#2023.meg

[lunetual]

TOP 10 TITLE TRACKS OF 2023 ✧ JANUARY - JUNE ooooh let's go girls (gender neutral)! it's that time of year again, so i'm going to go ahead and launch us for our midyear favorites! ♡ i will probably try to make a b-sides post also since almost all of my big favorites have been bsides (or peak time original songs lmao) so stay tuned ig! but for now, here are the ten title tracks that have at some point taken up residence in my brain. will tag some of the multituals under the cut! no pressure of course, and if i miss you and you would like me a tag pls shoot me an ask or dm and i will !!

honorable mentions because i didn't have the gumption to make more than ten of these: designer by vav / freedom by joohoney / madness by moonbin&sanha / waterfall by younite / loser by ab6ix / u by ikon / bite me by enhypen / sunshower by epex / wild heart by lun8 / puzzle by sf9 / perfume by dojaejung / save me, kill me by cix / s.o.s. by kang daniel

tagging: @wonjinist, @minkyunies, @dreamaze, @berryjaellie, @flops, @weitual, @yangsminho, @leewonseo, @kyubins, @dongkwan, @ambivartence, @mizugucci, @jaebeomtual, @jangdaehyeonz, @alexmoons, @heeseunq, @jaeyunsim, @hongberries, @seokmatthewz, @shorelinnes ♡

[tolerateit]

2023 still sounds like one of those made up distant years someone would accidentally end up in on a time travel mission gone wrong

[barb-being-mentally-ill]

Day 2: Private/Respect

Day two is here, I got inspired by one of the fics I’ve read where Megatron looks on in disdain at the mockery that new council is making of the last of Primes

Using Optimus’s name and image as a tool for their propaganda, for things he would have never stood for.

I’ve found that making a small comic was the easiest way to illustrate my idea, did I forget that Megatron appearance changed after the movie? Yes I did and we’re gonna ignore it

Here’s a version w/out text and the lineart

Below there’s a small snippet that I wrote, it came to mind while I was drawing this

[Megatron always held respect for his greatest enemy, for his dearest love, he never could have fathomed a life without Optimus…and yet here he stood looking at a statue built in his memory, memory of a great leader who sacrificed himself to save his planet.

Megatron nearly scoffed, Optimus always had a hero complex jumping at any chance to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. His naïveté was frustratingly endearing and stupid to no end. In the end the Prime managed to achieve his life long dream of giving his life for his cause, Megatron thought spitefully but he knew it wasn’t the truth, he knew he was just trying to deflect the blame, to sooth his grieving spark with anger.

He knew Optimus, knew what he stood for, inadvertently he was the one to know his enemy best. After millennia of battle and constant back and forth of their struggle they came to be quite familiar with each other. And now Megatron knew that Optimus would be looking on with those sad optics of his at the current state of their world.

Hot anger bristled in him at the thought.

“They desecrated your name, dear”, talking to a statue must be a new low for the ex-warlord but he couldn’t stay silent anymore, not when looking at a poorly made replica of his Prime, “You would have never stood for this ridiculousness”

Optimus wouldn’t allow founds that were desperately needed for reconstruction efforts, to be wasted on another meaningless statue. He wouldn’t allow for his name to be smeared on everywhere to justify different agendas. They disrespect every single thing he stood for..

“They hold no respect for you”]

[scribe-of-hael]

YOU CAN'T KEEP ME IN HERE LIKE THIS!!!

Ya'll thought I was playing , I meant it

Starscream in a cat blanket burrito

[ladylucck]

Megan Thee Stallion attending the Vanity Fair After Party, 2023

[de0xidearts]

i like to think vanessa made vlog style videos on her laptop like a nerd documenting her vanny building process

[ef-1]

[artist-issues]

And another thing—the whole premise of Asha’s motivation, her whole character, is that she believes the people of Rosas deserve “more” than what Magnifico is giving them.

And I’ve already made posts about how that’s already kind of lame, because the movie doesn’t give you a good look at the citizens of Rosas really “suffering” because of Magnifico. They’re not all dull, or diffident, or zombies or anything. So she’s not really rescuing them from anything too bad, in that sense.

But that’s not the point of this post.

The point of this post is that Asha believes all the wishes in Rosas deserve the chance to come true, because she believes that all the intentions of the people in Rosas are basically good…she believes they’re all basically good people.

All their wishes are, therefore, good, harmless wishes.

But that’s so boring. And untrue. Not all wishes are good! Very few of the things we choose to wish for are the best things we could choose to wish for. And even less of the things people wish for are what they actually need.

Wish makes a lame attempt at the end, with the clunky Peter-Pan background character, to suggest that what the people of Rosas were missing was a work ethic to achieve their dreams, and collaborate with others, themselves. But it’s lame. And still not compelling. Because not everybody has good wishes. In fact, almost ALL of Disney’s best stories are about a character wishing for something that isn’t completely good for them. I already made a post that was kind of about this, but seriously. Having characters who want something, then discover that something is not so good for them, or something else would be even better, is one of Disney’s trademark tools for making compelling characters and adventures.

Flynn, in Tangled, just wanted to live a life of ease where nobody could bother him or take anything from him. And you know, he’s an orphan. They explained why he has that bad wish, because of his life and the circumstances that made him how he is—so we understand. We don’t hate him for having a bad wish. We get it. But then it’s wonderful to watch him learn to wish for something better! That’s a big chunk of the story! Just like how Rapunzel wished to see the floating lights, because it meant exploring and understanding the world. Not a bad wish, but not everything she could’ve had. Love, with Flynn, was an even better wish.

You could do this with villains, too, as the opposite. You can say,

Gaston had a bad wish. He wished to have Belle, simply because she was the most beautiful girl in town and he felt like he “deserved” her as the most beautiful man in town—and didn’t want to settle for second-best. And he has plenty of evidence to look at in order to recognize that his wish is bad, it’s not good for anyone including him—he has Belle’s selfless love for her father, the Beast’s refusal to fight back, and other adoring girls who would love to have him. But he won’t let it go. He won’t give up his wish or change it to something good—because he won’t acknowledge that it’s bad. So you have a great villain.

You get lots of great villains that way. Having bad wishes, but refusing to give them up. I mean, every Disney villain has a dream too, you guys realize that? And Disney had no problem saying “some wishes are bad” then. So they had strong characters with believable motivations/performances and a gripping story. Plus, actual impactful morals.

Stitch realizing his wish to destroy is bad, and changing it to a wish for family, like what Lilo and Nani have.

Clayton wishing he could “conquer” Africa, right down to selling its most fearsome creatures, right down to refusing to give up in a fight with Tarzan and winding up getting killed for it.

Hercules changing his wish from being a god to being on earth with Meg, because that’s a better fulfillment of his previous wish, which was just to find where he belongs.

Cruella refusing to change or give up her bad wish for a fur-skinned coat made from the pelts of the pets of the friends who insulted her.

The fairies continually giving up their wishes to do what’s best for Aurora and the kingdom—they give up their magic when it fails to undo Maleficent’s curse, then they give Aurora herself back to her real parents even though they’ve loved her, then they put the whole kingdom full of their friends to sleep to spare them the heartbreak of losing Aurora.

I mean, you could think of this as Part II of my earlier post, but what I’m saying is, Wish doesn’t acknowledge one of the most fundamental things about Disney stories: wishes aren’t always good, and they’re not always good for the people making them.

I get that Magnifico was taking away the chance for Rosas to find that out for themselves. No character in Rosas gets to go on their own journey of “is my wish worth getting.” But basing a movie off of that set them up for a boring movie. The whole concept of forgetting the wish you have, but it was probably good/harmless, makes the characters stop being characters, and the story super bland.

The only character that has a wish that he tries to make come true and has to choose to either keep or let go of is Magnifico—and his wish is “maintain absolute power.” Not even the Evil Queen had a wish that was that one-dimensional and bland—at least she had something personal in there. Magnifico doesn’t have a backstory or a personality that hints at a backstory which would explain his being a control-freak. He just has a burnt tapestry hanging on a wall that he sometimes glances at and says super vaguely, “nobody should ever have to live with their wish not coming true!” What wish, Magnifico? What did you wish for that you didn’t get? Say something that makes you real to me, or else I don’t care. Like everything else in this movie.

[feyhunter78]

Trust Fund Baby Series + Meg's Kinktober #21 Almost Caught AKA Late Night, a Few Drinks

Description: Carmy invites you to try the new drinks for The Bear's opening. (This fic is actually sfw sorry to disappoint)

Trust Fund Baby (nsfw)

“Saint Anthony, huh? Didn’t know you were Catholic.” You say, hooking one finger under the gold chain around his neck, leaning forward with a drunken giggle as you inspect it.

“I’m not, just Italian.” Carmy says, his lips mere inches from yours, when you look up and realize how close you two are. He’s so pretty like this, and his eyes are so, so, blue you swear you could drown in them.

You’re practically in his lap, one hand balancing yourself on his knee, the other holding his chain, his gaze holding yours, looking as if he wants to devour you.

“Ah, yes, makes perfect sense.” You nod, smiling, smiling, smiling, smiling, it’s all you can do around Carmy, especially when you’re drinking.

“Yeah?” Camry asks, leaning back on his hands, half lidded eyes, slightly glazed from alcohol, watching as you toy with the small pendant.

“Yeah.” You echo, eyes flickering down to his lips.

“Real nice of you to come help out with the tastings.” Carmy says, pink tongue darting out, wetting his lips.

You swallow hard, the rational part of your brain telling you to pull back. “Can’t say no to free drinks with my favorite chef now, can I?”

His eyebrows lift and he cocks his head slightly to the side. “I’m your favorite chef, sweetheart?”

“Of course.” You say it so simply, like it’s a fact, because to you, it is. “Well, you and Syd, she makes a killer breakfast.”

He laughs, his head rolling back, the sound infectious.

You lean back, letting Carmy’s chain drop and settle gently on his chest.

“That all it takes to win you over? A good breakfast?” Carmy asks, smiling that half smile that makes your stomach do flips.

“I guess so.” Your face is warm, from the alcohol, embarrassment, desire? You’re not sure.

“I’m pretty good at making breakfast too.” He says, the low lighting in The Bear makes his eyes impossibly dark, like the ocean during a storm, and you’re one drink away from diving in.

You gather your courage, hoping you still look as good as you did when you left your apartment. “Oh yeah? Maybe I’ll have to come over and try it some time then.”

Carmy’s eyes widen, just a fraction, but it’s enough to knock down every bit of confidence you built up.

“Shit, sorry, that was such a weird thing to say.” You look at your glass, though you know it’s empty. “I think the drinks are getting to me.”

He shakes his head. “Nah, nah, wasn’t weird at all, love to make you breakfast sometime.”

You bite your lip to hide your smile. “Yeah?”

He tucks a lock of hair behind your ear, fingers lingering for a moment too long, his eyes darting to your bottom lip, still trapped between your teeth. “Yeah, anytime, love cooking for you, it’s cute when you get all excited, and you got that pretty smile on your face.”

And there go the butterflies. “Oh, so you think I’m pretty?” You tease, dragging out the “y” sound, and laughing when he rolls his eyes.

“Fuckin’ know I think that. Everybody thinks that, prettiest damn girl in the whole world.” He says, voice low, but earnest.

“No way, prettiest girl in the world is Jessica Chastain.” You laugh, cheeks burning as you try to wave off his compliment, your heart doing double time jumping jacks in your chest.

He lets out a low whistle. “Almost forgot about her.”

Ouch.

You try not to let that hurt you considering you brought it up, but it still stings, and you look away, feeling the sting settle in your skin.

Carmy sits up, his hand cradling your cheek, bringing your eyes to his. “Hey, hey, what’s up with you, what happened?”

You smile at him, but you know he can see it’s a bit forced. “Nothing, nothing, just got lost in thought.”

“Don’t get all sad on me, I don’t like when my pretty girl’s sad.” He says, thumb caressing your cheek slowly.

My pretty girl. Has he ever called you that before? Ever staked a claim, expressed any real desire to have you as his? You don’t think so, and now the moment has weight. Weight you’re not ready to think about.

“Just got a bit insecure, don’t know why. I literally love her, and don’t have any ideas that I’d actually look as pretty as a celebrity, that would be crazy.”

Carmy lets out a huff and his thumb brushes against your lips, the touch sending shockwaves through you, and Carmy as well. “Don’t be fuckin’ dumb, of course you’re as pretty as a celebrity, fuckin’ prettier than all the celebrities.”

“Hey…” You warn, scrunching up your nose. “Don’t call me dumb.”

His face falls. “No, no, sweetheart, I’d never, I just meant—”

You stop him with a hand on his chest, right over the gold pendant. “I’m kidding, I know what you meant, and I appreciate it.”

Carmy visibly relaxes. “Got me scared for a second.”

“I’m sorry.” You giggle, going to move your hand.

He catches it and brings it to his lips. “I’m serious, you’re so fuckin’ pretty y/n, like it makes no fuckin’ sense.”  His lips warm, a bit chapped, but still soft, and your skin tingles, butterflies erupting in your stomach all over again.

“Oh.” You breathe, heart fluttering, your eyes locked on your joined hands. “Well, um, genetics I guess?”

“Genetics.” He echoes, relinquishing your hand and leaning back on his own, his eyes drifting to the window, leaving you to try and fight the lovesick smile threatening to appear.

“Yeah, my mom is gorgeous.” You say, wishing his gaze would drift back to you.

It does, and you beam at him.

“I bet.” Carmy says, his eyes darting down to your lips, to the way you’re still half leaning on him, the way your shirt clings to you, like a second skin, his free hand settling on your hip.

“I really do appreciate you asking me to come try the drinks with you.” You tell him, voice quiet, unwilling to break the sudden tension that’s appeared.

“Of course, I always have fun with you, wouldn’t want anyone else here with me.” His hand burns on your hip, and you want to pull it either lower or higher, just want something to happen.

“You’re so sweet to me.” You smile, eyes dropping to his lips, then flickering up to his eyes.

He’s so close, and you can practically taste the alcohol on his lips, the bitters, the orange, the burned sugar.

“Easy to be sweet to you.” Carmy says, it’s more of an exhale against your lips, his hand coming up to cup your cheek once more, your noses brushing against each other, the sound of your blood rushing in your ear and—

“Yo cousin, where you at?” Richie’s voice booms through The Bear, and you jolt backwards, pushing away from Carmy as if he burned you.

He looks dazed, lips still parted, eyes soft and focused on you. Then he blinks, and it’s all gone, he’s back to normal. “In the front, by the bar.”

Kinktober masterlist

[lunetual]

MEG'S 2023 B-SIDES BREAKDOWN ✧ JANUARY - JUNE ah you guys know that at my core i'm a b-sides girl, right? i've liked so many of them this year, and i wanted to do something a little elaborate for my very beloved songs these past six months (and ofc peak time had to have a spotlight!!). there's like 40 songs on here and i still didn't include some of my other favorites LMAO (1000 miles by tnx and tinnitus by my tubatus i love u so much). but i thought maybe another panel would be overkill.

i'm won't tag anyone this time as i tagged like half my mutuals list in my title tracks post, but if anyone does make a b-sides post please tag me i always love seeing best of posts!! ♡

[tolerateit]

taylor's grammy 2023 nominations:

Song Of The Year (atw10mv)

Song For Visual Media (Carolina)

Best Music Video (atw10mv)

Best Country Song (I Bet You Think About Me)

also: jack antonoff for producer of the year (atw10mv)

[barb-being-mentally-ill]

Megop week started and we’re kicking off with angst :)

I’ll be brief with explanations, the prompt for today is: Loyalty/ Betrayal, I ran with betrayal. The idea was inspired by the concept that after receiving the matrix Orion isn’t quite in control anymore(does it make sense canonically? Not rly but it makes for a cool shot)

I wanted to portray sudden betrayal and at first thought of the council scene but I wanted to spice it up a bit and ended up with Orion stabbing Megatron, with ghostly hands representing the matrix and the past primes “forcing” his hand

Here’s the lineart, a ver without text and a shitty doodle my friend made while I was sketching it out

[sixthemusicalextras]

@/l.eesa on Instagram, 31 March 2024

[ladylucck]

Oscar Award Winner Ke Huy Quan with Meg Thee Stallion, at the 2023 Vanity Fair After Party.

[rezal-art]

Fanart Advent Calendar: Day 24

For A Home I Never Thought I'd Know, by mansikka. A very sweet fic in which one of the main settings is Tea Tales, Castiel's cafe. I loved Dean and Cas's personal journeys as much as their gentle love story.

This is the last piece of my advent calendar! I published one fanart a day since the beginning of December, and it made me very happy to read all of your comments about fics you loved as much as I did. I was also thrilled to see so much "to read" mentions, and nothing would make me prouder than knowing I helped someone discover an amazing story.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me and Merry Christmas!

[l-ii-zz]

“You know her?!!!”

Anyway, lots of erucian doodles 😊