#did not think through doing related titles when i started all this back in 2022

[sweet-s0rr0w]

Welcome to the third edition of my annual collaborative Drarry sex scene reclist, featuring even more favourite smutty scenes and fics selected by Drarry writers, artists, reccers, and fans! A huge thank you to this year's contributors, @apricitydays-lazynights, @arminaa8, @drarrymyheart, @drarryspecificrecs, @elskanellis, @hoko-onchi-writes, @jtimu, @littlewinnow, @maesterchill, @mallstars, @myrtlefics, @oflights, @peachydreamxx, @pl0tty, @rainstormradish, @sitp-recs, @starquestingfordrarry, @tackytigerfic, @thecouchsofa, and @thedrarrylibrarian!

Please mind the tags and practice DLDR as unsurprisingly these fics feature a wide variety of kinks and some are dub/non-con. Don’t forget to leave kudos!

All Drarry unless a poly ship specified!

2022 Reclist / 2023 Reclist

Under 10k

Again and More So by peu_a_peu (E, 3.1k)

Control, Freely Given by jtimu (E, 3.8k)

Double or Nothing by jtimu (E, 2.5k)

Friends At Last by @letteredlettered (E, 8.7k)

Full by @moonflower-rose (E, 2.7k)

Glamours That Don't Fade by WouldItWere (E, 8.8k)

I've Got a Beautiful Feeling (Everything's Going My Way) by @toomuchplor (E, 3.6k)

jerk/off by @oknowkiss (E, 7.2k)

November Flush by @thecouchsofa (E, 5.3k)

of course i cum fast, i've got a snitch to catch by @swoontodeath (E, 7.6k)

On Display by @lqtraintracks (E, 396 words)

Scent and Sensibility by @aidaninkling (E, 7.5k)

The Roommates by @citrusses (E, 3.7k)

Team Building for Dummies by InnerLilith (E, 7k)

10-20k

A Saviour’s Guide to Manners and Decorum by @wolfpants (E, 13k)

Celestial (paint me like one of your starscapes) by thecouchsofa (E, 31k)

Good Boy by lqtraintracks (E, 15k)

Löyly by citrusses (E, 10k)

Power Bottom by @cassiopeiasshadow (E, 17k)

Silhouettes by sweet_s0rr0w (E, 17k, Draco/Harry/Ron)

Strange Entanglements (the particles of us) by StarQuesting (E, 15k)

What’s Mine is Yours by @fluxweeed (E, 17k)

Wield Me by @tackytigerfic (E, 10k)

20-50k

Blood and Fire by lqtraintracks (E, 45k) chapter 1, the dresser scene

Dirty Little Secret by @writcraft (E, 22k)

The Four Ds of Apparition (or: Destination, Determination, Deliberation, and Dicks) by @firethesound and @eidheann (E, 37k)

Higher and Higher (Temptation) by birdsofshore (E, 28k)

LA, Who Am I To Love You? by @epitomereally (E, 43k) chapter 4

Ligabus Filium by tessacrowley (E, 42k)

Our Objective Remains Unchanged by citrusses (E, 46k) chapter 7

Now I Know In Part by @dodgerkedavra (E, 40k)

Some Nights by thecouchsofa (E, 24k, Draco/Harry/Ron)

Waking Up Slow by sweet_s0rr0w (E, 22k)

Over 50k

Grounds for Divorce by tepre (E, 122k) chapter 7 and chapter 8

Heartlines by @shiftylinguini (E, 73k)

Licurici by @lou-isfake (E, 133k, Draco/Harry/Charlie)

Nights With You by @the-sinking-ship (E, 58k)

Only for October by dodgerkedavra (E, 54k)

Probationary Action by toomuchplor (E, 63k)

The Rewards of Being Loved by lou-isfake (E, 161k)

Rookie Moves by peu_a_peu (E, 75k)

Servile by @wellhalesbells (E, 69k)

WHISKY-TANGO-FOXTROT by @vukovich (E, 59k)

#drarry #dronarry #did not think through doing related titles when i started all this back in 2022 #thank you to maesterchill for the Daft Punk-sounding title #ss recs #thanks to the people who recced my fics #very naughty of u xx

[popopretty]

[Translation] Bungou Stray Dogs Projection Mapping (in collaboration with Kadokawa Culture Museum)

This is a projection mapping displayed on a huge bookshelf inside the Kadokawa Culture Museum. The projection lasts for about 5 minutes, with a short conversation between Dazai and Atsushi, of which the script was written by Asagiri Kafka specially for this collaboration. Videos and recordings are not allowed inside so I can only share some photos and the translation of the scripts here. Please note that it is based on what I heard and remembered so there might be some mistakes. Also the collaboration started from August 2022 so it might or might not relate to the recent events in the manga, it’s all up to your interpretation.

TRANSLATION AND IMAGES UNDER THE CUT

The projection starts with Atsushi climbing up the bookshelf and falling off it.

Atsushi: Oh no. I have to put them back!

Dazai: Huh? Are you sure it is here? The book that has an impact on Atsushi-kun?

Atsushi: Dazai-san? Yeah, I’m sure it’s a book from this shelf but… I can’t find it now.

Dazai: Without that book, we might not have won that battle against the enemies, right?

Atsushi: Yeah…

“In days gone by I never repented of my acts. I was sorry only for what I didn’t do.” Had it not been for the words from that book, I might have not been able to make the right decision. What is it called again…? I can only remember the title was like, something written by someone…

Dazai: Pft… In other words, you don’t remember anything.

Atsushi: Sorry… You came all the way here with me yet…

Dazai: Nah, if you cannot remember, maybe now’s not the right time to remember it. Books sometimes behave as if they are testing us, that’s why.

Atsushi: Testing us?

Dazai: Have you never experienced that? You happened to come accross a book you didn’t know nor have any interest in. Then you picked it up and what’s written in it stayed unforgotten in your heart till years later. That kind of experience.

Atsushi: Dazai-san, do you read too?

Dazai: Huh? You thought I didn’t? Without reading, there is no intellect. It’s the daily consumption of foods that makes our bodies. But it is the letters and words that builds our souls. When you stand here, you will understand what it means. Look around you.

Atsushi: You’re right. There is something very…

Dazai: Yes, remember this well. Books, at times, behave like intelligent life forms, beyond a mass of paper and ink… If Atsushi-kun hadn’t read that book, we would not have won that battle. We must not take books lightly. Because there are some switches that can only be pressed through reading a book, quietly hidden in the darkness we think we are in.

Atsushi: Ah, I see. That book I read… it would be exaggerating to call it a fated encounter, but I feel like there is an important meaning to it.

Dazai: That’s what I thought. Atsushi-kun, maybe there is a reason you have a special role in there as well.

Atsushi: What kind of reason?

Dazai: It will reveal itself sooner or later... Well, now that I have achieved my goal of showing off as a senior in front of my junior, guess I’ll go back and sleep (yawning)

Atsushi: You didn’t come here to help me search for the book at all, did you…

The projection ends with Trash Candy playing on the background and a very cool presentation of the characters' skills. It is such a shame that I can't share a full videos with everyone, but live photo is a lifesaver this time.

One last thing, even though the BSD collaboration will officially end today, the museum also does regular projection mapping on the same bookshelf and it is just equally cool so if you ever have chance to visit this museum, please give it a try. You will find a lot of BSD goods and related stuff around this area too <3

Thanks for reading till the end :3

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #my translation #projection mapping #dazai osamu #nakajima atsushi

[i-am-church-the-cat]

Excuse me “Carlos was ahead of Charles last year”??? You do realise Charles got p2 in the wdc in 2022 right? P3 was checo. Charles was leading the wdc at the beginning of the season that year. Until max and rb got their car together and overtook them in the standings.

Yes Carlos might have been the only non rb winner last season but other drivers said that you can drive significantly slower than the rest of the pack and still lead because they can’t overtake. And that happened in Singapore. And if Singapore would have suited the rb19 max or checo would have won that race too.

Carlos was only ahead of Charles at the beginning of 2023 because Charles had lots of issues with his car. Non driver related issues. Ferrari had to change his pu or something after the first race in Bahrain because the car wasn’t working at all. Charles had a penalty through Ferrari in the second race in Jeddah. Charles had lots of bad luck over this season. He had dnf, dns and dsq. All in one season. Carlos had a dns and a dnf. Carlos got null points in 4 races while Charles got zero in 6 races.

It’s not a good look for Carlos to still fall behind Charles in the standings when he scored points in more races.

Carlos would never be allowed in the same team again as max. There is a reason max was promoted to red bull mid season in 2016. And that reason as well as his talent were the tension and fights in toro Rosso between sainzs’ and verstappens’. And there would be the same problem as in Ferrari for Carlos. Carlos likes the opposite of max. And red bull will do anything to make the car amazing for max.

I don’t think Carlos’ fans want him to be absolutely humiliated by max as a team mate. They are already throwing a fit when Charles fans aren’t appreciating their star driver.

Carlos would have a similar season like checo and everyone was talking about how humiliating last season was for him when he was argumentatively in the best car. There was a fight for p2 still until shortly before the season ended because check kept on screwing up. Carlos’a season would look similar to checos season last year because they have a similar driving style.

Did you miss that Charles has one five races? 3 of them in 2022? He got a grand slam as well that season.

And no that’s not the difference between them. By the way did you know that Carlos is racist as well? Said some things about Chinese people in particular.

Oh and Carlos is a nepo driver. He got his seat in toro Rosso because Carlos sainz senior is sponsored by red bull. Carlos was constantly rumoured to Audi because guess what. His father drivers for them. Carlos got most of his things in formula 1 handed to him by his fathers connections.

Charles on the other hand doesn’t have that. Hell jos verstappen praised his talent back in karting and was reportedly saying Charles would make it to f1 one day.

To compare Charles and Lewis in the last two seasons: Charles managed to win 3 races in those two seasons. How many did Lewis win since 2021? Right, none. How many races did max win in 2022 and 2023? 34. How many did Carlos win? 2. Those odds favour the new Ferrari duo massively. Yes Lewis has 7 titles I’m not forgetting that. But just looking at the facts that if you add up the points of Charles and Lewis from 2022 and 2023 Charles beat Lewis as well. Meanwhile max became world champion in those seasons and beat every other driver. Meanwhile Carlos was beaten by all three mentioned drivers. Not a good argument for him.

And let’s not forget this sport is absolutely brutal. And the news of Lewis to Ferrari was leaked and every team involved kind of had to announce what was happening.

And did not something similar to this happen when Carlos signed with Ferrari?

And it’s interesting how many rumours about Charles have been made up from Spanish press. Meanwhile no other countries journalists have started rumours about Carlos like the Spanish do about Charles. I also heard that the news got leaked to the Italian press about Carlos leaving by Spanish media. Makes you wonder doesn’t it? So many things got broken by Spanish media because their sources are either the saint family directly or people close to them. Meanwhile other drivers and their personal teams don’t leak anything to the media.

Not to forget that sainz senior tried putting pressure on Ferrari by talking about how Carlos will leave the team for Audi soon enough. He said that in interviews.

Oh and Carlos never was a team player. He always did things he thought would benefit him. He screwed over Charles multiple times. Even when he was told they are team orders. While Charles complied to them and even did things to benefit Carlos. He never got the same sentiment back. Carlos is a selfish driver and just because the radios of him basically calling out Ferrari and telling them to shove their pit stop in that moment are funny, doesn’t mean he gets his own strategy right. As his fans like to say Carlos is a better strategist than the people on the pit wall. If they truly would be as stupid and incompetent as all fans say, they would have long lost their jobs. I’m not saying they never screw up, but if they were truly as bad at their job they would have long been fired.

And well all this talk about Carlos might leave Ferrari and goes to Audi and the pressure the sainz family tried to put on Ferrari through that was enough for the team and they basically said if you have other teams that want him, fine you can join them! He won’t give him a new contract.

And to be honest my problem with Carlos is his attitude and that he thinks he is the second coming of Christ.

*furiously scribbling down notes in my laboratory journal*

#anti carlos sainz #anon ask #thanks for taking part in phase 1 of my experiment i will reach out if you make it to phase 2

[bloodyknucklesforme]

Maybe I'm Afraid of You | Carnal XI

Carnal(adjective) : relating to or given to crude bodily pleasures and appetites

Simon was born with what his father called 'The Curse'. A wanton craving for taboo meat. Since meeting the similarly cursed Johnny, the two had formed a bond. They didn't just fight together, they ate together, slept together, and shared everything.

When a favor to Price reveals another cursed person, Simon worries she could destroy everything.

Masterpost

CW: cannibalism, gore, parental abuse

This is very much a horror fic mostly based around the films Raw (2017) and Bones and All (2022), if you sit through those you should be good here. This is my first horror fic.

Chapter Title Credit: Bite the Hand - Boygenius

Nina had always been good about texting or calling him back. Always within an hour if she wasn’t asleep. He’d been talking to her more than normal since the Arthur incident. His car had been found but not his body.

No mention of Nina in any of the articles. Seems he never told anyone about her. His parents seemed content in blaming anyone not English for his disappearance. Their lack of closure didn’t weigh on his heart.

The link to the house’s camera feed did weigh on him. He’d resisted up until this point. It was a last resort. He couldn’t invade her privacy like that. She’d never forgive him. 

He tried to understand her. Anyone would have gone a bit off living in that house with a father like that. They never discussed any rules for her response time. She wasn’t one of his men whom he could order around. She didn’t owe him. 

Yet one hour turned to three and then eight and then twelve and sixteen. 

He sat in his office, cigar in hand. His cursor hovered over the icon.

“Just click it, sign in and you’ll have full access to the cameras,” Gaz said, handing him a slip of paper with the log in. “They’re already labeled by room but you can also see all of them at once.”

He called again.

“Sorry, I missed your call John. Leave a message or text me. I’ll call you back soon.” There was a high pitched beep as the recording started. He was the only one who called her so she personalized her voicemail for him. He didn’t leave another message. 

It took a moment for the cameras to load up. He didn’t see her. The bedroom was empty, the living room was empty, the dining room empty, the kitchen…

There was blood everywhere. On the floor, on the butcher block and leading in from the front and out the back. He dropped his cigar into the ashtray on his desk. He reversed the footage. 

A body, Nina was dragging it from the kitchen and out the back door. It was mutilated. He went back further. It had been resting on the butcher block. Further back. 

Simon walked in. What the bloody hell was Simon doing there? He took food out of a pan on the stove, ignoring the body entirely. John followed him through the cameras. 

The foyer was covered in blood. He reversed till the night before. There wasn't a sound. He watched Nina fly down the stairs and out the front door. She came back in, a body in her arms. 

MacTavish. 

They fell onto the floor and she flipped him over. He was bleeding. Price couldn’t make it out very well but it looked like he was stabbed, the knife still in his side. Nina was trying to stop the bleeding. She looked terrified. 

Simon ran in, took charge of everything. MacTavish seemed stable and they moved him. Simon appeared again and dragged a different body through the house. 

Price shut his laptop. 

He called MacTavish and then Simon. He called Nina again. 

He texted Nina one last time.

“I’m coming over”

A thirty minute drive gave him time to think. He grabbed a rifle just in case. 

He never should have brought the boys into this. He cursed himself not just handling it on his own. He could have protected her better. Protected her from them, from herself.

“I’ve given up on trying to help her myself.”

John knew it was strange for him to be so protective of her. They had no blood ties and  Godfather was title she’d bestowed on him sometime after her father’s suicide. 

She had endeared herself to him over the years. Many dinners at her father’s table with the rest of the unit. She was never invited to these dinners, always eating beforehand or at the small table in the kitchen. 

She’d watch from the top of the stairs as they moved to the sitting room to smoke and drink. He was the only one to stand in the foyer and talk to her. She was funny and always read any book he recommended. He guessed she didn’t have many friends. 

She was always a little strange, looking at him like they were two different species. Big brown eyes flicking between him and the archway to the sitting room. He quickly learned she was listening and watching for her father. The one arm chair would creak and she’d pick up her skirt and slink away without making a sound. He missed her when William sent her away to school. A fancy boarding school run by nuns. They weren’t Catholic but it made more sense when John heard about how strict it was. They still rapped rulers on the girls' knuckles for talking in class. 

William had invited the unit to his house for another dinner. A regular celebration anytime one of them was promoted. They’d all stay at an inn in town and the next morning set off pheasant hunting. William still complained about the fox hunting laws. The house was always quiet but it seemed quieter without Nina. 

There was the sound of gravel crackling as a car pulled into the driveway.  They all stopped and looked at each other, no one was missing from the table. Banging on the door, almost as loud as the thunder outside. William waved it off.

“Ignore it. Anyone worth answering should know it's rude to visit during dinner.”

More banging, two fists on the wood. 

“Let me in! Dad! LET ME IN!”

 John was closest so he stood up to answer.

Nina was there, still in her tartan skirt, navy sweater and brown loafers, soaking wet to the bone. She shoved past him. 

“Are you all too drunk to answer the phone?” She asked angrily. 

“Nina, go upstairs.”There was only one rule in that house and that was not to embarrass her father and she had done just that.

“I need to pay the cabbie.” She snapped, dripping onto the carpet. John fished his wallet out and went outside. He gave the man a stack of pounds, more than covering the cost, and grabbed her suitcase out of the back. 

There was arguing coming from the kitchen when he came back inside. A trail of wet patches leading from the foyer and through the dining room into the kitchen. The rest of the men sat awkwardly at the table. William was gone. John went to take his seat again, it wasn’t his business.

There was the clattering of chairs. William screamed at her followed by Nina yelping in pain. John jumped up and rushed in. 

Nina was on the floor, clutching her face, mouth bloodied. William’s arm was bleeding, in his hand was his belt. They stared at each other like two predators about to lunge at each other again. 

William was seething in a way John had only seen on the battlefield. He moved before John could react, striking Nina’s arm with the belt. She flinched, turning to shield her arm and face and he struck her side. John grabbed his arm.

“William, stop!” He put himself between them. 

“Get her out of my sight, John. Now.” He pulled his arm away and turned his back to them. John knelt and hooked his arms under Nina’s and pulled her up. “Not through the dining room!”

She was shaking out of anger, he could tell from how she stared at her father’s back. He took her upstairs through the servants' staircase. 

“Let me look at ya,” He said, once he sat her down on her bed. There were bruises on her face, arm and side. Her lips were bloodied but she had no cuts. He ignored it for the time and got her a washcloth. “I’ll get your stuff and some food. Just stay here.”

He wasn’t going to leave her there. If he wasn’t his superior, John might have beat him with that belt. 

Everyone was leaving as he headed downstairs, William apologizing at the door. 

“She’s very ill. A seizure disorder. She gets disoriented and very frightened, and doesn't know where she is. Her mother suffered from the same. I apologize.”

John stood on the stairs till the last man left and William shut the door.

“She doesn’t have seizures,” he said.

“She has whatever I say she has.” William turned to glare at him. “She fucking bit me, John. She can’t stay here.”

“She can stay with me.”

“No.”

“William, she can’t go back to school and she can’t stay here. She’s seventeen, you can’t kick her out. She can stay with me.”

“I’m going to have her sectioned.”

“No,” John shook his head. 

“She needs help, John. I can no longer provide it. She is a danger to herself and to others! I need her out of my house!”

“You’re going to send her away. You beat her, William! Of course she fucking attacked you.”

“I still outrank you, Price! My family is none of your concern!” He swung the front door open. “Get out! Now!”

When they returned the next day for hunting, Nina was gone. He never got to bring her food or her things. It would be almost a year before he saw her again. She was subdued, thinner than before. It was her father’s retirement party. He reasoned she was there because her absence would draw questions and William was nothing if not a posh cunt obsessed with appearances. 

“I’m sorry,” He whispered as he hugged her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m better,” she said with a forced smile. “I’m going to kill him.”

He didn’t believe her. She didn’t have it in her. Then a little over a year later he got the call. William had killed himself. He didn’t question it, especially not with the note he left. She was a good girl who’d been raised by a cruel man. He never asked what happened to her over that year or where she’d been sent. If it was anything as draconian as the school he sent her to, he couldn’t blame her for her hate. 

Then there was Arthur. But he’d hit her so it wasn’t her fault. She was defending herself. 

Now there was this mess. 

Simon and MacTavish were killers for work. 

He’d known Simon for ten years or longer. He’d done things but he wasn’t a killer without cause. 

MacTavish? 

There was a time he looked at Simon like he was God. He was a good man though, some anger issues but not cruel. 

He still went to the front door with the rifle in hand. Heavy footsteps towards the door. 

“Good to see you, Simon.” He said flatly. Simon without a mask was rare. The man’s brown eyes dug into him like dull blades. The shadows under his eyes were so dark that probably didn’t need the grease paint. 

“Sir.” He blocked any view into the house. 

“Where’s Nina?”

“Upstairs.”

“MacTavish?”

“Also upstairs.”

“Are they alive?”

“Why wouldn’t they be?”

“Simon, I saw what happened.” He nodded his head up towards where one of the cameras should be hidden. Simon glanced up and chuckled. 

“Guess we need to talk then.”

“Yes, we do.”

Once again, sorry this took forever. I have two more chapters lined up that I wrote while writing this one that I hope to finish soon.

Tag list: @gogh-with-the-flow @queen-ilmaree @cathnoneofyourbusiness

#Carnal #simon ghost riley x oc #simon ghost riley x john soap mactavish #ghostsoap #modern warfare II #modern warfare #call of duty fanfic #call of duty #john soap mactavish #John soap mactavish x oc #soapghost #simon ghost riley #ghost x soap

[aurirorii]

my carat journey ♡︎

sypnosis: (im sure the title makes this self-explanatory but) in which i tell you all about my first impressions and journeys as a carat. (i like summed it all up so its super short)

a/n: i havent been a carat for tooooo long but nonetheless it makes me feel pretty happy to see ive come as a carat as well as how the group themselves have grown over the years c:

how did it start.. oh right. when i first came around seventeen or seen something about them it was actually back in may of 2021 from a clip i saw on youtube i saw of them on knowing brothers. this clip was when the mcs of the show were trying to guess all of the members’ names and it was the8’s turn.

i remember watching minghao doing that flip or wtv (sorry i dont remember what its called lol) n after he was all cool and stuff. and lowk i was like ‘oooooo.. hes kinda cute’ hehe. and honestly that was kinda it.

you see, it was in 2018 i was actually a k-pop stan yk during the prime era of kpop. obviously over the next 2-4 years i had lost focus. but, when i came back, that video was one of the many i had watched on youtube about kpop. and when i came back, i became a skz fan. i remember felix was my ult bias and that was that.

but that was until i came across an episode of going seventeen. pretty infamous right? god, i remember watching that episode when they were planting rice (ver-paddy) and i was hooked. i had never laughed so much, it was like my spark had come back. i say that because when i re-entered the kpop fandom, i wasn’t at the highest point of my life. so laughing that much over one video on youtube made me so happy. that was when i knew that i needed to find out who this group was and where i can watch more episodes.

that was when i realized that the group i was watching was seventeen: the group with that one cute guy with gray hair and glasses (the8)! also when i realized that vernon was in seventeen (i knew and recognized vernon bc if his cover with jeongyeon, do i need to keep explaining? i didn’t think so).

although, when i started looking into the members, one caught my eye and it was safe to say it was not the8. it was LA boy hong joshua. idk what it was really but i thought he looked so idk— beautiful. so thats what it was for me. i started stanning the group and having joshua as my new ult bias in june 2022. sadly, over time, my interest in skz started to decline. it wasn’t that skz wasn’t great, they are, y’know how it is right?

that was how my journey started. i started listening to their music, getting into going seventeen, binge-watching like all the seventeen related videos i could find on youtube, and most importantly: going through hell trying to learn all of the members.

oh. my. god. hey, you know, it took some time, but i got there! (i always messed up woozi and hoshi) um.. anyways. as time went on, obviously i was able to experience the feeling of waiting to watch their new comebacks and such. and honestly, i don’t mean to be one of those people, but seventeen genuinely brought my spark back. i had, and still, never been so interested in something until them.

around 5-6 months later, it was in novemeber 2022 when i was pretty settled into the group when my thoughts and views started to change. i was starting to focus on new members. i honestly don’t remember at all how this started but jeonghan caught my eye. and i was hooked.

idk.. hes js so.. im sure u know what i mean!!! i mean who wouldn’t? like, have you seen jeonghan? oh lordy lord. he was so beautiful yet fine yet cute yet literally all of the above. i sound like one of those crazy fans. PLEASE GUYS I PROMISE IM NOT LIKE THAY JUST HEAR ME OUT A TINY BIT. let a girl be delulu PLS. ok now im gonna continue being delulu for a sec thanks.

i do admit i still fangirl a bit over him, just a teensy bit!!!!! (i fucking watch edits on tiktok HELP ME I HAVE A SAVED COLLECTION IN MY FAVORITES ermmmm i js want to be organized!!!! …..) please guys im just a girl.

uh. yeah! but in all seriousness, i’m so happy that i was able to come across such an amazing group. time has passed so much and it’s crazy for me to understand that i’ve been already been a carat for almost 2 years. (pls help me ive watched like every gose episode and inside seventeen episode like 50 million times each, but honestly i’ll never get tired of it).

i’m so proud of seventeen after everything they’ve gone through. watching them win their first daesang made me feel so happy for them, they absolutely deserve it. from practicing together in a small, green walled room to selling out almost all of their shows and stages they perform on, seventeen has grown so much as not just a group but individually.

i just know that if seventeen’s predebut self saw their lives now their joy would just be through the roof. as one of the most looked-upon sunbaenims in their industry, i’m sure most people can agree seventeen tops their line of style when making music.

and i’m also so glad i decided to be a carat. i love the fandom, like i can be on tiktok for hours just laughing watching carats post the funniest memes and compilations as well as making the stupidest tweets. i can very much vouch carats are one of the most funniest, supportive fandoms out there.

so yeah, that’s about it!

#seventeen #svt #choi seungcheol #scoups #yoon jeonghan #hong jisoo #joshua hong #wen junhui #moon junhui #jeon wonwoo #lee jihoon #woozi #kwon soonyoung #hoshi #lee seokmin #dokyeom #dk #kim mingyu #xu minghao #the8 #boo seungkwan #hansol vernon chwe #vernon chwe #lee chan #dino svt

[randomoranges]

silly little thing. semi related to that little comic i did a few days ago. apparently, i had more to say on the matter. also, was gonna bumb up the day when this takes place to match the comic, but then it meant having to fix up things in the other xmas fic and i didnt want to. so i guess that makes it funnier bcs now the weather in edmonton is less cold but ét doesnt like the cold regardless so it still works haha.

once upon a time the lyrics in the titles of these xmas fics were more recognisable. now you have to squint to even try and recognise the original song sometimes lamao

Traveling Where the Westerly Winds Can Fly [When You Pine for the Sunshine of a Friendly Gaze]

 December 30th 2022

 “So, here’s a thought,” Étienne says halfway through their conversation.  He fiddles with the phone for a moment to make sure Edward can see him properly and waits to have his boyfriend’s full attention. “I’m thinking of visiting; maybe sometime next week? I mean, it won’t be as long as my last few visits – ten days max, but, it’s better than nothing, right? If that’s not too last minute!” He’s quick to add. He knows Edward has repeated at least a dozen or so times that he can show up unannounced and that the door is always open, but Étienne still prefers to check, even when he gets these impulsive ideas. He’d hate to intrude and hate to be a bother.

 Edward’s smile is kind and this side of pleased and it quells the one fear that seems to have taken up residence inside Étienne’s mind, “Not that I don’t want you to visit or that it doesn’t sound like a lovely idea, but have you seen what the weather is like over here? And you know it can get much colder even if it looks decent.”

 Étienne takes a moment to tap on his phone, most likely on a weather app of sorts, and Edward watches with fascination as Étienne’s face transforms from hopeful smile to disgusted grimace in mere seconds. “Ah. Well. Never mind then. Ew. How is that even a temperature. Ké, well, I guess I’ll see you in the summer then. Love you. Take care. Bye.”

 Before he even gets a chance to say anything, Étienne hangs up the phone and Edward laughs, so very used to Étienne’s antics once more. He knows better and thus, he waits for the clogs in Étienne’s mind to spin and make the obvious few connections they hadn’t yet made. His boyfriend will be calling back in a moment or so, he’s convinced of it. Therefore, he remains lying on his sofa, phone resting on his stomach, as he waits.

 Sure enough, just as Edward considers picking up the phone to kill off some time, it vibrates against his sweater and, sure enough, it’s Étienne. He doesn’t even get a chance to say hello that his boyfriend is off on a semi-tangent of mostly coherent thoughts.

 “Hear me out,” He starts again,? “The weather can go fuck itself, but like, I was at yours last year and the year before? For all of winter?? And I survived, yeah? I mean, it sucked but whatever. But, anyways, I realised, cold weather means extra cuddles, right” He looks at Edward with that little manic gleam to his eyes that he gets when he has these crazy ideas and thought processes and Edward gives him a knowing look.

 “Took you long enough to figure it out. Thought for a moment you were done with being touch starved.”Edward teases, making Étienne roll his eyes at him.

 “Please, as if. And, like, I don’t have to go outside, even if it’s a frozen disaster and – and – and – well, I miss you and I haven’t seen you in ages and well, you’re worth the fucking cold and me freezing my ass off. So there. I’m willing to come over. Might have to fuck off to Mexico afterwards just to thaw out properly, but that’s not a problem.” Étienne says it with all the conviction of the world and nearly wants to dare the weather to get even worse, because nothing will stop Étienne M. Maisonneuve once he’s set himself to something. Edward’s a little bit touched by the declaration, really.

 “Aw, I miss you too, Curly, but you know I’ll have work to do,” It’s not that he’s actively trying to dissuade Étienne from visiting, but he’d hate for his boyfriend to have these grand ideas of canoodling indoors with him for however long he plans to visit, only to be severely disappointed when he’ll have to head out to work.

 “Duh, I know that. I can take care of myself and I can go to Muttart, if ever I need extra heat, like I did last time, aaaaaaand” He says, pointing a finger towards the screen to make his point even more important, “I also have other friends I can see if you’re not around; so there.”

 Edward laughs. He loves that Étienne’s already figured it all out. He loves that Étienne still wants to visit him, despite the cold, despite his schedule and despite anything else. Loves that Étienne’s expanded his horizons when visiting to the point that he has places he likes to visit and friends he can visit with.

 “Well, if that’s alright with you, then I’d love for you to visit.” He’s already looking forward to it, now that the idea is out there. Maybe he’ll even ask for a day off or two. Hell, maybe he’ll fuck off to Mexico with Étienne afterwards as well. They haven’t done that in ages.

 “Yeah? Awesome,” Étienne smiles, a pleased little thing, “Kay, so, I’ll look at flights and I’ll text you the details – and I guess I’ll see you soon!”

 Their gazes meet through the screen and they exchange giddy looks.

 “Looking forward to it,” Edward says with all the sincerity of the world.

 The conversation eventually comes to an end and Edward could get up from his couch to do something, but once more, knowing his boyfriend, he waits and sure enough, within moments of hanging up, his phone lights up again, with a text message.

 “Found a flight. Direct thank fuck. Leaves the second. WS114. Arrives at yours @11h37am. Can’t wait!!!! See you soon xxxxxx :D”

 Edward laughs again, not even surprised, and types out a reply. “Me too. See you soon. <3”

 FIN

#pc: montreal #pc: edmonton #edward murphy #étienne maisonneuve #fic #projocanondoko #christmas song bonanza 2022

[thewriting-corner]

Introduction To My WIPs

Helloo! I just took a ginger shot and multivitamin in the hopes that I do not get a cold right before the free week I plan to use to get all my uni work done, and my brain is fired up lol. ANYWAY, the other day I got a DM asking about TSLBTY and it hit me that despite all the promo I did for TSLBTY, I still never really talked about it 🤔 so here I am ranting to you about the only healthy loves in my life: the wips (or whips, if you will). Have fun, ig? And it goes without saying to please not steal any of these ideas. Be decent

The Sun Leads Back To You

This is my main project at the moment, and has been my source of therapy for a year now. I restarted the current version in April 2022 when I began getting really bad anxiety attacks again and my mental health was ✨on the ground✨ because how else would I cope lol. I hereby present you with a synopsis 🫶🏼

When on vacation with her family in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Sofía Barrera finds her almost-boyfriend kissing another girl. In an attempt to make him jealous, she asks a random stranger to kiss her. Eager to make her ex even more crazy, she enlists the help of British tourist Thomas Woods to fake date her.

Thomas Woods doesn’t know what he hates more - the brain melting heat of the Costarrican beach or being forced to spend two weeks with his mother’s fiancé and his brand new step siblings. Desperate to get away from them, he accepts an offer to fake date Sofía in exchange for one thing: she gets him away from his new family as much as possible.

Their deal slowly unravels when Sofia’s family falls apart, and more than ever she’s convinced that she’s destined to stay at home forever, making sure her parents do not break the way they did seven years ago. Add an ex-boyfriend determined to win her back and the moody, yet charming Thomas, and Sofia’s world is soon to be collapsed.

I’m on it’s 3rd Draft, about to start the 4th and final once my beta readers finish reading it sometime this month. My current plan is to start querying it on June 1 as a birthday present to myself :) This book has meant the world to me and has helped me move on from so many things that it only feels appropriate to begin its new chapter as I leave my final days of teenage writerdom and entire my 🤢 20s. Sofia and Thomas are the products of my greatest flaws and pride, and yet I hope they will eventually find home in readers’ hearts like they’ve done in mine.

Songs I Relate To It: folklore love triangle :) or Last Kiss by Taylor Swift (iykyk)

The Wrath of Chaos [working title]

Now that I’ve gotten the super gross part of the way, I am pleased to announce that once I send out TSLBTY into the query trenches, I plan to reimagine one of my favorite worlds I’ve ever written! I tried querying this book before and it went terribly, BUT the other day I got an idea on how to make this book better and I CANT WAIT to put it to paper. While I have loved having my dearest, slightly depressed Marty on the spotlight, I’ve decided to shine a little bit of light on my favorite character of all time: Chaos. In this new version, he will be aged down and gain his own POV chapters in the book so that finally, he and Marty can be direct mirrors of each other like they were always meant to be.

Song I Relate To It: Carry On - The Score, AWOLNATION (or literally any song by The Score lol I swear their entire discography fits)

The Time Travel Wip

Working Title: The Time Keepers or Daughter of Time

One of the darkest concepts I have ever come up with, the time travel wip is a sci-fi/romance/thriller about a girl so desperate to return home, she accidentally destroys time😃 In the unfortunate experience of outlining, I realized that the plot was WAY too flat and so I need to rethink a lot of the aspects, which is why it’s so down the line of priorities right now. But I’m fine with that! Good books take time, and I’m excited to see what this wip will end up in once I’m a little less tired to think it through again lol

My plan for this one is to restart the outline eventually lol as soon as I can figure out how to up the stakes. Usually I have no issue with high stakes, but the entire concept of my characters being lost through time made it really hard to keep up with what they have to lose since it’s so difficult to remember the order of events even though it’s written down haha. Definitely my most ambitious project so far, which is why I have no issue taking my time with it. I’ve rushed through these wips in the past, and I’ve come to learn that a quick project will never be worth more than a well done one.

Song I Relate To It: End Game - Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Future

[psychelis-new]

Hey how are you?

Have you been to a paranormal place? I was just watching a medium (Kelsi Davies) on YT (her latest video). Man, I feel a pain in my right rib cage and also feel nauseated. I used to watch her back in 2021-2022 and I did not feel this way. It was calmer before. I think around 2022 was when I drop her because I started to feel nauseated and light headed whenever I watch her video. Is it normal to feel that way? Do you ever feel that way and why is it happening?

I also remember back when I was 15 y/o (2009) I have visited a historic building for my History assignment. We were in a huge group of people accompany by our History teacher and one of the relatives that used to sleep in that building (to protect historic building from vandalism). That building is a family house and was used by Japanese army for their base camp (they drive away the family out from that house by force). It is said that there was a battle between the japanese army and australian/british army. Until now you can see bullet holes on the walls of that house. These are what the relatives told us when we arrive at the scene. I remember I was nauseated and have this light headed feeling (like vertigo) but I think it was maybe because I was too excited to explore.

After the whole historical talk, my teacher ask if there were paranormal activities ever happen. And there was lot. This relative that guide us through the house stops at one room and told us, "this was where our ancestor hang the head of the beheaded and let the blood drop onto big vases. So the vases all haunted." She even saw a red eyes peeking through the bullet holes on a kitchen door. She even got chased by a walking stick at a middle of the night while residing in the house.

If you may, please share your paranormal experience and how you feel physically while at that place?

~🌻

Hi there :)

So for the way you feel in relation to the medium's videos, it could be that she triggers some "unconscious fear" inside of you. It's okay if you didn't feel this way before, we change, our minds change too, we grow aware of ouselves and so the way we perceive or think about things changes as well. You may also have experienced some kind of religious or spiritual unrelated event and therefore you unconsciously developed this kinda anxious reaction to her videos; or maybe... you grew more aware of other energies and hers/the ones she channels may feel a bit too heavy for you or uncomfortable. It's worth building up boundaries, if you want to keep watching her... do not let the things you watch "suck you up" so much (ofc, if the thing goes on, please do have a medical check anyway).

I used to watch paranormal videos too years ago, but I grew tired of them the moment I realized it was mostly for "the clicks". Online world, YT in particular, lives on how many clicks one gets (and how much they get payed bc of that) and the more you are able to make a sensational title/video, the more views you get... So I simply gave up and got on different roads to understand. I am in fact sure there's some truth, but probably YT videos aren't always the right way to find that out (ofc, this is not true for each youtuber, but yk... it's not easy to spot good ones). Also I realized I couldn't really watch horror movies anymore as they only made my anxiety worse (which they basically never did in the past)... I think the more you grow aware of the existance of something else but you cannot explain it to yourself clearly and properly (or even rationally, if you're used to think more than to feel), the more it triggers your unsafety (probably already traumatized in your past years by other situations/traumas). This is something that may be worth working on in order to heal (maybe also your other insecurities: feeling unsafe doesn't make you feel secure within yourself either and vice versa).

Similarly goes for (at least most of the) paranormal places. Okay, some of the things people tell tourists/kids may be true, but... beware of the fact that they live thanks to those tourists. Keep that into consideration as well. The fact that you felt overwhelmed could have been either your mind being wired by what the guide was telling y'all, the fact that you were actually visiting a paranormal place (and our minds may get biased on that thought alone) or... yes, maybe you felt something, some type of energy there. Your guts know better, but you need to try and stay grounded, come to a place with no expectation, as you would go to your usual supermarket, to really know. And that's hard sometimes, especially with such places.

I think paranormal is all around us, when we think about it. Some things happen without us being able to actually explain them reasonably. When you feel energies around you, or see something within the corner of your eye... that happens (at least it has happened to me, irl and also in some dreams). And at times it feels okay, other times it feels a bit uneasy. It depends on the type of energy around you, but also on yourself and how you feel (if you're already anxious for any other reason you may get an altered feeling: that's why it's important to try and stay grounded as much as we can -ofc, that's not always possible cause we're humans, but on paper, that's what we should try and do).

Ofc some places may be considered as home by some energies or entities (or something big may have happened there and therefore they cannot fully leave? I am guessing, I don't know for sure honestly), and therefore their energies can be felt more deeply there, I am not saying it's impossible or not true. I have never visited any place that could be considered a paranormal place so I am not sure of what I could feel there, but I have visited a WWII Polizeihaftlager that now serves as a museum, and honestly.... the energy there was crazy. Everything was so dang heavy, it felt like time didn't pass at all. Ofc, as said, I probably was biased by it all but... getting inside those rooms, I was gasping for air. One of my classmates started crying and almost threw up, I was holding her up but I felt like I was going to faint any other minute. In the open air inside the camp, things were a bit better despite still heavy. But being nauseated and feeling lightheaded are common reactions though, at least for what I know/experienced. The amount of energy you may feel and/or just the emotional reaction you unconsciously get by thinking what may have happened there, can totally cause that imo. TBH Medicine's students get similar feelings during the first autopsy or so (at least I was told so by some friends).

Hope this can help you btw :)

#. #asks #tw d3ath

[petnews2day]

Ross Chastain cherishes first title bout despite falling short: 'I'm so proud'

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-news/small-pet-news/ross-chastain-cherishes-first-title-bout-despite-falling-short-im-so-proud/

Ross Chastain cherishes first title bout despite falling short: 'I'm so proud'

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ross Chastain was sure that coming close but falling short in pursuit of his first NASCAR Cup Series championship would sting.

Sunday afternoon saw part of that come to fruition: A third-place effort around Phoenix Raceway just 1.268 seconds off the back bumper of race and title winner Joey Logano left Chastain a runner-up in the championship race. Yet there was little bitterness — if any at all — as he took to the media center podium shortly after nearly conquering one of his life goals.

RELATED: Elliott crashes out of contention | At-track photos

“The emotions are surprisingly good,” Chastain said. “Like, I‘m not sad. I‘m not upset. I honestly thought when we started the playoffs that if we made it, as I go through different scenarios — I do think about what I‘m going to think about ahead of time and think about what my thoughts are going to be and what I want them to be, and then I try to evaluate as I go.

“I thought if I — like this scenario, if I lost by a little bit, that I would be really upset, and I‘m not. Like I‘m so proud and so happy to give our first shot at these playoffs and at racing in the Cup Series with Trackhouse, and we just ran second.”

A dream season ended two spots short on the 1-mile desert oval. But the reflection of his journey — an eighth-generation watermelon farmer who rose to the NASCAR national series level 11 years ago and clawed through numerous underfunded rides all the way to a title-contending effort at the sport’s pinnacle — didn’t leave Chastain wallowing.

“I feel like I‘m on a never-ending hamster wheel to be the best version of myself, and that‘s not going to stop,” Chastain said. “I hope that I never lose that drive because I wake up and I think about how can I drive a race car fast. That is my main priority every day of my life now, and it has been for the past probably seven or eight years.

Story continues

“It wasn‘t at the beginning of my career. Before that it was how can I raise the funds to race, and before that was what do we need to do at the farm to grow a crop.

“You look at the progression of my mindset that comes natural when I wake up, and I feel like I‘m on a never-ending evolution to be better, and I can‘t wait to get to work this offseason.”

His efforts from 2021 to 2022 were extremely fruitful, producing his first two Cup Series victories at Circuit of The Americas and Talladega Superspeedway. The last year and a half has been a roller coaster of the aforementioned journey.

In June 2021, Chastain was at Dover Motor Speedway when he was texted the news that Justin Marks was purchasing Chip Ganassi Racing, where Chastain was employed as the driver of its No. 42 Chevrolet. With him was Darian Grubb, the Director of Performance for CGR then and now the same for Trackhouse.

Their hearts sank, burdened with the uncertainty, but that moment proved pivotal for two future Trackhouse employees.

“I’d say that was a big moment for himself and me personally,” Grubb told NASCAR.com, “because we were able to bond by sharing that news with each other at a test and trying to figure out what we’re going to do and just have each other’s back and know when we’re gonna go forward with it. Neither one of us knew at that point, whether we’re gonna make it and we both did. Now we’re here.”

So, too, is Chastain’s crew chief Phil Surgen. The duo finished 20th in points a season ago, netting the first three top-five finishes of Chastain’s career in addition to eight top 10s. This year, those numbers exploded — two wins punctuating series-bests in top fives (15) and top 10s (21).

“We had the opportunity to build the team from the ground up,” Surgen told NASCAR.com. “Me and Ross had worked together before. We absorbed a lot of the Ganassi employees, which I had a ton of confidence in and it’s been great. It’s been a great journey, just kind of growing and building together.”

The weight of the questions ahead lingered heavily on Chastain’s mind after the 2021 finale — a feeling he recalled clearly Sunday afternoon.

“I look at when we pulled down the backstretch 20th in the points last year with the 42, had a cooler full of beverages and, you know, walked away not knowing what the future was,” Chastain said. “We knew that tomorrow morning, Monday morning, we were walking in with new ownership and Chip (Ganassi) and Doug Duchardt and so many people that we had bet on being there for a long time in that 42 car, it was their time to step away. And there was a lot of unknowns.

“And you know, to look back and think we ran (14th) in this race, I believe, and 20th in driver points, to come back and run third today and second in the spring and fight for a championship, we’re only going to get better.”

Chastain was quick to credit the Next Gen car for Trackhouse’s immediate competitive nature, particularly in adding a second team to what was a single-car operation out of the Richard Childress Racing camp for Daniel Suárez in 2021.

“They took a big leap of faith with this car, the France family and NASCAR did,” Chastain said. “Obviously I‘m really thankful for that because it put Trackhouse into existence, and it gave us kind of the reason that we‘ve been able to be successful.”

The enthusiasm surrounding the No. 1 team’s success in its inaugural year already appears to be permeating the 2023 preparation.

“To ultimately get the results and be here to fight and finish second in the championship’s just really reassuring, confidence-building for next year. And, you know, largely our team is going to be the same and I can’t wait for next season.”

#Small Pets News

[bananaofswifts]

For Women's History Month 2021, GRAMMY.com is celebrating some of the women artists nominated at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards show. Today, we honor Taylor Swift, who's currently nominated for six GRAMMYs.

When we met Taylor Swift in 2006, it was immediately apparent that her songwriting approach was like ripping a page out of her diary.

"Just a boy in a Chevy truck/ That had a tendency of gettin' stuck/ On backroads at night/ And I was right there beside him all summer long/ And then the time we woke up to find that summer gone," she lamented in the first verse of her debut single, "Tim McGraw(opens in a new tab)." The way the then-16-year-old Swift could turn personal anecdotes into instantly memorable hooks mirrored the prowess of an industry veteran, appealing to more than just the teenage girls that could relate to a short-lived high school romance.

Now, nearly 15 years later, Swift has introduced another layer of intrigue with a foray into indie folk, unveiling a pair of albums, folklore and evermore, last year. Recorded entirely in isolation after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, folklore has been widely acclaimed(opens in a new tab) as Swift's best album, touted for its intimate songwriting and cinematic dynamics; evermore has received similarly glowing reviews(opens in a new tab).

folklore was 2020's best-selling album(opens in a new tab) and earned Swift five GRAMMY nominations at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards show, including her fourth Album Of The Year nod. (evermore will be eligible for the 64th GRAMMY Awards in 2022.) As her 10 previous GRAMMY wins suggest, though, this new chapter isn't an abrupt departure for the star—it's a masterful continuation of her evolution as a singer/songwriter.

If there's one thing that Swift has proven throughout her career, it's that she refuses to be put in a box. Her ever-evolving sound took her from country darling to pop phenom to folk's newest raconteur—a transition that, on paper, seems arduous. But for Swift, it was seamless and resulted in perhaps her most defining work yet. And folklore’s radiance relies on three of Swift’s songwriting tools: heartfelt balladeering, autobiographical writing, and character-driven storytelling.

While there was always a crossover element to Swift's pop-leaning country tunes, her transition from country starlet to pop queen began with Red. The album’s lead single, the feisty breakup anthem "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together(opens in a new tab)," was Swift's first release to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and, ironically, scoffed "indie records much cooler than mine"). She declared a full pop makeover with 2014's 1989, but the response proved that her bold move was the right one: Along with spawning three more No. 1 hits, the project won Swift her second GRAMMY for Album of the Year.

From there, 2017’s Reputation, a response to media scrutiny, and 2019’s Lover, an often bubbly exploration of all facets of affection, followed. Although they shared similarly grandiose production, Lover featured a handful of poetic ballads, including "The Archer(opens in a new tab)," a self-reflective love song that teased Swift's folk sensibilities through storybook lyrics and ambient textures.

Swift’s ballads are key in understanding the full essence of folklore. They’ve regularly marked standout moments on each of her albums, both thanks to her poignant vulnerability and rich tone. Fearless standout "White Horse" earned Swift two GRAMMYs in 2009; Red's painstaking "All Too Well" was an instant fan favorite; 1989's "This Love" and Reputation's "New Years Day" provided tenderness amid otherwise synth-heavy sounds.

The raw emotion she puts into her downtempo songs comes alive on folklore, introducing a new wave of neo-classical sonics that elevate her fanciful penmanship to an ethereal level. Whether or not Swifties saw a full indie-pop record coming—at least not yet—the shift isn't all that surprising. Folklore’s romanticized lyrics and relatively lo-fi production are arguably what many fans have been patiently waiting on.

Lyrically, the super-personal nature of Swift’s music has always captivated fans and naysayers alike; diehards and critics dissected each of her albums for its real-life subjects and hidden meanings. While she played into those conspiracies at the time—whether she was revealing names in titles like "Hey Stephen(opens in a new tab)" and "Dear John(opens in a new tab)" or scathing the other girl on "Better Than Revenge(opens in a new tab)"—even Swift herself admits that her teenage method had an expiration date.

"There was a point that I got to as a writer who only wrote very diaristic songs that [it] felt unsustainable for my future moving forward," she told Apple Music's(opens in a new tab) Zane Lowe in December of 2020. "It felt like too hot of a microscope ... On my bad days, I would feel like I was loading a cannon of clickbait when that's not what I want for my life."

That realization is what helped make folklore so memorable: Swift stripped away the drama to let her artful storytelling shine. Sure, there are occasional callbacks to personal happenings ("invisible string(opens in a new tab)" references sending her exes baby gifts and "mad woman(opens in a new tab)" alludes to her legal battle with Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun). Still, she largely shies away from her autobiographical narratives to make way for her imagination.

"I found myself not only writing my own stories, but also writing about or from the perspective of people I've never met, people I've known, or those I wish I hadn't," Swift wrote in a letter to fans(opens in a new tab) on social media the day folklore arrived. "The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible."

folklore might be her first full project dedicated to creating characters and projecting storylines, but Swift has shown a knack for fantasy from the start. Tracks like "Mary's Song (Oh My My)(opens in a new tab)" on her self-titled debut and "Starlight(opens in a new tab)" on Red saw Swift craft stories for real-life muses ("Mary's Song" was inspired by an old couple who lived next door to Swift in her childhood; "Starlight" was sparked from seeing a picture of Ethel and Bobby Kennedy as teens). Even when songs did pertain to her real life, Swift often had a way of flipping memories into whimsical metaphors, like the clever clap-back to a critic on Speak Now's "Mean(opens in a new tab)" or the rebound relationship in Reputation's "Getaway Car(opens in a new tab)."

To think that we wouldn't have folklore without a pandemic is almost surreal; it's already become such a fundamental piece of Swift’s artistic puzzle. There was no telling what may have come after the glittering "love letter to love itself” that was Lover, but it seems isolation made the singer rethink any plans she may have had.

"I just thought there are no rules anymore because I used to put all these parameters on myself, like, 'How will this song sound in a stadium? How will this song sound on radio?' If you take away all the parameters, what do you make?" she told Paul McCartney in a November (opens in a new tab)Rolling Stone(opens in a new tab) interview(opens in a new tab). "And I guess the answer is folklore."

Even if she hasn’t been making indie music herself, Swift has shown an affinity for the genre over the years through curated digital playlists(opens in a new tab). Those included four songs by The National including "Dark Side of the Gym," which she references on folklore single "betty(opens in a new tab)," and "8 (Circle)" by Bon Iver, Swift's collaborator on folklore's gut-wrenching "exile(opens in a new tab)" as well as evermore’s title track. (“Exile” is one of folklore’s GRAMMY-nominated cuts, up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.)

The National’s guitarist Aaron Dessner co-wrote nine and produced 11 of folklore's 16 tracks, soundtracking Swift's imaginative tales with sweeping orchestration and delicate piano. Their partnership started with "cardigan(opens in a new tab)," a melancholy take on teenage love(opens in a new tab) that's up for Best Pop Solo Performance and the coveted Song of the Year. The team-up was a dream come true for Swift, a self-proclaimed National superfan and a career highlight for Dessner, who shared in an Instagram post(opens in a new tab) about folklore that he's "rarely been so inspired by someone." He sees the album as a pivotal moment for both Swift's career and pop music.

"Taylor has opened the door for artists to not feel pressure to have 'the bop,'" Dessner shared with (opens in a new tab)Billboard(opens in a new tab) in September. "To make the record that she made, while running against what is programmed in radio at the highest levels of pop music—she has kind of made an anti-pop record. And to have it be one of the most, if not the most, successful commercial releases of the year that throws the playbook out.

"I hope it gives other artists, especially lesser-known or more independent artists, a chance at the mainstream," he continued. "Maybe radio will realize that music doesn't have to sound as pushed as it has. Nobody was trying to design anything to be a hit. Obviously, Taylor has the privilege of already having a very large and dedicated audience, but I do feel like it's having a resonance beyond that."

Swift's other primary folklore collaborator was Jack Antonoff. He has been her right-hand man since they first paired up on 2013's promotional single "Sweeter Than Fiction(opens in a new tab)" (Swift referred to him as "musical family" in her folklore announcement(opens in a new tab)). Even after years of creating stadium-ready pop smashes, Antonoff said in his own folklore Instagram post(opens in a new tab), "I've never heard Taylor sing better in my life / write better."

As Swift recognizes herself, folklore ushered in a new way of thinking for the superstar that not only brings out her best, but sets a promising precedent for what's to come. "What I felt after we put out folklore was, 'Oh wow, people are into this too, this thing that feels really good for my life and my creativity,'" Swift added in her interview with Lowe. "I saw a lane for my future that was a real breakthrough moment of excitement and happiness."

Her enthusiasm is tangible on both folklore and evermore. Dubbed folklore’s sister record, evermore further expands Swift’s newfound mystical atmosphere. Much to the delight of many Swifties, the follow-up also calls back to her country beginnings on tracks like the HAIM-assisted “no body, no crime(opens in a new tab),” as well as her pop expertise on more uptempo cuts like “long story short(opens in a new tab).”

Together, the albums are a momentous reminder that Swift is a singer/songwriter first. Her wordcraft is some of the most alluring of her generation, and that’s never been lost on her music, regardless of the genre she’s exploring. But now that Swift also feels she's at her best, it’s evident folklore was just the beginning of Taylor Swift in her finest form.

#taylor swift #folklore #Grammy #WOW

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

This reaction is for the season 5, thirteenth episode titled “Fear-o-Phobia” which originally aired on April 11, 2022. The episode was written by Andrew Meyers and Juan Carlos Coto and directed by Marcus Stokes. Spoilers ahead!

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

The theme of the latest episode of 9-1-1 is fear and in addition to emergencies involving a shark, way too many spiders, and a distressed woman who is literally fearless, we see our beloved characters tackling their own fears. We start this episode off with a scene that is very reminiscent of the “Summer Nights” number in Grease. Maddie and Chimney meet up with Buck and Hen, respectively, to talk about what happened in Boston. I loved this scene because you can tell that Hen genuinely missed her bestie. I love seeing Maddie and Buck fall back into their big sister/little brother relationship so effortlessly.

Both Maddie and Chimney drop the bombshell that they are no longer together which was not entirely shocking for me as a viewer. After last week’s reunion episode, I think what’s best for the both of them is co-parenting Jee-Yun. I’m sure Chimney has a LOT of trust issues he has to work on – which is so evident in this episode – and Maddie still has some work to do on herself before the two of them can even think about revisiting their relationship. I know a lot of viewers are probably devastated by this revelation, but I honestly think it’s best. What I did like is that Maddie says the breakup was amicable which gives me hope that maybe we haven’t seen the last of Madney.

Buck and Hen then catch Maddie and Chimney up on what’s been going on while they were both away. Eddie quit the 118 and is now working for dispatch. Two new firefighters – Jonah and Lucy – have been hired to replace Eddie and Chimney. Buck also opens up about Taylor moving in with him and his … indiscretion with Lucy. Both Maddie and Chimney feel like they have missed out on a lot being away but ultimately they are happy to be back in LA.

Our first emergency of the episode involves a man wanting to face his fear of sharks. He and another guy are lowered down in a cage so that he can get up close and personal with a shark. When a shark actually does approach him, he freaks out and accidentally (or purposefully) – I can’t quite decide – disconnects the line tethering the cage to the boat. The cage falls to the bottom and instead of remaining calm, the man freaks out even more and opens the cage and floats back up to the surface. When the 118 arrives, Hen sees that the guy’s blood vessels have ruptured due to him coming back up too fast. She worries that he will not survive the ride to the nearest hospital;. Lucy suggests taking the guy to a freeze to help modify the pressure in his body. The 118 transport the guy to a freezer at a seafood restaurant. They pump warm fluids into his body which causes him to regain consciousness. The guy, thankfully, survives.

Eddie sees our resident therapist, Frank, played by the first-ever winner of Big Brother, Eddie McGee. Y’all, Eddie is not looking good, and I was honestly worried about him during this scene. Frank asks Eddie if he is taking care of himself, and I think we all know the answer to that question. It bothers me that Eddie believes vulnerability is okay for others but not himself. Then again, this has been his struggle since his character has been first introduced and I ultimately think this is why having someone like Buck in his life is such a great thing. Buck is extremely vulnerable when it comes to his work, his life, his relationships, etc. However, much like Carlos over on Lone Star, Buck can’t really relate to what Eddie has been through because most of Eddie’s trauma involves the time he spent serving in Afghanistan. Frank gives some solid advice by suggesting that Eddie reach out to someone who understands his pain.

Taylor moves in with Buck and while I think that moving in together was the next logical step in their relationship, I think the circumstances as to why aren’t the best. Buck is definitely feeling guilty about kissing Lucy, and it is eating him up inside.

Chimney returns to the 118 and while he is excited to be back, he can’t help but notice all the changes that have been made in his absence. I do find it funny that Lucy and Jonah are self-aware enough to know that their time at the 118 may be up, especially with Chimney back and it’s only a matter of time before Eddie finds his way back into the fold as well. During his time at the 118, Chimney keeps checking his phone and when asked about it, he admits that he is still nervous about leaving Maddie alone with Jee-Yun. Meanwhile Maddie is visiting with Buck with Jee-Yun in tow. Buck admits that his asking Taylor to move in may have been motivated by his fear of being left behind. Maddie confesses that whenever she feels fear, her first instinct is to run away. It is time for the two of them to both finally face their fears.

Our next emergency was nightmare-inducing. A young man arrives at the huge home of an older gentleman who is on his way out of town. They both speak very vaguely about the younger man taking care of the older man’s ‘pets’ while he is away. The younger man believes he is looking after dogs or cats, but he soon finds out that the pets he will be in charge of are a whole bunch of spiders. Eek! The owner of the arachnids goes over the regiment of looking after the spiders and tells the guy that the room he is staying in while he is pet-sitting used to be the room where the spiders were allowed to run free. Double eek! The younger guy is clearly desperate for money, so he accepts this extremely bizarre job. Two days later, the owner calls 9-1-1 and gets May on the phone. He tells May that he is worried about his pets. May reminds him that 9-1-1 is for people, not animals. It is then that the man mentions he hasn’t heard from the sitter which is funny because he clearly cares more about the spiders than the well-being of the guy. When the police arrive to do a welfare check, they find the guy completely mummified in spider webs. Ugh!!! The 118 arrive and when they approach the web-encased man, they see spiders all over him. Bobby – rightfully – freaks out and decides to let the others handle it. Surprisingly, the guy is still alive and is taken away to the hospital to be seen after.

Chimney talks to his half-brother Albert and tells him that he is not comfortable with Maddie being alone with Jee-Yun. Maddie picks up on this and when she comes to pick Jee-Yun up, she leaves in a hurry. Meanwhile, Buck finally comes clean to Taylor. He tells her about his kiss with Lucy and I was really proud of Buck in this moment because unlike his conversation with Hen a few episodes ago, he takes full responsibility for the role he played in that moment. Taylor isn’t really that upset by this news – because at the end of the day, Taylor is female Buck – but what does upset Taylor is that Buck asked her to move in out of guilt and fear. When she gets up to leave, he asks if she is planning on coming back. Taylor tells him yes because she has no choice because he made it that way. I felt really bad for Taylor in this moment. I realize the fandom, at large, hates Taylor, but I do not. I like Taylor. I like her being with Buck. They are good together. This scene had me worried they would break up.

Our final emergency of the episode involves a woman who is robbed while pumping gas at a local gas station. Rather than acquiesce to the robber’s demands, she tells him she will not be turning over her wallet and commences to spraying them both down with gasoline. She then threatens to light them both on fire but the gas station attendant – the same one from the “Buck Actually” episode manages to convince her not to do so. The woman then gets in her car, completely drenched in gasoline, and drives off.

The 118 is called to the scene and the guy who attempted to rob the woman is washed down with a firehose. Athena heads over to the woman’s house and talks to her sister. The sister says that the woman came home and showered and left again. She also says the woman left in her car and is not answering her phone calls or texts. The sister explains that her sister hasn’t been acting like herself. When Athena asks what she means, she responds by saying that her sister has been irritable as of late. Meanwhile, at the dispatch, Josh receives a call from the woman who is preparing to jump off of a building at a local recycling center. Athena arrives and tells Hen about her conversation with the woman’s sister. Based on her symptoms, Hen believes the woman may be suffering from Urbach-Weite syndrome. This condition can change your vocal cords and fear response. Hen goes up to the roof to talk the woman down. While Hen talks to her, Buck and Ravi are sneaking up behind the woman with a bungee cord to tie around the woman. The woman tells Hen that she doesn’t feel any fear but maybe she will when she jumps. The woman then jumps but Buck and Ravi catch her just in the nick of time. It is important to note that Eddie hears all of this play out over the radio.

Maddie arrives at Chimney and Albert’s place. The two of them talk and I was reminded that they spent a lot of time together when they were roommates during the pandemic. In many ways, Albert was around more for Maddie’s pregnancy that Chimney was. Albert tells Maddie that being a first responder is not what he thought it would be. Maddie reminds him there are good parts of being a first responder. She tells him he needs to find balance. When Albert leaves, Maddie heads into the bathroom and is reminded of the last bath she gave Jee-Yun.

Taylor finally comes home, and she tells Buck the reason she is so upset is because he trapped her. Buck says he is unsure about how what he wants, and Taylor tells him that at least he’s being honest. Buck does tell her that he is glad she is back home and that he wants their relationship to work. Taylor agrees but she tells him that there can be no more lies. The two of them reconcile and I am happy again! I love Buck and Taylor. Buck is a much better person with her around and vice-versa. They complement each other well. Buck finally faced his fear head-on.

Chimney returns to his apartment and sees the light on in the bathroom. When he goes into the bathroom, he sees that Maddie is giving Jee-Yun a bath. Maddie is happy. Chimney is happy. Jee-Yun is happy. Everyone’s happy. Maddie and Chimney have managed to face their fears.

Eddie comes home and decides to contact someone named Anita Hill. We then see Christopher playing video games in his room. Christopher hears a commotion and takes off his headset. When he hears Eddie screaming in the next room, he calls Buck. Buck drops whatever he is doing and heads over to Eddie and Christopher’s apartment. Christopher tells Buck that Eddie is locked inside of his room, so Buck ends up kicking the door in. When Buck steps into Eddie’s bedroom, he sees the place is wrecked. It looks like Bruce Banner hulked out and destroyed Eddie’s bedroom. Buck finds Eddie in the fetal position, bawling and it was at this very moment that my heart broke for him. When Buck finally calms him down enough to talk, Eddie tells him that he tried to reach out to one of the people he saved while in Afghanistan and he found out she recently killed herself. He then tells Buck that the other two people he saved died as well – one OD’ed and one died in a car accident. Eddie laments that he was able to save them, but they still died. Ugh! Poor Eddie. He was so distraught, and I really felt for him. Buck then asks what Eddie is afraid of. Eddie tells Buck he is afraid he will never be normal again.

Wow – what an amazing episode! 9-1-1 is really firing on all cylinders in the back half of this season. I loved this episode’s theme: fear. So many of our characters had to face their fear this episode and most of them were successful. Eddie, on the other hand, is not in a good place and I honestly worry about him and Christopher’s well-being. I don’t think Eddie would ever hurt Christopher, but it is so clear that he is struggling right now. Buck is such a good friend this episode. In episode eleven, I commented on how rude Eddie was when Buck asked if he was coming back to the 118, however, in this episode, when Eddie needed him the most, Buck dropped everything he was doing to show up. Buck always shows up for the people he cares about. That’s why I get so annoyed when people like Chimney and Eddie take cracks at Buck.

Going forward, I want to see Eddie get the help he needs and deserves. I want to see Buck continue to support him through this traumatic journey. I want Maddie and Chimney to continue coparenting Jee-Yun together. I think it’s important, right now, for them to prioritize their child over their romantic relationship. If Maddie and Chimney find themselves back in a relationship again, then I’m all for it. However, I think the most we need from them right now is for them to communicate with each other. Lastly, I hope Buck stays true to his word and commits to being nothing but 100% honest with Taylor. I think their relationship has a chance of working but they both need to just be transparent with each other. Overall, I think this episode places out characters in very interesting situations and it leaves me curious about the next five episodes. Until next time …

#tv reaction #blw reactions #fox 911 #911 on fox #maddie buckley #chimney han #hen wilson #bobby nash #evan buck buckely #oliver stark #eddie diaz #christopher diaz #athena grant #911 reactions #911 season 5

[mrhyde-mrseek]

I’m in a very Griffin mood today and I think it’s stemming from the fact that I had two dreams about him four days apart (and in both he was uncharacteristic nice)

I wrote them down in my journal so here’s what they were:

“March 10, 2022: I dreamt about Griffin last night. He was wearing thick layers—I remember a brown coat and a red tweed-ish waistcoat—his goggles (black lenses, brown frames) and wrapped in bandages. I was in my house, being chased by something I thought was him initially. I left him behind in my room, then went back in for something. He caught up to me, but then whispered hurriedly that we need to get away and to follow him.

I don’t know how, but we ended up in a sort of abandoned, one-room shack filled with ancient books and pottery and statues, all covered in dirt. [Irl friend name] was somehow there with us. We were looking for something, sitting on the splintered, dust-caked floor and sifting through the artifacts. I found a red-bound book, which Griffin snatched away; it was his notebook, he said. I then remember picking up a tiny storybook with a title that Griffin had to help me pronounce—it was written in what looked like Latin or some related language (maybe French? Italian?). I don’t quite know why, but [friend] was . . . attracted to Griffin, I believe? I have a vague memory of them wandering away and him trying to explain that none of us could stay there in the shack. If the dream continued after that, I have no recollection of it. We never did find what we were looking for, though.”

(The most recent one’s connected to the second Case Files book, in which Dorothy Gale is a character.) “March 14, 2022: I had another Griffin dream last night. I don’t remember much, but I do remember him and Dorothy searching the Revolutionary War fort for any remnant of the Headless Horseman. They weren’t getting along well. Then they found a trapdoor, which led to a personal bunker, like the kind in The Wizard of Oz.

When they went down into it, a tornado started up out of nowhere; the dream’s colors turned more sepia and more saturated at the same time, with a bit of nightmare purple. Dorothy started having a panic attack, and Griffin pulled her into a hug and whispered to her softly (very uncharacteristic, once again), while the world around then was ripped up into the tornado; it almost looked like the scene from the book, but somehow more terrifying. They stayed crouched on the ground, Dorothy’s head buried in Griffin’s chest, while their world was torn apart.”

#griffin the invisible man #dr griffin #the invisible man #dreams #weird dreams #i literally don’t know where they came from i’ve barely thought about this man all week until i had the first dream #the wizard of oz #dorothy gale

[borisbubbles]

ESC 2021 Preshow: 08. France

Barbara Pravi - “Voilà”

Autoqualifier

France going from 3rd last on my ranking / likely last place in the finale to 8th place in the ranking / probably top 3 in the Grand Final. 😍 WHAT A GLOW-UP.

So, “Voilà” is epic, obviously. Yeah I will skip the theatrics, each and every one of you know this song and we all know it’s probably the best French entry in ages. 

Funnily enough, I didn’t care for “Voilà” when I first heard it lmfao. It felt similar to the song Patricia Kaas went to Eurovision with and while “Et s’il faillait le faire” has its fans, I was never one of them. Worse, the internet immediately resorted to refering to “Voilà” as a “masterpiece” which is probably the pretentious statement you can make about Eurovision songs. Guys, it’s an Edith Piaf-inspired tribute act. Calm the eff down. Still, even at this early a stage I was instantly charmed by Barbara’s introspection and pluck even if I didn’t care for the music at first. After all, Barbara was the mastermind behind jesc HITS “Bim bam toi” and “J’imagine” and if she wants to bring a song that puts HER SELF at the forefront, she’s perfectly entitled to do so. About fucking time. On top of that, I thought the ending was sublime, even in studio version. “Why can’t the entire song be like that”, I thought. And then, E:CVQD arrived and Barbara SERVED, OUTSOLD, SLAYED, etc every superlative under the sun. 

So remember when I aired my critique regarding Gjon? “Tout l’Univers” is an “Objectively Strong” composition in that it employs music theory to conjure up a song that sounds impressive on first listen. But behind that academic skill lies virtually nothing of interest. I cannot connect with it beyond a base level because what does it tell me about Gjon or his story? Technique without a heart or a soul is merely pretense. But I suppose it can sound sophisticated to someone who doesn’t know what “sophistication” is. 

Barbara, however. Her personality just SPRINGS FORWARD on an approachable level from the first note. “Voilà”s’s technical expertise and Barbara’s own perfomance talents carry this vibe, this SERVE of personality, through the full three minutes without ever getting boring or tedious and they leave me craving for another listen. ALL OF THESE ARE AMAZING TRAITS IN A EUROVISION SONG. And this is just from the studio version, the live stage show makes it even better. 

So yeah, homeboy’s got his work cut out for him because if this is his competition he’ll have to graft hard for his victory.

NF Corner -  C’est Vous Qui Décidez

In what would become a running theme amidst countries this year, France led the charge in a personal project called #OperationForget2020, in which every trace of last year would be subsequently memory-holed. To acheive this, they revived their NF, gave it a new name and pretended it was ~The First NF of Its Format~ (so basically doing what Lithuania did last year when they rebranded Atranka into PiN).

INCIDENTALLY, this would also wind up the best NF of the year, pretty much by default because France had the most to win. Even though Barbara was the obvious winner from the instant the songs were revealed, the French had some excellent back-up options in their arsenal. Let’s rummage through them shall we?

LMK - “Magique”

R&B Trap wench <3 “Magique” starts off pretty and cute for fifteen seconds, before whiplashing hard into kick-ass tropical house territory. Her Slovene spirit mothers Raiven and Lea Sirk are so proud of her <3 She definitely deserved much better than the result she got (being NQ with the audience O_O), but lol it’s France, they ain’t NEVER crowning a sexually confident sassy woman, let’s not kid ourselves. 

Céphaz - “On a mangé le soleil”

This Hat God had me at that title. “We have eaten the sun” 😍😍😍😍. More songs should adopt a fatalistic environmental angle by using consumption-related metaphors à la “we’ve devoured out planet :burp:, MOAR”, and then set this suuuuper cynical and depressing text to an upbeat and optimistic soundtrack <3 The “Hey ya” tease of it all. 😍

Amui - “Maeva”

So cheerful it turns a surly cretin such as myself into a blundering mass of uwu. It’s like a nillies Eurovision semi NQ’er suddenly wandered into the set, so derivative and repetitive and tacky but SO fun and happy-go-lucky <3 The entire premise of “Maeva” is basically like: “VISIT FRENCH POLYNESIA, WE ARE THE MOST HOSPITABLE PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH” <333 using this message in the middle of a worldwide viral pandemic <33333333 Normally fun-trash like this would be murdered at first sight by any jury, but whoops “Maeva” turned out a massive televote hit HEHEE 😛 and finished third in the televote despite being last or second last with the jury. Those Tahitian diasporia votes coming through <3

Adriamad - “Allélujah”

TACKY EUROTRASH <3 Lol when I think of it, did I like this NF because it was good or because it was so fun-trash. Anyway, this display of diversity would normally be on my shitlist but it’s honestly SO OTT in its ~People Of The World Of All Colours Are Equal~ message it circles back into funny. The eye gimmick, the hammy choreography, the obnoxious fusion of several cultures into a nondescript ethnotrash hodgepodge, the fucking LYRICS everything is so funny and so entertaining it’s giving me LIFE. 😍 I’d say it deserved better but “Allélujah” stranding in the demifinal (not a typo) is honestly a much, much more satisfying result <3

Predicted Journey - France

Barbara is going on that Mahmood trajectory, I see. Early fave who gets near unanimous critical acclaim, rules solely on top until the other contenders show up and is then put on the backburner because she’s an autoqualifier and therefore isn’t a part of the “who will qualify?” discussions. Then, the rehearsals will happen and everyone will remember “hey, that French chick we almost forgot about is actually REALLY good” allowing her to pick up momentum again, catapulting her into the top five. So it is written, such it shall be.

The question is... Can she win? 

The answer is: yeah, possibly? At this point we have three potential contenders: Gjon for Switzerland and Destiny for Malta are the main rivals and I’d say Barbara has one big advantage over Gjon and Destiny: She already has a great live performance to back up her potential winner status. In fact, Barbara is a fave to win because we know what she’s going to bring in Rotterdam.  Gjon and Destiny could theoretically still bomb if their staging is off (and both are getting theirs done by Sasha Jean-Baptiste, soooooo) and their contenderness is based on things such as hype and expectation. Barbara meanwhile already had her baptism by fire when she competed in E:CQVD, which she handily won.

The problem though is Gjon Muharremaj. For the average eurofan, France and Switzerland have similar entries and it will result in a tug-of-war between which of them has the better song. Either could win this televote bout, and whoever does could beat Malta.. .but that would require Malta to have a disappointing televote result and with each passing day this is starting to look less likely. (Jury results matter less because they’re probably the top 3).  Personally I don’t really have a preference between Barbara OR Destiny as a win for either would push Eurovision in a better direction (A Gjon win though... I am TERRIFIED that may result in a 2022 contest filled with Vincent Bueno’s and Vasils), but if these three are indeed the top three, Barbara’s position is the most secure although she’s probably also the least likely one to actually win. Pray that I’m wrong though and we can all meet at her flat in Montmartre for a covid-proof afterparty. 

Projected placements:

> Grandfinal: 1st-5th (predicted Runner-up)

THE RANKING: 

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. FRANCE - Barbara Pravi - “Voilà” 09. BULGARIA - Victoria - “Growing up is getting old” 10. LATVIA - Samanta Tina - “The moon is rising” 11. GREECE - Stefania - “Last dance” 12. SWEDEN - Tusse - “Voices” 13. IRELAND - Leslie Roy - “Maps” 14. CROATIA - Albina - “Tick Tock” 15. MOLDOVA - Natalia Gordienko - “Sugar” 16. ITALY - Måneskin - “Zitti e buoni” 17. ALBANIA - Anxhela Peristeri - “Karma” 18. UNITED KINGDOM - James Newman - “Embers” 19. LITHUANIA - The Roop - “Discoteque” 20. ESTONIA - Uku Suviste - “The lucky one” 21. FINLAND - Blind Channel - “Dark side” 22. AZERBAIJAN - Efendi - “Mata Hari” 23. the NETHERLANDS - Jeangu Macrooy - “Birth of a new age” 24. CZECH REPUBLIC - Benny Christo - “Omaga” 25. DENMARK - Fyr og Flamme - “Øve os på hinanden” 26. SLOVENIA - Ana Soklič - “Amen” 27. SWITZERLAND - Gjon’s Tears - “Tout l’Univers” 28. ROMANIA - Roxen - “Amnesia” 29. SERBIA - Huricane - “Loco loco” 30. POLAND - Rafał - “The ride” 31. ISRAEL - Eden Alene - “Set me free” 32. GEORGIA - Tornike Kipiani - “You” 33. PORTUGAL - The Black Mamba - “Love is on my side” 34. SPAIN - Blas Cantó - “Voy a quedarme” 35. NORWAY - Tix - “Fallen Angel” 36. CYPRUS - Elena Tsagrinou - “El Diablo” 37. AUSTRIA - Vincent Bueno - “Amen” 38. NORTH MACEDONIA - Vasil - “Here I stand” 39. GERMANY - Jendrik - “I don’t feel hate”

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Eurovision 2021 #ESC 2021 #ESC2021 #France #Barbara Pravi #Voilà

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

ANN Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin

This is all originally from an Anime News Network interview.

Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin

Interview Info: October 7th, 2014 By Callum May for Anime News Network

As a person who is aspiring to become a score composer (kind of an unrealistic dream that I can’t seem to let go), I found this really, really interesting. I left a lot of stuff in because I feel like there’s so much to unpack, and most of the information is interesting to me.

I did edit a few things out (mostly not music related), and I put in some square brackets for the sake of explanation and context. 

It appears that all of your anime soundtrack work has been with Kinema Citrus. How did you come to work with them?

I met Kinema Citrus when we were attached to the same project called "Under the Dog"[...] Since then, we've enjoyed a wonderful relationship on other projects such as Norn9 and most recently, Made in Abyss.

Do you expect to be working on anime outside of Kinema Citrus in the future?

That would be lovely. It's not entirely up to me, but that would be lovely. I'm very grateful to get any work in anime, as I'm very, very passionate about this industry. If I do get the opportunity to work on another project from any company, I would consider it to be a great privilege.

What was your first reaction to Made in Abyss when you were approached with the project? How much of it did you get to read?

I was given the first 4 books as source material to read and was immediately taken by the world that Tsukushi Akihito had created. The early stages of production were just me going through the books and finding interesting scenes or artwork to write music to.

Who did you have the most contact with on the Made in Abyss staff? What sort of questions did you ask?

I have a music director named Hiromitsu Iijima, who I would talk to on a daily basis. Every couple of weeks after a large chunk of the soundtrack had been written, we'd set up a meeting with Kojima-san [Director, Storyboard, and Episode Director] and Ogasawara-san [Animation Producer who works with Kinema Citrus] to discuss the current state of the soundtrack. We'd discuss if there were any points of concern or if anything needed to be changed. We essentially repeated that process until we were ready to record, mix, and finalize the music.

What sort of instructions and materials were you given in regards to making tracks for Made in Abyss?

In addition to all the manga books, I got a lot of background and concept art that I could reference. Trying to match the visual colour palette and the musical "colour" palette was really important to me. For example, looking at how the foregrounds and backgrounds were so juxtaposed gave me ideas such as writing for a small ensemble of instruments, but recorded in a large space. This was meant to act as a metaphor for Riko and Reg exploring in this humongous, expansive cave system.

Could you elaborate on the idea of developing a musical "colour" palette? How do colours and music correlate?

It might be best for me to give some examples. Starting more broadly with Reg, he's a character made up of both organic and mechanical body parts. So combining organic and mechanical sound sources when writing for Reg felt perfectly natural.

Talking more specifically about colour correlation, there is a lot of information in colour that allows us to perceive essential things such as relationships and distances between objects. The sound has this as well. Depending on how you combine the essential components of sound (pitch, timbre, harmony, loudness, etc.) and controlling how they either complement or clash against each other is going to result in a specific listening experience.

“Depths of the Abyss” is another example of the musical key slowly “ascending” over time to act as a sonic metaphor for the Abyss rising up to surround and engulf our main characters. There's the flip side to this as well. The title track “Made in Abyss” features descending string passages to represent Riko and Reg's descent into the world of the Abyss. I've personally found that thinking about these sorts of concepts can be very helpful when trying to establish the palette of sounds (colours) that you think will complement and/or enhance what's being displayed on-screen.

How much did you know about how your music would be used? Did you know that Underground River would be used to introduce the world in a montage just six minutes into the first episode?

Syncing music to anime is a slightly different process than what I've experienced [...] In the limited amount of anime that I've done, I've typically been instructed to create music away from the picture, which is then matched to the desired scene(s) at a later stage of production. This might contribute to why a lot of anime music can feel like a music video at times. From what I've experienced and from what I can research, I've seen directors take large chunks of time out of an episode to let the music take over so that the audience can “breathe". Underground River is a good example of this. [In episode one] you're introduced to characters, their motivations, world building, monsters and action all in a very short amount of time. Taking a minute or two to let the viewer digest all this can be very effective, and music can help with that.

You're also known for your work on Necrobarista and Kieru, two Australian indie games. What draws you to working on Aussie games, even after making your debut internationally?

[Being an Aussie], there's a lot of pride in how interesting and unique Australian indie games are. I've always had a connection to games and Australia. So even though I'm currently living in the UK, the fact that I'm still able to work on games with friends who are living back home is something really special.

It's not common to see an Australian in the credits for anime. Do you think musicians from outside of Japan are becoming more common?

I [...] grew up watching Dragon Ball Z on TV. There are actually two scores composed for that series depending on [whether you are watching dub or sub]. So I actually grew up listening to Bruce Faulconer's music for DBZ, not Shunsuke Kikuchi's original score. 

[In regards to other foreign anime score composers] There are also other examples such as Blood+ with Marc Mancina, Gabriele Roberto with Zetman in 2012, and Evan Call has done quite a few things as well [like Violet Evergarden]. So I think while it may be becoming more frequent to see musicians from outside of Japan being attached to anime projects.

How would you say composing for games differs to composing for an anime series like Made in Abyss?

Speaking for myself, composing for games, anime, or whatever typically starts the same. I feel that if you're able to nail the concept and/or tone of the project, that's a big part of the process already completed. Then it's just up to the individual needs of the project. Games are typically approached from an interactive point of view. If it's film or TV, you need to know if you're writing to picture or if you can write with no time contractions like I described before. You sort of go from there really.

How would you describe that concept/tone of Made in Abyss?

Made in Abyss offered the perfect opportunity to get really specific with instrumentation. We had analog synthesizers, field recordings, vocal samples, and much more that were heavily manipulated to create distinct electro-acoustic textures. Deciding where to record was also a really important discussion, and we ended up recording at a studio in Vienna.

[It was] a huge, state of the art recording facility just outside central Vienna. I asked for a custom chamber orchestra comprised of three violins, three violas, two celli, one double bass, two flutes, two clarinets, one bassoon, two french horns, one trumpet, one trombone, and one tuba. Totaling 19 musicians. Each musician had their own “solo" part, meaning that there was up to 19 different “lines” being played at the same time during a piece of music.

The concept behind such a setup was to represent the small company of characters exploring the Abyss. Everyone's in this massive underground cave system, so I felt having a small group of soloists in a space designed to fit over 130 musicians was the perfect sonic metaphor for this. It just so happened that we were also working with some insanely good musicians and an unbelievable technical team as well.

If you were given the chance to collaborate on a soundtrack with one composer working in anime today, who would it be?

That's an interesting question. To be honest, I think I'd rather be an understudy of someone really experienced, rather than write side by side with them. If I could be a fly on the wall while Cornelius was writing Ghost in the Shell Arise, or Yoko Kanno while she was writing Terror in Resonance, that would be so, so informative. That said, Flying Lotus just got announced as the Blade Runner 2022 composer so I'd do anything to get in on that, even though it comes out in a few days (laughs).

Made in Abyss is one of the most highly regarded anime of the year. What do you think about the reaction to it?

I can't tell you how happy I am about the reaction to Made in Abyss. Writing the soundtrack was tough. The music is experimental in nature, and it required a lot of time and effort from many, many people. Everyone came together to make this work, and I'm over the moon with how it turned out.

#made in abyss #anime composer #anime news network #anime interview #score composer #score composer interview #ann interview

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Posting news early today

Too big to fail or to read (The Week) Members of Congress faced a "familiar year-end conundrum" on Monday, The Associated Press reports: "A bill too big to fail, and also too big to read." First the House, then the Senate passed a $900 billion coronavirus pandemic relief bill and $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package with large majorities Monday night, just hours after the legislation was released. "Delivering virus aid to the country required a leap of faith for lawmakers as they cast their votes, practically sight unseen," for a monster 5,593-page bill that the Senate Historical Office says is the longest successful piece of legislation they could find on record, AP notes. "I think if we provide everyone a paper copy we would have to destroy an entire forest," quipped House Rules Committee Chair James McGovern (D-Mass.). That may be a slight exaggeration, but Politico's Kyle Cheney found a way to drive home just how long the legislation is, in terms many Americans will understand: “Entire Harry Potter series? 4,224 pages. Just-released $2.3 trillion bill being passed tonight? 5,593 pages.” What's in the colossal bill? A lot. Throwing everything in a year-end package has become an annual holiday tradition in Congress—“it's why such bills are often called 'Christmas trees,' trimmed with legislative ornaments,” AP explains.

Surprise Medical Bills Cost Americans Millions. Congress Finally Banned Most of Them. (NYT) After years of being stymied by well-funded interests, Congress has agreed to ban one of the most costly and exasperating practices in medicine: surprise medical bills. Surprise bills happen when an out-of-network provider is unexpectedly involved in a patient’s care. Patients go to a hospital that accepts their insurance, for example, but get treated there by an emergency room physician who doesn’t. Such doctors often bill those patients for large fees, far higher than what health plans typically pay. Language included in the $900 billion spending deal that passed both chambers Monday will make those bills illegal. Instead of charging patients, health providers will now have to work with insurers to settle on a fair price. The new changes will take effect in 2022, and will apply to doctors, hospitals and air ambulances, though not ground ambulances. Academic researchers have found that millions of Americans receive these types of surprise bills each year, with as many as one in five emergency room visits resulting in such a charge. The bills most commonly come from health providers that patients are not able to select, such as emergency room physicians, anesthesiologists and ambulances. The average surprise charge for an emergency room visit is just above $600, but patients have received bills larger than $100,000 from out-of-network providers they did not select.

US public school enrollment dips as virus disrupts education (AP) Fearful of sending her two children back to school as the coronavirus pandemic raged in Mississippi, Angela Atkins decided to give virtual learning a chance this fall. Almost immediately, it was a struggle. Their district in Lafayette County didn’t offer live instruction to remote learners, and Atkins’ fourth grader became frustrated with doing worksheets all day and missed interacting with teachers and peers. Her seventh grader didn’t receive the extra support he did at school through his special education plan—and started getting failing grades. After nine weeks, Atkins switched to home schooling. “It got to the point where it felt like there was no other choice to make,” she said. “I was worried for my kids’ mental health.” By taking her children off the public school rolls, Atkins joined an exodus that one state schools chief has warned could become a national crisis. An analysis of data from 33 states obtained by Chalkbeat and The Associated Press shows that public K-12 enrollment this fall has dropped across those states by more than 500,000 students, or 2%, since the same time last year. And the decline is only likely to become more pronounced, as several large states have yet to release information. The decline that could eventually have dire consequences for school budgets that are based on headcounts.

U.S. issues additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials (Reuters) The United States on Monday imposed additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses, taking further action against China in the final month of U.S. President Donald Trump’s term. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the restrictions affected officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in repressing religious practitioners, ethnic minority groups, dissidents and others. U.S.-China relations have plunged to their worst level in decades as the world’s top two economies spar over issues ranging from the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing’s national security law for Hong Kong, trade and espionage. Also on Monday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf said it was looking at further restrictions on China, which he called an ever-increasing threat to the United States.

California desperately searches for more nurses and doctors (AP) Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., Sara Houze has been on the road—going from one hospital to another to care for COVID-19 patients on the brink of death. A cardiac intensive care nurse from Washington, D.C., her skills are in great demand as infections and hospitalizations skyrocket nationwide. Houze is among more than 500 nurses, doctors and other medical staff California has brought in and deployed to hospitals that are running out of capacity to treat the most severe COVID-19 cases. Much of California has exhausted its usual ability to staff intensive care beds, and the nation’s most populated state is desperately searching for 3,000 temporary medical workers to meet demand. State officials are reaching out to foreign partners in places like Australia and Taiwan amid a shortage of temporary medical workers in the U.S., particularly nurses trained in critical care.

Kilauea Volcano Erupts in Hawaii, Prompting Warning to Stay Inside (NYT) The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupted overnight Sunday, prompting the authorities to warn residents to shelter from ash driven by the wind, but there were no immediate concerns about evacuations or threats to life. Kilauea lies in the southeast corner of the Big Island, where its continuous, decades-long activity has been punctuated by sequences of eruptions. It is considered one of the most active in the world. The eruption occurred at the Halema’uma’u crater of the volcano, to the west at Kilauea’s summit, according to the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, citing the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The agency said trade winds would propel ash toward the southwest, placing several communities in the path of the fallout. “Stay indoors to avoid exposure to ash,” the agency said. All of the lava was contained in the Halema’uma’u crater, according to the agency.

Concerns About Coronavirus Variant Cut Off U.K. From Europe (NYT) Britain was all but cut off from the rest of Europe on Monday, with flights and trains banned by some 40 countries and freight deliveries halted at French ports, as its neighbors tried desperately to stop a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus from leaping across the English Channel. The sudden disruption left Britain isolated and unnerved, its people stranded at airports or quarantined at home. It aroused fears of panic buying in British supermarkets, as a nation already rattled by a mysterious new strain of the virus now had to worry about running out of fresh food in the days before Christmas. It all added up to a chilling preview, a mere 10 days before the deadline to negotiate a post-Brexit trade agreement between Britain and the European Union, of what a chaotic rupture between the two sides might actually look like.

Two Vatican cardinals, papal aides, test positive for coronavirus (Reuters) Two Vatican cardinals, including one who spends most of his time helping Rome’s homeless, have tested positive for the coronavirus, a Vatican source said on Tuesday. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, 57, a Pole who manages Pope Francis’ charities and has the title of the Vatican’s almoner, was hospitalised for treatment of the onset of pneumonia. Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, 78, the governor of Vatican City, tested positive and is believed to be in self-isolation in his home in the Vatican, the source said. Krajewski spends much of this time on the streets outside Vatican City helping Rome’s homeless population. At the request of the pope, he has set up a clinic, bathing facilities and other services for the homeless just off St. Peter’s Square. He is also very active with Italian charities that help the poor and homeless throughout Italy.

Conversations with a killer? (Foreign Policy) Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny appears to have outed one of his poisoners in audacious fashion, by getting a member of Russia’s security services to admit to the act in a recorded phone conversation. Navalny is reported to have spoofed his phone number so a call to FSB agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev appeared to come from an internal FSB landline, and impersonated a senior official. Kudryavtsev then proceeded to tell Navalny the details of the botched poisoning, including a trip to the Siberian town of Omsk to treat Navalny’s clothes so that the nerve agent Novichok would not be detected.

Thai Travel Industry Faces ‘Nail in Coffin’ After New Outbreak (Bloomberg) As Phuket and other Thai tourist destinations prepare for a slight bump in business from the countdown to 2021, a new virus outbreak among seafood factory workers near Bangkok couldn’t come at a worse time. Thailand discovered a record cluster of infections in Samut Sakhon province last week, prompting a 14-day lockdown of the industrial district. The government is mulling whether curbs need to be expanded to other locales. Another nationwide lockdown or restrictions on domestic travel could be the “nail in the coffin” for many tourism-related companies, according to Phuket Hotel Association President Anthony Lark. “Everyone’s losing money and just trying to break even,” Lark said by phone Monday. “If the government can’t control the virus, and any domestic air travel or inter-provincial travel restrictions are introduced, then you will absolutely see hotel, restaurant and boat owners mothball their businesses.”

A Brazen Police Shooting Caught on Video Sparks Anger in the Philippines (NYT) A video of a police officer shooting a woman and her adult son at close range on Sunday has spread rapidly across social media in the Philippines, provoking a wave of outrage directed at the government and a police force that many say acts with impunity. The shootings are the latest in a series of killings involving the Philippines National Police, which is currently the focus of an international investigation. The International Criminal Court said last week it believed that there was evidence to support claims that the authorities had committed crimes against humanity as part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs in the Philippines. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año condemned the killings and stressed that they were isolated incidents that should not reflect on the Philippine National Police.

Israeli government on the verge of collapse after lawmakers fail to reach budget compromise (Washington Post) Bitterly divided Israeli lawmakers failed to agree on a key budget vote early Tuesday, marking the likely end to the 8-month-old coalition government and setting the country on path for its fourth round of national elections in less than two years. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, has until midnight Tuesday to pass a 2020 budget, one of the many basic acts of lawmaking that have gone unfinished under the fractious power-sharing agreement between right-wing and centrist parties that have battled each other since forming their unity government in April. But the failure to extend that deadline by another 10 days signaled the likely final collapse of attempts to broker a deal. With no action, the government will dissolve at the end of Tuesday and elections will automatically be set for March 23, plunging the nation back into the stalemated political crisis that has plagued it since the end of 2018.

‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas trees lift school, spirits (AP) rank Pichel’s Christmas trees will probably never be chosen to light up New York’s Rockefeller Center. They look more like the droopy, pitiful tree made famous in the 1965 children’s animated classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” But his trees have been flying off a tiny neighborhood lot since he started selling them last month to raise money for a private middle school that provides scholarships for students from an impoverished area of Richmond. He cut down some of the gangly Virginia pine trees that grow wild on a 66-acre (27-hectare) plot of land he owns about two hours west of Richmond, selling them from a small grassy lot he rented for $1 from two generous owners who wanted to help. He was stunned by the response. He sold 180 trees in three weekends, raising a total of $5,554 for the school. He let people set their own prices; most paid $20 to $50 for a tree. Rei Alvarez, an illustrator and musician, said he and his wife loved the nostalgia and “Charlie Brown aesthetic” of Pichel’s trees. He said buying a less-than-perfect tree fits with his desire to avoid the commercialism of Christmas and to teach his 2-year-old son to appreciate the simpler things in life. “As an artist, I know it’s not what you have, it’s what you do with it,” he said. “You give the few branches you have a little love.” … “Maybe all of us are feeling a little bit like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, given 2020. I don’t think we’re all feeling like robust, well-proportioned trees. We’re all kind of bruised.”

#headlines #news

[mortallycoralluminary]

Mike Tyson returns to boxing at 54 on Saturday looking and sounding different

Mike Tyson was in the passenger seat of a black Cadillac Escalade one recent morning, making the 45-mile drive from his home in Southern California to Tyson Ranch, a cannabis company he founded a few years ago.

“I could always use a buck like everybody else can,’’ Tyson told USA TODAY Sports during a phone interview. “This is so much bigger than that.’’

What this is: Tyson, the erstwhile "Baddest Man On The Planet," getting back into the boxing ring at the age of 54.

He is scheduled to fight Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition match Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles  — more than 15 years after Tyson’s last, inglorious fight. On June 11, 2005, he quit before the start of the seventh round against journeyman Kevin McBride.

“My last fight, I didn’t want nothing to do with that stuff,’’ Tyson said. “I have so much more desire than my last fight."

So what is fueling Tyson’s desire now?

MIKE MOMENTS: 10 victories that helped define Mike Tyson

5 QUESTIONS: For Saturday's Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. fight

“I look at it like I’ve got to test myself,’’ Tyson said. “Isn’t that weird? Why do I have to test myself and constantly push myself?"

Or is it that Tyson, who after the loss to McBride said, "I'm just fighting to pay my bills,'' still needs a buck after making an estimated $685 million in his career?

But there may be a deeper meaning than money, according to Tyson.

“Why am I who I am, and why do I react the way that I do?’’ he asked. “Why do I think? Why am I on the phone with you saying what I’m saying right now? What is causing me to say that? What’s causing me to breathe? What’s causing me to want to survive?’’

Tyson explained he is “doing research on myself’’ in his search for answers in a life full of whys.

Like, why did Tyson, who has struggled with addiction for more than two decades, stop using cocaine less than three years ago?

“I don’t use the word amazing too much, but it was really something,’’ he said. "No cocaine, no marijuana, nothing."

And why, after Tyson had a boxing ring built at Tyson Ranch, did he often work out three times a day, up to six days a week, during a sixth-month period leading up to his fight Saturday night?

In part, Tyson suggested, because the intense training has given him a high he can’t get from cocaine, marijuana or any other drug. But he is not doing this for free.

How the fight came together

Azim Spicer, Tyson’s brother-in-law and business partner, said he got a call this spring from Bob Sapp, a 6-5, 329-pound fighter best known as a kickboxer and MMA fighter.

Sapp said he wanted to fight Tyson in an exhibition match and that Tyson would be guaranteed a multimillion-dollar payday, according to Spicer.

“At first I just thought he was nuts and didn’t really take it too seriously,’’ Spicer said. “But these guys kept calling and calling me with some other guys overseas. Had a lot of money and just a bunch of money on the table, and so I reached out to Mike.

“I thought I had to tell him at this point, because if it was me and that money was available, honestly I would want to know regardless of what I had to do for it. So I told Mike, and Mike said, ‘I’m not fighting again.’

“So then Mike called me back five minutes later and was like, ‘How much were they offering?’ ”

About $20 million, Spicer said.

“Then he called me back maybe 10 minutes later and said, ‘And who do they want me to fight?' And I told him Bob Sapp. And he started laughing hysterically."

Sapp, 47, has a combined fight record of 24-39-1. He also has worked as a professional wrestler and actor. But Spicer said Sapp’s people failed to deliver on promises, and so the fight was off – but the idea of a Tyson comeback was gaining momentum.

Through a business partner, Spicer said, they got connected with Sophie Watts, a media executive from London who has worked with the likes of Elton John, Beyonce, Madonna, U2, Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey.

Watts agreed to be the financier, and the search for someone to fight Tyson continued.

They reached out to Evander Holyfield, according to Spicer. During their fight in 1997, Tyson infamously bit off a piece of Holyfield’s ear and this would be a chance to pit them in the ring together for the first time since then.

“We tried the Evander thing but unfortunately we just couldn’t get a deal done," Spicer said.

Next up was Tyson Fury, the two-time heavyweight champion. Spicer said talks got leaked to Top Rank, Bob Arum’s boxing promotion company, and Arum wanted to be part of the deal. Which meant no deal, Spicer said.

About that same time, according to Spicer, he got a call from Roy Jones Jr., who at the peak of his career was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing. Now 51, he had fought professionally as recently as 2018 as a cruiserweight.

Jones heard Tyson was interested in an exhibition fight and wanted to know if it was true, according to Spicer, who arranged a phone call between the two fighters.

After that conversation, and with the blessing of the California State Athletic Commission, the fight was on. With a twist.

A league for legends

Tyson and Watts, the financier, came up with an idea: The Legends Only League, which would stage events featuring retired superstars such as Tyson who would participate in pay-per-view events. Tyson’s fight with Jones would launch the enterprise.

In explaining the league’s genesis, Tyson said he was watching a TV program about Jerry Rice, the Hall of Fame wide receiver. Tyson said he learned from the program that Rice couldn't find a job in the NFL after the 2004 season with the Seattle Seahawks because he had lost some of his speed.

“They said just because he’s a few seconds off, he can’t play no more,’’ Tyson said. “And I feel like, ‘Are you crazy? He’s a few seconds away from his world-class speed and he can’t play anymore?’

“I’ll bet you right now there’s more people that would like to see him at wide receiver than to see the guys that’s the wide receiver now for the (Seahawks)."

The idea behind the Legends Only League is to create a platform for Rice and other retired superstars who, like Tyson, want to climb into the ring again – at least metaphorically.

“Imagine a one-on-one game with Dennis Rodman and Man of Peace,’’ he said, referring to Metta World Peace, who won an NBA championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010 and now goes by the name Metta Sandiford-Artest. “Imagine those two awesome athletes, those guys playing a game of 21. Who do you think will watch that?

“Can you imagine John McEnroe playing Serena (Williams) or her sister (Venus Williams)? Holy moly!"

Watts, who is partnering with Tyson, declined to identify other athletes they have spoken to, but she said the Legends Only League has four events scheduled for 2021 and plans to hold six events in 2022 and six more in 2023.

“This is a league for champions to come together and have a story about their life on screen as a special one-off,’’ Watts said.

But Tyson isn’t necessarily one-and-done.

'I hate being happy'As his fight against Jones approached, Tyson indulged discussion about whom he might fight next. He said he’d be interested in fighting the top contemporary heavyweights, such as Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.

But he said it's unlikely those fighters would agree to an exhibition match unless they set aside the priority of maximizing their earning potential. It's unclear how much Tyson and Jones will make, but probably far less than the top heavyweights would generate fighting each other or other boxers in their prime.

“Sometimes in your life you're going to have to face your maker,’’ Tyson said. “Not from dying, but just being conscious of him. Does that make any sense? The consciousness of him should make you want to do that (charitable act).

“What am I really going to do with so much (money)? I’m closer to God than I am to being a billionaire, something like that. What am I going to do when I meet God? What am I going to tell him?’’

Tyson and Jones are not giving away their fight.

The pay-per-view fee is $49.99. And the fight has led to business deals.

On Nov. 17, GameOn Technology announced a partnership with Tyson to for the Mike Tyson Bot, an interactive feature with Tyson-related content on Facebook Messenger.

And on Monday, Smart Cups, a company that makes the “first printed beverage," signed on to become the title sponsor of “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson,’’ his podcast.

But Tyson knows that no amount of money can give him peace of mind – something that eluded him for many years. Now he has a new problem.

“I hate being happy,’’ he said. “I’m happy all the (expletive) time.’’

'A great burning desire'Tysonreflected on his growth since he was a troubled kid growing up in Brooklyn and then at 19 became the youngest heavyweight champion inhistory.

Told people were terrified of him back then, Tyson replied, “I was afraid of me too. No, really. How do you think that feels?"

Now he is far more beloved than feared, highly engaging and approachable, yet still required by law to register as a sex offender. In 1992, he was convicted of rape and served almost three years in prison.

Today his top executive assistant is one of his former cellmates, David Barnes.

Tyson is married to Lakiha “Kiki” Spicer, his third wife, and they have two children – a 12-year-old daughter, Milan, and a 9-year-old son, Morocco. The family splits time between Newport Beach and Henderson, Nevada, outside of Las Vegas.

“I’m just at peace with conducting my responsibilities with my family," said Tyson, who has other children from previous relationships. “This is something that I never did. This is what, 11 years married? Can you believe that?

“I can’t live with me for 11 years. How can anyone else live with me for 11 years?"

For his upcoming fight, Tyson has brought in Billy White, who, like Tyson, grew up under the tutelage of Cus D’Amato, the late trainer credited with rescuing Tyson from the streets of Brooklyn.

White, who has been helping oversee Tyson’s training, said in the spring he got a call from Tyson, who disclosed his plans for a comeback.

“At the same time, we said in unison, ‘Cus said age is nothing but a number,’ " White recalled. “We said it together on the phone. So that was pretty cool that we said it unison."

White said he has relished watching Tyson train and noted that Tyson has been waking up between 3 and 4 a.m. most days to run.

“Old school, just like he used to,’’ White said. “It’s a great burning desire in him once again.

“It’s amazing to see. It’s beautiful, you know?"

#usa #tags