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avaf00rd · 10 months ago

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Leah Williamson relationship HC

A better fic will be out soon hang tight.

This is a scrap I made.

I would barely classify these as head cannons as they are very long. They are just about your relationship in general☺️

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-you and Leah were best friends and crazy close when you first joined Arsenal in 2017. When you left to go to Barcelona in 2019 you both felt like a huge part of your lives were missing. When you came back to Arsenal in 2021 you both realised you were in love and started dating

-you always praise Leah for being the most fashionable person you know. You weren’t terrible yourself but you were always getting her to help you with what to wear daily

-whenever you two go to events together Leah will always make sure you get to the after party. Your pretty good at calling it a night often, which means Leah is dragging you for more drinks more often that not

-you, Leah and Alex Scott were sort of a trio. Sure Leah and Alex were a tad closer. But you had all been on multiple trips together

-your the cook of the house. She can’t go much further than toast. She tried to make frozen chicken one time for you both, but it ended up breaking the oven due to a weird setting she turned the oven on to.

-when she did her ACL you were in tears for her. When she walked off, She told you to get a goal for her. You didn’t in the end which made you sick to your stomach. You felt terrible and was just as devastated as Leah.

-your Australian. So bringing Leah over to your home was your favourite thing.

-Christmas in your house was amazing. You both decked out the house completely and danced and sung to Christmas songs all December.

-when buying your first house together. You had the biggest say. You had great taste is properties to buy so you kind of found a flat online and showed Leah. She said yes so you immediately booked an inspection. You got that flat two days later.

-You also bought all the furniture one night when you were both on international break and got it delivered to where Leah was. She was a bit shocked when she FaceTimed you after coming home to 45 delivery boxes.

-your taste in movies was so divergent. She liked the more fantasy movies like lord of the rings and Harry Potter. She also loved horror. Which was terrible for you. You loved romance movies, you’re either making Leah watch that or some stupid documentary you heard of.

-you were a huge dog person. And Leah already owned a dog when you first moved in together, but you had 2. So now it’s a crazy house 24/7.

-you love being together in the kitchen, listening to music and goofing around with a good bottle of wine. You both turn on old love songs and slow dance around the kitchen.

-she made you late to most trainings. Due to her stuffing around in the mornings. It got even worse when she cut her bangs

-one afternoon you were both chatting on how she used to have a fringe as a child. You said she would suit one (but you think she suits anything). So of course 2 weeks later she texts you to let you know she’s going to the hairdresser…

-Leah can be kinky asf. Come on we all know this

-sometimes after dinner you will beg her to play on the piano for you. She’s actually outstanding at it and you’re so proud of her. You will take your wine glass over and sit on the seat next to her while she plays.

-you tried to convince her to get Santa photos with the dogs. Which she very quickly declined.

-you were very good at makeup. You became obsessed with it as a teenage girl. So you find yourself doing Leah’s a lot for nights out and events. Even just doing a big look for fun.

-the girl couldn’t ride a bike to save her life. So you always tried to help teach her . She would somehow always say yes, Even if it was just an excuse to get a good laugh out of you.

-you and your Matilda’s team played in the World Cup and came fourth after being knocked out by her country in the semis. Your heart ached that you couldn’t finish it for your country, but it ached just the same at the fact that your girlfriend couldn’t lead her country to the grand finals like she had always dreamt of.

-every night you slept with your head tucked into the crook of her neck, arms cuddling onto her torso. It was just the best way both of your bodies melted together.

-sometimes she tried to take you on golfing dates. The first time she did, she told you she was good. Like the powerful Leah Williamson would. You were humble and said you would need her help. But when you swung your shot you actually made a great one and it had Leah’s jaw on the floor.

-you both had your first photo shoot together in 2020 just before covid. And you lived very minute of it. Now you have done heaps for brands like Calvin Klein, bikini brands, and more together, you both now being known for your hot couple photo shoots.

-you were both completely clumsy. The worst thing was when Leah and you had to screw a window nail tighter. Don’t ask why. But you apparently weren’t holding it properly. Causing it to fall out the other side of the frame. Completely shattering into the pool.

-though you were always chasing after her for outfit inspiration. You both looked phenomenal wherever you went. You would both be shot on camera court-side of a basketball game, on vacation or at dinner in the best outfits and hair.

-you though she was the hottest girl you had ever seen in your life. You had only had boyfriends who play football in your life before Leah. So you always blamed Leah for being gay.

-her love for country music was one of the things that made you fall in love with her. Along with her charming personality

-you were a striker for arsenal. When you scored in a game, you would do your celebration jump with your fists in the air and always try to look for Leah, to see if it was her arms you could jump into first. And she was always there, screaming at you for your goal with her arms wide open.

-your a bottom most of the time. But sometimes you switch it up and she lives for your dominant side.

-you suffered a severe back injury in 2022 while in Australia. You were scared you would never play again. Leah was on the next plane out to Australia, even though she was told not to. Just so she could sit next to your bed and hold your hand for hours.

-seeing Leah back in training after doing her ACL. With the brightest smile on her face, made your heart melt every time.

#arsenal women #woso #leah williamson x reader #leah williamson imagine #leah williamson #lionesses #wsl #woso x reader #woso community #woso imagine #woso fanfics

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mariacallous · 9 months ago

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An air raid alert has just started when Victoria Itskovych joins a Zoom call from Kyiv. “It’s, like, a usual situation,” she says. “But really, it’s not usual.” February 24 will mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For nearly two years now, Kyiv has been under bombardment. Some weeks, people have to trudge to their shelters night after night, checking text alerts and Telegram channels to figure out where the missiles are falling and when it’s safe to come out—although, it’s never really safe.

That relentless stress, and the trauma of losing family, friends, and colleagues on the front, has taken its toll. A poll by the city government last year found that 80 percent of residents reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has exposed the whole of Ukrainian society to battle shock. “We’ve all suffered from this,” says Itskovych, who is director of the Kyiv City Council’s IT department. “Almost every person has somebody who was injured or died during the war, or lost their home or lost their health.”

In the face of such widespread injury, the Kyiv government has turned to Ukraine’s now-famous civic tech infrastructure for help. As the war enters its third year, the municipal government is starting to build a citywide system for providing mental health support to citizens. It’s a vast challenge, but also a unique opportunity—the first time that such a mass-trauma event has happened to a society that has already built the tools of digital government. Dealing with the mental health impacts of the invasion will be absolutely vital to keep society resilient, functioning, and committed enough to repel the invaders. It’s also the key to Ukraine’s postwar recovery, laying the groundwork now for a society that can rebuild itself physically and psychologically from the horrors of war. “This is the future of our society,” Itskovych says. “We are building the basis for the resilience of the community itself.”

At the heart of the plan is the Kyiv government’s digital platform, Kyiv Digital, which it launched in 2017. Before the invasion, it was largely used to manage parking and public transport, and to notify residents of disruptions to services such as road closures or power outages. When the war began, those notifications became more urgent: incoming attacks, the locations of bomb shelters, and the safest routes to reach them. Like other parts of Ukraine’s civilian technology, the city pivoted its tools to keep people safe and support the war effort, bootstrapping and rewiring the systems at pace.

“The first changes to the notifications we did in hours,” says Oleg Polovynko, adviser on digitalization to Kyiv’s mayor. Since then, the digital teams have been engaged in a constant cycle of innovation, trying to figure out what services they can bring online. The war has pushed them to act more quickly, to adapt tools they have and invent things that don’t exist.

They’ve expanded tools for civic participation, letting citizens vote on petitions, send feedback to the city government, and ask for help, such as financial support to repair bomb-damaged homes. And they’ve collected a lot of data, which is how the Kyiv government has been able to measure the scale of the city’s distress—and people’s reluctance to seek help. Of the 80 percent of residents who show signs of trauma, “40 to 45 percent are afraid to have contact with doctors who can help,” Polovynko says.

But this is only half of the problem that needs solving. For those who do want to seek treatment, there simply aren’t enough resources to help them. Clinical psychologists are supposed to limit the number of patient consultations they do in a day, so they don’t burn out. Before the full-scale invasion, Inna Davydenko saw a maximum of four patients daily. Today, Davydenko, a mental health specialist at the City Center of Neurorehabilitation in Kyiv, sees twice that number. When we speak, she’s just finished a video call with a soldier stationed near the front, whom she’s helping cope with stress and anxiety.

Even before the war massively increased the number of people dealing with trauma, depression, and anxiety, Ukraine’s medical system suffered from an underinvestment in mental health provision. “In most hospitals, you have maybe one psychologist. In good hospitals, it’s maybe two,” Davydenko says. “A lot of people need psychological help, but we can’t cover everything.” There is simply no way that the current system can grow to match the enormous jump in demand. But, Davydenko says, “almost every Ukrainian person has a smartphone.”

This is exactly what Polovynko and Itskovych want to exploit, using Kyiv Digital’s platforms and data to digitize mental health support for the city, and so close the gap between need and resources. Their project will focus first on those they’ve identified as being most vulnerable—war veterans and children—and those most able to help others: teachers and parents. The next six months of the project will be a “discovery stage,” Polovynko says. “We need to understand the real life of our veterans now, of the children, of the parents, what’s their context, how they survive, what services they use.”

The project will track people through the process of recovering from trauma, monitoring the treatments they ask for and the ones they receive, their concerns as they move through the mental health system, and their outcomes. Once the team has a detailed map of services and bottlenecks, and data on what’s working and what’s not, they can match individual needs with treatments. A full roll-out is scheduled for early 2025.

“It doesn't mean that the whole chain of the service will be absolutely digital,” Itskovych says. Some patients may be directed to group therapy or one-on-one meetings with psychologists, others will be given access to online tools. The aim, she says, is to create efficiency, to close the service gap, but also to provide comfort, meeting people where they are. “For a big part of our clients, there is more comfort with getting the service online, in different ways. Some people are not comfortable meeting a specialist one-on-one; they prefer a digital way to get the service.”

The project is being supported financially and operationally by Bloomberg Philanthropies, a charitable organization created by former New York mayor and Bloomberg founder Michael Bloomberg. James Anderson, head of government innovation at the organization, says that the project comes at a critical time for Kyiv, where people continue to suffer even though global attention has shifted away to other crises.

“There's always a tremendous amount of attention when the immediate crisis hits,” Anderson says. “But mayors continue to have to deal with the human costs of crises, long after the newspapers have turned to new subjects. That’s certainly what we sense and see in Kyiv.”

The size of the challenge in Kyiv is clearly daunting. But, Anderson says, there are reasons for optimism. Cities have got better over the past two decades at responding to common crises, such as Covid-19, which also required rapid, mass digitization of services. “Every crisis is distinct and different, and awful, in its own way,” Anderson says, “but there are lessons learned.” The Kyiv government, and Ukrainian society more widely, have demonstrated a capacity for rapid innovation to meet urgent needs, and Anderson hopes that success in this project could see it replicated internationally. “This is not the last war. This is not the last crisis,” he says. “I think Kyiv has lessons that they can share with cities around the globe.”

For Kyiv, and Ukraine, the crisis won’t end when the war does. “Psychological health is the number one problem for Ukraine,” Davydenko says, before correcting herself. “Number one is Russia, number two is our psychological health,” she says. “PTSD is our future.”

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missbabyjay · 2 years ago

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I Wanna Be With You Everywhere - Pedro Pascal x Reader

FLUFF!

MASTERLIST - CHECK OUT MY PAGE FOR MORE!

Warnings/Content: Fluff, Alcohol

The piece is based off of the song Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac

Summary: After a long week of hard work Pedro treats you to a home cooked meal. The two of you finish off the night basking in a beautiful sunset before drifting off to a world of luscious sleep.

Word Count: 1.1 K

The light hum of the fan tickled your brain as you lounged on your snug, plush bed, propped up with your favourite book. The large windows that resided in your bedroom were cracked open, allowing the warm summer evening breeze to seep into the house, the fresh feeling lingering in your lungs as you breathed in. You had experienced a hectic week; work was incredibly busy, you had a bunch of meetings leaving you relentlessly tired. You hummed along to the soft music playing downstairs that muffled through the house, tapping your finger on the back of your book. “Finally some relaxation,” you thought to yourself.

Pedro was cooking dinner for the two of you - knowing a hearty and tasty meal would make your spirit feel lifted. That man would do anything to make you feel better and considering he was on a break from work he had all the time he would need to make the end of your week far better than it had been since Monday. He danced as he switched between the cutting board and the sleek frying plan that laid hot on the stove - cooking a mixture of vegetables. Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac filled the atmosphere, creating a calming environment.

You placed a bookmark into your book making sure you wouldn’t lose your spot - the plotline was becoming too enticing, but the overwhelming smell of Pedro’s spiced cooking filled your nostrils and you decided to make your way downstairs. You were eager to enjoy a nice meal alongside Pedro; his presence always calmed you down and after the past few days that was exactly what you needed.

You trotted down the stairs, happy to see Pedro. The aromatics hit your face as you turned the corner to enter the cosy kitchen you shared with Pedro. You saw him dancing along to the music - the two of you shared a love for Fleetwood Mac. You began singing along with the song, “oh-ohhhh, I wanna be with you everywhere.” Pedro turned around with a smile beaming from ear to ear. “Oh Princesa, I love your voice,” he cooed into the air. You wrapped your arms around him as he finished cooking dinner, the two of you swaying along to the melody together. Every so often he would send you a peck, making you giggle. “Dinner is ready. Why don’t you have a seat, baby. I’ll serve you,” he insisted with a warm, loving smile.

Pedro had arranged the table so that two candlesticks sat inbetween you bearing white taper candles that were already partially burned, drips of wax gliding down the sides of them. A cream satin table cloth draped over the small table and the delicate dinnerware was set out on top. Pedro cooked a traditional chilean dish - oh how you loved his culture’s food. The two of you enjoyed the home cooked meal alongside a glass of wine, basking in each other's company.

“I hope this was a lovely end to your week, mi amor,” his voice purred. You smiled gently at him, you appreciated how much he prioritised your feelings. “It was lovely. The meal was absolutely delicious, P.” You reached for his hand across from you, rubbing your thumb against his tough yet soft skin. He grabbed your other hand, squeezing both of them tightly. “I’d do anything for you, Y/N,” he said with a serious tone while gazing into your eyes. You heart felt warm from the kind words that poured from his lips.

Pedro offered to take care of the dishes, insisting you should continue reading your book. You decided to change your environment by bringing yourself out to the patio. The clock read 7:45 p.m., “Perfect,” you thought to yourself, just in time to catch the sun fall behind the horizon leaving the sky glowing. The stone tiles felt cold on your bare feet as you made your way outside. You settled yourself on the sectional couch that was nested in the corner of your patio. As you bundled up with a light throw blanket you heard the footsteps of Pedro coming from behind you. He was accompanied with two glasses of wine. He lit the citronella candles that sat placed on aesthetically pleasing candle holders. “I’ve got wine!” he sung, while wiggling his eyebrows at you.

As you sat there you realised just how lucky you were to live the life you have. Pedro nuzzled in beside you, grabbing a portion of the blanket to cover himself with. He brought his arm around you, pulling you close to him. “I love you baby,” he said as he planted a kiss on your temple and let his head rest against yours. You decided to close your book, knowing it would be waiting for you to continue later on. You intertwined your fingers with Pedro’s, “I don’t know what I’d do without you, P, I am so thankful for you,” you exclaimed before cupping his face and pulling him into a passionate kiss. His kiss tasted sweet from the wine you were sharing, making you pull him closer to enjoy the moment a little more.

The two of you pulled away just in time to savour the beautiful sunset that laid before you. “You’re more beautiful than this sunset, ya know that sugar? As corny as it sounds,” he giggled. His cheekiness made you chuckle.

The sun had settled and the sky grew dark, dusk washed upon the two of you. You felt quite chilled, rubbing your arms to create some warmth. Pedro noticed while glancing down at you, “Why don’t we head inside?” he suggested.

As a team the two of you collected everything, making sure to exhaust the candles - safety first! You made your way into the bedroom, picking out one of Pedro’s favourite t-shirts out of his dresser while he also got ready for bed. You glanced at his toned and tanned body as he ran his fingers through his chocolate brown curls.

You decided to keep the windows open, lounging in the sweet summer air. The two of you intertwined your bodies and sat in silence, listening to each other's heartbeat and breathing. Pedro’s hands ran up and down your body, finding their way to your bare back underneath his large cotton shirt you sported. He began circling his fingers on your back, causing goosebumps to form on your skin. Your heart rate slowed and you found yourself falling into a deep sleep; ending your stressful week in the arms of your passionate lover.

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal fan fic #pedro pascal x y/n #pedro is daddy #pedro pascal fluff #Spotify

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issdisgrace · 6 months ago

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IT'S KINDA A LONG STORY

WARNINGS: None

A/N: This takes place in 2017, character is 28.

“You know you’ve been with us for 6 months and I don’t think you proper told us about how you started hunting.” Sam says, closing his computer.

“Well, my grandpa was a hunter, so my father became a hunter. Then I decided to continue the family tradition and become a hunter.”

“Cool. How was your childhood? Mine and Sammy’s were fucked, to say the least? Went long periods in hotels. I had to steal food and a bunch of other shit.” Dean says.

“It was a mixed bag. It’s kinda a long story.” I say, sitting up on the bed.

“We have time.” Sam says.

“Alright, strap in, I guess. As you guys know, I was born in ‘89. My mom got pregnant with me when she was 16 and.

"Had me a month after she turned 17 on my dad’s 17th birthday. My mom came from a very religious family, like super religious, and her getting pregnant with me got her kicked out. My grandma and grandpa let my mom move in. From what I heard, those months were good. My dad was working while trying to finish school while my mom dropped out of school. Mom helped grandma and grandpa with the stuff around the house. When my mom was 8 months and on some odd days with me, she went into labor. She was rushed to the hospital in the town over and had me around 11:45 pm. There were a couple of problems with me since I was premature, but the doctor got everything under control and after a week, I was able to go home.

Anyway, when I was 2, my mom and dad got married. My first memory was Christmas ‘94. I remember opening a fairy princess set. It was nice at the time, but looking back now, it was very cheaply made. But fast forward to my 8th birthday, 97. I remember we had dinner and my father unwrapped his presents first, being older than I got to open mine. I had got nothing but dresses. I remember I broke out crying then when my mom and dad tried to comfort me I yelled that I didn’t want to be a girl, then ran upstairs and hid in my room. A couple of minutes later, my dad came up and entered my room. He just sat on the bed and talked to me while I was hide telling me that there wasn’t nothing wrong with wanting to be a boy and if I wanted to I could. I crawled out from underneath my bed and sat with him. He held me as I cried and we talked. It started with, is this how you really feel? How long have you been feeling this way? Would it make me happier to be a boy? I told him, It was about 6 when I realized didn’t want to be a girl, that I hated the long hair and dresses, and didn’t like my given name. We talked until it was time for me to go to bed. My dad tucked me in and stayed with me until I feel asleep. I must have been asleep no longer than a half an hour when I was woken up by yelling from downstairs. I could hear my mom yelling at my dad, saying I can’t just be a boy and that it’s just a phase. I remember hearing my dad tell her, so what if it is I have to figure out who I am and who I want to be? I just layed their crying while listening to the yelling and ended up crying myself asleep.

The next day, things were tense, to say the least that I can remember. My grandma and grandpa talked to me after the very tense breakfast and asked if I wanted to go by something else. At that time, I didn’t know. They suggest names, even pulled out baby name books, and we looked through them. But I didn’t find a name that I liked so they were suggesting different names off the top of their head and I decide on Y/n after my mom’s brother, my uncle who is most definitely the funnest coolest person I have ever known. I remember the first time he came to visit after I came out and by then I had gotten my hair cut and a new wardrobe. I had told him that I was a boy and that my new name was Y/n. He was super chill about the absolute opposite of my mother, despite coming from the same background. And their one out he called me his mini me.

So fast forward to 99 I’m 10. My mom decide to get me nail polish and make up for my birthday. I was first upset, but that black nail polish called me and I painted them. They looked pretty good, and it made me feel masculine. After I was done with my nails and they were tried and I went downstairs to show my grandma and grandpa. They were in the living room and so was my mom. I show them and my mother butted in by asking if I was finally done with this phase and finally being a girl. I was so upset. I just ran out of the house. I ran into the woods and climbed a top of tree. I was close enough to the house that I could hear my grandparents and mother getting into a screaming match. They yelled at her for 30 minutes, then they came out to find me, but I stayed silent while I cried and they didn’t find me. They looked for another half an hour for me before my father came home from his hunt he left on a couple day prior. They rushed to meet him in the driveway and they told my father what had happened.

And then there comes my mom came out of the house to yell about the whole thing again, saying that she wasn’t going to feed into the delusion and that I needed to start acting like a girl. Shit escalated and my dad yelled that he wanted a divorce and to get the fuck out of the house by morning. Then when things died down, my dad came and found me and I climbed down from the tree and he tried to comfort me. But i just kept crying and eventually I tired myself out and fell asleep. He carried me in and I woke up in my bed the next morning hearing loud crying coming from my mom. She tried to guilt trip and have my dad take her back. But it failed and eventually my uncle arrived and got my mom and her stuff and then she wasn’t in my life. Which in all this my uncle stood beside us, but he did help my mom because of the whole family thing. Anyway, my mom wasn’t completely out of my life. She would leave letters in the mailbox condemning me every couple of weeks.

So then fast forward to when I was 14. I was home alone. When I heard a car pull up. I went downstairs and opened the door and here comes my mom and her boyfriend. I knew something was wrong and quickly closed and locked the door. They started banging on the door and my mom was yelling how she could fix and that I didn’t have to pretend anymore. I called the police and hid in my closet. Listening to the banging. After a couple minutes, I hear two cruisers pull, then a commotion. Then eventually the commotion was over and I heard my name called out by the cop saying it was safe. I realized it was my friends Chris’ dad, John.

I got out of hiding and went downstair and the front door was totaled. It was on the verge of breaking. So I go outside they got my mom and her boyfriend in separate cruiser. John and the other officer, Charlie, made sure I was ok. They got another cop to come out and take my mom from John’s cruiser so John could stay with me. He did, and eventually my dad and grandparents showed up. We pressed charges, they both ended up getting 4 years. And that is the last thing I know about the whereabout of my mom. After that whole situation, my dad and grandpa taught me self defiance, which turned into teaching me how to hunt.

Then when I was about 18, my grandparents go into a pile up caused by a drunk driver and died. It was really tough around then and I threw myself into my shitty waiter job at the local diner. Made decent money and got good tips. With the saved money, I got myself a car with my dad’s help and started traveling, doing hunts. Stayed in contact with dad through this time and still do. He ended up getting close to John after his wife divorced him and they fell for each other. They got married last year, which I attended their wedding, then I took a break from hunting. Then a couple of months ago I started back up my. band, that’s when I met you guys and here we are.”

“Damn sorry about the whole transphobic mom and grandparents thing.” Sam says.

“Eh, I got over it.”

“Pretty hard stuff to get over,” Dean adds in.

“Yeah, I went to a lot of therapy to get myself to this point.”

“Glad it went well for you. Therapists can be tricky. Some help and some don’t.” Sam said.

“I got paired with a pretty good one. Anyway, don’t mean to switch topics, but how does food sound to you guys because all that talking got me hungry?”

“Yes, I love the way you think.” Dean says.

“There’s a diner just down the road we can go there.” Sam says.

“Sounds good to me.”

#dean winchester #sam winchester #supernatural #dean winchester x male reader #dean winchester x reader #sam winchester x male reader #sam winchester x reader #supernatural x male reader #supernatural x reader

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pettyrevenge-base · 2 months ago

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Neighbors called the cops on me!

So I moved into this house in 2017, nice neighborhood, everyone usually friendly. Except for an elderly couple directly across from me. They have called the cops on everyone for everything, they have even had numerous screaming matches with other neighbors over their rage issues. One occasion was kids playing in a public street in front of our houses.

Since moving in I have been cordial, offered them food when I grill outside, take them packages I get by mistake, say good morning and wave at them. They can barely walk and one of them is going blind. I since moving in noticed they get their yard treated and if I mow and note the treatment sign withering away in their yard, I get it and throw it away for them. Been doing this since 2017. Today I mow, chunk their tathered sign, and go back in to enjoy my day. 45 minutes later a deputy is knocking on my door asking what my issue is with my neighbor. Explains I threw out their sign and they called him. He upon finding out what the sign is gives me the "you're kidding" look. He puts it back in their yard. They sat out their commenting bullshit on their porch while the cop was there. After they left they hurried inside.

Took picture of the sign sent it to the hoa as a violation as it has been out there for 2 weeks per the date on it. Hope they like the fine they get.

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

#pettyrevenge #lol #omg

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fanfictionalraven · 8 months ago

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Piece by Piece Pt. 9

Title: Piece By Piece Pt. 9

Summary: This part takes place during the episode It’s A Terrible Life.

Characters: Reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, other canon characters and original characters

Word Count: 3,013

Warnings: N/A

Author’s Note: This story was originally posted by myself under the account Winchestersgirl92. It was published in 2017.

Read Piece by Piece Pt. 8 here.

You pad across the living room of the penthouse apartment, enjoying the morning’s peace before having to wake up Katherine. Looking down at the city, your hand comes to rest on your stomach. You weren’t obviously showing yet, there was only a tiny bump under your hand. Two arms come around your waist and a pair of lips find your cheek.

“Morning, Mrs. Smith,” Dean mumbles against your skin. You laugh lightly and run your hand over his arm.

“We’ve been married for 10 years, Dean. Don’t you ever get tired of saying that?” You ask. His nose brushes against your cheek.

“Are you tired of hearing it?” He asks. Smiling, you look over your shoulder at him and shake your head.

“Never,” you tell him. He smiles and presses his lips against yours. Turning in his arms, your own lay across his shoulders. He pulls away and his eyes narrow.

“You had coffee, didn’t you?” He asks. You bite your lip and he sighs. “I thought we agreed no more caffeine while you’re pregnant.”

“You suggested it, I vetoed,” you tell him. He shakes his head, unamused.

“I just want you both healthy,” he says. You roll your eyes and kiss his nose quickly.

“And one cup of coffee in the morning isn’t going to hurt either of us,” you say, taking his hands and pulling him into the kitchen. Dropping his hands, you move to the refrigerator and pull his lunch out.

“What are your plans for the day?” Dean asks, pouring coffee into his travel mug. You set his lunch on the counter then get the eggs out to start your daughter’s breakfast.

“Well after I drop Katherine off I have my first pregnant yoga class,” you tell him. He raises an eyebrow at you.

“That’s a thing?” He asks. You laugh lightly and nod, cracking a few eggs into the pan.

“Apparently. Bridget signed me up for it last week. Said it did wonders for her when she was pregnant with Destiny,” you say. Dean nods, watching you. “Then we’re going shopping cause Bridget needs a new dress for that charity ball thing they’re hosting this weekend.”

“I thought you couldn’t stand Bridget,” he says before taking a sip from his mug. You sigh and nod.

“I can’t. She’s a spoiled little princess but she’s going through this nasty divorce and she doesn’t have anyone else,” you tell him. He smiles, pushing off of the counter he’d been leaning against.

“You’re such a saint,” he says, walking over and kissing your cheek. “I gotta go. I’ll see all three of you tonight.” His hand comes to rest on your stomach and you smile at him softly, nodding. You lean in and plant a quick kiss on his lips.

“I love you,” you tell him. He picks up his lunch before kissing you one last time.

“I love you too,” he says. You smile and watch him as he rushes out the door before returning your attention to the eggs.

At 7:45 you drop Katherine off at the front door of her prestigious private school then drive across town to the little yoga studio. After an hour-long class, you meet Bridget for brunch before the two of you hit the most expensive store in town. By lunch, she still hasn’t found anything and insists on continuing after you eat. 2:30 rolls around and you’re ready to either pull your own hair out strand by strand or snap her neck, you haven’t decided. You finally manage to convince her that the green one with the dropped waist does not make her look like an avocado and the two of you leave. You just manage to get to the school in time to pick Katherine up. You get her home and settled in with her tutor before you start making dinner. At 5:00 on the dot your cell phone rings.

“Hello,” you say, sticking it between your ear and shoulder as you stir the pot on the stove.

“Hi, Darling,” Dean’s voice says over the line. You frown quickly. He only called you darling when he had bad news.

“You’re staying late again, aren’t you?” You ask, hanging your head.

“I’m sorry. Something’s come up and I don’t know when I’ll be in tonight,” he tells you quickly. You glance over your shoulder at your daughter and sigh.

“She hasn’t seen you in three days, Dean. You live in the same apartment and you haven’t even seen each other. Do you realize how sad that is?” You ask, your voice dropping low.

“Can we not have this fight again?” He asks with a sigh. You bite your lip, watching the water in the pot boil.

“You aren’t having an affair, are you?” You ask. Your voice is thick with the tears you’re trying to hold back.

“Hey, hey. Whoa. Not even close. You know me better than that. You’re the only girl for me, Y/N,” he says, his voice soft and reassuring. “I’ve got a special project that came up at the last minute. I’m staying with a co-worker, Sam Wesson. He works in our technical support department. I will try my best to be home in time to tuck Katherine in and spend a few hours fixing whatever made you ask such an insane question.” You wipe at your cheeks quickly and nod.

“I’m sorry. Hormones and I spent the whole day listening to Bridget talk about her divorce. Her husband was having an affair with his secretary,” you tell him. He chuckles.

“Well you’ve met Janice and, as lovely as she is, I don’t think she’d be willing to throw away a 40-year marriage, three kids, and five grandkids just for me,” he says. You laugh lightly and return to stirring the pot in front of you.

“I think you underestimate yourself,” you tease. He laughs now then sighs.

“Alright. I gotta get back to work. I love you. I love Katherine. I love the baby,” he says. You smile and glance back at Katherine, reading her book.

“We all love you too,” you tell him. Dean hangs up and you sigh, setting the phone aside. Katherine looks up at you now and frowns.

“He won’t be home again tonight, will he?” She asks. You frown too and shake your head.

“He said he’s gonna try and make it back in time to tuck you in,” you tell her. She nods, unconvinced, and looks over out the window.

“Can we go to Grandpa Bobby and Grandma Ellen’s this weekend?” She asks. You smile as you walk over and plant a kiss on top of her head.

“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll talk to Daddy about it tonight,” you say. She smiles up at you widely. “Now go wash up for dinner.”

The two of you eat, making plans for the weekend. You knew Dean wouldn’t have a problem with going to see his family over the weekend; it was more a concern for how much time this special project was going to take up. You allow Katherine to stay up an extra 30 minutes, hoping Dean would make it in. But by 9:00 you get her in bed yourself. You fall onto the couch and drape a blanket over yourself before dozing off as you wait for Dean to get home.

The sound of someone rummaging around the kitchen draws you from your slumber. You sit up and rub at your eyes before squinting at your phone. It was nearly midnight. You sigh and rise to your feet before walking into the kitchen.

“Dean, baby, are you just getting in?” You ask before freezing. Dean was not the one fumbling around your kitchen. You stare at the strange man with long hair then grab a knife from the butcher block on the counter. The man raises his hands quickly.

“No, no!!” He says. “I’m Sam!!” You stare at him, holding the knife out towards him.

“Hey!! Whoa!!” Dean says, coming around the corner suddenly. You look at him and he takes the knife from you. “Easy. This is Sam. From work. Remember?” You sigh and nod. Sam. From work. The special project.

“I’m so sorry. Dean didn’t tell me he was bringing someone home,” you tell Sam. He smiles and shakes his head. You look back up at Dean, raising an eyebrow.

“I saw you were asleep on the couch. I went in to check on Katherine then I was going to move you to bed,” he explains. You nod slightly and he looks at Sam. “Sam Wesson, this is my wife, Y/N.” Sam smiles at you apologetically.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry for the scare,” he says. You shake your head, leaning against Dean as he wraps his arms around you from behind.

“It’s fine. Not your fault,” you tell him. Dean kisses your temple quickly.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “Sam and I are actually about to head back to the office. Shouldn’t be too long though.”

“Be careful,” you say, looking back at him. “I’m going to bed. Don’t wake me up when you come in.” He laughs lightly and kisses you briefly before letting you go.

A few hours later, you rouse to the bed shifting next to you as Dean climbs in. You feel him gently push a hair from your face and you open your eyes.

“I told you not to wake me up,” you mumble teasingly. Dean laughs softly and nods.

“Sorry,” he says. You watch his face for a moment. His smile isn’t quite reaching his eyes the way it always does.

“What’s wrong?” You ask. He shrugs his shoulders, laying an arm across your waist.

“Weird night,” he says. You nod slightly, waiting. He eventually sighs, his eyes averted. “Are you happy, Y/N?” He asks. You smile and reach up, placing your hand against his cheek. His eyes meet yours again.

“I’ve got you. Katherine. The baby. What more could I want?” You ask. He nods slightly.

“Do you feel like – like something’s missing?” He asks. Your smile falls slowly and you sit up, looking down at him.

“You feel like something’s missing,” you say. He frowns and sits up quickly.

“Not with you!! No,” he says, taking your hands in both of his. “I am happy. With you and our little family. It’s just – work.” You nod as he reaches up and wipes the stray tear from your cheek.

“You aren’t happy with your job then change it,” you tell him. He sighs and shakes his head.

“What about the baby? And the life we have planned?” He asks. You pull your hands from his and takes his face in them gently.

“As long as we have each other, I don’t care about the rest of it, Dean. All of this,” you say, glancing around the bedroom. “It’s just stuff.” He smiles and you kiss him softly. “What are you wanting to do?” You ask as you pull away, running your fingers through his hair.

“Some freelance work with Sam. We’d be traveling a lot,” he says. You smile and nod. “I might quit tomorrow.”

“I’ll start packing then,” you tell him. He smiles and shakes his head, watching you.

“You’re too good for me,” he says before leaning in and kissing you again. You smile and lay back, pulling him down with you.

The next morning, you drop Katherine off at school before heading over to Dean’s office. You smile at Janice as you walk up to her desk. She hangs up the phone and returns the smile.

“Mrs. Smith. How are you feeling?” She asks. You laugh lightly and shrug.

“Morning sickness. It’s hit or miss, you know,” you tell her. She smiles, knowingly, and nods. “He in the office?”

“Go on in,” she says. You smile again and round the corner, stopping in his door. One of his coworkers is sat across from him.

“Ugh, well, thank you. Thank you, sir. It’s – umm…” Dean stammers and stops when he sees you in the door. You smile at him apologetically then step inside. The man looks over and smiles, standing up.

“I’m sorry. Janice said it was fine to just come in,” you tell him before holding up a small plastic container. “You left your lunch this morning.” Dean laughs lightly and nods, holding his arm out for you.

“Mr. Adler, this is my wife, Y/N,” he introduces, wrapping his arm around your waist as you move into his side. You smile and shake Mr. Adler’s extended hand.

“Pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I heard the good news. Congratulations!!” He says, reaching a hand out to your stomach. Dean’s arm tightens around your waist slightly and Mr. Adler notices, dropping his hand quickly. “I was just talking to Dean here about all the big things coming his way.” You smile and look up at Dean. He looks back at you and you nod your head once.

“I’m giving my notice,” he says, looking back at Mr. Adler. You smile proudly as Dean explains his reasoning, this company not being who he’s meant to be. You’d always known of course that Dean was so much more than a suit and tie. Mr. Adler directs his attention to you now.

“And how do you feel about it?” He asks. You shrug slightly.

“I’ll support him in whatever he decides to do,” you tell him. Mr. Adler nods and an almost sinister grin starts to spread across his face. Dean frowns and pulls you a little closer.

“Dean, Dean, Dean. Finally,” Mr. Adler says. He reaches forward quickly and touches two fingers to both of your heads. Your mind fogs over for a second before clearing. Dean’s arm drops from your waist and you take a step backwards. You steady yourself against a chair, feeling dizzy, as you start to recollect everything.

You and Dean were not high school sweethearts. You weren’t married or a housewife. You didn’t live in a fancy penthouse apartment. Your daughter didn’t go by Katherine or go to a private school. Your hand comes to your stomach quickly and you sigh. The baby was real. You knew that much.

“Are you ready to stand up and be who you really are?” The man you had thought was Mr. Adler says to Dean. He shakes his head slightly in response. You reach out for Dean’s arm quickly and he looks at you.

“M.K. Dean, we have to go get her,” you tell him. His eyes widen slightly and he nods as Sam comes running into the room. Dean looks around and frowns, the other man now vanished.

“What the hell happened??” Sam asks, staring at his brother. Dean shakes his head, wrapping his arm around your waist quickly.

“We gotta go,” he says, pulling you from the office. The three of you make your way through the building as quickly as you can. You find the Impala parked in a nearby garage. Sam gets into the backseat, allowing you to sit up front. Dean throws the car in gear and whips his tie off as he peels out of the garage. You jump when your cellphone starts to ring and pull it out quickly.

“Hello?” You say into the receiver.

“Mrs. Smith. This is Dr. Brown from the school,” a woman’s voice on the other end says. Your eyes widen and you look at Dean. He glances at you as he drives. “Katherine seems to be having a panic attack of some sort.”

“Can I talk to her please?” You ask, trying to keep your voice calm. You hear the phone shift hands and M.K.’s sobs come over the line.

“Momma??” She asks. “I don’t know where I am and these people are calling me Katherine Smith!! Where are you??” You shush her quickly.

“M.K. I need you to calm down. Daddy and I are on the way to get you right now, okay? Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise. We’ll be there in just a few minutes,” you tell her, wiping at your own eyes. There was nothing in her voice but sheer terror.

“You’re coming?” She asks, trying to calm herself down.

“Just minutes away. I swear, Baby Girl,” you assure her, squeezing your eyes closed. The phone changes hands again.

“Do you want us to give her anything?” The woman asks.

“No!!” You say a little too loudly. “No. My – my husband and I are on our way to get her now.” You look over at Dean and he nods.

“Very well. We’ll keep her in the office,” she tells you. You nod and hang up, dropping the phone in your lap. You clasp your hands together in front of you, trying to stop them from shaking. Dean reaches over, running a comforting hand over your knee.

“She’s gonna be fine. We’re almost there,” he says. You shake your head slightly, wiping at your tears quickly.

“You’ll have to go in and get her. I can’t,” you tell him, barely keeping it together. He nods and squeezes your knee. His hand stays there until he parks the car in front of the school building. After he gets out, skipping steps as he rushes to the door, you feel another hand come to rest on your shoulder. You look back to find Sam frowning at you.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into all this,” he says. You merely shake your head, unable to speak. You take a few calming breaths, knowing you can’t be falling apart when Dean gets back with M.K.

A minute later, he’s rushing back down the stairs with her held tightly in his arms. You can see he’s talking to her, reassuring her, apologizing to her. You push open your door and he hands her off to you quickly before running around to his side. You hold her tight, alternating between kissing her temple, cheek, and hair. You’ve never been more grateful to have her in your arms as Dean peels away from the school, tires screeching.

Read Piece by Piece Pt. 10 here.

#fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #supernatural #spn #dean x y/n #dean x you #dean x reader #dean winchester #dad!dean #castiel #cas

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ggukkiedae · 5 months ago

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MIYA Kicks of Her Solo Tour, and I Went to All Three Days in Seoul

By: Shin Yeseul || 11:30 AM || June 17, 2024

MIYA started her tour “Headliner 2024” with three days in Jamsil Olympic Stadium!

Back in 2017, I wasn’t an ARMY, but I randomly ran into Miya. We talked for a bit, and her personality made me want to check out her music. Since then, I became a fan, and I managed to get tickets to all three days of the Initial Seoul stop with the help of my friend Yongsun (I love you, thank you).

I’m here to share my experience on day 1.

First of all, her stage outfits were amazing! My favorite was her act 2 outfit, which she posted on her Instagram account. I’ve included some photos in the cover of this blog post!

Before the concert even began, music videos were playing! Not just her music videos, but also BTS music videos! Although, as a Czennie as well, I’d have to say seeing the video of Miya and Mark’s SM Station both surprised me and made me sad (I miss them as a couple T.T).

Aside from the usual guidelines and lightstick connecting videos, there was a notice shown on the screens every now and then about 45% of the ticket and merchandise sales from “Headliner 2024” would go to medical and relief missions to help the people of Palestine, just like she said in her live a week prior to the concert.

At 6PM precisely, the lights turned off and the opening VCR started. It was insane, it showed some of the biggest scandals she was victim to from the early petition to remove her all the way to the last name fiasco. Then it showed her solo debut and all her achievements as a soloist and a producer, composer, music engineer, and lyricist.

Then the first act started. It began with “My House”, the first “Oh” playing without music and Miya’s silhouette appeared. There was a pause, and chills went through me as everyone’s cheers grew louder. There was the musicless chant of “Who they came to see? Me!” with the white cloth coming down at the word “me” and revealing Miya. There was another moment of silence. Goosebumps rose on my skin as she scanned the crowd. Then, the moment she smirked, the music started up again. No words can express how exhilarating the opening felt. “My House” is definitely the best song to start off a concert titled “Headliner 2024”.

She gave a ment after “My House” to welcome everyone to the tour, then finished the act with “Picture”, “Play”, another ment, “Drama”, then “Holy Moly” before the lights turned off for the next VCR to play.

The VCR started with news outlets discussing her change in “Blood, Sweat, and Tears”, saying she’d be better off not going into sexy concepts. It was at that moment that we all knew the next act would be the more recent songs. We were right. The VCR showed the reactions to her Chapter 2 Comebacks with the more mature concepts.

Act 2, which had my favorite outfit, began with low pink lighting and “bet u wanna” and “got her own”. Her ment was quicker, joking around about making sure minors who came to her concert had either their parent’s consent or a guardian with them. She continued the act with “7 rings”, “b.i.t.c.h.”, and crowd favorite “bloodline”. This act had her more interacting with the audience in comparison to Act 1 that was solely performance.

The next VCR began, this time showing netizens’ comments about how she seemed to be too different from the other members of Bangtan. It played a clip from an interview for her solo debut of her saying “People said I was different from the oppas, so I decided to actually show them what different is”.

Act 3 started off with a y2k vibe based on the songs “Shooting Star”, “Blue Flame”, and “Thirsty”. After her ment, she picked up the mood with “AYAYAYA”, “Wow Thing”, and “SHHH!”, which got everyone excited.

No one was prepared for the next act.

The VCR was different from the others. The screen was black, and an excerpt from one of her interviews on her solo debut schedules played: the audio of her saying “the members? They’re everything to me”. There was no background music when it showed seven different clips of her hugging each member before they enlisted. At the end of everything, there was a video of her getting into a car, the visuals fading to black while a reporter’s voice played saying “Now that the BTS boys are all enlisted, Miya is officially on her own for a while.”.

The lights slowly went on, showing Miya on the extended stage, guitar in her arms. Everyone’s hearts broke as she performed “breathe” live in front of an audience for the first time. She followed it with “Clued Up” before going into a ment.

She asked us all if it was okay to slow things down for a bit and to take a moment to introduce some people in the crowd who meant a lot to her. The screens behind her shifted to show people in the crowd, seated together and all looking a little confused before waving at everyone and waving their lightsticks around.

It was all seven boys of BTS.

I still remember vividly the smile on Miya’s face when the seven of them were shown on the screen. She smiled and introduced them one by one and asked them what they thought of the concert. The boys showed various versions of approval from different hearts to thumbs ups and head nods. “Glad to hear you’re enjoying. I have a surprise for you, if ARMY don’t mind.”

We all cheered, thinking she would perform “Mikrokosmos”, or “Magic Shop”. She carried her guitar over to a piano that was lifted onto the stage near her and sat there. I can’t explain the rush we all felt when Jungkook’s masked face was zoomed into on one screen the moment Miya began playing the opening notes of “Euphoria”.

Miya performed one of the members’ solo songs each, completely acoustic, and each time, the song owner’s masked face was zoomed into on one screen while she was shown on the other screen, making it look like they were facing each other.

She did “Euphoria” for Jungkook, “Inner Child” for V, “Serendipity” for Jimin, “Closer” for RM, “On The Street” for J-Hope, “Snooze” for Suga, and “The Astronaut” for Jin.

Were we all tearing up? Yeah, but so were the tannies! Once she finished everything, she got up and smiled into the crowd, in the direction of the boys. While walking backwards up the runway to the main stage, she thanked them for coming and for being her strength and her family before she introduced the last song of the concert. She performed “Trivia: Why”.

Of course, even if she said that was the end, we all knew it wasn’t. We had ARMY Time, where we all sang “LOVE”’s first verse and chorus.

Then, the lights dimmed again, and the band started playing “Nonsense”, her collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter. She changed the second verse (her original part in her collaboration) into a rap! Not to mention, she came from the crowd! She walked around while performing, taking photos with, hugging, waving at, and interacting with ARMY the whole time. Yongsun and I were a little sad she didn’t get to go to where the tannies were, but they were on the third floor of audience, so it was understandable.

She ended the song on the main stage where she began “Hype Boy”! She’d dance during the chorus, but interact with fans during the verses. Before the last chorus, the music vamped, and she introduced each of her band one by one. It was an all-woman band! She then introduced her dancers, all of which came from the dance studio that she and Jungkook set up and fund together: “Do Studios”.

After the last chorus of "Hype Boy", she thanked her friends who came. For Day 1, it was the tannies, her brothers Yoonsung and Chan, Chan brought Felix and Leeknow with him, the whole of NCT Dream + Jungwoo, the whole of TXT, Kep1er’s Yujin and Bahiyyih, The Boyz’s Sunoo and Eric, the whole of Enhypen, and Boy Next Door’s Myung Jaehyun.

Day 2 had the tannies, Viviz’s Umji, Red Velvet’s Yeri, the whole of SHINee, Chungha, Kiss of Life’s Julie, Hori7on’s Marcus, Unis’s Elisia and Gehlee, and Aespa’s Ningning.

Day 3 had the tannies and her family members, who had flown in from Australia to watch her. That’s her mom, her dad, Yoonsung (with Eunseol, Yoonseol, and Hanseol), Chan, Hannah, and their youngest brother.

These are just those she mentioned, you can find threads on twitter of other idols who watched her concert. She even reposted some of their stories or posts about it on her Instagram stories!

But she never failed to mention how thankful she was to ARMY, not just for coming to see her, but for also being a part of her effort to help people in need.

With that, she ended the whole concert with “good parts” and “Celebrity” all while roaming through the crowd and interacting with people as much as she could from both the ground and the main and extended stages.

All in all, I would say “Headliner 2024” was an amazing experience, from the song choices to the VCRs to the emotions to the cause and all the way to Miya herself. There’s a reason every location sold out in an average of 2 minutes.

taglist: @sunflower-0180 @seaoffangirling @yourwonderbelle @1-800-enhypennabi @kamiiyou @strwberrydinosaur @uraveragefangirlsposts @caratinylyfe @1-800-minji @one16core @kimhyejin3108 @chansols @akshverse @toriluvsfics @billboard-singer @stopeatread @allthings-fandoms @jammingjaem

drop an ask or a dm if you wanna be added or taken out of the taglist 🥰 requests are also open!

#yoonmi.notice #yoonmi.reppin #miya #yoonmi #kim yoonmi #bts 8th member #bts female member #bts female addition #yoonmi.timestamp

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evidence-based-activism · 3 months ago

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Hi! Thanks so much for your hard work, I always appreciate the amount of effort you put into your posts and your devotion to promoting the truth above all.

Recently, I was curious about what proportion of men use pornography on a regular basis, so I googled it, and the search results were not useful in the slightest. There were a huge variety of studies cited in various different articles with wildly differing statistics attached to each of them. I don't really know how to effectively parse through all the information available on the subject, so I was wondering if you, as someone with an admirable grasp of statistics, had any light to shed on the question of what proportion of men are regular porn users.

(While writing this, I realized that the answer to this question is probably heavily dependent on which demographics of men are given which surveys, so for my purposes, being a USAmerican, I guess I'd be primarily curious about USAmerican men's habits, but if you had any way to break the data down by region or continent or country, that'd be incredibly interesting too)

Hi, Anon! Thank you!!

There are definitely a wide range of estimates for this, and they vary even more when considering what "frequent" is (at least once a week? more than once a week? at least once a month?). That being said, I think there are still some good estimates:

This article [1] reviewed relatively large (n >= 100) studies published between 2010 and 2017 on non-clinical samples. Both their pooled, weighted, analysis of studies with convenience samples of young adult (~18-39) men from developed and nearly-developed countries* (final sample size > 14,700) and an estimate from a review of large-scale, nationally representative surveys of young adult men from the USA yielded a final estimate of: ~45% of men use pornography at least weekly.

There have also been some more recent studies that help provide a clearer picture.

First, random/probability samples (better for generalization):

This 2021 study [2] on people aged 16 to 84 in Sweden found 33% of men used pornography at least once a week, but this ranged by age group from 66% for men aged 16-24 to 7.4% for men aged 65-84.

This 2021 study [3] on adolescents aged 14 to 17 in six European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Iceland) found 40% of male teenagers used pornography at least once a week.

Next, non-random/non-probability samples (issues with generalization, but still useful for investigating specific aspects of a phenomenon):

This 2021 study [4] on more than 15,000 young adults (age not specified) in Arab countries** found 55% of men used pornography at least once a week.

This 2018 study [5] on more than 1,000 adults (>18) in the US found 92% of men used pornography in the last month with an average (across participants) of 68 minutes per a week

This 2017 study [6] on 941 participants (aged 15 to 29) from Victoria, Australia found 84% of men used pornography at least once a week

This 2022 study [7] in that it performed an analysis of "objective website traffic data" in Poland found that pornography use has been increasing over time and as of 2016, 49% of male internet users used pornography in a month. Averaging across all study years, and dividing out by age, the estimates ranged from ~25% for boys aged 7-12 to ~60% for men aged 18-22. (And these are averaging across the period of increase, so the current estimates would likely be higher.)

In summary, frequency of pornography use varies by age and (to a degree) by geographic region (i.e., by degree development and gender equality). All of these also only considered prevalence among men with internet access, which means it is most likely not generalizable to very low income countries.

That being said, given the similarity in estimates between the review, the probability samples, and the convenience samples I think a reasonable rough estimate for the percentage of younger (not senior) men (with internet access) who use pornography at least once a week is ~45%. Just keep in mind that there is definitely significant variation by age, such that older men use much less pornography than younger men.

There are also a lot of studies that look specifically at problematic pornography use, but I didn't include these because (1) they wouldn't be representative of the general population who may or may not be registering their behaviors as an issue and (2) I consider all pornography use problematic.

I hope this gives you the answer you need!

References below the cut:

Miller, Dan J., Raggatt, Peter T.F., and McBain, Kerry (2020) A literature review of studies into the prevalence and frequency of men's pornography use. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 15 (4) pp. 502-529.

Kinda Malki, Christoffer Rahm, Katarina Görts Öberg, Peter Ueda, Frequency of Pornography Use and Sexual Health Outcomes in Sweden: Analysis of a National Probability Survey, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 18, Issue 10, October 2021, Pages 1735–1751, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.08.003

Andrie, E. K., Sakou, I. I., Tzavela, E. C., Richardson, C., & Tsitsika, A. K. (2021). Adolescents’ online pornography exposure and its relationship to sociodemographic and psychopathological correlates: A cross-sectional study in six european countries. Children, 8(10), 925. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8100925

Eljawad, M. A., Se’eda, H., Ghozy, S., El-Qushayri, A. E., Elsherif, A., Elkassar, A. H., ... & Islam, S. M. S. (2021). Pornography use prevalence and associated factors in Arab countries: A multinational cross-sectional study of 15,027 individuals. The journal of sexual medicine, 18(3), 539-548.

Solano, I., Eaton, N. R., & O’Leary, K. D. (2020). Pornography consumption, modality and function in a large internet sample. The Journal of Sex Research.

Lim, M. S., Agius, P. A., Carrotte, E. R., Vella, A. M., & Hellard, M. E. (2017). Young Australians' use of pornography and associations with sexual risk behaviours. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 41(4), 438-443.

Lewczuk, K., Wójcik, A., & Gola, M. (2022). Increase in the prevalence of online pornography use: Objective data analysis from the period between 2004 and 2016 in Poland. Archives of sexual behavior, 1-15.

*USA, Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Croatia, Poland, Portugal, Indonesia, Korea

**Egypt, Bahrain, Algeria, Yeman, UAE, Tunisia, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Oman, Morocco, Mauritania, Libya, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq

#feminism #sex industry

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 months ago

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I asked chatgbt to make an image of Florida running out of homeowners insurance and flooded by a hurricane.

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 27, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 28, 2024

Last night, at about 11:10 local time, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida, where the state’s panhandle curves down toward the peninsula. It was classified as a Category 4 storm when it hit, bringing winds of 140 miles per hour (225 km per hour). The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane wind scale, developed in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson, divides storms according to sustained wind intensity in an attempt to explain storms on a scale similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes.

The Saffir-Simpson scale defines a Category 4 hurricane as one that brings catastrophic damage. According to the National Weather Service, which was established in 1870 to give notice of “the approach and force of storms,” and is now part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a Category 4 hurricane has winds of 134–156 miles (209–251 km) per hour. “Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”

Hurricane Helene hit with a 15-foot (4.6 meter) storm surge and left a path of destruction across Florida before moving up into Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky with torrential rain, flash floods, high winds, and tornadoes. A record level of more than eleven inches of rain fell in Atlanta, Georgia. At least 45 people have died in the path of the storm, and more than 4.5 million homes and businesses across ten states are without power. The roads in western North Carolina are closed. Moody’s Analytics said it expects the storm to leave $15 to $26 billion in property damage.

Officials from NOAA, the scientific and regulatory agency that forecasts weather and monitors conditions in the oceans and skies, predict that record-warm ocean temperatures this year will produce more storms than usual. NOAA hurricane scientist Jeff Masters noted that Helene’s landfall “gives the U.S. a record eight Cat 4 or Cat 5 Atlantic hurricane landfalls in the past eight years (2017–2024), seven of them being continental U.S. landfalls. That’s as many Cat 4 and 5 landfalls as occurred in the prior 57 years.”

President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina before Helene made landfall. Tennessee governor Bill Lee, a Republican, did not ask for such a declaration until this evening, instead proclaiming September 27 a “voluntary Day of Prayer and Fasting.” Observers pointed out that with people stuck on a hospital roof in the midst of catastrophic flooding in his state, maybe an emergency declaration would be more on point.

After a state or a tribal government asks for federal help, an emergency declaration enables the federal government to provide funds to supplement local and state emergency efforts, as well as to deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help save lives, protect property, and protect health and safety. Before Helene made landfall, the federal government placed personnel and resources across the region, ready to help with search and rescue, restore power, and provide food and water and emergency generators.

The federal government sent 1,500 federal personnel to the region, as well as about 8,000 members of the U.S. Coast Guard and teams from the Army Corps of Engineers to provide emergency power. It provided two health and medical task forces to help local hospitals and critical care facilities, and sent in more than 2.7 million meals, 1.6 million liters of water, 50,000 tarps, 10,000 cots, 20,000 blankets, 70,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and 40,000 gallons of gasoline to provide supplies for those hit by the catastrophe.

FEMA was created in 1979 after the National Governors Association asked President Jimmy Carter to centralize federal emergency management functions. That centralization recognized the need for coordination as people across the country responded to a disaster in any one part of it. When a devastating fire ripped through Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the day after Christmas in 1802, Congress agreed to send aid to the town, but volunteers organized by local and state governments and funded by wealthy community members provided most of the response and recovery efforts for the many disasters of the 1800s.

When a deadly hurricane wiped out Galveston, Texas, in 1900, killing at least 6,000 residents and destroying most of the city’s buildings, the inept machine government proved unable to manage the donations pouring in from across the country to help survivors. Six years later, when an earthquake badly damaged San Francisco and ensuing fires from broken gas lines engulfed the city in flames, the interim fire chief—who took over when the fire chief was gravely injured—called in federal troops to patrol the streets and guard buildings. More than 4,000 Army troops also fed, sheltered, and clothed displaced city residents.

When the Mississippi River flooded in 1927, sending up to 30 feet (9 meters) of water across ten states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, killing about 500 people and displacing hundreds of thousands more, President Calvin Coolidge appointed Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover to coordinate the federal disaster response and pull together the many private-sector interests eager to help out under federal organization. This marked the first time the federal government took charge after a disaster.

In 1950, Congress authorized federal response to disasters when it passed the Federal Disaster Assistance Program. In response to the many disasters of the 1960s—the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, Hurricane Betsy in 1965, and Hurricane Camille in 1969—the Department of Housing and Urban Development established a way to provide housing for disaster survivors. Congress provided guaranteed flood insurance to homeowners, and in 1970 it also authorized federal loans and federal funding for those affected by disasters.

When he signed the Disaster Relief Act of 1970, Republican president Richard Nixon said: “I am pleased with this bill which responds to a vital need of the American people. The bill demonstrates that the Federal Government in cooperation with State and local authorities is capable of providing compassionate assistance to the innocent victims of natural disasters.”

Four years later, Congress established the process for a presidential disaster declaration. By then, more than 100 different federal departments and agencies had a role in responding to disasters, and the attempts of state, tribal, and local governments to interface with them created confusion. So the National Governors Association asked President Carter to streamline the process. In Executive Order 12127 he brought order to the system with the creation of FEMA.

In 2003, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S., the George W. Bush administration brought FEMA into its newly-created Department of Homeland Security, along with 21 other agencies, wrapping natural disasters together with terrorist attacks as matters of national security. After 2005’s Hurricane Katrina required the largest disaster response in U.S. history, FEMA’s inadequate response prompted a 2006 reform act that distinguished responding to natural disasters from responding to terrorist attacks. In 2018, another reform focused on funding for disaster mitigation before the crisis hits.

The federal government’s efficient organization of responses to natural disasters illustrates that as citizens of a republic, we are part of a larger community that responds to our needs in times of crisis.

But that system is currently under attack. Project 2025, a playbook for the next Republican administration, authored by allies of the right-wing Heritage Foundation and closely associated with Republican presidential candidate Trump and vice presidential candidate Ohio senator J.D. Vance, calls for slashing FEMA’s budget and returning disaster responses to states and localities.

Project 2025 also calls for dismantling the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and either eliminating its functions, sending them to other agencies, privatizing them, or putting them under the control of states and territories. It complains that NOAA, whose duties include issuing hurricane warnings, is “one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Heather Cox Richardson #letters from an american #American History #weather #hurricanes #Project 2025 #FEMA #NOAA #flooding #Army Corps of Engineers #Heritage Foundation

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mariacallous · 1 month ago

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In Butler, Pennsylvania, a billboard read “In Musk We Trust.” A Tesla Cybertruck parked on the side of the road sported a TRUMP 2024 flag.

With a month left in the presidential campaign, former president Donald Trump returned to Butler for a rally less than three months after the assassination attempt on Trump’s life that resulted in the death of one rally attendee. This time, Trump was joined by X owner Elon Musk and vice presidential candidate JD Vance.

“Welcome Back to Butler, Mr. President,” read a message in Trump’s walk-on video.

When Trump started speaking, the same chart about illegal immigration he was referring to in the moments before the attempted assassination appeared on screen. “And as I was saying,” Trump said. He’d timed this moment so that it took place at precisely 6:11 pm, which was when he was shot in the ear on July 13. He also held a “moment of silence” honoring those who were injured or killed during the assassination attempt in July. Opera singer Christopher Macchio sang Ave Maria, and people in the crowd removed their hats, wiped their eyes, and some even took a knee as Trump looked on solemnly.

“Over the past eight years, those who want to stop us from achieving this future have slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and who knows? Maybe even try to kill me,” said Trump, floating the conspiracy theory that the attempted assassination was orchestrated by his political opponents. “12 weeks ago we all took a bullet for America.”

Trump later invited Musk on stage. The X owner walked on wearing a black blazer over a shirt saying “Occupy Mars” and a black MAGA hat. “As you can see, I’m not just MAGA,” said Musk. “I’m dark MAGA.” Dark MAGA is a memecoin, a type of cryptocurrency inspired by online trends. The valuation of Dark MAGA soared right around the time that Musk spoke.

Musk repeatedly implored audience members and viewers to register to vote. “This election is the most important election of our lifetime,” said Musk. “This is no ordinary election.”

He wrapped up his brief speech with an ominous message: “Get everyone you know, and everyone you don't know, drag them to register to vote,” he said. “If they don’t, this will be the last election. That’s my prediction.”

Musk’s appearance at Saturday’s rally marked a major benchmark in his political evolution. Following the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Musk posted on X that he had decided to “fully endorse” the former president, and shortly after announced the creation of a political action committee (PAC) to support Trump’s campaign. Musk initially said he would donate $45 million per month to the PAC, though he has since changed his tune. Musk also hosted Trump for a glitchy live conversation on X Spaces in August.

Musk was previously an Obama, Clinton and Biden voter who donated to politicians on both sides of the aisle but touted himself as someone who generally tried to stay out of politics. At a 2015 Vanity Fair event, Musk said he hoped Trump wouldn’t clinch the Republican nomination for president because “that wouldn’t be good” and “would be a bit embarrassing.” He also told CNBC that he didn’t believe Trump had the “sort of character that reflects well on the United States” while voicing support for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s policy platform. In 2017, Musk donated large sums to Republicans, signaling a possible right-ward shift in his political outlook. And in 2020, he bamboozled many of his fans with a cryptic Twitter post: “Take the Red Pill.”

Musk is one of several right-wing tech billionaires who have thrown their support behind Trump. Billionaire Palantir founder Peter Thiel, is a longtime Trump supporter, and also helped fund Vance’s 2022 bid for his Ohio Senate seat. Before entering politics, Thiel was one of several Silicon Valley funders who backed Vance’s Ohio-based venture fund, Narya Capital. Vance and Thiel are also investors in the right-wing video sharing platform, Rumble.

When Musk, who has described himself as a “free speech absolutist,” took over Twitter in 2022, he almost immediately fired the vast majority of the company’s trust and safety employees, the people who keep hate speech and mis- and disinformation off the platform. The following year, Musk slashed what remained of Twitter’s election integrity team, posting, “Oh you mean the “Election Integrity” Team that was undermining election integrity? Yeah, they’re gone.”

Hate speech on X increased under Musk and last year European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said that of all the companies under EU scrutiny, X was “the platform with the largest ratio of mis- or disinformation posts.” Musk also reinstated the accounts of people who had been banned from the platform including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes.

After Musk finished speaking, and Trump thanked him, rally attendees chanted his name.

Moments later, Musk signed back onto X.

He immediately began sharing election conspiracies about election ballots sent to vacant addresses, before writing, “Make sure everyone you know & everyone you meet has registered to vote,” he wrote. “The fate of our civilization is at stake.”

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foxes-that-run · 10 months ago

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2013 Haylor Timeline

Timeline Tag, or years, 2012 2014

3 January hair pinned up at restaurant in Virgin Islands. Harry's "might as well.." Tattoo first seen. Covered with Ferns now.

4 January - Taylor's blue dress on a boat. Harry bite bruise on his hip

6 January - Harry seen in NY

7 January -Harry back in London, date People reports that they broke up. Reports Scott swift told them to slow down.

9 January - Harry seen GQ dinner London. photos of Harry in Richard Bransons hot hub on front page after the break up. (I often wonder what the less famous people think now that they treated him poorly as a kid and he is massive now). Gordon Smart (1:12, warning he follows it with a bad anecdote about 18 year old H), who worked on media for One Direction, said in 2020 that Harry had said:

"Simon Cowell actually paid me to do some media training with them back in the day so I met them before they were massive and they were again really lovely kids. [...] I wrote a front page story about him sharing a jacuzzi with a girl on holiday and he told me it was bollocks and we still ran it, because we had a picture of him in the jacuzzi. It was probably totally innocuous and I really I'd like to apologize unreservedly to Harry for that because it was an error of judgment on my part and it probably tarnished our friendship."

Richard Branson also has gross sounding comments about this 18 year old that day.

10 January - made fun of his accent at Grammy's, Harry at nightclub London

12 January when asked, Niall says he listens to WANGBT, Louis says and Harry’s. 22 MV filmed.

15 January - one direction trip to Ghana for Red Nose Day comic relief

16 January - One Direction Tokyo, when movie scenes filmed

20 January - Harry in London

21 January - Taylor in London reports she saw Harry, Harry at friends house

22 January - Harry got the Butterfly and handshake tattoos

23 January - Taylor in Madrid before performing at the '40 Principales Awards'. H London

26 January Both at NRG Awards, 25 January Taylor posts Cannes Sunset situation. They both stayed in the Intercontinental Carlton Cannes Hotel.

27 January - Harry meeting with Simon Cowell Glasgow,

28, 30, 31 Jan, 1, 2, 4 , 8 Feb - Harry London, Leed 13 -16

1 February - Harry's 19th birthday. £5k tab, messy, wild party. Rumour that Taylor had booked a week in Italy which was cancelled

6 February - Savan Kotecha (WMYB writer) gave interview where he said 1D want to be write but can’t. Probably had left 1D already and doing press to build career. His last 1D credit is Happily. In 2017 praised (45 mins) Harry’s writing. In the later interview Savan also says he spent a year being sad after the 1D thing ended until Ariana came into work with him, (52mins) so that article may have been that he’d already left 1D. He said he was working on Emblem3 which may be the other bad project he talked about (released April).

10 February - Taylor at Grammy's, night Ed says inspired Tenerife Sea

18 February - Harry the Box Nightclub

21 February - both attend Brit awards - Taylor performs I knew you were trouble with Harry in the audience. In march she told the Sunday Times "Well, it's not hard to access that emotion when the person the song is directed at is standing by the side of the stage watching." She goes to an afterparty with Tom Odell and out with him the next night. Tom writes Country Star about Taylor and Harry wrote Happily about wishing they were together. Ed is asked if he would trust Harry around his girlfriend and he said “well he trusts me around his girlfriend so yeah I do. We’re friends we don’t do that.” Harry went on Nick Grimshaw from 6am a hungover.

23 February - 3 November - 1D Up all Night tour, start in Europe

7 March - Taylor sells Hyannis Point House at $1m profit

15 March - Taylor vanity fair article. Says Harry pursued her for a year before KCA, better part of a year after and it fell apart one night in London when he went out and he’s texting her to ask to see her again at the time of the interview. Pointed mentioned she was born in 1989, Easter egged wonderland, talks about Connor being 2 months and insignificant. Implies Harry was a rebound from JG and Connor was a Harry rebound. Says she’s looking for someone who is interested in her not her wiki page.

25 - 29 March - Harry in LA, then back to London

29 March - Taylor played “You're Not Sorry” in Newark. “I truly believe that when dealing with anybody you meet, you should start by trusting them. Any new friend you meet. Any new person you meet. I think you should truly believe the beat in them. And the first time that they tell you they’re sorry I think you should believe them. But then if they keep doing the same exact thing that they say they’re sorry for, that means one thing guys. That they’re not. Sorry.”- here. Appeared in Wonderland cover April 7, 2013

11 April - Louis says 'Taylor Swift' after Harry sings "I'm in love with you" in Little Things

18 April - Harry holmes chapel

20 April - TS on B stage song before “I Almost Do” in Tampa, FL. “everybody’s got like one, maybe two, I don't know how many you have, but at least one person in your life that doesn’t belong in your life anymore because maybe they hurt you or maybe it’s just over but you kind of want to call them sometimes. And you think better of it. But, you almost do it.”- here. Then a Red tour break till the 25th; One Direction tour break starting in Manchester till Paris on 29th. Louis stays in Europe,

23 April - Harry arrives alone in LA without the Peace ring

24 April - Neither Harry or Taylor seen. The day Harry got the ring

25 April - First day Peace Ring is seen. Harry has dinner with Rod Stewart, Rod then plays the Troubadour and Harry stayed at Rod Stewarts house. Taylor in Cleveland

28 April - Harry posts photo of sunglasses on beach. Taylor photographed in a gym in Los Angles. Wears the ring to leave LAX and there is an absolutely insane mob because he is there alone with no security.

29 April - Arrives in Paris alone, still wearing ring, described as a riot. The ring is in This is Us in Paris

April 30 - Taylor buys Holiday House Rhode Island for $18m cash

1 May - Everything has changed released as single

7 May - Harry goes on a party bus in Norway, photos of him drunk, with blonde and talks about party bus in interviews

18 May - Taylor posted rose’s with a Great Gatsby quote: “Just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer...“

19 May - Taylor said to fans, pointly "You are the longest and best relationship I've ever had" at BBMAs and that she only writes about ex's she doesn't want to see again. In the press room she said

27 May - Taylor wrote Wish you Would

2 June - Taylor attended a pre-show meet and greet at KYGO radio in Denver where David Mueller allegedly reached under Taylors skirt. In 2015 he sued Taylor who counter sued. It was not resolved until 2017 when Taylor won damages of $1.

June - September Midnight Memories written with Happily

12 June Taylor on Grimmy, he says Trouble is the “best song ever” 4 times at 11 mins. Best song ever was released 22 July. :)

13 June - Never Gonna Dance Again tattoo seen when Harry got off a yacht in Miami, seemingly drunk, he was underage at the time lyrics from Wham song "Careless Whisper" about regret for being unfaithful. Grimmy had referred to it in September when Harry sung the song on radio

16 June 2013 - Louisville - Harry was feeling himself during “Last First Kiss” and at the end was flirting with someone in the crowd, he mimicked pole dancing then he kissed his heart tattoo

22 June - Taylor and Selena getting ice cream in Mystic Connecticut, near RI.

28 June - Harry seen with Paige

29 June - Taylor gets a fans face paint on her neck that looks like lipstick in Vancouver, Gaylor 'proof'. 1D NY

1 July - Harry cross tattoo NYC stayed at the Bowery Hotel NYC

6 July - both play in Pennsylvania, Taylor has a week off after, unseen. On the 8th Harry was sick on stage.

20 July - Harry on Ryan Seacrest in Niall’s place and says the rest of the band went back to uk on their break but he stayed in LA.

22 July - Best Song Ever released.

30 July - September GQ cover story where they badgered Harry about how many people he’d slept with (two)

August 14 - Lover Journal: August 14, 2013, Watch Hill RI. Says she feels like a tiger in an enclosure, feels hunted, talks about paparazzi and cell phones. Also calls herself a rabbit, a flower growing in a sidewalk that is picked and how photos ruin a moment, online photos/comments and 'level of possession'.

25 August - VMAs, texting each other and shade, together at afterparty. Sang purple rain together at after party.

3 September - Harry tweeted 1975, Matty Healy told an interviewer that went from 4K followers to 15k in 10 minutes and they exchanged numbers and texted, made plans to meet up and he stood Harry up.

5 September - the 1975 cover WMYB in the live lounge

8 September - Taylor “"People think they know who I've dated and they just don't," "They don't know everything."

9 September - Harry badgered by paparazzi till he cries in London. They called him a womaniser. GQ Article where the interviewer bullied him into how many partners he had has (2)

10 September - Media that they had a heart to heart at VMAs

11 September - Harry Rose tattoo.

18 September - Harry at Pixie Geldorf’s birthday, with Nick and first time seen with model Daisy Lowe in photo pixie posted.

27 September - 1D sign another contract with Syco for 3 albums, they are each paid £10m.

28 September: On the anniversary of the Begin Again weekend in Paris 28 September- 5 October 2012 Harry tweeted: "We don't need no piece of paper from the city hall". from Australia.

5 October - Harry pulled a blonde out of the crowd and hung out with her that night in Australia

8 October - Harry tweeted Shania Twain is so good. Shania thanks him and invites him to her show in Vegas.

16 October - Harry talked about Shania Twain 'Still the One' on stage, Tweet Q's - what song would you like to listen to now?

17 October Harry cried onstage, (0:55) during over again Taylor seen with Alexander Skarsgard 3 days later

18 October - throws up on stage reports touring taking toll

28 October - Harry talked about Shania Twain 'Still the One' on stage again, What's the most embarrassing song on your ipod.

1 November - 1D, Katy Perry and John Mayer take photos backstage at a Japanese radio station in Tokyo. New Romantics was written about Taylor being sad her ex had gone to Japan with his new GF.

November -j14 article where Harry says ok to get back together with ex. Also reports Taylor is house hunting in London. Rumour Taylor was seen with Douglas booth.

13 November - Taylors first Victoria Secret show where she wears a union jack dress in NY and performed IKYWT. On 14th Harry in UK for Gemma's graduation, TS in NY for billboard awards.

18 November - Courtney Cox said she hung out with each of them at her house in Malibu

20 November - Harry has dinner with Kendall Taylor tweets ""I've listened to "Hold On" by @ColbieCaillat 45 times today. So on repeat. So important." on the 21st when dinner reported.

22 November - midnights memories release party in la with Ryan Seacrest

23 November, both at AMAs, gold dress. Kendall PDA reported but no record of it

25 November - Midnight Memories released with Something Great written with Jacknife Lee who also worked on Red.

3 December - Lover Journal - December 3, 2013, Sydney.

6 December - Harry leaves Kendalls hotel and they have breakfast. Lunch the next day NY. Harry is carrying notebooks and dressed that same as in the Spotify visual for Where Do Broken Hearts Go. Tabloids say not dating Kendall and he is texting Daisy Lowe.

11 December- Taylor ATW speech talks about songwriting like a message in a bottle, she mentions still love you and I’m really heartbroken

12 December - One Direction in Milan, record the Xfactor final interview with cushions on the floor.

13 December - Taylor posts a series of photos to IG about a rose garden party in Melbourne, Australia while on tour for her birthday. Many think 1989 will be called Roses. The captions made a sort of poem "Roses. Red Balloons. Pretty.... Sparklers. The best birthday I've ever had." Which could be a dig at Harry, Roses being common Haylor imagery, his tattoo and she famously said her 2012 birthday was her best ever when he took her to the Lakes. Harry's "better still be my winding wheel" tweet. Harry posts his Cannes photo December 14.

15 December - One Direction performs Midnight Memories on Xfactor UK Final and Harry arrives at Kendalls London hotel at 2am.

17 December - Harry, Ed and Taylor spotted together in Suffolk. Harry got injunction banning paparazzi from outside his home. Harry likely had moved into his current house. First confirmed at Ben Winston's with Morgan Spurlock in April 2012, Harry later told Rolling Stone he stayed there 20 months. He was seen house hunting in July and reports of his house were September 2012.

21 December - midnight memories MV filmed

Continue to 2014

#haylor #haylor timeline #harry styles #taylor swift #2013

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deadcactuswalking · 18 days ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 26/10/2024 (Bruno Mars & ROSÉ, Gracie Abrams, Morgan Wallen)

For a ninth week straight, Sabrina Carpenter holds onto the #1 on the UK Singles Chart with “Taste”. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, references to sex, violence, mental health (paranoia, suicide, abusive relationships)

Rundown

As always, we start our episode with the notable dropouts, those being tracks exiting the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we bid adieu to a fair few songs, it was a bit of a bloodbath even if I can see a lot of these making a return. We say our farewells to “KEEP UP” by Odetari, “Pretty Slowly” by Benson Boone, “You’re Gonna Go Far” by Noah Kahan, “Blame it on the Rain” by Milli Vanilli, “Free” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, “Angel of My Dreams” by JADE (more on her later), “Carry You Home” by Alex Warren, “i like the way you kiss me” by Artemas, “Belong Together” by Mark Ambor, “Scared to Start” by Michael Marcagi and finally, “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay.

Much of the reason for our grand list of dropouts would not just be the amount of newer entries we have this week, which span from viral slow-burn deep cuts to sudden smash hits that missed even my periphery, but it should definitely be noted how many re-entries we have this week, though the circumstances for them are quite unfortunate. Former One Direction member and English singer and media personality in his own right, Liam Payne, has passed at 31, having jumped out of his hotel room in Argentina after what is likely a period of intense substance abuse. Payne had recently been in the news for allegations of his own, and his career had never reached the heights of his boy band fame or even his contemporaries, though this still struck a lot of people, especially on social media where TMZ posted images of his corpse. Classy. Payne’s death is the tragic by-product of an industry, a series of labels and plenty of executives disregarding the likely traumatic outcome of being thrown into pop stardom at a young age. There were so many moments in the careers of the 1D boys where it seemed evident that access points to support just weren’t there, or weren’t taken seriously because of the fact they were a famous boy band – you just cough it up, right? It’s the industry, it’s just “how it is”. Chappell Roan has recently highlighted how terrifying pop music can be as a performer, and with Payne passing, maybe there’ll be a second look towards those who could have gotten to him in the years before his death, and simply refused, restrained themselves on the grounds of their own financial bottom line. Preventive measures need to be in place, and whilst I doubt Liam Payne of all people should be the figurehead of mental health struggles in pop music because of his own problematic history and real lack of career growth, he should be a stark reminder that those you forget about in showbiz don’t just disappear… until they do.

Of course, this show is about the chart itself, and ultimately, another awful reminder of how pop music can put you through the wringer is present in our non-Payne re-entry at #69: “Careless Whisper” by the late George Michael. Recently reissued in celebration of its 40-year anniversary, the classic hit spent three weeks at #1 as Michael’s solo break from Wham! in 1984. Possibly the greatest treasure George Michael brought to the nation was preventing Black Lace’s novelty “Agadoo” from the top spot. Sarah Washington’s dance version reached #45 in 1993, and a UK garage rendition by 2 Play featuring Thomas Jules and Jucxi D took “Careless Whisper” to the top 40 once again in 2004 at #29. Just to date these songs, the #1s were the late Meat Loaf’s “I’ll Do Anything for Love” and Girls Aloud’s “I’ll Stand by You”, respectively. The original recording returned for a few weeks in 2017 following Michael’s passing, reaching #44, and it’s back for presumably one week, though a grimly potent one.

Otherwise, we have Liam Payne and One Direction making their returns: as for his solo hits, “For You”, a duet with Rita Ora from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack is back at #43, near his most iconic track, “Strip that Down” featuring Quavo at #41, which I mostly remember for being co-written with Ed Sheeran and sounding like Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me”. It originally peaked at #3 for two weeks in 2017 whilst “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber was, unsurprisingly, #1. “For You”, on the other hand, which is – quite scarily – new enough for me to have reviewed on its debut week back in 2018, peaked at #8 for two weeks that year, whilst Drake’s “God’s Plan” held onto #1. Oh, and when I say I would have reviewed it on its debut week, I mean would have. I searched, and this is the second episode ever, that I mistakenly deleted in its entirety and replaced with a note essentially saying “whoops!” soon after. I can’t lie and say I wouldn’t do that today.

As for One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful” – which has spent nearly 80 weeks on the chart and was their debut single after their X Factor appearance – is back at #23. The now-iconic, mostly shit debut made the band parade in on first try to #1 on the UK Singles Chart, even if just for one week, and had appeared on the chart much lower but still regularly until as late as 2014. Our other returns from the boys are more sentimental: “Story of My Life” is back at #9, after peaking at #2 in 2013, blocked by Lily Allen’s cover of “Somewhere Only We Know”. My fun fact about this one is that Alvin and the Chipmunks have a cover that adapts their lyrics to be about their relationship with their owner Dave. Perhaps more importantly, however, it was co-written by all of the band members, a distinction it shares with its fellow ballad “Night Changes”, which resonates with fans partly because it is about accepting change that can come so soon and suddenly over the course of your life. I’m no Directioner by any means, but this is a beautiful, dare I say perfect song that has become their most-streamed just through sheer longevity, despite being far from their biggest smash at the time. It’s a slow burn that has the biggest star Harry on lead in the chorus, and ZAYN and Liam trading the first verse (ZAYN leaving after this single’s release), which really helps propel it – alongside the sentiment – to the top of the charts after Payne’s passing. It had a comparatively brief chart run compared to their other big hits in late 2014 and early 2015, only reaching #7 whilst “Uptown Funk!” was #1. There’s something really special about how when one component of the quintet is lost, the devoted fans, now mostly adults, have taken it just one spot higher to peak at #6 this week. Again, I’m no One Direction fan, I never had a connection with the boys like many would have, but this is the best song in the top 40 right now – a selfish part of me aches for a second run, but it’s unlikely it takes off past this week. It would be a beautiful moment though, for a song that in its chorus, defies that fear of change: even when everything you’ve ever wanted disappears at your wake, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Just look forward.

Oh, yeah, we also have notable gains, and you know, 74 other songs in the region I cover, though I could spend a great deal of time on “Night Changes”. However, we do see healthy boosts for “I Only Smoke When I Drink” by nimino at #57, “Bad Dreams” by Teddy Swims at #25, and that’s… actually it. This week’s top five on the UK Singles Chart starts with “I Love You, I’m Sorry” by Gracie Abrams at #5, then we have a new entry from ROSÉ of BLACKPINK and Bruno Mars at #4 with their duet “APT.” which we will get to discussing later. Then it should be more familiar: “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars (again) at #3, “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez (who has her follow-up ready for next week) at #2 and of course, “Taste” at the top. So if we know how it tastes at the top, what about the bottom? I won’t say that again, new song review time.

New Entries

#75 – “Oscar Winning Tears.” – RAYE

Produced by Mike Sabath

This is the most recent viral sleeper hit from RAYE’s My 21st Century Blues, an album that had more longevity in moderate hits that backed up the smash of “Escapism.” long after that had left the charts. This serves as the first full song on the album after the introduction, or the overture on the live edition, setting out what seems to be the record’s primary narrative, at least in part, that of the constant manipulation of young women being taken advantage of by a manic and unjust music industry, that reflects upon the wider society enabling it. Whilst there aren’t many specifics – RAYE quickly dismisses his details as irrelevant since he’s just one of many men to have taken advantage of her – the track follows RAYE taking a seat and recognising his emotional outbursts in the ex-relationship as fake and full of lies, hence the name. There’s a cinematic showtune-esque approach to the rap-singing of the verses that ends up dipping in and out unevenly thanks to the mixing, but it still rests nicely into R&B, with a minimal shake-up of drums and piano that kicks its intensity up not through drastic changes but through stray details like a wanky guitar or a rattling hi-hat switch-up, eventually forming a mix that clouds up into nothingness. It doesn’t capture the swell it should, despite generally playing into its melodrama, and hence has the stop-start momentum that may fit its content but stilts its potential. There’s a confidence and empowerment to this track that decays on later, more jaded songs, and whilst it may be a good fit for RAYE, it doesn’t have the same touching vulnerability that bases some of her more powerful cuts in reality and adds a heartfelt backlining. It’s a good introduction, but as a single, it falters in really painting a complete picture.

#61 – “Piece of My Heart” – Wizkid and Brent Faiyaz

Produced by P2J, Dpat, Juice Cuice and Drew80HD

It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve seen either of these acts, but the Nigerian singer who helped propel modern Afrobeats into his current global success has teamed up with one of the most influential newer alt-R&B acts for a new duet fusing their styles. We probably wouldn’t have the hits we do without them, especially this year, so there’s a strangeness to seeing the two debut so low, though of course influence and inspiration don’t always translate chart-wise. What I also wouldn’t have expected was how ambitious this track ended up being, with Faiyaz being the main star in my opinion, as he effortlessly blends different vocal inflections and alterations into a slippery Afrobeats rhythm with uniquely hissy and busy drums, sounding really organic under and over the tropical guitars and sliding keys in that first beat. This is the cleanest Wizkid’s vocal mix has… ever sounded, really, and he frames himself as the sweatier, sexual intimacy to Faiyaz’s loving platitudes that importantly give this woman ownership of some of his heart, but restraining letting her have too much. It plays out in the song as a cheesy “I just won’t have enough for myself” one-liner but speaks to the empty, pitch-shifted promises of the intro and Wizkid sounding desperate in his quieter, stifled delivery once the hypothetical of him potentially hurting her come into play. Of course, you could, fantastically, ignore all of that and jam to how gorgeous this sounds as a piece of music, with an immaculate breeze of a mix forming from what should end up at least slightly too busy and chaotic.

With the beat switch into the chipmunk vocal on its second half, subtitled “Sometimes”, we get not just the other side of that loving character, but a grovelling acknowledgement of their flaws. That simple chorus really does get to the crux of it: “Sometimes, I might be a bad version of me”. Wizkid even attempts to link back and reminisce on the intimacy we heard over the first beat that has been subtly diluted with a shakier, frailer arrangement, to no avail before the tape stops. I’m not used to this level of narrative storytelling from Wizkid, especially not in the context of how seamlessly the production forms around it, and although Faiyaz may be the more significant performer here, it intrigues me more into how an upcoming album could shape up if this is the approach he’s going with. I’m kind of taken aback by this lead single, I am really fascinated to where he goes next, even if it may not chart anytime soon. He may have a new fan on his hands here.

#52 – “Fantasy” – JADE

Produced by Mike Sabath

Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix continues to work for solo success, with this being her third attempt after “Angel of My Dreams” was not overly impressive but a resounding success critically and commercially, though its follow-up failed to really climb up the ladder the same way, with “Fantasy” potentially suffering the same fate given its low debut. Is it worth the potential climb up though? Well, despite sharing the producer, it fails to echo either the immediacy or the core clash at the heart of that solo debut single, and whilst JADE is still bringing much more personality than any of the half-formed Little Mix solo singles recently, this borderline pride anthem feels a bit lost. The glittery disco synths meander until they combine into a flavourless dressing, interrupting with obnoxious woozy stabs any actual bassy impact and momentum those verses embracing kinks and freedom could be. Madonna’s Erotica – an unabashed EDM-pop embracing of queer sexuality – is one of my favourite albums of all time and whilst it can be abrupt, cheesy or indistinct, it always knows where it’s going and refuses to chug along into a full, greatly-produced but ultimately aimless mess of keys and stray ideas. I genuinely do not know why JADE or producer Mike Sabath would allow the lead to be so easily drowned out by the production, which then absorbs a wave of tropical-adjacent nu-disco elements that really overfill the mix, rendering it gross in the way that perhaps wasn’t intended. I’m all for over-the-top campness, but the message is quite literally lost in the breathy performance and playful structure, alongside the feathery soundscape. It feels like it’s taking too many detours – or, never really having the punch or strength to its hooks in the first place – before being able to deliver that confidence, rendering it much less impactful, more like a sugary syrup that resembled some form of liberation or resistance prior to manufacturing. On first listen, I just thought this was okay but it might actually be a more detrimental and unfortunate reading of its subject matter than it has any idea how to grapple with. This could be something, it clearly wants to be, but it fumbles far before the point of that potential being heard, let alone fulfilled.

#50 – “Noid” – Tyler, the Creator

Produced by Tyler, the Creator

It’s that season again – and by that, I could of course mean Halloween and the spooky season but I mostly mean the season in which California rapper Tyler, the Creator, after staying relatively quiet for a year or two, announces a project, a new identity or character to play within the persona of for that record’s promotion – if not the project itself – and within a few weeks, he’ll have dropped a few promotional videos and eventually, a full album, mostly self-produced and with exciting hidden features… that’s on Monday, however. Once again, Tyler has eschewed convention by refusing to release on the crowded Friday and instead delaying his album until the Monday, hence the debut for a mid-week single that feeds into the Halloweeny times by focusing on paranoia.

This album’s protagonist, Saint Chroma of CHROMAKOPIA, constantly feels like, for lack of a phrase that doesn’t paraphrase a seasonal one-hit wonder, somebody’s watching him. The music video depicts visions of violence and fear that may not be real but find themselves justified in the lyrics, stretching this fictional personality back to Tyler’s reality where he can draw parallels in between the home invasions still plaguing the friends he grew up with, to the paparazzi’s focus on his 2023 purchase of a million-dollar mansion, in terms of how that can both eat at you and isolate you. Los Angeles’ celebrity culture and his familiarity with the city leads Chroma, or Tyler, to not feel understood in his conflict, with the sarcastic hook expressing envy for those who can just enjoy the small pleasure of watching, feeling, enjoying the simplicities of life. Tyler, however, feels bombarded by the inhuman: cameras, satellites, screenshots – when screens are pushed in front of you and your extensive purchases are news, that same systemic oppression from living in an unsafe neighbourhood returns in a way that may not put you in immediate danger, but reassures how insignificant and statistical you are in the spotlight, with the beat switch segmenting the two sides of life as much as it branches the two together.

Sonically, I mean, it’s Tyler, it’s lengthy and detailed, finding even more ways to develop his typically fuzzy and complete sound into the specific energy he wishes to operate within for a particular album cycle. Zambian psychedelic rock samples texture the first half, with Tyler displaying his barer, flawed singing voice without the coating IGOR granted it, though the “runnin’” he’s been doing for years in his music and the immense vocal layers from his catalogue but particularly that album remain, with WILLOW and Tyler’s separate multi-tracked choirs constantly attacked by that sample of Paul Ngozi reflecting a similar mania in his own native language – crossing those barriers feels particularly potent for a song that’s really about homes. Hell, Tyler’s mother even appears on the interlude threatening to beat up anyone who messes with her son, whose frail, pitch-shifted vocals that follow her defiant words emphasise how much we owe to our households. I love how the second half extends its intensity on pure tedium with Tyler’s nasal drawling out of the “e” sound in “me” over real, but low-fidelity claps. As for the full release on Monday, I’ll be excited to see how powerfully this hits within that context as something so dense as this can be difficult to sift through as a single, and Tyler has definitely polarised audiences with his leads before a critically adored album to follow, so my ears are peeled. Tyler’s releases always feel like an incredibly well-planned and momentous event, where even if I don’t love the album as much as his last, I can respect the growth, and such a complicated song from such a complicated artist definitely deserves a look from the bigger picture. Hell, that may just be the point of his attitude towards fame since at least CHERRY BOMB in 2015. Nearly a decade later, I’m excited to see how his approach has changed.

#40 – “Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen

Produced by Joey Moi and Charlie Handsome

US country star Morgan Wallen loves to drop these teaser singles so that those who don’t follow his every move never really know when a full new album is coming… until we see 30 tracks hog up the Hot 100 and we know just what has occurred. Regardless of the bloated albums and honestly being much less interesting each new song I hear, I have liked his songs before so there could be something here to enjoy. Shamefully, there isn’t, as this is about as country as a shirtless guy in a flag-branded cowboy hat going around a city as a novelty cowboy who can barely play “Wonderwall” and puts on a silly accent for foreign tourists. There’s almost a morbid appeal to how blankly Morgan Wallen’s singing and melodies “fit” over the chintzy guitars mixed into a synthy pop rock pastiche even AOR radio programmers in 1987 might see as outside of their remit. Morgan’s lyrics, however, are about finding that honest girl he can take back to the sticks, instead of some opportunist using him for the parties and fame, seeing if he can snatch some of his wealth. I’m not sure yet if when writing this kind of bitter, hapless lament about inauthentic women who leave him to dry once absorbing the parts of him that matter to her… he may just be writing about himself, if he’s even writing it at all. Next.

#19 – “That’s So True” – Gracie Abrams

Produced by Aaron Dessner, Gracie Abrams and Julian Bunetta

Gracie Abrams has recently popped up with the deluxe edition of her breakout record, The Secret of Us, which distantly eyed up a second week at #1, a spot currently taken by Kylie Minogue who unfortunately had no new entries this week. Instead, we have what singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams has left on the cutting room floor which, given my disdain for her overly-sanitised and overthought brand of folk-pop, could honestly be a good thing if I wanted something rawer or more compelling. Unfortunately, even the B-sides grow through the machine, and though Abrams embraces her obnoxious immaturity through the writing, much like the promising “Risk”, this doesn’t have the youthful panic, trading it for a stomp-rock chorus that, much like that Morgan Wallen song, borders on kind of embarrassing, especially when it leads into the most brow-raising description of sex I think I have heard outside of rap on the charts. The acoustic rumble is really not that bad, but it’s so stiff in its programming and even its structure, fixated on repeating that annoying “oo-oo-oo” sound with little variation, and all of the muddy swell it accumulates itself in the bridge with the distorted, irritating drums, ends up all for nought when the song refuses to free itself from the shackles of its claustrophobic percussion and inconclusive chorus. One could argue that this absolutely fits the awkward post-breakup teenage drama… but at least when O-Rod did it, it was fun, there were much more unique details than this sexless column of cliché, and most importantly, Olivia Rodrigo is an actor first, and those dramatics, those stakes are palpable in her performance. This song refuses to expand itself beyond petty bullshit even towards its abrupt end, wasting everyone’s time in the process.

#4 – “APT.” – ROSÉ and Bruno Mars

Produced by Bruno Mars, Cirkut, Omer Fedi and Rogét Chahayed

It seems like the BLACKPINK girls are here to stay as solo acts and whilst so far they have definitely gathered much traction in that first week then filtered off slightly, their quest for western pop success that could really last seems to have been solved… by Bruno Mars. I’m genuinely surprised he’s maintained his career well enough to sell these top 10 duets, and perhaps a relative newcomer like ROSÉ makes a bit less sense for him to play off on, but he’s surrounded by certified pop songwriters and producers here too, so a part of me definitely anticipated for a watered-down personality… which is not at all what we got here. In fact, it’s a bratty rush of teenage lovestruck energy that dismisses anything but the “now” in its buzzy, new-rave brashness, not too far from say, The Ting Tings, in its presentation that could be seen as obnoxious if not for its content, all about a drinking game and that immediate lust to be around someone you love. An incredibly percussive track, it balances Bruno’s breathy ad-libs, with a simple cheerleader chant of a beat ripped straight from Toni Basil’s “Mickey”, itself from “Kitty” but that’s another story, that gradually fuses with the guitar-based melodic elements of the track to form something really euphoric. That pre-chorus is such a sticky melody and the verses are so manically repetitive you almost don’t notice Bruno is singing or rapping some phrases in Korean. It almost functions as a bait-and-switch even, with the K-pop structure naturally having you expect incredibly distinct and disparate parts being separated via abrupt transitions and cloyed together as a “song” by an undeniable chorus. Instead, the third cheerleader chant chorus carries on the swell of the pre-chorus effortlessly into a confrontational bridge pairing a soaring guitar lick with stuttering Bruno blips panning across ROSÉ’s reverb-drenched promises that she’s on her way. It may not actually go anywhere, but it settles for the temporary euphoria, the togetherness, in such a cute and for me, unexpected way that I can’t help but find this frankly adorable. It may sour on me with time but for now, I recommend it and I’d love to see this borderline punk track be the BLACKPINK-derived track that ends up lasting.

Conclusion

Definitely a fascinating and diverse week that gave me way too much to discuss, overwhelmingly so, but not one that led me to a breadth of quality like last time, more just intriguing nuances that opened these songs up a lot. Except Morgan Wallen, of course. Gracie Abrams gets Worst of the Week for “That’s So True”, which shouldn’t be a surprise, maybe I really am getting too old for this, but Mr. Wallen swoops up the Dishonourable Mention just as easily for “Love Somebody”, JADE’s safe this week. As for the best, I am a bit of a fangirl, I apologise, there is going to be an inherent bias, but I do think “Noid” is a brilliant, multi-layered song so Tyler snatches Best of the Week, with a delightfully surprised Honourable Mention towards “Piece of My Heart” by Wizkid and Brent Faiyaz, which is honestly a very similar track in scope, form and even some smaller details like vocal effects; weird coincidence.

As for what’s on the horizon, we may see Halsey and Tyler battle it out on the albums chart alongside Megan, Tears for Fears and Bastille, but how much of that will actually translate to the hit parade is unclear. It may be more worth betting on Lady Gaga’s proper comeback single and whatever “Addison Rae” is up to, but time will tell. For now, thank you for reading, rest in peace to Ka, and I’ll see you next week!

#uk singles chart #pop music #song review #bruno mars #apt #blackpink rosé #gracie abrams #tyler the creator #jade thirlwall #morgan wallen #wizkid #brent faiyaz #love somebody #raye #liam payne

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maretinelli · 9 months ago

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OUR STORY OF CHANCE²

Ben Barnes X Actress!reader

Summary: Years have passed since they met in a New York bar by a mutual friend. And now, after 9 years, Ben is sure he must ask that question.

Words: 2K+

Warnings: Mentions of food, Ben's cuteness, Y/n making dreams come true and Ben's cuteness again, mentions of crying, marriage. And ok, Ben's cuteness.

Author: English is not my first language, I'm sorry for any silly and weird mistakes there may be. And wait You love this imagine, I almost cried because of the cuteness of the ending.

(can be read separately, but there is part 1)

MASTERLIST

2017

Years passed and everything was going very well in Y/n's life. She finally became known for her work and now acts in several films with great directions. Her film studies also helped her a lot, she even directed an episode in one of the Marvel series. What was once a dream, was now routine.

Of course, we should also mention that after that night in the New York bar 10 years ago, his life also changed. She was sure from the moment she laid eyes on him that he would play a big role in her life. And look at them here, 7 years of dating and an apartment they shared in London.

What could change to make her happier? Anything. she thought

Nothing, until today.

It was around Christmas time and Ben and Y/n's apartment was decorated with sparkly lights and decorations. Snow was falling lightly outside and the cold wind was blowing against the windows. A great atmosphere to stay at home doing nothing and make random conversation with your boyfriend on the couch, while he warmed your cold feet and Y/n caressed his brunette hair.

But no, Ben had informed him since the beginning of the week that today he would have to leave to resolve some work matters. Y/n just nodded and nodded, well, now she understood everything about this bureaucracy she had before going out to film.

And while Ben was out there doing his "actor" duties, Y/n was in the comfort of her apartment making and decorating a chocolate cake.

It was true that Ben had gone out to run some errands, but it wasn't necessarily about his work.

He had this idea in his head for months and couldn't put it off any longer, and in a conversation with Trícia - his mother. He opened his heart and said he would ask Y/n to marry him.

The eldest was so happy that she began to cry with joy. She truly loved Y/n as her daughter-in-law and couldn't wait for her children to take another step in their relationship.

After talking to his mother, Ben decided to talk to Y/n's parents and ask for their blessing for the engagement.

Everything Y/n went through with her parents about her coming abroad to study was in the past. Even before they met, she had already made peace with her parents and their relationship was better. And when she started dating Ben, they were happy for their daughter and Y/n made a point of going to visit her parents and introduce Ben.

With the approval of the woman's father and mother now, Ben asked his brother and mother for help to go buy the ring.

Trícia had been responsible for seeing how big Y/n's finger was so that the ring would fit perfectly on the actress. Then, there was the time that Trícia had gone to visit Ben and Y/n in the apartment and managed to sneakily see the type of ring that would fit perfectly on the Brazilian's finger.

When Ben arrives at the apartment again, the clock reads 5:45 pm but the time outside has already turned dark.

Y/n was in the kitchen finishing the cake when she heard Ben walk through the door.

"I'm in the kitchen, honey" She says before Ben speaks up. He smiled.

Before going to his girlfriend, Ben walks to the bedroom and puts the ring in the drawer next to the bed. So back to go see your girl.

"Hi, my girl" he says sweetly as he enters the kitchen and turns around to go to Y/n.

"Hi" she raises her head and smiles like a child.

The actor comes up from behind and places his hands on the woman's waist and rests his chin on her shoulder.

"I made a chocolate cake. Your mom said maybe they'll come by later." Y/n says and licks his finger that had now bumped into the chocolate in the basin. "Look, it was wonderful." She lifts the plate that held the cake and smiles, proud of what she's done.

"Wonderful and certainly tasty" He says and gives Y/n a chaste kiss on the shoulder. Which was covered in layers of coats.

She smiles and then takes the cake to the counter so she can cover it to avoid catching mosquitoes.

"You know, I was thinking..." Y/n says as soon as he returns to the sink to wash the dirty dishes and Ben sits on the counter in front of him. "We could start some new series, what do you think? You and I have been off for a while and I thought we'd spend more time together" she says as she puts a bowl on the drainer.

She looks at Ben and sees that the man was fidgeting with his hands and looking at his fingers.

She frowns.

"Ben?! Did you hear me?" Y/n says calmly looking at her boyfriend.

Ben looks up and agrees.

"Yes yes, I think it's an incredible idea" he smiles, but then falters.

"Are you okay? You seem a little nervous" Y/n says rinsing a glass and placing it on the drainer. "Did something happen outside that made you like this?"

Y/n finishes the dishes and approaches her boyfriend.

"No, it's okay. I think I'm a little overwhelmed with work" he turns around and puts his hands on the woman's waist, while she puts her arms around his shoulders. "I think I need warm hugs from my girlfriend, a series to watch and kisses on the cheek"

Y/n lets out a laugh and smiles passionately.

"It's okay, sweetie" she caresses his cheek. "But first you should take a shower. Just to get rid of that street air and warm up" she says and then pats his shoulder twice. "I'm going to organize the couch and get some treats for us to watch."

She smiles at him and then heads into the living room.

Ben stays in the kitchen for a few seconds, still smiling stupidly. He was going to ask her to marry him now, he couldn't wait another day, not another hour.

----------------------------

Minutes passed and Y/n had the sofa ready and the treats on the coffee table while he scrolled through Netflix to find a cool series.

Ben had already gotten out of the shower and was in front of his drawer, with his hands on the black velvet box. He looked like a silly teenager as he smiled passionately at the ring.

He puts the box in the pocket of the sweatshirt he was wearing and walks into the living room.

"Look, I think this series should be good." Y/n points to the television with the control, while still looking at the screen. "It talks about robberies and it's a police series. What do you think?" She turns to her boyfriend and Ben was standing near the couch with a look that Y/n couldn't distinguish.

"We can talk?" He says snapping his fingers on his hands and Y/n gets ready on the couch.

"Sure, sit here" she pats the seat next to her and Ben approaches. "What's bothering you?"

"It's something about us"

Y/n's heart races and she tries to giggle, but her hands start to sweat.

"Ben? What?!" She asks without understanding.

"I've had this on my mind for months, I don't think I should continue this for a while longer. Because I would easily go crazy" he says quickly and lets out a little laugh at the end. "I love you so much Y/n, you know!! Since the day I saw you in that little bar in New York, I knew that God had prepared something for me and you were included in the package. You awakened wonderful things in me that I didn't even know that existed, you made me realize what love, respect and reciprocity were, you are the only person who can decipher my gaze. You know when I need to be alone or when I need a hug, you laugh at my jokes without thanks and always does something to return the joy. You are the person I want for the rest of my life..." At that moment, Y/n had tears in her eyes. She already kind of figured out what was going on. "I already had everything planned out on how to do this, it would be a beautiful place with everything we need. But after our moment in the kitchen, after I heard you happily saying that you made a cake to welcome my parents later, I saw that I couldn't keep putting it off until the right day. Because today, especially today!!! is the right day." Ben takes the box out of his pocket and kneels in front of Y/n. Who was now crying with joy. "My sweet girl, will you marry me?"

Y/n now lets go of all her tears. Tears of joy.

“Heavens Ben, I thought you were breaking up with me.”

She says through sobs and Ben laughs.

"Sorry, I was nervous. I didn't know which words were right. I wanted it to be special" he smiled.

"Yes Benjamin, I agree to marry you" Y/n says and then jumps into Ben's arms.

He lets out a few tears of joy too, before slipping the ring on her finger.

"I don't care where you ask me to marry you. I would always say yes" Y/n says looking at Ben, who was now putting the ring on her finger. "Even if you asked me in front of that little bar in New York, which is now abandoned. I would always say yes"

Ben looks at her and kisses her hand.

"Look, that gave me an idea" he jokes and Y/n rolls his eyes smiling. "I love you, my and now only my girl" He kisses Sn and she smiles against the kiss.

"I love you, dear"

Author: Second thing I like to write after babies is marriage proposals. I hope mine arrives as expected of the fanfics I read.😭💍

#fanfiction #sirius black #the marauders #y/n #imagines ben barnes #benjamin barnes #ben barnes #romance #marriage

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shefanispeculator · 2 months ago

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What Is Blake Shelton's Net Worth?

Blake Shelton is an American country music singer and television personality who has a net worth of $130 million. Blake Shelton's career took off in 2001 with his debut single "Austin," which held the #1 spot on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles chart for five weeks. This early success set the stage for a series of hit albums and singles, showcasing his deep baritone voice and traditional country style mixed with elements of contemporary country rock.

Over the years, Shelton has accumulated numerous awards, including several Country Music Association Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, and American Music Awards. His discography spans multiple platinum-selling albums and hits like "God Gave Me You," "Boys 'Round Here," and "Honey Bee," cementing his status as a country music superstar.

Beyond his music career, Shelton has gained widespread fame as a coach on NBC's "The Voice," on which his charismatic personality, wit, and mentorship skills have won him a broad fan base. His role on the show has not only contributed to its popularity but has also allowed him to influence the careers of emerging artists, further solidifying his impact on the music industry.

Earnings

Blake Shelton is consistently one of the highest-paid entertainment personalities in the world, earning north of $20 – $40 million in a given year. For example, Blake earned $31.5 million in 2017, $28 million in 2018, and $45 million between June 2019 and June 2020. He grosses $1 million per concert.

According to our tracking, Blake has grossed at least $180 million from ticket sales, television salaries, and merchandise since we began tracking his net worth in 2011.

In 2022, Shelton sold his master recordings from 2001 to 2019 to Influence Media Partners in a joint venture that allows Blake to continue earning money from his music post-sale.

To date, he has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide and 35 million singles. As of this writing, his songs have generated billions of digital streams.

Awards & Achievements

Shelton, throughout his career, has garnered many positive reviews from musicians, critics, and fans. "Rolling Stone" referred to him as "one of country music's biggest stars over the past decade." Shelton was made a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2010 and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2014. Blake has received ten Country Music Association Awards, six Academy of Country Music Awards, and 10 CMT Music Awards. He has also won eight American Country Awards, seven People's Choice Awards, three American Music Awards, and a "Billboard" Music Award. For his outstanding achievement in country music and television, Shelton won the prestigious Gene Weed Special Achievement Award from the Academy of Country Music. He has been nominated for nine Grammy awards and also received the NATPE Reality Breakthrough Award for his work on "The Voice." In November 2017, Shelton was on the cover of "People" magazine as the Sexiest Man Alive, becoming the first country artist to be featured on the infamous cover.

Shelton is a philanthropist who donated $20,000 to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation in October 2013. In 2016, he donated $600,000 to the Jimmy Everest Center at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine for children with blood cancer and blood disorders. Shelton has also donated to and raised funds for his home town of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. Blake donated a portion of his merchandise sales to the MusiCares COVID-19 relief fund in March 2020. Blake donated $150,000 to the "Give from Home Day" fundraiser in April 2020, which raised funds to help feed hungry families during the pandemic.

Shelton, along with Ryman Hospitality Properties, owns and operates a chain of restaurants and entertainment complexes called Ole Red with locations in Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee, and soon, the Las Vegas Strip.

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offender42085 · 2 years ago

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Post 0516

Thomas Nathan Teets aka Arthur Storez, Pennsylvania inmate NE1969, born 1985, incarceration intake in 2017 at age 32, sentenced to 15 to 30 years

Murder, Aggravated assault, Abuse of a corpse, Theft, Robbery, Tampering with evidence

A Dawson man will serve 15 to 30 years behind bars for third-degree murder in the death of a Bullskin Township woman, a deal the victim's family agreed to under the assurance they could bring her body home.

Thomas Nathan Teets, 32, pleaded guilty in Fayette County Court to killing Leah Marie Owens, 31, on Sept. 15, 2017. He stabbed her to death and hid her body in a shallow grave where investigators said no one would have ever found her.

"I just pray to God that Leah is at peace now," said her mother, Camilla "Cammy" Crosby, before Teets was sentenced. "It took 45 days. We got her home."

Family members and friends filled the largest courtroom at the Fayette County Courthouse, clutching packs of tissues with dazed expressions, receiving encouraging pats on their shoulders from those already seated. The closest members of the family filed in behind solemn-faced investigators, expressions raw with grief as they faced Teets just days after their fears were confirmed that Owens had been murdered.

Crosby reported her daughter missing Sept. 20 when she failed to check in with family, a regular occurrence for the mother of two. After thousands of hours of investigation, state police charged Teets in her death just days before he pleaded guilty. They did so without having found her body.

After Teets was arraigned on the charges, investigators questioned him throughout the day. State police Cpl. Heather Clem-Johnston, who was in frequent contact with the family throughout the investigation, called Crosby to see if she would agree to the plea bargain if Teets confessed and took them to Owens' body.

She responded, "Bring my daughter home," said District Attorney Rich Bower.

By late afternoon, police said he led them to Owens' body in Dunbar Township.

"Does he deserve more time? In my opinion, yes," Bower said during the sentencing before Judge Steve P. Leskinen. "But we did this for the family, once we knew who the murderer was."

"It's a different situation, and one that's done at great speed," Leskinen said, adding that the plea agreement was below the mitigated range for third-degree murder. "The family's wishes are something we intend to honor."

When the judge asked Teets if he was guilty of all six crimes – third-degree murder, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse, theft, robbery and tampering with evidence – he responded, "Yes, sir."

Teets remained seated and turned toward Crosby briefly.

"I'd like to say I'm sorry for hurting your family," he said, appearing unemotional.

Earlier this week, Owens' older sister, Lauren Solosky, said the family could not bear to sit through days of a trial listening to the details of her death after already waiting five weeks to learn her fate. She called the waiting process a "nightmare" for Owens' family and friends.

Shane Gannon, who was representing Teets through the Fayette County Public Defender's Office, said he was involved with the case for several weeks, since late September when Teets was jailed for contempt in a domestic case. Teets told the judge he was satisfied with his representation.

Crosby, who is battling cancer, said she would wake up every morning wondering if her daughter's disappearance was only a nightmare. She would wake often wake up in the middle of the night.

"Pouring down rain, and the wind is blowing, and it's cold. And you pray to God your child isn't freezing. She's not getting wet," she said. "It was horrendous for all those days."

The morning of the murder, Owens went with Teets to Crosby's home. Both times, Owens asked for money, which investigators said was to pay a debt to Teets. Solosky also wired Owens money that day.

Owens left her mother's house, saying she would be back in 20 minutes after taking a shower. Crosby left for her radiation treatment.

"But I never heard from Leah again after that, and I knew within hours – mother's intuition – that something bad had happened. I knew it," she said.

She went door-to-door, asking about her daughter's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Teets dug a grave about two-feet deep and buried Owens' body, less than one mile from where investigators said he bought drugs.

"It was in a heavily thicketed area where, in our opinion, no hunter or anyone else would have stumbled upon Leah," said Bower.

Charges were filed after lab results matched Owens' DNA to blood found on a knife blade and identified Teets' blood on the handle. The knife was found in a Owens' abandoned car by Normalville fire department. Owen's blood was also found on the car.

Teets cut off part of his finger during the stabbing, which Bower described as a permanent reminder of his crimes, dubbing him "the nine-fingered man."

Teets confessed he murdered Owens to many people, according to Bower. The keys of Owens' vehicle were found hidden in a vent in his house.

Members of the family exchanged hugs with investigators as they left the courthouse.

"I wanted Leah home. I don’t know what my future holds. None of us know what our future holds," Crosby said. "We needed Leah home for her closure and for the closure of her babies, and for all this I thank everybody from the bottom of my heart."

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