#this post was inspired by Leanne

[dam-bluecookies]

You guys are amazhang

[hctclcalifornia]

least surprising music taste? probably jason (lots of dad rock, 70s classics, fleetwood mac)

most surprising? probably cameron... girl loves a good pop ballad

[random-introverted-blog]

Read your answer the second you posted it basically! I meant to answer but mulled over nicknames. Used a thing to make your account name  Anagrams. It’s in the end.  This has been living in my head rent free. 

Shadowheart def deserved more cute assist lines. Yeah, they all deserve causal flirting. Wyll and Karlach are the cutest! 

Post game definitely works for them. Slowwwwburrrrrrrrn. A lot of stuff goes ‘lemme go back to a previous save real quick, bae.’ XD

Bending things for canon is really so entertaining. 

AA would really be an ass bout it but would take you back. He does say he misses Tav in epilogue. He is still pretty obsessed. Also there was another thing that says he thinks about Tav a lot but is too prideful to seek them out: 

Asty and SH having Tav as a shared ex would be so crazy. Them being like ‘We’re so happy without Tav’ (at first. Pettiness) . Then them being ‘surprise pikachu face’ when they actually do get over Tav and fall for each other.

I have so many work in progress fics. SH deserves more fics l! 

I just adore chatting with you! You’re so fun and sweet. Might actually just dm you one day but let’s see!

Get you a couple that can do all three! I love the random funny bits that can ensue. They think they’re all that but would do cringey and funny stuff too.

The ‘I mentally plotted and planned a lot but didn’t see this coming at all’ is so funny to think about. 

Asty would be like why did this happen again (his track record of accidentally falling for Tav before). He’d be extremely possessive and extra. Definitely would be like ‘You won’t be getting rid of me ever, Jen.’.

Both are will try and avoid making the same mistakes.

Batstarion shenanigans and him just being even more chaotic and silly and just trying to accompany her ‘undercover’ though it’s like it’s a dead giveaway and everyone’s ‘that’s your vampire boo isn’t it?’. 

Also the trying to be suave and being silly and caught off. 

Astarion would have a rivalry with Shar in a way ngl. He’s like that’s my girl just so we’re clear. Vampire Bride! Dark Justiciar! SH would be soooo extra. SH would find a way to keep power over him too somehow. A and SH would have a super back and forth, push and pull dynamic. They’d really have a long game. Super powerful both of them. Accidental equals and evil power couple.

The possibilities are truly endless. It’s great to speculate and indulge in what ifs! You’re very inspiring.

A song that suits both of em is ‘Can’t fight the moonlight’ by LeAnn Rimes. 

‘Can’t remember to forget you’ by Shakira suits em too (plus the players who can’t get over em. It’s like let’s do a new route! Gravitates towards Asty and SH still. Shame you can’t poly with them together. But I get it would be a lot of work and that’s why). 

That’s so nice of you. To be like ‘the stories I want aren’t out there’s gotta make them and cater to other fans too’. Your ideas are so fun and smart. Your writing style is so engaging. The angst and  potential and exploring stuff is everything.

Congrats on the followers and you deserve even more! It’s so cool to think bout! 30 people is a lot! 

For the nickname, I settled on Wenona!

I hope you don’t mind it? Hawthorne, Arya, Honey, Heather, Wendy, Dorothy, Howard, Shanon, Anthony, Reyna, Thea, Ashton, Rosanna, Rowena, Sandra, Sherwood were the other options. All of them are so posh! 

- bloodmoon anon

Always a pleasure to hear from you, bloodmoon!

I'm flattered you put so much effort into coming up with a name! I'm used to the only flattery coming from my partner, but they're biased. I could write the equivalent of Mirkons story when you save him and they'd still say "that's beautiful, my love" yes I'm calling you out, babe, I know you're reading this.

THAT SAID.

The lack of cute/sassy assist lines is part of why I wrote Deny Me Not Your Heart. The other part is I see all this hurt/comfort/injury stuff and no one is writing these for Shadowheart SHES THE HEALER GUYS, THINK ABOUT IT.

I think a post-game slow burn is the only solid way for an Ast and SH fic, at least for me. I'm sure you or others are more creative in that regard than me.

You don't want to know how many saves I have stacked up on my PS5 only to do it all over again to my Xbox now lmao.

Bending canon is what makes us fanfiction writers, and never let anyone tell you otherwise. It's an art of balancing canon and the characters to what your vision is. A well done fanfiction is one that is almost indistinguishable from the actual story. That blurs the lines between canon and fan content. I wrote a whole speech that I had to cut to keep this from getting too long but short version, yes it is very fun bending canon!

I heard about the too prideful thing but I believe that was a cut epilogue card so whether it's canon is up for debate. But yes, he is pretty obsessed and I'm here for it.

A story with Tav as a shared ex would be very interesting! That's sort of the concept behind my longfic but instead of falling in love with each other, Ascended and Dark Justiciar end up having a Yandere 1v1 over their ex. But for the sake of discussion, let's say Astarion and Shadowheart end up fake dating to spite Tav but end up falling in love together instead. Sounds like an interesting prompt!

I'm more of a Tav shipper myself, if my content is anything to go by. But I agree, Shadowheart deserves more content!

Aw, I enjoy chatting with you too! My DM's are open if you or anyone feels like hitting me up and discussing fanfic, if you'd rather not send it as an ask that gets posted to over 30 followers. I'm getting busier lately, so my responses may be slower but I'm always trying to respond to things asap! So if you or anyone else wants a more private conversation to discuss bg3 ideas or some such, don't hesitate! I'll bounce ideas back as best I can. I will say my ideas/concepts are primarily Astarion and Shadowheart though.

Ascended and Dark Justiciar accidentally falling in love due to not planning for the outcome is hilarious and, for Astarion, very much in character! It's established several times that intelligent as he is, he's not the greatest at planning ahead so him catching feelings for Sharran Shadowheart after manipulating her into a tactical alliance (spongebob fish anchor voice: when will he learn?) rings of...

And after losing Tav, he definitely would be way worse in the possessive department of Shadowheart.

"Is that your vampire fiancee, Mother Superior? He's quite adorable!"

Angry chirping translation: ADORABLE? NO, I AM VENGENCE! I AM DOMINATION INCARNATE! I COMMAND THE NIGHT!

Shadowheart: he is, isn't he? And he's all mine.

More angry chirping: YOURE MINE! MINE, I SAID! MINE!

So with Shadowheart having access to memory magic, she would need to subdue him, tie him up and laser guide amnesia his ass. You can even manipulate or modify his existing memories, if you go by Shadowheart initially believing the Sharrans saved her from that wolf and didn't abduct her from her loving parents.

Aww, I'm so glad I'm inspiring you guys! This is the reason I started this little blog and to see it helping people in any way is what keeps me going! Thank you so much for your support, I really am beyond words for how grateful I am for you and the others!

I discovered many years ago that if there's a story you want to see, sometimes you have to create it yourself! And if you want it, other people do too! So you sort of bring together your own little club of likeminded people! Case and point, us and this blog! It's always reassuring to hear my writing is engaging, I'm one of countless writers who always feels inadequate and insufficient, especially after I read other people's work.

You can call me whatever you want within reason, of course. So long as it's nothing malicious, harassing or bullying. My partner may have some choice words about people calling me honey though 🤔 Wenona and Hawthorne are nice too! But really, it's whatever you want. My blog is to serve. Not the other way around.

And if I take a little while replying to your asks please don't think I'm ignoring you. I try to set aside enough time to fully read and respond whatever I see posted/replied somewhere when it feels appropriate!

Think I replied to everything in your ask... Sorry if I missed something!

-newly named Wenona/Hawthorne/Whatever else you wanna call me! ❤️

[polikszena]

Top Gun: Maverick - The Karaoke Masterpost

UPDATED: 29-08-2022

So, about a week ago I asked around about the go-to karaoke songs of the characters of Top Gun: Maverick, but since that thread started to become very long, I’ve decided to make a masterpost for the whole thing.

Below you can find the list of the songs the young and the old guns would sing on a karaoke night at The Hard Deck.

Many thanks to @allkinds-oftrash and @animezinglife for the collaboration, and also to @opalinedaydreams because this and this post of hers also influenced the list!

And make sure to check out @buckyr00s’s karaoke list as well! It has some very cool tunes and inspired some new additions to this one. So did this post by @highwaytothedangerzone502.

Also, this list is by no means complete, so further suggestions are welcome! :)

And lastly, here is a playlist with all the songs added.

Rooster: 

Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis

Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars

Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. (+ the rest of the boys)

Rock and Roll Madonna by Elton John

I Got Life from Hair (dancing on the table, of course. Penny wouldn’t approve it, of course)

Hangman: 

Holding out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler, 

Save The World by The Swedish House Mafia

A Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler (if he’s in the mood for it)

Hot Blooded by Foreigner

Simply The Best by Tina Turner

Phoenix: 

Material Girl and/or Like a Prayer by Madonna, 

It’s All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion, 

Born This Way and/or Hold My Hand by Lady Gaga, 

Long Live by Taylor Swift

Trouble and/or Just Like a Pill by P!nk

Can’t Fight the Moonlight by LeAnn Rimes

Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

Oops!... I Did It Again by Britney Spears

Coyote: 

Low by Flo Rida, 

Dynamite by Taio Cruz

Halo by Beyoncé

Hero by Mariah Carey

Payback: 

Hello by Lionel Richie

Something by James Brown

Africa by TOTO

Fanboy: 

Larger Than Life and/or I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys

Boy With Love by BTS

Bob: 

Killer Queen, ‘39 and/or Hammer to Fall by Queen, 

Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and The News

Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry

Sister Christian by Night Ranger

Penny:

Mamma Mia by ABBA

Cowboy Take Me Away and/or Long Time Gone by The Chicks

Something by Dolly Parton

That Don’t Impress Me Much by Shania Twain

Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar

Maverick:

You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling by The Righteous Brothers

Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon

Footloose by Kenny Loggins

Cyclone:

Greased Lightning from Grease

Rock You Like a Hurricane by Scorpions

Duets:

Burnin’ for You by Blue Öyster Cult (Fanboy and Payback)

It’s My Life and/or Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi (Coyote and Hangman)

The Winner Takes It All by ABBA (Phoenix and Hangman)

Take a Chance on Me by ABBA (Hangman and Bob)

Does Your Mother Know by ABBA (Bob and Phoenix)

Group Songs:

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Counting Stars by OneRepublic

Anything by ABBA

Lucky by Britney Spears

Man! I Feel Like a Woman! by Shania Twain

Everybody by Backstreet Boys (special performance by the boyband Backseat Boys)

Wannabe by Spice Girls

Songs that could be sung by anyone of the group:

Hotel California by The Eagles

Don’t Stop Believing by Journey

You’re the One that I Want from Grease (Could be sung by any couple)

Songs that I don’t know who would sing but would appear on a karaoke night:

Livin’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin

Anything by Britney Spears

Hell’s Bells by AC/DC

Tiny Dancer by Elton John

Uptown Girl by Billy Joel

Dancing Queen by ABBA

[richincolor]

[The images above are each of the book covers of the new releases. For more detailed descriptions for each cover, please visit the original post on our blog.]

New Releases

Maybe it has been happening every year and I didn't notice, but this January brought a fabulously large amount of new releases and I am not complaining. Here are a few we're watching for this week.

The Davenports (The Davenports #1) by Krystal Marquis Dial Books

The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States, their fortune made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Now it’s 1910, and the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, finding their way and finding love—even where they’re not supposed to.

There is Olivia, the beautiful elder Davenport daughter, ready to do her duty by getting married . . . until she meets the charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight and sparks fly. The younger daughter, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love—unless it’s with her sister’s suitor. Amy-Rose, the childhood friend turned maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business—and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen’s brother, John. But Olivia’s best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can’t seem to keep his interest . . . until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.

Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, The Davenports is the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their own path in life—and love. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Two Can Play That Game by Leanne Yong Allen & Unwin

Sam Khoo has one goal in life: create cool indie games. She’s willing to do anything to make her dream come true – even throw away a scholarship to university. All she needs is a super-rare ticket to a game design workshop and she can kickstart her career.

So when Jaysen Chua, otherwise known as Jerky McJerkface, sneakily grabs the last ticket for himself, Sam is left with no choice. It’s war. Knowing all too well how their Australian-Malaysian community works, she issues him an ultimatum: put the ticket on the line in a 1v1 competition of classic video games, or she’ll broadcast his duplicity to everyone. Thank you, Asian Gossip Network.

Meeting in neutral locations, away from the eyes and ears of nosy aunties and uncles, Sam and Jay connect despite themselves. It’s a puzzle that Sam’s not sure she wants to solve. But when her dream is under threat, will she discover that there is more than one way to win?

Play the Game by Charlene Allen Katherine Tegan Books

In the game of life, sometimes other people hold all the controls. Or so it seems to VZ. Four months have passed since his best friend Ed was killed by a white man in a Brooklyn parking lot.

When Singer, the man who killed Ed, is found dead in the same spot where Ed was murdered, all signs point to Jack, VZ’s other best friend, as the prime suspect.

VZ’s determined to complete the video game Ed never finished and figure out who actually killed Singer. With help from Diamond, the girl he’s crushing on at work, VZ falls into Ed’s quirky gameiverse. As the police close in on Jack, the game starts to uncover details that could lead to the truth about the murder.

Can VZ honor Ed and help Jack before it’s too late? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant Balzer + Bray

Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.

Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.

These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve. And then again on Valentine’s Day. And then again on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.

Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie—open about what she likes and who she is, even if it’s not cool. Except . . . it’s all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.

As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they’ve each fallen for a version of the other that doesn’t really exist? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Black Queen by Jumata Emill Delacorte Press

Nova Albright was going to be the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High—but now she’s dead. Murdered on coronation night. Fans of One of Us Is Lying and The Other Black Girl will love this unputdownable thriller.

Nova Albright, the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High, is dead. Murdered the night of her coronation, her body found the next morning in the old slave cemetery she spent her weekends rehabilitating.

Tinsley McArthur was supposed to be queen. Not only is she beautiful, wealthy, and white, it’s her legacy—her grandmother, her mother, and even her sister wore the crown before her. Everyone in Lovett knows Tinsley would do anything to carry on the McArthur tradition.

No one is more certain of that than Duchess Simmons, Nova’s best friend. Duchess’s father is the first Black police captain in Lovett. For Duchess, Nova’s crown was more than just a win for Nova. It was a win for all the Black kids. Now her best friend is dead, and her father won’t fact the fact that the main suspect is right in front of him. Duchess is convinced that Tinsley killed Nova—and that Tinsley is privileged enough to think she can get away with it. But Duchess’s father seems to be doing what he always does: fall behind the blue line. Which means that the white girl is going to walk.

Duchess is determined to prove Tinsley’s guilt. And to do that, she’ll have to get close to her.

But Tinsley has an agenda, too.

Everyone loved Nova. And sometimes, love is exactly what gets you killed. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

The Urban Promise Prep School vows to turn boys into men. As students, J.B., Ramón, and Trey are forced to follow the prestigious “program’s” strict rules. Extreme discipline, they’ve been told, is what it takes to be college bound, to avoid the fates of many men in their neighborhoods. This, the Principal Moore Method, supposedly saves lives.

But when Moore ends up murdered and the cops come sniffing around, the trio emerges as the case’s prime suspects. With all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. But is the true culprit hiding among them? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

How to Be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi & Nic Stone Kokila

The New York Times bestseller How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi is shaping the way a generation thinks about race and racism. How to be a (Young) Antiracist is a dynamic reframing of the concepts shared in the adult book, with young adulthood front and center. Aimed at readers 12 and up, and co-authored by award-winning children’s book author Nic Stone, How to be a (Young) Antiracist empowers teen readers to help create a more just society. Antiracism is a journey–and now young adults will have a map to carve their own path. Kendi and Stone have revised this work to provide anecdotes and data that speaks directly to the experiences and concerns of younger readers, encouraging them to think critically and build a more equitable world in doing so. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

One Girl In All The World (In Every Generation #2) by Kendare Blake Disney-Hyperion

Into every generation, a slayer is born. One girl in all the world . . . maybe.

Frankie Rosenberg is the world’s first slayer-witch, but she doesn’t have that slay-life balance figured out just yet. After all, being the newest slayer means that another slayer had to die. Frankie and the Scooby gang are still reeling from the deadly explosion that rocked the annual slayer retreat―and grappling with new evidence that some slayers may have made it out alive. And even though they defeated bloodthirsty vampire the Countess, it doesn’t mean Sunnydale is free from the forces of evil.

Something has reawakened the Hellmouth―and is calling old friends home. Someone is performing demon magic in the shadows, opening portals between dimensions. Everyone has demons to contend with―of the metaphorical and the very real (occasionally very hot) variety. And an oracle warns of a new evil on its way: the Darkness.

Could this be what attacked the slayers? And is it coming for Frankie? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Cartographers by Amy Zhang *HarperCollins

Ocean Wu has always felt enormous pressure to succeed. After struggling with depression during her senior year in high school, Ocean moves to New York City, where she has been accepted at a prestigious university. But Ocean feels so emotionally raw and unmoored (and uncertain about what is real and what is not), that she decides to defer and live off her savings until she can get herself together. She also decides not to tell her mother (whom she loves very much but doesn’t want to disappoint) that she is deferring—at least until she absolutely must.

In New York, Ocean moves into an apartment with Georgie and Tashya, two strangers who soon become friends, and gets a job tutoring. She also meets a boy—Constantine Brave (a name that makes her laugh)—late one night on the subway. Constant is a fellow student and a graffiti artist, and Constant and Ocean soon start corresponding via Google Docs—they discuss physics, philosophy, art, literature, and love. But everything falls apart when Ocean goes home for Thanksgiving, Constant reveals his true character, Georgie and Tashya break up, and the police get involved.

Ocean, Constant, Georgie, and Tashya are all cartographers—mapping out their futures, their dreams, and their paths toward adulthood in this stunning and heartbreaking novel about finding the strength to control your own destiny. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

*The HarperCollins Union has been striking since 10 November 2022. Please consider supporting the strike by purchasing books through the union's Bookshop account or by donating to the strike fund.

[pickled-pear964]

A Non-Canon thing I made up about the super depressing love story of Katydid and Malachite :P

Idk what to name this so-

-1-

Katydid nervously opened the creaky door to the library, determined to finish her project before the sun dipped into the earth, signaling it was time for curfew.

Nectar and Honeycomb, the two librarians, each gave her a curt nod as they went back to scolding a young SilkWing for knocking over a pile of books on the counter. Moth, his name was, Katydid remembered.

He was a shy SilkWing a few years below her in school. She remembered running into him a couple times on her way to History.

“You rascal! Those books were reserved for Lady Cicada.” Honeycomb hissed, flicking her tail at the books, now soaking wet with water, and revealing her deadly stinger.

Katydid had no absolute idea what Lady Cicada would want from a school library, and she was sure they were trying to scare the poor thing.

“Madam.” Katydid interjected. “I apologize on behalf of him. He’s with me. I’m supposed to be tutoring him today, but I arrived late. I asked him to take one of those books.” Katydid shot a sideways glance at Moth, urging him to play along.

He merely nodded nervously, trembling, in response.

Honeycomb shot him a suspicious glance. She glared at Katydid, growled, and stomped away.

Katydid turned around, but stopped when she felt a tugging on one of her legs.

“Th-thank you.” Moth said, staring at the floor. Moth’s turquoise scales gave off a metallic aura in the evening light, which Katydid felt was spoiled by the unnatural lack of wings on the dragonet’s back.

Katydid remembered her mother telling her that SilkWings were weak and pathetic, and when Katydid tried to sneak her friend, a SilkWing named Fiona, out of Misbehavers Way. And the trouble she got into after. She never spoke to, nor saw Fiona again. The last she heard of her was that she and her family had been transferred to Bloodworm hive.

“Be careful next time.” Was all Katydid said before she whirled around and continued on into the library.

-2-

Malachite bounded into his small bedroom, rain pattering on the hive walls.

A rather crumpled piece of paper, ink pot, and quill were the only things laid out on his large wooden desk.

His Hive project, which was currently shoved into a small corner of his room, was a required project for all graduates of Silkworm Hall. Malachite’s consisted of an unfinished story about how Clearsight saved the continent from a deadly storm, and a few sketches of her family tree.

His sister, Leanne, had already finished hers, a play she and her friends had done about how Queen Wasp had oh-so heroically won the Tree Wars.

Malachite thought his was a bit boring and plain, but he had a feeling he would get a passing grade.

He dipped the quill into the ink pot, and continued writing his story.

***

NOTE: I’ll continue this story in a follow-up post when I have more inspiration (I am busy and I don’t have any time to continue slaying every day 😔✨)

Anyways, have a good day :D

— Pickled Pear

[phoenix-squad-landing]

Happy 13th anniversary Guardian signs! This was my favorite game as a kid I loved and still love it so much. This team of ours with ben, summer, nema, leanne, rand, and murph was always just so nice to me as a kid. And how could I forget about Ukulele Pichu! My child!

(Also I'm in love with the villains but we aint gonna talk about that)

Anyhow I spent the last couple hours on this so I'm really tired. I'm gonna cross post this real fast and I'm going to bed✌🏻

Also thank you to @marinecorvid for inspiring me to do this!

[leelee120000]

Billie Eilish, Fame, and the Romanticism of Teen Suicide

February 21, 2020

It is no secret that when I find something I enjoy I dive into it. Ask my coworkers and friends who have sat through me talking about anything I love and they’ll tell you; “LeAnne really likes details.” Which, I take no shame in, but it can be a lot for someone who isn’t expecting it.

While working I decided to watch Billie’s new music video, “everything i wanted.” I enjoy her music a lot and thought I would just pop it on while doing some more fixing of our YouTube channel. The first small detail I noticed was that the lights of the skyscrapers are timed to the piano. The next was that Billie is blinking on beat. It’s tiny details like that I love so much.

As a fan of Billie’s, I knew about the song’s history before watching. Billie suffers from night terrors and sleep paralysis, so the theme of dreaming and nightmares is one commonly used. This song, for instance, was inspired by a dream Billie had in which she committed suicide. In the dream, her friends and coworkers had betrayed her post-death, ridiculing her with statements that nobody liked her. 

Billie Eilish explaining the video to BBCR1 via Twitter.

The single was released onto YouTube with an abstract image of the Golden Gate Bridge, which is a popular place for suicide. Billie said that the song is also about her brother caring for her and the lyric of, “As long as I’m here no one can hurt you” is a direct example of that.

However, I wasn’t expecting the video to open with the words, “finneas is my brother and my best friend. no matter the circumstances, we always have and always will be there for each other.” The lowercasing instantly let me know Billie typed this herself, as that is her style of writing. 

The camera vertically pans over an almost somber cityscape until we see Billie driving an expensive car with her brother in the passenger seat. We see a close up on both of their faces, Billie is singing and Finneas looks calm. As Billie sings they drive onto the Golden Gate Bridge, the ocean is in view through the windows. 

Finneas mouths the lyric: “as long as I’m here no one can hurt you.” They drive onto the beach and Finneas mouths the lyrics, “if I could change the way you see yourself” and “they don’t deserve you.” 

Billie floors the car into the ocean. As dark water overtakes them, Billie sings, “I tried to swim. But my head was underwater.” The car further sinks with the two holding hands: Finneas smiles, water fills the floorboards and the viewer is left in darkness.

The viewer can interpret that Billie killed herself and her brother.

It’s dark and sobering. The lyrics showing Billie’s fears around her newfound fame matched with the visuals. The metaphorical implications of this, that her fame killed her and her brother; really, it’s amazing. 

We live in a time where I believe, we as Generation Z, have been almost doomed from the start. We embrace it, of course, joking and using humor to cope. But at the end of the day, a vast majority of us have been depressed or suicidal in our short lifetimes. To us, this side of Billie is the most normal, the most relatable. 

As the older generations might fearfully look upon this video as romanization, we relate to it in an almost unexplainable way. 

I have decided to include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 1-800-283-8255 in my conclusion of this article. It’s okay to ask for help.

LeAnne McPherson

[artificidel]

housekeeping

this is more my walk of shame/accountability post than calling anyone else out; and to have a more clear outline of my current threads

waiting on me:

-herb smoking girlfriends / deirdre [starter]

-combat conglomeration / griss + owain

waiting on partner:

-god forsaken / limstella

-superpredator / raven [+1 bow]

-converges on you / chrom

-it's odd for this time of year / arval [+1 gauntlets]

-oh so holy on my tongue / leanne

-faith is unseen / veyle

any threads unlisted here are dropped. this is more upon me than my partner. the timing and length of my hiatus made me lose inspiration for a couple lingering threads and i apologize

i may pick up more threads depending on how quickly replies are returned to me. ephidel is an unaffiliated muse so if you are interested in writing with them or need an unaffiliated partner, feel free to message me

[gcldcnhour-a]

@ofmymanymuses​ liked this post for a song inspired starter song: nothin’ better to do by leanne rimes

“mama said idle hands are devil’s handiwork.” cormac breathed out his cigarette smoke. “oh the trouble you’ll get into.” he punctuated the statement with a wink in their direction. 

[vicsdeangelis]

ethan torchio moments that make you think i need him in my pussy: every time i look at him, he can just stand there breathing and my legs open automatically and ready to let him fuck my brains out

no cuz you're so right this was literally the video that inspired that post. he's not doing anything and i still felt the need to say that sksnsisnsisjs

[stormxpadme]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass it to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

These are always torture for persons with the self-confidence of a lemming, but I’ll give it a shot because I also love talking about my writing. No, there’s no logic in it. Yes, I’m a human disaster. So, in no particular order.

Tales Untold: IN BETWEEN (#11) (The Lord of the Rings)

In Between is arguably the height of the Stewardaides Crisis that shakes Aragorn’s rule post-Ring War. It’s part of one of my longest fanfiction series, and while with series-projects, I am always inclined to like the last part best ... Emotionally and technically, this is, I think, the one that stands out. One by one, plot details are being revealed that there has been foreshadowing for ever since part 1 of the series. With three of the protagonists in captivity and in mortal danger, the stakes are obviously high enough, but there’s also a lot of emotional development going on with Legolas and his father finally working through some issues and Aragorn and Legolas finally settling a terrible fight that has been going on for four series parts at that point. This is the one that brings peace to Ithilien and Legolas’ canonical settlement there, it’s breathing life into the post Ring War era and develops Aragorn’s and Legolas’ friendship. It’s also as a milestone regarding Legolas’ canonically neglected characterization, and if I am to use the word proud about any of my writing which I am very hesitant to, this would probably win the prize.

24/7 (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

24/7 statistically is the most successful of my fanfics in our German archive (where I have published about 130 stories of the hundreds of fanfics I wrote in my 30 years of writing). That is, in part, because this was probably the only time I was, as an author in the right place at the right time. In 2013, I loved the MCU as much as I came to hate it these days, and so did millions of other people, and my main ship for once was quite popular as well. Therefore, I somehow managed to attract a lot of attention with 24/7, in spite of experimenting with a writing style I am not usually comfortable with: Writing in present tense. The idea for 24/7 was inspired by the concept of the 24 series. There was a chapter for every hour of a day that Natasha spent by Clint’s bedside after he’s been shot and is on the brink of death, shortly after the events of the The Avengers-movie. While Bruce is fighting for Clint’s life and the other three team members are trying to comfort Natasha, she recollects her time with Clint from their first meeting to this day in flashbacks. Each chapter is divided in the present events and a section of their past. The whole project was technically very demanding but it also takes a huge emotional toll. With everything I hate about MCU this days, this one is for the canon avoiders who refuse to believe anything after Winter Soldier happened and are entirely happy with the Avengers living as a functional, loving team in Tony’s tower. It’s a love story both to what the MCU could have been and about Clint’s and Natasha’s relationship that will never be conventional and can only end in tragedy one day, but it’s also about them realizing that until that happens, they need to make the best of every day. From the technical requirements alone, I think, this is one of my better works.

All Or Nothing: CAN'T LET IT GO (#3) (American Idol RPF)

All Or Nothing is a series about my waning love for casting shows, about everything I used to love about them before the concept became stale recently. It’s less an RPF than a self-insert as the female protagonist has a lot of details from my own life and experiences. While some former judges and media members of the German version of American Idol exist in ths, as well as cameos of people like Alanis Morissette, LeAnn Rimes, Roxette and Kurt Nilsen, the story is mostly a classic romance with lots and lots and lots of my favorite music involved. It contains my experiences at my own American Idol castings as well as my experiences with managing a German rock musician for a while and pulls no punches regarding the deadly sides of showbiz. One contestant in this fictional season of (German) American Idol dies in a depression-induced accident while my protagonist slips into pill addiction in the course of the series to handle the pressure. The relationship between her and future German Idol winner JC especially in this series part is put to the ultimate test after the death of that contestant who used to be JC’s best friend, and when another contestant outs Vic’s and JC’s so far secret relationship to the media, a gigantic shitstorm breaks loose. I think it’s mostly how the protagonists hold on to their performances, to the music they love so much, to save their sanity, what makes me love this so much. When Vic performs songs like May it be and Into the west for their deceased friend in the show and the whole studio is crying, this is what I used to dream of myself as a kid (until it became clear I’m a shitty singer, oh well). Probably more a personal favorite of mine than a masterpiece, but that’s what this list is also for, no?

Weathered I: FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE (#9) (X-Men original timeline movieverse)

With me editing and continuing the two Weathered series right now, this can’t be missing of course. While two of the stories mentioned so far are love letters to their respective canon, this is a declaration of war. This is rage. This is my whole disappointment that came with X-Men: The Last Stand and the new movies including Dark Phoenix, too, after I fell in love so damn deeply with X-Men and X2 at the time. So what I did here was build my own canon in that verse, with the ships I prefer (Jean and Logan IMO just have so much better chemistry in the movies, and I ship Scott with happiness, sorry not sorry), and then ruined it to the ground with tragedy, by finally giving those original movie characters the Dark Phoenix saga they deserve. For Better Or For Worse is set some months after X2 and finds the X-Men devastated and highly confused after Jean just returned from the dead only to set all of New York on fire and then fuck off to space in the shape of a gigantic flaming bird. With Charles revealing to them what he’s long suspected, that an alien all-powerful demon named Phoenix has taken possession of Jean, the X-Men venture on their greatest adventure yet to find Jean and try to separate her from the demon to stop it and save Jean’s life, before Dark Phoenix will destroy all life in the universe. While it does of course have my own ideas, this Dark Phoenix saga version is inspired a lot by the X-Men cartoon version, including the final battle on a piece of rock and resurrection in the shape of all team members giving part of their gift to save Jean. It’s not even a horribly complicated story, and it is beyond me how Hollywood managed to fuck that up two times in a row. So I just had to grab my imaginary Infinity Gauntlet and do it on my own. And holy shit, did I have a lot of fun with it. I incorporated not only the cartoon but many of my favorite Marvel elements that I used to love as a kid in this. The Defenders of the Earth from that old cartoon are the ones that get the honor to take the X-Men to space. Charles gets to fight his once-every-few-years-girlfriend Lilandra to stop a whole alien race from just killing Jean’s ass off cold. We get Logan discovering part of his past and his real name and Remy and Marie beginning their relationship amidst tragedy. Every scene is sadness and pain and also character development, and there’s nothing less but the whole universe at stake. Sometimes when I reread this, I get the feeling, maybe I don’t suck as much as I think at least two times a day as a writer.

Crossing Lines: INFINITE SADNESS (#6) (Star Wars)

This, funnily enough, wasn’t meant to be war, because when I wrote the Crossing Lines-series, things were dead in the Star Wars-universe. I am not kidding you younglings. Everyone at that point was convinced, we would never see another installment of that franchise. Good ol’ times, kiddos. Turns out, in the year 2022, this is another unintended gigantic middle finger to canon, though. Crossing Lines gave Obi-Wan the depth he did not have in the first six movies by having him doubt some aspects of the Jedi Code when he falls in love. Since his indoctrination by the Order has progressed too deeply though, he can’t progress on this far healthier way of a Grey Jedi quickly enough before Order 66 leaves the order and the galaxy in ruins. So in this last part of the series, his girlfriend in the order ends up in her own exile where she has Obi-Wan’s baby and gives it away for their own safety. No, absolutely fucking no one in this series is having fun at all, not once (well except for in a couple of sex scenes). Infinite sadness is one of the oldest stories on this list, and especially style-wise, it would need a major makeover, but it nailed the characterization of those movie characters who, as far as I am concerned, have officially nothing more than six movies on them, and I still get back reading it occasionally fondly.

****

A honorary mention goes out to an as of yet unpublished story on my hard drive called Terra Exit: MY WORLDCHANGER (ignore the series name, it’s a stub), which is the beginning of something I will probably write when I’m retired one day, because I won’t have time before. It’s my attempt of turning the old She-Ra: Princess of Power series into a written project for grown-ups. While the first few series parts will follow and loosely incorporate the She-Ra series episodes, before the fanfiction series moves on to full-fledged war between She-Ra and Hordak on Etheria and then ends in an apocalyptic showdown, with She-Ra and He-Man against Horde Prime and Skeletor on Eternia ... Well, you can already tell by that description, this is no longer a children’s cartoon. This is turning the already very mature and political themes that the old series touched, like sacrifice, social injustice and tyranny, into basically a graphic horror novel. This will have death and gore, sex scenes and references to child abuse, violence and loss. My Worldchanger is marking the beginning of that, putting the events of the The Secret of the Sword cartoon movie into writing, including Adora finding out about having been stolen from her parents as a child and being transformed not least by mind control spells into a warlord for the enemy, about having a twin brother and a superpowered secret identity, it’s about her meeting her parents on her home world and making the ultimate sacrifice of not living with them but fighting against her old abductors and abusers on Etheria until the planet is free. This was originally meant also as a gigantic fuck you about everything the new She-Ra series (great as its LGBT+ representation is) fucked up about the original, but like 20 pages in I realized ... Fuck. This has fucking potential. It will probably be like 5 million words long by the time it’s finished, and no one will ever read it but you know what? I can live with that. I’ll probably take it with me to the grave and still be proud of it.

[qnewslgbtiqa]

Australia Day: It's all the LGBT fault now

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/australia-day-its-all-the-lgbt-fault-now/

Australia Day: It's all the LGBT fault now

Blame quickly attaches to the LGBT community in the American-inspired culture wars seeping into Australian daily life. So quelle surprise that someone has found a way to credit us for the annual War on Australia Day crap.

BTW, lots of people would happily take credit. But no one banned anything. The soulless corporations that run the bulk of our supermarkets only GAF about one thing — profit. No moral imperative compelled any of them to stop stocking thongs bedecked with Australian flags. Peter Dutton and that antiquated radio performance artist on The Project can bang on all they like about boycotts and bans. It’s bullshit, and they know it.

Let’s meet Lisa

Anyway, introducing Lisa. Lisa has worked out that every retailer who ‘banned’ Australia Day merchandise, nevertheless sells Pride merch. And she manages to sneak in a crafty ‘think of the kiddies’ reference.

Hey Lisa, did you ever consider that maybe the Pride stuff sells?

Every single retailer that has banned the sale of Australia Day merch sells Pride merch. Every single one of them. Interestingly too, lots of it is directed at kids

Aldi – they stocked the children’s book ‘a boy in a dress’ Kmart – they have a full range of children’s family… pic.twitter.com/xZ9m3AHcFb

— Lisa (@Lisa9Sophia) January 13, 2024

Then, meet Leanne…

Leanne is all over X, telling everyone about her hubby working at a Woolies pub. He allegedly attended a staff meeting yesterday and was told not to wear Australia Day apparel on January 26.

Some people didn’t believe Leanne and disputed her assertion. But she became more insistent as the day wore on. By the end of the day, her husband managed the pub, and her son worked there too.

But just one big problem.

Woolies sold out of pubs in 2021. The supermarket giant retains a small, non-controlling interest and cannot instruct staff on anything.

It’s a big porky, but don’t upset Leanne. At the rate she’s going, the entire family down to third cousins four times removed will soon rely on jobs at the non-existent pub.

Among other things, Woolworths own exactly zero pubs https://t.co/5dDqRZ25L2

— Nathan Wind (@Dura_Ace) January 12, 2024

  For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[my-shields-are-down]

RULES: Make a new post and spell out your URL with song titles. A great brain exercise.

Inspired by @fuzzysebastianstan

———

M : Make you feel my love - Garth Brooks

Y: You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker

-

S: Sweet Jane - Cowboy Junkies

H : How do I Live - Leann Rimes

I : I Can See Clearly Now - Jimmy Cliff

E: Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish

L : L.O.V.E. - Dean Martin

D : Don’t Dream It’s Over - Crowded House

S: She- Elvis Costello

-

A: Annie’s Song - John Denver

R: Ray of Light - Madonna

E: End Game - Taylor Swift f/Ed Sheeran + Future

-

D: Daniel - Sir Elton John

O: One of These Nights- The Eagles

W : Wonderwall - Oasis

N : No One Else on Earth - Winona Judd

[shuttermoon]

Windowful

So many windows with just one soul London – she inspires street style of photography. Shoot in colour or without, there are always interesting stories walking around in London. 📸 Olympus OM-D-EM10, Lens: Olympus m.Zuiko 14-42mm kit lens 📍London, United Kingdom Posted for Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

[freezing-kaiju]

Yknow what? Celestia Ludenberg should have been a survivor in Danganronpa!

Why?

Because here’s the thing.

Celestia would have a response to Junko’s whole Hope And Despair bit that she wouldn’t anticipate. Something that wouldn’t COUNTER her point but would piss her off enough to buy the others time to find points.

And what would that be?

“Enoshima, you miss something vital. Hope...Despair...it’s all riled by something you didn’t factor, something you forgot. And how foolish could someone be to forget about greed?”