#returning to my roots………… my 2016/2017 roots…….

[astrobei]

@ my mutuals who are currently stonathan posting all over my dash: do u Want me to clear my google drive of all my wips just to write an unnecessarily long fic abt them. bc i’ll do it. the google docs trash can is looking so good rn.

#like this has got to be sabotage atp #how am i supposed to live laugh byler in these conditions #i’m being so fucking for real right now . #stonathan #/astro posts #i rly will write a fic i’m not kidding an idea just sprung into my head fully formed #returning to my roots………… my 2016/2017 roots……. #literal my first st ship bc i was super into this show when it first came out #n didn’t get Super back into it until s4 #they say u never forget ur first stonathan fic and they’re right <3

[chaos0pikachu]

Trends in BL (Sorta): Genre Trends

So I've seen a few posts discussing trends in BL and I wanted to talk about that from a different angle. Specifically discussing what trends are, how they're formed, and to not remove BL from the rest of their countries own media.

The latter is something I see a lot when discussing BL this kind've ~separation of church and state~ but it's BL and Country's General Media. As though BL lives in a separate bubble outside of all other media and thus never influenced by the media being made in its country of origin nor the countries they share direct borders or trade with. Or all influence began and ended with seme/uke dynamics imported from Japan and nothing beyond that (no, Pit Babe was more than likely not inspired by Supernatural) and it's been static ever since.

All of that is, untrue, but also a really limited way of viewing international media. These countries are places with their own history, culture, politics, and of course, media arts. BL is a part of all of that. Which also effects the trends and potential trends we'll see in BL individually (as it's going to change country to country with some crossover).

I think a way of identifying trends in BL and also the root of those trends is by looking at the media of the country of origin their surrounding countries, and what BLs have unprecedented success and what has the industry learned from them?

So I'm gonna break this down by: genre, technical and business trend(s) in 3 part posts. In this post I'm just going to talk about genre trends in Thai and Korean BL as that's what I'm most familiar with.

Basically this post got hella long, I'm not in college anymore, and my motivation was tied to the length of my Jennifer Hudson Best Of playlist. So I had to split it up, es lo que es.

[This will not be a comprehensive list of like all BL trends ever respect to y'all who do but I do not and will not watch every BL in existence, bendicion]

To start we gotta talk first about how trends in media tend to work and also what we mean by "trends". Because there's genre trends, technical trends, and business trends.

Here's a good article breaking down various aspects of all three. When we talk "trends" in film it's not as simplistic as "office romances" or "cross country remakes" of which, one is a genre trend and the latter a business trend.

Some examples of what I mean:

Shared Universe (genre trend)

3d boom (technical trend, trended a few times in the industry, first in the 1950s until the 1960s and then again in the early 2000s until the mid 00s thanks to James Cameron)

Remakes/Reboots (business trend, this is a business based decision b/c the risk threshold for a pre-established work is lower than for an original work that may or may not have financial data backing it)

Trends in media, whether they are genre, business, technical or a combination, tend to take time to build up, and also tend last much longer than a singular year (generally for as long as something is profitable).

Example: it took time for the Shared Universe genre trend to gain traction.

Batman v Superman (2016) wasn't released until five years after Avengers (2012). Following this, The Mummy (2017) starring Tom Cruise was meant to kickstart Universal's The Dark Universe was released six years after Avengers. Before that Dracula Untold (2014) was supposed to be reworked to also start The Dark Universe (both these films flopped so no Dark Universe, rip).

Since the Avengers release, we have the shared universes of: Monsterverse (which combines Godzilla and Kong franchises together, technically started in 2014, officially started in 2017 with Kong Skull Island), and the Sony Spiderverse (Venom, Spider-man, Madam Web, Mobius lol) and The Conjuring Universe (Annabelle, La Llorona, The Conjuring, The Nun).

It's been almost 12 years since Avengers was released (fuckin'a) and we're only now starting to see some minor diminishing returns (Disney had a horrid year financially last year) for this genre trend, and not even across the board.

I want to iterate that Avengers did not 'invent' the idea of a cross-franchise shared universe. Things like Xena and Hercules, or Hanna Barbara cartoons existed long before the Avengers. However the Avengers kickstarted a genre trend in film. Just because a piece of media started a trend does not mean it invented the genre or technical innovation (James Cameron didn't "invent" 3D but he did revolutionize it with Avatar and I suffered through many 3D horror movies because of it).

[I point this out because sometimes ppl be getting testy when ppl say kinnporsche influenced the increase in mafia/crime BLs with well, um, actually history trapped/manner of death came first - yes, yes we know this. And Bi No Isu came out before all of them so everybody drink some tea and relax, everybody's faves are pretty okay😘]

Okay to let's get to what ppl actually wanna talk about, BL.

(Some) Genre trend(s) in Thailand and Korea:

In Thai BL genre trends I'm noticing are: horror, supernatural, paranormal, action crime, and magic/magical realism. A lot of these crossover, horror shows typically are also paranormal - Ghost House Ghost House (2022), After Sundown (2023) - supernatural shows tend to cross over with magical realism like time travel, or other soft magic elements - Time (2024), I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023), Cherry Magic (2023).

For the horror, supernatural/paranormal genre trend, this isn't at all surprising if you look at Thailand's recent film output from 2020 to 2023: The Medium, The Whole Truth, Ghost Lab, Haunted Tales, Cracked, Death Whisperer, Home for Rent, The Maid, Waning Moon, School Tales, and others, are all horror, paranormal, or supernatural films of some sort.

The horror genre trend especially has been around Thailand for a while, as far back as 2018 with the smash success of Girl from Nowhere which only gained a larger following when it hit Netflix in 2021. I'd almost argue the horror genre trend really picked up with Girl From Nowhere as now one of the main acquisitions of Thai series and film on Netflix are of the horror genre.

That larger media trend is now trickling down into BL with series like: Shadow (2023), After Sundown (2023), Dead Friend Forever (2023) and upcoming projects like Vampire Project.

While supernatural/paranormal series like Ghost House Ghost House (2022), 1000 Years Old (2024), I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023), Two Worlds (2024), Golden Blood (2024?) are increasing. OMG! Vampire (TBD?) will at least be supernatural but we can't say with certainty if OMGV will be horror or not as we only have a poster.

I imagine with the success of Dead Friend Forever, and I Feel You Linger in the Air we'll see the trend of horror and supernatural/paranormal series (I know some have already been announced) continued.

Then there's the genre trend towards more action and crime focused series; which more than often crossover but not all~ the time.

In terms of the increase in crime based Thai BLs I'd argue it was a joint combo of Kinnporsche's (2022) wild skyrocketed success, and the success of Manner of Death (2020). Alongside the influence of rise of crime and thrillers from Korean media (The Gangster, the Cop and the Devil (2019) and Unstoppable (2018))

Manner of Death I'd argue influenced projects like Never Let Me Go (2022), Unforgotten Night (2022), and Big Dragon (2022) if only because of their release times and taking into account the time it takes for a production to film and be edited down.

Whilst all these series came out after Kinnporsche - NLMG released a trailer in Nov, Big Dragon in Oct, and Unforgotten Night in Jun, while Kinnporsche dropped their trailer in Apr - they're series releases are so close to Kinnporsche that I don't feel confident in saying Kinnporsche 100% influenced their acquisition. Ngl it's hard not to see influences of KPTS in at least Big Dragon & Unforgotten Night if only in terms of technical film making, so there could~ be influence but I can't say that definitively. I'm gonna attribute these to Manner of Death since it came out two years prior to these other series.

Meanwhile series both released and unreleased My Gangster Oppa (2023), Red Peafowl (TBD?), Chains of Heart (2023), Kidnap (TBD?), are def riding the crime genre trend that Kinnporsche started and I'd argue series like Pit Babe (2023), Playboyy (2023) were acquired for production in part because of the crime elements included in their respective series.

Meanwhile series like Law of Attraction (2023) (crime/action) and The Sign (2023) (crime/action/supernatural) are combining crime, action and supernatural elements together.

I've said before Kinnporsche takes a lot of cues from Korean and Hong Kong crime films like Jet Li's The Enforcer, and Fist of Legend, Donnie Yen's Flash Point, Raging Fire, and Kung Fu Jungle, Han Dong-wook's The Worst of Evil, Kim Jin-Min's My Name, along with Japanese manga like Bi No Isu and KeixYaku.

Meanwhile The Sign is def taking cues from Chinese costume dramas like Ashes of Love, Fairy and Devil, White Snake (and it's many adaptions), Guardian, & Ying Yang Master Dream of Eternity. Alongside Hong Kong and Korean cop and romance shows like Tale of the Nine-Tailed, Hotel Del Luna, Director Who Buys Me Dinner, First Love, Again.

[I think the only reason Thailand or Korea hasn't jumped on the full fantasy train and pulled an Untamed is because of budget. The Sign has done very well for Idol Factory so I could see more studios trying to go in that fantasy direction if they can get the funding for it.]

Meanwhile shows like Time (2024), Two Worlds (2024), and Cherry Magic (2023) are leaning more into a combination of magical realism and a supernatural. Which is something that's been popular in Korea (Mr. Queen (2020), The King Eternal Monarch (2020)) in the past and obviously Japan (Cherry Magic (2020).

This, again, isn't a fully comprehensive list. I'm sure there's shows I've missed, and there's going to be evergreen genres that are always produced - university, high school, office all with a general romcom flavor - because they're cheap, easy, low risk and for the most part reliable.

That's not an insult to shows like Cherry Magic TH, or Middleman's Love or Cooking Crush or whatever.

Cooking Crush is just going to cost way less than The Sign it's simply a fact. Likewise Middleman's Love cost less than The Next Prince (TBD?) and was less risk as an office romcom. What helps offset the risk of something like The Next Prince is casting Zee and NuNew in the lead roles.

[watch these two trailers and tell me they cost the same]

Think of it of like, the 50 cop procedural dramas networks are always churning out; they do so because they're cheap, easy, low risk, and reliable.

Gmmtv made Cherry Magic not for the art of it all but because it was low risk and low cost to produce with a high value return. I imagine that's also why gmmtv cast Tay and New because while I don't know who the hell they are, lots of folks in BL fandom do because of Dark Blue Kiss and the reuniting of a well liked costars will also help offset financial risk for the project. Studios will often only greenlight a project if "a name" is attached to said project.

Anyways, Korea's turn.

The data for Korea is less because Korea comes out with fewer series than Thailand. Like currently Thailand has 9 ongoing BLs in 2024 while Korea has 1 (oh City Boy Log you lonely thing you).

For Korean BLs I'm still seeing mostly evergreen genre trends: the workplace (The New Employee, Oh! My Assistant, Roommates of Ponngduck 304,), high school/university (Light On Me, Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Semantic Error, Love Class, Love for Love's Sake) and Joseon (Nobleman Ryu's Wedding, Tinted With You, Director Who Buys Me Dinner) romances - which make sense, a lot of these were the trends of romance kdramas in the early to mid-00s.

What I am hoping, is we'll start seeing the acquisition of KBLs that are closer to what's currently trending in Korea: revenge (Revenge of Others, The Glory, Marry My Husband, Perfect Marriage Revenge), thrillers (My Name, Midnight, Somebody, Celebrity, Mask Girl), more class based social commentary (Devil Judge, Golden Spoon, Vigilante, Kingdom), and an increase in both sex and violence (Somebody, A Shop for Killers).

I could totally see more revenge based KBLs in the coming years since revenge and thriller shows can be combined pretty easily and you don't need a huge budget for either. You can also set them in evergreen settings like the workplace (Marry My Husband) or high school/uni (Revenge of Others).

KBLs have mostly stuck with evergreen settings with a couple outliers like Kissable Lips (2022), Once Again (2022) for example. I enjoyed Love for Love's Sake but it stuck in that evergreen space of school based romance, with magical realism. Again, not surprising given KBLs are just following trends of romance kdramas of the past.

Whilst not a bad~~~ thing, it can be a bit stale and hopefully with a bit more budget/investment we'll see the acquisition of series that are more in line with what's trending with Korean audiences currently.

There's other things I'd like to see develop into trends for KBLs but they're mostly technical and business trends.

That's all I got in the tank, this post took me almost six hours to write b/c of all the sourcing and research I'm freaking peeked.

See y'all next time ✌️

Check out other posts in the series:

Film Making? In My BL? - The Sign ep01 Edition | Aspect Ratio in Love for Love's Sake | Cinematography in My BL - Our Skyy2 vs kinnporsche, 2gether vs semantic error, 1000 Stars vs The Sign | How The Sign Uses CGI | Is BL Being Overly Influenced by Modern Western Romance Tropes?

[like these posts? drop me a couple pennies on ko-fi]

#kinnporsche #the sign the series #dead friend forever #cherry magic th #kbl #korean bl #chaos pikachu metas #pikachu's bl film series #thai bl #i'm so freaking tired omg this was so much #Youtube #dff

[snailmusic]

@solariscress and i have created something beautiful

the ultimate ken polycule graph

featuring 100 kens, compiled by solariscress

kenlist under the cut

Original Ken (1961)

Bendable Legs Ken (1965)

Talking Ken (1969)

New Good Lookin’ Ken (1970)

Live Action Ken (1971)

Sunset Malibu Ken (1971)

Walk Lively Ken (1972)

Busy Ken (1972)

Mod Hair Ken (1973)

Sun Valley Ken (1974)

Gold Medal Skier Ken (1975)

Free Moving Ken (1975)

Now Look Ken (1976)

Superstar Ken (1977)

Hawaiian Ken (1978)

Sun Lovin Malibu Ken (1979)

Western Ken (1980)

Fashion Jeans Ken (1981)

Sunsational Malibu Ken (1982)

Sun Gold Malibu Ken (1983)

Hawaiian Ken (1983)

Dream Date Ken (1984)

Day to Night Ken (1984)

Dreamglow Ken (1985)

Tropical Ken (1985)

Hot Rockin’ Fun Ken (1986)

Perfume Giving Ken (1987)

Island Fun Ken (1987)

Jewel Secrets Ken (1987)

My First Ken (1988)

Ice Capades Ken (1989)

Wedding Day Ken (1990)

Rollerblade Ken (1991)

Totally Hair Ken (1992)

Earring Magic Ken (1992)

Hollywood Hair Ken (1992)

Secret Hearts Ken (1992)

Locket Surprise Ken (1993)

Vintage Camp Ken (1993)

Butterfly Princess Ken (1994)

Weight Liftin’ Fun Ken (1995)

Sparkle Beach Ken (1995)

Splash n’ Color (1996)

Pearl Beach Ken (1997)

Totally Cool Ken (1997)

Dr. Ken (1998)

Florida Vacation (1988)

Shave n’ Style Ken (1999)

Vintage Florida Ken (1999)

Harley Davidson Ken (1999)

Surf City Ken (2000)

Prince Eric Ken (2001)

Magic Jewel Ken (2001)

Prince Stefen Ken (2001)

Rio de Janeiro Ken (2002)

Ken Surf Boy (2002)

Skate Date Ken (2002)

Route 66 University Ken (2003)

Prince Daniel Ken (2003)

Cali Girl Ken (2003)

King Dominick Ken (2004)

Superman Returns Ken (2005)

Beach Fun Ken Rooted Hair (2005)

Beach Glam Ken (2006)

Dream Groom Ken (2006)

Prince Antonio Ken (2007)

Diamond Castle Twin Musician Ken (2008)

Camping Family Ken (2009)

A Fashion Fairytale Ken (2009)

Sugar Daddy Palm Beach Ken (2010)

She Said Yes Ken (2010)

Toy Story Ken (2010)

Fairy Secret Ken (2011)

Dreamhouse Ken (2012)

Princess and Popstar Ken (2012)

Fairy Tale Wedding Ken (2012)

Texas ATM Ken (2012)

On the Prowl Ken (2013)

Barbie in the Pink Shoes Ken (2013)

Spy Squad Inventor Ken (2015)

Ken Fashionista #13 (2016)

Moschino Ken (2016)

Super Stripes Ken (2017)

Mermaid Man Ken Dreamtopia (2018) 

Ken Fashionista #115 (2019)

60th Anniversary Ken (2020)

Adventure Prince Ken (2020)

Malibu Blond Ken (2020)

Ken Fashionista #183 (2021)

Signature Looks Ken #9 (2021)

Dia de Muertos Ken (2022)

Ryan Gosling Ken (2023)

Ncuti Gatwa Ken (2023)

Simu Liu Ken (2023)

Kinsley Ben-Adir Ken (2023)

Ramzan Miah Ken (2023)

Scott Evans Ken (2023)

John Cena Ken (2023)

Christ Taylor Ken (2023)

David Munmei Ken (2023)

this is definitely canon

#barbie #barbie 2023 #math #ken barbie #barbie movie

[mlpcomics]

(Mostly Chronological) IDW My Little Pony Reading Order

The small “arcs” of the main comic are listed together (like #1-#4, #5-#8, etc). Side comics with an ongoing story are listed with priority rather than chronological release order for smoother reading. Year of release is rounded to be with other issues of their arc.

It is not necessary to read this way, you can pretty much jump in wherever as most stories are self-contained. You should, however, watch whatever season of Friendship is Magic was out that year first. The G4 comics are supplementary material to it.

Get the 10th anniversary edition of issue #1 instead of the regular one. Definitely DO NOT use this site nor this site either if you can’t afford the comics.

List below.

2013

Friendship is Magic #1-#4 (The Return of Queen Chrysalis)

Micro-series #1

Micro-series #2

Friendship is Magic #5-#8 (Nightmare Rarity)

Micro-series #3

Micro-series #4

Micro-series #5

Micro-series #6

Friendship is Magic #9-#10 (Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair)

Micro-series #7

Micro-series #8

Friendship is Magic #11-#12 (Neigh Anything)

Micro-series #9

Friendship is Magic #13-#14 (Friendship Ahoy!)

Micro-series #10

2014

Friendship is Magic #15-#16 (Unnamed)

Friends Forever #1

Friends Forever #2

Friends Forever #3

Friendship is Magic #17-#20 (Reflections)

Friends Forever #4

Friends Forever #5

Friends Forever #6

Friendship is Magic #21-#22 (Manehatten Mysteries)

Friends Forever #7

Friends Forever #8

Friendship is Magic #23

Friends Forever #9

Annual 2014

Friendship is Magic #24

Friends Forever #10

Friends Forever #11

Friendship is Magic #25-26 (The Good, the Bad and the Ponies)

Friends Forever #12

2015

Friends Forever #13

Friendship is Magic #27-28 (The Root of the Problem)

Friends Forever #14

Friendship is Magic #29

Friends Forever #15

Friends Forever #16

FIENDship is Magic #1

FIENDship is Magic #2

FIENDship is Magic #4

FIENDship is Magic #5

Friendship is Magic #30-31 (Ponyville Days)

Friends Forever #17

Friends Forever #18

Friendship is Magic #32-#33 (Night of the Living Apples)

Friends Forever #19

Friends Forever #20

Friendship is Magic #34-#37 (Siege of the Crystal Empire)

Friends Forever #21

Friends Forever #22

Friends Forever #23

Holiday Special 2015

2016

Friends Forever #24

Friendship is Magic #38-#39 (Don’t You Forget About Us)

Friends Forever #25

Friendship is Magic #40

Friends Forever #26

Friends Forever #27

Friendship is Magic #41

Friends Forever #28

Friendship is Magic #42

Friends Forever #29

Friendship is Magic #43-#45 (Ponies of Dark Water)

Friends Forever #30

Friends Forever #31

Friends Forever #32

Friendship is Magic #46-#47 (Election)

Friends Forever #33

Friendship is Magic #48-#50 (Chaos Theory)

Friends Forever #34

Friends Forever #35

2017

Friends Forever #36

Friends Forever #37

Friendship is Magic #51-#53 (From the Shadows)

Guardians of Harmony Annual 2017

Deviations

Legends of Magic #1

Friends Forever #38

Legends of Magic #2

Friendship is Magic #54

Legends of Magic #3

Friendship is Magic #55-#56 (Wings Over Yakyakistan)

Legends of Magic #4

Friendship is Magic #57

Legends of Magic #5

Friendship is Magic #58

Legends of Magic #6

Friendship is Magic #59

Legends of Magic #7

Friendship is Magic #60

Legends of Magic #8

Friendship is Magic #61-62 (Convocation of the Creatures!)

Holiday Special 2017

Legends of Magic #9

2018

Legends of Magic #10

Friendship is Magic #63

Legends of Magic #11

Friendship is Magic #64

Legends of Magic #12

Friendship is Magic #65

Legends of Magic Annual 2018

Friendship is Magic #66

Ponyville Mysteries #1

Ponyville Mysteries #2

Friendship is Magic #67-#68 (Tempest’s Tale)

Ponyville Mysteries #3

Friendship is Magic #69

Ponyville Mysteries #4

Friendship is Magic #70

Ponyville Mysteries #5

Friendship is Magic #71

Nightmare Knights #1

Nightmare Knights #2

Nightmare Knights #3

Nightmare Knights #4

Nightmare Knights #5

Friendship is Magic #72

Friendship is Magic #73

2019

Friendship is Magic #74

IDW 20/20

Friendship is Magic #75-78 (Cosmos)

Spirit of the Forest #1

Spirit of the Forest #2

Spirit of the Forest #3

Friendship is Magic #79

Friendship is Magic #80

Feats of Friendship #1

Feats of Friendship #2

Feats of Friendship #3

Friendship is Magic #81

Friendship is Magic #82

Friendship is Magic #83

Friendship is Magic #84

Holiday Special 2019

2020

Friendship is Magic #85

Friendship is Magic #86

Friendship is Magic #87-88 (The Fast and the Furriest)

Season 10 Arc

These issues were kind of marketed as an "epilogue" to season 9 of Friendship is Magic once it ended. You should probably finish the show here.

Free Comic Book Day 2020

Friendship is Magic #89

Friendship is Magic #90

Friendship is Magic #91

Friendship is Magic #92

Friendship is Magic #93

Friendship is Magic #94

Friendship is Magic #95

Annual 2021

Friendship is Magic #96

Friendship is Magic #97

Friendship is Magic #98

Friendship is Magic #99

Friendship is Magic #100

Friendship is Magic #101

Friendship is Magic #102

(Read Generations and then Classics Reimagined: Little Fillies here. They released long after the G4 comics ended.)

Equestria Girls Comics

Annual 2013

Equestria Girls Holiday Special

FIENDship is Magic #3

Canterlot High: March Radness

I’ll update with the generation 5 My Little Pony comics once they have more mini-series/one-shots/side comics of any kind.

#my little pony #my litte pony friendship is magic #friendship is magic #idw #idw comics #idw mlp #mlp #equestria girls

[otterandterrierwrites]

otterandterrier’s fics: sweet child of mine

A thematic self-rec list.

PREGNANCY / FAMILY / DOMESTICITY

Note: Not all of these fics actually feature specific children, but some are compliant with parts of Disney canon. In most cases, it's just mentioned that Han and Leia have a child, but they're still here because it's a list of fics where they have kids. All of them are canon divergent as far as I'm concerned though, ie, the sequels never happened.

ft. Ben Solo / Disney canon

Sensible Pregnancy fluff at a fancy event. [wc 3,799, T, 2016]

Belly of the deepest love Pregnant angst. Leia has a bad feeling about this. [wc 1,447, G, 2016]

Just as soon (hand it over to) a Wookiee Parenting humour. Han questions his child's parentage during a hard night. [wc 1,027, T, 2016]

Grab me by my ankles (I’ve been flying for too long) Follow-up to the book "Last Shot". [wc 1,021, T, 2018]

The best right in a million wrongs Another follow-up to the book "Last Shot", but longer and with smut. After Han's return, he and Leia have a talk. [wc 4,479, E, 2022]

Our roots reach in a little deeper Han and Leia decide to have another baby. [wc 3,881, E, 2016]

The greatest title Leia catches Ben looking at something in his datapad, but it's not at all what she thinks. (This is about Han/Leia being hot, I promise). [wc 2,706, T, 2017]

Shines the moon Han gets Leia a new ship. [wc 629, G, 2016]

ft. Jaina Organa Solo (not EU)

The daycare dilemma Han and Leia's baby daughter starts daycare… or not. [wc 2,300, G, 2020]

There's things in there that scream and shout Han decorates for Devil's Night, and comes to terms with children growing up. [wc 1,303, T, 2022]

Five conversations about the Millennium Falcon Han, Leia, and the Falcon. [wc 3,007, T, 2020]

wonderful unknown Leia makes a decision about her future that Han didn't see coming (humour but also not, possibly getting more chapters). [wc 1,513, T, 2022]

#hanleia #han x leia #han solo #leia organa #star wars fanfiction #themed self recs #this is way too many kidfics for me lmao

[tatedeco]

My recs for Nightwing!Dick-comics

This is the real meat of it when it comes to Dick Grayson-recs. Most of his modern stories have been as Nightwing ever since he took on that mantle in 1984. You will hear different recs from different people but these are the stories I personally enjoyed the most. Strap in because this is a long list:

Nightwing's Solo Title

These are the stories I liked the most from his solo title. If you want to read Nightwing as a main character, these are the stories I can recommend:

1. Nightwing: Rebirth by Tim Seeley (2016-2017)

Recommendable? Yes, perfect for newcomers. This very much feels like it brings Nightwing back to his roots. You can't go wrong with this as your first Nightwing-comic.

What is it?

It's Dick going back to being Nightwing (he was a secret spy before but don't worry about it). He goes back to his city Blüdhaven and re-establishes himself there.

What do I like about it?

This just captures why Dick is such a beloved character for me. It includes the fun of reading him but also his grit and need to be independent. He very much makes Blüdhaven his own. Blüdhaven is a delightful setting here. Seeley reimagines it as a former whaling town that tries to reimagine itself as a neon-lit casino city. It's a flashy underdog city that fits Nightwing.

This run has one of my all time favorite romances for Dick with Shawn Tsang (a former low-tier villain) and it introduces one of my favorite DC villains Raptor. Giving Dick a villain who is connected to his mom and his circus days is brilliant in my eyes.

2. Nightwing The Untouchable by Sam Humphries (2017-2018)

Recommendable? Yes, one of the best Nightwing-arcs ever. A short read that is collected in one volume. This follows Seeley's arc directly so you could just read this once you've finished the Seeley-issues.

What is it?

It's a story arc where Nightwing fights a new villain The Judge. This villain is very much connected to Blüdhaven, the sea and Dick's past.

What do I like about it?

Sam Humphries filled in on Nightwing directly after Seeley left but he gave us one of the best Nightwing arcs ever. I love how this arc draws on Dick's past and the Blüdhaven-setting to create a new villain. The Judge feels very mythological and the story is well-told over a short time. Humphries did so much with so little. I'd love to see him come back to Nightwing for a longer run.

3. Nightwing by Tom Taylor & Bruno Redondo (2021-now)

Recommendable? Yes, also for newcomers. It's currently going on so you would be very up-to-date with where Dick is now.

What is it?

Dick's return to form after his amnesia (don't ask, you don't need to know). He is heroing in Blüdhaven again and trying to change his community through his newly-acquired wealth He inherits a lot of money from Alfred who's been dead for a few years (but will hopefully return soon).

What do I like about it?

This entire run is just pure positive vibes. I feel like it very much captures Nightwing's positivity and empathy. Fans of Dick/Barbara will also have a good time here because Babs is featured heavily. The plot moves very slowly - which makes this run a bit controversial among many fans - but if you're here for the vibes and the slice-of-life, you'll have a good time. There are also many team-ups, especially with Babs, Tim and Wally.

The art is also to die for. Bruno Redondo is just perfect for Nightwing. There is an entire issue that is one continuous chase-scene and it's one of the most impressive Nightwing-issues ever. Every Nightwing-fan should at least pick up Nightwing #87 for this reason. It's a masterpiece of comic artistry.

4. Nightwing by Peter J. Tomasi (2006-2009)

Recommendable? Yes, a very self-contained run that shows how connected Dick is to the DC universe. Dick is very competent but also fun here. It's all collected in one book.

What is it?

This run has Nightwing move to New York and have adventures there. He is very connected to the DC-universe and there are some cameos and team-ups. Superman shows up at one point, Wally, the Justice Society, Tim Drake... Our boy is beloved.

What do I like about it?

You very much feel how integrated Dick is in the superhero-community. At the same time, he is very independent and competent. There is an especially epic fight here that I won't spoil. You have to love a run that starts with Dick jumping out of a plane for fun and Bruce giving him the disappointed DadTM-vibes.

Nightwing with the Titans

These are the stories where Nightwing is part of the Titans. Either he is the lead for an arc or he gets some great character moments within the team. I also threw a team-up with Wally in here for fun:

5. The Judas Contract (1984)

Recommendable? Yes, if you're interested in Dick's first appearance as Nightwing and classic Titans-stories. This is *the* Teen Titans-story. It is an arc within the pages of New Teen Titans/Tales of the Teen Titans. Be aware of the dense 80s style. It's manageable though.

What is it?

Deathstroke makes his move against the Titans and captures all of them except Dick. Dick takes on the identity of Nightwing and has to save his team with the help of Slade's son Joey Wilson.

What do I like about it?

If you read all of New Teen Titans (which you should because it's a masterpiece), you'll feel the masterful build-up to this arc. It's a pretty well-known spoiler but I won't spoil it here in case you're not familiar.

This specific arc shows Dick fully stepping into his own and moving forward with his new identity. It's a central piece of characterization for him. He's also really badass here, the way he takes on Deathstroke. He's the only non-powered Titans but he deserves to be there 100%. This arc really shows what Dick contributes to the team.

I also love the introduction of Joey. He's a great character - a pure cinnamon role with a compelling backstory and a great addition to the Titans. One of the few mute characters in comics. He actually communicates in sign language.

6. Titans: Rebirth (2016)

Recommendable? Yes, for the pure fun factor.

What is it?

It's the Titans coming together again. Wally is the driving factor here. He was erased from existence for a while due to the 2011-reboot (don't ask, you'll learn everything you need in this comic) and makes his friends remember him again. This time, the team consists of Dick, Wally, Roy, Donna, Garth and Lilith. Bumblebee and other characters also join at some point.

What do I like about it?

I love all of the characters. You just feel the love these long-time friends feel for each other. There are also so many great Dick & Wally-moments. The overall vibe is just very wholesome and I love spending time with all these characters.

My only gripe with this run is that the Titans are quite obedient to the Justice League. In my mind, the Titans should be their own independent network. The point of them is that they don't want to be controlled by their mentors. Still, this is a great run for anyone who likes these characters and wants to spend some time with them.

7. JLA/Titans The Technis Imperative (1998-1999)

Recommendable? Yes! A great story-arc that highlights what makes the Titans so special and different from the Justice League. There are information boxes for all key characters so newcomers should be able to catch up.

What is it?

An event-comic in which all the (former) Titans get abducted for a specific reason. The JLA and the Titans have to deal with what develops into a global crisis.

What do I like about it?

This story arc highlights why I love the Titans so much. They are friends who are close enough to be family while the JLA are more like co-workers. Many of the Titans get some great character moments, including Dick. There is a particularly heart-wrenching page here that says a lot about Dick's relationship with Bruce. Always a gut punch for me when I see it. Again - it's complex.

8. The Flash plus Nightwing (1996)

Recommendable? Yes, for everyone who loves a good Dick & Wally team-up. This is very much a beginning point for their very close friendship in modern comics.

What is it?

It's Dick & Wally going on their yearly vacation where shenanigans happen. Did I sell you on it yet? It's just one issue so it's a very quick read.

What do I like about it?

These two are just too much fun together. There are so many great character moments and you can just read it with some bare knowledge about Dick & Wally as characters (any fanfic-reader should be fine). The plot is also really wacky. Not spoiling it - but it gets wild.

I also love the premise that Dick & Wally go on yearly vacations together. It's a retcon (in the sense that it was never mentioned before & Dick&Wally weren't that close before) but it works so well - one of these great retcons. Since then, these two have been one of the best comic friendships. (And I like to ship them of course. So, any shipper's heart will also find some great moments here.)

Nightwing with the Batfam

These are the stories where Nightwing's relationships with the Batfam are in the foreground. I have two great arcs that deal with the relationship between Dick, Bruce, Alfred & Tim. They follow up on each other so you could just read them one after another:

9. Batman: Year Three (1989)

Recommendable? Yes, if you have bare knowledge about Batman-lore and Dick & Bruce as characters. Again, fanfic readers should be fine. This is very much related to Dick's backstory with Zucco - the killer of his parents. The arc is contained in Batman #436-439.

What is it?

Such an underrated story arc. Basically, it takes place after Jason's death and deals with the possibility of Tony Zucco coming out of prison. We see Dick, Bruce and Alfred reacting to the Zucco-situation.

What do I like about it?

This takes place after Jason's death but before Tim's introduction. So, it's a very dark time for the Bats - Bruce in particular as Batman gets more brutal. I love how this little arc illuminates Dick, Bruce & Alfred as characters. The characterization is very nuanced.

There are a lot of flashbacks back to Dick's time as Robin and the way he deals with grief. In the modern time, Nightwing tries very hard to get Batman back from his more violent tendencies. Great character moments for Dick, Bruce & Alfred!

10. A Lonely Place of Dying (1989)

Recommendable? Yes, again with knowledge of basic Batlore. A requirement for Tim Drake-fans because it's his proper introduction as a character! You can easily get this collected. It takes place directly after Batman: Year Three.

What is it?

The introduction of Tim Drake that takes place after Jason's death. He has figured out Batman's identity and sees the brutal rampages Batman goes on. So, that little fanboy goes up to our boy Nightwing and tries to convince him to become Robin again.

What do I like about it?

This story sold me on Tim Drake as a character. It is very much a case for why Batman needs a Robin. Tim, Dick & Bruce get great character moments. Dick's & Bruce's relationship is very complex here again. You also see Dick meeting one of his little brothers for the first time which is a lot of fun.

Nightwing with the Outsiders

This is a very special time in Nightwing's history. This recommendation shows him with the Outsiders - a more edgy team:

11. Outsiders by Judd Winick (2003-2007)

Recommendable? Yes, if you want to see a moodier Nightwing with a more edgy team. Also, for any Dick/Roy-shippers. I see you and I hear you. This is like the Dick/Roy-bible.

What is it?

The Outsiders form as a black ops team. Their mission statement is to do what other teams aren't willing/ready to do. Roy gets Nightwing on as the leader. Other team members are Jade, Anissa Pierce, Grace Choi, a version of Metamorpho (it's complicated) and Indigo.

What do I like about it?

On paper, I should dislike this concept. Nightwing is very moody here and a giant asshole (I love my boy but he screws up hard here). There is very much a reason though for Dick's mood shift:

Donna - his bestie - died before the Outsiders formed and the Titans disbanded for that reason. Dick is very much grieving and doesn't want to join any teams. He doesn't want to get close to anyone again for the fear of losing them. Still, Roy gets him to join the Outsiders under the condition that they won't be friendly with each other - purely professional.

So, the premise of the comic and the context explains Dick's cold and harsh behavior. I like this comic because it's interesting to see Dick in this dark place. Despite his attempts though, he can't help but get attached over time. He also has so many fights with Roy. The tension between these two is running high - no wonder you see so many Dick/Roy fics related to this time (it's headcanon though, I don't want to mislead anyone here).

Also, the characterization for each team member is supreme. I hadn't read much with characters like Jade, Anissa or Grace before but they quickly became some of my favorite DC-characters.

Dick/Roy may not be canon here but Grace/Anissa is a *canon sapphic romance* within the pages of this comic. It's a wonderful relationship and very unexpected for the early/mid 2000s. So, this may also interest you if you are looking for some cool LGBT+ superhero-couples.

This comic shouldn't work on paper but it did. It has so much heart that I can recommend it also to those who may not find the idea of Nightwing in his edgy-phase appealing. An interesting time for his character that I'll probably dig into at some point with a future post.

Events

Events often concern the entire DC-universe. They bring characters together. Here, I recommend an event where Nightwing is part of the larger cast and gets some character moments that made me very happy as a Nightwing-fan:

12. Infinite Crisis (2005-2006)

Recommendable? Yes, also if you are interested in reading an iconic DC-event where most of the DC-universe comes out to play. This also has some great moments for Dick & Bruce's complex relationship.

What is it?

A giant DC-event. Basically, characters from the old DC-universe try to erase the new DC-universe because they believe that the new universe is too dark and corrupted. What is Dick's role here? He's involved in the action and there are some great character moments that will make most Nightwing-fans squeal with joy (okay, maybe it was just me).

What do I like about it?

It's an epic event. The action is big, so many great characters are here, incredible art... But apart from that, this event shows how much Bruce loves, respects and appreciates Nightwing. I won't spoil this moment but it shows how important Nightwing is to the DC-universe. The original plan for this event was to kill Nightwing off so they were really trying to make you sentimental about him. Thankfully, he didn't die so we only get the wonderful character moments highlighting our boy's impact.

It also has another big character moment in Nightwing's history that is related to his city. Slade is a real bastard here and this is a key event in their rivalry.

Comics that didn't quite make my list:

Nightwing by Chuck Dixon (1996-2002)

Recommendable? Depends, if you want to see where much of Nightwing's lore comes from and don't mind older tropes and writing.

What is it?

The first long-running Nightwing-solo. Dixon established Nightwing as a solo hero in Blüdhaven after his time on the Titans. He takes on a lot of organized crime and one of his most iconic villains Blockbuster.

Why do I not quite recommend it?

This is probably the most iconic Nightwing-run. It firmly cemented Nightwing as a solo hero and established Blüdhaven as his city. If you want to understand where much of Nightwing's lore comes from, you should read it. I'm personally glad I read it and got a lot of enjoyment out of it.

I wouldn't quite recommend it though especially to newcomers because it feels quite dated in some of the writing and art. A lot of the tropes are well-worn and I needed some time to get into it. The plot can feel a bit unremarkable with Dick working his way from one forgettable gangster to another.

Dick is also characterized in a more angsty way. It fits with this point in time because he still has a lot of tensions with Bruce and is struggling with his independence. Still, not my favorite characterization of his. I'm definitely grateful this run exists though because modern Nightwing builds on this a lot. Anyone interested in Nightwing's history should read it.

New 52: Nightwing by Kyle Higgins (2011-2014)

Recommendable? Depends. It's very understandable for newcomers but it is held back by more company-wide decisions. What do I mean by this? Let me explain.

Why do I not quite recommend it?

In 2011, DC rebooted its entire universe. Newcomers could just jump on. This also goes for this run. In principle, it's cool that newcomers can just pick this up but the New 52 (as it's called) had a lot of issues though which you can feel here.

A lot of the beloved Batfamily-characters are missing (Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown) and the lore is very stripped down (this Nightwing was never really part of the Titans). So, the entire universe feels more empty and bleak.

More importantly though for this run, there were a lot of Batfamily-events (Death in the Family, Night of the Owls). These events call all of the Batfamily together and they interrupted the storylines that were currently happening in Nightwing. So, you can feel that Higgins isn't really allowed to let loose because he has to write around these events.

So, I can't really recommend this run as one of your first Nightwing runs. I would still encourage anyone to check it out eventually because I got a lot of enjoyment from it. You can feel that Higgins has a lot of love for Nightwing and when he is allowed to let loose (especially towards the end), he has some brilliant character moments.

I would be happy if he came back to Nightwing at some point with more creative freedom. He still delivered a solid run despite all the hurdles he was forced to overcome. There are just other runs which are more in line with the more classic Nightwing-lore that I would recommend first.

This is it! Take some deep breath because this was a long list. Again, these are all my opinions and there may be stuff I missed or haven't read yet. Nightwing-fans are quite divided on many of these stories.

So, pick what seems interesting to you. I've got enjoyment out of pretty much every Nightwing-solo run (except the run with the tentacles, don't ask).

I have a list of Robin!Dick-recommendations up and I'm going to make one for Batman!Dick-recommendations.

#nightwing #Comic recommendations #titans #new teen titans #batfamily #bruce wayne #tim drake #wally west #dick Grayson #dc comics

[idkaguyorsomething]

Shitty Superhero Tournament Rules and Bracket

Finally, ¡the tournament is about to begin! The bracket will be posted under the cut, but first let’s get some clarifications and rules out of the way:

The movies here have been selected (with two exceptions*) based on their Rotten Tomatoes movie scores and do not reflect my opinion of their quality. The tournament will be divided into six rounds.

Each movie will come with a quick summary of some of its highlights (or lowlights, depending on your point of view) but feel free to create and submit your own propaganda.

You may vote in any way you want, rooting for whatever gives you the most entertainment in a train wreck sort of way, the movie that’s the most incompetently made, a film you feel is actually really good, or however you want to interpret what the winner of a Shitty Superhero Movie Tournament entails.

Personal attacks/bigoted comments and propaganda WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. If you are here looking for an excuse to be racist/sexist/homophobic/anti-semitic/body-shaming/a dick to people trying to collect a paycheck under the corporate grindstone, fuck off. Just because these movies may be shitty doesn’t mean you should be.

If I make a factual error, feel free to correct me on it. Reblogs are encourage, ofc.

¡Have fun and be kind to each other!

THE BRACKET:

Superman III (1983) vs Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

>

Fant4stic (2015) vs Ghost Rider (2007)

>

Black Adam (2022) vs Man-Thing (2005)

>

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) vs Dick Tracy (1990)

>

Constantine (2005) vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

>

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) vs Morbius (2022)

>

The New Mutants (2020) vs Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

>

Catwoman (2004) vs Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

>

The Return of Swamp Thing (1989) vs Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)

>

Elektra (2005) vs The Amazing Spider-Man (1977)

>

Howard the Duck (1986) vs The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988)

>

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) vs The Amazing Bulk (2010)

>

Man of Steel (2013) vs Spider-Man 3 (2007)

>

Blade II (2002) vs Captain America (1990)

>

Blade: Trinity (2004) vs The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

>

Batman Forever (1995) vs Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)

>

Supergirl (1984) vs Superman: Doomsday (2007)

>

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) vs Punisher: War Zone (2008)

>

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) vs The Fantastic Four (1994)

>

Justice League (2017) vs Tank Girl (1995)

>

Jonah Hex (2010) vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)

>

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) vs Eternals (2021)

>

Daredevil (2003) vs Dark Phoenix (2019)

>

Steel (1997) vs Super Buddies (2013)

>

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) vs Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore (2013)

>

Fantastic Four (2005) vs Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

>

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) vs The Punisher (1989)

>

Suicide Squad (2016) vs Hellboy (2019)

>

Green Lantern (2011) vs The Flash (2023)

>

X-Men: Origins; Wolverine (2009) vs Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

>

The Punisher (2004) vs Venom (2018)

>

Batman and Robin (1997) vs Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)

#*said exceptions being spider-man 3 which you people voted for and the flash due to all is bts drama #shitty superhero movies tournament #superman #superman iii #green lantern #green lantern first flight #fantastic four #fant4stic #ghost rider #ghost rider 2007 #black adam #man thing #wonder woman #ww84 #wonder woman 1984 #dick tracy #john constantine #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #fuck idk if the bay movie turtles have their own tag #sorry if they do but i don’t want to live with that knowledge #wikipedia lists the tmnt as superheroes btw so onto the bracket they go #x men #xmen #x men movies #x men apocalypse #morbius #the new mutants #new mutants #venom let there be carnage

[jones-friend]

Avatar: The Way of Water

December 18, 2009: Avatar releases

2010: I have my first girlfriend

2011: I graduate high school and attend college moving from Illinois to Iowa, making a number of lifelong friends in the early months

2012: I declare a cinema arts major

2013: me and a small number of friends form a media production company, I have no idea what I’m doing

2014: I get more into dnd and mtg as hobbies with my friends

2015: I graduate from Iowa with a bachelors in cinema arts and move to Chicago interning in the Hancock building

2016: my grandmother passes away from a stroke and I return to semi-country Illinois to live with my grandfather

2017: I have a major falling out with friends I have had since elementary school and college leaving a permanent scar on multiple friend groups

2018: I escape a league of mentally detrimental jobs that put me in a dark dark place and start working in higher ed

2019: family life becomes so stressful I am forced to move out of my grandfather’s house

2020: COVID rocks the world and changes everything. We are locked down with a life threatening virus running rampant as US fascism hits its fever pitch

2021: I cut ties with my biological family

2022: multiple friends have had children or are pregnant, forming families of their own

December 16, 2022: Avatar Way of Water releases

I’ll be 30 this coming year. It has been 12yrs, 11mo, and 29 days between Avatar films. 410,140,800 seconds. It is an interesting feeling to come back to a world depicted on screen after so much time has passed, very nearly half the amount of time I’ve been alive.

My initial impressions of Avatar Way of Water is that if you enjoyed living in the world of Pandora in the first movie and would love some more adventures in Pandora you will enjoy the second movie. If you liked the tighter moviegoing experience the first offered you will feel a little let down. I don’t think this is a bad movie by any means, nor is it a mediocre movie. It is good. It just isn’t as tightly crafted as the original movie was.

God knows, it’s been so long most movies have been remade since then. Or revived under new premises a la Fantastic Beasts (which is a whole other animal to tackle). But I fully understand I’m coming to Way of Water with an entire kit of analytical skills I did not have when I watched the first movie, and this will impact my enjoyment of the second and let me look back fondly on the first.

Thinking between these two, not much has changed. Humans are one note greedy, comfortably made into cannon fodder for thrilling fight sequences. The navi are in tune with nature, peaceful, someone we can root for without complicated emotions. We have a new McGuffin or item everyone wants but it gets a back seat to the grudge match that takes importance over it. And rightfully so.

This is a movie that wants to do a lot of things in the three hours and twelve minutes it runs for. I’m not sure it is successful in all of them, feeling a bit like Star Wars Episode IX in that scenes run fast and loose, a little too loose in some places. The ending especially felt that fervent pace and could not slow down where it really needed to and let some scenes sit for more than a few seconds, instead summarizing via voice over because with 20-30mins of trailers frontloading this your audience has been sitting for four hours and we gotta get👏this👏shit👏going.

This movie s a Star Wars in that its science fantasy and don’t worry we can just make computer chip copies of your brain. It’s also a Toy Story 3, we’ve aged up the characters and moved their lives along to reflect the aging audience who first watched Avatar. It’s also a Star Trek IV where we’re saving the whales. This movie is trying to be a lot of things in 3hrs 12mins. Roughly, it succeeds.

There is a lot to be charmed by in the world of Pandora. It is a different kind of movie because in describing it, the movie acts more like an immersive experience with the viewer so I wouldn’t say “characters do X Y and Z” but you as the audience get to “make friends with a whale” and “learn to ride alien dolphins”. It is a world that continues to be lovingly crafted, like sitting in dnd with a dm who has laid out so much of their own lore and worldbuilding its just a delight to immerse yourself in.

Even when it is unfocused Avatar Way of Water is far and away a better experience than so many other theater movies. It’s drop dead gorgeous, and it doesn’t mind getting its hands dirty in that new aquatic environment immersing scenes in and out of water with ease. If you enjoy escapism I absolutely recommend seeing it while it’s in theaters, preferably IMAX.

A lot has changed since the first Avatar dropped 12 years 11 months and 29 days ago. Well, longer now, writing this on January 2nd. This movie is a comfortable return to the world of Pandora with uncomplicated premises and setups that do not challenge the viewer. It is a movie made by an action movie director with a long resume of quality work. If you bothered reading through my ramblings you likely have already made up your mind on whether or not you’d enjoy such a thing. I give a recommendation to seeing it, I love fantasy, I love escapism, and I love the world of Pandora. I am always down to revisit this chapter and will be excited to see later movies. Is it perfect? God no. There’s alien jesus, major death retcons, silly pacifism philosophies, its got flaws. But I do enjoy the quality of the world it gives me. Its one of the few things that can instill a sense of childlike wonder in myself and I treasure that sensation greatly.

#avatar #way of water

[transboysokka]

hi, it's me. after years and years... i have returned to tunglr...

I was on here around 2011 for the first time and was a semi-famous blog called neckwear lolol (i was also in the vowel fam like a decade ago and i was jaaaaaaaaaaaaaake or something, what a throwback). i took a few years off and came back from like 2016-2017 with a bunch of urls (like chrisaliss, stylesbicon, lots of star trek ones...) that are all dead and locked in whatever old account i had

and now im back and am going to regret this A LOT so im not sure how invested to get into this site or if i wanna just stick to like. twitter.

ANYWAY

hi, im chris. he/him, idk how old people on this site typically are anymore but id be a dinosaur by old standards. late twenties, so

PLEASE dont interact with me if youre in your teens...

i live in taiwan, im a teacher. i lived in america a long time ago but i left because im trans and lolol good luck getting hired as a teacher if youre trans in THAT country, am i right???

i just KNOW this is gonna become a fandom blog AGAIN... right now im really into avatar the last airbender

i've been a huge fan of atla since the day it first premiered on nickelodeon...

you know, i actually never missed a single episode in its original run. but ive lately rediscovered it and... wow im really going back to my cringey tumblr roots bc i ship again...

ride or die zukka babey!

wow thats an ugly z

my contributions to fandom in the past have been dumb memes, headcanons, and ficlets- i love to get into specific character's heads so def hit me up with a challenge or prompt if you're down!

ugh anyway yes please chat with me, interact with me, whatever and ill see if this place is any fun any more...

i really hope not because my productivity is about to go way down if it is!

#about me #intro

[harborpointeblvd]

I Watched Every GMMTV BL Series part 3/?

2016/2017 2018

2019 feels like a turning point. Like, this was the year they decided to try making good series. I know I didn't have great things to say about the older series, but I generally go into a series wanting to like it and I tend to be pretty forgiving.

FYI, I know some of these names have multiple spellings. I'm just using whatever spelling was used in the subtitles on YouTube.

He’s Coming to Me - 2019

After dying on his twenty-second birthday, Med (Singto Prachaya) remains as a ghost in the cemetery. He relives his death every night in his dreams, but can’t recall any of his life. After many years with no human visitors, Med is visited by a boy named Thun who can seemingly see and hear him. Years later, Thun returns as a university student (Ohm Pawat), and proposes that Med live with him so they can solve the mystery of Med’s untimely death.

This drama was so close to being perfect. Ohm gave a great performance. Singto was so much better in this than in SOTUS. It had a healthy balance of drama and comedy, without the drama ever feeling forced. I just felt a little let down by the ending. Spoilers ahead.

So, I was fully prepared for a sad ending. And as much as I love a happy ending, this was a rare case where I felt like a sad ending would have been better. Giving this impossible romance a miracle happy ending felt like a copout. It felt like fanservice. Like they set out to tell a new and interesting story, but didn’t have the guts to disappoint anyone with a sad ending. And then I'm the one left to grapple with the logistics of dating a ghost. But my biggest problem with the ending was that they fucking solved the mystery behind Med’s death and then just forgave his murderer who has been living free of consequences for twenty years and absolutely no one has a problem with it.

Not even trying not to look like a lunatic.

Theory of Love - 2019

Third (Gun Atthaphan) and Khai (Off Jumpol) are third year film majors in university and best friends. Third has harbored secret feelings for Khai for three years, but Khai is a serial dater and (supposedly) straight. Khai constantly takes advantage of Third’s loyalty, unaware of his true feelings. After repeatedly having his feelings hurt by Khai, Third decides to get over him once and for all. But when Third tries to take a step back, suddenly Khai is ready to take a step forward.

I think…I liked this series? I mean, like, I was ready to throw hands every 40 seconds, but that means I was invested, right? I liked Third, but he’s such a pushover I wanted to strangle him. Gun is an excellent actor, but just because he can cry on command doesn’t mean I want to see him do it for twelve episodes straight. Khai is an asshole, not just as a love interest, but as a friend. I don’t think I’ve ever actively rooted against a male lead so hard. The side pairings are kind of forgettable.

Anyways, Third mentions the movie Flipped several times, and despite having seen the movie and loving the book as a kid, it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that this series is just doing Flipped. I have to say, I’m a sucker for the unrequited love switcheroo premise. Which is probably why I like Theory of Love maybe more than it deserves. But I'm not as bad as Third, whose favorite movie is Flipped.

Me trying to get through all these shows.

Dark Blue Kiss - 2019

A sequel to Kiss Me Again (2018), following Pete (Tay Tawan) and Kao (New Thitipoom). After three years together, their relationship is still a secret from almost everyone, including Kao’s mother. This causes insecurity in Pete, especially after Kao starts to tutor his mom’s boss’s son, Non (AJ Chayapol). Torn between helping his mom and placating his boyfriend, Kao decides to continue tutoring Non in secret.

It’s hard to explain, but the way this drama tiptoed over that line into overdramatic hit an angsty sweet-spot for me in a way these dramas rarely do. I’m gonna mark this one down as a guilty pleasure, because despite Pete being an absolute red flag, I loved this series. It was hard to watch Kao dig himself into a hole, but it’s easy to see why he did, because Pete is completely unreasonable from the start. And why, because he felt threatened by some baby-faced high school kid? AJ looks like a toddler in this series. A seven foot toddler who I want to punch in the mouth, but a toddler nonetheless.

Minor spoiler here, Non’s ending felt unresolved. As much as I hated that little punk, seeing him being dragged off by his abusive, homophobic dad was not in any way satisfying.

I am happy to report that you do not need to watch Kiss Me Again to follow this series. It was good to see the whole group of college friends return, since they were one of the few parts of that series I enjoyed. The side pair is also two returning characters from Kiss Me Again. If you tend to like side pairs, you’ll probably like them, but I’m generally indifferent to side pairs, so they were fine.

*dramatic violin*

Soulmate - The One. Like he was created for me, specifically. Sugar Daddy - He may not have it all, but he knows how to spoil me. Friend With Benefits - Despite my better judgment, I went and caught feelings. Second Lead - All my friends love him, but I don’t feel the spark. Overeager Pursuer - Tries to be cute but just gets on my nerves. Vindictive Ex - It’s like he’s punishing me for knowing I could do better. Love Rival - Literally what did I do to deserve this?

#janine's slow descent into madness #he's coming to me #theory of love #dark blue kiss #thai bl #gmmtv

[darkravenstag]

tagged by @figsandphiltatos :)

shuffle your on repeat playlist (on spotify) and list the first 10 songs and then tag 10 people

First Time by Hozier -- Been listening to this one (and the album in its entirety) since last October and like much of Hozier, it spoke to me! I think my favorite part is about the flowers,,,, mothers gifting life to you again, how a plant lives mostly underground in the roots, deadened to light and sound but reaching for the light anyway, even when it's doomed to be cut back for its beauty?? how the plant knows it's dying but puts forth its every effort to make flowers anyway?? "fighting off like all creation the absence of itself, anyway" ANYWAY????? and the end hurts a special kinda bad ough! ough!

Sjamboksa by Gang of Youths -- god knows I love these boys, but this one is an unsung gem from their earlier albums. "In the thick of my heart, by the skin of my teeth, until I'm forgotten, and covered in weeds, and my withering soul is in the sea, i will hold on to you, hold on to me." It has a warm, heartful sound that gets me emotional

Keep Me In the Open by Gang of Youths -- not your typical love song. It's about a relationship in the end stages of failing. It's always been a heartbreaker, and I appreciate it filling an uncommon niche. "When did everything get this weird? how the fuck did it start? did you ever believe in me? was it always so hard?"

Welcome Home, Son by Radical Face -- I've loved this one since like 2018? or 2017? It's an EXCELLENT "thinking about your OCs" song with excellent vibes. Generally this band is good for this purpose, recommend their other stuff since I think this is their only big song. I enjoy Small Hands iirc. They have very visual lyrics that I can smell yk? "Sheets are swaying from an old clothes line, like a row of captured ghosts over old dead grass, was never much but we made the most"

Wildflower and Barley (Feat. Allison Russell) by Hozier -- This makes me think of Seurri and Erastos' year together in their mutual downtime, enjoying the glade together and Philander learning to be comfort in a gentle, quiet love. the fuck . the vibes are... like, jazzy and folksy. "springtime from my window, another month has not much longer now, the sun hesitates more on each evening's darkening, would all things god allows, remain above ground? like grief and sweet memory, wildflower and barley"

I Don't Know You by Mannequin Pussy -- Excellent intro to their show in Atl. Started us off easy for sure lol. It's soft, it's about regret, it's about knowing your regret and still being unable or unwilling to act on it i think. plus longing

Little Dark Age by MGMT -- I don't remember listening to this a ton recently but in general? yes. I'm claiming this one back from the fashy teens who wanna use it in ww2 edits, this song slaps severely and the dark and mysterious vibes speak to me. good for OC imagining lol "The humor's not the same, coming from denial" IDK if this song has a coherent meaning (ik MGMT can be cryptic) but I havent interpreted it and I like it that way frankly

Too Sweet by Hozier -- Who could have predicted! OHhh! who knew! This song is for Solomon and Solomon only idc idc idc idc "But you worry some I know, but who wants to live forever babe" like yess mercenary queen work i need you to concern your elf nobility non-wifey wifey endlessly

We Don't Believe What's on TV by Twenty One Pilots -- Middle school makes a bold return! I stopped listening to these guys before 2016 I think, but I got a hankering for this particular song because I'm so unsure of what I want to be or do, or if I can even be or do that. I want to be unafraid of the future with somebody and I don't think I could relate to this song in middle school but I get it now! Also I refuse to factor religion into my interpretation of top or I'll stop enjoying it again shh

Archie, Marry Me by Flyte -- This song is one I'd occasionally play on loop late at night, the echoing choir and soft, what, organ? in the background? If I had a wedding this would probably be in it. It's so warm and personal, but I love the original by i think Alvvays! This cover I just think I love more.

I don't think I have any steady mutuals who haven't already been tagged in figs' post so... like or rb this or otherwise let me know if you'd like to be tagged in anything in the future :)

#stag personal #<- there's the brand new personal tag created just for this post lol

[learnfromexperts]

Justin Bieber

Justin Drew Bieber (/ˈbiːbər/ BEE-bər; born March 1, 1994)[1][2] is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances.[3][4][5] Bieber was discovered by American record executive Scooter Braun and signed with RBMG Records in 2008, gaining recognition with the release of his debut seven-track EP My World (2009) and soon establishing himself as a teen idol.

Bieber achieved commercial success with his teen pop-driven debut studio album, My World 2.0 (2010), which debuted atop the US Billboard 200, making him the youngest solo male act to top the chart in 47 years.[6] The album spawned the internationally successful single "Baby" (featuring Ludacris), which became one of the best selling singles of all time in the US.[7] His second studio album, Under the Mistletoe (2011), became the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at number one in the US.[8] Bieber experimented with dance-pop in his third studio album, Believe (2012), and went on to become the first artist in history with five US number-one albums by the age of 18.[9] From 2013–14, Bieber was involved in multiple controversies and legal issues, which had a drastic impact on his public image.[10]

In 2015, Bieber explored EDM with Jack Ü as a lead vocalist on "Where Are Ü Now", which won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording.[11][12] The song's musical direction played an instrumental role in his fourth studio album, Purpose, which produced three US number-one singles: "Love Yourself", "Sorry", and "What Do You Mean?". He became the first artist in history to occupy the entire top three of the UK Singles Chart.[13] Bieber diversified on numerous collaborations between 2016 and 2017, including DJ Khaled's "I'm the One" and his remix to Luis Fonsi's "Despacito"—both reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 a week apart, making him the first artist in history to chart new number-one songs in consecutive weeks.[14] "Despacito" was named the greatest Latin song of all time by Billboard and earned Bieber his career-first Latin Grammy Award. In 2019, he released a country collaboration with Dan + Shay, "10,000 Hours", which won the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.[15]

In 2020, Bieber released his R&B-inspired fifth studio album, Changes, which debuted at number one in both the UK and US, and a standalone duet with Ariana Grande, "Stuck with U", which debuted atop the US Billboard Hot 100.[16] Bieber returned to his pop roots on his sixth studio album, Justice (2021). It spawned the worldwide hit "Peaches" (featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon) and debuted atop the US Billboard 200, making him the youngest soloist to have eight US number-one albums, a record held previously by Elvis Presley since 1965.[17] The same year, Bieber released "Stay" (with the Kid Laroi), which became his eighth US number-one single.[18]

Bieber is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 150 million records worldwide. He is credited with four Diamond certifications from the RIAA.[19] He has received numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy Award, eight Juno Awards, two Brit Awards, one Bambi Award, 26 Billboard Music Awards, 18 American Music Awards, 22 MTV Europe Music Awards (the most wins for any artist), 23 Teen Choice Awards (the most wins for a male individual), and 33 Guinness World Records. Time named Bieber one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, and he was included on Forbes' list of the top ten most powerful celebrities in 2011, 2012, and 2013

#justin bieber

[musicblogwales]

Tom Emlyn Announces New Album and shares Broken Mirror Video

Tom Emlyn shares brand new video for his terrific new ‘Broken Mirror’ single, taken from his freshly announced new album ‘Return Journey Revisited: Scaredycat Vol 15′ which will be released on the 5th of May.

Emlyn’s sincere and at times funereble approach remindes us just how flexible and diverse his writing abilities stretch, with flashes of Shane Macgowan and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci evidently cutting through, Tom Emlyn sits in a bit of a unique musical spot with his guitar  and has certainly won the hearts of us here at Music Blog Wales. Swansea-born songwriter Tom Emlyn vividly depicts why he is one of the most prolific and inventive songwriters emerging songwriters in Wales, with his new album ‘Return Journey Revisited: Scaredycat Vol 15’ released on the 5th of May.  Recorded in 2018 and mastered by Charlie Francis (R.E.M., Pixies). A treasure trove of recordings dating back to 2016, 2017, and 2018, these songs offer a window into the sheer scope of Emlyn's songwriting talent, his captivating songs uniquely exploring the particularity and peculiarity of human experience. Featuring his gorgeous recent singles ‘Broken Mirror’ - a heartfelt and poetic ballad of lost love, watch the video here, and ‘Like a Cigarette’ inspired by his days busking outside a cafe in Frankfurt acting as a living and breathing earworm that charts his travels around Europe and Germany in 2017.  Plus forthcoming third single ‘It doesn’t bother me’.  Compared to Bob Dylan or Elliott Smith, Tom Emlyn’s sound, while rooted in garage rock, is tinged with psychedelia, folk, jazz, and blues overtones - including a recent adoption of the harmonica as a lead instrument. Tom explains “Abandoned work is a normal part of the music-making process, but I felt these songs deserved a second chance. I also wanted to release it as a (small) protest against certain smoke-and-mirrors aspects of the music industry. People will tell you to wait and wait, hold back all of your material for the "right time". I can't do that anymore; for me, a song is only new when it's just been written, although it can be remade in live performance. I find it quite agonising to sit on this material for so many years. I'll be thirty in 2023. That's why I want to get this sizeable backlog of unheard material out there, so I can move on to new things, and that's why this is the third album I've released in a year.” “There were many people involved in these tracks - different engineers, studios, producers, and musicians in Swansea and Cardiff. I think the album has a unified feel despite being a bunch of stuff that was recorded in various studios and spaces, before being rescued from the cutting-room floor. It's a bit of a lighter, ironic affair, full of magic realism and surreal images of the natural world, half-acoustic and half-electric, with an eclectic, eccentric, sprawling feel. Scraped from the bottom of a very deep barrel - but somehow holding together.” Tom Emlyn crafts honest, swirling evocative songs; tall tales, and dark jokes that cut straight to the bone. His current solo work maps an alternative Southwalian landscape, a hallucinated community drawn from psychogeography and local history. Written on foot and by bus, his observational, poetic lyrics and simple 60s-folk-influenced melodies explore what it means to belong to a place - the bitterness, the love and the humour. “The truth is, all of my music is one long song - constantly flowing from inner worlds and mysterious, unknown places.” He reveals “Songwriting is like a diary for me, and it's time to share Return Journey Revisited: Scaredycat Vol 1. with you. It might be a slightly imperfect document, but I think it's all the better for it.” In summer 2022, Tom released his debut solo album ‘News From Nowhere’, a bittersweet love letter to his hometown of Swansea, described by Adam Walton (BBC Radio Wales) as a record of "undoubted brilliance, eloquence and energy". It has been positively received, with airplay and support from Radio Wales, BBC Horizons, R.E.P.E.A.T. fanzine, God Is In The TV, and Joyzine, among others. Tom's second album ‘I've Seen You In Town’ followed hot on the heels of the first - a more mellow, acoustic affair which was also well received. He also released the ‘Scounger EP’ on Bandcamp this February.  He is currently promoting these records with intimately explosive solo and band performances across Wales and beyond, with a string of releases planned for 2023. Tour Dates 22nd April - The Moon Club, Cardiff 4th-6th May - Focus Wales, Wrexham 12th May - Dyddiau Du, Cardiff (solo to promote new album) 20th May - Second 45 record shop Llanelli (solo to promote new album) 27th May - in it together festival Margam 16th June - Cwrw, Camarthen 17th June - Cwrw (solo record shop in-store to promote new album) 17th June - Elysium, Swansea (to promote new album) 12th August - Brecon Jazz/Fringe festival 6th October - Hippos, Swansea https://tomemlyn.bandcamp.com/ https://twitter.com/tom_emlyn https://www.instagram.com/tomemlyn/                                                                              

#Tom Emlyn #New Album #Return Journey Revisited: Scaredycat Vol 15 #Broken Mirror Video #sound and vision pr

[abingtoncenter22]

A Pennsylvania Womans Root Canal Went Awry, And Her Lawsuit Did Too As A Result Of She Litigated With Out Authorized Representation

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They even have workplaces in Hawley, Honesdale, and Stroudsburg PA. The Department of Human Services is dedicated to offering recipients with entry to quality dental providers. This dental part is designed to offer recipients helpful information about getting dental providers within the Medical Assistance program, which can also be known as Medicaid. Listed beneath are answers to frequent questions on eligibility, enrollment, MA dental providers, appointments, dental care and emergency providers. An endodontist is a dentist who specializes within the prevention, analysis and therapy of diseases and circumstances of the dental pulp, tooth root, and surrounding tissues. The dental pulp is the delicate connective tissue inside a tooth that incorporates blood vessels and nerves.

[iguanalysis]

Anecdotal reflections on an old idea for a project: polyamory vs. monoamory

A while back, I think around 2016 and 2017, I began wondering about the cultural implications of the phenomenon of polyamory, and what it meant exactly for the LGBT+ community that I was a part of. I read somewhere, and took it for granted, that to know all about Love was to know the work of psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. This was the same man who told me, earlier in my life living in Santa Cruz, California in his seventeenth seminar, that the foundation of community is segregation. A lot of reflecting on that notion was critical for me in 2016 for fixing a lot of problems that cropped up for me from PTSD with self-harm, suicidality, and delusional behavior. It also turned me away from Marxism and anarcho-communism a great deal as well, which was ironic, given that I had previously wanted to tell people about the immiseration of the working class (Karl Marx’s immiseration thesis) like it was gospel. That started from things I learned about from other Tumblr users, back when I was 19 years old.

I had gone through a break-up with someone in California who was polyamorous, and who couldn’t deal with the mental health problems and changes in personality that were being caused for me by my drug abuse. I had to return to Louisiana to live with my parents again, which was the most predictable outcome of such a naive idea as to move in with friends I’d met on the internet. I knew that before I chose to do that, obviously, but I figured it might work out anyway. The only thing that really messed it up was the drug abuse.

In any case, I noticed an etymological discrepancy contained within the word “polyamory”, since I could remember from my grade school education that “poly-” is a root derived from Greek (many), and “amor” is a root derived from Latin (love). I also found out that scholarly opposition to such discrepancies in linguistics is called “Latinism”. Oughtn’t the word “polyamory” be changed to “multiamory”or “polyphilia”? “Polyerosia”, perhaps?

I decided it didn’t matter much, and that polyamory is just a more phonetically pleasant and more easily understandable construction of a neologism. I wondered a lot more, however, about the word “monogamy”, and why monogamy is the antonym of polyamory. That is where I discovered a fundamental bias within the construction of the neologism, since “-gamy” is a root derived from Greek meaning “marriage”. Isn’t is possible to only love or date one person at a time, and still never get married, or to not support the sociological ideal of marriage?

The word for such an option, or “lovestyle”, as I encountered in an essay somewhere, ought to be monoamory, I decided. But where to find out about the true meaning of love? How could I maybe prove to both myself and others if necessary that “monoamory” deserved to be a word, and that polyamory might even be a lifestyle choice that encourages socially irresponsible behavior?

I decided to become an expert at Lacanian psychoanalysis, even though it wasn’t as if I didn’t already have reasons for doing so. I had known of Lacan since I began reading and doing online research about Sigmund Freud in 8th and 9th grade. The concept of the unconscious was even why I ultimately abandoned libertarianism, an ideology that was a fad back then among my high school peers. It resonated with both of the two parts of myself I could never decide on as a teenager: artist, or philosopher?

I still don’t understand everything about love itself, I feel like. My findings are relatively inconclusive thus far. One person who I was most truly in love with has been taken away from me, through political manipulations, homophobic violence, cybercrime, and coercion. I still wonder how they feel about me all the time, since I never got to have closure with them or show my best self to them at all. That’s a huge impediment to finding the answer to a lot of my questions, I feel like.

I have better, more rigorous things to say about the topic nonetheless, but I’m not adequately prepared to remember all of my past thoughts about the issues with so-called polyamory, since my agenda for tackling the problem, whatever problems there may be, is still uncertain.

— (8/15/2022)

[yegarts]

“I Am YEG Arts” Series: Derina Harvey

Gather around you that which you need to produce what you want. Oh, and while you’re at it, get to work! To Derina Harvey, there’s not much more to it than that. Except, of course, making music—something she and the Derina Harvey Band can’t do without. If you’ve never caught a live show, just imagine a “rockier” version of Great Big Sea, if fronted by Adele. Intrigued? It’s hard not to be. Harvey’s masterful storytelling and soaring vocals are nothing short of a call to action. An invitation to laugh more, celebrate more, and feel alive. This week’s “I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Derina Harvey.

Tell us about your connection to Edmonton and how it has influenced your path.

Well, I grew up playing country and folk music, and Celtic classics, with my musical family in Wabush, Labrador. Then, when it was time for college, I followed my mother’s and sister's footsteps and went into post-secondary for the arts. In 2000, after graduating with a diploma in Music Industry and Performance from the College of the North Atlantic, I promptly headed west to follow the friends I made during the program who were moving to Alberta to pursue careers in the music scene. I may have had other ulterior motives for moving west too, as my best-friend-and-now-husband (and bandmate), Steve Pinsent, was one of these migrating classmates.

I arrived in Edmonton in 2002 and found work as a sound engineer for an Edmonton-based hotel-events team and with Sinclair, the band my college friends had formed. Touring around Alberta with Sinclair, I’d occasionally join them onstage playing and singing covers and originals, which was so much fun! We started attending Alberta Music seminars and began networking and soaking up industry information.

In 2004, Steve and I welcomed our first (of three) wee Albertan babies. As my maternity cheques were running out in the early weeks of January 2005, Steve looked in an actual paper copy of the Edmonton Yellow Pages and got me an audition at the East-Coast-themed Atlantic Trap and Gill. Manager Tanya Thorne gave me my first opportunity as a solo performer on weekdays, and I played both popular tunes and the traditional songs I grew up with. This helped keep a roof over our heads as I looked for more work. Eventually, I was asked by The Trap’s manager to put a band together for the weekend spots, and the Derina Harvey Band (dHb) was formed.

When two members of dHb moved back east, Scott Greene stepped in on electric guitar and harmony vocals. Scott’s long-time friend and bass player, Edward Smith, also joined us! Instantly, our audience begged for an album. We are completely independent, so it took some time to put together but, dHb released our first album in 2013 and then another in 2016…. By 2017 we had played with a few fiddle players: Matt O’Connor was in the mix, Alex Kusturok was with us in Tacoma adding his superb Métis and folk style to our sound. The uber talented Jessica Blenis also joins us on stage and lends her soaring harmonies and fiery fiddles on all our recordings since 2017.

We had all grown up on Celtic music but had focused on our other musical educations and collaborative projects until dHb was formed. The authenticity of returning to our roots, the dedication to musicality, and the blend of genres lent us a fresh take on traditional favourites, while maintaining the integrity of the covers. In songwriting, our original material has flavours of country, blues, rock, and pop—but wrapped in a woolly and woven East Coast Celtic tartan blanket! So, I suppose you could say that I walked off the plane in YEG with intentions to find my musical path, and Alberta’s audiences from Fort McMurray to Medicine Hat—and, of course, Edmonton—kept me on a road of authenticity.

How did you get your start as a singer/songwriter? Did one come more naturally than the other?

I was born into a musical family of four—five if you count the dog who played piano from time to time. Being on stage at five-years-old and being raised in a household where music and visual art were created and discussed daily, gave me an appreciation for the process. My parents, Ron and Sheilagh, wrote and released honest, observational-type songs and always had instruments all over the house that we were encouraged to play. My sister Kyna and I would also help them write and lend a hand in editing lyrics or arranging instruments and harmonies. Watching my father rehearse and perform with Labrador Black Spruce also gave me insights into industry do’s and don'ts.

When I was twelve, I visited my sister at the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology and realized that creating music could be a real job! I was hooked! I wrote little songs and performed them with my friends and bandmates in high school. By the time I was in college, I’d received my first SOCAN cheque (while I was still in my teens) for a recording of a song I’d written for a college songwriting course! I was so grateful—and perhaps in shock.

What narratives are you drawn to as a storyteller?

With dHb, the songwriting feels like it's always maturing, yet still feels new, because the processes, plots, and prose often change. Sometimes songs are based on real-life situations, like the retelling of the resettlement process in the title track off our second CD, Rove and Go (2016), about a house that moves to a new home and the strength of the people who moved it. It came about as Steve played a progression on an acoustic guitar one evening and asked me, “what would you sing over this?” I came up with the chorus pretty quick, but the story came much later.

“The Fallen Man's Daughter” (2018) was the result of a collaboration with Ed Smith writing a tribute to his uncle and the men lost at sea when a fishing vessel went down off the coast of Newfoundland in 1994. A story sadly all too familiar is the loss of family, those who take care of us, and the legacy of love they leave behind. We worked with Alberta’s own Barrett Kelsko and created a music video for this song that was shot in both Newfoundland and Alberta.

Some of the songs we’re working on now for the new album range from fun, in-the-moment-driven party tunes, like “Up All Night” (already released), to deeper, inward, raw reflections, like another single we released, titled “Grow,” which reminds us to remember our strength when navigating obstacles in our path. Writing sometimes flows out in an unstoppable torrent, and “Grow” was like that—lyrics first, then progressions and accompaniment many months after—a true exercise in refinement over months and years. When it comes to narrative, I’d say the most important part for me is to have a story and a musical landscape that matches—to tell a story through song that I believe and can deliver with my entire heart.

What is a Derina Harvey Band live show like? How do you hope to make people feel?

I want to invite you to relax in a friendly environment, and tap your toe, and sing along. No matter where we are, in Malibu or Marystown, in Cold Lake or Canmore, I want you to walk away after the show still humming a lilting, lifting tune. Depending on the venue, you may get a barrage of high-energy tunes or a night of dancing, perfect for twirling in tall festival grasses! Or perhaps, in a theatre setting, you could expect a few more moving ballads and stories—in this seated setting, I want to make you laugh, maybe make you cry, and then make you laugh again before sending you home. Music can call us to action. It can help us celebrate or grieve, it brings us together, and all of that is what I want to offer at a dHb show!

Where have you seen your music show up that’s surprised you?

Somehow, somewhere in the world, one of our songs ended up as a sound used on TikTok, and as a result, this Edmonton-based band has listeners all over the planet! As tracked in 2022, about a million streams a month for dHb songs stems from our version of Tom Lewis’ classic, “The Last Shanty.” Our choice to put this song on our second album was made based on performing at Edmonton’s events and the crowds’ reactions to our set list! Our gratitude is unending.

Tell us about someone whose support and advice have guided your career.

So many wonderful pieces of advice over the years have been bestowed, and I try to remember them as often as possible. Encouragement from friends and family are, no doubt, on the list. My mother (Sheilagh Harvey) often quotes Dr. Wayne Dyer’s, “Gather around you that which you need to produce what you want,” and I find myself using this as a mantra.

When I attended a seminar with Kevin Blackmore of the legendary touring music-and-comedy act Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, I asked what should be avoided in the industry. He responded, “negativity.”

Wade Pinhorn was my professor in college, and he would often remind the class to “leave the ego at the door—if you weren’t great you wouldn’t be here,” followed by, “Now get to work.” Also, about being true to yourself and not giving in to fits of extravagance or greed he said, “We don’t need much, do we?” All of these are grounding, and they bring me back to a purpose and ring with truth.

What’s the first song you ever remember wishing you’d written?

I’m not sure that I have ever wished I had written someone else’s song. I’m always happy that someone wrote a song that slaps or touches my heart. If a writer delivers a story that aligns with mine or makes me cry—which is the litmus test for me feeling a song—I just enjoy their work and am inspired by their brilliance!

How important has collaboration been throughout your career?

I often have to pour over my choices for a while before making decisions. I think there are benefits to collaborating that range from encouragement and to refinement, to maybe helping me get out of my own way… past a block.

I love seeing how an idea blooms… although I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t experience some anxiety about bearing a deep personal message or a foolish idea to a group or individual for the first time. It helps to understand that an idea, perhaps a crappy idea, when reviewed or shared can lead to a less crappy idea and, perhaps, to something you feel is near the right fit or owns some level of brilliance—I'm sure I read something like that in a Write Better Lyrics handbook.

We work, write and record together, and all dHb albums and singles have been self-produced by dHb and engineered and mixed by Scott Greene (a dHb member). But having outside help does give us inspiration. The late Mike Wells mastered all our recordings, and his input was invaluable. He will be missed for his many talents, and we are better for his gifts to us. Having another set of ears and eyes on your work and then evaluating their considerations can help breathe much needed fresh air into a project—and lend opportunities for depth.

Is there a particular piece of feedback you lean on when days are tough?

We don’t always know the impact of our work; however, with social media we’ve received such kind messages and moving stories from our friends through music. Recently after a show in Washington, we met a young person who shared that she’d been in a very low, very dark place emotionally for a while. She said that about a year prior to that very day, a music platform randomly added one of our songs to her playlist, and she liked what she’d heard! She told us she then found everything we’d released, and that the more she listened, the better she felt—that it made a difference that changed—and maybe helped save—her life. I’m paraphrasing it all, but this kind of message is one that hits me, and I have tears in my eyes now thinking about her and the other folks who have shared similar messages with us. It makes me feel tiny but very connected in a significant and beautiful way to have had some impact on a person’s experience of joy. It’s indescribable. It pushes us forward on days when I forget myself and start to tumble or spiral in my own issues. I keep that moment close to my heart.

What are you currently working on or hoping to explore next?

Currently we are writing to finish our third album, which will include the singles that have already been released. We have hopes for a concept album to follow.

What excites you most about the YEG art scene right now?

The awakening and reopening of venues with lots of music and dancing! The mix of established and new artists sharing stages of all sizes! Summer patios filled with song, festivals wafting music through the river valley, and the upcoming theatre season bursting with local acts and touring groups from all over the world, inspiring the next generation of performers within its audience! Sharing unifying experiences and making new memories together, in person, from backstage to the back row! The front of house, sound crews, and support staff all getting back to doing what they love best! The show that must go on! What could be better?

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along! 

Click here to learn more about Derina Harvey, the Derina Harvey Band, and where to find their music, shows, and more. 

About Derina Harvey

Derina Harvey leads the award-winning Celtic Rock sensation, the Derina Harvey Band (dHb). With a show that offers a fresh take on traditional folk songs, as well as a few originals, Derina’s vibrant personality takes centre stage with humour, storytelling and, of course, her world-class vocals. dHb has been likened to a “rockier” version of Canada’s Great Big Sea, if fronted by Adele, and has earned a reputation as a high-energy live show that leaves many an audience out of breath and hollering from their seats! dHb concerts can be adapted to suit any venue, whether it’s a captivating night of telling stories through song in a Performing Arts Centre or a dinner and dance in a community hall. The band has been across Canada via the performing arts and festival circuits and is now poised to take the US by storm, having been very well-received at three juried US showcases. The band has begun to make inroads in the US and had finished a tour of the south-eastern states just prior to the pandemic. The group has spent the last year writing some new music (releasing the single “Grow” in 2021) and enjoying a huge wave of new online followers from across the globe, via TikTok. dHb’s recording of Tom Lewis’s “The Last Shanty” was used in thousands of videos on the platform, introducing the band to a whole new generation of listeners and causing their streaming numbers to skyrocket to almost 25 million total streams—and adding over a million more every month!

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