#and then in 2023 we got him in two episodes and a song

[sophfandoms53]

It cannot be understated just how unwell Striker has made me since December 2021, this goofy sadistic snake cowboy has completely altered my brain chemistry in a way that I have never been able to recover from

#like ik already post about him the most when it comes to HB #but guys you do not understand #outside of my tumblr i never stfu about this man #he’s in my brain constantly #and has been since December 2021 #AND ALL WE HAD OF HIM AT THAT POINT WAS HARVEST MOON #LIKE INSANITY FR #November 2022 tho was the point of no return #like that was when i realized just how bad my brainrot got LMAO #once i had that realization there was no going back #and then in 2023 we got him in two episodes and a song #the stars aligned or something idk its so funny #no merch tho absolutely TRAGIC #its okay fan merch and concepts are EATING #the grip this silly snake cowboy has on my psyche needs to be studied #like i havent had brainrot about a character this badly in FOREVER #also if i had a nickel for each time i was able to use this meme format i’d have 3 nickels #helluva boss #helluva boss striker #striker helluva boss #ALSO HAPPY VALENTINES DAY #THIS IS MY VALENTINES DAY POST #JUST *HIM*

[taekooktimeline]

July 30, 2023 (filmed), February 14, 2024 (released) -

We finally have a BB of Jk’s Inkigayo stage performance! A smiling Tae arrives to support him -

Timestamp 2:33 

Tae, at first, stands over Jk. Jk knows who’s entered the room, even with his eyes closed. He clearly was expecting Tae, and he “greets” him by asking, “What?” It should be noted, as others have pointed out, that they didn’t greet each other with the standard “Hello” or “How are you?” This is another indicator of how close they are and how much time they spend with each other to skip these formalities. 

There’s then a noticeable cut, with Tae now air-straddling Jk. The subsequent interaction between them is so incredibly domestic! Jk is adorably pouty as he twice asks Tae, in a soft voice, where he’d been.

Timestamp 2:40

Tae explains in an equally super soft, low tone that he had been practicing. Jk repeats in an inquiring, yet still soft tone, “Practice?” Tae further explains that he was at dance then violin practice, before working out.

Timestamp 2:50  https://x.com/v1230mp4/status/1757708423280640268?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg 

Translation -

https://x.com/tcnckclnsmaek/status/1758376772562010549?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg 

Also something to point out is that when Tae stood over Jk, Jk’s legs lay flat on the ground -

Once Tae’s legs were encased around him, Jk lifted a leg up so that he could reciprocate his touch.

CT to Eve for the observation - https://x.com/evexece_kthjjk/status/1758339565239099456?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg 

And it’s super cute how Tae seems to have left his glasses on Jk’s luggage while they talked - 

In the next clip, Jk starts boxing while Tae looks on.

Timestamp 2:51

We then see Taekook playfully boxing together.

Below is a close up of Jk’s soft, fond stare as they box, complete with his adorable dimple on display (and he was focused on Tae the entirety of them boxing, not their hands and movements!) 

https://x.com/tcnckclnsmaek/status/1757731117128679917?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg https://x.com/jeonjkloops/status/1757709108927439093?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg  https://x.com/kveline_/status/1757721535119274154?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg  https://x.com/dionyxxsustkx/status/1757741281340494321?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg 

Of course, this isn’t the first time this precious duo have boxed together. Tae uploaded a video of them boxing on Jk’s birthday, September 1, 2022, posting the video as soon as he landed in Seoul from NYC. 

Tae’s post - https://x.com/bts_twt/status/1565075044703019008?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg 

Recap - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2022/694602961670766592/we-finally-got-the-taekook-sparring-video-tae 

And while it’s not the exact same thing, I also thought of Tae boxing on Jk’s abs in ITS season 1, episode 3. Remember, this is a sign of closeness, as all Tae said was, Today were working on abs,” nothing further, and Jk understood context and lifted his arms to expose his tummy. 

Recap - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2020/632423882773676032/may-26-2020-filmed-soop-episode-3 

And we also got to see this PTD boxing moment between the two -

https://youtube.com/shorts/eRGSXEwaEKw?si=7fHDWS5gv5ztEAWS 

Jk looks back and watches Tae as they practice the choreography for his record breaking song, “Seven.” 

Timestamp 3:04 

Tae confirms a dance move with Jk - 

They practice once more, with Tae exclaiming the choreography is hard.

Tae gives Jk encouragement and support, attempting to massage him as he softly speaks to him. I also want to note, as others have, that the staff didn’t react in any way to Tae massaging Jk, which indicates that this is habitual and a common occurrence between the two.  

Timestamp 3:22

Translation - 

https://x.com/tcnckclnsmaek/status/1757723740887306298?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg  https://x.com/v1230mp4/status/1757708897417400325?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg 

Tae playfully receives Jk’s congratulatory stash (“Seven” won first place at Inkigayo!) - 

timestamp 4:08

Jk imitates Tae’s 2020 “Gidaryeo gidaryeo” at the end of his “3D” segment of his M countdown prerecording -

Timestamp 7:47 https://x.com/bangtannieslayy/status/1757714312607773013?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg

Remember, during Jk’s February 3, 2023, live, he twice imitated Tae’s “Gidaryeo gidaryeo.”

The fact he’s so endured by this adorable moment (shown below) that he imitates it even 3+ years later is so cute. 

https://x.com/taesmug/status/1621513590330261506?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg  https://x.com/koovarbie/status/1621506463335329795?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg 

Recap of this 2023 live here - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2023/708525777682038784/february-1-2023

Prior recap of Jk arriving for Inkigayo - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2023/724383250492145664

Prior recap of Inkigayo - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2023/725289352690843648 

Recap of Jk’s live the day after Inkigayo - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2023/724837237671575552

Raw -  https://youtu.be/WvU6SWsg0_4?si=KmBs-hgA84Jk5bJL 

#taekook #taekooktimeline #2023 #closeness #supportive #playfulness #boxing #cuteness #Inkigayo

[melrosing]

MBO Robert's Rebellion: Episode 10

sorry for the accidental seven month hiatus 2023 has been foul but we are back. rounding off “season 1” with Harrenhal, then I’m gonna take some time to finish mapping out what the second half of the series looks like. but have done most of that already so shouldn’t be too long?? (famous last words)

btw this one feels like the longest I’ve written so let’s just imagine it’s a movie length finale or something idk

SEASON ONE: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9

SEASON TWO: Episode 1

title for this one: watch this age like milk when the harrenhal play reaches the stage

We find a slight, almost sickly looking young man in a green cloak, stepping delicately around the roots of a woodland - he looks a bit lost. Suddenly the sound of hooves as a young girl races through the trees crying with laughter, followed shortly by her three brothers, all ahorse. Seeing the young man on foot, the girl circles back and asks if he’s looking for the tourney of Harrenhal; the young man says that he is, but he’s lost his way. Brandon Stark, joining them, notes that this is Howland Reed, of a house sworn to House Stark - he should join their train. On cue the vast Stark train emerges through the trees

Panning through the trees, we now overlook a valley in which vast numbers can be seen travelling towards an immense castle in the distance. Howland how the fuck did you miss that 

Opening creds

Aerys in his covered litter, travels through the gates of Harrenhal; Varys sits opposite him, watching passersby with interest. They hadn’t thought he’d come, Aerys tells Varys, but Rhaegar isn’t king yet, so why should he take the limelight etc. Varys agrees, noting it’s conspicuous that Lord Whent should have such vast sums as to host a tourney such as this - and leaves the rest to Aerys’ imagination. Varys then notes the absence of Tywin Lannister, who spurned the tourney that would invest Jaime into the Kingsguard; Aerys notes he has his eye on Tywin, too

Aerys steps out of his litter to applause from the assembled lords and ladies. He scrutinises them all. Rhaegar emerges shortly afterwards on horseback, and the cheers are twice as loud. Behind him, Ser Lewyn Martell helps Elia from a litter, shortly joined by Rhaegar; Rhaegar enquires after Elia first, then the baby - she is with child again, but it seems to be taking a toll. Oberyn Martell rides up to scowl at Rhaegar and take his sister’s arm

In Lyanna’s room at Harrenhal, where we find her elbowing Benjen out the door. As soon as she’s alone, she pulls a chest from under her bed, opening it to reveal a sword and armour. She picks up the helmet and considers it

A feast @ Harrenhal. Elia has taken to bed after her travels, so Rhaegar attends alone. He’s got his harp out again and sings a sad, slow song (does he know any others lol). Lyanna, sat at a nearby bench, weeps to hear it - it seems to strike her more than anyone in the room, though even she seems unsure why. Rhaegar looks up and meets her eyes. Just as they do so, Benjen Stark starts cackling at Lyanna’s tears, and Lyanna upends a flagon over his head

DANCING 🕺🏼 💃🏻 Ashara Dayne sits talking to her brother Arthur, whilst Ned looks on wistfully. Refusing Brandon’s urges to ask her to dance, Brandon decides to ask Ashara on his behalf and some spark passes between them etc etc it’s like that scene from Hamilton in which Ashara Dayne is founding father Alexander Hamilton. from now on please picture Lin Manuel Miranda as Ashara Dayne

Ashara, smiling at Brandon’s request, agrees to dance with Ned, and talks sweetly to him as they turn about the floor; however, it does not escape Ned that Ashara’s gaze often fixes on Brandon :/

Aerys with Barristan Selmy, watching the floor. He asks Barristan what he thinks of Jaime Lannister, soon to be a brother of the Kingsguard. Barristan thinks Jaime’s too young and naïve for such duty - and this boy does not look to him like a young Tywin Lannister. Unfortunately that was exactly what Aerys wanted to hear so you fucked that up Barry

Meanwhile, Elia sits with her brother Oberyn, unable to manage much food. Oberyn, worried, says he’ll fetch Rhaegar. Elia says there’s little point: the prince is always so distracted of late, hardly seems to see what’s right in front of him. Oberyn looks furious, and Elia, regretting she said anything, says there’s little and less she wants of Rhaegar - he plays for Rhaenys sometimes, but he’s no comfort to her, and she suspects she’s little to him. Whatever is going through that guy’s head, Elia can never coax him to share it. Elia tells Oberyn that he, on the other hand, is plenty of comfort to her, and should tell her something to make her laugh

Jaime gets his main character moment; Aerys summons him to the front of the hall. Jaime has accumulated some misgivings about this whole venture in recent weeks, but they fall away as he approaches the Kingsguard. Arthur Dayne watches on, expression inscrutable. Gerold Hightower swears Jaime in, and there’s a big ole cheer: Jaime beams, and for a moment he feels like a hero. Aerys beams as well until the crowd starts chanting ‘the young lion’. Well shit he’s just invested Tywin Lannister’s son hasn’t he. Aerys exits the hall and gnawing at his fucked up fingernails with Varys watching on

Drinking outside Harrenhal; Howland Reed is wandering about trying to find a meal. Three squires approach him angling for a fight, and begin to deliver blows when Howland won’t rise to the occasion. THEN! The Starks arrive led by Lyanna, who tackles the squires herself. The squires flee and Lyanna declares that Howland should stay in their quarters

Meanwhile, the King summons Jaime. Jaime arrives looking buzzed from all the attention and adulation, but Aerys looks less than pleased. Aerys asks Jaime to swear again he would die for his king, will he always obey? Jaime, perturbed, agrees he would. Aerys looks unconvinced, and after a moment, orders Jaime to King’s Landing to watch over Rhaella and Viserys. Jaime attempts to argue, but Aerys demands again that Jaime swear he would always obey. Jaime is forced to swear again, and abandon the tourney. Aerys tells Ser Gerold Hightower he doesn’t like the look of insolence in the boy’s eyes. Ser Gerold says he’s only a kid, and anyway he’d be happy to trade places with Jaime?? Aerys declines, wishes to teach Tywin Lannister’s son the humility his father never knew

In the Starks’ quarters with Howland. Lyanna inexpertly wraps a bandage about Howland’s injured arm; Benjen tells her she’s doing a shit job, Lyanna challenges him to do better. Brandon tells Howland he ought to learn to defend himself, and Lyanna tells him not everyone can - that’s what knights are for. Brandon tells Howland that Lyanna fancies herself a knight: Ned adds she might be better at swordplay than Brandon himself. Brandon seems surprised at this minor insolence from Ned of all people. Ofc, Ned is still smarting at what he saw between Brandon and Ashara

Jaime Lannister riding alone down the dark Kingsroad, looking more like a hedge knight than a member of the kingsguard. Reduced to angry tears, he shouts out into the dark in rage

NEXT MORNING! Tourney scenes!! Like that S1E1 joust scene from HOTD except without the ridiculous levels of gore lmao. We find Robert in the stands, still flushed from his own jousts, sat beside the Stark men. Robert has his Estermont cousin on his other arm, but asks Ned where he might find Lyanna. Ned says they’ve not seen their sister since the night before. Robert says they ought to keep an eye on his betrothed with so many men about; Richard Lonmouth, Robert’s drinking partner (yeah I forgot this guy existed too), leans over to suggest it’s Brandon they might keep an eye on instead - word’s got around he’d been wandering about the castle last night… Ned looks to Brandon, and Brandon won’t look back

Suddenly, some murmuring: a mystery knight has arrived!! Their armour is mismatched, sporting a weirwood tree, and they’re on the short side: a few laughs. Ned chews his lip - we can see right away that he knows who this is, and now we know too. Tense moment as the Knight of the Laughing Tree jousts, surprise (and Ned’s sheer relief) as they win almost effortlessly. Richard Lonmouth says he’ll place a bet on the Knight of the Laughing Tree’s next joust, Robert decides to bet against him 

Some kind of montage of the KOTLT’s various jousts. At one point, they’re almost knocked from their horse, and they cry out. Ned jolts in panic, and Rhaegar’s head swings up - has he clocked who this is as well??? KOTLT recovers, and wins the joust. Aerys looking on, perturbed - has Tywin’s son returned is mismatched armour to spite him? Ser Gerold is sure that Ser Jaime is taller, but Aerys is already full on pizzagate on this notion, wants to seize KOTLT. Varys, at his side, advises he does not - look how pleased everyone is by this mystery knight. Not great PR for the crown to just grab the guy

Final joust. The Knight of the Laughing Tree demands to joust one of the champions of the previous day, i.e. one of Howland’s tormentors. Suitable tension etc, and the KOTLT wins comfortably. Robert groans, now deep in debt to Richard Lonmouth. The commons doing some kind of Masked Singer chant for the KOTLT to de-mask. Robert is descending the steps insisting he’ll do it himself. Ned panics, trying to grab his arm, when suddenly!!! Rhaegar stands up in the royal box (or whatever idk) to say something about tonight’s feast or whatever, and amidst the distraction, the KOTLT darts off behind the stands

It’s night. Lyanna has ridden into the woods, and removes the last of her KOTLT armour beneath the trees, grinning to herself. Then: cliché twig snap in the background someone’s followed her oh no!! Lyanna draws her sword - whoever it is has seen how she can fight, so she advises they don’t try her. Rhaegar emerges, and agrees that he has - though he’d be eager to see if they were a match for one another some other day. He notes that she’s the Stark girl; Lyanna says she’s not. Rhaegar laughs - it’s the first time we’ve seen him do so. Lyanna frowns and says she knows who he is. Rhaegar says he supposes no introductions are necessary then

Back at Harrenhal: another fuckin dance. Robert wants to ask Lyanna for a dance, but Ned has no idea where she is - he’s worried now, and suggests to Brandon they ought to go look for her. Brandon seems to be searching for someone else, agrees he’ll come look for Lyanna later. Meanwhile, Aerys is looking for his goddamn son where is that freaky kid. Robert meanwhile grabs at a serving woman

Back with Lyanna and Rhaegar. Lyanna wants to know why Rhaegar followed her. Rhaegar says she heard his song. Lyanna says everyone heard his stupid song. Rhaegar says no, you heard it. Lyanna like right ok whatever that’s supposed to mean. But she’s intrigued. She changes the subject, says she understands he fights well - why don’t they test each other now? Rhaegar tells her he didn’t bring a sword. Lyanna says that was stupid. Long look between them, sizing each other up

Quiet scenes over Harrenhal….. cut to Brandon and Ned in the halls of the Stark quarters preparing to raise the alarm for their missing sister. Perfect timing, Lyanna’s back whey. Brandon demands to know where she’s been. Lyanna says walking. Brandon scolds her, reminding her that a young woman should not be wandering in the dark unaccounted for!! Lyanna counters ‘and supposedly it’s fine for you to do the same?’, storms off to her room. oooo

Rhaegar returns to his room with Elia. She has not slept, and sits at the window reading. She does not ask him where he’s been. After a long period of silence, Rhaegar asks if she is well, and Elia answers monotonously that she is fine. Rhaegar asks after the child. Elia doesn't answer

FOLLOWING AFTERNOON: final joust!! Rhaegar jousts Arthur Dayne, and it’s suitably tense. Imagine a joust in ur head i’m not gonna write it. Ashara Dayne has joined the Starks in the stands, and cries for her brother’s victory. Brandon laughs and drinks to that. Lyanna looks tense, and Ned looks at her questioningly. Ofc Rhaegar ultimately wins, and Lyanna jumps for joy. Benjen tries to rib her, but she’s not paying attention this time. Applause is deafening all around them

Aerys spitting in the stands. This tourney was Rhaegar’s idea, he knows it, he’ll get to the bottom of it etc - no-one is listening.

Rhaegar is named the winner back on the ground to great applause, and is presented with a crown for his Queen of Love & Beauty. He stares at it for a long moment, like he’s unsure what to do w it

We find Elia in the stands, waiting for Rhaegar to turn to her with the crown. But Rhaegar seems to be searching the stands for someone else. Confused, Elia rises shakily to her feet to draw his attention (surely he knows where to find her).... just as Rhaegar finds the Stark girl in the audience. The crowd’s cheers go quiet, and Oberyn rises to stand beside Elia. Men have risen around Lyanna as well, daring Rhaegar to do what he seems about to

Rhaegar offers Lyanna the crown on the point of his joust, and Lyanna, looking flabbergasted, takes it in her hands

season one done we did it joe

#sparknotes robert's rebellion #asoiaf

[xanthippe74]

The mood this year, as this header photo demonstrates, was Le Tired. Just physically and emotionally slogging along. Brain stuck on perpetual static. A pull-the-covers-over-my-head sort of year. I read a few books, watched a lot of shows, found new songs to listen to on repeat, and spent way too much time futzing around on Tumblr.

But that's not what this post is about! This is to remind myself that I did accomplish writer-ly things this year, even if it didn't feel like it sometimes. So here's my 2023 Fandom Year in Review:

Drarry

🐈 A Dreadful Invasion (of the Feline Persuasion) rated G | 6K words

Most of the time, it’s easy for Harry to forget that Draco Malfoy is his next-door neighbour—until the night Malfoy seemingly goes round the twist in his back garden. Of course Harry has to investigate. A birthday gift for @caroll-in.

🍷 Under the Table rated T, 4K words

A string of nearly-insufferable dinner parties has made Draco acquainted with Harry Potter’s completely insufferable, social-climbing boyfriend. But tonight it seems like Potter’s finally had enough, and Draco’s more than happy to watch it all play out from across the table.

Microfics: Different  |  Thalassophile  |  Role play  | Careless |  Mama’s Gun  |  Raven  |  You Should Probably Leave  |  Afraid of the Dark  |  Eerie

WIP progress: I added about 25K to my Drarry retelling of Howl's Moving Castle. The working title is "Skybound" and it will be about 55 to 60K words when complete (by spring 2024, god help me!). Featuring: lots of banter, secret identities, adventures and misadventures in a floating house, a plucky house-elf, and (of course) a fire demon who wants to make a bargain.

9-1-1 fics, HP recs, and 2023 highlights under the cut!

9-1-1/Buddie

🌧️ It pours, man it pours rated T | 11K words

An endless rainstorm. A head-on collision on a dark canyon road. Eddie and Buck find themselves stranded with a woman in labor after they’re cut off from the rest of the 118 by a flash flood. With the fate of their team unknown, can they weather the night ahead—and mend the rift Buck caused by trying to kiss his best friend?

💣 A Few Good Pranks rated T | 4K words

The firefighters of the 118 decide to give Bobby a turn at pranking them after seeing how disappointed he was to be left out. And since two heads are better than one, why not three? Or four? If only they could figure out who's pranking and who isn't, and who the intended victim is. It's all in good fun, though—as long as everyone is too distracted to notice that Buck and Eddie keep sneaking off alone.

❤️‍🩹Let It Be Me rated T | 1.8K words

After another Buckley Family reunion-turned-disaster, Buck makes a decision about his parents. Of course the 118 has his back. Or, Bobby employs some LAFD equipment to help Buck out—and tell him something he needs to hear.

Episode codas/fix-it ficlets: 1x01 | 1x03 | 2x01 | 2x03 | 6x10 | 6x11 | 6x12 | 6x13 | 6x15

WIP progress: First chapter of a season 3/canon divergence Buddie fic. Featuring: angst with a happy ending, a secret marriage of convenience, and pandemic bed sharing.

HP Rec List

I was inspired by this post to rec twelve favorite fan works from 2023 in twelve days in December. It actually took fourteen days, but I did it!

💖 12 Favorites from 2023 💖

(after posting those twelve, of course I thought of a few more faves that I missed. I'll try to share them soon!)

2023 Highlights

I'm so very grateful for the wonderful, funny, imaginative people here who shared their creative works, the memes that made them laugh, photos of their pets, gif sets of shows I didn't know I needed to watch, and insights into the characters we love. You all got me through the year, honestly.

I had a good time doodling some Halloween treats for Inbox Trick-or-Treating. I hope it will become an annual Tumblr event! Thanks to the folks who rang my doorbell that night and the other blogs who gave out treats.

I truly treasured every kudos, comment, and rec I received this year. I was also very fortunate to receive a few special gifts:

🎙️ EllaMcSmellBella recorded a Podfic of "Spooked in Salem," my Drarry 'Round the World fic.

🎙️ Spades/bumblingbees recorded a Podfic of "Crimson Neon."

📕 @cheriecherishchen wrote a lovely rec for "Vortex" and designed gorgeous book covers for that fic and its sequel, "Riptide."

✏️ @saijordison drew this incredible piece of art for "Riptide."

And finally, if you read all the way to the end of this post, I'm grateful for YOU. 😁

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and an excellent 2024!

#2023 year in review #my writing #drarry #buddie

[hausofanya]

FANMADE VIDEO

[ AUTOMATED VOICE. ] hi. friendly neighborhood anyangi here back at it again with another highly requested cléo moments video. and since i love my wife, why the hell not. here’s a brief background for those who somehow got this on their youtube rec and don’t know who this absolute STUNNER is.

cléo, born cléo anya torell, is a member of the fucking powerhouse that is called stray kids. they are a idol group under jyp entertainment and she is their main vocalist. her voice is literal gold. she wasn’t called the golden voice in high school for nothing. don’t believe me? listen to this:

sorry for how long that was…. and i had to keep in that last run in because that cover was ELEGANT. genuinely gave me chills. yebba and cléo collab when… but anyway.

along with being a vocalist, she also writes, produces, raps, acts, and plays several instruments. SELF. TAUGHT. you just had to be there when she trolled an entire stadium worth of fans when rumors spread about her playing were thought to be ‘prerecorded’ in 2020. nobody in their right mind plays fucking megalovania to prove they’ve been playing piano since they were little. iconic tbh. you just had to be there.

since then, it’s sparked a trend for idols to play silly songs live to prove their musical abilities. notable performances by cléo also include coconut mall, the peanut’s theme, and an impressed rick roll in our lovely year of 2023.

( okay but megalovania though. 😭 of all songs i’m so weak— you would thinks she would have played something cute but NOOOO. it gives CHEESE energy a little bit. im so here for it. )

when you first get into stray kids, you probably think her being the only girl makes her the most sane one. people have that misconception with seungmin, too. that because they’re not as reactionary as the others, that they’re calm as hell. well i implore you to watch the skzcode episode where they did that horror house. felix may have been the scaredy cat when kittyracha had their turn, but by now we should know cléo is NAWT a fan of bugs.

the boys making her dig out the key through the slime was so cold 😭 the scream she let out ?? literally broke the sound barrier. ariana grade who… mariah carey where….

anyway, just don’t mention bugs around her and we’re good. because i would like to still be able to hear. and without further ado, here are my favorite cléo moments.

𖧷

— HYUNJIN X CLÉO 2KIDS EP

“…come to think of it, i knew you did ice skating. so i don’t know how the others didn’t. did you not tell them?”

cléo appears smug, seemingly recalling the moment the two had been talking about. the pair are talking about a moment shared back in their high school days, when comes to a surprise to the group that cléo knows how to ice skate.

“well, not professionally at least. like most things i know how to do, i taught myself how to skate. on ice and on skates, too.” she then pauses, confused. “i didn’t tell them? i’m sure that would have come up at random.”

“well, i remember complaining about you not teaching me.” hyunjin crosses his arms petulantly, much to cléo’s visibly growing amusement. “even when we were back in high school. you absolutely refused to teach me!”

cléo can’t hold her laugh in anymore, bursting into louder laughter as hyunjin’s complains rise in volume. it even amps up to them tussling over the throw pillows, cléo still laughing the entire time.

“it’s not like i had ill intentions? look—” cléo tries to quell his comically growing tantrum, but the fact that she’s still half laughing as she talks only fuels him the more.

“four years!” cléo sputters out a strangled laugh ( gasp? girl help … ) in response, startled at hyunjin’s sudden exclamation. “when i met you, you said you’d been skating for four years! you were depriving me—”

“you watch too much anime.”

“—of my— oh, shut up.” cléo snickers as he shoves her shoulder. “i could have been gliding on ice professionally by now.”

the mood suddenly takes a comical u-turn, with hyunjin pouting as cléo’s expression turns increasingly deadpanned—the way it normally does before she says something out of pocket. ( i’m already laughing pls help— 😭 )

“sweetheart.. with all due respect—and i’m going to touch your hand when i say this,” cléo starts, taking his hands in hers with a serious expression that leaves her friend dumbfounded. “just because you’re an amazing dancer doesn’t mean you’ll hold up well on ice. i didn’t bring up ice skating with you because when we went rollerblading you could barely stand up without clinging to the railing like a baby deer.”

cléo then turns to the camera with the same serious expression. “it took five people to peel his body off the floor. it was very embarrassing. someday i’ll post the pictures. maybe on his birthday.”

“wAIT NO—”

𖧷

— NCLÉO INTERVIEW #1

“you don’t wear heels?”

“not really. i’m already tall enough, i think.” cléo shuffles her hosting cards and smiles, gently tapping them against the bureau to straighten them out. “plus i heard it’s like an indirect insult to people under five feet seven to wear heels around them. i’m being respectful, yeah?”

johnny poorly hides a laugh into the collar of his shirt.

“i think it’s really admirable when men do it, though. no really! i’m actually serious,” cléo grins when her guests begin to laugh in surprise. “‘cause my legs absolutely check out within the first few hours. i don’t remember who it was, but i saw an idol kill a performance in stilettos. i can’t even do that. props to them for real. cause what use are my ankles when they can’t even execute their god-given purposes.”

( i really think this moment was unscripted cause girl looked genuinely confused when mark started choking on his water 😭😭😭 )

mark scurries off backstage as haechan falls over in his chair, his laugh almost bouncing off the studio walls as cléo looks on in bewilderment. ( IT WAS REAL TO HIM!! )

jaehyun wipes genuine tears from his eyes before looking off camera and descending into hysterics again. the camera pans to mark consulting a stylist ( who looks seconds from laughing herself ) about his drenched shirt, making everyone on set succumb back to laughter.

to add a cherry on top, cléo looks into the camera with wide eyes. “are these grounds to be sued.. sm entertainment i am so sorry.”

𖧷

— RED LIGHTS MAKING FILM

while chan and hyunjin are seemingly distracted going over choreography, cléo wanders off set still clad in her mv outfit much to the surprise of her assigned staff and cameraperson. they’re quick to pan the view over to her, where she looks to be scrutinizing the chained bed soon to be seen in the music video.

she then looks down at her outfit, white from head to toe just like her partners with chains locked around her body in crossing patterns, and stifles a shocked sound as if she’s had a revelation. it catches her bandmates’ attention, looking over at her as she turns around to meet their gazes.

“when we decided the concept was going to be sexy, i was thinking like. maybe skin showing. that’s normal. we do that all the time. this?” cléo points at the bed again, eyes wide, “this is straight up debauchery. stays are going to pass out. most of them are kids! i don’t want to be responsible for emotional and financial compensation!”

hyunjin nearly falls over at how distressed she looks, just about crumpling to the ground in laughter as chan looks at the camera for assistance. getting none, especially with his partners in various states of hysterics, he sighs and looks up to the ceiling for strength.

“christopher! think of the children! and—” cléo clutches at her heart as if pain, amping up the theatrics as hyunjin practically writhes on the floor. “the PARENTS. what are we going to do when we perform this and there are PARENTS IN THE CROWD.”

staff can be heard stifling their laughter as chan genuinely looks at a loss for words. his disbelief is almost tangible as he turns to stare at the bed as well, which is ultimately what makes cléo’s façade crack before she starts giggling.

“we should add a viewer discretion before the performance. ‘warning: may include vigorous gyrating and writhing on the floor. may also include—’”

cléo is lovingly cut off by a hand over her mouth, an amusedly ticked off chan dragging her away from the camera to the sound of hyunjin cackling in the background.

𖧷

— NO BADDIES, NO BADDIES, NO CAR…

“so i hear you’re an nct fan. an nctzen? czennie, i think is what they’re called.”

“yeah!” cléo responds enthusiastically to the interviewer, beaming brightly at the camera. “i’ve interviewed them myself, too. great band of great people. fun and fresh.”

“that’s exactly what i wanted to talk to you about actually.” cléo looks mildly surprised, but shifts in her seat to face the interviewer more directly. “you always credit one of your best friends as the reason why you’ve become such a big fan of other groups.”

“no, definitely. moniqa’s always been a big part of my life, so it’s natural her likes kinda bleed into mine a bit, you know?” the interviewer nods, making cléo smile faintly. “right. so please don’t take this lightly when i say she’s the biggest nctzen i know.”

cléo laughs as the small studio audience cheers, prompting her to point off camera. “they get it!”

“so moniqa is the reason why you’ve listed all these groups as your current favorites.”

“oh, yeah. i kinda regret making my personal spotify public cause now people can see what i listen to 24/7. cause the amount of people who were like ‘STRAY KIDS NCT COLLAB???’ just because hot sauce or ay-yo would come on shuffle were so—”

cléo buries her face in her hands in exaggerated fashion as the set laughs.

“stop reading into my listens so hard! i just like music!”

“so speaking of music, i heard you got into a bit of a heated debate over a song with moniq—oh.” the interviewer looks surprised as cléo’s expression morphs into one of passive smugness, quickly wiped off just when the camera shifts to her. “what—”

“hm?”

“you just—”

“so we were playing a game,” cléo starts, purposely ignoring the interviewer grasping at straws, which makes the audience laugh. “where we had to guess the song that came up just by the first couple of notes. me being the competitive person i am, who just so happened to be influenced by the biggest nctzen i know, kept getting neck to neck ties with moniq. and i could tell it was pissing her off a little bit. cause admittedly, i was being a little sh—.”

( they really censored her like that…. 🙄😒 )

“and she got designer by 127 WRONG. which was so funny to me.” pausing when the interviewer looks confused, she reiterates, “it was on the same album as two baddies! you know… two baddies, two baddies, one ridiculously expensive car… and speaking on two baddies—”

( 🎶 TWO BADDIES TWO BADDIES ONE PORSCHE 🎶 )

“—i did my research when that song dropped.”

the interviewers audibly sputters, nearly dropping his cue cards. “you did research?”

“a porsche can fit five people,” cléo continues as if she hadn’t heard him, making the audience laugh again. “what happened to the other two baddies. can’t believe they would kick two other baddies to the curb like that. what did the other two baddies do? all four of them could fit in my rover.”

“you have a rover—”

“and that’s not considering extra optional third row seating. so not only are there now ZERO baddies in your porsche, now you’re stuck paying for the car your bought to impress them. kai had a vision when he chose a rover. and i’m inclined to agree.”

( the interviewer was too stunned to speak… 😭 )

the set is in hysterics by the time she stops talking, even the camera work shaking as the person struggles to keep the frame straight. what’s worse is that cléo looks completely serious, making the interviewer huff a disbelieving laugh.

“should we call you miss rover then?”

“please look forward to my solo album,” cléo tacks on the joke, complete with a bow that makes him laugh. “i’ll ask a neo who can drive to feature on the title track.”

( GIRL I— 😭😭😭😭 )

𖧷

— RUN KITTY RUN ( COFFEE WITH THE BOYZ )

“—welcome members sangyeon, eric, kevin, and juyeon of the boyz!”

the audience claps as the four walk out on the cushioned set, smiling and waving at the camera before they bow and sit down, cléo and guest co-host moniq doing the same. cléo waits for the cheers to die down before she speaks…

…and promptly forgets every word in both the english and korean language when she locks eyes with sangyeon.

the boys looks confused when cléo doesn’t speak for a moment, looking amongst themselves as she stares down at her cue cards in a mixture of embarrassment and bewilderment. it doesn’t help that moniq is starting to catch on, formerly confused before she remembers the episode’s guests—

and also promptly begins to cackle. obnoxiously loud.

( THE WAY CLÉO JUMPED 😭😭😭 … )

with sudden abruptness, cléo stands up from her chair, makes a slow bow in their direction, bucks at moniq ( which only makes her laugh even harder 😭 ), and books it off set. dragging her producer off with her.

the boyz members only look on in varying degrees of amusement and confusion as moniq struggles to explain between bits of laughter about how cléo had been equal parts nervous and excited for this episode, being a huge fan of the group, smiling in good nature as all four of them relax and laugh as well.

“if she comes out, we promise to give her a signed album,” kevin pipes up with a grin. an unidentified sound wafts up from backstage, which makes everyone succumb back into laughter. moniq is holding her stomach at this point, seconds away from tears streaming down her face.

moniq calls cléo’s name sweetly, a shit eating grin on her face. but she doesn’t have to wait long before cléo makes her reappearance. only… not on her own.

much to the studio audience’s surprise, ends up being bodily carried back to her hosting seat by security. she’s propped in place like a doll, her head hung low in embarrassment, and moniq lasts about 0.03 seconds after personnel gingerly fixes flyway strand of hair before she starts laughing.

“i want that album after the show,” cléo points at kevin seriously, causing him to snicker quietly as she plasters on a smile and continues with the interview as if nothing happened.

𖧷

[ AUTOMATED VOICE. ] and there you have it. i would have included more, but we would be here forever and i’m sure you have places to go and people to see.

if this video hasn’t already made you want to check out stray kids’ resident cat girl then i really don’t know what else to tell you. she’s funny, hot, and extremely relatable. she truly is just like me. and her voice. i cannot stress her voice enough. siren like. i would lose myself at sea willingly.

🤷‍♀️ i really would.

anyway that’s all for now. see you guys in the next video!

#[ fanbase. ] #she’s just like me fr 🫂 #fictional idol community #fictional idol oc #fictional idol addition #fictional kpop community #fictional kpop oc #fictional kpop idol #skz 9th member #skz added member #skz addition #skz female addition

[originallandlockedmariner]

2023

Pickleball. Generative AI. Lula takes office in Brazil, Amazon Rainforest throws a party. Prince Harry refusing to stop talking about his frozen penis no matter how many times society begged him to stop. UFOs are real. Viral cat dubbed ‘largest cat anyone has ever seen’ gets adopted. Pee-Wee’s big adventure ends. Musk & X. Turkey-Syria earthquake kills thousands. India surpasses China as ‘country squeezing in the most peeps’. Tucker Carlson ousted. Miss USA and her 30 lbs moon costume. Wildfires in Kelowna and Hawaii. Macron tinkers with retirement age of the French. Paltrow can’t ski. Big Red Boots. Bob Barker leaves us. Alabama mom delivers 2 babies from her 2 uteruses in 2 days. Charles III. Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces as the war drags on. Taylor Swift is Time’s Person of the Year. African ‘coup belt’. Flo-Jo dies in her sleep. Chinese spy balloon shot down. Hollywood writers strike. Human ‘nice mugshot’ Shitstain and his 91 indictments. Highest interest rates in 2 decades. The Bear’s Christmas episode. War in Gaza. Shinzo Abe is assassinated. Alex Murdaugh. Ocean Cleanup removes 25 000 lbs of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Vase purchased for $3.99 sells for $100 000 at auction. Barbenheimer. A third of Pakistan is flooded. Lionel Messi is the GOAT. Travis Kelce. The Sphere opens in Las Vegas. Regulators seized Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, resulting in two of the three largest bank failures in U.S. history. “The Woman In Me”. WHO declares COVID ain’t a thing no more. Titan sub sinks, rich people die. Matthew Perry drowns. Dumbledore Dies (again). Massive sales of ‘Fuck Trudeau’ flags for jacked-up micro-dick trucks. Everything Everywhere All At Once. June-August was the hottest three-month period in recorded history across the Earth. Tina Turner dies. And the Beatles release a new song?! Wow… You got big shoes to fill 2024.

Archives for context:

2020

Kobe. Pandemic. Lockdown. Koalas on fire. Harry and Meg retire. Toilet paper hoarding. Alcoholism. Impeach the f*cker. Parasite. Bonnie Henry. Tiger King. Working from home. Sourdough bread. Harvey Weinstein guilty. Zoom overdose. Dip your body in sanitizer. 6 feet. Quarantine. OK Boomer. Home schooling (everyone passes). Murder hornets. Dolly Parton. Don’t hug, kiss or see anybody, especially your family. Chris Evans’ junk. TikTok. Glory holes. Face masks. CERB. West Coast wildfires. Stay home. Small Businesses lose, big box stores win. F*ck Bozos. ‘Dreams’ and cranberry juice. Close yoga studios, but thumbs up to your local gym. Speak moistly to me. George Floyd. BLM. F*ck Trump. Phase 2, 3 and Summer. RBG. Baby Yoda. Biden wins. Bond and Black Panther die. No more lockdown. Back to school and work. Just kidding... giddy up round 2. Giuliani leaks shit from his head. Resurgence of chess. UFOs are real. Restrictions. Dave Grohl admits defeat. Monolith. “F*ck... forgot my mask in the car”. No Christmas shenanigans allowed. Bubbles. Alex Trebek. Use the term ‘dumpster fire’ one too many times. Jupiter and Saturn form 'Christmas Star'. Happy New Year Bitches!!!! 2021... you better not sh*t the bed!!

2021

“We love you, you’re very special”. Failed coup attempt at the Capital. Twitter, FB and IG ban Donny. Hammerin’ Hank goes to the Field of Dreams. Bozo no longer richest man but still a twat. Leachman, Tyson, and Holbrook pass. The economy is worse than expected. Kim and Kanye split. Brood X cicadas. Dre has an aneurysm and nearly has his home broken into. Bridgerton. MyPillow CEO is a douche. Covid restrictions extended indefinitely. Captain Von Trapp dies. Proud Boys officially a Terrorist Organization. Richard Ramirez. Cancer takes Screech. Travel bans. Impeachment trial (again?… oh and this was barely February? WTF??!!) Suez Canal blockage. Myanmar protest. Kong dukes it out with Godzilla, while Raya watches. Olympics. Friends compare elective surgeries. F9. Canada Women’s Soccer Gold. Free Britney. Multiverses. Residential Schools in Canada unearth children’s bodies. Kate is Mare of Easttown. Cuomo resigns. Disney and Dwayne cruise together. Wildfires. Delta variants. Musk passes Bezos. Candyman x 5. Capt. Kirk goes to space. F*ck Kyle Rittenhouse. Astros didn’t win. Squid Game. Goodbye Bond. Dune is redone. Angelina is Eternal. Astroworld deaths. Meta. Omicron. Three Spidermen. Tornados in December? World Juniors cancelled. Pills against Covid. School opening delayed. And Betty White dies. 2022… my expectations are ridiculously low…

2022

Wow… eight billion people. Queen Elizabeth II passes away after ruling the Commonwealth before dirt was invented. The monkeypox. Russia plays the role of global a**hole. Wordle. Mother Nature rocks Afghanistan. Hover bike. Styles spits on Pine. Olivia Newton John, Kristie Alley, and Coolio leave us. Pele was traded to team Heaven. FTX implodes. Madonna and the 3-D model of her vagina. Pig gives his heart to a human. Beijing can brag that it is the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics. Uvalde. $3 trillion Apple. Keith Raniere gets 120 years. The Whisky War ends with Canada and Denmark going halfsies. Mar-a-Lago. Nick Cannon brood hits a dozen. Shinzo Abe is assassinated. Inflation goes through the roof (if you can actually afford to put a roof over your head). Volodymyr Zelensky. European heat wave. Bennifer. Salman Rushdie is stabbed on stage, Dave Chappelle tackled, and Chris Rock is only slapped. Thích Nhất Hạnh. Heidi Klum goes full slug. Cuba knocked out by Ian. Liz Truss and 4.1 Scaramuccis. Taylor Swift breaks Ticketmaster. Human shitstain Elon Musk ignores helping mankind and buys Twitter instead. Riri becomes a mommy. NASA launches Artemis 1. Trump still a whiny little b*tch. Music lost Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie, and Meat Loaf. Democracy died at least three times. Pete Davidson continues to date hottest women on the planet (no one understands how?!) Microplastics in our blood. Alex Jones is a c*nt. So is DeSantis. Argentina wins the World Cup. Meghan and Harry. Eddie Munson rips Metallica in the Upside Down. tWitch. Roe vs Wade is overturned by the micro dick energy of the Supreme Court. CODA. James Corden shows he is a "tiny Cretin of a man". Amber (and the sh*t on the bed) Heard (round the world). Sebastian Bear-McClard proves he’s one of the f*cking dumbest men alive. Latin America's ‘pink tide’. Anti-Semitic rants by Ye. Bob Saget. A verified blue checkmark. Godmother of punk Vivienne dies. And, Tom Cruise feels the need for speed yet again. 2023… whatcha got for us?!? Nothing shocks me anymore.

@daily-esprit-descalier

#me #my words #doodles

[steddiebang]

An Act of Grace

Author: @daysarestranger l Artist: @bienmoreau Posting on Friday, November 3

On the morning after Broughton Hall’s annual summer fête, the body of a local Baron’s son was found on the grounds of the estate, as lifeless and cold as the morning was warm. Having spent the summer together, member of the household staff Edward Munson was the first to be suspected. As for the Baron’s son, perhaps there was more to him than the Baron would have society believe.  Decades later, Max Mayfield comes across the murder of Steven Harrington while researching topics for the second season of her hit true crime podcast. Along with her some-time engineer and full-time ex-boyfriend, Lucas, Max uncovers a story of two people that, entwined in secrecy and truths left unspoken, reaches out across history.

Keep reading for a sneak preview!

Complete Transcript for the Undone Podcast, Season Two: An Act of Grace

This transcript is based on the Undone podcast produced by Glad-Well House and Mayclair Productions. Original audio files can be found on www.undone-podcast.com, Spotify, and other podcast distribution sites. 

Link Episode 1

Title The Past is a Foreign Country

Original Release Date October 2nd 2023

[Intro music begins; fades]

MAYFIELD, NARRATING: ‘The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.’ You know the quote, right? You might not know where it’s from, but you’ve heard of it. Heard people repeat it, with a shrug, lamenting the unfathomable manner in which us human beings used to behave, how we treated each other, what we used to believe. As if we, now—the enlightened—would never tolerate such things. 

You and I know differently, of course. 

[Door opening]

DUSTIN HENDERSON: Max, hi. Come in, come in.

MAYFIELD: Hey, Dustin, thanks. How you doing?

[Chairs scraping against the floor, a mug being set down on a table]  

MAYFIELD: Oh, you’ve got a copy?

DUSTIN HENDERSON: ‘Course I do. A bunch. Everyone I know is getting one for Christmas.

MAYFIELD: You’ll be popular.

DUSTIN HENDERSON: [Snorting] Yeah. 

[Pages turning] 

DUSTIN HENDERSON: Here it is. [Clears throat] ‘I liked him, though. We all did … There was always something gentle about him.’ That’s nice, right? It’s what you’d want people to say about you.

MAYFIELD: Yeah. I guess you ’re right. That you were liked.

[Papers shuffling]  

MAYFIELD, NARRATING: It’s the opening line to a novel. The quote, that is. A good one, actually. ‘The Go-Between’, written by L.P. Hartley in nineteen fifty-three. I’ve always liked the book, not for the opener, but for the way it portrays how the passage of time distorts things. How one event can happen early on in your life, and you can know with such certainty how it went down, only to look  back on it ten, twenty, thirty years later and see something entirely different. 

[Door hinges squeaking open]  

MAYFIELD: You’ve left it in the attic? 

DUSTIN HENDERSON: I thought you were coming tomorrow! 

MAYFIELD: Don’t try to make it sound like I’m not organized, you’re the one who doesn’t know what day of the week it is. 

[Boxes shifting, being dragged across the floor]

DUSTIN HENDERSON: It’s one of these, I made sure … You know, I was always having a go at Mum for being such a hoarder, but apparently she was onto something. 

MAYFIELD: It’s the hoarders of this world that keep me in a job. 

[Some grunting, more shifting]

MAYFIELD, NARRATING: The case I’ve been investigating for the past six months started in nineteen-twelve. Or, I suppose it started before that, but nineteen-twelve is when it really gets interesting.

The same year that Captain Scott and his expedition were beaten to the South Pole, all of them perishing on the return journey. The year that the Titanic struck an ice-berg in the middle of the Atlantic and sank, killing fifteen-hundred people. And the same year W.C. Handy published ‘Memphis Blues’, which went down in history as the first ever blues song. 

On June ninth, nineteen-twelve, after the small village of Deeping Saint David’s annual summer festival, the son of the local Baron dies in the grounds of the family’s estate.

Steven Harrington’s body is discovered not long afterwards, and he is pronounced dead by a local doctor. His parents, Lord and Lady Avondale, immediately suspect foul play. The police are brought in to investigate and an arrest is made. Even with a cast of potential ne'er-do-wells, there was only ever one suspect pursued.  

[Footsteps, something heavy being set on the ground] 

DUSTIN HENDERSON: Let me give it a wipe.

[Blowing breath]

MAYFIELD: You got it? Oh, yeah,  you’re right. I can’t believe the paintwork is still so good. It must be a hundred years’ old. 

DUSTIN HENDERSON: One hundred and eleven years, three months and sixteen days. The date was written on the back. 

MAYFIELD: [Whistle] It’s good, though. It looks just like the picture I saw. 

DUSTIN HENDERSON: I said it did! That’s an aristocratic jawline if ever I saw one. 

MAYFIELD: He was honorable. Like, officially.

DUSTIN HENDERSON: The Honorable Mister Steven Harrington. Does kind of have a ring to it I suppose. 

MAYFIELD: Yeah. Handsome bastard.

[Laughter]

MAYFIELD, NARRATING: Six months ago, I hadn’t heard of Steven Harrington, or Eddie Munson. I didn’t have any reason to, to be fair. It’s not a particularly well-known case, even locally. There are a handful of books that cover the key points in the local library, a few of the volunteers at the Harringtons’ ancestral home—now a bustling attraction for weekenders and families alike—know the reported account. Even fewer question it. Because why would they? Edward Munson was a thief who stole from the estate, killed Harrington when he was interrupted, and made off with the money. He was found by police the next morning, arrested, and made a full confession. 

A straight-forward case, all tied up in a neat bow. What is there to question?

[Two sets of footsteps walking on gravel]

MAYFIELD: Have you visited yet?

DUSTIN HENDERSON: Broughton? No, not yet. Mum’s talked about going, but they want to make it a group thing, so, organizing, you know. 

MAYFIELD: You sound dubious. 

DUSTIN HENDERSON: No. Not for me. I don’t know what she’ll make of it, though. What if it just bums her out?

MAYFIELD: It won’t. I don’t think it will, at least. I think it’ll be cathartic. Enlightening. 

DUSTIN HENDERSON: Well, you would say that. You’ve got a podcast to sell. 

MAYFIELD: Hey! 

[The thud of an object hitting its target]

DUSTIN HENDERSON: Ow!

[Outro music begins]

MAYFIELD, NARRATING: Except the money is never found. Except the precise cause of Steven Harrington’s death is shrouded in mystery. Except, for such a high-profile victim, the story is buried in the back pages of the local newspapers. 

It’s almost as if someone were trying to hide something. And nobody seems to have found that odd. 

Until now. 

[Music swells]

MAYFIELD, NARRATING: From Glad-Well House and Mayclair Productions, this is Undone, season two, An Act of Grace. I’m Max Mayfield. Let’s get into it. 

[Music swells; fades]

#steddiebang23 #steddiebang23 upcoming projects

[swearphil]

2023 writing gif-making round up

Rules (adapted for fic, gifs, art, etc.): Share what you made this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you made or just the projects you're most excited about. tagged by @reasonandfaithinharmony! thank you, friend!

buckle up, friends, because I somehow posted 98 gif sets this year and it's probably going to be 100 sets by the end of the year tbh. that number sounds so ridiculous. it's all your faults because part of the reason why I made so much was because I felt so encouraged and loved by the people I've gotten to know and know better this year, so thank you.

I started trying to put all the sets in a post and that just got overwhelming for me to look at so we're doing my top favorites with some fun statistics at the end. I think it'll come as no surprise that I mostly made rwrb and heartstopper sets this year, so I decided to do my top 5 rwrb sets, top 5 heartstopper sets, and top 10 miscellaneous sets.

top 5 rwrb sets

page to screen ripped pages: this is the first set I made after the movie was released. I worked on it for hours and really enjoy how it turned out. the text placement was what took the longest. I knew what words from each passage I wanted to highlight so it took some rearranging to make sure those were visible.

acd x all american bitch: the idea for this came about when casey posted an instagram story of GUTS and songs that correspond with their characters. I love me some bi coloring, so using that for this set was really fun!

firstprince x wildest dreams: I don't know what it is about this set that makes me love it so much. I think it's the shade of pink and then the light orange from the text.

henry "that is him, part and parcel": I adore henry and bea and that's all I have to say about this set.

firstprince x exile: I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the tags for this one and I am not sorry at all for the pain I have caused. I got the idea for this set after sending @kiwiana-writes the fake fic title "I gave so many signs" and they wrote a heartwrenching summary. I immediately wanted to do something with it!

top 5 heartstopper sets

moments of healing: day two of heartstoppercentral's pride celebration for this year. putting this together made me really emotional. I'm so grateful for alice and these moments of communication we get on the show.

imogen x ballad of a homeschooled girl: yes, I did intentionally use colors on the lesbian flag for this set. it was actually going to be purple at first to match the GUTS album but I didn't like how it looked. I tried pink, liked it, wondered what color worked with pink, and thus the color palette was born!

narlie x brighter than sunshine: day 3 of heartstoppercentral's pride celebration. as schitt's creek fans know (and as a couple people pointed out in the tags), this is the song that plays at the end of "Meet the Parents." I think I knew right away I was going to use this song for this day of the event.

narlie x fearless (taylor's version): I still can't believe I made this set. it's something just last year I would have deemed too complicated. I'm proud of myself for this one.

charlie standing up to ben: this set idea was suggested by @swiftlythebest. idk if this was intentional on alice's part, but I really enjoy how charlie says similar sentiments in both episodes. like "leave me alone" -> "I don't want to see you ever again."

top 10 miscellaneous sets

alexis rose + "destined to be on fire": I can't believe how much I've grown as a gif maker over the past three years and this set shows that growth. I also adore alexis and her journey.

david/patrick open mic: I made this set once I got back home from seeing noah in concert. I was truly close to tears during the concert when I realized I was watching him perform a song from a show I have loved for three years.

david/patrick relationship dynamic: @reasonandfaithinharmony @roseapothecary and @rmd-writes are to thank for this set coming into existence. the fact that I had so many scenes to choose from shows that this truly is david and patrick's dynamic.

schitt's creek + barbie posters: I knew right away what kind of barbie david and alexis were going to be.

GUTS + favorite lyrics: god I really love this set. the typography? the coloring? I really outdid myself.

the good witch + ages: another set I just absolutely adore. I love the shades of pink I used. also, maisie, thank you for including consecutive years in the album because it really would have bugged me if they weren't lol

danandphilgames + fuck land: my url becomes relevant again! if you told me at the start of this year that the gaming channel would be back, I would not have believed you.

calliette x love affair: I really love the overlays for this one. it just ended up working well on its own with little manipulation from me. the song is from the end of the last episode. it worked great for the antagonists event!

ellie x you're on your own, kid: I had this idea for a few weeks before I actually got around to making it. I remember being worried and surprised that no one else that I saw did a set with this song.

vampire by olivia rodrigo: the lyric "bloodsucker, fame fucker" really did something to me.

fun statistics: out of the 98 sets I made

39 are rwrb

34 are heartstopper

8 are schitt's creek

6 are music artists

5 are dan and phil

4 are the last of us

1 is tarlos

1 is calliette

32 use taylor lyrics

tagging (no pressure of course!) @roseapothecary @swiftlythebest @rmd-writes @leclercpiastri @mulderscully @victoriaspriing and if anyone else wants to do this, feel free to say I tagged you!

#tag games #i hope all the links are right because at this point i don't feel like checking

[leenaur143]

Bad Lawyer & Crazy Dog, an unconventional love story

JUST FINISHED THE LAST EPISODE OF LAWS OF ATTRACTION!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Okay this is your HUGE spoiler warning because I have so many thoughts and my love for this show knows no bounds but I don't wanna take away from the magic of living it through on your own so go watch it!!!

Overall episode rating: 9.5/10

Overall show rating: 10/10

I was so tempted to take away points for that SILLY GUITAR AND THE SINGING 😭🤣 but it's fine they can't help that they're in love dhhxhdj

So, currently writing this at midnight just after 2/9/2023 which was Tinn and Charn's wedding day!!!!!!! These two goofs have come so far and yeah, couldn't be happier for them 🫶

I took a pause in the middle of the episode to collate my thoughts and here was the list I made about the first half:

1. the mma boxing unconventional fight between tinn and nawin, it was giving 'youtube boxing: worst bits!' but it made me laugh so its fine 😭

2. thee having no one truly there for him except tan - his fellow bodyguards didn't even back him, meaning ever since he started working for tan's family he truly has known no one who cares and loves him deeply which 🥹😭 how did he manage to stay so kind through all that

3. thattep that psychopath.

4. nawin being the best character ever

5. how similar nawin and charn are (one just has a few dozen more braincells than the other

6. how charn planned that entire plot knowing the risks not only to his physical self but knowing he could be risking his entire career but he's ready to do that as we saw when thattep called him to prison 🤧👏

7. the one guy that said you dropped the soap in the prison showers 🥲

8. tan using his annoyingness to his advantage and celebrating being banned from an airline - the most tan thing to do tbh

9. thee and tinn link up AGAIN!!!

10. the wedding talk made me emosh.. the entire proposal (lets ignore the singing but even that wouldnt wipe the huge grin off my face as i was watching it) i love the storyline of the song though (hats off to that tumblr user who explained the story behind the song, this was perfect

11. emotional during the seeking of blessings from charn's mum

12. grandma is a gem 💯

13. maya and rose doing so much to help the people they love - they truly are the MVPs

14. tongkhao's dream living on 🥹 all she wanted on Tinn's birthday was for him to be happy and start a family with someone he loves, and he did it 🥹😭🤧

Also, completely ignore the fact that I skimmed over the whole exposing scene because it was decent but I knew, I just knew Charn wasn't gonna die today and a bullet wouldn't be the thing that ended him so IM GLAD I WAS RIGHT 😭

The wedding! OH THE WEDDING 🥹👏 It was beautiful, just everyone who loves them there and present in form or in spirit - seeing the dolls and knowing Tonkhao was there just 🥹 maybe I'm just an emotional wreck but this episode really got me in my feels

I did laugh my butt off when they were taking wedding photos because why so stiff 😭🤣 It served prom in a nice way WHICH IS FINE it was just looking a bit awkward and hence it was funny 🤭

Also I could write entire essays about Tan's storyline but the fact that he never held any resentment for his dad even after all of THAT is just astounding, and it highlighted how even though Thee and Tan are very different, down to their core values, they're the same which is why they're perfect for each other

Speaking of perfect for each other, seeing Rose and Maya get engaged!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH I WAS SO HAPPY FOR THEMM

When Tinn said 'one day' concerning the conversation about the legality of same sex marriage in Thailand, I got in my feels again as you can probably gather is a common theme here, and I realised how much good shows like this promote.. and yeah I won't waffle on too much about that but it was really powerful 🥹

All in all, if we learnt anything from Laws of Attraction, I'd comfortably say it would be... how to say doll in Thai 🤣 (WHAT? It sounds so amazing! tuktā (pronounced too-ka-ta), it's a much better word!)

No, but seriously, what a show, I'd definitely recommend watching it and I hope, whoever is still reading my midnight rambles, enjoys it as much as I did 🫰

#laws of attraction #laws of attraction the series #tinn x charn #thee x thaenthai #maya x rose #thai bl #thai drama #turtle talks

[messenger-of-stupidity]

NAH NAH NAH

Okay. Let's go through the thoughts of this latest update. There's a lot so buckle up buttercup.

1. Kravitas is literally so based. He's willing to spare Albus the suffering of long travel just because he's bored when typically he would enjoy Albus suffering.

2. Only Albus would risk insanity to spite a demon. Ever heard of cutting off your nose to spite your face, Albus? Seriously, these dude shot himself out of a fucking canon to stop Devlin from touching this hella cursed sword, but in typical Albus fashion when it's his safety and emotional welfare at stake common sense flies out the gods be damned window.

4. Is Kravitas really a demon or was his statement last episode about being more than that the truth that Albus just chose to call bullshit on?

5. Kerano, sweetie, if you don't like the sweater you don't gotta be nice to me and lie. Tis okay

6. Dad is back with his video of a casual demon attack. A normal Thursday. You'd think violence could slow enough for Faithful to get some groceries but I guess not.

7. AN ADULT TALK? EXCUSE ME? also yes now shoo child.

8. Guess I'll just go in a bunker and braid some hair or some shit. Whatever.

9. Don't you love it when the father figure of your child is so obsessed with transformers that he turns into a robot? (Yes I know he didn't turn into a robot. It just sounded kind of robotic in my head and it was funny.

10. What's the song called? It was kind of a vibe.

11. Oh my God we're raising a menace, thief, AND a liar. Where did we go wrong? 😭 Also can Faithful read minds? She was able to hear Kerano's mind about a key or something before Kerano had it, and was able to read the thoughts after that.

12. Move aside, Faithful is coming through like a badass. Hold the child

13. Oh neat. Both Albus and I have yelling voices in our head. 🥲

14. "I AM THE GREATEST GOOD YOURE EVER GONNA GET" - Faithful 2023

15. IS HE CUTTING OFF HIS HAND?! KERANO LOOK AWAY

16. Are... Are you seriously gonna make me choose between my two husbands right now? WHERES MY POLY OPTION? (Albus and Devlin in strictly familial relationship with each other. No condoning incest here)

-Branch-

Albus Route:

- yeah u tell him Devlin! How dare he try to reject us after saying it was our choice. Bitch

- UH I UH UHM ER

- daddy? Sorry. Daddy? Sorry. Daddy? Sorry

- HOW MANY ROUNDS? Albus let her BREATHE before you fuck her to death omg

- I thought we became a bio mom to half demon children. But nah turns out we became a slutty saint

- YOOOO another thing in common with Albus! We both don't like kids. For different reasons but the point still remains

- Awww. He misses Devlin.

- Kerano is wholesome but I ain't forgiving her for snatching that key

- wait does anyone remember when he said he wouldnt tap faithful with a ten foot pole? Does that mean he tapped her with an eleven foot pole to stay true to his word?

- Devlin Route -

- that's what your brother said to me in an alternate reality when I chose him too.

- Albus back with the orgies. My angsty brain McThinks it's some copium since that's his whole "nothing hurts me!" Mask

- "HES A ROCKIN SPACE AGE BACHELOR MAN" I hope he gets his dream of being a monsterfucker

- Faithful got that holy rizz sheeeeeeesh

- astrology 🥰

- wait nevermind. Just some brotherly love

- you can call me darling any day of the week baby. I am living for it.

- Awww starry kiss. 🥹

Update: I keep forgetting there's a high chance that GBA will see this... BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?! I STAND BY WHAT I SAID (/lh) 😤😤😤

Update #2: for those asking about the third route thoughts, that's a secret that I'm saving for a fic.

#messy rambles #good boy audios #gba devlin #gba albus #gba faithful #gba kerano #gba kravitas #gba #gba bastard warrior

[mtdthoughts]

Moonlight Pt. 1 (Migi & Dali Fanfiction)

At the time I'm writing this post, it's New Year's Eve, and I wanted to finish 2023 with something that I've been cooking up for a while.

Never in my life did I imagine that I would write fanfiction.

But I really do love this series, and I thought that I could help fill in some of the story that wasn't shown. In particular, this fanfiction occurs during Chapter 43 of the Migi & Dali manga or Episode 13 of the anime. It is told from Migi's perspective, and I wanted to add some context based on my interpretations of the characters and my (limited) imagination.

Be warned, I am not an expert at writing, so I can't guarantee that the reader will enjoy reading this, but I hope they do. Tumblr is probably not the best place to post this, but it'll do for now. I might post the other parts here too.

I decided to title this fanfiction "Moonlight" as a reference to the "Water Flea Song" that the twins are so familiar with.

CHAPTER 1

It was the night of Christmas Eve, and I laid in bed excited, unable to sleep. Because Santa would come tonight, or at least that's what the old couple said. I don't know if Santa's real or not, but that doesn't matter, because I'm a good boy and I’m getting a present!

"Perfect, if I continue to pretend to believe in Santa, I can get presents forever. Right, Dali?"

Dali was on the other side of the bed, but I couldn't feel him move or hear anything from him.

"You asleep?" I asked. No response.

Dali has been acting strangely lately. I know that the old couple would accept us both, but Dali says he's fine with just me being happy. That can't be true, right? To be honest, I'm not sure what Dali was thinking, but I thought that if I cheered him up, maybe he'd change his mind.

"Let's split the presents in half..." I whispered.

But was that okay? Did Dali really want to share my presents?

Oh well, no use in thinking now. Better get to sleep, or else Santa won't come tonight...

I was now sitting at the dining table, and as usual the old couple was sitting across from me with smiles on their faces, and the golden beast was pacing around, looking hungry. The table was set with lots of delicious food like jambalaya and turkey, and the air was filled with the smell of cherry pie. We talked and laughed as we usually did, but then I noticed a familiar voice. I turned to my right, and there was Dali, with his scar, sitting next to me, laughing with a joyful expression that I had not seen in a long time.

Huh?

"Dali...?"

I was now lying in bed with my pajamas on. Oh, it was just a dream.

I yawned and got up from bed, and saw that Dali was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at something. At our little Christmas tree, there were two presents that looked the same.

"Huh? Did the present split in two?"

A knock came at the door. Dali reacted, and quickly ran to the wardrobe to hide himself. Right, we still needed to be Hitori. Rather, I still needed to be Hitori...

The door opened, and it was the old couple, with the same warm smiles on their faces.

"Good morning, Hitori!" said the old woman.

"Good morning," said the old man.

Before I could greet them, I remembered that it was time to open my present. I looked back toward our little tree. Oh right, there were two presents.

"Hey, I thought that each child only gets one present. Did Santa make a mistake?" I asked.

The old couple turned to look at each other, then looked back at me with the same smiles.

"Santa doesn't make mistakes," said the old woman.

"Why don't you go ahead and open them?" said the old man.

I went ahead and tore open the presents and revealed what they were.

"Whoa, a clay pasta set!" I exclaimed. I could make so many delicious-looking creations with this! Spaghetti, cherry pie, omelets, and so much more! I turned to the next present.

"And this is, an exciting and exhilarating science set?" I said, confused. Huh? I don't think I could play with this. This looked a bit too hard for me to figure out. I returned to marvel at the pasta set.

"I see," said the old woman, "It looks like this house has a gluttonous and creative child, as well as an intelligent and sensitive child."

"It took us a while to notice the differences," said the old man.

Huh? Did they figure us out?

"We'll be waiting downstairs with seats for the both of you," the old lady said, as the old couple smiled and walked away.

I can't believe this; they finally accepted us! I was so happy that tears came out of my eyes. Dali and I could finally be ourselves now! We could finally live the lives we always wanted!

Or so I thought. I ran to the wardrobe and called for Dali's name as I tried opening the door, but Dali kept it shut.

Why? What was Dali thinking? Even though we’re twin brothers, I still couldn't understand what Dali was thinking. Dali usually knew what I was thinking, so why couldn't I do the same for him?

Still, I knew that Dali was suffering, just like the time when I ran away from him. Ever since we came home from the Ichijo house, he spent every day sitting under the dining table just eating the scraps I gave him. He told me he was fine with being my shadow because we would always be together, but for some reason I still felt his loneliness and sadness.

I wanted to help him, but I wasn't sure how. I just wanted Dali and me to be happy together...

That’s it!

"Dali... it seems like we're different after all. And maybe we'll only be getting even more different from now on, with what we like, what we dislike, and how we feel about things... But there will still be some things that'll never change, like my happiness being Dali's happiness, and Dali's happiness being my happiness!"

That's right. It didn't matter that we were different, and it's okay that I didn't understand everything in Dali’s mind. What mattered was that we understood each other’s hearts, and that we would always be together helping each other.

Please Dali, let my feelings get through to you…

"..."

It was silent for a little while before the wardrobe door started creaking. As the door slowly opened, Dali came out, facing down so that I couldn't see the face he was making. As soon as Dali stepped onto the floor, I ran to him and gave him a big hug.

"Dali!" I exclaimed as I embraced him tightly.

He returned my hug, and I felt that he was slightly shaking.

A few seconds later, we released each other, and Dali had his usual confident grin.

"Well then, let's get to breakfast, Migi. We don't want to keep them waiting, right?"

Tears continued to flow from my eyes as I gave him a wide smile and replied, "Yeah!"

#migi and dali #migi to dali #fanfic

[clairedaring]

[Series Review] Trillion Game (2023) - an exhilaring fun ride from start to finish

I watched like four Japanese series in 2023 so I'm not sure I'm qualified to rank anything but for me personally, Trillion Game is the BEST Japanese series of 2023. The story and solutions felt cheesy at times but pacing, acting/cast, music, rewatch value. 10/10. I am so happy I decided on a whim to watch this after being in a slump of not being able to truly enjoy any series after I finished another drama which I considered my favorite series of 2023.

STORY

We follow Haru (Meguro Ren), an extremely charming communicator and Gaku (Sano Hayato), a brilliant IT engineer as they encounter obstacles on their start-up journey together. It is VERY fast paced drama with each episode following a certain formula that you'll figure out by the second episode. For the majority of the series, each episode starts with present Gaku, CEO of Trillion Game, reminiscing his and Haru's past adventures in the early days of their start-up business. While each episodes may seem formulaic, the stories are never boring and I found myself binging everything from start to finish, not being able to stop for a second. We've seen the unhinged genius x sane down-to-earth duo a bazillion times before but I think what makes this particular story so charming is the characterization of Haru who is self-proclaimed "the most selfish man in the world" but all his actions are completely contradictory, always self-less and putting everyone's needs above his. I love Haru so much. I don't know what they laced in the series but I am down bad for Tennoji Haru and I get why Princess Kiri wants Haru so bad as well, like same here sis.

ACTING/CAST

Meguro Ren and Imada Mio are just the most enigmatic actors, truly powerhouses. From edits on Youtube on Tiktok, you'd think these two have a lot of screen time together but they DON'T. Regardless, even when acting separately, they are bringing everything to the table and when they get scenes together, the chemistry is CHEMISTRYING. The sizzling tension between Haru and Princess Kiri are just top-notch. Sano Hayato and Fukumoto Riko are also just the most adorable nerds as Gaku and Rinrin. I love our four main leads so damn much. There's this one scene from Episode 2 where the first thing Haru does after receiving their initial 30 million yen investment is to bath in money and I remember thinking this is so nonsensical but at the same time found myself with the stupidest grin on my face watching Haru pushing Gaku out of his comfort zone to do all these insane things with him. I LOVE THEM. Meguro Ren is truly an enigmatic powerhouse in this one. I have only seen Meme in like three other dramas but Haru is definitely my top favorite Meguro Ren role ever.

MUSIC

The score is so energetic and fun. I love the main theme song of the series which is Dangerholic by Snow Man. The song is SAUR good I haven't skipped single outtro of any episode just to listen to this song. I watched a lot of series this year but Dangerholic is probably taking the crown as my favorite OST of 2023 in this very last minute race. As previously mentioned , Trillon Game has very exciting and energizing score and I'd argue that many business/office scenes are hard-carried by the score and excellent editing.

REWATCH VALUE

This series get a 100000000 for rewatch value because I just finished it and I'm already considering for another rewatch just because of how much fun I had watching it. But also because each episodes are so self-contained, Trillion Game will be fairly easy to rewatch any random episode in this series because you don't really need to the past episode to enjoy one, a recap at the beginning of each episode will do just fine. The tension between Haru and Princess Kiri is so insane even though there's no explicit romance going on. I think I need to rewatch it just for THEM.

PRODUCTION

This was definitely a low budget drama but TBS definitely made do with what they got. I understand if Princess Kiri's wardrobe alone was where most budget was allocated to. Like deserved! Trillion Game's strength lies more in the acting and story department so I wouldn't say this was a high value production but I will say I love all the rooftop scenes between Haru and Gaku. Those rooftop conversation scenes between them are just beautiful and heart-warming.

OVERALL

I love Haru with my entire heart. WATCH TRILLION GAME FOR HARU PLEASE.

#trillion game #claire opens her goddamn mouth #meguro ren #imada mio #sano hayato #fukumoto riko #im just crossposting from my mdl review to archive it here #why was this series so satisfying to binge #thank god i watched it when everything had come out #i like how compact an ep is and the formulaic structure tells you what you're going to get #the “moral” lessons are not too in your face #i think i need to write a whole post on haru bc i think his character is just the most interesting dude and i wish we got even more of him

[lizlet]

2023, in bullet points

I find myself consumed by an assortment of random thoughts, as we reach the end of the year, and as the sun aims downward for one last sunset, I'm going to try sharing them... in the form of bullet points!

In January of 2023, I got to interview John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, because he guest-starred on an episode of Poker Face and one of the cool things about working for a publication that's largely focused on music is that all I had to do to get his reps' info was ask a colleague. It was a good, fun interview, and he gave me his direct phone number in case I needed to ask him any follow-ups, and I actually did have something I needed to clarify. So I called him a second time, and during that second call, I told him the thing that I'd held back during that first interview, because I'm always on the fence about how much to say to people about how much I love their work: I told him how much I love the song "This Year," how I blast it every New Year's Eve and scream along in triumph, because it's so much easier to sing "I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me" on December 31st. I don't have a transcript of that second call, but I remember he took the compliment with practiced grace, saying something along the lines of "Thank you for saying that, because it means I know I did at least one thing with my time on this earth that helps people."

That's often what I think about, when measuring my accomplishments for the year — what are the things I did that made the world a slightly better place, on a big or large level?

I know I wrote a lot. Wrote stuff I was very proud of and wrote stuff I was less proud of, but sometimes that's what happens. Got into a good groove with Wren Graves at Consequence, who became my default editor early in the year and has proven to be annoyingly good at noticing when a piece could be better and pointing that out. It's good to have an editor who is a lovely and generous person and who also knows your flaws (like, for example, the fact that I maybe repeat words a little too often; if Wren were editing this, he'd send me back this paragraph with the word "good" in bold three times, and he would be right to do so).

Did a lot of interviews, even with the double strike shutting down a lot of opportunities, and checked a few people off the ol' bucket list. (I don't know why John Cho has eluded me for years, but achievement unlocked, thanks to The Afterparty Season 2.) It is still a bit baffling to the awkward-ass adolescent who lurks inside me that a significant part of my job is talking to famous people, and that I may be pretty good at it. (Sorry Wren.)

Hit my second anniversary at Consequence, an outlet that lets me get weird when the occasion calls for it and always offers up new challenges. (Got a couple of big challenges already in the works for January, which I'm doing my best not to think about until January 2nd.) It's a small but mighty team, and I'm happy to be working with them all.

Got elected to the position of secretary on the Television Critics Association board, which has also presented a wild new array of challenges, but the other board members are great and Winter Press Tour is on! ::knocks on any available wood nearby::

I tried as much as possible to be a person who says yes to things, especially if they might lead to wild new experiences. Saw more friends and more theater and live comedy than I have in years past, which makes me happy. (Especially when I can combine the friends WITH the theater and live comedy.)

Also got to spend a good amount of time with my family, who are cool people that I just genuinely enjoy spending time with. Even went on a gosh-darned vacation with them, to Ireland and Scotland, which was overall pretty magical. It's funny how when you're a kid, going on a bus trip to look at pretty scenery sounds very boring, and yet when you're an adult, that's just a really wonderful time.

Continued two streaks of approximately equal length: sobriety and daily usage of Duo Lingo. Both have been rewarding in their own unique ways.

Thanks in part to Duo Lingo, I learned how to type é and ü characters on a keyboard, which isn't a huge deal necessarily, but I have been typing on computers for nearly the entire span of my life (started around three or four years old) and so learning a new trick, after all this time, was pretty exciting. You go around thinking you know everything there is to know, and then you learn a new thing, and it makes you excited to find out what else there is to learn.

That's the energy I try to bring to every year, even a year like 2023, which on a global level was undeniably pretty garbage, especially the way it set the stage for 2024 being potentially worse. I donate money to big and small causes and take public transit whenever I can and only spend time on Elon Musk's Twitter when it's absolutely essential (someone has posted a link to an adorable cat video). I know I could be doing more. I hope I'm doing enough, and try to exceed "enough" when I can.

I had to take a break from writing this just now because I'm in the middle of my second-favorite New Year's Eve tradition: Doing laundry, so that when I get home after a casual hang tonight, I can curl up in my nice clean sheets and wake up like a big toasty cinnamon bun. Best way to start a new year, in my opinion.

While handling laundry, I've been watching The O.C., and it feels like a true portent of good things that my rewatch has brought me to the New Year's Eve episode, even though this means the arrival of Oliver, who I recall being Bad News.

Still, this reminds me to mention that the book I can't stop recommending to people right now is Ben McKenzie's Easy Money, a surprisingly fun read that left me almost feeling like I understand crypto (and definitely makes me think I understand the grotesque human cost of it).

That last bullet point also strongly indicates that I should try to read more books in 2024.

I'm writing this, like I write pretty much everything, in Evernote, and out of laziness I'm going to post it to Tumblr because that should be relatively easy, but I do want to write more personal stuff in the new year, and might look into setting up a new blog or (non-Substack) newsletter for such a purpose.

But I'm also continuing to work on novels — 500 words or so a day, every day I can, until it starts to add up to something. I've developed a lot of daily practices over the last two and a half years: I journal every morning, go running every other day, write my 500 words in the evenings after logging off work, and keep my Wordle and Duo Lingo streaks alive, amongst other things. And they all contribute to me feeling saner and stronger than I remember feeling during the worst periods of my life to date. Worse days may be coming. But I'm glad to be starting the new year with... well, with clean sheets, at the very least.

And before I go out for the night, I may jump around the apartment and sing.

Auld Lang Syne, bitches. Good luck to us all in 2024.

#in which our heroine #happy new year

[vampkitty66]

2023 Spring Anime Season: My Thoughts Thus Far

Yamada-kun at Lv999 

Disclaimer!! These are just my opinions

Status: Currently Ongoing

Starting off we have Yamada-kun at Lv999. I will say after watching the first two episodes I immediately picked up the manga. It currently only has five episodes, and the final episode will be the thirteenth. This follows Akane, a college student who recently got dumped by her boyfriend for a girl he met in a online game they both used to play together. Wanting to make him jealous, she attends an event for the online game knowing that he’ll be there and meets a boy named Yamada. Yamada helps Akane out after she tripped and her ex boyfriend spots them together. Turns out her ex is a big fan of Yamada’s, and in an attempt to make her ex jealous she bribes Yamada to say that they are dating each other.  Since I am a shoujo lover myself, I felt super drawn to this series because it feels nostalgic. I think the characters are likeable and despite their age gap ( although I don’t find it a big deal as its only two years apart ) their relationship is healthy. Really enjoying it so far, I think its refreshing to see a romance anime nowadays with little to no fan service. If you haven't, I highly suggest picking up the manga.

Hells Paradise

Status: Currently Ongoing 

Completing the “Dark trio” we have Hells Paradise, I preface that I have not read the manga. With only five episodes so far, I've got to say that this might be one of the best watches for me this season. Mappa has really outdone themselves in my opinion, the animation is crazy. The story follows Gabimaru the Hollow who was captured and sentenced to death. With him practically being invincible, Sagiri, his executioner, gave him an opportunity to be pardoned. To be able to be pardoned he and other death row convicts have to find the elixir of life. I think the story is fantastic and the characters are all interesting. I’m really excited to see what comes next as the series continues, and we’ve already seen some development in some of the characters, as well as some of the backstories. Waiting for my girl Sagiri to be an absolute badass and prove everyone who doubts her wrong. Also just got to say that the opening song is  fire and its been on repeat for me. 

Skip And Loafer  

Status: Currently Ongoing   

Skip And Loafer, another romance anime with only five episodes so far (its very exciting to have so many wholesome animes come out this year) This one also feels like a very nostalgic shoujo, but its in fact a sienen. This one is based in high school and it follows Mitsumi Iwakura, a girl who lived on the countryside her whole life. Iwakura attends high school in Tokyo and even though she thinks everything will go smoothly, it turns out to be quite the opposite. Watching this made me cringe so hard not even going to lie, its awkward and goofy but that’s also what I like about it. Despite having to throw my phone to the other side of the bed because of the awful secondhand embarrassment I got, I'm definitely going to continue watching it. 

Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Dukes Mansion

Status: Currently Ongoing 

This was originally a manhwa that got adapted into an anime. I have not read the manhwa so I can’t base anything off of it, but so far I'm enjoying it. It follows Raeliana who was originally Park Eunha who had died in the real world and woke up to be Raeliana. The world that she is in as Raeliana is based off a novel she had read in her previous life, so lucky for her, she knows what's to come. There were a lot of isekai animes this season and to be honest, this is the only one I've watched. This seemed like an interesting concept, I don’t watch or read too many isekai series because a lot of them feel the same and I find some of them boring but maybe I should give it more of a chance? I digress, I like most of the main characters so far and if I were her, I’d totally jump on the duke bandwagon. The animation is a little iffy but I can look past it, overall I don’t have that many complaints about it.  

Honorable Mention

Oshi No Ko

Contains spoilers!!

Status: Ongoing

Note: This is an absolute mess of a review oops

Okay so I’ve only watched the first episode so far (I think there's two or three now??) The first episode was like an hour long and it was a lot. We start off meeting the two main characters in the hospital, the little girl and the doctor. We see Ai on tv and to be honest does no one else find it weird that the doctor is like obsessed with a teen idol? Yes I know its because of the little girl, she was his patient and she died blah blah blah. I just find it a little odd... I don't know, it’s fine, moving on. Ai is pregnant and the doctor gets assigned to her, turns out shes having twins and on the night that she is supposed to deliver, the doctor gets pushed and dies. The doctor and his little girl patient gets reincarnated as her twins but they are fully aware of their previous lives. So now a 12 year old girl and a 20 something year old man are Ai’s twins. Also forgot to mention, didn’t the doctor say something sus to the little girl before she died because didn’t she want to marry him??? Honestly I forget, anyways, fast forward the twins, Aqua and Ruby, get older throughout the episode. Ai has been doing her idol shit and what not and Aqua also dabbles into acting a bit. Ruby is dancing or something and all is swell until it all turned to shit. Ai is I think 20 years old now? There's someone who comes to the door and she opens it, he then stabs her and she dies. Oh and she finally tells her kids that she loves them. The episode is almost over at this point, Aqua asks this one guy to raise him or something and Aqua pretty much figures out that his dad hired someone to kill his mom so he’s in his revenge era now. This was a whole mess but its fine. I liked the characters designs a lot, I thought they were really pretty. I have some problems with this anime but I think I might continue to watch it and then do a whole review on it. Still baffled on how people claimed that this was the best first episode they've seen ( even topped aot ) I think it was a good episode don’t get me wrong and I liked the animation style and there were cute moments but I don’t think it was the best first episode I've seen. Ai’s song was fire though, I will say that.

#anime #anime review #anime recommendation #manhwa #2023 anime #spring anime 2023 #yamada kun to lv999 no koi wo suru #hells paradise #skip and loafer #why raeliana ended up at the duke's mansion #oshi no ko #isekai #shoujo #sienen #shounen #the dark trio #romance anime

[lsdunesarchive]

#AMGearstories: Travis Stever of LS Dunes and Coheed & Cambria talks about his Gibson Les Paul

AltomusicNY: In this episode of #AMgearstories we chat with our pal Travis Stever from the bands LS Dunes and Coheed & Cambria. Travis is an old friend of Alto Music and we were excited to catch up with him and his 2001 Gibson Les Paul Standard!

(YouTube | August 4, 2023)

Transcript under the cut

Travis: Hey, I'm Travis Stever, I play guitar in the bands L.S. Dunes, Coheed and Cambria, and whatever the hell else I can get involved in. I'm here at Irving Plaza this evening, getting prepared to play with L.S. Dunes, and Alto Music was nice enough to ask me to tell a gear story. Alto Music, which was very important in my life, growing up in Rockland County, New York, and also living in Orange County, New York. Alto was a go-to for me and Claudio Sanchez, actually, who is the singer and guitar player in the other band I'm in, Coheed and Cambria. We would, like, countless amounts of times, we would go to Middletown, when we lived up there, for all gear needed for recording with Coheed, and also when we were young tikes, just with dreams of performing, we would go to the one in Airmont, in Rockland, which sadly is gone, because I live in Rockland again now, and I hope, someday, they open another. But, today I'm going to do a little rig rundown, I chose a Les Paul Standard, 2001, that I actually bought at the beginning of first touring with Coheed and Cambria. We had done some Midwest runs, we had been all over the East Coast but, right before we did our full U.S. tour, Claudio Sanchez and I decided to treat ourselves, finally, to the nicest guitars that we could afford at that point in our lives, and I picked this Les Paul Standard, and it has been my go-to, it has been on probably every Coheed record, is what I primarily used on most of the L.S. Dunes album, Past Lives. I just used it on the two songs from our upcoming 7'', Benadryl Subreddit, is a song that was released already, and another song, Old Wounds, I used this guitar on both songs. I have two favorite guitars, they're both Les Pauls, the other one was a guitar I received from Gibson and it's a gold top traditional, and I received it from Gibson, because I had a custom black beauty with a key work created for me, and I got artist price, and they said, "we'll also throw in another guitar for you, because you're doing this", and, you know, paying artist price, and it was really, really nice of them. And they happen to give me this gold top traditional, that is my other favorite guitar. So, now when I travel with Coheed, I always have my traditional gold top, and when I travel with Dunes, I always have my tobacco burst Les Paul, always with the bigsby. And, that way, when I'm with either band, I have my favorite Les Paul. Basically, the story goes, this has followed me on tour since 2001, and that's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

#ls dunes #l.s. dunes #m: travis stever #lsd: 2023 #in: jul/23 #t: video #from: alto music #misc: gear rundown #sm: youtube #archive[ane]

[harleiquina]

All TV series I've ever seen.

@thefirsthogokage 's search for new show to binge inspired me to list all TV shows I've seen so far. Of course I might add some along the way because I won't remember everything in one sitting.

Considering that it's going to be a lot... I might as well divide them in

1940 -1970 (this post)

1980 - 2000

2010 - Now.

Let us begin.

1944 - The Black Whip (serial)

For youngsters, a serial was like a TV show that our grandparents (maybe even great-grandparents) watched on the cinema. Sometimes all episodes (around 15 min each) would be edited together and played as a movie.

It was an experimental take of the character known as Zorro (born in pulp fiction) transported to USA's Wild West where two siblings have a newspaper but the brother is also "The Black Whip" a vigilante that keeps the peace in their town... until he's killed so his sister takes over his mantle (without anyone noticing). Fun fact: George J. Lewis later played Guy Williams's Zorro's father: Don Alejandro de la Vega.

Overall entertaining. The cliffhangers are kind of over done (keep in mind maybe back then they had to wait 1 week or more to see the next episode) and the escapes are sometimes kinda ridiculous but well... it's fun anyway. I saw it on Youtube.

1957 - Zorro (Disney)

You are not argentinean if you didn't grow up watching Zorro at noon while having lunch (or run from school to catch it before it ended). It is still being broadcasted today (in 2023) believe it or not!

Follow the adventures of Diego de la Vega, a señorito (very delicated gentleman) that during the nights turns into El Zorro, a vigilante that rights injustices and saves the people of Los Angeles.

LOVE IT. Guy Williams is Zorro, no-one will ever be better than him. It's fun for the whole family (and do not be fooled by the time it was made, the female characters are well written and very progressive for the time being). Saw it on TV over and over and over again and never got tired of it.

1959 - The Three Stooges (year they began to be televised)

How could I forget about my childhood heroes?

My first contact with slapstick comedy and absurdities galore.

In this house we believe in Moe, Larry, Curly & Shemp supremacy!!

1961 - Mr. Ed.

Ever wondered how it would be to live with a talking horse? Well, now you'll know.

Fun for all family, catchy title song... you can see it probably in lots of places because it's a classic (but for me it was on a bootleg DVD pack)

1964 - The Addams Family

We all know and grew up with The Addams Family movies in the 90's but this is the original live-action (with Gorey's insight). The family canon is different: Mom is Gomez's mother, Fester is Morticia's uncle and my favourite (yet always forgotten in the new media) is Ophelia, Morticia's twin sister -who was supposed to marry Gomez in first place-.

To be fair I saw it a couple of years ago so I don't remember too much, but its all-family-fun and if you are a spooky-inclined person (such as me) you'll end up wanting to own a house like theirs (and maybe some of their creatures as well). I saw it on bootleg DVDs, shhh... don't tell anyone.

1965 - Get Smart

Another argentinean staple (not as strong as Zorro, though) was this spy-comedy born out of mocking James Bond with gadgets and all. "Smart, Maxwell Smart. Agent 86" carved himself a space in our hearts with Agent 99, the Chief, agent K-9, Jaime and the equitative incompetent villain Siegfried.

Super fun with all the weird and borderline ridiculous inventions and plots. It sort of loses its momentum in the final seasons (when Max and the 99 get married and have twins) but there are still moments of greatness. I have all the DVDs, original ones this time.

1967 - Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

In Argentina we use the expression "wooden actor/actress" a lot... but in this case it's probably right because they are all puppets (unless they do a close up of their hands, then they are human 😱).

Follow this colour-coded crew of space travellers and their adventures. I don't fully remember if it was a concept or if it actually happens in the show but maybe Captain Scarlet doesn't make it to the end of the day. Very early Aeon Flux from his part. Be like me buying a bootleg DVD collection or you can probably find it on Youtube.

1971 - The Persuaders!

Who on this Earth hates either Roger Moore or Tony Curtis? I'm ready to throw hands!

Two millonaires (with lots of monetary issues aparently) have to work together for a Judge solving different crimes (identity theft, kidnappings, robberies, etc). It is never quite explained why both of them are the right ones to do the job but no-one cares because you'll end up loving Lord Brett Sinclair (Moore) and his love-hate relationship with Danny Wilde (Curtis) plagued with sarcasm but, eventually, true friendship.

I'm a Danny Wilde kinda girl (and I would like to have like half of his jackets, they are awesome) but Moore is also lovable. Yes, most of the cases have a beautiful girl that ends up with any of them... yes, some things are a little too convenient... but it is a show to have a good time. Don't think too hard about it. I've watched it on bootleg DVD but it is also on Youtube.

1973 - El Chavo del 8 & El Chapulín Colorado (The Kid from the 8th and The Red Cricket)

Both shows were aired pretty much at the same time and starred by the same cast the first one tells the story of a orphan kid that lives in a vicinity with very colourful characters.

The second one is the Mexican Superhero by excellence.

Chespirito (a wordplay for the Spanish "Little Shakespeare" -Shakespeare chiquito-) AKA Roberto Gomez Bolaños -author and lead in both shows- even said that his superheroe was better than the ones from Marvel or DC because he didn't needed muscles... he just wanted to do good and had big heart.

1976 - Charlie's Angels

I really don't understand why is it so hard for the movies to get it right. They were private investigators, not super-spies!!

3 girls became cops but were destined to "girl jobs" like secretary, school crossing and making parking tickets... but were recruited by the misterious Charlie that knows that they are capable of more so now they work solving cases where the police can't or won't be called.

We only own the first season on bootleg DVD (my mom's and aunt's favourite with the three original angels). It's fun and it's for everybody.

1976 - The Bionic Woman

Jamie Sommers (professional tennis player and Steve Austin's finceé) has a skydiving accident resulting in her getting bionic replacements of her legs, arm and ear. Since the equipment was very expensive (not like Steve's six million dollars bionic parts) she agrees to use it to help the goverment in dangerous missions. In the meantime she'll keep on working as a teacher.

Adventures of all kinds and the most memorable ones are with the fembots (altough many people like the Sasquatch episode, who knows why 🤷🏻‍♀️). Saw it on bootleg DVD.

1976 - Wonder Woman

Really? Wonder Woman? Lynda Carter? Do I need to explain anything? Just go watch it. (I saw in on bootleg DVD, shhh! Mrs. Carter is nearby, I don't want her to get upset).

1976 - The Muppets

Do they need introduction? Guest stars in every episode, humor, music and Ms. Piggy. You just can't hate Jim Hensons' creatures.

I have the first season on bootleg DVD but saw quite a few scenes on Youtube and social media as well.

1977 - The Incredible Hulk.

Bill Bixby + Lou Ferrigno + weekly adventures + that bloody journalist that follows them everywhere (and you will recognize as the bartender in Back to the Future III) to try and caught them red handed + the saddest end to every episode seeing poor Bruce Banner with his backpack walking to another town because he can never stay on the same place for too long = this early Marvel property that gave us a sneek peek into the complicated life of a superhero.

It's good, a problem-of-the-week show, but then again... poor Bruce Banner always alone, I want to cry 😭 Saw it on TV, I don't think that all episodes were aired back then nor when my mom and aunts were little.

1978 - Mork & Mindy

An alien that looks and acts like Robin Williams ends up living with the human Mindy to learn more about us. By the end of every episode Mork gives his report about what he learned about Humanity and it's usually very uplifting.

I've watched a few episodes on TV (this was Argentina in the '90s, you were lucky if any TV channel bought 2 seasons of any show to repeat ad eternum).

Nanu nanu!!

#tv shows #very vague reviews by Harleiquina #reviewing because I'm bored #TV #1940s #1950s #1960s #1970s #very vague TV reviews by Harleiquina #the black whip #zorro #the three stooges #the persuaders #get smart #mork & mindy #el chavo del 8 #el chapulin colorado #the addams family #the incredible hulk #wonder woman #the bionic woman #charlie's angels #the muppets