#Donna Jean Young

[oldshowbiz]

A new-to-the-internet episode of Funny You Should Ask (1969)

[travsd]

On Donna Jean Young and "Vaudeville"

Today we treat of two separate but very much related topics of roughly equal obscurity. I can’t recall which one I learned about first, but we start with comedienne Donna Jean Young (1936-2010) because May 29 was her birthday. And this will be one of those happy occasions where Travalanche is your best, very nearly ONLY source of centralized info. As the 1969 record album cover above more than…

[thisiseditsandstuff]

"I am life, Charles. I am fire. I am the Phoenix. I am not a priest. I have no absolution to offer you." — "I had become the sum total of all my selves, each of my lives — unique in all creation a living connection to every universe that had ever existed."

The Return of Donna Troy / Rise of the Powers of X / Artemis by Aurora / The Calling by The Amazing Devil / The Gods Show Up by Michael Kinnucan / JLA / 奈落の花 (Naraku no Hana) by Eiko Shimamiya / Uncanny X-Men / Fire by Barns Courtney / Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day

[batcavescolony]

Minding my own business, watching so tv. I put on some cake wars and who do I see? GEOFF FUCKING JOHNS MY COMIC BOOK NEMESIS!

[krispyweiss]

Quarter Notes: Blurbs & Briefs from Sound Bites

- In this edition: Oasis; Stephen Stills; Grateful Dead; & Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

OASIS WILL DEFINITELY MAYBE PLAY IN 2025: After a 15-year public pissing match, Liam and Noel Gallagher plan to reunite as Oasis for a 2025 tour of the U.K. and Ireland.

“The guns have fallen silent,” they said. “The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”

STEPHEN STILLS ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT: Stephen Stills endorsed Kamala Harris for president and pledged “to lend any assistance I can to the campaign.”

“I am greatly encouraged by the extraordinary energy and vibrancy that has followed” the Democratic National Convention, Stills said in a statement.

GRATEFUL FOR DEAD LESSONS: “Grateful Dead Hour” host David Gans will teach Did It Matter? Does It Now? The Music and Culture of the Grateful Dead. The eight-week course begins Oct. 3 at Stanford University.

SPRINGSTEEN WILL NOT RETIRE: Bruce Springsteen told an audience in Philadelphia he and the E Street Band will not retire.

“We’ve been around 50 fucking years, and we ain’t quitting,” he said. “We ain’t doing no farewell tour bullshit. No farewell tour for the E Street Band. Farewell to what? A thousand people screaming your name? Get the hell out.”

8/27/24

[deadbeetleblog]

the batkids finds a box with shitton of VHS so they plug them in and to their surprise is just a bunch of Christmases,birthdays,graduations, party's,etc that Bruce recorded

the first one is dicks 10 birthday (none of this is chronological or anything I'm making shit up as I want)the camera quality was shit all grainy,it was in the manor and part of the league were there and Donna,Roy,wally,Garth are there with their mentors plus superman and the gordons and there's like this cheesy decoration and theres gifts bags for the kids and ice cream and I'm thinking dick is going to have a mj obsession so all of micheal Jackson's songs are playing on the background and the kids are all trying to do the beat it dance

then there's a shot of Dickies small kid face covered in cake and ice cream and he looks gross,off camera a voice says (Bruce) "you're liking your party lad?" his voice is so soft and young and so dad "yeS! thank you Bruce this is the best party ever!!" and he goes away running to superman,he looks young too, mullet and all as he catches Dickie laughing. the video ends, the next tape rolls

It's Christmas,it seems like Bruce is hiding while he records, the tv is on, "can't touch this" is playing and a young Jason Todd is clumsily trying to do the dance, you can hear Bruce's giggles as he watches the kid, he stops hiding and enters the room, Jason looks at him,his smile wide "look! dad look! I'm doing it!!" he isn't doing it but Bruce claps anyways "good job Jaylad!! you look just like hammer!" Jason squeaks, the video ends.

this time tim is on view,he's in the cave doing his homework on the floor, he looks like he's 13-15 at least all sparred on baggy jeans and a too big shirt,this was from a digital camera very clearly, the quality much better, on a monitor of the batcomputer, Britney spears was singing,he was humming along softly, Bruce made his presence clear Clark In front of him with a cake, singing softly "happy birthday to you....happy birthday to you.... happy birthday dear Timmy,happy birthday to you" Tim looked back a bit shocked before smiling wide,his braces all clear for the camera

next tape was toddler damian bouncing and clapping while watching toy story 3 bruce giggling as he danced, "dami,dami, I love youu" his voice was so incredibly soft "I uv yu" Bruce awed as baby damian talked, all chubby limbs and big green eyes,"Dami papa loves you" bruce keep repeating and he keep getting i love yous back when a new set of footsteps interrupted him "hey sugar" clarks midwester accent break through the quiet ambience "hey you" Bruce focused the camera on him "got anything to say to your baby?" Bruce asked humourous,Clark had a tiny baby strapped to his chest ,Damian squeaked loudly getting Bruce's attention back on him "I'm here baby no need to spit" Clark laughed and the video ended

they watched the black screen for a while, it was heartwarming in a way,dick no longer danced thriller on Halloween with his friends, Jason no longer tried to copy vanilla ice, tim no longer had a fringe or a myspace account and Damian was no longer a baby. Bruce was getting older and older and the only thing left of those days were these videos.

the complication of videos grows bigger and bigger with dukes graduation,Cass first recital, Barbara's wedding, Steph's birthday, and eventually they found two curious videos

one was marked "olly,lexie and brucie 72" and the other "happy together 81", turns out lex Luther not only had a beautiful head of red locks but he also had a complete disco choreography with oliver queen and bruce wayne for their graduation, Bruce had the most adorable crooked teeth and straight nose,he really changed with none of his original teeth and multiple rhinoplasties.

the other one was a short video of Bruce combing his hair, humming softly until he caughts the cameraman, he turns with a smile " if we're late for your fault I'm going to be so pissed" the cameraman laughed warmly, "I just have to get my shoes on, I'm waiting for you,it's been an hour you don't need to comb that much" Clarks voice bombed through the speakers "it's my wedding Clark,of course I have to comb that much","you know I love your hair no matter how it is" Bruce pouted and turned pissed, going to the bathroom "Bruce please, don't get pissed" the video ended.

[kiragecko]

What’s your favourite period of Batfamily dynamics?

What’s the one that you’re most interested about exploring through fanfic? Reading the comics for? Reinterpreting, so that it Actually Works? Not the best one, but the one that gets you most excited (even if that 'excitement' is furious fix-it fics, or long metas about how it COULD have been so good)! You don’t even need to have READ the comics. Choose the period that makes the most interesting fanfic!

(Edit: If you prefer stuff that mixes periods, or non-comics' canons, I've added a follow-up poll in a reblog. Answer this poll based on what's most similar to your interests - which characters tend to be around, is Dick a teen on a superhero team, etc. And then give me the nuance in the next poll!)

I did this in 2023, as well, but 10 options wasn't QUITE enough, and polls couldn't handle formatting. So we're trying again ;) Thanks to @zahri-melitor for most of the post-Flashpoint details! (Any mistakes are my additions.)

Here are our challengers!

1. The Golden Age (1939 - 1960) - Bruce and Dick need no motivation beyond 'it's the right thing to do' and 'we're AWESOME' (and why would they?), Bruce murders people in the (very) early issues, and Alfred is a bumbling fool who isn't yet Alfred - [22 years]

2. The Silver Age (1960 - 1980) - Dick gets fun Teen Titans friends, Bruce goes on space/time travel adventures, Alfred still didn't raise Bruce, and, after a few fumbles with other female 'wholesome heterosexual dynamics here' characters, we get BABS - [21 years]

3. Early - Mid 80s (1980 - 1986) - Dick gets to be oh so melodramatic with his new angsty Titans friends in New York, Bruce says 'Chum' and 'Lad' as he ruffles tiny Jason's hair, Alfred raised Bruce and is his awesome self, we realize Babs will keep adding impressive new jobs to her resume forever (Senator! Librarian! Lawyer!), and they start to be an actual family - [7 years]

4. Late 80s - Early 90s (1986-1992) - The Dark Knight Returns heralds a dark new era, Babs is crippled, and Jason dies. Tim is a new type of Robin - one who supports Batman. Babs rebuilds herself, no child needed. Dick and Bruce try, but mostly fail, to communicate. Alfred becomes the heart of a family that doesn't know it's a family - [7 years]

5. The 90s (1992 - 1999) - Dick and Tim are brothers. Oracle rejoins the Batfamily, while continuing her separate life. Dick moves from New York to Blüdhaven, closer to the Bats than the Titans. Bruce has 2 sons, even though neither realize he thinks that way. Catwoman grudgingly dabbles with heroism. Steph arrives, and exists on the edges, only connected to the family through Tim. A variety of other people come and go through their lives - Jean-Paul, Helena Bertinelli, Harold, Sasha Bordeaux, etc, and Gotham is a whole CITY of heroes - [8 years]

6. Early 2000s (1999 - 2003) - The family grows and becomes tighter knit. Cass continues Babs' legacy, and Steph finally gets a friend. Babs and Alfred are in some ways joint centres of the family, and fight with Bruce about how to raise kids. Dick calls Tim 'little brother' for the first time. Tim starts Young Justice, and Dick is back with his oldest friends - [5 years]

7. Mid 2000s (2003 - 2007) - The era of death. Donna dies, Dick's team disbands, and Tim's team renames themselves the Teen Titans. Bad idea, many teens die, including most of Tim's friends. Steph dies. Tim and Cass get close, until Cass is brainwashed and kills a lot of people. Many, many people around Dick are murdered, and eventually Blüdhaven is exploded. Jason is back from the dead, and exuberantly contributing to the murders. Bruce can't work with equals, and Babs leaves the city. Dick is furious with Jason, Jason is violent towards Tim, and Tim is far less forgiving than fanon pretends. Babs gets colder, Alfred gets older, and Bruce shuts down - [5 years]

8. Late 2000s (2007 - 2011) - The era of grief. Bruce, Dick, and Tim take a year long cruise to recover. Cass, Steph, and Babs eventually return. But the scars run deep. Everyone's relationships are shaky. Jason has a different motivation every arc. Tim is trying to clone people and being head-hunted by Ra's al Ghul. Damian shows up and topples the already unsteady situation. Bruce dies. Cass leaves. Tim fights with Dick and goes off to prove Bruce is alive. Damian and Steph both rebuild themselves in the ashes, while Dick tries to hope for a better future - [5 years]

9. The New 52 (2012 - 2016) - The universe is rebooted. Jason has friends now, and for some reason is the only Bat Tim talks to? Dick spends some time as a secret agent. Babs is Batgirl again. Damian and Kate continue their preboot growth. Tim … exists. Steph and Cass mostly don't. Harper and Duke are introduced, but not really integrated. Everything is centred around Bruce. Most of the past no longer exists, and along with it, most of their relationships - [5 years]

10. Rebirth (2016 - 2020) - A world in transition, struggling for identity. Comics slowly bring in previous continuity, and it's uncertain what exists for who. (Except for Jason, we keep the new Jason.) Both Dick and Bruce spend a lot of time with amnesia. Tim gets a turn being fake dead. Duke finally gets a costume and codename. Selina almost marries Bruce, but editorial explicitly says that Bruce isn't allowed to have nice things. Nuclear family is centred over found family, but everyone is still kept apart. (And Jason should be kept even farther away for his own safety!) Eventually, Alfred dies, and Damian runs away from home - [4 years]

11. Infinite Frontier (2020 - 2025) - Relationships and memories get reestablished. A few characters stay their rebooted versions, some reinstall the old version, and many are an complex mix of both. People start being able to interact without Bruce around. Cass and Steph become Batgirl alongside Babs, and Babs starts reestablishing Oracle. Tim becomes Robin alongside Damian, and they explore the differences in their roles. Tim also rejoins Young Justice and remembers his friends, and Dick regains his relationships with the Titans - [5 years]

[dw19791967]

That Feeling Part 6

Pairing: Dean x reader

Y/N POV

Warnings: Fluff. Slight angst if you squint.

Series warnings- language, unrequited love, angst, unwanted kissing, depression, anxiety, and feelings.

Trigger Warning: This series contains discussions of depression, anxiety, commitment issues, and feelings that go along with those. If that could be triggering for you I would skip out on this one. It is based on some experiences I have had in real life.

*All mistakes are my own!

Finally finished this series. I know it was a rough ride but hopefully this makes up for it!

GIF is not mine.

__________________________________________________

I had been at Jody’s for a few days now, I had helped the girls do some spring cleaning. It helped me to keep my mind busy.

Dean had texted me frequently within the last few days. I felt bad for leaving but I knew if I didn’t, it could end badly for both of us. I need to make sure I have my head on straight and I am ready for this. 

I had called my therapist when I left the bunker. She talked me off the ledge and helped me understand what I was feeling. I knew everything she was saying but sometimes it works more if we hear it from someone else. 

I know if I don’t give this a chance, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I love Dean, and I know he cares about me. He wouldn’t have put up with me this long if he didn’t. I know it’s ok to be scared but I can’t let that fear hold me back. 

I was sitting on the couch, watching out the window, when I heard Claire speak. Jody and Alex were at work, Claire was hanging with me surprisingly, I guess I’m cool.

“Hey, do you want to head to the mall with me? I need some new jeans. 90% of mine are covered in blood and gut stains.”

I looked at her, “Yeah that sounds good, I’ll buy lunch if you drive.”

“Seriously? Jody never lets me drive.” 

I stood up, “Well I have faith you won’t crash, and if you do, I won’t hold it over your head.” I laughed.

She sighed. “I’m not that bad, I promise.”

I patted her shoulder, “I know you aren't.”

__________________________________________________

We made it to the mall without a scratch, she really wasn’t a bad driver. Definitely no worse than me.

Dean always hated when he drove and I was present, evidently I’m a backseat driver. Call me a little paranoid. 

I was looking through the dresses, I found a cute black one that would hug my curves but covered all my goods. I decided to get it.

Claire and I had lunch, talked about life, she’s still not sure what she wants to do.

“I know I definitely want to continue hunting, I feel like it’s the best thing for me. I know I’m good at it.” she spoke.

“I get that, you are still young, give it time. You can’t expect to have everything figured out right now. Hell, I’m older than you and I still don’t have everything figured out.”

She sighed, “I know and that’s what Jody keeps telling me. Sometimes I just get lonely even when I’m around people, I just feel like I missed out on a big part of life where I could meet new people.”

“I get it, it’s hard but Claire you can always meet new people. I deal with the same thing.” I gave her hand a small squeeze.

“Thanks Y/N, I feel like you get me. I appreciate you spending time with me today.”

“Of course, besides I need you around to make me feel cool.”

Claire laughed at me, “You are cool for an old chick.”

“Hey! I’m not too much older than you sister.” I slapped her hand.

She was laughing harder now.

__________________________________________________

We headed back to Jody’s. Jody had mentioned us girls getting together tonight with Donna at the local bar. I was excited, I hadn’t seen her in a while, she had been crazy busy between hunting and work.

I started getting ready for the night. I fixed my hair and did my usual light makeup routine. I decided to wear my new black dress with tights and heeled boots. I threw my black leather jacket over top, since it is still a little chilly out.

As we were headed out, Jody commented on my outfit,  “Dang Y/N that dress is gorgeous on you!” 

I smiled, “Thanks Jody, wanted to dress up a little tonight.”

I felt great, my head had felt more clear and I was feeling like my old self. 

We arrived at the bar. It wasn’t too busy, which was perfect for me. I always hated large crowards. 

We met up with Donna, she was so excited to see us. I wish I could be chipper like her. 

We were having a good time, laughing, drinking and talking. I headed to the bathroom. I made sure to touch up my lipgloss. 

When I returned to the bar, I was surprised. I saw Sam. 

“Hey stranger.” I approached him.

“Hey Y/N!” He got up to hug me. He seemed excited. 

“What are you doing here?”

“That’s for you to find out, why don’t you head outside?” 

“Ok…” I was confused but curious nonetheless. 

__________________________________________________

I headed outside. I saw Dean standing next to the Impala. He smiled instantly when he saw me.

“Hey beautiful” he moved to hug me as I got closer.

“Hey handsome” I squeezed him tight, God I had missed him.

He held me tight. 

“I missed you.” He rested his head on mine.

“I missed you too.” I stood back to look at him.

How can one man be so handsome, it really wasn’t fair.

He looked at me and smiled.

“You look beautiful, not that you usually don’t, I just missed you and seeing you now….yeah I’m gonna stop talking.” He sighed.

I laughed.

“I get it. And thank you.” I smiled at him. 

We both moved to lean against Baby as we talked.

“Are you feeling better?” He had his arm over my shoulder. 

“Yes.” I sighed and moved to stand in front of him. I could get lost in his eyes. He always makes me nervous but in a good way. 

I took a deep breath “Look, I am really sorry for everything. I know I’m a lot and dealing with me isn’t a cake walk. I’m a mess. I could promise to do better but I know myself and I know I’m not always going to be easy to deal with. But I do care about you, a lot. And if I don’t give this, us, a chance, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. It scares the shit out of me, but you…Dean, you are worth it. I can’t imagine my life without you and I don’t want to. I know I’m damaged and I know I’ll drive you crazy and probably piss you off but I love you and I want you.”

I could tell he was thinking so I gave him time. He took my hand. 

“Y/N I wouldn’t want you if you weren’t you. When I look at you I see a brave, confident woman who could kick my ass but can also be sweeter than pie. I love you, flaws in all. No one is perfect, hell I am a mess too. But I can’t do this life without you. Meeting you was like meeting the sun. You light up my life in ways I didn’t know it could be lit. I don’t want to do this life without you, I’m scared to but I think this is something worth fighting for. So if you will have me, I’m yours. Cause Sweetheart since the day I met you, you have been mine.” 

Tears welled in my eyes.

I smiled at him. “Damn Winchester, who knew you were a hopeless romantic.” He laughed and took me in his arms. 

I looked up at him. “I’m yours.” 

He sighed “Good. If it’s ok with you now, I’m gonna kiss you.” 

I giggled, “I would love that.” 

Taglist:

@hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog

@deanspinsterwitchs-readinglist

@pandasrdbest2341

[fantastic-nonsense]

I have a fun [citation needed] hypothetical for you. Say you have been granted the authority to make FIVE editorial directives for DC comics that will be followed for at least the next five years. What are you demanding?

No company events.

No major events with ten thousand tie-in comics.

No big crossover events.

No big gimmick events.

No event comics.

Okay, I kid, but only slightly. I'm actually going cheat slightly and give you five plus an extra one that needs a bit more explanation:

No company-wide crossover events or gimmick events that derail major ongoing stories in individual books shall be made. If an event comic is published, any tie-ins will be published separately from the character's ongoing/mini (for reference: like the Blackest Night tie-in specials).

Institute a lore consistency team within the Archives department. Mandate that every single creative team MUST read and utilize a character/story bible before writing any scripts. The scripts will be looked over by a member of the lore team as well as the book editor before being approved for publication.

The Young Justice generation is finally allowed to grow up and, where necessary, get new hero names. In particular, Tim Drake finally gets to age and stop being Robin. He picks 'Blackbird' as his new name, gets a cool new red-and-black costume, and stars in a rebooted Young Justice book alongside his friends.

Barbara Gordon has to formally retire from the Batgirl role and become Oracle full time again. This is handled in a way that is respectful of her character and her disability. Cassandra Cain will be Batgirl full-time again while Stephanie Brown goes back to Spoiler; Cass gets a Batgirl solo ongoing while Steph would join a rebooted Gotham Knights team book that includes her, Kate, Helena, Luke Fox, and Jean-Paul Valley.

Wonder Woman's established lore is acknowledged, respected, and re-emphasized. Diana is a clay baby again, Cassie is Zeus's daughter again, The Return of Donna Troy is acknowledged as the definitive explanation of Donna's multiple-choice backstory (while the fire origin stays the definitive origin), Artemis gets her original origin back, etc. Full acceptance of the Rucka Rebirth retcon to reset Diana's origins and childhood back to the post-Crisis status quo. No references to the Zeus origin or the New 52 Amazons are allowed to be made except in context of Rucka's "it was a lie" explanation.

In priority order, those editorial mandates probably fall out to be something like 2>1>5>3 and 4 in a tie; 3 and 4 are kinda interchangable since they collectively would fix a wide swath of what's wrong with the Bat books right now.

My "extra" mandate would be that writers must utilize existing characters where possible for their stories. No new "major" heroes are to be introduced unless a writer can prove that a book needs a new character to fill an identified gap. Prioritization should go to a) characters who used to be used on a regular basis in a given book but have not been seen in 10+ years and b) characters introduced within the past 5-7 years.

I'd want this one for two reasons: one, there's a ton of pre-existing characters who used to be staple or regularly recurring characters who have failed to get regular appearances since 2011, for a variety of reasons. Forcing writers to use them instead of creating new characters would allow DC to rebuild some continuity, bring back old favorites, and provide closure to lingering storylines that were cut short or never followed up on. Two, there's a hell of a lot of new characters have been introduced and discarded without actually building them out properly the last few years. I would honestly only put this one in place for around 3 years...long enough to force DC to actually flesh out the underutilized newbies and provide some closure and new beginnings for some old favorites.

[dc-tournaments]

The List of Runners-Up

This is the list of everyone who made it through five rounds of tournaments only to get knocked out in the finale. Mainly tracked because I think this will be interesting data. Like with the list of winners, if you are viewing a reblog, you might want to consider checking the original post for edits.

The Villain of All Time: Poison Ivy | Dr. Pamela Isley

Worst Costume: New 52 Duela Dent

Queerest "Cishet": Blue Beetle | Ted Kord

The Incompetency Awards: Cluemaster | Arthur Brown

Fuck This Guy in Particular: David Cain

Most Unhinged: Young Justice

SexyWOMAN #Feminism: Death of the Endless

Super Animal Illegal Fight Ring: Krypto the Super Dog

Most Adorable Littlest Baby Heroling: Robin | Dick Grayson

Deadest Corpse: John & Mary Grayson

Transgender Swag Award: Alysia Yeoh

Platonic Soulmates Award: Dick Grayson & Donna Troy

Autism Creature Incarnate: Robin | Damian Wayne

Mental Stability Award: Blue Lantern | Saint Bro'Dee Walker

DC's Next Top Fashionista: Fire | Beatriz da Costa

The MILF Ever: Lois Lane

Egregious Tax Evader: John Constantine

Disability Pride Award: Jericho | Joey Wilson

Pathetic Wet Cat: Azrael | Jean-Paul Valley

Most Androgynous Ever: Wonder Girl | Cassie Sandsmark

Asexuality Award: Jughead Jones

Senior Citizen Smackdown: Shazam | Mamaragan

Best Costume: 1998 Troia | Donna Troy

[m1lkyxway]

waiter! waiter! more Lolita Mikey please!!

AT YOUR SERVICE!!!

Mikey loves being outside in the mud, getting himself dirty. It was common to see him shoeless, tracking dirt into the house followed by a strong reprimanding by his mother. Scrapes and bruises complimented his pale flesh, the purple and red blending seamlessly. Gerard had just moved back in to his childhood home, losing his job and therefore his apartment. He didn’t mind being home with his parents, and most certainly didn’t mind being the scape goat to babysit the rambunctious pre teen who was now in the backyard reading comic books. Mikey found himself wedged between two tree branches, his glasses perched on the tip of his nose. It was a small detail Gerard loved about his younger brother. There were many small things he noticed about him, the way his smiles creased his face, when he lifted his arms just a small bit his shirt would rise, as if teasing Gerard and asking him to come closer. The mole right on his hip would show temporarily and then be closed off to the world, as if it was never there in the first place.

“What are you thinking about?” Mikey asked, pulling Gerard out of his thoughts. He’d been staring this entire time, even though his place among the patio, far from the tree the younger had sat himself in wasn’t far enough to make up some dumb excuse to say he wasn’t staring at him.

“Oh..” it took Gerard a second to think, looking around for a moment before replying “work. Stuff. Boring stuff.” He settled on, shrugging. He fumbled with a pack of cigarettes that had sat themselves in his back pocket, pulling a stick out before lighting it behind his hand.

Mikey made a face, staring at his older brother. “Those kill people, y’know. I see it on the tv, commercials where people talk through a thing in their throat.” He said, leaning his head and back onto the branch behind him, his body contorting into the tree branches shape.

Gerard nodded, looking down to show that Mikey has won this argument, if you could even call it that. He put his hands up as to show he surrendered. He looked back up with a smile, to show that his act was done.

Mikey laughed a little, creating this moment between them. As if they were in some bubble together that no one could truly understand or be apart of. It was made for them and them alone, time had slowed to a stop. Gerard stared at him, the pink lips so plump and his face so full of life.

“What are you two so giddy about?” Donna said, slipping out of the sliding glass door with a grin towards Gerard. Her smile faded when she saw Mikey in the tree, her hands now firmly placed on her hips. “What have I told you about climbing trees young man? You can get seriously hurt doing that! Not to mention you can snap a branch and destroy my beautiful tree. Do you know how long it’s been there? Honestly!” She went on and on, Gerard paying no mind to it.

His smile has faded now too, but his eyes found themself still glued upon his younger brother. Mikey seemed angry, and he could see why. He didn’t move. Though to get out of the tree. He was in no rush to do so.

“And have you done the laundry? It’s your turn to do it. Now get out of that tree and be careful. I want your room clean and the laundry done by the end of the day.” She said, storming back inside without another word.

Gerard looked at the door before slowly turning back to look at Mikey. He had thrown his comic down and was now making his way down the trunk of the tree, the elder wincing. “Do you need help? I can catch you if you’d-“

“I’m fine.” Mikey mumbled, leaving Gerard speechless. It was obvious Mikey was upset, and as he grabbed his comic book he angrily stomped towards the door and stepped on Gerard’s pant leg with his muddy foot, dropping his comic before going inside the door.

Gerard was left, stunned at how quickly everything happened. He looked at the door, making sure the coast was clear before touching the mud on his jeans. He took another drag from his cigarette as he looked at the mud that had now settled themselves on his fingers. He extinguished the stick before standing up and grabbing the comic and heading inside.

What a little fireball his brother was..

I HOPE YOU LJKED THIS!!! This took me an hour to whip up and ughhhh this is so cute thank you for letting me have an excuse to write this, and I was also thinking… what if Mikey was more feminine than he was a little gross boy who likes dirt 😈

[justforbooks]

Alfa Anderson

American singer best known as a vocalist with the 1970s disco group Chic whose hits included Le Freak

Among the disco goddesses – the Donnas, Glorias, Evelyns, Gwens, Candis and Anitas – who serenaded the dancers of the hedonistic 1970s in such celebrated joints as New York’s Studio 54 and London’s Heaven, it seems likely that only Alfa Anderson’s destiny included leaving show business to resume her studies and eventually become a high school principal.

Anderson, who has died aged 78, had been one of the featured singers with Chic, the high-fashion disco ensemble whose chart-topping hits included Le Freak. Emerging from the ranks of backing singers in the Manhattan recording studios, she had been spotted by Luther Vandross, then a star-to-be, who introduced her in 1977 to the guitarist Nile Rodgers and the bassist Bernard Edwards, Chic’s ambitious young founders and songwriters.

The duo’s ambition was to create an upscale dance music blending funky dancefloor rhythms with the sophisticated style of an English band they much admired, Bryan Ferry’s Roxy Music. By comparison with their disco rivals, Chic were cool and restrained, their musicianship impeccable, their female singers conveying a matching sense of class.

On the sleeve of C’est Chic (1978), their second album, designed to look like the cover of a fashion magazine, it was Anderson who reclined in a white silk blouse and old-gold skirt against an expensive sofa in the garden room of a country house, while the other core members of the group struck suitably soigné poses. The message was unmissable: a dream of upward mobility which their audience was invited to share.

On another of their hits, I Want Your Love (like Le Freak, included in C’est Chic), Anderson took the solo lead, her voice finding a sinuous path between Edwards’s pulsing bass, Tony Thompson’s implacable drums, Rodgers’s flickering rhythm guitar, the cushion of strings, the syncopated trumpet figures and – in a typically imaginative touch – tubular bells prominently doubling the melody on the chorus.

The eldest of four children, Alfa Anderson was born in Augusta, Georgia, and named after the first letter of the Greek alphabet, its spelling varied to match the Christian name of her father, Alfonso Anderson, an employee of the US Postal Service. Her mother, Essie, was a social worker and Girl Scout troop leader.

Interested in music from a very early age, Alfa grew up singing in church and with the Girl Scouts, and learned the saxophone, flute and piccolo at Lucy C Laney high school. A degree in English at Paine College in Augusta was followed by a move to New York, where she settled in Harlem while studying for a master’s degree at the Teachers College at Columbia University and singing in the college choir.

She received her first significant public exposure through a role in Big Man, a play with music by the jazz saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley and based on the legend of the Black railroad worker John Henry. Attending its sole performance at Carnegie Hall in 1976, her churchgoing mother was shocked to discover her daughter singing the part of a “whore” called Maggie.

Her next professional appearance was at Lincoln Center, singing a solo piece called Children of the Fire, written by the trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson as a protest against US involvement in the Vietnam war.

She also appeared on the soundtrack album of the hit musical The Wiz, produced by Quincy Jones.

In the daytime she was teaching at Hunter College, the public university on Park Avenue, New York, and music was still a part-time occupation when she met the founders of Chic. Arriving early at the studio to sing background parts on their first album, she was discovered marking her students’ papers while waiting for the session to start, much to the other musicians’ amusement.

When the lead singer, Norma Jean Wright, left in 1978 to pursue a solo career, Anderson was invited to take her place. Giving her notice to Hunter College, she shared the lead role first with Diva Gray on Le Freak, which became a Studio 54 anthem, and then on the road and in the studio with Luci Martin.

Most memorably, her voice was also featured on At Last I Am Free, a spellbinding ballad tucked away on C’est Chic. It caught the ear of the English rock musician Robert Wyatt, who released his characteristically plaintive version as a single in 1980.

After Chic disbanded in 1983, Anderson toured with Vandross, whose solo career had taken off. Her session work included a contribution to Bryan Ferry’s Slave to Love, a hit single also featuring Rodgers on guitar, its success boosted by its appearance in the 1986 film 9½ Weeks.

While with Vandross she met his bass guitarist, Eluriel “Tinker” (sometimes “Tinkr”) Barfield, who became her husband. Leaving the road and the studios in 1987, she went back to college, taking a second master’s degree, in educational leadership, at Bank Street College of Education, before joining the El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in Brooklyn, first as a teacher and then as principal.

Although Chic later re-formed with other singers, there were occasional musical reunions with Norma Jean Wright and Luci Martin.

She and her husband also formed a group called Voices of Shalom, which released two albums of spiritual songs, Messages (1999) and Daily Bread (2005). Returning to secular music, in 2013 she released a single, Former First Lady of Chic, and in 2017 Barfield produced her solo album, Music from My Heart, featuring a song titled Perfectly Chic, which precisely recreated the sound of that most exquisite of disco ensembles.

She is survived by her husband and two stepsons.

🔔 Alfa Karlys Anderson, singer, born 7 September 1946; died 17 December 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[cringearenachamp]

For the Love of Genderfuckery: FTLOSM, The Stage Show, and Camp

It's giving "Steve Perry"

The early 90s seemed to be a particularly creative and open time in Steve's life. He'd kicked coke and booze, grew his hair out down to his ass (also shaved the sides... I'm like is this a mullet or an undercut. either way it's fun and funky!), and didn't seem nearly as afraid of being a little queeny with it just in general. The Reagan years were over, the Clinton era had just begun, and there was an uneasy coexistence between a reactive/paranoid hypermasculinity (especially in mainstream straight guy culture) and an increasing recognition of gay people. Celebrities and musicians were beginning to publicly come out, and certain kinds of openly gay music were even mainstream to a degree (Melissa Etheridge and KD Lang, for example). This, too, was uneasy, and there were still many professionally closeted queer people in music/literature/celebrity circles (ex: Michael Stipe, Donna Tartt, Paul Reubens, Tracy Chapman, etc): people who may have been open with themselves and their immediate social circles, but didn't feel the need to "come out" to the general public.

With this context, it was as good a time as any for Steve to explore himself more and have fun without having to worry about homophobes breathing down his neck. For the Love of Strange Medicine, as I talked about earlier, displayed a willingness to experiment thematically and sonically, and some of the promotional material for it had Steve talking about getting "honest with himself", accepting what he is as opposed to "what [he] should be", etc. Those things were definitely about getting a healthier relationship with alcohol, but also likely about having a healthier relationship to his own self, his gender expression, and his sexuality: things that had become extremely difficult, stressful, and even dangerous to address while in Journey.

Some songs on FTLOSM are easy to read with this in mind, like I Am, but even ones like Donna Please, which is at surface glance a straight love song. But the first verse itself troubles that reading-- "You're here in my voice/inside of me/am I wrong to resist?" In my essay about Steve's voice I mentioned that he sounded a lot like Donna Summer when he was younger. There's also that little part of Young Hearts Forever that I mentioned in my FTLOSM essay: "here in the darkness/she dances alone", etc. The darkness, in a lot of Steve's songs, is a place where *he* (or the narrator) is, where the core of his self resides. Femininity is something that Steve felt he basically had to extinguish (or at the very least hide) in the 80s: for acceptance among his peers, acceptance from fans, for acceptance within his straight relationship, and safety in/from society. Lyrics like the ones I mentioned above, to me, seem to hint at him trying to accept the femininity within himself, including within his own voice, despite the various risks involved in doing so.

In other words, this was a big time for self-actualization in his professional life and probably his personal life as well.

This, of course, also applied to the stage show for the FTLOSM tour. His main outfit-- form-fitting black shirt, belted slim-cut jeans (with various rips around the crotch hehehe), hiking boots-- was a synthesis between style and comfort; most of it as a uniform wouldn't be uncommon to find among gay men at the time but it was still on the masc side and similar to his leatherman look years earlier, wouldn't have made straight people think or look twice. His super long hair was tied up. He walked on stage wearing a flannel over that usually (for the Toronto show he had a gorgeous purple satin or silk shirt instead)-- even more unassuming. But the flannel would only last for a couple songs or so before he went to the general black-shirt-and-jeans outfit. Eventually he'd break out the tux and literally let his hair down, and this was a moment that was adored by the women in the audience, but was also camp as FUCK.

you better werk betch

Basically, the tux would be hanging from the ceiling on a big white hanger and Steve would queen the fuck out in a skit talking to it like an ex-boyfriend before the sassiness and performed reluctance would turn to flirtation, which would end with him basically doing a reverse-striptease. It's almost like a drag performance. He's serving Steve Perry lewks! The whole thing (and before the "drag" show, how he played with his girlies during "I'll be Alright Without You") showed a willingness to poke fun at himself and the "Steve Perry" character he had to perform while he was with Journey. He was putting it in a different context to make it more comfortable for him, and arguably making a statement of sorts: that the self he had to perform with Journey was just as much "drag" as dressing in women's clothes would be.

Straight guys were SO confused by this, girls loved it, and Steve was extremely amused by the entire thing. Steve always had his girlies even when he was at his most femme, and that's something straight guys also get confused by I think, lol. Typical straight masculinity isn't an affect that's built to appeal to women: it's built to appeal to other men, but in a non-sexual sense. It's a way to signal belonging to the in-group, and the in-group in this case is at the top of the patriarchal totem pole, so there's a lot of incentive to fit in. To paraphrase Marilyn Frye, straight men are heterosexual but homosocial.

The way Steve performed femininity in the 70s was particularly appealing to young women and teenage girls: while there was a sexuality to it, his youthful appearance, physical and vocal androgyny, and sweet-lil-angel-boy affect made him a "safe" guy to project fantasies onto. Steve's gender expression in the 90s was different: he looked good for his age but was still obviously more mature, synthesized various kinds of masculinity and femininity within himself, and was a bit more comfortably sexual than he often was with Journey (the '80 and '86 tours were also horny as fuck tho lol). He also had that long hair, still, and girlies LOVE that lol. So he was able to appeal to the girlies *and* the gayboys, and used his appeal with the girlies to get away with appealing to the gayboys! While I wish he didn't have to work so hard to find a middle ground that he was comfortable with, it was cool that he could have that for a little while.

....UNTIL.

(hello darkness my old friend)

[prpfz]

✨✨ hey there! 18+ writers only please. i'm looking for someone who'd be willing to write female characters! mainly, i'm looking for someone to write / plot or headcanon around some characters with, with some of my favorite options specified below.

i’ve got more than a few characters i’d looove to write opposite, of course —— these are just a few:

dc

lois lane, talia al ghul, carol ferris, donna troy, cheshire / jade nguyen, artemis crock (young justice), black canary, zatanna, yara flor, huntress / helena bertinelli, jessica cruz, catwoman / selina kyle (comics or zoe kravitz), wonder woman, ravager / rose wilson, starfire / koriand’r, lilith clay, dawn granger (titans tv), mera, punchline, poison ivy, hawkgirl, lady shiva, supergirl, sofia falcone (reevesverse), arrowverse girls (sara lance, laurel lance, thea queen, iris west, dinah drake, mia smoak), etc.

marvel

elektra, emma frost, jean grey, psylocke, rogue, susan storm, kate bishop, felicia hardy, wanda maximoff, carol danvers, mary jane watson, gwen stacy, hope van dyne, claire temple, agatha harkness, jessica jones, gamora, mantis, magik / illyana rasputin, kitty pryde, luna snow, etc

a song of ice and fire (game of thrones / house of the dragon)

cersei lannister, daenerys targaryen, margaery tyrell, melisandre, alicent hightower, rhaenyra targaryen, alys rivers

star wars

rey or leia

video games

ashe or kiriko (overwatch) / tifa, aerith, or jessie (final fantasy 7) / ellie williams (the last of us, part 2) / max caulfield, chloe price, juliet watson (life is strange)

disney

jasmine (aladdin), colette (ratatouille), cinderella, helen parr, tinker bell, kim posible or shego, elsa, alex russo, teddy duncan

anime

lust (fullmetal alchemist) / kagome, kikyo, sango (inuyasha) / makima (chainsaw man)

other (animation)

gwen tennyson (ben 10, alien force version only) / daphne blake (scooby-doo) / heather, gwen, courtney (total drama) / jessica rabbit (who framed roger rabbit?), etc.

other (misc)

starlight (the boys) / betty cooper (riverdale) / yennefer (the witcher show) / glinda upland (wicked)

like or dm

[canonrpfinder]

✨✨ hey there! 18+ writers only please. i'm looking for someone who'd be willing to write female characters! mainly, i'm looking for someone to write / plot or headcanon around some characters with, with some of my favorite options specified below.

i’ve got more than a few characters i’d looove to write opposite, of course —— these are just a few:

dc

lois lane, talia al ghul, carol ferris, donna troy, cheshire / jade nguyen, artemis crock (young justice), black canary, zatanna, yara flor, huntress / helena bertinelli, jessica cruz, catwoman / selina kyle (comics or zoe kravitz), wonder woman, ravager / rose wilson, starfire / koriand’r, lilith clay, dawn granger (titans tv), mera, punchline, poison ivy, hawkgirl, lady shiva, supergirl, sofia falcone (reevesverse), arrowverse girls (sara lance, laurel lance, thea queen, iris west, dinah drake, mia smoak), etc.

marvel

elektra, emma frost, jean grey, psylocke, rogue, susan storm, kate bishop, felicia hardy, wanda maximoff, carol danvers, mary jane watson, gwen stacy, hope van dyne, claire temple, agatha harkness, jessica jones, gamora, mantis, magik / illyana rasputin, kitty pryde, luna snow, etc

a song of ice and fire (game of thrones / house of the dragon)

cersei lannister, daenerys targaryen, margaery tyrell, melisandre, alicent hightower, rhaenyra targaryen, alys rivers

star wars

rey or leia

video games

ashe or kiriko (overwatch) / tifa, aerith, or jessie (final fantasy 7) / ellie williams (the last of us, part 2) / max caulfield, chloe price, juliet watson (life is strange)

disney

jasmine (aladdin), colette (ratatouille), cinderella, helen parr, tinker bell, kim posible or shego, elsa, alex russo, teddy duncan

anime

lust (fullmetal alchemist) / kagome, kikyo, sango (inuyasha), makima (chainsaw man)

other (animation)

gwen tennyson (ben 10, alien force version only) / daphne blake (scooby-doo) / heather, gwen, courtney (total drama) / caitlyn kiramman or jinx (arcane) / jessica rabbit (who framed roger rabbit?), etc.

other (misc)

starlight (the boys) / betty cooper (riverdale) / yennefer (the witcher show)

✒

[bitter69uk]

Recently watched: made-for-TV movie Death at Love House, originally broadcast on ABC 3 September 1976. Joel and Donna Gregory (Robert Wagner and Kate Jackson) are a husband-and-wife writing duo collaborating on a biography of the doomed Hollywood star Lorna Love, who died tragically young in 1935. (Coincidentally, Joel’s artist father had an impassioned affair with Lorna and painted a portrait of her). And for reasons never fully explained, the couple move into Love’s totally intact Hollywood mansion to research their book (Love House was shot on location at the former estate of silent movie star Harold Lloyd). Creepily, Lorna’s perfectly preserved, eternally youthful corpse is on permanent display – Snow White-style - in a shrine on the premises. Strange occurrences immediately start happening. Who is the ethereal “woman-in-white” Donna glimpses in the garden? Why are there macabre occult symbols everywhere? Who was Father Eternal Fire, Lorna’s satanic looking “spiritual advisor”? Obviously, almost anything produced by Aaron Spelling is bound to be campy fun. With its emphasis on occultism and lurid showbiz tragedies (Lorna is clearly inspired by Jean Harlow), Love House suggests a page torn from Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon. It will also remind you of other, superior movies: Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968), Fedora (1978). And like 1944 film noir Laura, characters spend a lot of time staring, mesmerized, by an oil painting of a dead woman. For verisimilitude, supporting parts are played by actual classic Hollywood veterans like Sylvia Sidney, Joan Blondell, Dorothy Lamour and John Carradine. (The Gregorys’ literary agent is played by Bill Macy - Walter from Maude!). Less happily, zero effort is taken to make Lorna 1930s “period appropriate”. (She’s seen in flashbacks portrayed by Marianna Hill - cult movie fans will recognize her from The Baby and Messiah of Evil – with a feathered blow-dried 70s coiffure). And the ending is worthy of an old episode of Scooby-Doo! Smudged, murky prints of Love House are easy to find on YouTube.