#Jaime Muir

[longliverockback]

King Crimson A Young Person’s Guide to King Crimson  1975 Island ——————————————————————— Tracks Disc One: 1. Epitaph (including «March for No Reason» and «Tomorrow and Tomorrow») 2. Cadence and Cascade 3. Ladies of the Road 4. I Talk to the Wind 5. Red 6. Starless

Tracks Disc Two: 1. The Night Watch 2. Book of Saturday 3. Peace - A Theme 4. Cat Food 5. Groon 6. Coda from Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part One 7. Moonchild (including «the Dream» and «the Illusion») 8. Trio 9. The Court of the Crimson King (including «the Return of the Fire Witch» and «the Dance of the Puppets») ———————————————————————

* Long Live Rock Archive

[clubconsent]

I was thinking "Man, I bet a lot of Locked Tomb fans would go nuts for Die," and then I realized I knew a bunch of comics I think fellow Muir fans would like. So here, have some of my personal faves.

Bitch Planet, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro

This one will probably never be completed, but the two existing volumes are absurdly good. It's about an off-world penal colony for non-compliant women. Brutal, angry, pulpy--and full of love and admiration for women who rebel.

Die, Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans

Goth as hell, lovely, and extremely gender. All about the power of story, but story here is not inspirational. It is eldritch: amoral, all-powerful, and hungry.

Love and Rockets, Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Mario Hernandez

I'm particularly thinking of the Jaime stuff here--queer punks on bizarre adventures, loving and surviving in a shit-ass world.

Monstress, Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda

A terrifying and powerful lesbian on a quest for revenge has an elder god come out of her arm stump occasionally to kill people. Also, there is a cat who is a nekomancer. (Get it?)

Once and Future, Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain

There's a lot going on here thematically, but whatever. Just take a look at Bridgette, 80-something monster hunter with just the worst attitude you've ever heard of. See that old woman? You will absolutely want to fuck that old woman.

Pretty Deadly, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios

Ungh. The art. The deathiness. The art. Imagine if the Locked Tomb took its aesthetic cues from westerns, swap out necromancers for reapers, and you're pretty much there. Just a gorgeous series.

The Sandman, Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg

You have heard of Sandman. It is as good as you have heard. Shares with TLT an unflinching--but warm--look into the darkness.

Tigress Queen, Allison Shaw

Buff warrior queen must enter the opulent city of the enemy empire to seek peace. Palace intrigue, diplomatic tensions, occasional fights. Everyone is very sexy.

Obligatory mention for the five of you who never put on gray bodypaint: Homestuck is interesting, but I do not recommend it because I do not think the comic itself is very good. Homestuck is a several-thousand page joke at the expense of the reader. It did not deserve the passionate, creative fandom it attracted.

It gets mentioned a lot as a TLT influence because Muir co-wrote a beloved fic (Promstuck), but she herself has said it's not any bigger an influence than a million other things she's read or played. There are some interesting overlaps, but many of those are because she's influenced by the same material Hussie is (notably parser games and jrpgs).

If you really want to read Homestuck, I recommend listening to Homestuck Made This World as you go.

[read-and-write-]

24 reads in 24

Thanks to @alexlikesbooksandtea for tagging me!

Look, i don't even know if I'll read 24 book this year but let's pretend i will, this is a combination of my actual TBR wishes for the year, the books I tried to start last year and some that are already in my currently reading

Gwen and Art are not in Love - Lex Croucher

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me - Mariko Tamaki

D'Vaughn and Chris Plan a Wedding - Chencia C. Higgins

Cementery Boys - Aiden Thomas

Maurice - E.M Foster

Rhythm of War - Brandon Sanderson

Little Women- Louisa May Alcott

La Rebelión de los Ángeles- Anatole France

Hell Followed with Us - Andrew Joseph White

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

Something to Talk About - Meryl Wilsner

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea - Rebecca Thorne

Bajo las Sombras: El misterio de la escritora - Stef Leon

The Fragile Threads of Power - V.E Schwab

Captive Prince - C.S Pacat

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo

Pedro & Daniel - Federico Erebia

Babel - R.F Kuang

Vista desde una acera - Fernando Molano Vargas

Eminent Maricones: Arenas, Lorca, Puig, and Me - Jaime Manrique

In the Lives of Puppets - TJ Klune

Sizzle Reel - Carlyn Greenwald

Light from Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki

Tags under the cut!

Alright time to tag a bunch of people because this hasn't made rounds in rwrb fandom so, no pressure because I know most of y'all are only reading fic skdjhd @littlemisskittentoes @affectionatelyrs @inexplicablymine @happiness-of-the-pursuit @gayrootvegetable @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @rockyroadkylers @matherines @anincompletelist @heartitinthesilence @bidoofenergy @14carrotghoul @ssmtskw @sherryvalli @everwitch-magiks @raysletters @heybuddy-drabbles @suseagull04 and that's a lot of people so the rest is an open tag hehe

[bamfdaddio]

X-Men Unabridged 1985: The Trials of Magneto and Cyclops

The X-Men, those litigious mutants that have sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them, are a cultural juggernaut with a long, tangled history. We’ve been untangling that history for a while, but sometimes, you really want a more in-depth look. Interested? Then read the (un)Abridged X-Men!

(X-Men 200 - 201) - by Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr., Dan Green and Rick Leonardi

“Ultra low power”? Fuck, Cyclops, you’re such a massive dork. (X-Men 201)

After a year of meandering storylines, Claremont kept two good plots in the chamber. Issue 200 is a big one that is meant to shake up the status quo, while issue 201 is a quiet baseball issue that then reasserts it again. One is a trial drama about the insidious nature of prejudice and how one person can be made to represent the whole group he is a part of, the other is Storm wiping the floor with a deadbeat baby daddy.

These issues are cool because they can basically be summarized as:

Magneto is right

Storm is cool 

But first, let’s reveal why you’d never want Loki to drive your Uber and drop you off at your home. 

I love that Wolverine, of all people, is worried about papers. Also, none of the X-Men carry some money in their suits? No hidden pouch with a few dollars, two ibuprofen and a fake passport? OMG is this what let to their pouch-craze in the nineties?! (X-Men 200)

This is a very unnecessary handwave for an unnecessary complication, because there’s absolutely no time-crunch or narrative reason for the X-Men to immediately appear in Paris, other than stupidly keeping Madelyne and Scott apart. Oh, Loki. Even making mischief on a narrative level! Maybe we can blame the looming Inferno on him, eh?

There’s a trial report in progress, spilling the t on Magneto’s arrest. A journalist explains which crimes Magneto stands trial for and in passing mentions how some people think he’s just as bad a Hitler. (Which I’ve always found to be a gross comparison, considering. Yes, Magneto is racist against humans and yes, that is his flaw, but the amount of terror he’s inflicted on the world barely scratches the surface of what Hitler has wrought. He’s barely been a dictator here, and that was only for one issue.) Anyway, because of undefined reasons, the International Court has moved from the Hague to Paris. I’m guessing Paris is a more picturesque battleground.

The trial report is being observed by two rich twins whose Aryan looks are surely a coincidence.

Amazingly, these two predate Jaime and Cersei Lannister by at least 7 years. (X-Men 200)

It’s the worst two twins in the Marvel Universe! When we met them before, they randomly put a bullet through Storm. The only thing I find unbelievable here is that someone as born-rich as Andreas would ever advocate for something as common as a guillotine. 

Meanwhile, a Soviet military installation is raided and, later, a German fighter jet is attacked. Both times, a message is left by the attackers: free magneto - the x-men. LeGasp!

To trim the cast a little, Charles shuttles the New Mutants off to Muir Isle, under the pretense that if something happens to the X-Men here, they’ll at the very least be safe. The X-Men remain in Paris, on guard, and the trial starts in one of the weirdest ways possible: with a motion to strike half of Magneto’s crimes from the record on account of being *checks notes* babified. 

A ship of Theseus-argument? In my courtroom? It’s more likely than you think. (X-Men 200)

Amazingly, the judge grants Gabrielle’s motion, and all my watching of The Good Wife hasn’t taught me how a real judge would respond to that motion. It does make me wonder how much more badass Alicia Florrick would be if she got to smoke in the court room. 

More interesting, however, is the crowd’s response to Gabrielle. When I was a  teenager reading this, the antisemitism seemed out of place and a little too cynical, but these days, I’m not so sure. Surely, in the Marvel Universe, there’s fora and reddits where people hate Magneto not because he’s a mutant, but because he’s Jewish.

I wonder how many people hate Wiccan and Hulkling and the 'wocification' of their superheroes. Why can't they just all be white right, like Captain America, or rich, like Iron Man?

Anyway, during recess, it becomes even more evident that this trial is bringing out all the crazies:

Misogyny, anti-mutant, xenophobic… This crowd hits it all! Good thing the good guys didn’t bring Storm. Or Iceman. (X-Men 200)

I always love how the women in Xavier’s life temper his idealism (and, eh, his trite bon mots) with cynical realism. Moira is not exactly a rose-colored glasses kind of lady, and neither is Gabrielle. I’d think she’s being a little harsh with her parents here – I don’t think anyone who died in Bergen-Belsen can be viewed as ‘lucky’ – but I’m not a camp survivor. Gabrielle gets to have all the complicated emotions about her parents she wants. 

Incidentally, I do feel more emboldened by Gabrielle’s call to arms (“don’t surrender”) than Xavier’s “nooo, that silly crowd doesn’t really mean it”.

Then, the narrative gives old Scott “till death or long distance do us part” Scummers the absolute flimsiest reason to stay in Paris, because ‘the X-Men’ attack a hospital in Magneto’s name. This time the real X-Men try and prevent it, but it is of no avail: they still end up being blamed.

On the other side of the world, Madelyne’s water breaks. Yes, she has to have her baby all on her own. Yes, Cyclops has been hanging around in Paris for like, a week, instead of jetting back home to support his wife. Yes, Cyclops is a terrible husband. Yes, that’s about to be really in character for him. 

ANYWAY! While a pro-mutant crowd is rallied outside the court house (a refreshing change), the prosecutors bring the sinking of the Russian Leningrad-submarine as evidence that Magneto is a criminal. (Back then, drowning Russians was more frowned upon.) Magneto, dramatic bitch that he is, uses this moment to claim the spotlight and the soapbox, and explains why he let himself get arrested in the first place:

If I’d been at that judges panel, I wouldn’t have heard a word of what the silver fox with the massive upper arms was saying. Naturallement. (X-Men 200)

While I love Magneto’s reason for putting himself on trial, I dig this mostly for character development reasons. Magneto finally finishes the noble turn he’s been working on for a while. In the sixties, he was a corny villain; in the seventies, a ruthless antagonist and finally, here, he’s become an idealistic anti-hero. Of course, I don’t think his ploy will work: Magneto has long been found guilty in the court of public opinion and the crowds there don’t really do penitence.

Speaking of the public! They’re under attack! A river boat filled with attackers in robo-suits spawns on the Seine, and soon, all the X-Men are involved in a pretty scenic if expensive tour of Paris.

Would’ve been hilarious if they had then used Colossus to ring the bells of the Notre Dame. Don’t worry about the window! A planetwide Kicktarter will fix that right up. (X-Men 200)

Not pictured: Nightcrawler fighting someone on top of the Arc du Triomphe, Cyclops punching someone down the staircase of le Sacre Coeur en Storm kicking someone in front of the Mona Lisa. (X-Men 200)

Cyclops is the only one who figures out that this would be the perfect moment for a distraction. And it is. The twins strike in the court room, making the already muddled trial a lot more complicated. They call themselves Fenris and they wish to have their revenge on Haller, Xavier and Lensherr, but they have absolutely no problem with killing any and all humans that get in their way.

Together with a fly-by Rachel, Magneto subdues the twins and stops the hateful racist prosecutor from beaning Andrea (the female twin) in the head with a rock. Good guy Magneto! Rachel then picks up a thought from the twins: Strucker. Magneto then quickly figures out that they are the offspring of Baron Von Strucker, a nazi that a young Xavier, Haller and Lensherr took down in Israel. Magneto even absconded with a giant cache of his gold! 

While Magneto checks on Xavier, the Struckers seize that moment to bring down the walls! The Seine rushes in and washes the twins, Xavier and Magneto off into the catacombs! (Oh, right! That's another popular attraction! How could I have forgotten that one?)

The racist prosecutor says good riddance to bad rubbish, once again equating the literal fucking Nazi twins with Magneto, and the judge, who has been presented as Stern but Fair throughout, only has one appropriate response for him:

Exhibit A in the case of: Why Judges Should Be Allowed to Slap Lawyers (X-Men 200)

The Strucker twins are washed out of the narrative, while Magneto saves Xavier. And then finally, finally, the Undefined But Serious Malady that has been sapping Xavier’s strength for the whole year after he got jumped and mutant bashed in the street is getting the best of him. Xavier lays dying.

kiss kiss Kiss Kiss KISS KISS KISSSSSSSSS ( X-Men 200)

That’s when Lilandra and/or Editorial intervene: Editorial because they don’t want to kill off Xavier and Lilandra because she wants to save her lover and/or senses that he’s about to reconnect with his one true love. Lilandra and the Starjammers whisk away Xavier for an undetermined time of healing, leaving a bereft Magneto. He vows to keep his promise to Xavier!

Sadly, we never got the title of Magneto & the X-Men out of all this.

Instead, we check back on the X-Men when they’ve finally returned home to celebrate the fact that Madelyne has gotten a baby! I never realized I would share an opinion on babies with Wolverine, but there you have it: 

Raise your hand if you’d swap places with Rachel in an instant, and you absolutely wouldn’t mind if Kurt used the tail. (X-Men 201)

Love the detail of Logan holding his nose when Kurt ‘ports too close.

Madelyne discusses Scott’s behaviour with Storm, rightfully angry with her husband for not coming to her side during the last few days of her pregnancy. Does Scott even love her? Storm assures her Scott does, but (basically) that he’s also super-duper repressed. (So repressed he didn’t tell his friends he had a brother for like, five years.)

Rachel, meanwhile, greets her sort-of brother. I’m not the biggest fan of Rachel, especially in this era: she’s a fatalistic dourpuss who’s either:

Terrified that the dark and terrible future where she comes from will eventually come to pass;

Depressed that this timeline is happening differently so that her existence is rendered moot.

I was expecting histrionics over the birth of baby Nathan (named after Scott’s dad, who’s currently traveling space with Scott’s surrogate dad, Xavier), but no. Refreshingly, Rachel is actually filled with joy:

I wonder how useful telepathy would be when raising babies. Would you be able to figure out why the tyke is crying, or wouldn’t they have particularly cognizant thoughts? (X-Men 200)

Baseball intermezzo!

We briefly check in with Xavier, who is fully healed! But he can’t return to Earth, because Lilandra and the Starjammers are off in a distant corner of the universe, being pursued by Shi’ar hunters and zzz… Boring Shi’ar politics are only allowed when they barely figure into the plot and keep Xavier away from the main narrative, but that doesn’t mean I’ll actually pay attention.

If you’re wondering where Magneto is, well, the X-Men obviously have a hard time trusting him, so he’s down in the Danger Room, training the New Mutants. (Yo, X-Men, should the former villain really be training your teenage buddies unsupervised?) 

In fact, Magneto’s presence (and Xavier’s lack thereof) prompts Cyclops to tell Madelyne he can’t leave the X-Men! They need him! They need a leader! Storm? Storm can’t lead them, she doesn’t even have powers! Madelyne is basically all, are you that pathetic that you need the X-Men to need you? They’re having it out in a huge, loud fight and we’re all on Madelyne’s side. 

And then Storm, either annoyed that Cyclops called her useless or genuinely trying to help Scott move beyond his repression, interferes. 

I would be so fucking mad with Scott that we’d be having a make-it-or-break-it fight while he’s decked out in his fucking uniform. Madelyne, you’re a saint. (X-Men 201)

I love how Ororo plays this. She even gives him one last chance to back out, but alas. Cyclops doesn’t take it and Storm kicks his ass - even without her powers. One cool move is when she uses his own arm to block his eye beams. She wins the fight by stealing his visor, showing how sometimes having powers can be a liability. (It also doesn’t help that Scott is in emotional turmoil, but that’s kind of on him. Go raise your fucking baby, Scott.)

Yeah, Scott, everyone loves to be put second place to their partner's job. ffs (X-Men 201)

Storm is in, Scott is out. All is right with the world. I hope Scott will love his retirement and that it will be a good long time until we see him again. I hope him and Madelyne will have a very happy, normal life, somewhere in Alaska, and that–

Oh, he’s immediately shuffled off to X-Factor, where he will endure a terrible character derailment?

That’s just swell.

Sigh.

Up next: Nobody likes Magneto! A new spin-off! And… the (first) Mutant Massacre! *dun dun dun*

[abirddogmoment]

The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark - John Muir

[docgold13]

365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

December 11th - Siryn 

Theresa Cassidy is the daughter of the X-Man known as Banshee (Sean Cassidy) and his former wife, Maeve Rourke Cassidy.  During his time as an agent for Interpol, Sean was sent on an undercover mission for many months, not knowing that Maeve was pregnant when he left. Maeve gave birth to a girl whom she named Theresa.  Not long thereafter, Maeve was tragically killed in a terrorist bombing.  Sean’s cousin, Tom Cassidy, took custody of the baby and raised her as his own, hiding the truth from Sean as well as Theresa for many years.  

Tom Cassidy was himself a Mutant, as well as a villain who frequently teamed up with the fellow super villain, The Juggernaut.  Theresa’s own Mutant powers manifested in late childhood and she possessed the same sonic powers as her father.  These powers entail the ability to emit a high pitched sonic scree that creates significant concussive force.  Along with offering a formidable offensive weapon in the form of a sonic blast, when coupled with a specialized gliding suit, it can provide short term flight.  

Theresa was a sweet and gentle young woman, but also impressionable and anxious for the approval of the man she believed was her father.  As such, she was willing to use her powers as a super villain to do Tom Cassidy’s bidding.  She took on the alias of ‘Siryn’ and accompanied her father to the States where she battled Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew).  Theresa did not fare well in her initial outing; her heart was not in it and she was easily defeated by Spider-Woman.  Tom Cassidy and The Juggernaut, meanwhile, were defeated by The X-Men.  Following his capture, Tom Cassidy exonerated Theresa, stating that he had coerced her.  He additionally revealed her true identity as the daughter of Sean Cassidy.  

Still a minor, Theresa was not charged and released into the custody of the X-Men.  They reunited her with her biological father and the two lived together on Muir Island along with Sean’s girlfriend, Moira MacTaggart.  

Theresa would go on to resume the guise of Siryn whist acting as a member of the Fallen Angels.  She later became a member of Cable’s X-Force.  She would go on to serve as a part of the X-Corporation as well as Jaimie Maddrox’s X-Factor Investigations.  

At one point, Theresa had a fling with Jaime Maddrox (unaware that she had actually slept with one of his sentient dupes).  The affair resulted in Theresa becoming pregnant.  She had the baby and named him Sean after her father.  Tragically, when Maddrox toughed the newborn he unintentionally absorbed in that it was essentially a dupe.  Losing her baby in this fashion was unbearably traumatic to Theresa and she fell into a deep depression.  Theresa was ultimately able to get through her sadness in part by getting back in touch with her Catholic faith.  Thereafter she retired the codename of Siryn and took on her father's former mantle as Banshee.    

A version of Siryn featured in the Fox Films movies, X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, portrayed by actress Shauna Kain. The heroine first appeared in the pages of Spider-Woman Vol. 1 #37 (1980). 

[goalhofer]

2020 Olympics New Zealand Roster

Athletics

Sam Tanner (Tauranga)

Connor Bell (Auckland)

Malcolm Hicks (Auckland)

Quentin Rew (Wellington)

Zane Robertson (Hamilton)

Nick Willis (Lower Hutt)

Jack Gill (Belmont)

Hamish Kerr (Auckland)

Tom Walsh (Timaru)

Tori Peeters (Matamata)

Camille Buscomb (Cambridge)

Lauren Bruce (Christchurch)

Julia Ratcliffe (Hamilton)

Madison-Lee Wesche (Auckland)

Valerie Adams (Rotorua)

Boxing

David Nyika (Hamilton)

Canoeing

Callum Gilbert (Okere Falls)

Max Brown (Whanganui)

Kurtis Imrie (Lower Hutt)

Luuka Jones (North Palmerston)

Lisa Carrington (Ōhope)

Caitlin Regal (Takapuna)

Teneale Hatton (Auckland)

Alicia Hoskin (Gisborne)

Cycling

Sam Dakin (Cambridge)

Ethan Mitchell (Auckland)

Sam Webster (Auckland)

Aaron Gate (Auckland)

Regan Gough (Waipukurau)

Jordan Kerby (Brisbane, Australia)

Campbell Stewart (North Palmerston)

Corbin Strong (Invercargill)

George Bennett (Nelson)

Patrick Bevin (Cambridge)

Callum Saunders (Blenheim)

Anton Cooper (Westmorland)

Jessie Hodges (Hamilton)

Ellesse Andrews (Christchurch)

Kirstie Klingenberg (Auckland)

Bryony Botha (Takapuna)

Rushlee Buchanan (Hamilton)

Holly Edmondston (Nelson)

Jaime Nielsen (Hamilton)

Rebecca Petch (Te Awamutu)

Diving

Anton Down-Jenkins (Wellington)

Field Hockey

Steve Edwards (Auckland)

Sean Findlay (Taradale)

Leon Hayward (Darwin, Australia)

Hugo Inglis (Dunedin)

Stephen Jenness (Lower Hutt)

Sam Lane (Temuka)

Dane Lett (Carterton)

Shea McAleese (Canterbury)

Jared Panchia (Auckland)

Nick Ross (Dunedin)

Kane Russell (Dunedin)

Jacob Smith (Wellington)

Blair Tarrant (Timaru)

Dylan Thomas (Hastings)

Nick Wilson (North Palmerston)

Nic Woods (Hamilton)

David Brydon (Auckland)

George Muir (Auckland)

Katie Doar (Auckland)

Tarryn Davey (Morrinsville)

Olivia Shannon (Feilding)

Olivia Merry (Christchurch)

Frances Davies (Tauranga)

Elizabeth Gunson (Whangarei)

Samantha Charlton (Auckland)

Grace O’Hanlon (Auckland)

Elizabeth Thompson (Thames)

Stephanie Dickins (Āpiti)

Megan Hull (Pongaroa)

Elizabeth Keddell (Tauranga)

Kelsey Smith (Nelson)

Stacey Michelsen (Whangarei)

Julia King (Auckland)

Hope Ralph (Taranaki)

Tessa Jopp (Dunedin)

Holly Pearson (Taranaki)

Soccer

George Stanger (Dunblane, U.K.)

Clayton Lewis (Wellington)

Gianni Stensness (Northbridge, Australia)

Michael Woud (Auckland)

Winston Reid (Sønderborg, Denmark)

Liberato Cacace (Wellington)

Nando Pijnaker (Wellington)

Michael Boxall (Auckland)

Elijah Just (Wellington)

Joe Bell (Wellington)

Chris Wood (Hamilton)

Marko Stamenic (Wellington)

Joe Champness (Brisbane, Australia)

Callum McCowatt (Auckland)

Jamie Searle (Cambridge)

Dane Ingham (Lismore, Australia)

Callan Elliot (Nelson)

Ben Waine (Wellington)

Matthew Garbett (Porirua)

Sam Sutton (Wellington)

Ben Old (Wellington)

Alex Paulsen (Lower Hutt)

Marisa Van Der Meer (Christchurch)

Michaela Robertson (Wellington)

Erin Nayler (Takapuna)

Victoria Esson (Burnside)

Anna Leat (Arrowtown)

Catherine Bott (Wellington)

Meikayla Moore (Christchurch)

Ali Riley (Los Angeles, California)

Claudia Bunge (Auckland)

Ria Percival (Brentwood, U.K.)

Annalie Longo (Auckland)

Betsy Hassett (Auckland)

Katie Bowen (Auckland)

Daisy Wilson-Cleverley (Auckland)

Olivia Chance (Tauranga)

Hannah Wilkinson (Whangarei)

Paige Satchell (Rotorua)

Anna Green (Stockport, U.K.)

Abby Erceg (Auckland)

Gabi Rennie (Rangiora)

Emma Rolston (Auckland)

Elizabeth Anton (Auckland)

Gymnastics

Mikhail Koudinov (Auckland)

Dylan Schmidt (Auckland)

Maddie Davidson (Christchurch)

Rowing

Jordan Parry (Tauranga)

Jack Lopas (Christchurch)

Dan Williamson (Auckland)

Tom Mackintosh (Christchurch)

Phillip Wilson (Wellington)

Stephen Jones (Auckland)

Brooks Robertson (Nelson)

Chris Harris (College Estate)

Shaun Kirkham (Hamilton)

Hamish Bond (Dunedin)

Matt Macdonald (Auckland)

Michael Brake (Auckland)

Tom Murray (Blenheim)

Sam Bosworth (Waipara)

Hannah Osborne (Te Awamutu)

Georgia Nugent-O’Leary (Aramoho)

Emma Twigg (Napier)

Kerri Gowler (Raetihi)

Grace Prendergast (Christchurch)

Brooke Donoghue (Te Kauwhata)

Livie Loe (Christchurch)

Eve Macfarlane (Parnassus)

Ruby Tew (Wellington)

Ella Greenslade (Christchurch)

Emma Dyke (Invercargill)

Lucy Spoors (Christchurch)

Kelsey Bevan (Auckland)

Beth Ross (Auckland)

Rugby

Andrew Knewstubb (Wellington)

Ngarohi McGarvey-Black (Auckland)

Tone Ng-Shiu (Auckland)

Amanaki Nicole (Christchurch)

William Warbrick (Auckland)

Scott Curry (Rotorua)

Tim Mikkelson (Matamata)

Kurt Baker (North Palmerston)

Caleb Clarke (Auckland)

Dylan Collier (Auckland)

Sione Molia (Auckland)

Etene Nanai-Seturo (Pakuranga)

Regan Ware (Tokoroa)

Tevarn Webber (Tokoroa)

Dhys Faleafaga (Wellington)

Jazmin Hotham (Auckland)

Shiray Kaka (Auckland)

Mahina Paul (Whakatane)

Alena Saili (Wellington)

Tenika Willison (Hamilton)

Sarah Hirini (Feilding)

Kayla Ahki (Waitara)

Shakira Baker (Masterton)

Michaela Blyde (New Plymouth)

Kelly Brazier (Dunedin)

Gayle Broughton (Taranaki)

Theresa Fitzpatrick (Auckland)

Stacey Fluhler (Whakatāne)

Tyla Nathan-Wong (Auckland)

Risealeaana Pouri-Lane (Motueka)

Terina Te-Tamaki (Hamilton)

Ruby Tui (Wellington)

Portia Woodman (Kawakawa)

Sailing

Micah Wilkinson (Auckland)

Sam Meech (Tauranga)

Paul Snow-Hansen (Takapuna)

Daniel Willcox (Takapuna)

Peter Burling (Tauranga)

Andrew Tuke (Kawakawa)

Josh Junior (Wellington)

Erica Dawson (Auckland)

Alexandra Maloney (Auckland)

Molly Meech (Tauranga)

Shooting

Natalie Rooney (Waimate)

Chloe Tipple (Christchurch)

Surfing

Billy Stairmand (Auckland)

Ella Williams (Whangamata)

Swimming

Lewis Clareburt (Wellington)

Zac Reid (New Plymouth)

Erika Fairweather (Dunedin)

Ali Galyer (Auckland)

Hayley McIntosh (Whangārei)

Eve Thomas (Brisbane, Australia)

Carina Doyle (Auckland)

Taekwondo

Tom Burns (Christchurch)

Weightlifting

Cam McTaggart (Southport)

David Liti (Auckland)

Kanah Andrews-Nahu (Auckland)

Laurel Hubbard (Auckland)

Equestrian

Jesse Campbell (Marlborough, U.K.)

Tim Price (Rangiora)

Bruce Goodin (Huntly)

Tom Tarver-Priebe (Auckland)

Daniel Meech (Steinfeld, Germany)

Bundy Philpott (Cambridge)

Jonelle Price (Rangiora)

Uma O’Neill (Santa Cruz, California)

Golf

Ryan Fox (Auckland)

Bo-Gyung Ko (Orlando, Florida)

Karate

Andrea Anacan (Auckland)

Tennis

Marcus Daniell (New York, New York)

Michael Venus (London, U.K.)

Triathlon

Tayler Reid (Gisborne)

Hayden Wilde (Whakatāne)

Ainsley Thorpe (Auckland)

Nicole Van Der Kaay (Rotorua)

[explosionshark]

Thanks for recommending Gideon the Ninth! It was so good! Do you have a book rec tag I could check out? :)

honestly i should, huh? i’ve read more books than probably ever before this year and i’ve talked about ‘em intermittently, but not with a consistent tag. i’ll recommend some right now, though, with a healthy dose of recency bias!

sf/f

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon - a truly epic fantasy novel with one of the most beautiful, satisfying f/f romances i’ve ever read. the novel takes account nearly everything i hate about fantasy as a genre (overwhelmingly straight, white, and male centric, bland medieval European settings, tired tropes) and subverts them. incredible world-building, diverse fantasy cultures, really cool arthrurian legend influence. one of my favorite books i’ve ever read tbh.

gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir - which you’ve read, obviously, but for posterity’s sake i’m keeping it here! sci-fi + murder mystery + gothic horror. genuinely funny while still having a super strong emotional core and more than enough gnarly necromantic to satisfy the horror nerd in me. makes use of some of my favorite tropes in fiction, namely the slowburn childhood enemies to reluctant allies to friends to ??? progression between gideon and harrow. absolutely frothing at the mouth for a sequel.

the broken earth trilogy by nk jemisin - really the first book that helped me realize i don’t hate fantasy, i just hate the mainstream ‘medieval europe but with magic’ version of fantasy that dominates the genre. EXTREMELY cool worldbuilding. i’ve definitely described it as like, a GOOD version of what the mage-vs-templar conflict in dragon age could have been, with a storyline particularly reminiscent of “what if someone got Anders right?”

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone - i’m not usually big on epistolary novels, but this one really worked for me. spy vs spy but it’s gay and takes place between time traveling agents of two opposing sides of a war. the letter writing format really plays to el-mohtar’s strengths as a poet, the unfolding love story is weird and beautiful. it’s a really quick read, too, if you’re short on time or attention.

empress of forever  by max gladstone - i just finished this one this week! if you’re in the mood for a space opera, look no further. imagine if steve jobs was an asian lesbian and also like not a shitty person. this is where you start with vivian liao. you get the classic putting-the-band-together arc with beings from all across the universe, your romances and enemies-turned-friends and uneasy alliances all over the place. really satisfying character development and some extremely cool twists along the way. it’s just a fun good time.

the luminous dead by caitlin starling - this one rides the line of horror so it’s closest to that part of the list. it reminds me of the most inventive low budget horror/sci-fi films i’ve loved in the best way possible because it makes use of the barest narrative resources. it’s a book that takes place in one primary setting, featuring interactions between two characters that only meet each other face-to-face for the briefest period. the tension between the two characters is the most compelling part of the story, with competing and increasingly unreliable narratives and an eerie backdrop to ratchet things up even higher. the author described it as “queer trust kink” at one point which is, uh, super apt actually and totally my jam. the relationship at the center of the book is complicated to say the least, outright combative at points, but super compelling. plus there’s lost of gnarly sci-fi spelunking if you like stories about people wandering around in caves.

horror

the ballad of black tom by victor lavalle - we all agree that while lovecraft introduced/popularized some cool elements into horror and kind of defined what cosmic horror would come to mean, he was a racist sack of shit. which is why my favorite type of ‘lovecraftian horror’ is the type that openly challenges his abhorrent views. the ballad of black tom is a retelling of the horror at redhook that flips the narrative by centering the action around a black protagonist. 

lovecraft country by matt ruff - more of what i just described. again, lovecraftian themes centered around black protagonists. this one’s especially cool because it’s a series of interconnected short stories following related characters. it’s getting a tv adaptation i believe, but the book is definitely not to be missed

rolling in the deep / into the drowning deep by mira grant - mermaids are real and they’re the ultimate deep sea predators! that’s really the whole premise. if for some reason that’s not enough for you, let me add this: diverse cast, a romance between a bi woman who’s not afraid to use the word and an autistic lesbian, really cool speculative science tangents about mermaid biology and myth. 

the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson - it’s halloween month so i’m thinking about hill house again. one of the greatest american ghost stories ever written. especially worth the read if you follow it up w the 1964 film adaptation (the haunting) and then the 2018 netflix series.

the hunger by alma katsu - i’ve always been fascinated by the donner party even though we now know the popular narrative is largely falsehoods. still, this highly fictionalized version of events scratched an itch for me and ended up surprising me with its resistance from the most expected and toxic racist tropes associated with donner party myth.

wounds / north american lake monsters by nathan ballingrud - nathan ballingrud is my favorite horror writer of all time. one of my favorite writers period regardless of genre. in ballingrud’s work the horror is right in front of you. you can look directly at it, it’s right there. but what permeates it, what draws your attention instead, what makes it hurt is the brutally honest emotional core of everything surrounding the horror. the human tragedy that’s’ reflected by the more fantastic horror elements is the heart of his work. it’s always deeply, profoundly moving for me. both of these collections are technically short stories, but they’re in the horror section of the recs because delineations are totally arbitrary and made solely at my discretion. 

short stories

her body and other parties by carmen maria machado - tbh i almost put this in w horror but there’s enough weird fiction here for me to be willing to straddle the line. it was really refreshing to read horror that centered queer women’s perspectives. the stories in this collection are really diverse and super powerful. there’s an incredible weird fiction piece that’s like prompt-based law and order svu micro fiction (go with me here) that ends up going to some incredible places. there’s the husband stitch, a story that devastated me in ways i’m still unraveling. the final story reminded me of a more contemporary haunting of hill house in the best way possible. machado is a writer i’m really excited about.

vampires in the lemon grove by karen russell - my friend zach recommended this to me when we were swapping book recs earlier this year and i went wild for it! mostly weird fiction, but i’m not really interested in getting hung up on genres. i don’t know what to say about this really other than i really loved it and it got me excited about reading in a way i haven’t been in a while. 

the tenth of december by george saunders - i really like saunders’ work and i feel like the tenth of december is a great place to start reading him. quirky without being cloying, weird without being unrelatable.

misc

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid - there’s something really compelling to me about the glamour of old hollywood. this story is framed as a young journalist interviewing a famously reclusive former starlet at the end of her life. the story of how evelyn hugo goes from being the dirt-poor daughter of cuban immigrants to one of the biggest names in hollywood to an old woman facing the end of her life alone is by turns beautiful, inspiring, infuriating and desperately sad. by far the heart of the book is in evelyn finally coming out as bisexual, detailing her decades-long on/off relationship with celia st. james, another actress. evelyn’s life was turbulent, fraught with abuse and the kind of exploitation you can expect from the hollywood machine, but the story is compelling and engaging and i loved reading it.

smoke gets in your eyes by caitlin doughty - a memoir by caitlin doughty, the woman behind the popular ‘ask a mortician’ youtube series. it was a super insightful look into the american death industry and its many flaws as well as an interesting, often moving look at the human relationship with death through the eyes of someone touched by it early and deeply.

love and rockets by los bros hernandez (jaime and gilbert and mario) - this was a big alt comic in the 80s with some series within running on and off through the present. i’m not current, but this book was so important for me as a kid. in particular the locas series, which centered around two queer latina girls coming up in the punk scene in a fictional california town. the beginning starts of a little sci-fi-ish but over time becomes more concerned with slice-of-life personal dramas. 

[nire-the-mithridatist]

Tagged by @pretty--thief. Thank you <3

Three ships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Zuko/Katara, Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus

Last song: uh. I sang "No Way" from Six the Musical just now (no no no no no no no way, there's no way) at my cat, because she's been drinking from people's cups again.

Last movie: Sentinelle.

Currently watching: these days, the husband and I switch between The Irregulars, Vincenzo, and Navillera. He's on a K-drama kick, lately, hence the last two titles in that entry.

Currently reading: I'm relistening to the audiobook of Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and am constantly seized by the need to shake my fist at the sky and yell, TAMSYN MUIR, HOW WRITE GOOD, TEACH ME

Currently craving: Korean fried chicken.

I'm gonna tag... @slpytea @rideboldlyride @eryiscrye @slipsthrufingers @angel-deux-writes

and you! If you wanna do this, do it <3

[shipping-receiving]

Jaime x Brienne Fics based on Movies

I had an anon ask for this so she could watch these movies and pretend the characters are Jaime and Brienne but most of these take so much liberty with the original plot that I don’t know if that will work! A couple of them are also based on books, but you know, if you wanna watch Pride & Prejudice or Jane Eyre and replace the actors in your head, knock yourself out with the 1000 versions of each. (I left out the Hogwarts AUs because most of them just use the same universe, rather than the plot.)

If you know of any others I missed out, please comment and I’ll add them, because I had to rely on my own memory to track most of these down.

Mad Max: Fury Road // and you’ve whispered what I’m worth by angel_deux

While You Were Sleeping // While Renly was sleeping by mawryth; The Wake Up by CourtingDisaster (WIP)

A League of Their Own // With All Your Faults by @seaspiritwrites (WIP)

The Lake House // This Never Happened Before by @hardlyfatal

Hot Fuzz // A Big Cop in a Small Town by SeeThemFlying (WIP)

Notting Hill // Visenya's Hill by mawryth (WIP)

Austenland // Austenland by @imagineagreatadventure

Pride and Prejudice // Before Destruction by renaissance

Jane Eyre // A Star Within the Mere by isavedlatin (WIP)

You’ve Got Mail // First Date by downlookingup; You've Got Raven by @julieoftarth (WIP, set in canon!verse)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo // Everyone Has Secrets by ellaria

(500) Days of Summer // (500) Days by ellaria (this just borrows the structure, not the plot)

Bend It Like Beckham // Bend it like Brienne by mawryth

Edge of Tomorrow // Battle is the Great Redeemer by @ladyinredfics (WIP, set in canon!verse)

Beauty and the Beast // Tale As Old As Time by @brienneofthrace (set in canon!verse)

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir // The Ghost and Mr. Lannister by Ill_Tempered_Clavier

The Parent Trap // The Lion Trap by CourtingDisaster (WIP)

10 Things I Hate About You // I Burn, I Pine, I Perish by flaneuse (WIP)

Rear Window + The 39 Steps // Rear Window + The 39 Steps by ikkiM [@jaimebrienneonline] and @tafkarfanfic

When Harry Met Sally // When Jaime Met Brienne by @imagineagreatadventure

Dogfight // Goodbye is Too Sweet a Word by LSquared80

Definitely, Maybe // Definitely, maybe by Its_Ours_And_Its_Everything

Timer // Seven Mistakes by imagineagreatadventure

A Walk to Remember // Unique in All the World by EryiScrye (WIP)

Mostly Martha/No Reservations // A Bit of Thyme by ChillingBluebells (WIP)

Dirty Dancing // the time of my life (i owe it all to you) by inkblotsandteapots (WIP)

The Mummy // No Harm Ever Came From Reading a Book by @aviss (WIP)

Oh! I also wanted to give a shoutout to @wackygoofball’s incredibly detailed J/B moodboards that are frequently based on movies :)

[peach-salinger]

✧･*ﾟscottish female names

→ link to my scottish male name masterlist → link to my scottish surnames masterlist

under the cut are a mixture of 260 traditional, modern and uncommon scottish female names. this masterlist was created for all in one breath rp, but feel free to link on your own sites! names are listed in alphabetical order. as always, it's a good idea to google pronunciations (some of them might surprise you!). my favourites are in bold, just because. please like♡ or reblog if you found this useful.

A

adaira, adamina, agnes, aila, aileen, ailith, ailsa, ainsley, alana, alba, albe, alexina, alison, alpina, alycie, amelia, amie, andrina, annag, annella, annis, annabel, aoife, arabella, aria, athdara, artis, ava

B

beatrice, bessie, bethia, betsie, betty, blair, bonnie, bonnibelle, bridget, bridie, broca, brodie

C

cadha, cairstine, cait, caitlin, calene, camden, cameron, campbell, caoimhe, caroline, catriona, ceana, cecily, chrissa, christal, clementine, coira, colina, cora, cullodina, cumina

D

dallas, daracha, davida, davina, davonna, deidre, devorgilla, dolina, donella, dorcas, dorothy

E

ealasaid, eara, earie, edina, edme, effemy, egidia, eglantine, eilidh, eirica, eithne, elsbeth, elspeth, elyne, enya, eriska, erskina, erwina, etta, eufemie, euna, euphemia, evanna, evina, eve, evelyn, evir

F

fallon, fearchara, fenella, ferelith, fia, fiona, finnia, finola, firtha, flora, florrie, forba, forveleth, frances, freya, fyfa

G

gaira, gavenia, gavina, ginnifer, gislaine, glenda, glynnis, gordana, gormelia, greer, griselda, grizel, gunna, gwendolyn, gwyneth

H, I, J, K

hazel, heather, hesther, hextilda, idelle, ilissa, inghean, innis, iona, isla, isobel, jaime, jamesina, janetta, jemima, jesanie, kellina, kelsey, keltie, kenna, kennedy, kinley, kirstine, kyla

L

lainie, laire, lara, larena, leana, leane, letitia, lileas, lilias, linsey, lioslaith, logan, lorna, lucretia

M

mabel, marcail, marcella, machara, mackenzie, maggie, mai, maira, maisie, malie, malvina, malmuira, marion, marietta, marjory, marsaili, martha, matilda, meribeth, merrilees, mhairi, mildred, minnie, mina, minda, minette, mirren, moibeal, moira, molmoria, morag, morven, muire, murren, myna, mysie

N, O, P, R

nairna, nathaira, nessa, nessia, nichola, norrie, ogilvy, oona, orabilia, orla, osla, owena, paisley, rhiannon, rhona, rhonda, rinalda, robena, ronnette, rossalyn, rose, rowena

S

senga, seonag, sheena, sileas, sima, siobhan, skena, skye, sloan, sorcha, struana, sulwen

T, U, V, W

taffy, tatha, tara, tavia, taye, teagan, teva, tira, torberta, torra, tosia, treva, una, vaila, vanora, vida, vika, violet, wilma, winifred, wynda, wynfreda

[heroesofscienceandfandoms]

Game of Thrones rewatch - season one, episodes two and three

Welcome back for episode two. doubt I'll manage to get through the whole series before Sunday, but a man can try.

*insert humming and terrible beatboxing of the intro song here*

And this one starts with my least favourite character. At least the people around her were either interesting or even likeable. Especially Jorah, he was a good guide and teacher... if only he had been honest with his beloved Khaleesi right from the beginning. That would've been boring though. And bad writing, even for the show.

I'm telling mother - oh hi Draco. And the props and wigs are already getting better. Guess it really was this typical first ep weirdness. Don't get me wrong, most of it still looks weird and rather bad, but at least better than before. And we finally get some scenes with Tommen and Myrcella who only need seconds to be more likeable than Joff.

Oh, that first boy scene... guess it was intended as a lie right from the beginning, yet I still like to believe it to be a genuine deviation from the books as it would've made Cersei way more human. Not more human than in the books, but more human than how she ended up being on the show. But that's just my opinion and most people will probably disagree with me on that.

Despite all those bad jokes, I almost forgot how short Kit is. And how he looks more like Satin than Jon. Of course Nymeria doesn't understand your orders girl... she's a wolf, not a dog. You'll get your dog (and adoptive dad) in a few seasons. One who won't take order either. Wait, that's Needle! Does Arya even use it anymore?

How I despised Cat for her behaviour towards Jon. Sure, it was understanable. Doesn't make it right though. Michelle's such a great actress, given how she manages to make me both like and dislike Cat. Guess that's what playing an interesting and two-dimensional character is about.

That conversation about Jon's mother is so weird to watch, now that we all know what has happened to her for sure. Including Jon himself.

Now that I see another feast (okay, mini-feast/picnic), there might be a simple reason why we can't have those types of scenes any more after season one: it just doesn't work as well without Robert Baratheon as it did with him. A sitcom with Ned and Robert would've been way better than what we have now. Everything would've been better. Robert talking about the war that's coming... he really was right about that, even though it took way longer to arrive than he would've ever thought. At least the war he had in mind.

Oh the good old times were people making things run still mattered. Now every castle seems to be Harrenhall. Wait, Rickon was six? And we finally have that dagger... another one of those if anyone knew items. Plus Cat realising those wolves are not as bad as she thinks them to be.

It is known. You know what's also known? That Dany's companions were all so likeable... yet so disposable. Some things seem to be crap right from the beginning

I'll never understand why some people hated Theon right from the beginning. He didn't owe the Starks anything, yet he still tries to please them, help them and be on their side, even if it's just for Robb. After what some call betrayal? Okay, I get that. But before? Nope. He did more than he morally had to.

Not talking about the extremely uncomfortable stuff btw. There's more than enough ranting about that on tumblr already.

Great actor or not, any character played by Jack Gleesson will never ever be as charming as Joffrey has been decribed in the books. I'm your prince... yeah, anyone who has to brag about his title like that'll never be anything but a whimp. Oh how easy everything would've been if Nymeria had simply torn Joff to pieces. Another missed chance of not having to have this shitshow of an adaptation.

Not much more to say about ep 2, back in the day when even small deaths weren't just cheaply thrown around.

On to episode 3 of season 1.

And we're in Kings Landing. Back when the whole place was still alive and not burning. As it still should be. Damn, Jaime never had a chance with thr oh so honourable Ned Stark to begin with. Hm... Renly reminds me of someone I know. Not sure who though. And he looks so young as well. Why on earth did they change the location of the small council meetings? This place looks just fine.

Ned trying to be a good father and messing it up still. Not too different from a modern dad, albeit a rather conservative one. And one with a very pleasant voice.

Give us back old nan... that woman makes you feel like a small boy listening to stories even when you're already a grown man. Too bad  Margaret John's already dead. Would've loved seeing more scenes with her than the ones we had. Bran talking about how he'd rather be dead sounds really different now that he's practically dead and replaced by the three-eyed dipshit.

Didn't remember all those scenes at the Night's Watch to be this pleasant to watch... but apparently, they were.

And we finally get our first scene of Robert being a piece of shit towards Gilbart Chris von Muir, the King of Damcyan erh I mean Lancel. Don't fight me, but he always looked like Gilbart to me (or Edward for those of you who played the English version of FFIV).

Can anyone explain why Jorah, aka the  random stranger, has one of the prettiest horses? Is he a khal now? Khal Jorah... I must admit, it has quite a ring to it. He's more of a king than Viserys ever was as well.

Looking back at all those early scenes makes me realise that Kit's been good at playing Jon... while he was still Jon. And not Aegon-who-should-not-be-called-Aegon.

And for a great way to finish this episode... season one had way too many attractive men. And probably girls as well, for those of you who are into that. So, even if the show wasn't really that good in the past (still better than it is now and nothing will ever change my mind on that), we at least had some eyecandy.

[tabloidtoc]

OK, December 10

Cover: Brad Pitt alone at Christmas, Angelina Jolie fights dirty 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 4: Melissa McCarthy opens up about her struggles 

Page 6: Jennifer Lopez’s best body ever 

Page 7: Kirsten Dunst’s baby bliss, Carrie Underwood snubs Jason Aldean’s wife Brittany Kerr 

Page 8: Drew Barrymore happily single, Ben Affleck wants to keep playing Batman for a major comeback, Cher opened her house for neighbors displaced by the California fires 

Page 9: Audrina Patridge looking to date an A-lister, Meghan Markle plays matchmaker for Princess Beatrice 

Page 10: Red Carpet -- Stars in Hot Pink -- Emily Ratajkowski, Zoe Kravitz, Ayesha Curry, Kelsea Ballerini 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Kendall Jenner vs. Nina Agdal, Karlie Kloss vs. Josephine Skriver, Hilary Swank vs. Danai Gurira 

Page 14: News in Photos -- Gwen Stefani 

Page 16: Katie Couric and Sleep Number CEO Shelly Ibach, Nicole Richie, Nick Jonas 

Page 18: Family Fun Day -- Chrissy Teigen and John Legend and kids, Oliver Hudson and daughter Rio, Rachel Zoe and husband and sons 

Page 20: Eddie Redmayne, Olivia Munn, David Spade and Kaley Cuoco, Rosario Dawson and business partner Abrima Erwiah, Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost 

Page 22: Neil Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka, Mariah Carey, Jaime King and Gwyneth Paltrow and Maria Grazia Chiuri and Karlie Kloss 

Page 24: Clay Aiken and Reuben Studdard, Wells Adams and Brandi Cyrus

Page 25: Shania Twain and Patricia Arquette with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, Jenna Dewan, Heidi Klum and Debra Messing 

Page 26: Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama, Kelly Ripa and David Muir, Emma Roberts 

Page 27: Adam Sandler and daughter, Brooke Shields 

Page 28: Coco Austin and daughter, Alec Baldwin 

Page 29: Mark Ballas and wife BC Jean and Elvis Duran, Christina Milian and boyfriend Matt Pokora, Gigi Hadid 

Page 32: Kaitlyn Bristowe and Shawn Booth -- what went wrong 

Page 33: Joshua Jackson dating Jodie Turner-Smith, it’s over between Paris Hilton and Chris Zylka, Mandy Moore and Taylor Goldsmith’s intimate wedding 

Page 34: It’s serious between Emilia Clarke and Charlie McDowell, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker more than friends, Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross butting heads 

Page 36: Brad Pitt’s holiday heartbreak 

Page 38: George and Amal Clooney to be godparents for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 

Page 40: Stars Waisting Away -- Cindy Bruna, La Toya Jackson, Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Elsa Hosk 

Page 42: Chris and Joanna Gaines TV takeover 

Page 44: Over-the-top backstage demands of musicians -- Christina Aguilera, DMX, Mariah Carey 

Page 45: Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Katy Perry 

Page 46: Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Eminem, Nicki Minaj 

Page 47: Madonna, Jon Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga 

Page 48: Interview -- Alexander Skarsgard 

Page 51: Style -- Corinne Foxx 

Page 52: Victoria Justice 

Page 53: 5 minutes with Katie Willcox 

Page 54: Festive Decor -- Bella Hadid and Laura Harrier 

Page 55: Table Talk with Debi Lilly 

Page 57: Candace Cameron Bure 

Page 60: Entertainment 

Page 62: Introducing Hailey Bieber 

Page 65: Sound Bites -- Joe Jonas, Cardi B, Eva Longoria, Luke Bryan, Nicole Kidman 

Page 66: Royal Roundup -- the style of regal ladies -- Queen Letizia of Spain, Princess Sofia of Sweden, Princess Mary of Denmark, Queen Rania of Jordan, Princess Siriwanwaree Nareerat of Thailand 

Page 70: Horoscope -- Sagittarius Britney Spears 

Page 72: By the Numbers -- Melissa Joan Hart 

[strangesmallbard]

Top 5 books you've read this year

1. her body and other parties by carmen maria machado - this is a collection of short horror stories about the psychological experience of being gendered as a woman, and it’s haunted my brain and gut for months. particularly recommend “the husband stitch” and “especially heinous.” (thank you again for the rec!!)

2. a storm of swords by grrm - now in the opposite direction, lmao. george is the white man fantasy author i must bear this year, and asos is by far my favorite of the series so far. the body count was insane, but it felt earned. the red wedding! the purple wedding! oberyn martell! BRIENNE AND JAIME. ugh

3. nona the ninth by tamsyn muir - i don’t need to give you all a sales pitch for the locked tomb series, as your dashboard is likely already a sales pitch for the locked tomb series. but i particularly loved nona the ninth, even more than i expected to after i finished the book. “no one can take away loved.” nona eating pencils. hot sauce and her gang. NOODLE THE DOG. amazing!

4. i’m glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy - heartbreaking in every possible way. she’s a really phenomenal writer, and i wish her all the success and happiness in the universe. her memoir also made me realize how horrifying being forced to act would be, if you don’t like acting. it’s an extremely vulnerable, mortifying experience at its core, and no one should be forced into it, especially young children.

5. truth and measure by roslyn sinclair - y’all remember truth and measure by telanu!! the book version manages to be both Original and deeply mirandy; sinclair changed enough details and plot points that i often felt i was reading a new story with new characters. i’m also a lesbian who loves pathetic mean women characters, and this book had me seeing shrimp colors.

[simulacrahelps]

Female fc’s with Blue hair masterlist

In this masterlist you’ll find 100 female fc’s who have/had blue hair (from wigs, to blue glows, to real blue hair or streaks) Like or reblog if you thought it was useful

Bella Thorne(20) Cuban, Italian and Irish*

Halsey(23) Italian, Hungarian, Irish and Black (unspecified)*

Sofia Carson(25)Colombian

Hilary Duff(30) German, English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and French*

Demi Lovato(25) Mexican & Irish*

Amanda Arcuri(20) Argentinian and Italian

Asami Zdrenka(22) Japanese and British

Kalel Cullen(29)White (Unspecified)*

Hayley Kiyoko(27) Japanese, English and Scottish

Jade Thirlwall(25) English, Egyptian and Yemeni

Kylie Jenner(20) English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch, German*

Nicole Richie(36) Mexican, Spanish, Indigenous, African-American, Louisiana Creole, French, African, and English

Katy Perry(33) Portuguese, Irish, German and English *

Nicki Minaj(35) Indo Trinidadian and Afro Trinidadian *

Cher Lloyd(24) English and Romani

Gwen Stefani(48) Italian, Irish, Scottish, English, Norwegian and German *

Mary Elizabeth Winstead(33)English

Juliette Lewis(45)English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Dutch  and German

Kate Hudson(39) English, French, German, Italian and Hungarian

Kate Winslet(42)English and Swedish*

Park Sandara(33)Korean

Hayley Williams(29)English

Song Ji-Eun(25)Korean

Wendy Son(24)Korean

Kang Jiyoung(24)Korean

Park Sun-young(24)Korean

Leda Muir(23)White (Unspecified)

Kim Hyelim(25)Korean

Gil Mihyun(35)Korean

Kim Hyuna(26)Korean

Jaime King(39)English

Kat Von D(36) German, Spanish and Italian *

Lauren Mychal(Glam & Gore)(28)White (Unspecified)

Alisha Marie(25) White (Unspecified)

Jessie Paege(19)White (Unspecified)

Eva Gutowski(23) African-American, Puerto Rican, Polish and Irish

Niki DeMartino(23)Cuban & Italian

LDShadowlady(25) White (Unspecified)

Cardi B(25) Dominican Republic and Trinidadian

Hailey Baldwin(21) English, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Brazilian, Portuguese and Italian

Irene Kim(30)Korean

Hannah Stocking(26) Greek, Armenian, Hungarian, Ukrainian

Skye Sweetnam(30)White (Unspecified)

Alicia Keys(37) Black (unspecified), Italian, Scottish and Irish

Emily Ratajkowski(27) Polish, Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish, German and English

Lily Allen(33) Welsh, English and  Irish

Ruby Rose(32)genderfluid | Australian and Italian

Rita Ora(27)Albanian

Britney Spears(36) English, Maltese, Scottish, Irish, French and Welsh

Chloe Norgaard(27)Danish

Alexa Chung(34) Chinese, English and Scottish

Pixie Lott(27)English

Audrey Kitching(32)White (Unspecified)

Raquel Reed(30) Peruvian, African American, Welsch English, Puerto Rican, and Irish

Azealia Banks(27)Black (Unspecified)*

Dani Thorne(25) Cuban, Italian, Irish

Kelly Osbourne(33) English, Ashkenazi Jewish and Irish

Kelly Ripa(47)Italian and Irish

Lady Gaga(32) Italian, Sicilian, French-Canadian, English, German, Scottish, Swedish and Dutch *

Robin Fenty(Rihanna)(30) Afro Guyanese, Afro Barbadian, Scottish, English and Irish *

Liza Minnelli(72) Sicilian, French-Canadian, English, Irish and Scottish

Kelis Rogers (38) African-American , Chinese and Puerto Rican*

Kesha Sebert(31) German, Hungarian and English

Selena Gomez(25)Mexican and Italian*

Jessie J(30)English & Irish

Jourdan Dunn(27) Afro Grenadia, Afro Jamaican, Syrian

Maisie Williams(21)English

Jennifer Hudson(36)Black (Unspecified)

Ashley Tisdale(33) English, Irish, Scottish, German and Ashkenazi Jewish (mother)

Christina Aguilera(37) Ecuadorian, German, Irish, Welsh and Dutch *

Perrie Edwards(24) English, Scottish and Irish

Aly Antorcha(22) Hispanic (unspecified, mixed) *

Saraya Jade Bevis(25)White (Unspecified)

Alecia Moore(Pink)(38) Irish, German, English and Ashkenazi Jewish*

Fan  BingBing(36)Chinese*

Kat Blaque(27) Transgender | Black (unspecified)

Emma Blackery(26)White (Unspecified)

Soo Joo Park(32)Korean

Kelly Eden(28)White (Unspecified)

Charlotte Free(25)White (Unspecified)

Ariana Grande(25)Italian*

Liz Gillies(24) Italian, Irish, Scottish and English

Lena Hall(38) Filipino, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish and English

Moon Hyuna(31)Korean

Neon Hitch(32)Romani

Ahn Hyejin(22)Korean

Emer Kenny(28)White (Unspecified)

Miley Cyrus(25)| Genderfluid | English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, French, Dutch and German *

Jenna Ushkowitz(32)Korean

Jessica Stoyadinovich (Stoya)(32) NSFW!!! | Scottish and Serbian

Melanie Martinez(23) Puerto Rican and Dominican *

Jenna Marbles(31) French, German and Irish

Molly Sanden(26)White (Unspecified)

Stef Sanjati(22) Transgender | Unspecifie

Amanda Steele(18)Unspecified

Lindsey Stirling(31)White (Unspecified)

Shannon Taylor(20)Unspecified

Meg Turney(31)White (Unspecified)

Prima Vikinga(21) Argentinian

Tessa Violet(28) Irish, German and Swedish

Jodelle Ferland(23)French, English, Austrian

* = Use them on your own risk they are problematic (if i forgot someone let me know)

Bold = No resources

[thetvplace]

I was tagged by @randomkiwibirds

Top 10 songs I can’t stop listening to:

Khe Sanh - Cold Chisel

Realize - Colbie Caillat

Read All About It - Emeli Sande

Little Talks - Of Monsters And Men

Lady Mary - The Seekers

Fernando - ABBA / Cher

Demons -  Imagine Dragons

Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

Waiting for Superman - Daughtry

Savages - Marina and the Diamonds

Favorite color(s):

Just Green. Although Red and Black look pretty cool together too.

Favorite ship(s):

1960's - 1980's: Steed & Cathy / Steed & Emma - The Avengers; Carolyn & Captain Gregg - The Ghost and Mrs Muir; Ian & Barbara - Doctor Who; Nanny and Professor Everett - Nanny and the Professor; Bill & Pepper - Police Woman; Diana & Steve - Wonder Woman; Catherine & Vincent - Beauty and the Beast;

1990's - Now: Dr. Mike & Sully - Dr Quinn Medicine Woman; Sam & Jack - Stargate SG1; Mulder & Scully - The X Files; Tony & Ziva - NCIS; Jane & Lisbon - The Mentalist; Jean & Lucien - The Doctor Blake Mysteries; Phryne & Jack - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries; Jaime & Brienne - Game of Thrones.

Lipstick or chapstick:

Chapstick. 

Last movie watched:

That would be Toy Story 4, which I just got back from watching an hour ago.

Currently reading:

Fire and Blood: A History of the Targaryen Kings from Aegon the Conqueror to Aegon III by George RR Martin.

Nancy Wake: A Biography Of Our Greatest War Heroine by Peter Fitzsimons

The General by Robert Muchamore (book 10 of the CHERUB series)

I have no idea who to tag so I’m opening it up to everyone.