4: BASE GAME

🚀 Initial Release - 4/22/2025

🎁 Download and Discussions: https://www.patreon.com/posts/126616540

🗺️ Modding Announcements: https://www.patreon.com/posts/109291501

⚙️ EUREKA! I figured it out! I can now create custom filters in CAS for just about anything. This is going to ruin my life… but maybe it'll make The Sims 4 a little more tolerable for you.

🦄 Re-blog this post. Share it around. @ your favorite creators. Tell your friends and your anemones. This is happening even if I have to do it myself.

📸 I will take better screenshots when I get the chance. I literally figured out how to do this in the middle of doing my BASE GAME CAS Overrides, CAS Add-Ons, and CAS De-Bloating™. In other words, figuring this out completely derailed my modding life.

—

🌸 WE CAN DO THIS. YOU AND ME. TOGETHER:

For all intents and purposes, this is a "community project". I am willing and able to create and maintain the required override, the hundreds upon hundreds of unique 9-digit "IDs" for the "TagValueNumber", and the unique Strings, etc., but I can't possibly override every custom CAS item in existence.

Help me make this a reality, and also, keep your fingers crossed that the override doesn't break under the weight of the hundreds upon hundreds of entries I'm adding to it.

Oh hai, @sims4studioofficial. Can you add a BATCH FIX that <LOOKS THROUGH MY WISH LIST> allows us to add a "SpecialContent" TAG with a custom "TagValueNumber" to a whole folder of CAS mods? Even if you can't get the "CategoryNumber" to copy properly, a BATCH FIX will at least eliminate half the busywork.

🎓 HOW IT DO, PIKACHU:

If you're well-versed in creating or modifying CAS content, all you need to do is add a new TAG to your swatches - you can do just the first swatch, but you should do all swatches - and change the "CategoryNumber" to "127" (without the quotes), and change the "TagValueNumber" to the desired 9-digit "ID".

For everyone else who is new to this, instructional screenshots have been provided under the spreadsheet. Don't forget to grab the JSON files and toss them into "Documents\Sims 4 Studio\Custom Tags"to make life easier.

🌸 A UNIQUE 9-DIGIT "ID" FOR EVERYONE:

I wanted to @ everyone in this post, but Tumblr appears to have @ limits, so I'm doing multiple posts instead.

TagValueNumbers - Part 1: https://../781101093269749760

TagValueNumbers - Part 2: https://../781133788117942272

TagValueNumbers - Part 3: https://../781165285574131712

TagValueNumbers - Part 4: https://../781274185632727040

TagValueNumbers - Part 5: https://../781314537665298432

TagValueNumbers - Part 6: https://../781413445403820032

TagValueNumbers - Lucky 7: https://../781427101175808000

TagValueNumbers - Part 8: https://../781766647579115520

TagValueNumbers - Part 9: https://../781772569760169985

TagValueNumbers - Part 10: https://../782039895383375873

TagValueNumbers - Part 11: https://../782614845473390592

TagValueNumbers - Part 12: https://../782672108557893632

TagValueNumbers - Part 13: https://../783433389583843328

TagValueNumbers - Part 14: https://../784160883600474112

TagValueNumbers - Part 15: https://../784165978829357056

TagValueNumbers - Part 16: https://../784173226147332096

TagValueNumbers - Part 17: https://../784178235638448129

TagValueNumbers - Part 18: https://../784184141895909376

TagValueNumbers - Part 19: https://../784188133361221632

TagValueNumbers - Part 20: https://../784202170246610944

TagValueNumbers - Part 21: https://../784217965143932928

TagValueNumbers - Part 22: https://../784268469561606145

TagValueNumbers - Part 23: PENDING™

⚠️ BE ADVISED - I CHANGED A FEW "IDS":

My pinky promises that I will not make this a regular thing. The "IDs" in red have been replaced by those in white. In the spreadsheet, the changed "IDs" are highlighted in GREEN.

@cazhan -- 203294262 ⚠️ 203294260

CCBriekel (Patreon) -- 203274353 ⚠️ 203227435

@eunosims -- 304866746 ⚠️ 305866746

@j3lly-fish -- 510355934 ⚠️ 510055934

@oito-cc -- 615486220 ⚠️ 615486000

P.peng (Patreon) -- 716736400 ⚠️ 716073640

@s-club-tbr (TSR) -- 719258200 ⚠️ 719025820

@sims3melancholic -- 719467363 ⚠️ 719467863

@strangestorytellersims -- 719872643 ⚠️ 719872678

@zx-ta -- 929908200 ⚠️ 926908200

—

—

⚠️ THIS POST IS STILL SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

Everything you need to know should be covered in this Tumblr OP and the Patreon OP, but I might do some spring cleaning when I'm done with the Patreon OP.

[sadhornydemons]

Rough Timeline

This will be LONG, and hence under a cut, referencing key moments in the character's lives, before and during the run of the show. It will be on sliding scale as the story line moves on. Visuals and character quotes regarding dates, events or the passing of time will be noted. Educated and uneducated guesses will be made within parentheses.

Pre Show:

36+ years ago: Stolas is born.

Age was referenced by official sources

(Roughly) 36+ years ago: Stella is born.

(Assuming she is around the same age as Stolas)

36-30 years ago: Blitzo and Barbie Buckzo are born.

(Twins, ages unknown but Blitz is suppose to be in his 30s and does not appear to be older than Stolas)

36-30 years ago: Fizzarolli is born.

(He appears to be roughly the same age as the twins)

30-25 years ago: Moxxie is born.

(Age unknown but is younger than Blitz and around his wife's age)

27+ years ago: Millie is born.

Truth Seekers episode, Millie states to Loona: "I'm, like, five years older than you."

25+ years ago: Stolas has his 11th birthday where he is given the Grimoire, informed of his engagement to Stella, and presented with Blitzo as a playmate present for the day, after seeing him preform at the circus.

The Circus episode directly states "25 Years Later," when it flashes forward to the night Blitzo and Stolas meet again as adults.

22+ years ago: Loona is born.

Seeing Starts gives a flashback that shows Loona was adopted when she was a month away from turning 18. In Western Energy, Blitz mentions there be a five year wait for her hellbies shot, presumably he made the reservations soon after adopting her.

18+ years ago: Stolas and Stella are married.

(Octavia will born the following year, assuming that the engagement was made when they were children, it's highly likely they were married when both became of legal age and expected to birth the "precautionary heir" asap)

17+ years ago: Octavia is born.

The Circus episode, Stolas states "..the only thing the Goetia family wanted from our marriage is already 17."

At some point: Fizzarolli wins Mammon's Clown pageant, hence becoming the new face of his brand and merchandise.

MAMMON’S MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL MID-SEASON SPECIAL episode: Ozzie says "This is the tenth year in the row that you've done this stupid pageant" to Fizz. (Fizzarolli may have, justify, taken a few years off after his accident and started preforming in the pageant again later. Because a robot Fizzarolli is present at Loo Loo Land during that episode's flashback, it appears that he became Mammon's new mascot prior to the last ten years, unless it is merely a writer's timeline error)

15 years ago: Fizzarolli is severely injured on his birthday party, by an accidental fire caused by Blitzo which also kills Blitzo's mother.

Opps episode: Blitzo says to Fizz: "We've been in each other's relative vicinity TWICE, in the last FIFTEEN YEARS!"

12+ years ago: Stolas, Stella and Octavia visit Loo Loo Land, Blitzo is seen working there, as well as the robot Fizzarolli.

Loo Loo Land episode: Octavia replies "I'm not five anymore," when her dad brings up their past visit.

10 years ago: Fizzarolli begins a winning streak at Mammon's annual clown pageant.

MAMMON’S MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL MID-SEASON SPECIAL episode: Asmodeus states "This is the tenth year in the row that you've done this stupid pageant" to Fizz. Also, during the show's opening, Fizz is referred to as "Mr. Ten years."

12-5 years ago: Blitz works as Verosika Mayday's bodyguard and they start a romantic relationship that ends badly.

(When don't know when this takes place, but it is likely after Blitz leaves Loo Loo Land and before he adopts Loona, as Loona is unaware of their relationship)

At some point: Fizzarolli meets Asmodeus and the two begin a secret romance.

5+ years ago: Blitz adopts Loona.

(Again, we are assuming he makes the hellbies shot reservation, which takes 5 years, soon afterwards)

At some point: Blitz begins working as an assassin.

5-2 years ago: Moxxie is abandoned by his boyfriend Chazwick Thurman during a heist and meets Blitz is prison, where Blitz offers him a job working for him.

Blitz mentions a babysitter at home, so this is after he adopts Loona.

At some point: Millie and Chazwick will be in a relationship that ends badly. It is unknown if this is before or after he was with Moxxie.

2 + years ago: Blitz meets Millie and hires her.

Ghostfuckers episode: In referencing the time prior to IMP opening their office, Millie reminisces "That year I spent getting to know your ragtime team and making our mark in the assassin game."

1+ years ago: Moxxie and Millie are married.

In Ozzie's episode, they are celebrating their one year anniversary. In the Exes and Oohs episode, Millie is shown with long hair in a wedding photo, while in the Ghostfuckers episode, it's the regular short length when they open I.M.P.

1+ years ago: During Stolas's and Stella's anniversary party, Blitz sleeps with Stolas and steals the Grimoire book, letting Stella know about the affair during his exit.

1+ years ago: Blitz opens I.M.P. in the Pride ring and they switch to offering services to kill people in the mortal realm rather than Hell.

The Ghostfuckers episode shows that Blitzo didn't officially start the I.M.P. until after he had obtained and had use of the Grimoire. Full Moon episode: Blitz mentions attempting to keep the book "another year."

Post Show:

(Dates, holidays and seasons will be noted, but not set in stone as the show as a way of blending time and space. Calendars may be ignored as they tend to become inconsistent, even within the same episode. Not all show events will be noted, just the main ones for the primary ongoing story lines.)

1+ year ago: Murder Family episode Stolas makes the Full Moon deal for the grimoire.

Stolas mentions allowing Blitz to "access the mortal realm less than legally for some time now", this could mean I.M.P. has been in operation from several weeks to several months.

(We know I.M.P.'s client, Mrs. Mayberry died on January 8th. A montage follows, showing her target, Martha, recovering from the accident and receiving praise and donations from the public)

1+ year ago: Loo Loo Land episode

Stella and Stolas are shown fighting about the latter's anniversary party affair, but based on Octavia's comments, "Are you two done screaming for the day?" it appears to be a regular occurrence, rather than a direct reaction to something that just occurred.

Spring/1+ year ago: Spring Broken episode

"Spring Break" is mentioned for both Earth and Hell, in the United States, this is usually held in March to April. Verosika makes a cruel reference to Blitzo's sister being in rehab.

1+ year ago: Cherubs episode

(Earth's outdoors appear to be in the Fall, but a mall has Santa (Sadly, these two thing occurring at the same time aren't unusual these days). It's also possible the Cherubs can time travel or these are just mere gags...MOVING ON.)

September or October/1+ year ago: Harvest Moon episode Stella hires Striker to assassins Stolas, which is foiled by the members of I.M.P.

Harvest Moons typically occur in September, but also occasionally in October.

December 25 - One year before the Sinsmas episode: Blitz holds a Sinsmas party, which sets his apartment on fire.

Referenced in the Sinsmas episode, Blitzo: "See, last year I set my apartment on fire, so this year we're doing it at the office. It's insured." The same episode also embellishes that Sinsmas takes place on the same day as Christmas.

1+ year ago - Several months ago: Truth Seekers episode Blitzo and Moxxie are kidnapped by agents of D.H.O.R.K.S. The agents are defeated but left alive with footage of I.M.P. and Stolas.

Several months ago: Ozzie's episode Moxxie and Millie celebrate their one year anniversary. In order to stalk them, Blitz invites Stolas on a disastrous date that causes Stolas to reconsider their arrangement. In what appears to be the following morning, Stolas tells Stella he is moving forward with the divorce.

The events of Loo Loo Land are referenced and appear to be recent.

In the weeks that followed: Seeing Stars episode Stella has moved out of the mansion. Loona meets Octavia after she runs away.

Based on the text message exchange shown in Western Energy, this appears to be the first month that Stolas gives Blitzo the chance to skip their Full Moon meetups after the events of the Ozzie's episode.

Two months later: Western Energy episode Striker makes another assassination attempt on Stolas, who becomes aware that Stella hired him.

The previously mentioned text messages show that they've now skipped 2 more Full Moons at this point.

July: Unhappy Campers episode Blitzo has a sad reunion with his twin sister, Barbie, in which she informs him that she never wants to see him.

The episode takes place over a week and a flyer references one of the last days being July 17th. A nurse states Barbie checked out of rehab several months ago. (Note, this episode was released between Western Energy and Opps, but does not make any direct reference to any other ongoing story line, hence I believe if the July date contradicts with any other information, it could be moved around the timeline, but I'm leaving it here for the present time.)

(Roughly) 1 week or 3 days after the events of Western Energy: Oops episode Stolas has a meeting with Asmodeus in order to obtain the realm-traveling crystal for Blitzo. Blitzo and Fizzarolli talk and rebuild their friendship after being kidnapped by Crimson and Striker. Striker is burned in the progress of their escape. After the ordeal, Fizzarolli allows Asmodeus to give Stolas the crystal for Blitzo.

Striker mentions "having a royal on the ropes just last week". (Note, in Western Energy, Stolas's phone originally has a reminder that the meeting would take place in 3 days. The meeting could have been postponed on account of Stolas being hospitalized, or "last week" could be referring to them entering a new week after Saturday..but I'm splitting hairs over 4 days, so MOVING ON..)

Days - Several weeks later: MAMMON’S MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL MID-SEASON SPECIAL episode Fizzarolli breaks free of Mammon in his final performances at the annual clown pageant. While defending Fizz, Asmodeus reveals their relationship to the public, which Mammon angry states he will "regret."

In Opps, Ozzie makes references to Fizz going to rehearsals to the clown pageant that takes place in this episode. He also calls Blitzo a "recent hero," from the events of that episode.

October 30th - October 31th: Full Moon episode D.H.O.R.K.S. joins forces with the Cherubs, and have build a portal to Hell. Stolas gives Blitzo the Asmodean crystal for traveling to work legally without the grimoire, but his love confession ends in a fight.

The episode begins in the morning and ends after midnight, according to Stola's alarm clock. Blitzo states "it's been a few months" since he last slept with Stolas. Stolas is still shown with a bandaged arm from his injuries that occured in Western Energy.

October 31th: Apology Tour episode Blitzo and Stolas continue to fight. Stolas attends an Anti-Blitzo party, after receiving an invitation from Verosika. Blitzo also attends, where he sadly watches a succubus kiss Stolas.

Verosika's invitation and decor describe her party as Halloween themed, and Stolas comments, "The one day a year the spirits can rise amongst the living.." so we can assume the party takes place on the actual holiday. Blitzo states "we just had a rough night", "last nihgt(sic)" and "this morning" in reference to his fights with Stolas, leading to the conclusion that these two episodes take place over two days.

(early?) December: Ghostfuckers episode Blitzo is shown moping, not working and spending all the company's money. After traumatic events and a heart to heart with Millie, he starts to come to terms with the recent events.

Millie references it has been "over a month" since the "not a breakup" of Apology Tour.

(Antarctica, Weeaboo-Boo and Chupacabras shorts were released before this episode, but may occur after, based on Blitzo's behavior, however nothing is confirmed by the creator)

(Shortly later) Mastermind episode Aandrealphus, in an effort to usurp Stolas' power and position, brings I.M.P. to trial, where Blitzo is sentenced to death. Seeing this broadcast on tv, Stolas, swoops in, taking credit for all of Blitzo's accused crimes in order to save his life. Stolas is then banished and striped of his power for the next 100 years. Blitzo takes him home to stay with him and Loona.

The next morning: Sinsmas episode Blitzo attempts to take care and show Stolas how to live among IMP city. Stolas faces hardships from not being able to talk to his daughter and being cut off from his antidepressants.

Stella is seen talking on the phone, stating that Stolas has been trying to call Via "all fucking month" which likely means at least a few weeks. Since Ghostfuckers takes place, "over a month," since November 1st, we're gonna assume it was just over a month and was early December. The events of Mastermind, and the weeks that follow lead up to the 25th of the month.

December 25: Blitzo makes Stolas the secretary at his I.M.P company. Upset at not being able to see his daughter, Stolas storms off to go to the mansion while the team is on a mission. Aandrealphus encloses Stolas within a ice dragon, which Blitzo rescues him from, resulting in a kiss between the two.

Aandrealphus continues to fight the entire team until he is defeated by Octavia. Stolas attempts to talk to Via but she accuses him of never loving her or her mother and choosing Blitzo over them.

The last part of Sinsmas appears to take place directly on Christmas. This is referenced directly by the Client, "It's Christmas!" Blitzo: "It's Sinsmas, lady, get it right." As well as I.M.P.'s observance of their potential target enjoying the holiday on Earth.

To be continued..

Final notes: As of this writing, it's not very clear how much time has truly passed during the show's current 20 episodes, beyond some more detailed references we've gotten in the second season. The fact that many of the first season episodes can be shuffled around without affecting the storyline has led me to not focus too strongly on the time of year references. Further details may be added to episode descriptions if they turn out to be foreshadowing for future events. Or in other words, this is very much a work in progress.

[certifiedposeidonhater]

PERCY JACKSON HEADCANONS PART 8! 💙

1. Doesn’t like the song Don’t Stop Believing by Journey

2. Doesn’t like things that are one thing but look like another thing (i.e. lipstick bottles that are actually pens, candy necklaces, books that are actually boxes, etc.)

3. He knows he has friends but doesn’t feel like he does because he keeps most of his friends (not Annabeth or Grover) at arms length and doesn’t let himself get close to them, which causes him to feel increasingly lonely and like no one is really his friend (i’m definitely not projecting here)

4. BIG movie geek (loved Tom Hanks movies (especially Forrest Gump))

5. Aways wears long sleeves because he hates having to see the brand from New Rome burned into his arm

6. Once accidentally shoplifted from Target and got away with it. He put something in his pocket and forgot

7. He used to go to a nearby church every Sunday because it was a way to avoid G*be and get free food

8. The other campers used to bully him a little when he first came to camp (other than the Aphrodite cabin)

9. He is either constantly eating or doesn’t eat for days on end. There is no in between.

10. He was once in the infirmary and he accidentally spilled some water and he immediately knelt down and started cleaning it up with the sleeve of his shirt and started apologized A LOT and then he said “wow you’re really calm”. and Will was like “it’s fine? it’s js water?” and Percy was like “but i get if you’re mad tho.” and Will was just like “it’s. water.”

11. He HAS to have some sort of background noise to sleep

12. He has a great memory but can’t remember most of his childhood pre-the lightning thief

13. He once asked someone if they wanted to sleep with him in French and now is banned from the Aphrodite cabin parties (he was quoting Lady Marmalade)

14. Even though he is extremely independent, it feels like he is constantly waiting for someone to come save him even though he knows that no one knows he is struggling and that it’s on him for no one knowing because he works very hard to try and pretend like he’s fine

15. He thinks he talks way too much and he’ll notice sometimes that he’s talking a lot and he js shuts down bc he doesn’t want to be “annoying”

16. Nico scares Percy super easily because Nico walks silently and stuff and he just appears next to people and it always scared the living shit out of Percy. Nico always perceived it as Percy not liking him, but Percy is just traumatized and Nico sneaking up on him made him think he was about to get hit.

17. Percy isolated himself when he’s upset

18. He used to dream and pray to get in an accident or get super sick so that people would notice him and care about him

19. He has a CRAZY intuition (like peter-tingle level crazy)

20. a little part of him HATES camp half blood. he hates the memories, and the people, and the environment, all of it. it’s not good for him. every summer he comes back he loses a little bit of his sanity and a little bit of the light in his eyes disappears.

21. He is fully convinced he is one of the worst people on the planet

22. When he upsets someone he feels like he doesn’t deserve to eat

23. He CANNOT handle getting shots at the doctors (he can go toe to toe with gods but HATES needles)

24. His baby seal eyes are the equivalent of the doe eye trick (he’s a master manipulator fr /jok)

25. He loves candles

26. He’s constantly is pushing himself until he physically cannot do any more (he’s burning himself out.) He can’t stop testing his limits. (It’s unhealthy.) He literally overworks himself until he passes out from exhaustion

27. He has time anxiety. He hates being late to things because it makes him think that people are going to think less of him.

Percabeth Edition (part 8.5):

1. Whenever Annabeth is the SLIGHTEST but different around Percy he is automatically like “are you mad at me?” “are you sure i didn’t do something?” “i’m sorry.” “are you sure you’re not mad?” and “it feels like you’re mad at me.”

2. He has told Annabeth “what if i’m actually a really terrible person and i’ve just manipulated everyone into liking me?”

3. They both constantly need reassurance from the other

4. Their trauma bounces off of each others sometimes and it’s a mess

5. They have weekly date nights (every Wednesday, they either do something where they stay in or they go out.)

6. Percy has the best date ideas, but Annabeth plans the best dates

7. They’ll get into “arguments” over tv show characters (based on whichever tv show they’re hyperfocusing on at the time)

8. Their relationship has never and will never be the same after Tartarus. They both lost so much trust in each other and going through a trauma like that (while not completely destroying their relationship (some may say that it did)) definitely put a dent in it

9. Percy gets in really REALLY bad depressive episodes and the first time it happened around Annabeth, she was so worried she couldn’t sleep or eat anything (which made Percy feel extremely guilty and did not help his condition)

10. Percy disassociates sometimes, especially in triggering situations, and Annabeth and Percy were at a restaurant once when a guy accidentally bumped into a waiter and she dropped all the dishes she was carrying and they broke. The sound of the glass breaking immediately made Percy disassociate and shut down. Annabeth got super freaked out.

11. Annabeth is a night owl, Percy is constantly exhausted, so Annabeth is always up way later than Percy and she loves looking at him sleep (not in a creepy way lol) because he looks so peaceful and young and it’s very different from how stressed and anxious he usually looks

12. Percy once accidentally knocked over and broke one of Annabeth’s bowls and he immediately apologized and started cleaning it up (scraping his hands in the process.) Annabeth had to reassure him for hours later that she wasn’t mad at him and that she understood it was just an accident.

13. Annabeth is gonna be the main “breadwinner” in the family once they grow up and have kids and stuff, but Percy is still gonna work bc he can’t stand the idea of being “financially dependent” on someone (even though in a marriage and healthy relationship, if they are the breadwinner, their money is also kinda you’re money yk (i explained that badly but ykwim))

14. Annabeth doesn’t care how many kids they have but Percy wants at least 2 bc if they only have 1 then the kid will be lonely

15. When Annabeth is mad at him she tries to be rational and deal with it in a healthy way but sometimes she’ll lose her temper (she’s not exactly the MOST patient person) but when Percy is upset with her he shuts down and refuses to talk about it

16. Annabeth works on being patient with Percy and trying to get him to talk to her about his feelings but sometimes she gets fed up and annoyed with him and it makes him close himself off even more

17. Annabeth has nightmares about Percy in Tartarus sometimes. Percy knows and feels terrible about it.

18. Hazel and Frank starting secretly taking pictures of Annabeth and Percy doing normal couple things (cuddling, holding hands, literally js looking at each other lovingly, etc.) and posted the pictures to Pinterest (Frank had to teach Hazel how pinterest worked) and now Percabeth is pinterest famous without even knowing

19. Annabeth can cook but not extremely well. like she has basic levels of cooking but she’s WAY better at baking. Percy is the chef. But they also set up a system every week once they move in together (Annabeth’s idea) where Monday, Thursday, and Saturday Percy cooks; Tuesday and Sunday Annabeth cooks or does something. And then Friday they order take out or go somewhere. At first it stressed Percy out cs he wasn’t used to having the money to go out for dinner and he felt like he was wasting money but Annabeth helped him get used to the idea. They also bake together a lot.

20. Percy’s love language is physical touch but it’s also words of affirmation. He is also one of those people who gives amazing compliments but at the most random times (i.e. Annabeth could be working on homework wearing pjs and Percy will randomly tell her that she has gorgeous eyes or that she’s the best person he’s ever met and Annabeth loves it.) Annabeth’s love language is acts of service and gifts. She’s ALWAYS getting Percy some type of gift and wants to do stuff for Percy. It took Percy some getting used to the gifts cs he felt like he was supposed to repay her in some way but then he realized that she didn’t want him to repay her.

21. They both get each other new flowers every single week because Percy LOVES flowers and he loves looking at them and smelling them. He loves everything about them. Percy used to get Annabeth flowers every single week but Annabeth realized how much he loves flowers so she started getting him some too. Their house has 2 new bouquets every week and it’s awesome.

22. Annabeth asked Percy to move in after college and Percy was js like “i thought we were already doing that?”

23. Annabeth DESPERATELY wanted a dog so Percy got her one on their first wedding anniversary (an Australian shepherd puppy (they later get a golden retriever puppy for their oldest))

24. They ended up having 3 children. the oldest is exactly like Percy, the middle is like a perfect mix, and the youngest is exactly like Annabeth.

25. Annabeth was really worried and scared about being a parent (Percy was too but he tried not to bring it up too much cs he knew that Annabeth needed support)

26. They DO NOT go the harry potter approach and name all their kids after their dead friends. They were just NORMAL and chose names they thought were pretty or cute. (they landed on something like Haley, Katarina, and Charlie (cs Percy IS a bit too much like harry potter to resist.))

27. The wedding was super beautiful and happened on a lakefront (not at camp.) Percy and Annabeth did all of the planning together (they had some input from Hazel, Piper, and Frank.)

28. Percy decided he wanted to be a firefighter but then he got extremely injured so he had to stay home for a few months and he was a stay at home dad (he was MISERABLE.) Afterwards, he was having trouble deciding if he wanted to go back to being a firefighter or if he wanted to be a teacher. Annabeth said that she would feel better if he was a teacher because it would be a less life-risking job. Then Percy became a teacher, but stopped a few years later and went back to firefighting. Once he retired from that (when he was like 58) he went back to teaching AGAIN. 😁👍 He’s like barbie.

29. They are one of those couples who are constantly touching but not in a big pda way. They both weren’t exactly raised to show a ton of affection in public, so they don’t kiss or cuddle that much in public. However, they are constantly touching somehow (i.e. holding hands, legs close together, etc.)

[holmsister]

Is Kabru a Twink? A possible answer from queer history

Abstract: ever since his introduction, discussion amongst Kabru scholars has been vivacious, sometimes to the point of some vitriol, on one particular specific point: does Kabru of Utaya fulfill the basic traits of a twink? There are points to be made on both sides of the issues. The solution proposed in this paper aims to be the compromise that might allow the scientific community to move on from this terminological impasse.

First of all, since this is a terminological discussion, let's start with a few definitions. What is a twink?

From Wikipedia, page "Twink (lgbt+ slang)" [retrieved 2024-06-12]:

Twink is gay slang for a man who is usually (but not always) in his late teens to twenties whose traits may include a slim to average physique, a youthful appearance, little or no body hair, and flamboyancy.[5][6][7] Twink is used both as a neutral descriptor, which can be compared with bear,[8] and as a pejorative.[5][9]

From Fandom LGBTQIA wiki, page "Twink" [retrieved 2024-06-12]:

Twink is a subcultural term referring to gay or bi men who defy traditional masculine roles, embracing traits that are generally seen as feminine.[1]

Twinks are typically associated with a few key tropes: general physical attractiveness, a slim build, and a youthful appearance that lacks facial hair and often body hair as well.[1] In his book Never Enough (2007), Joe McGinniss describes a court case in which twink was defined as "a gay slang term used to denote an attractive, boyish-looking gay man between the ages of 18 and 23, slender ectomorph and with little or no body hair, often blond, often but not necessarily Caucasian."

Now sadly we don't have the time to delve into the ways the term "twink" has sometimes be used to enforce ageism, racism and fatphobia in the LGBT+ community, since we are talking about, you know, a fictional character in a fantasy. We will refrain from judgement and just base ourself on these barebones definitions without further fleshing them out.

On the surface, Kabru fulfills many of the requirements for a twink. His build is slender (tho more on that later), he is in the age range (22, altho its worth noting age of majority in the dunmeshi world is 16).

Also, he has the baby face. Round cheeks, long lashes, big eyes... Like there's no way around it thats the kind of face some seme asshole would grab by the chin as they call him "pretty boy" in a bl manga. That's a face that gets men who have always considered themselves hetero to question a thing or two. That's a face that gets your landlord to make your laundry for free.

Kabru Schrödinger's twink paradox comes from the fact that as someone who practices swordfighting and wears an armour (a lighter one but still) and marches for days in the dungeon, he MUST be muscular. There is no way around this. And this goes against one of the basic tenets of twinkhood, which is Twinks MUST Be Lithe And Delicate.

To further this point, I will quote from this article from OUT magazine titled "Dear Internet: THIS is what the word 'twink' really means", dated 01 March 2024 [retrieved 2024-06-12]:

"But the things that tie all these definitions together include being gay, being thin, young-looking, little to no body hair and no facial hair, and attractive. So NO, 27-year-old with a ’70s mustache and buff arms full of the tattoos he’s gotten over his adult life is, you guessed it, NOT a twink..."

As you can see, emphasis is put on the lack of muscles. While Kabru has no facial hair, we can however substitute the tattoos for the many scars he has received in battle - his body looks much more like the body of a man who is weary with experience. Again, keeping in mind that the age of majority in dunmeshi for tallmen is 16 and Kabru is 22, we could argue that proportionally, at least culturally, Kabru leans towards being almost too old for a twink, too, and his scars can be symbolic of that in much the same way tattoos are.

Also, in both the definitions above a tendency towards feminine-coded behaviour is noted. In Kabru's case, while see him occasionally engaging in behaviour that might read as slightly feminine, we see him also assume very masculine roles both in his party and during battle. Its also worth noting that Kabru was raised by elves, a culture whose aesthetic standards lean heavily towards what reads as feminine to tallmen, and that Kabru himself is characterised as someone who heavily adapts his behaviour based on other's expectation - we can therefore argue that it is possible that what "effeminate" behaviour he engages in is actually a result of his upbringing, as well as a way to endear/ingratiate himself to those that he judges would respond better to such behaviour, rather than a matter of self-expression.

Now, i already hear the objections, so i will further elaborate on the muscle point. Having been killed and resuscitated so many times, Kabru has lost the soft layer of fat that makes Laios body so evidently strong, and it has probably even started to cut into his muscles. Also, differently from Laios' stout build, we see young teen Kabru in a few illustrations with Milsiril and he IS naturally lanky - even at his top weight its probably going to look more like an athletics/gymnastics body type than the wrestler/weightlifter type.

However, the muscles ARE there, and losing the layer of fat would make them even MORE visible. He is more likely to have defined cut abs than Laios, paradoxically. And again, if you look at the classic twink porn, the boys rarely have sixpacks or even visible arm muscles. They're bony.

Thankfully this is not the first time the lgbt+ community has been faced with this dilemma. Therefore, falling back on the wisdom of our elders, i propose: Kabru is a twunk.

Urban Dictionary, voice "twunk" [retrieved 2024-06-12]

Twunk

A term used amongst the LGBTQ community to describe males (typically gay) with the face of a twink (boyish-looking, pretty) but the body of a hunk (muscular, jocky).

Without the ambition of being definitive, my humble offering will hopefully offer Kabru scholars a chance to possibly reach a terminological consensus, therefore allowing us to move on from this topic without misunderstandings.

[luvangelbreak]

Deprived | Fifteen

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 matthew sturniolo x layla venita (female!oc) summary: everyone knows the story of the bad boy and the good girl but what happens when the school's most popular boy, Matthew Sturniolo, and the girl who notoriously is never there, Layla Venita, cross paths. warnings: swearing, suggestive? word count: 2.1k a/n: ik this one is short but a plot twist is loading...

pov: matt

"You did what?" Nick yelled at me from where he was standing at his locker next to mine and I shoved him back.

"Can you shut the fuck up?" I whisper-yelled, looking around at our peers who turned their heads from his yelling. I looked over at Layla who was grabbing her book out for our English class and her eyes caught mine, sending me a small smile and a wink.

I was surprised my knees didn't give out on me.

"No, I can't shut the fuck up, Matt. I thought you were gonna go over there and give her a hug, not fuck her!" he whispered loudly and I covered his mouth with my hand before he swatted it away, "Don't do that shit."

"I didn't fuck her. We just did some stuff," I shrugged, closing my locker before leaning back on it, "Why are you so pissed about this?"

"I'm not pissed, I'm shocked!" he said louder and I rolled my eyes, sliding a hand into the pocket of my jeans. I felt the small pieces of paper that was still folded in my pocket from the day before and smiled to myself.

"I was just telling you so that you're aware. Stop making this a big deal," I shook my head at him and he stood there, jaw dropped as he looked at me.

"Matthew Bernard. This is a big deal. It's Layla Venita we're talking about here. Miss 'I hate everyone' herself," he threw his hands out in front of him dramatically before slamming his locker closed, "I just don't want you to get too attached and then she ends up hurting you."

"She said I make her hate people less," I smiled, looking at her hair since she was facing away from me, shuffling through her locker still.

"What?" Nick asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and my smile widened.

"Yesterday, she said she hated people. But then she said I made her hate people less," I bit my lip, thinking about how soft she seemed in that moment, "She's different around me Nick."

"You sound like Allie when she started dating Ivan. 'He's different around me, you don't understand him like I do'. Next thing you know, he cheated on her 3 times and broke her heart," Nick said dramatically and I rolled my eyes again before giving him a deadpan look, "You know I'm right."

"I know you're a fucking idiot," I mumbled, my aggravation getting the best of me.

"I agree but why is he an idiot now?" Chris suddenly appeared behind Nick and I turned to look at him, about to explain but Nick beat me to it.

"Matt had sex with Layla last night," he whispered so quietly I almost couldn't hear him.

"What?!" Chris yelled so loudly that almost every head turned to look at us and I closed my eyes, lowering my head at how idiotic my brothers could be.

"For the record, we didn't go the full mile so Nick you need to stop saying that," I told Chris quietly once everyone's attention turned away from us and I pushed off of the locker so Chris could grab his things from his locker beside mine, "And Nick is an idiot because he's saying that I'm acting the same way Allie did with Ivan."

"I would like to put on record the fact that Matt actually just said, and I quote, 'She's different with me'. You're telling me that's not the same shit Allie said about Ivan?" Nick defended making me groan, hitting my head on the wall beside our lockers.

"Yeah, but we knew from the start that Ivan was a piece of shit and Allie just didn't listen. We don't really know anything about Layla other than what other people have said," Chris pointed out and I raised my arms triumphantly.

"Exactly, thank you!" I cheered before leaning on the wall behind me and I looked to my right at my brothers again, "And besides, Allie has always had questionable taste in guys."

"And you make dumb decisions so I'm not seeing a huge difference here," Nick mumbled making me punch his left arm before he frowned at me, throwing a punch to my side in retaliation.

"Okay chill out," Chris stepped between us after closing his locker, "Matt's a big boy. He can figure out his own fucks ups in his own time."

"You guys are so dramatic," I rolled my eyes, pushing Chris's arms away.

"Who's dramatic?" I heard the sound of Layla's voice travel through my ears and I moved so quickly to look at her I was sure I looked like a meerkat.

"Hey," I smiled down at her, not bothering to hide my joy of seeing her anymore and she let a small smile fall onto her lips.

"Hello," she said sceptically before she looked at Chris and Nick who stared at her awkwardly. She sighed, looking at me once again before saying, "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing," I shrugged and she gave me a deadpanned look, "I didn't say anything! Just that you know... some stuff happened."

"Shhh Matt, I don't wanna hear it!" Nick waved his hands in front of him making me roll my eyes.

"You're such a child," I rolled my eyes, swinging my arm around Layla's shoulders and pulling her towards me.

"I just don't wanna hear about your sex life. It's fuckin weird," Nick face was plastered with disgust and I looked down at Layla who was looking at him with an amused face.

"Honestly," Chris said as he sipped on the Pepsi I hadn't even noticed he brought from home, "I'm glad you're getting out of the house for once in your life."

"Fuck you," I shoved his shoulder and he smiled at me cheekily making me roll my eyes again.

I was sure if I rolled my eyes one more time, they'd be stuck like that permanently.

"Just ya know," Chris said before starting to walk backwards towards our English class, "Wrap it before you tap it."

"Chris!" Nick, Layla and I yelled as he laughed to himself, spinning on his heel and walking away.

"Why is he like this?" Layla asked rhetorically, looking between Nick and I and we both shrugged, annoyance on both our faces and she shook her head in disappointment.

"I'm gonna go find Allie and Mia. I'll see y'all later," Nick sighed as Layla waved him goodbye and I nodded as he walked down the hallway. I turned my attention back to Layla who looked up at me.

"Am I ever getting that hoodie back?" I asked as she moved out from under my arm and stood in front of me as she placed her hands in the hoodie she wore.

"Depends," she shrugged, smirking up at me, "Do I get one in replacement?"

"If you want one," I smiled down at her, grabbing the pocket of the hoodie and pulling her towards me so her feet were placed between mine. I saw people looking at us as they passed by in the hallway, confusion and judgment written all over their faces.

"Your hoodies are a lot nicer than mine," she stated and I shrugged, looking down at our shoes.

"I could just buy you a hoodie," I pointed out and she immediately shook her head.

"You're not spending money on me, Matthew," she deadpanned and I rolled my eyes playfully as I played with the hem of her hoodie, "Besides, it's not as fun as stealing your hoodies."

"Oh, so you're a thief?" I asked with a teasing tone and she raised her eyebrows.

"Have been since I was 8," she deadpanned and I raised my eyebrows, her serious tone throwing me off, "You forget I live in South End, Matt."

"You ever been caught?" I asked, now genuinely intrigued and she nodded.

"Yup. Two times when I was fourteen and fifteen," she answered honestly and I nodded, "I was stealing food both times. Got taken to the station both times as well because Mia's dad has a fucking vendetta against me."

"So that's why you don't like Mia," I hummed and she tilted her head to give me a look as if it were obvious.

"That and the fact she's a bitch," she mumbled and I sighed, pushing away from the wall, making her look up at me.

"She's nice once you get to know her," I tried to convince her and she scoffed, nodding her head sarcastically.

"I'm sure she's a peach to you," she grumbled and my eyebrows furrowed as I looked down at her in confusion, "Don't look at me like that."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, genuine confusion on my face.

"Oh come on, Matt," she again gave me a look as if it were obvious, "She's basically eating you alive with her eyes every time she looks at you."

My mouth hung open as I looked down at her before I smirked, pulling her closer to me, "Layls, are you jealous?"

"What?" she screeched as she frowned up at me, "No! I just know what I see."

"Why do you seem so pissed off about it then?" I questioned and her mouth clamped shut, looking down at the ground quickly making me chuckle, "You don't need to be jealous, pretty girl."

"I'm not," she mumbled, unconvincingly and I used my left hand to lift her chin up, her face meeting mine.

"You're cute," I smiled down at her and her face melted, all of the anger and jealousy washing off as she looked up at me.

"I can feel people staring," she whispered and I shrugged, leaning forward slightly.

"I don't care," I mumbled, placing my lips on hers again and she instantly relaxed, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she pulled me closer to her.

I trailed my hands down her back, wrapping my arms around her waist as our mouths moved in sync. I bit the skin of her bottom lip gently and she opened her mouth in a gasp before I used that opportunity to slide my tongue into her mouth.

Our mouths danced together as I gripped her waist roughly, her body being so close to mine feeling relieving.

"Okay," she mumbled against my mouth before she pulled away from me, "We're not gonna be those people making out in the middle of the hallway for 30 minutes."

"We're not in the middle of the hallway," I leaned forward, placing another kiss on her lips and she pecked my lips back before pulling away again.

"Calm down," she giggled at me, the sound of her joy lighting up my heart like a goddamn Christmas tree, "We gotta get to English."

"Since when do you wanna be on time?" I asked, squinting my eyes at her as neither of us pulled away from each other.

"Since I had you clinging to me and I don't want you to get bad grades because of me," she sighed, playing with the hair at the nape of my neck.

"So considerate of you," I smirked, placing one final kiss on her lips making her giggle before she unwrapped her arms from around my shoulders.

"Are you guys done?" I heard Mia's voice appear from beside us and we both turned to look at her, the disgust evident on her face.

"What do you want, Mia?" Layla deadpanned and I kept my arms wrapped around her waist possessively.

"I need to talk to you," she stated blandly, not even acknowledging Layla and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Then talk to me?" I responded and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Alone," she huffed and I looked down at Layla who bit her lip, looking up at me.

"I'll meet you in English in a sec?" I asked and she nodded. I placed a kiss on her temple making her smile up at me before I let my arms unravel from her waist. I watched as she walked down the hallway and out of my sight before I looked at Mia expectantly.

"What are you doing, Matt?" she asked, nothing but judgment written across her face and I crossed my arms, looking at her the same.

"What do you mean?" I questioned and she raised her eyebrows, a few people walked past and stared at us.

"You're gonna fuck up you're whole future for her?" she threw her arm behind her, pointing in the direction that Layla just walked in.

"How in the fuck is me being with Layla fucking up my future?" I questioned back and she scoffed rolling her eyes.

"Have you seen her?" she retorted, disgust lacing her words and I felt a wave of anger fall over me, "She has no future, Matt. She's gonna end up just like her mother."

"Shut the fuck up, Mia," I grumbled, attempting to walk past her but she grabbed my arm to turn me around again.

"Listen to me," she demanded and I pulled my arm away as I scoffed at her, "She's not who she says she is."

"What?" I looked at her in pure confusion. Suddenly, the bell for our first class rang and I shook my head, "Whatever. I don't wanna hear it. I get that you don't like her for whatever fucking reason but I don't care. Figure it out or we're not friends anymore."

With that, I walked away from her and towards my English class, shaking off the angry feeling in my chest towards one of my best friends.

tags:

@dsturniolo @chrisstankyleg @lov3bug @pinklittleflower @thatcrazybitch-69 @trinity2058 @alorsxsturn @ilovechrissturniolo1 @leprechaunbirthdaygirl @sturnfix @lilsstvrn @sturniololol @sturniolowhore

[sisiren]

I've been working on and off on this for a few months, and relistened to Amnesty. As always, lyrics and quotes underneath the cut!

Song: To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra

There is a house built out of stone

Wooden floors, walls and window sills

Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust

This is a place where I don't feel alone

This is a place where I feel at home

'Cause, I built a home

For you

For me

Until it disappeared

From me

From you

And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust

Out in the garden where we planted the seeds

There is a tree as old as me

Branches were sewn by the color of green

Ground had arose and passed it's knees

By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top

I climbed the tree to see the world

When the gusts came around to blow me down

I held on as tightly as you held onto me

I held on as tightly as you held onto me

And, I built a home

For you

For me

Until it disappeared

From me

From you

And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust

Quotes (in order of which they appear in the audio):

“Dear Aubrey, I’ve taken your advice and headed out for parts unknown. But I need you to know how sorry I am for the impact I have had in your life.” - Amnesty 28

“I don’t hate you for that.” - Amnesty 27

“I’m asking you three to join the Pine Guard.” - Amnesty 4

“We can help.” - Amnesty 4

“You were selected to keep your people safe.” - Amnesty 19

“You found your way here.” - Amnesty 11

“Keep your world safe. Keep Sylvain safe.” - Amnesty 19

“This is not your world to save.” - Amnesty 20

“It takes one misstep. It takes one moment -” - Amnesty 5

“- You lied, Ned.” - Amnesty 27

“- And you can find yourself using that power in a way you will regret…” - Amnesty 5

“I told him to leave.” - Amnesty 28

“For the rest of your life.” - Amnesty 5

“You might want to do something about that.” - Amnesty 13

“It was home, I - I miss it a lot.” - Amnesty 11

“I feel like I am home when I’m around you.” Amnesty 32

“You belong here.” - Amnesty 5

“It just feels right, y’know?” - Amnesty 11

“And he knows your tea preference at this point.” - Amnesty 10

“You have me in your corner!” - Amnesty 5

“I will see you tomorrow.” - Amnesty 11

“We’re getting stronger, too.” - Amnesty 19

“Now they know what we’re capable of.” - Amnesty 29

“They are tough.” - Amnesty 25

“I will walk away from all of this.” - Amnesty 16

“Duck, it sounds like your confidence is suffering.” - Amnesty 11

“You are a true hero.” - Amnesty 28

“You were never a normal dude.” - Amnesty 28

“I would never betray a friend.” - Amnesty 25

“You knew, Ned. And you didn’t tell me.” - Amnesty 27

“People will start seein' monsters in the faces of their friends.” - Amnesty 25

“Your job is not to befriend your foe.” - Amnesty 16

“I know where I stand.” - Amnesty 16

“Just watch each other’s backs and play it smart. And I guarantee you, we’re gonna take the night.” - Amnesty 4

“Ned can’t be dead, Mama.” - Amnesty 28

“One day, the monsters are gonna win.” - Amnesty 12

“And I am to blame.” - Amnesty 28

“And I just end up hurting people that I love.” Amnesty 16

“I don’t have to fight anymore. I did it. And now I’m gonna grow.” - Amnesty 36

“Aubrey…you are born, and Sylvain is with you.” - Amnesty 35

“You are full of Sylvain’s power.” - Amnesty 9

“This presence feels like it could be - it could be, like, family.” - Amnesty 24

“You can’t be afraid to help, because, yeah, you might hurt.” - Amnesty 35

“Accidents happen, Ned.” - Amnesty 27

“Wrong is always wrong.” - Amnesty 28

“I’m scared of war between our worlds.” - Amnesty 22

“We lost. And we kept losing.” - Amnesty 16

“Peace. I - I’m looking for peace.” - Amnesty 34

“I am not asking you to forgive me - I don’t want you to forgive me.” - Amnesty 28

“And become a better person than I.” - Amnesty 28

“If you tell them that they’re capable of great things, uh, a lot of times they’ll get there.” - Amnesty 33

“I care for you, Aubrey.” - Amnesty 35

“How many other folks have you got on board with this - this hairbrained scheme there?” - Amnesty 31

“I found exactly the right person for this impossible task.” - Amnesty 33

“If you do not come back, I am coming in after you, you hear me?” - Amnesty 30

“Please come home safe.” - Amnesty 35

“I’m with you to the end, Duck Newton!” - Amnesty 35

“And that will free up all the love in that big, remarkable heart of yours for the rest of the world.” - Amnesty 28

“I don’t think about the world, Aubrey, I think about Amnesty Lodge.” - Amnesty 5

“I need to have something to get me through what we’re about to do.” - Amnesty 32

“A friendship you will learn to treasure.” - Amnesty 5

“Do you believe me?” - Amnesty 11

“I want to.” - Amnesty 11

“Do you have any idea what it’s like knowing you have a home out there and knowing that you’ll never be able to return to it?” - Amnesty 11

“It’s like I can almost remember it.” - Amnesty 14

“She is, and always will be, loved.” - Amnesty 11

“We both love you unconditionally.” - Amnesty 11

“It’s not our forest, it’s their forest.” - Amnesty 18

“You are filled with a warrior’s instinct that we share, together.” - Amnesty 11

“I believe in the Cryptonomica.” - Amnesty 19

“Keep Keplar as curious as you can.” - Amnesty 19

“With love, Edmund Kelly Chicane.” - Amnesty 28

“One day, believe it or not, you’re gonna laugh at a joke. You’re gonna go swimmin’ and you’re gonna smile in the sunlight. You’re gonna pet yourself a good dog and it’s gonna make you feel happy.” - Amnesty 34

[theshoegirldiaries]

I'm picking up from where I left off in January, when I was wearing blue fragrances day and night for a week (here's Day One and Day Two). On Wednesday (22/01/25) for Day 3, I wore Flower Knows Luna Goddess Tree EDT. I've mentioned here before, that my bottle, box and accompanying samples all call it Luna "Goodness" Tree (bought direct from FK), but it appears to be officially called "Goddess". I also assume all of their fragrances are EDT's, but it's never mentioned anywhere on the packaging/website.

[From Fragrantica: A floral, green fragrance created in 2023 as part of the Moonlight Mermaid Collection.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Mint, Tangerine Middle Notes: Tea, Cedar, Moss Base Notes: Musk, Coriander, Sandalwood]

Mint is so often associated with men's fragrances and this perfume most definitely gives off masculine vibes. From the outset, it's very, very different to other Flower Knows; bolder, unconventional and daring in comparison. A crowd-pleasing, run-of-the-mill, fruity or floral this is not. This unexpectedness may deter some, whilst appealing to others.

From the first spray, it makes itself known, but it's well blended to the point that it's hard to decipher individual notes, but you definitely get a mermaid-sea vibe. Not your tropical holiday, sun tan lotion, coconut, sandy beach fragrance, this takes you, to quote Sebastian, "under the sea". It's aquatic in an almost spicy way, it's fresh, but there's nothing shore-like about it, no sea-breeze. It's like you're immersed, deep down in the water, the greenery coming through isn't like a plant or flower "up there", it's one that's never grown above the surface, it smells damp, aromatic with a hint of seaweed. It's rather loud in the beginning, but I find myself quite enchanted once it begins to fade.

The bottle is unquestionably in my top 10, actually probably top 5 perfume bottles ever made. I absolutely adore the shape, that fluted top, tapering and getting lighter in colour towards the base (I have the pink one too, but the blue is much more my thing), perfectly finished with a subtle rainbow sheen on the intricately detailed, mermaid sitting by the moon lid. The bottle alone brings me so much joy just looking at it, you do feel very mermaid-ish getting to hold and spray it. The scent is one I have to be "in the mood for", but within my collection it's quite unique and a refreshing change every once in a while.

The night before, I wore Replica's Sailing Day EDT by Maison Margiela. I bought this sample set a while back and it's proved excellent value for money, as I've gotten so many wears/sprays out of each one.

[From Fragrantica: A refreshing and invigorating fragrance created for men and women in 2017.

Top Notes: Sea Notes, Aldehydes, Coriander, Red Pepper Middle Notes: Juniper, Iris, Amyl Salicylate, Rose Base Notes: Seaweed, Ambergris, Cedar, Amberwood]

In comparison to Luna Goddess Tree, as they are in the same vein, this is a lighter, less daring version. You again, definitely get a sea rather than beach/sand vision, but there's a breeze, you're on the sea, in the open water, on a yacht or boat, rather than deep below the surface like LGT. There's a slight warmth in the air, but it's fresh, the spray of the waves all around you, light, fleeting. Like LGT, there's nothing particularly sharp to the nose, but SD is definitely softer overall. For a guide, LGT leans much more masculine than SD (which is unisex), but as many of us say, wear what you want, scents are genderless. Sailing Day remains pretty linear throughout it's wear and would make a safe scent for situations where you're in close proximity to others. You'll smell fresh, but it doesn't scream that.

All of the Replica line come in the same bottles (30ml or 100ml, without lids), the labels on the front describing the time and place the scent evokes memories of. The colour of liquid varies throughout the line with Sailing Day being the most blue, hence why I chose it for my blue week (fyi Bubble Bath leans greener). Performance for this one and honestly much of the line, is weak, which is one of the reasons I wouldn't buy the full size.

[christiancomputerstudent]

The gospel of Love

This song posted above highlights the gospel in a nutshell the world needs Jesus, and the world needs Jesus to wrap his loving arms around the world, and the arms of Jesus are the church.  

Christians are ofen accused of spreading hate, we Christians need to start spreading the love and the good news message of the gospel of love, to the four corners of the earth, not just with words but also practically, the world needs more love and less hate.

By the way, if you are a Christian and you are spreading hate, you have missed the point of the Gospel.

Cool bible verses on the subject

John 3.16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

Galatians 6:9-10: And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Proverbs 19:17: Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have

Hebrews 13:16: It is more blessed to give than to receive

Hebrews 6:10: God is fair; he will not forget the work you did and the love you showed for him by helping his people

Proverbs 22:9: A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor

Romans 12:13: A true rule of charity, when we are no less touched with other men's wants than with our own, and having that feeling help them as much as we can

Our role model is Jesus

Philippians 2: 5-8 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

Below is an interesting quote, usually thought to be said by St. Francis, but whoever said it, this sums this whole thing up, we preach the gospel with our words, but we need to preach the gospel through our deeds too, showing people God loves them, if we are preaching the gospel with just our words I think we are doing it wrong

"Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words'

[yourghastlycloseness]

wikipedia articles sometimes have the best pull quotes

this one’s on lolo ferrari

She had 22 enlargements, which is a Guinness World Record.[9] The Guinness Book of Records (2003) indicates each of her breasts weighed 2.8 kilograms (6.2 lb) and contained three litres of saline.

She wore a specially engineered brassiere. Her brassiere measurements have been given by various sources as 58F,[10] 54G,[11] although these measurements appear false, as breasts of similar size have a bra size of around 36T or 36MMM. The breast implants themselves were reputed to be designed by an engineer who was involved with the design of the Boeing 747.[5]

In interviews, she said about her surgeries, "All this stuff has been because I can't stand life. But it hasn't changed anything" and "I was frightened and I was ashamed; I wanted to change my face, my body, to transform myself. I wanted to die, really."

and these from a guardian article

"For my mouth," she said in 1996, "we removed my Cupid's bow, tucked the mucous membranes up to my nose, and filled my lips with collagen. There's no particularly odd feeling or anything, but I have to put lipsalve on all the time. I adore being operated on. I feel wonderful in clinics. I love the feeling of a general anaesthetic - falling into this black hole and knowing I'm being altered as I sleep."

The breasts went first to 41in, then to 46in. They were desensitised and the skin was stretched nearly to bursting point. Ferrari lived in constant fear, as she mimed her songs and took off her clothes in club after club around Europe, that some madman would jump up on the stage and try to puncture them.

Beyond 46in, it became increasingly hard to find a plastic surgeon willing to take on the job. A couple of years ago, Vigne described the operation that made her a monstrous 54G. "I calculated the volume, the diameter, I drew up the plans and I took them to a guy I know who designs fuselage moulds for the aeronautics industry," he said.

"The designer made the moulds, and I gave them to a prosthetics maker who produced the empty silicone implants. It took a long, long time to find a surgeon willing to perform the operation. He removed the old implants and replaced them with the new. Each one was filled with two litres of serum. A bit later we increased it to three."

Ferrari insisted she was happy with the changes that were made to her body. "Having a big bust comforts me," she told yet another French interviewer. "It makes me more sure of myself. I'm like a transvestite - I've created a femininity that's completely artificial. But I'd like to have even bigger breasts. I can't because there are medical problems - you can't stretch the skin any more."

It frightened her, she said, to think of herself as skin, bone and blood. She wore a ring on every finger and dozens of bracelets and bangles; she painted her long fingernails pink. Her skin was the one thing she couldn't change, so she covered it with jewellery and makeup. If she didn't, she would have anxiety attacks, feeling, she said, that she was suddenly back with her old face.

[christiansorrell]

Play-By-Blog #22: The Isle by Luke Gearing

Welcome to my ongoing play-by-blog of The Isle by Luke Gearing! We are playing this adventure with its original system, The Vanilla Game (adjusted somewhat to fit the format). You can check out the Play-By-Blog Repository to get all caught up if you wish.

How Play-By-Blog works:

I write up the situation, NPCs, and more, just like a DM.

You vote in the poll to help decide the character's course of action.

I roll the dice, resolve actions, and write them up next week.

So on and so forth for the rest of the adventure!

Notation:

[Text in brackets is out-of-character/GM text!] "Non-italicized quotes denote text from the original adventure!" "Italicized quotations denotes NPC dialogue."

Our character: Medon Girou - Magic Cutpurse

Our maps: The Isle, Floor 2, Floor 3

[You can use the links above to find Medon's Character Sheet and map of the Isle and the so far uncovered portions below the surface. On the Dungeon map, you are currently in Floor 3, Room 3.]

Now, back to the adventure!

You look over the group of Legionaries in front of you and remember the undead warriors you'd encountered on the last floor. Better to leave them be, but you can't stop here. There must be something valuable behind a group like this.

With the low light of your amulet, you prepare the ritual casting of Teleport, eyeing the passage to the north of the warriors as well as you can among the ever-encroaching dark and through the mass of weapons and bone. [Teleport (5/6 Chance of Success): 1 - FAILURE]

You whisper the incantations and aim to place yourself in what appears to be the middle of the passage. In the next instant, you are across the gap... or mostly across, but something has gone wrong. You look down at your stomach and find your chest wrapped around and grown over the banded armor of the last Legionary. The warriors short sword is pierced through your right side. Before the pain hits, the blood begins to flow. Dark and red, escaping from deep veins and arteries now open to the air of the dungeon. Your vision is blurred on the left side. In horror, you raise your hand to touch where your eye should be, finding instead one of the warrior's helm's horned protruding through your skull.

The undead warriors shift for a moment, reanimating to attack, but then go still a moment later. You are dead within seconds, your brain and body perforated by the effects of the malformed teleportation spell. The Legionaries have nothing from which to defend the chamber and all goes quiet, save the slow dribbling of your gut blood among the sea-things corpses at your feet.

[Well then.... such is the life of a thief in a place as treacherous as The Isle! I went back and forth with my commitment to sticking to the dice and to the rules of The Vanilla Game, but in the end, I knew that I had to stick with my initial impulse to play it all rules-as-written. A botched teleport is instant death, and despite the great chances, our luck ran out. A disgusting end for Medon, but so it goes. What else lies within the halls of The Isle? LOTS!]

[If you enjoyed this Play-By-Blog and would like me to give another system/adventure OR another run of The Isle a go in this format, please let me know! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I still think it's a fairly unique thing on the internet. Thanks for reading and may your next Teleport ritual fare better of poor Medon... - Christian]

[weaversweek]

5 "Buffalo stance" - Neneh Cherry

writers Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey, Jamie Morgan, Phillip Ramacon

It's 7.12 on 22 December. Happy new year! 1989 starts right here, right now.

Part of the UncoolTwo50 project, marking the best singles from 1977-99.

ELF POINTS (11 points)

Moving from Stockholm to London, young Neneh Cherry was inspired with the Buffalo Collective, the group of creatives associated with Ray Petri. Petri died in 1989 after developing his own vision of "hard" street fashion in The Face and creating the kind of self-sufficient street cool that emerged in the early boxer shorts-and-Levi's ads. Neneh was less into the actual art - that was Cameron's passion. No, she appreciated the punk ethic of getting on and doing stuff.

Neneh burst into everyone's attention in late 1988, with this "Buffalo stance" song. Tim Simenon's production adds layers to the song, there's a funky mix and a cracking guitar lick to enjoy. But let's not mansplain the song; although quick to acknowledge the team of men behind her, Neneh only made the impression through her own work.

It's about female strength, female power, female attitude. It's a bold song, Neneh knows what she wants to say, and she seizes the moment by the scruff of the neck. It's hip-hop beats, it's soul riffs, if's a carefree swagger full of confidence, all sung-rapped by a frizzy-haired young woman in a shiny copper top wearing a massive medallion around her neck.

There's a proper singalong chorus - "who's looking good today, who's looking good in every way?" And there's a catchy keyboard riff. "Indie guitar meets hardcore rap in perfect hip hop pop. Bold, exciting, and not like anything you've heard before", according to Record Mirror.

"Buffalo stance" is based on an obscure b-side by Morgan-McVey (a duo, the latter is the future Mr. Cherry), chopped up and messed around by hip and happening producer Tim Simenon. It's completely of its time, and it's got a certain something to stand out from the rest of the dance dross around at the moment.

The titular Buffalo Stance, we learn, is a group of young women like Neneh, huddling over to protect each other from gigolos and moneymen - by extension, from all the shit in the world. It's all delivered with sass and verve, and one of the worst cockney accents since Dick Van Duck.

Record Mirror got it, saying it's "the best pop dance record since our lady's "Into the groove". Hip hop merges with a kind of rap and dances round the outside and into the big wide world of 1989." What I didn't realise straightaway was just how important this message was to our peers. By the time school resumed on 9 January, all the young women in class were quoting this song - as a philosophy, not just the aesthetics.

And she appeared on Top of the Pops while pregnant. First person to do that since Alison Moyet, if we're not mistaken. Neneh's very visible lump added to the message: this is someone taking control of her life, doing things in her way and not in any other way. It's an audacious rebuke to the patriarchy. Neneh told Q magazine,

the kind of sexuality on my record is very different to most of the stuff you hear on black radio in the States. So much of it is all the same, all that 'Ooh, baby' and all that boring sex talk. You usually hear all those guys just singing like there's 20 chicks hanging off their arm. I've no time for all that Carry On Bonking stuff where people have to go out and pick somebody up so that they can be somebody with the lads or their girlfriends the next day.

Follow-up single "Manchild" proved she was no one-hit wonder, and the album Raw Like Sushi demonstrated maturity and conscience. But there were bumps in the road: a planned tour supporting the Fine Young Cannibals ended after one date, after which Neneh collapsed through exhaustion. She did return to pick up Best Newcomer at the Smash Hits awards, voted by the kids she was influencing.

How good was Neneh? A year later, there was a hit, "Got to get" by Rob 'n' Razz featuring Leila K. Attention was on Leila K, a young rapper from Stockholm, of mixed heritage. "Got to get" is an A-grade song: great hooks, builds well, Leila K is a seriously good rapper. But when we compare it to "Buffalo stance", we find "Got to get" is too polished, Leila's rap about rapping pales against Neneh's rap about life and society. Leila K gave us an awesome groove, Neneh Cherry gave us a whole flippin' philosophy.

In the years since, Neneh has consistently made great records, if not hit records. Homebrew had its moments, Man had a corking James Brown re-make, and there's the "7 seconds" phenomenon putting African beats into the top five during summer 1994. Very few people have dared cover "Buffalo stance", history does not reflect well on Alice in Videoland or Cher Lloyd.

"The Wild Bunch" in the lyric would later morph into Massive Attack, the trip-hop pioneers. Some argue that "Buffalo stance" inspired Madonna to write "Express yourself". The song includes some samples from "Looking good diving", which was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and hence is technically their biggest hit on my list.

Also noted: Alison Moyet was on my 500-song longlist with "Invisible", and could have made the 100-tune shortlist. "Into the groove" was not my choice of early Madonna. Fine Young Cannibals did not tickle my fancy. I overlooked "Got to get", it deserved a place in the longlist.

[nonsenuser]

Zaregoto volume 2 rambles and notes

So I reread Strangulation: Kubishime Romanticist (aka vol 2 Zaregoto) AGAIN and this time I decided to make little notes as a went along. BIG TIME spoiler warning ahead because I just made notes where there was big time foreshadowing, def dont read this if you intend to read Zaregoto yourself

Prologue 

“never having loved is the same as never having lived” great quote

Early on in the story ii introduces this idea that him and zerozaki are the same and yet different in ways that cant really be explained.

The idea is they could’ve both turned out to be like the other, say if the circumstances were different and this is what they used to explain their affinity and I guess you could say attraction ;) to each other. 

Chapter 1

I will always adore the kimchee scene. Like he wanted to eat tasty food after being in such a crazy scenario the month before and yet all he comes to is ordering kimchee with absolutely no rice. 

ii talking about college being a space with curiously friendly people, striking up conversation like you’ve been buddies for life and this is so true, especially true since Mikoko is a humanities person (not to stereotype but I personally find people who study these more sociable and friendly than stem majors). Also we get some acknowledgement of II’s horrible memory 

Hilarious that ii orders kimchee again and goes oops and the lunch lady gives him even more than the last time, his poor tongue 

Iis loserness is very relatable. He doesn’t dislike boredom and he enjoys doing nothing more than others. Time to contemplate his own life and escape the hustle of life, ii just happens to like doing this more than others what an edge lord (i get him truly)

Miiko describing II’s scowl and saying he always looks like he’s contemplating something. Hard to approach. Also mentions an AT Field so I much appreciate the EVA reference, once again II is relatable as ever. 

“lovers and drunks have something in common they shove their happiness in other peoples faces” beautiful. And they were both not around during this time, one gone home already and the others still drinking 

Honestly theres something sooooo wow about ii describing his maybe killers appearance in such detail. He doesn’t really do this with any other character in this novel (within the story def not he has met a lot of interesting people. Like aikawa especially). 

Once again he describes how different they are and yet it felt like they were looking in a mirror. 

“he had my heart and I had his eyes” is such a romantic line for some reason. Even tho it is describing two people that are attacking each other. “we stayed there for as long as 5 hours or maybe 5 seconds” also kind of makes it sound like they’re lost in the moment. Earlier in the story II mentions there is “above all else no romance” which is real interesting that there is emphasis on that specifically despite all this. Their first meeting is so good, especially this stuff. They’re sort of captivated by each other because of how they see the similarities in each other its just so good. 

Extra notes:

Mikokos jealousy over Emoto is evident early on with the comment she made about feeling jealous if Ii chan remembered Emoto and not her 

Feminist comment is real interesting idk I guess Ii is a gender neutral asshole, not expecting any sort of message like that in this story especially knowing the events that transpire going forward 

Chapter 2

Iis rooms is so him. Naked light bulb. His wardrobe not jam packed with options oh what a boring guy 

Miiko Asano description is hitting way too close to home for me. 22 years old working various gigs…. Unapproachable at first but pretty cool after oh what a girl I love 

Subdued demeanour, default expression being a glare 

Hahahaha taking about bringing a guy (Zerozaki) back to his room. Schmoozing with the serial killer everyone is talking about under the schijo bride 

Apparently the exact definition of schmoozing is to talk to someone in order to impress or manipulate them which is real interesting 

Eight Queens game. Gets harder as you progress and Ii plays it on his own and he can vent his frustration in losing on his own which is so in character for him. It’s also a good metaphor for how the mysteries in Zaregoto play out as a whole so this is super meta. 

I forgot how delinquent Muimui was

The conversation with Zerozaki about what a friend is, is one of my favourites 

Muimui drunk being like, my brains flipped upside down so my cerebrum and cerebellum are switched which is so real lmfao 

Zerozaki and II have yet to talk about Zerozakis motive for killing. Instead talking about ‘stupid irrelevant things’ and saving the best for last 

Tomoe has this weird infatuation or fixation I guess with Mikoko like she wishes she was like her. And she shares this with II 

Also when the murder happens “it probably wasn’t anything to worry about” would’ve been a dead giveaway if it wasn’t for the phone call that took place later on in the chapter 

And of course the last thing II thinks of before going to bed after hanging out with these new friends and bringing Mikoko home is what is Zerozaki doing right now I wonder if he’s killing anybody…. 

Chapter 3

Mikoko is so obvious about her crush its hilarious, II is just very oblivious (or maybe hes not stupid unreliable narrator)

The interrogation stuff was also really great because its like Ii didn’t even try to be not suspicious but thats just the way he is. And to react to Tomoes death in that way is so bizarre but its very in character considering the first arc 

Ii and Zerozaki at karoke is a real joy, I could reread this part of the story an infinite amount of times and never get sick of it. 

Some highlights though:

general discussion on what it means to kill

The time that passes, they apparently are in that booth for ~4 hours and theres a period of silence for around 1 (although I think this is just Ii being dramatic), and then they go to Tomoes place. They basically hang out all night 

Zerozaki saying “would any girl go that far to learn the address of a random guy? You might not put it past a guy but this is a girl” and then he smiles at Ii. 

“I liked her zero and hated her zero” about Mikoko is just a brutal way to express indifference, I love that line 

discussion on why people die and mentioning apoptosis? genes? Kind of hilarious 

Zerozakis sleeping face (aw) looking like Ii’s huh… 

Chapter 4

Miiko buying antiques and just chilling with her part time job, like I said before I am her I wanna be her. 

Aikawa just licking and biting Ii’s neck. That should be me tbh. 

And Muimuis little convo w Ii in the cafeteria earlier on the in the chapter was good. 

I got a little lazy w my annotating but Aikawa jun time is always great and we got that in this chapter 

Chapter 5

Mikoko and Ii going shopping is kinda sad when you know what happens next. She couldn’t express her feelings and also ii is a dumbass so he doesn’t even know lmao

“The sick masochist freak and the sick sadistic freak. It’s a match made in freaking heaven” (Aikawa Jun about Ii and Zerozaki) 

Ii saying “What a Riot” like Zerozaki does. The foil is foiling (this happens again later with zerozaki saying its all nonsense, the foil is really foiling)

Chapter 6

It really picks up this chapter with Mikoko dying, like thats just crazy. 

Also typical of mr unreliable narrator, but you can pinpoint the moment where its like alluding to the fact that he is hiding something (Sasaki says so) and then your like “oh he fucking swallowed the cloth Mikoko used to strangle herself” 

Chapter 7

They make Akiharu seem like a real dickhead, maybe he is. Especially the ‘I didn’t believe in boy-friendships’ but even more funny is Ii thinking same-gender friendships weren’t possible either LOL.

“Im used to not being liked. In fact, its being liked thats weird for me” Okay edge lord defective product, (but low-key relatable ish)

Also Akiharu saying it looks like ii could kill someone reaffirms the damn foil with Zerozaki. Beautiful. 

I’m like way too lazy to dissect the dream sequence but I appreciate it very much. Its quite good. And its really funny that after he wakes up he’s like aw wtf I got main character syndrome and thought I could dissect her psyche just from a short conversation with her when she was still alive. 

More Zerozaki stuff,,, obviously he saves Ii from the Dark Garb situation. Here’s some random lines/moments I like:

“I didn’t even have to wonder wo it was. I knew him as well as myself” (Ii about Zerozaki)

“Hm? Hey dont doze off on me. At least give me your address first” and of course my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE 

“Yo. Morning, sunshine”. 

Just the fact that Zerozaki watched over Ii all night is yk great, like im so wow. About that 

And then Ii quips like “duh, the killer was Muimui” 

Chapter 8

Beginning of the chapter is basically Ii talking about himself and how he thought he could get away with being happy all alone, but he was wrong, and he also calls himself a loser which yeah he is but in the most interesting way

Muimui confrontation… “is your knight in shining armour (Zerozaki) waiting outside?” 

Also some appreciation for the toxic Yuri with Muimui and Mikoko!! Three cheers,,, she even says she loves her and she LITERALLY killed FOR her. Crazy stuff I forget how yuri-ful nisioisin shit can get 

Muimui: Then kill me now 

Ii: Nah die on your own. 

(Shady af comebacks) 

Cries the final conversation with Zerozaki in this volume… :( 

Also ohmygod the whole string of murders is so ridiculous but its my fave like (they way it carried out) ONLY SECOND to the volume 6 murders lmfao 

Once again theres emphasis on them talking for 2 hours about random shit before parting ways. 

“Zerozaki is there someone you love”

“Hell no man, incidentally I hate myself the most. Or maybe you” Just crazy. Its really nice that in nice moment though ii, admits he does love someone (Kunagisa Tomo) and then we see her next chapter 

Extra note and question I still have is did Ii know Mikoko had feelings for him or was he really ignorant up until the end. This guys a fucking liar through and through so idk. 

Chapter 9

Okay, so I should probably revisit that last chapter again because it puts the murders into perspective, I guess Ii had an inkling of what happened very early on (like after the first murder) and maybe even knew that Mikoko liked him then but wasn’t 100% sure at that point. 

Also really sad that he will forget her, in fact I dont think she comes up again in future volumes even in mention, the only new character we see again later is Zerozaki (and Miiko too). 

“I wanted you to save me” What a grim suicide note. And Ii probably doesn’t even care or want to remember (and cant remember) 

In a way I guess him and Kunagisa are very fitting for each other I mean he calls himself a defective product anyways. They’re both fit for each other and that is clear in not only this part but in future Zaregoto volumes too. 

Final Thoughts

This reread was great and I noticed things I didn’t before. What makes this volume really great in my opinion is Ii's relationship with Zerozaki, and after that I would say the string of murders themselves while these are great it is unfortunate that we never see most of these characters again. however that does make this volume a great one to read on its own (which I have done several times already). I guess the x/y thing never meant anything in the first place? like a side of fries as Ii said, which I was initially upset about but I guess its kinda smart it like big time threw me off too.

[laurolive]

Paul and Linda, a collection of PDAs: Part 3 - Holding Hands & Linking Arms …

… and arms around shoulders, etc.

This was a first: a rock music marriage that was openly romantic and family oriented. So many photos of them close together and always touching that we just have to say, “Aww.”

Jan. 1969 From the documentary Get Back. An arm around the shoulder and some hand holding at the same time (multitasking 😊)

March 4, 1969. At the London premiere of  the film Isadora.

Aug. 22, 1969, six days before daughter Mary’s birth.

1970 or 1971

June 1971 Scotland. Still from the video for the song “Heart of The Country”

Nov. 8, 1971 Launch party for the band Wings and their debut album Wild Life at Empire Ballroom in West London.

July 16, 1972 A walk in Paris, France. Photo by Alain Dejean.

1973 Backstage during The James Paul McCartney TV special

1973.

1973 An arm around Linda plus groovy footwear all in the same photo. 😎 🆒

April 1974 at Beverly Hills Hotel, where Paul and Linda stayed with their children while in L.A. to attend the Academy Awards.

July 18, 1974 at Curly Putman’s farm in Lebanon, Tennessee (near Nashville)

Also appears to be Nashville, June or July of 1974. Paul had that haircut while he was in Nashville, and Linda had worn that same halter top in other Nashville photos.

1975 Photo shoot for People magazine cover story April 21, 1975 issue. The article title was “The McCartneys Paul & Linda,” followed by a quote from Paul: “My family is my life, then my music.” Photo by Harry Benson.

Gotta love those special pics of Paul’s hand clasping Linda’s (or vice versa), with the wedding ring(s) clearly in view.

Nov. 1, 1975 Perth, Australia press conference. Another one of those lovely pics where Paul touches Linda’s hand, which happens to be touching him. 💞 💖

1976 during the Wings Over America Tour (May 3, 1976 to Oct. 21, 1976). This was the U.S. part of the Wings Over The World Tour (Sept. 9, 1975 to Oct. 21, 1976).

1976 Family vacation in Saint Tropez. Either Paul just woke up yawning after a nap, or he’s surprised to see a photographer nearby. Linda is looking sun-kissed with her arm draped over Paul’s shoulder. Photo by James Andanson/Sygma.

1977 With bagpipe band for appearance on Mike Yarwood Christmas Show to perform the Wings single “Mull of Kintyre.” A shortage of chairs, so Paul gives Linda his knee to sit on. What a gentleman. 🌹💐

Late 1970s. Hmm, are his eyes on their guest, or on something else? 😉 😎

May 14, 1980 Cannes, France for Cannes Film Festival, where Linda and director Oscar Grillo won the Palme D’Or for best short film, Seaside Woman, a 5-minute animation based on the first song Linda wrote in 1973.

June 23, 1982 During filming of music video for the song “Take It Away” on stage 4 at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, U.K.

1984 🎶 I wanna hold your hand … close to my heart (aww). 😍 Photos by Terry O’Neill.

c. 1985 Photo by Terry O’Neill

1990 Photo by Bill Bernstein.

[adultswim2021]

Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! #22: “Chan” | August 4, 2008 - 12:30AM | S03E02

Hot off the heels of what I maintain is the single worst episode of Awesome Show comes “Chan”, which I maintain is one of their best. Solid humor throughout, and the slighter bits are propped up by the stronger things in the show. THIS is Tim & Eric, baby! 

Chan is named after one of the running bits in the episode that kicks off with the cold open, which announces that Channel 5 is celebrating “100 Years of Jackie Chan”. The way they do this is by having sketch characters as well as their cadre of weirdo outsiders deliver stilted and awkward compliments to the camera as if addressing Chan himself. This is capped off with Jan Skyler admitting “and I think you’re cute” while Wayne who acts performatively miffed. I quote that line, which sorta requires performing it just like Jan, on a regular basis. It is sickening. 

A lot of the Chan testimonial lines are strong, but towards the end of the episode they show Richard Dunn who delivers maybe my favorite line of the episode: “If I had another father I would love to have you my father cuz I love the way you’d make me grow up!” The concept of having an old man ask a younger old man to be his father, the garbled delivery, the nonsense sentiment of loving the way someone hypothetically “making” you grow up... hell, the little graphical flourish of having Dunn’s face roll away in a CGI coin for no reason make this moment so goddamn sublime.

There’s a memorable commercial starring the Tiny Hat crew (right? I’m sorta shooting from my hip on this one and don’t feel like looking it up). They play a board game called “It’s Not Jackie Chan”. The idea is that Jackie Chan permeates the average American’s thoughts to such a degree that accidentally answering Jackie Chan in a game where the answer is never Jackie Chan is inevitable, just like death and being dead. The commercial ends with a great gag where one of the players slams the “wrong” buzzer and won’t let go of it, eventually staring down the camera as his cheery advertising smile fades into a frown. This one hits, big time. 

Zit talk is maybe the weak link here, but only because of how simple and small in scale the whole thing is; it’s just Tim and Eric talking about dealing with zits, showing stills that purport to show their actual zits that wound up appearing on camera. This seems pretty improvised, and it’s funny enough. One of the stills is from either shooting the Tom Goes to the Mayor sketch from season two or from one of the deleted segments from said sketch. I was curious, and actually looked at that sketch on streaming, and the particular shot they showed the still of doesn’t seem to be in the finished episode. Eric does indeed have a small spot like in the still, but it’s much less pronounced in the video footage I saw, so either makeup or photoshop was involved in the discrepancy. 

Quilting with Will is pretty good, too. I think this is a better sketch than the Lazy Horse mattress sketch. Will is good at visceral intensity while becoming unhinged. At its weakest, you just feel like Will is simply doing the thing he does. But there are some really inspired moments in this, like the insert shot of him pretending to lay in his coffin. The weak link of the sketch might be the older woman, Lynette, whose attempts to improv thwart the very funny things Forte is saying. In a lot of shots, you can hear little wisps of her dialogue clipped off, meaning they had to cut around her lines with very close edits. She says “TMI” at one point. Bad instincts, Lynette. This sketch has quite a bit in the deleted scenes on the DVD, and they are worth watching. I wish they deleted Zits to make this one longer. 

Steve Mahanahan’s commercial (or perhaps it’s an instructional video) for getting the most out of your child clown rental is really wonderful and unsettlingly creepy. The concept of child clowns, and the way Steve Mahanahan treats them (it’s literally child abuse with a coat of cheery paint slapped on it) was more digestible in the earlier sketches, but this one shows shot-on-degraded VHS footage of actual children dressed as clowns. It’s uncanny and uncomfortably real-seeming. So much so, that re-re Pizzagate believers (unlike me who believes in Pizzagate the CORRECT way) targeted Tim & Eric partially on the basis of this sketch. This targeting actually lead Tim to do an impromptu episode of his Office Hours show just to address this and try to explain the humor of it.

The proper Tim & Eric wraparound features Eric as the wealthy husband of a beautiful blonde sexpot played by Abbey Brooks, whom we saw in the Pizza Boy sketch from season one. Tim is a sleazy rat-tailed homewrecker who gleefully “bangs” her while Eric is away on driving business. Eric catches on and eventually disposes of his wife, puts on a blonde wig, and surprises Tim and kills him with a gun. These scenes are all punctuated by a soulful singer named Sire singing about “Sexual Romance”.

On paper, it’s fairly meager, and I can’t help but suspect Tim of just wanting to write a love scene with Abbey, even though his on-camera interactions with her are pretty tepid and above all else absurd and played for laughs. Censorship notes lead them to doing all kinds of things that only a little bit look like sex-having, which ultimately lead to a funny performance. The performances really do elevate this one, and I like when the Tim & Eric wraparounds are more like this and less “hosty”. I also think the end of the episode is one of Eric’s best moments, and it plays to his strengths with his naturalistic deadpan delivery. His face while shooting Tim is priceless, the final line is great because he's saying it. I also love the Silk-Stalkings-sounding end credits music. 

During the Valentines’ Day Watchalong, Tim and Eric said of the sketch that they were trying to exploit the LA lifestyle for comedy, by renting tacky mansions that are mostly used for freaking pornos. Tim also mentioned that Sire (who is actually a pretty talented singer), went on tour with Tim & Eric, and that Tim had recently sold Sire some antiques, so they still keep in touch to some degree. Speaking of commerce, Eric’s dad apparently tried to buy the car used in the sketch.

I remember this season being a step down generally speaking, but this one’s as good as any of the good episodes from previous seasons. There’s one more all-timer coming up this season, but I’m rusty on the rest. Am I excited, or what.

MAIL BAG

You don't even like the title of the episode, "Blaster of Both Worms", I think it's kinda cute.

"and I think he's cute" lol. To be honest, I didn't even really consider the title and my feelings for it, and I don't know if I even really get it. The second worm = his peenie? Answer me at once. But, I guess I like it. It sounds cool!

[2oldbear]

Izza myth. According to Wikipedia, "

The name Marathon[a] comes from the legend of Philippides (or Pheidippides), the Greek messenger. The legend states that, while he was taking part in the Battle of Marathon, which took place in August or September, 490 BC,[3] he witnessed a Persian vessel changing its course towards Athens as the battle was near a victorious end for the Greek army. He interpreted this as an attempt by the defeated Persians to rush into the city to claim a false victory or simply raid,[4] hence claiming their authority over Greek land. It is said that he ran the entire distance to Athens without stopping, discarding his weapons and even clothes to lose as much weight as possible, and burst into the assembly, exclaiming νενικήκαμεν (nenikēkamen, "we have won!"), before collapsing and dying.[5]

The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD, which quotes from Heraclides Ponticus's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles.[6] This is the account adopted by Benjamin Haydon for his painting Eucles Announcing the Victory of Marathon, published as an engraving in 1836 with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.[7] Satirist Lucian of Samosata gave one of the earliest accounts similar to the modern version of the story, but its historical veracity is disputed based on its tongue-in-cheek writing and the runner being referred to as Philippides and not Pheidippides.[8][9][full citation needed]

There is debate about the historical accuracy of this legend.[10][11] The Greek historian Herodotus, the main source for the Greco-Persian Wars, mentions Philippides as the messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta asking for help, and then ran back, a distance of over 240 kilometres (150 mi) each way.[12] In some Herodotus manuscripts, the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides. Herodotus makes no mention of a messenger sent from Marathon to Athens, and relates that the main part of the Athenian army, having fought and won the grueling battle, and fearing a naval raid by the Persian fleet against an undefended Athens, marched quickly back from the battle to Athens, arriving the same day.[13]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Pheidippides

In 1879, Robert Browning wrote the poem Pheidippides. Browning's poem, his composite story, became part of late 19th century popular culture and was accepted as a historic legend.[14]

Mount Pentelicus stands between Marathon and Athens, which means that if Philippides actually made his famous run after the battle, he had to run around the mountain, either to the north or to the south. The latter and more obvious route matches almost exactly the modern Marathon-Athens highway (EO83���EO54), which follows the lay of the land southwards from Marathon Bay and along the coast, then takes a gentle but protracted climb westwards towards the eastern approach to Athens, between the foothills of Mounts Hymettus and Penteli, and then gently downhill to Athens proper. This route, as it existed when the Olympics were revived in 1896, was approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) long, and this was the approximate distance originally used for marathon races. However, there have been suggestions that Philippides might have followed another route: a westward climb along the eastern and northern slopes of Mount Penteli to the pass of Dionysos, and then a straight southward downhill path to Athens. This route is a bit shorter, 35 kilometres (22 mi), but includes a very steep initial climb of more than 5 kilometres (3.1 mi).

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