#Mi Mix 2 Specifications

[tahthetrickster]

a recipe for pound cake

i was born and raised in the deep south. food has always been one of my love languages. making food for someone, accepting food someone made for me, sharing meals, sharing recipes, to me, all of these are different ways to tell someone i love them.

this is especially true for any sort of treat, as i call them. any sort of confection tbh. some of them are baked, some of them are just "fixed," they are all just Treats to me. i have a vicious sweet tooth, and that comes out in the treats i like to make.

this particular recipe comes from my late grandmother's recipe book. she compiled it years ago, had multiple copies printed through some on-demand make-your-own-cookbook printing service she found online, and gave them out as christmas gifts to multiple family members. this specific recipe, she mentions in the book, comes from my great-grandmother, her mother, who we all called mi-ma.

and if there is anything that little old southern ladies know how to do, it's make a mean cake.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) of butter, room temperature (~227 g)

2 1/2 cups, plus 3 tablespoons, of sugar (~672 g)

6 eggs, separated

3 cups all-purpose flour (~375 g)

1 cup sour cream, room temperature (~240 g)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda (~1.5 g)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (~5 ml)

1 teaspoon lemon extract (~5ml)

DIRECTIONS:

cream the butter and sugar together

add the egg yolks

add the baking soda to the flour

alternate mixing in the flour mixture and the sour cream to the sugar mixture

add vanilla and lemon extracts to the egg whites, and beat to soft peaks

fold the beaten egg whites into the batter; mixture will be thick

grease either a bundt pan or a loaf pan about twice as much as you think you will need to. i am not joking. this batter is so incredibly sugary sticky and you will hate your life trying to get it to release if you don't grease the hell out of your pan.

put the pan into your COLD OVEN. COLD. DO NOT PRE-HEAT IT. PUT IT INTO THE OVEN COLD. then turn the oven to 300 degrees F (~149 C). bake 1 1/2 hours

let cool on a baking rack

be annoyed because you probably didn't grease the pan well enough

this is a dense, deliciously savory vanilla pound cake with a very lightly caramelized outer crust. they freeze well for make-ahead purposes, and they ship well for i-have-a-long-distance-friend-who-needs-a-treat purposes.

the first time i made this cake was after my grandmother died days before my father's birthday. it was my birthday cake for him that year, and i thought (hoped) that a cake from his mother's—his grandmother's—recipe might ease the heartache for just a moment. i did tell him as i cut each of us a slice where i got the recipe from, and joked that i'd never made it before, so it might not be as good as mi-ma or grandmama made it. he laughed and cut into his slice with a fork and—his eyes closed when he took a bite. and another. and then he smiled for the first time i'd seen in several days.

since then i've made the cake several more times, for friends and family in grief: frightening medical diagnoses. losing other friends. depressive bouts. and while i will not be boastful enough to claim that this pound cake actually cures anything, i WILL say that being sad with a slice of pound cake is a much nicer feeling than being sad without one. and you know what? that seems to be the general consensus among the recipients, too.

this is a pound cake that tastes like love.

i hope that this recipe helps other people to pass along some of that love too, whether to themselves or to someone else.

i think mi-ma and grandmama both would've liked that. :)

[deadghosy]

lol don’t mind this, this is just me testing out my yandere writing skills.

YANDERE GIRLFRIEND X READER

You literally were relaxing, playing spider-man 2 on the ps5 when you heard a knock on your window. You turned your body to see your lovely girlfriend, who is a yandere. You never excepted to “score” a yandere.

Hell you didn’t even know she was a yandere with her pretty looks, her smartness, her being a sweet extroverted person with her peers…but that sweet persona was sour. And it reeked.

You jumped seeing her sickening sweet smile as she blushes seeing your (color) eyes stare directly at her honey eyes. “HIII BEBÉ!” She yells in a heavy accent. She was clearly mixed with Mexican and Asian as her father was Asian, specifically Chinese and her mom was Guatemalan. You sighed getting up as her slick dark brown hair flows in the wind. As much you didn’t wanna open the window, she was still your girlfriend. You open the window and she immediately leaped onto your body as she rubs her face against your chest.

“Oooh I missed you cariño~” she says cooing as your eye twitched. Your peace was completely ruined. You sighed nodding, giving her head a kiss. She lets a loving sigh as hearts are practically in her eyes. She lets go of you as she roams around you room. “My my, your room is a filth. You should take care of yourself!” She says tinkering around with your stuff, even your comic book collection. You wanted to tell her to stop touching your shit…but you value your life more. You sit on your bed, completely missing her gaze at you as she smirks with her pink lips.

“Darling…” she says with a tone sweet like honey. You raised a brow at her as she touches a comic. “I wanna hear about your day…y’know, after school of course.” You kept an eye for her, trying to see if she was trying to get at something but nothing came to your mind. You finally opened your mouth to talk to her. “Well my day was fine. I had a good breakfast, good lunch, and good Power Nap after a snack when I came home.” You said. She puts her hands together as she smiled at you, “lovely! I’m glad you had a good day…unfortunately I have something to say also about my day.” She says with a smile but narrowed eyes.

You gulped staring at her as her hand slides off the comic and moves towards you as she eyes your room. “So you see, I had a good day also bebé. Good breakfast, good lunch as I watched you eating alone….and a good after school activity as I finish my work in the journaling club.” You nodded as she listed off her day. But you felt as if that’s not only thing she was talking about as she lifted her head facing you directly.

She finally went in front of you as an intense staring contest came about as you just stared at her nervously. Her stare was like a primal predator to their prey. “Mi luz, tell me about what I heard today from someone…” “heard what?” You asked nervously by her burning gaze in your skull. It was like she was directly looking into your soul.

She gripped your chin, making you eye to eye with her. “I heard a little piggy told me you were walking with some whore.” She says with venom in her tone. Your eyes widen as her honey eyes darkened into your own (color) eyes. “I didn’t walk anyone to clas-” “lies.” She says quickly, shutting you down as she grips your chin tighter. Making you hiss in pain. “You were holding hands with that skank…weren’t you…?” She says asking you.

“What?! THAT’S not true, I would never-” before you could say anything, a pair of your scissors from your desk flew past you as you swiftly dodge it, merely gaining a little slash on your cheek.

She whipped out her knife swinging at you with a pouty face as you dodged it swiftly, catching her arm as she smiles with a crazed look at you dodging. She obviously found it hot and adorable at how quick you are despite you being a lazy piece of shit.

And of course she flipped your over on your back, you groaned as she stabs her knife by your head. She then gets on top of you, having her hands on your chest and her eyes burning in your skull. That made you sweatdropped as you stare in her crazy eyes that start to shimmer red. “If I hear you were walking another girl, or even a boy. I’m cutting your hands off…” she says with a sick sweet smile you nodded scared for your hands and life.

“Good.”

[ultrone]

what music do you think Jackie would listen to…?

very random playlist i know lmaooo i hope it’s at least a bit accurate. i tried to stick to before the 2000s as much as i could 🫡

Gwen Stefani/No Doubt for sure. I feel like she’d specifically love “Cool” by Gwen

I Touch Myself by Divinyls

Crush by Jennifer Paige

Fastlove, Pt. 1 by George Michael

The Cranberries (influenced by Shauna 🤔)

The King of Wishful Thinking by Go West (she got obsessed with it after watching Pretty Woman)

Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer

Back For Good by Take That

Some songs by Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks, like Sable on Blond, I Don't Want to Know, Edge of Seventeen, Only over You…

Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush

Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley

Madonna

Waterfalls by TLC

Right Here - Human Nature Radio Mix by SWV

Living On My Own - No More Brothers Radio Mix by Freddie Mercury

I feel like she’d also be lowkey into Country 😭

Shania Twain

Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus

Jolene by Dolly Parton

Amber by 311

Baby, I Love Your Way by Big Mountain

Angel by Shaggy, Rayvon

The Sign by Ace of Base (medicated Lottie got her into it)

Had a hanson phase lmaoooo 🧐

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

Bitch by Meredith Brooks (she’d sing/yell this one in Shauna’s car)

I Try by Macy Gray

Girlfriend in a Coma by The Smiths

Alanis Morissette

There She Goes by The La’s

Two Princes by Spin Doctors

You Get What You Give by New Radicals

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman (I feel like Shauna would overplay it while driving)

Be My Baby by The Ronettes

Duran Duran

Bon Jovi

Fantasy by Mariah Carey

Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera

Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus

Livin' la Vida Loca by Ricky Martin

Savage Garden

Uptown Girl by Westlife

Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

Summer Of ‘69 by Bryan Adams

The Power Of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Hero by Enrique Iglesias

Whitney Houston’s top hits

Let’s Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams

Some Aerosmith songs, like Crazy & I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) & One by One by Cher

I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis

Black or White by Michael Jackson

Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows (from the Shrek 2 soundtrack 😭)

Alone & These Dreams by Heart

I Think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany

More Than a Feeling by Boston

What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner

Close to Me by The Cure

Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65 ☠️

Endless Love by Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey

Be My Baby & Divine idylle by Vanessa Paradis

Smile by Lily Allen

I’m Gonna Miss You by Milli Vanilli

Conga by Gloria Estefan 🤣

New Kids On The Block

Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds

Queen

Hey Ya! by Outkast

Dreaming Of You by Selena

extra… songs she’d listen to if she spoke spanish or was latina cuz i’m mexican and i’ve been thinkin abt this 🙂‍↕️

Tu Dama De Hierro by Marisela

Belanova, especially Rosa Pastel, Me Pregunto, and Cada que…

Formas de Amor by Calo

Mi Media Naranja by Fey

Bazar & No Controles by Flans

Gracias A Dios by Thalia

La Ventanita by Garibaldi

Ahora Te Puedes Marchar by Luis Miguel

Cuando Calienta El Sol by Luis Miguel

Mírala, Míralo by Alejandra Guzman

Virgen de las Vírgenes by Gloria Trevi

Ni Una Sola Palabra by Paulina Rubio

No Puedo Olvidarme Ti by MDO

La Calle de las Sirenas by Kabah

Enamoradísimo by Mercurio

Veneno by Ragazzi

Dile Que la Amo by Kairo

Hombres G

Oye Mi Amor by Maná

Rica y Apretadita (feat. Anayka) by El General

Moriré by La Factoria

Enloquéceme & Shabadabada by OV7

Timbiriche

Amante Bandido by Miguel Bosé

Alejandro Sanz

[renewedmotionforjudgment]

A Definitive (See: Extremely Subjective) Ranking of (Not All) Yu Zheng Dramas

With the Double airing, it has occurred to me that despite all of my critiques of Yu Zheng, I have watched quite a number of Yu Zheng dramas. Two reasons: (1) I do love a palace makjang, and Yu Zheng wrote a lot of them before harem dramas got banned, and (2) Yu Zheng is a prolific producer.

Disclaimer: despite everything, I have not seen Female Prime Minister.

So a definitively, extremely subjective, rank of Yu Zheng dramas.

Gong 1 aka Jade Palace Lock Heart. A plot that is banned these days. Modern girl time travels back to Qing dynasty, specifically during the Kangxi era, and gets mixed up in the dynastic battle between the 4th prince and the 8th prince. Starring Yang Mi and Feng Shao Feng. Copious plagiarism from Hana Yori Dango/Meteor Shower, FL advises a Kangxi concubine to rollerblade her way into seduction, and the start of Yu Zeng's neon era. Does it have the cerebral gut punch that Bu Bu Jin Xin gave? Nope. But it remains an extremely fun watch. Only 35 episodes.

Scheme of Beauty/Beauties Rival in the Palace (the first one, I have not seen subsequent ones). An extremely fictional story about Empress Dou of Han, played by Ruby Lin, also featuring Yang Mi, Feng Shao Feng, and Luo Jin, back when he was still playing the second ML. There is some plagiarism scandal attached to it, but I will say that plot wise it's probably the most tightly written of all Yu Zheng works.

Yanxi Palace. I admit, I am a Legend of Ruyi girl through and through, but upon re-watch, honestly Yanxi Palace is so fun. It is a later era Yu Zheng, when he's no longer as restrained by thing like "put less plot armor on your main characters," but it is probably the drama that plays best into Yu Zheng's strength, aka a fun makjang.

Gong 2. Was Yu Zheng trying to rip off Zhen Huan? Yes. BUT it's a fun watch with albeit VERY NEON outfits.

Legend of Haolan. The story about Qin Shi Huang's mother. Wu Jinyan playing a very Wei Yingluo character, so enjoyable watch, but also it felt very ... Yu Zheng madlibs.

Ban Shu Legend. The costumes were fugly. But I actually enjoyed the chemistry between Zhang Zhehan and Jing Tian. The plot is a mess though, I can't even describe it.

Untouchable Lovers. It was a mess! but! it's like a whose who of Yu Zheng's current talent roster.

Swordsman. Yes, I'm putting it below Untouchable Lovers because that drama was at least aesthestically pleasing. Swordsman was Yu Zheng's peak neon era and if there is one thing Yu Zheng should have no business touching, it is a classic wuxia.

[summers-art]

I know there’s some good Metamy juice in it so I’m gonna ask an explanation for Love Like you please.

🎵Song #35 Love Like You by Rebecca Sugar 🎵[Full playlist]

YEAAAA! We're at the end so what's more fitting than to have a literal end credit song to wrap everything up with? This one is specifically from Volume 2 which is different, it has this longer intro which I love the build up for and though not all the verses but the ones that are there are the most important so it's still perfect lyrically. I also mentioned this in the prev post but I also just really wanted this song bc of how it sounds musically. I have my playlists on repeat and this song flows very well back into Song #1 Digital Love which was epic, the ride never ends baby!!!

SO! Before we end the story there has been a time skip from the prev song #34 Too Long, that's the only way that song makes sense to me, as things seem to finally look bright again. Overcoming the strings and wires, if not fully then at least enough to feel like Metal is at the place he wants to be, which would then be with Amy. This song is sweet but it's not like a "I'm 100% fine and everything is okay now" way, the past hasn't been magically erased and there is still work to do after all. But at least it's hopeful! Though I love my drama, angst, divorce and bittersweet endings I decided to go with something more positive here... I can't help it that I am a true hopeless romantic at heart 🩷🥹

LYRICAL BREAK DOWN BELOW 👇

I just want to push again on the build of this song, I LOVE THE AMBIENCE, THE VIBE. The slow build up is so tasty, literally half of the song is just instrumentals until the lyrics finally kicks in 1,5 minute in after this building crescendo it's awesome. Also the dolphin cries in the bg are so funny, I love you whoever mixed this, that's so epic.

I always thought I might be bad Now I'm sure that it's true 'Cause I think you're so good And I'm nothing like you

I like that the first lines are already like a sledgehammer to my heart. Like OOOOKAY BESTIEEEE, yea you kind of did do all that horrible shit as part of the villain team and being a pawn for Eggman and almost ending the whole world as Metal Overlord or whatever- BUT COME ON, IT'S OKAY BABY GIRL DON'T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF. It's totally okay to commit all those crimes because you looked cool while doing it, just look at Neo's highlights they slay 💅 (I'M JOKING, MAYBE)

Also comparing yourself to Amy Rose is just asking yourself to lose tbh. She is a beacon of pure love and hope, stubbornly and fiercely so, she's so awesome. No one does it like her. I wouldn't say they have nothing in common, but from Metal's view there might be little to nothing (because you're gay and putting your crush on a pedestal, girl...) The only way to fix this; time to learn some compassion!!! Download it, google is free 💾

Look at you go I just adore you I wish that I knew What makes you think I'm so special

CRYING, PUNCHING THE WALL, CRIES MORE 😭😭 Amy is so stubborn of course she wouldn't be the first one to give up on someone. Metal has tried and failed and tried and failed- and yet here she is! Still by his side!! I don't think he could ever really figure out exactly why she would do that, but it certainly means the world to have someone who refuses to give up on you. Eggman is also stubborn, but the "love" he gives feels very conditional and well- artificial? Compared to what she would be able to give.

I also think that any previous jealousy or doubt that Amy was just dating Metal Sonic because she couldn't have the Real Sonic (eluded to most heavily in #8 Washing Machine Heart: "I know who you pretend I am / Do mi ti / Why not me?") have been wiped away at this point. Spending enough time with Metal it's clear they are two different people who are both worthy of love in their own way for being who they are 💙

If I could begin to do Something that does right by you I would do about anything I would even learn how to love

There is something about Amy specifically befriending robots that is just really cute to me, starting all the way back with Gamma. Girl has a heart so big she can turn the machines into people capable of love. She has the power of love and incredible violence with her hammer on her side. Iconic, tbh 🙂‍↕️

"I can fix him" actually succeeds in fixing him. LMAO, nah its not that simple. I think Metamy could easily slip into that trope, but I would argue that here it's more that it's more about inspiring someone to be better. Like the lyrics say that about making better choices and taking action, instead of someone else fixing their messes and forgiving every single wrong doing that would actually make them not have to change their previous behavior at all.

When I see the way you look Shaken by how long it took

HEY, THERE IS THE THING I TALKED ABOUT BEFORE so I'll just keep it brief! A callback to Tomorrow Comes Today as well as Too Long, the two songs before this. Which also!! Makes the timeskip thing also makes the most sense. ...How long is the timeskip? Shit, idk, however long I need it to be 🤷 I'm open for suggestions lmao, but leaving it up in the air is fun so anyone can decide on how old the robot yuri should be. It ages like a fine wine, I think.

I could do about anything I could even learn how to love like You You You You

Crazy thing with this version of the song, and not just the intro, is that it SKIPS the line: "Love me, like you" but I think it's kind of appropriate here tbh. Self-love is important, and tying it with Metal's whole identity crisis arc makes sense and here it hasn't been completely resolved even at the end of the story. That is something that still needs work because that shit takes time especially, after all the shit they've been through. A relationship might not magically fix it but I don't think it will hurt it either. Like, I kinda hate the saying that at least floated around when I was growing up about "Ooh, you need to learn to love yourself before you can love others <3" like... HUH?? As if people who are struggling with mental health and/or trauma that makes loving yourself difficult can't be allowed to fall in love or be loved in a relationship, like lol, lmao even, miss me with that shit.

Metal continuing his arc about finding an identity outside of Sonic sounds like something that Amy could help with a lot, like- GIRL SHE'S BEEN THROUGH THIS CIRCUS BEFORE. She was obsessed with him too after all and had to learn how to grow more independent. ALSO, I like to think Amy has some issues of her own with abandonment. Despite being so outgoing and loving she carries her own insecurities about "What if my friends are only friends with me because of Sonic? What if they don't actually care about me or want to have me around?" - which I don't think is true (Amy's friends love her very much), but how true something is doesn't always solve the problem if it's all in your own head, y'know? And though Metal might learn to tolerate Sonic's existence I still think he would hate him enough to make a fear like that a complete non-issue for Amy. So they could help each other a lot with their struggles me thinks, and that's sweet. Love that for this ship 🩷💙

These cartoon animals can be projected onto with so many real life struggles HAH, it makes them so #relatable. I love art, I love playing with my touys, we're having fun here 🫶😌 and I think I'm done rambling about why I love these two and this song for them heheh. THANK YOU TO WHOEVER ARE READING ALL MY RAMBLES, I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN WITH ME ❣️

[rubykgrant]

Theory that I saw and hold as true: Yellow Church is Xi. He's just out in Sidewinder now doing whatever. He's the one needed to complete the Meta but was never found. He represents Desire (2 last traits were Love and Greed, this mixes both). Saw this on a YouTube account that also says the ship at the end of the S4 quest was meant to go to Chorus and that Locus is the Great Destroyer.

Oh, that's a good one! Also, very possible, considering Yellow Church existed in multiple ways (as a time-travel alternate Church, an incorrect memory in Caboose's mind, and then on the outside able to exist with everybody... briefly).

A friend of mine also has the theory of Yellow Church, or "Yurch", is the Fragment designated Pi (and we joked that some of the others would mis-pronounce that as "pee", because he's yellow... like PI-kachu. yeah, that's it), and he represents Apathy (since Yurch was just so DONE with everything, and barely had enough energy to get properly angry). I can't find my re-blogs of the posts my friend made right now (because search sucks), but if they're OK with it, I can @ them~

On the one hand, it is possible MANY more Fragments exist, even besides the ones we momentarily see listed within the series... but my theory is, if they were not yet "prepared" to be used as assistants for Freelancers, they weren't moved into their own individual units, and instead were kept "dormant", their data being stored with Epsilon (so, he actually has the memories of ALL the Fragments, even though he doesn't totally know that there is all this extra information to remember. later, this helps him recover/adjust a little easier, and also shows in how he can sort of do what Alpha WOULD have done, working together with all the Fragments as a system; even though some don't always visually show themselves or outwardly verbalize, they're still IN THERE)

I also had a brief and vague AU thought, that never really turned into anything, but still an interesting concept; at some point, after all the other shenanigans in the series, the Reds and Blues meet a new character who joins their group (no specifics for who they are, but I kinda leaned toward them being a girl, just to have a few more). Eventually, they discover this character is actually an AI in a synthetic human body (I've used that idea before, but in this regard, they aren't an almost-clone of the Director OR Allison, but a combination of both DNA samples that created a new person... so, genetically Carolina's sibling). The AI is RO, a missing Fragment from Alpha who represented Love. Like Church, Ro had some memory loss going on, so they others help them figure things out~

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Now That's What I Call Music! 44 1999 Dance-Pop / Pop / Latin Pop / Pop-Rock / Dance-Rock / Teen Pop / Eurodance / Alternative Rock / House / Trance / Adult Contemporary

Y'know, there are plenty of times where you can find me prattling on about how much more superior the UK pop music landscape is to the US', but this 44th installment in the UK's own OG Now That's What I Call Music! series from '99 has me thinking that maybe the differences aren't as stark as I've always believed them to be; because, really, while a chunk of this makes for a mix of a fun nostalgia trip and an infusion of late 90s dance jams that didn't really make it Stateside, there's also a whole lot of dreck on this thing too, and that made listening to this double-disc feel like more of an endurance test than anything else 😕.

But anyway, let's talk about both the good and the bad with this album. The good comes with those aforementioned dance jams, some of which are genuinely great, and others that are just more lovably cheesy. From the genuinely great camp, we've got Boris Dlugosch's sleek remix of Moloko's "Sing It Back"—a tune that proved so popular in its day in Europe that I'm not sure that most people are even aware that it's a remix in the first place—and "2 Times" by Ann Lee, a song whose lead bleepy melody feels like the summer of '99, but whose laid-back, subdued nature and overall structure kinda make it feel like it arrived more than a decade ahead of its time too. And it was also produced by the same Italian guy who did Whigfield's "Saturday Night" all the way back in 1992, which gives me an idea: what if I just posted that song every Saturday night until Tumblr ends? 🤔

And then we've got some of those irresistibly ooey-gooey wads of cheese too, which are led by the late 90s kings and queen of catchy dance bleepiness themselves, Alice Deejay, and their less revered follow-up to "Better Off Alone," "Back in My Life." Plus, there's a British duo on here called Shaft as well, who deliver a bouncy Latin tribal house cover of an old swing tune that was once done by Perez Prado and Rosemary Clooney called "(Mucho Mambo) Sway." This silly gem, with its pitched-up female vocal, didn't even make the top 40 of the US *Dance* Billboard chart, but it made it all the way up to #2 on the UK's general singles chart; and funnily enough, sitting right in front of it for that coveted #1 spot was none other than a different Perez Prado-sampled mega-hit: Lou Bega's super goofy "Mambo No. 5," which is also included on this comp too.

But then the bad is *really* bad, folks. I understand that Now as an enterprise is just a few major record labels pooling their most recent hits together in order to do some quick and effortless, major cash-grabbing for themselves, so it's not actually fully representative of every surface-level thing that was out there at a specific period in time; but the straight-up, pure, Brit-made pop selection here is simply atrocious. The Spice Girls, who had made some pretty excellent pop as a full unit, were between albums after firing their controlling and deeply corrupt manager, Simon Fuller, and had started to branch out into some solo work too. But their solo stuff that takes up damn near 10% of this very album is such formulaically limp and uninspired crap: two songs from Geri Halliwell, one from Mel C, and another from Emma Bunton—all varying levels of lousy, with Geri's "Mi Chico Latino" probably being the worst of all; but the Brits still rode that one to #1 anyway, which should really deaden any sense that you may have about their tastes in music being more refined than the US', because they, like Americans, actually seem to love some truly God-awful shit too 😵‍💫.

But the high-profile sacking of Simon Fuller certainly wouldn't be the last that anyone would ever hear from him. In fact, he'd resurface a couple years later as the manager of a new teen pop act that'd rise to global popularity too: S Club 7, whom he'd also bleed dry with grueling work under horrible conditions and little pay. The group's second hit, the light and fluffy feelgood anthem of "S Club Party," which also crossed over into the States with the help of an S Club series on cable too, appears on this comp. And if there's one good British pop song on this album, it's definitely that one.

And finally, for an earlier era of teen pop, I'm glad a somewhat forgotten classic like New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight's "Give It to You" is on here too. It was kinda late to bring back any New Kid on a solo tip in '99, when the new boyband era of Backstreet and *NSync was in full swing itself, but his team-up here with the legendary production and songwriting duo of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, who were known for their R&B, new jack swing, and Minneapolis Sound stuff, is pretty tight. Starts off on that then-contemporary, Timbaland-ish, stuttered-percussion R&B tip, and then accelerates into some Miami bass-adjacent electro-funk-pop goodness for the remainder. Really lovely recipe.

So, plenty of strikes on this album, but possibly an equal number of gutters too. The double-disc format that the UK's version of Now has been practicing since 1987 has certainly opened up an opportunity for listeners like me to be exposed to a vaster array of gems and fun tunes, but it also inevitably leads to an inclusion of a whole lot more filler and trash too. The UK's open-arms embrace of electronic and dance music that dates back to the late 80s definitely enriched and widened their pop industry greatly overall, and that helped ensure that the idea of a two disc-Now would be even more viable for them; but the US version of the series, in contrast, certainly proves to be significantly more potent, because while those albums are musically less diverse, being constrained to one CD really culls out a lot more of the disposable, lower-tier crud too. So I guess if you don't care about dance music, then the US version of Now is definitely for you, but if you want some more variety and absurdity and adventurousness to your commercial pop exploration, you might like the UK one more instead, even if it tends to come with a lot more bad music on it...

Highlights:

CD1:

Britney Spears - "...Baby One More Time" Lou Bega - "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" Eiffel 65 - "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" Sixpence None the Richer - "Kiss Me" Texas - "Summer Son" Moloko - "Sing It Back" Bob Marley vs. Funkstar Deluxe - "Sun Is Shining" Jamiroquai - "Canned Heat" Bran Van 3000 - "Drinking in L.A."

CD2:

R Kelly - "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" Backstreet Boys - "Larger Than Life" Jordan Knight - "Give It to You" S Club 7 - "S Club Party" Ann Lee - "2 Times" Enrique Iglesias - "Bailamos" Shaft - "(Mucho Mambo) Sway" ATB - "Don't Stop" DJ Jean - "The Launch" Groove Armada - "I See You Baby (Fatboy Slim radio edit)" Wamdue Project - "King of My Castle" Alice Deejay - "Back in My Life" Alena - "Turn It Around"

[hiperchile]

Female-fronted February - Masterpost

So, that was that month, I guess. Time flies. For your convenvience, here are all the albums in one post :) Spotify is linked here along with the posts, additional streaming links can be found within the posts. If you haven’t been following along the TL;DR is that I’ve been spending my February picking out a new female-fronted album every day. It’s been fun. There’s both some hidden gems as well as some well-respected icons, spread over a good mix of genres. A playlist of all the albums can be found here (in all it’s nearly 20 hours glory), and a shorter version with a few songs from each album (handpicked by yours truly xoxo) can be found here. Statistics for said playlist (including more specific genres, at the bottom) can be found here, if you’re into that sort of thing. Have fun!

#1: Vulpes - Vulpes (x) #2: Liima Innui - Republik / Liima Innui - Inri (x  / x) #3: Maud Lindström - Strategivisor för kärlekskritiker (x) #4: Otoboke Beaver - Otoboke Beaver (x) #5: Sibongile Khumalo - Ancient Evenings (x) #6: Jacqueline Taïeb - Jacqueline Taïeb (x) #7: Alisha Chinai - Kamasutra (x) #8: Sabrina Malheiros - Equilibria (x) #9: Eneida Marta - Lôpe Kaï (x) #10: 海朋森  / Hiperson -  她从广场回来 (She Came Back From the Square) (x) #11: Maria Peszek - Jezus Maria Peszek (x) #12: Dobet Gnahoré - Couleur (x) #13: Joanne Shenandoah - Peacemaker’s Journey (x) #14: Hans-A-Plast - Hans-A-Plast (x) #15: Rasha - Sudaniyat (x) #16: Rossa - Rossa (x) #17: Sister Carol - Black Cinderella (x) #18: Kareyce Fotso - Mokte (x) #19: Nanna - Små Blå Breve (x) #20: 이달의 소녀 오드아이써클 [LOONA ODD EYE CIRCLE] - Max & Match (x) #21: Ivy Queen - En Mi Imperio (x) #22: Shaddaï Ndomboxe - Raison (x) #23: Googoosh - Pol (x) #24: Nótár Mary - Cigánylány (x) #25: Pastorita Huaracina - Nuestro Tesoro (x) #26: Najwa Karam -   شمس الغنية / Chams El-Ghinnieh (x) #27: Lijadu Sisters - Danger (x) #28: Giusy Ferreri - Fotografie (x) 

So, yeah, end of the project! Would I do it again? Probably. Was it time-consuming? Definitely. At the moment I’m working on a women’s music canon (because gen canons tend to have around 15% women (*including mixed group and being very generous in my counting) and I think that’s a well shame. 

Really, what this is, is an encouragement to seek out more female artists, old and new. They deserve to be heard. The music industry has historically been terribly male-centric - it’s about time to center the women once in a while, don’t you think?

[derangedhyena-delphinidae]

Hello everyone. Happy new year.

I had a very rough 2023. I am hoping 2024 is not so nasty. I hope the same for all of you.

My Fact in Focus series ended up somewhat derailed due to a combination of family emergencies and the growing need to address the issues "the walrus whisperer" presents to activists and activism.

In addition to being a near-constant source of mis/disinformation, his pathological need to be the center of attention does a dramatic disservice to every cause he approaches.

With him now adding "UrgentSeas" into the mix - attempting to construct a façade of legitimacy - it further complicates things. Especially given the current climate of lazy journalism, which unfortunately rewards sensationalism and rarely bothers with research.

I've a playlist on youtube with these videos, and recently completed a 2-part, in-depth video regarding the recent manatee situation with the Miami Seaquarium.

Please share, and be on the lookout for more informative content in the future.

(tumblr specifically - I'm a bit behind on messages here, I will get to them soon. Thank you.)

[smilebackwards]

fic writer meme

thanks to @vinelark for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? ~155. Approximate count because some are podfics of my work back when it was the convention to make the writer also an author. And I have some stuff posted in an anonymous collection which I don't think get counted in works despite counting into other stats.

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 487,897. I will hopefully be cracking half a million this year!

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently Batman, Star Wars, Foundation, Shadowhunters, Lord of the Rings, whatever random thing catches my attention.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Double Blind [Daredevil/MCU] Exit Strategy [Batman] Surveillance [Batman] Extension [Batman] Victory Braid [Lord of the Rings]

5. Do you respond to comments? Very sporadically. Mostly for comments where there was something specific I wanted to respond to or comments from someone who prompted/inspired the fic. I feel a bit bad that I don't because I love all comments but it's a lot of energy for me that I could instead be putting into more writing.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Probably Everything I Build (Is Breaking Down).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I'm a sucker for a happy ending so there's a lot to choose from! Maybe Rearrange.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not a lot, but people have left some truly unhinged stuff on Exit Strategy. I delete/block where needed.

9. Do you write smut? I'm not good at it. There might be like 3 sentences and a fade to black.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written? I write a lot of fusion AUs but not many crossovers. There's probably some weird ones in my older stuff!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Full reposting, not that I know of. I did find that someone basically rewrote one of my fics, with extremely specific details, and that didn't feel great.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes, many of my fics have been translated :)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? A lot of my fics are based on prompts so kind of collaborative in that way, but the actual words on the page writing bit is pretty solitary for me.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? X-Wing. Iconic.

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Still pained by my Les Mis Olympics AU WIP.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I do a fun mix of humor and angst in my writing. Maybe word selection, I am obsessed with finding the best word with the most appropriate connotations. And perseverance, I will finish fics years later.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Extreme slowness. All vibes, no plot. Cannot write fic longer than 15k.

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics? I think generally I prefer to write in English and dialogue tag that someone said something in a different language. Occasionally I do the italics to indicate or don't do italics but use Google Translate which inevitably goes poorly. This reminds me that someone sent me a translation fix comment and I need to go see if I can find that.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Yeah, it was probably Harry Potter. I recently found an old spiral notebook where like 14 year old me wrote in colored markers and it is the worst thing ever, I should burn it, but on the other hand it reminds me that I'm kind of proud that I've kept at writing so long and improved.

20. Favorite fic you have written? I think Misson Report. I have an enduring love for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon and I like the cadence of it.

tagging @dreaming-marchling, @andrea-lyn, and anyone else who might be interested!

[laferocia]

Mike Patton speaking italian: birthday edition

So today is Mike's birthday and I'll celebrate with some quick translation.

Video 1: Tomahawk, Milan, 2013.

Milano, tutto a posto? Bene. Siete molto ma molto gentili per un gruppo da spalla! Min 0:29: lui pensa che stavo parlando della pasta... Eh già! Insomma, questo è un chill! Un pezzo chill, hai capito? (he said it in a Neapolitan accent, LOL). Chill! (a guy in the audience answered "agg capit", in Neapolitan way). Sai cosa vuol dire? Tranquillo! (again, same accent). Va bene? Dai, NIN, (something I didn't get), minchia! Per adesso, fucking chill motherfuckes!

Milan, everything okay? Great. You're really nice with a support band! At 0:29: he thinks I was talking about pasta... Oh yeah! So, this is a chill! A chill song, you got it? Chill! Do you know what it means? Relax! Okay? Come on, NIN, fuck! For now, fucking chill, motherfuckers!

Video 2: mix of epic stuff

0:03: Mike, piacere // Mike, nice to meet you (you can find the whole translation of that video here)

0:05: La fica! // The pussy! (He was in Brazil and "fica" is a conjugation of the verb "ficar", I guess. As you can see, in italian "fica" or "figa" has another meaning eheheheh).

0:06: Lui sta dicendo che vuole un cazzone! He is saying he wants a big cock! (you can find the whole translation of that video here)

0:08: Fica fica fica fica! // Pussy pussy pussy pussy!

0:10: Io mangio la merda del papa // I eat the pope's shit.

0:15: Ah si vede che sei intenditore! // You can tell he's a connoisseur!

0:17: Cazzarola! // As I've already said in the translation of this specific video, it's a term we use to say "cazzo" (=dick, but in the meaning of "fuck!") but in a less vulgar way. It's not really a swear word; in central Italy, "cazzarola" means "pot".

0:20: È un pochetto, un pochino diversa! // It is a bit different!

0:22: Negroni, grappa, Martini (3 famous italian alcoholic drinks; I love those "sì" in the middle)

0:26: È un bel lavoro! // It's quite a job!

0:29: Pirla! // Pirla! (It's a typical Milanese insult, and it roughly means "stupid". Plural or singular, it is always "pirla").

0:31: siamo contentissimi di essere qua // We are very happy to be here.

0:33: 'sti cazzo di Milanesi! // These fucking milanese people!

0:34: sì, tipo, sì// Yeah, I mean, yeah.

0:36: devi imparare, cazzo! // You have to learn it, damn it!

0:41: magari cresce un po' così! // Maybe it grows a bit like this.

0:43: ma va a cagare! (I can translate it with "Fuck off" or "go to hell" but it litelly means "Go and take a shit". We use it a lot)

0:45: daje daje milanesi! Come on, Milanesi! ("Daje" is absolutely Roman style. It has many uses, but most commonly, it's a way to say 'come on').

0:47: mi han detto che...// They told me that...

0:48: Cazzarola!

0:49: sì sì mi ricordo // yeah yeah I remember that!

0:50: volete Vasco Rossi // You want Vasco Rossi (again, as I've already said in the translation of this specific video, Vasco Rossi is a famous Italian rock star, but he is controversial because he hasn't done anything significant since at least 1998. Mike knows that metalheads hate Vasco).

0:57: è proprio un idolo // He is truly an idol (he was talking about Demetrio Stratos, I'm quite sure Mike doesn't like Vasco, LOL)

0:58: dai un po' d'Eros, cazzo! // Come on, a bit of Eros, damn! (Eros Ramazzotti is a popular italian pop singer. By the way, I'm not sure about exactly what he said, but he was definitely talking about Ramazzotti).

[justgayrevolutionnaries]

Hello guys guess what I (finally) saw Les Mis on the west end today so I need somewhere to rant about it bear with me here

(under the cut because 1- spoilers and 2- I have no idea how long this is going to be)

First of all just a small disclaimer : I am not in any part of this trying to be like "A was better than B in this role " or whatever it's just me being happy I got to see this show :)

Just hearing the opening live for the first time was amazing. Same goes for the whole show obv but this opening is the best

Also I did not know there were changing backgrounds this was so cool I really liked them

And the whole stage was super impressive I didn't expect everything to be that big it was amazing

Valjean was so good ??? I really liked his acting and his voice is actually incredible. Especially for Bring him home, I think it was one of my favorite versions of this song he has a really intense voice

Javert was incredible as well- I believe it was Stewart Clarke ? Point is he was a very good Javert I love him in this role

Anyway both of them have amazing voices so the Confrontation was very intense (or maybe it's just because it was the first time I saw it live ig)

Moving on but um. Lucie jones ??? Fantine ??? Like ma'am. Please. Your voice.

Literally I dreamed a dream ? So good. Made me tear up. If I am being honest I never cared for this song a lot but I can't even begin to explain how much I loved it here

Anyway she was definitely one of my favorite highlights of the show like yes queen

Also the factory scene was pretty great because I could finally know what was being said in the background- shoutout to whoever says "you bitch" to Fantine because I was not ready for that and the delivery was perfect

MADAME THÉNARDIER WAS AMAZING THANK YOU

Just- her mocking Cosette and her husband, the way she screams "COSETTE" when Thénardier messes up the name... Everything about her was so enjoyable I loved her

+ gotta love Thenardier just for the way he was sleeping and his head shot up when Valjean mentionned money for the first time

Also for being so funny in that moment after look down when Javert just comes to arrest them and he does his whole "may I go" act and then goes back to the policeman previously holding him and places the baton back on his neck I loved that for him

Anyway moving on to my favorite characters ever- tho actually I wasn't expecting to enjoy the beginning of the show that much but hey I did

Okay so Marius right ? If I'm being honest I had doubts about him, mostly because Ropert tripolino looked so much like a grantaire to me so I had a hard time picturing him as Marius but he was great

Very good at playing the part of the lovedstruck dumbass. Which is all it takes for me to like a Marius actually

No but also I loved his voice, maybe a bit shaky but it didn't strike me and I think it fit marius's character well so + it mixes really well with those of both Cosette and Eponine so that was cool, tho sometimes he was a bit drowned out by both of their voices but still.

The Gavroche actor was incredibly cute and funny I loved him so much- his mimicking javert was everything he is the best and must be protected at all cost

I'm doing this in no specific order so might come back to other things but I have said it before and will say it again... I don't like that little dance in one day more. It just kind of kills the vibe in my opinion because I find the dance rather funny but yeah

Anyway just because I have been dying to talk about him and he's all I've been thinking about for the past hours- shoutout to whoever was playing Grantaire. Like really. It was a cover so not sure who it was since I failed to look at the cast list (I wanna say ollie wray but I might be wrong) but oh my god. Sir. He ate it.

Everything about him was so great- I'll come back to him later just to pretend I'm keeping an order here (spoiler : I am not) but his part in Red and Black was incredibly funny it was just grantaire messing around and annoying Enjolras and I love that for him

Talking about Enjolras he was really good actually. I always have a moment of confusion when I see a brunette Enjolras just because I am not used to it but once I could actually focus on him he was very enjoyable

HAVE I TALKED ABOUT EPONINE YET BECAUSE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT EPONINE

She is. Really bitter I want to say. Like my brain isn't braining rn so I don't have words but she was rather sarcastic in a sad way. If that even makes sense. Anyway this attitude was great I loved everything about her

The whole part with Marius asking her for Cosette's adress just showed this and I really liked their dynamic it was exactly how I always imagined them to interact. Like Eponine obviously not being excited by this and Marius just blatantly missing every single cue

Point is I loved both of them

Okay just before I move on to the barricade's part which is all I wanna talk about, I am in love with this Cosette. That's it that's the post but lulu-mae has a beautiful voice, which again mixes really well with that of marius

Oh and also Marius trying to find a way to climb over the fence will never not be funny he's such an idiot I love him

Cue Eponine basically having to protect him while dealing with her own existential crisis- queen

ANYWAY

Actually moving on because this is getting long and I suck at ordering those notes but still

Firstly. Eponine singing On my own. I am actually not okay. She has such an amazing voice oml ??? 10/10 song I love her so much she made me tear up it was the best thing ever

So the barricade scenes

This is actually mostly me ranting about Grantaire and Gavroche because I literally missed a solid part of the barricade moment due to focusing on them

In my defense they were incredibly cute okay ? It's just the way Grantaire looks out for Gavroche and cares for him

And I love them so much I swear

Just two things before I just go on a full rant about them

1- A little fall of rain ?? Just Nathania Ong slaying all over again this was the saddest thing I heard her voice is just the best here

On the over hand this was one of the moment when Roberts voice seemed very much drowned out by hers but. She still carried the song. So it was very cool.

2- drink with me was so sad as well. Mostly because of grantaire. Again. Also I think it's always sad but seeing it live just made it worse- anyway it's just the way grantaire comes to feuilly's face to sing his verse. The way enjolras hugs him very tight when he's done. The way grantaire just pushes him away angrily and goes to stand in a corner. I am actually not okay about this

Also when Grantaire goes stand in a corner Gavroche comes to hug him from behind and he turns around to hug him back and that's basically where I lost it. Everyone was hugging all around but I was just looking at them because they were so cute okay bye

Sidenote but I still don't understand why the musical made Courfeyrac so angry and agressive- like the whole thing with Javert is kinda weird to me ? "Kill the bastard" is a good moment still just his cheering thing or whatever when valjean comes back- I am sorry but Courfeyrac would not do that like ever

Okay I already talked about bring him home and it slayed so yup

And anyway after this point I basically stopped looking at the barricade because I was just watching grantaire and gav so bear with me

During the attack grantaire just seats on a bench and does absolutely nothing. Just stares hopelessly into the void.

But after that there is the whole thing with ammunition and Gavroche volunteering

And okay first of all I really liked how everyone just zooms toward the barricade like Gavroche no- except then Gavroche is on the other side of the barricade right ? And nobody is moving. And you just have grantaire who gets up and starts walking slowly toward the barricade and it's absolutely agonizing

And after that Gavroche throws some ammunition to the guys and there is a short moment of victory- and then he gets shot and everything goes down from there

Enjolras gives his body to grantaire who is just below saying nothing. And it's utterly devastating.

Anyway after that Grantaire just kneels in a corner next to Gavroche's body

But when Marius gets shot him and Enjolras hug over marius's body and that was so sad

When Enjolras gets shot Grantaire just rushes on top of the barricade and starts screaming at the soldiers. And gets shot as well. And I did not know this happened I did not know Grantaire died after Enjolras I was not ready for this moment it destroyed me in so many ways

Anyway after that I basically zoned out because of what had just happened but what I can say is uh

I still don't like how javert's suicide is staged like it just looked to me like he was running backwards and the background was moving so. Yeah

Empty chairs at empty tables was- not the best. I liked the actor for all other moments but I just felt like his voice was kind of weak in this song ? It just didn't move me the way it usually does idk

Tho I still like how the women just laid candles down on the floor and then les amis arrive and pick them up

The Thénardier slaying again at the wedding <33

"I should have married your sister" always a highlight of the show actually

THE FINALE WAS SO GOOD

Lucie Jones again like love the voice love everything thank you queen

And just that moments when everything stops before the final "tomorrow comes" yeah that was that

Okay that's it that's the post if you read it down to here you're crazy and I love you

But still big shoutout to Fantine Eponine and Grantaire because those three really were the best parts of the show for me

[the-lonelybarricade]

HELLO!

It's your secret santa, back in your inbox with a few questions :)

1. A little birdie (and by "birdie" I mean "internet stalking") told me you like musicals...which are your faves?

2. What elements of a fic (tropes, settings, etc) make you go "HELL YES WE NEED MORE OF THAT" when you're browsing the Feysand tag?

3. If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be and why?

Hi gorgeous!!

Is it bad that I'm giggling and curling my hair at the thought that you were stalking me? Sounds like flirting 😌🤭

hehe and to answer your questions YES I love musicals!! My first love was Les Miserables (hence the username) and my current love is a toss up between Hadestown and Newsies. I have to be in the mood for Hadestown or Les Mis because they'll put me in my feels but I can ALWAYS bop to The World Will Know.

Also I have a VERY specific hyperfixation with the way Jeremy Jordan's neck vein pops out during that number in the pro shoot 😂 Allow me to share it:

(this might be the most important gif I've ever made)

As far as favorite tropes - honestly if Feysand so much as LOOK in each other's direction I'm already a puddle on the floor 😂 I especially love when Rhys is absolutely suffering from his pining because he is so in love and Feyre is completely oblivious. I will also take ALL of the classics. You will never catch me saying no to one bed, misunderstandings, forced proximity, fake marriage/dating, etc. Load those puppies UP, I will sip them like a fine wine 😌

And if I was a kitchen utensil... hmmm for some reason a whisk is speaking to me. I guess I'm a bit chaotic and like to mix things up?

I hope this was helpful and I'm sorry it took me a few days to get to this!! Sending you loads of love!

[c-vomitoria]

tribute to the pigeon squad

gonna start using this blog to post various (mis)adventures i go on and what better way to start than with my best friends in all the world

besties <333

ive been around this flock for about 1 and a half years and ive gotten to know a few stand-out individuals so heres the ones ive named over that time !!! most of them are gone, either migrated away or dead i'm not sure, if they're still around i'll mention it specifically

this little guy's the first pigeon i ever thought to ascribe a name to after i saw them a few separate times at the subway station before work, their name is big boss

they were missing an eye and always hung around the back of the group not really stepping in with the others, i always tossed them some extra scraps of my breakfast away from the main group bc otherwise they'd never get their share. kept seeing them around for about 2 weeks or so at the station before they stopped showing up, i didn't name any others until i started going to the "main" feeding spot for the local flock a few months later.

this right here is acci! short for accipiter bc theyre a vicious beast, very much unlike big boss they never hesitated to jump into the crowd and slap other pigeons around with their wings for the best feeding spots or just for the hell of it. shown here consuming the flesh of a distant cousin (they *really* liked chicken whenever i brought any)

as much of a menace as acci was to the rest of the flock they were also the first one to get all attached to me and always sat on my arm whenever i came over with snacks, it was like their special perch and they always wanted to be hand fed

laelaps here didnt come around very often but always had a commanding presence, they usually hung back and just watched but never got bullied by anyone and would throw their weight around without much opposition if they did decide to step in. never got close to me but never gave the impression of being scared either, very respectable birb.

cheetodust (on the right) or just cheeto for short! every bit as scrunkly and scraggly in behaviour as they look. i'm not sure what was up with their cere for it to get all orange and crusty but the last couple times i saw them it seemed to be shedding with a more normal whitish cere underneath. this guy shat on my hands more than anyone else. no fear, no fucks given. not particularly aggressive or respected but very good at opportunistically darting around.

prima, queen of vermin. one my absolute favourites and one of the prettiest birds to ever live i will die on this hill no purebred show pigeon could EVER compete with this most regal of street urchins. i saw them around for a good while and they've always been pretty aloof, eventually they saw fit to sit on my shoes but for the most part they hung around in the back of the flock watching everything play out.

i was heartbroken when i'd counted a full month without seeing them but the other day i saw a pigeon with almost the same exact feather patterns on the head & upper torso mixed in with a standard wild morph on the rest of the body and i like to believe it's one of prima's offspring after they flew off somewhere else to find a mate. this bird is divinely protected and no harm can be allowed to reach them

if anyone can genuinely be called the big boss of the flock it's probably stalin here. theyve been around longer than almost anyone else, theyre still here, always patrolling up and down the street looking for the best bits of scraps and more pigeons to push around. if they want something they fight for it *hard*, and while other pigeons usually stop at hisses or wing slaps i've seen this particular old theropod bite their flock-mates on the neck over some grain. it never takes long for other pigeons to back down but they keep pressing afterwards just to drive it in.

just like with acci they also like to hang around me a lot, i guess it makes sense the tough brawler types aren't so scared of humans. they never really did it to get special food access though, they'd just sit there and preen or look around.

haku mainly stands out for being a real looker, with those big flashes of iridescence bordering their white chest. they're fairly run-of-the-mill socially, maybe even unusually so somehow. never causing any trouble or running into anyone, never getting into fights, never being pushed around either. just foraging where there's plenty of grain on the ground, staying out of people's way, resting in between snacks. a decent life all in all, and they seem happy about it.

i gave kohaku their name around the same time as haku bc there's some similarities in their appearance, the smaller white patches under the throat + some iridescent bits that don't really show up in this picture. turns out they'd been around for a hell of a lot longer than i thought - this particular picture was taken even before the big boss one, and there'd been several months between my last sighting of big boss and my first sighting of haku. that would make kohaku one of the very first of my named pigeons that i'd ever encountered, and i just didn't realise this picture *was* kohaku until very recently. and they're still around! i love them so much.

kohaku's always been one to approach me head-on and want to be hand-fed, and they do have a bit of the attitude that tends to go with that but not as much as the others. a little bit pushy maybe, but not as dirty and scrappy as cheeto or just plain brutish as acci or stalin. they don't fight very much they just take up space and don't budge. but they're almost always the first to get there.

next we have the uruk-hai trio:

ugluk,

mauhur,

and lugdush. the latter's the only one of these i still see nowadays, and theyre living a pretty comfortable existence with the present cast at the flocking spots. getting well-fed, staying healthy, not really stepping on any toes - which is more or less how i remember ugluk and mauhur too. bit of a far cry from their namesakes, but it is what it is

and here's kuru (in the foreground)! they're a bit of a feisty one, in the first few weeks i'd known them they kinda blended in with haku & the uruks as just a mellow, well-behaved little pigeon but when i see them now they'll sometimes just stand up, puff out their chest, and chase some poor other pigeon around while hissing loudly for no apparent reason. they'll drag it out pretty long too. it's funny bc i don't actually see them fighting over food much, they usually do this well after the food's run out and everyone's just kinda strutting about in the open. i guess that pecking order isn't going to establish itself.

and now we have the newest set - these are all ones i first met after a fairly long hiatus from pigeon-watching. i haven't known them very long yet, but theyre starting to warm up to me and im hoping i can get to know them better soon :}

they are:

halszka,

shri (centred, brown plumage)

oksoko,

shuvuuia (foreground), & barsbold (middle)

something i find really special about these ones is how their feather patterns & colours have this sort of "wild" naturalistic look to them, like what you'd expect to see living in the forests or on the plains. not quite as striking as prima, ugluk, or haku but very nice to look at nonetheless.

anyway! i may post more about these pigeons in the future and maybe more if i decided i can recognise any others! this can be just a neat introduction to all the lil dinosaur friends ive known in the time ive been around here i like them all very much and i hope anyone reading this will like them too

[coffeecupandcorgi]

on repeat

i'm not great at doing tag games ahhh, but @dirigibleplumbing tagged me, so i'll give this a go -

Rules: shuffle yr "on repeat" playlist from spotify or etc. and post the first 10 tracks.

Manilla Road, "Necropolis" - the Seek & Destroy DJ Tanner must really dig this one because I've head him play it a few times now. K says the vocals sound like a sports announcer calling the Kentucky Derby lolol BUT i think they're cool. i mean, c'mon, they're absolutely giving severian in nessus in gene wolfe's shadow of the torturer-

Entombed in time without decay Never thought it would be like this It feels like I'm living inside a dream But my mind tells me I'm Lost in Necropolis, lost in Necropolis

-but also giving that couple making out in the pit of skulls, lost in an endless cemetery going slowly insane in the iron rose (1973)?? plus this album is from '83 & i feel like eddie munson definitely liked it.

2. Dio, "Holy Diver" - yeah, classic, guess this one is pretty self-explanatory... I did just read what's currently my all time fav ST fic, this time loop fic star of the masquerade by glorious_spoon, and eddie's fav track there is holy diver.

3. Steely & Clevie, Righteous Flames, "I Was Born To Be Loved" - idk I just freaking love this dancehall track from 92, heard it on the radio a while back and put it on my 'seattle wip' playlist, which I was listening to while noodling around with a post-u mich kj/owen story that alas has not materialized beyond a set up and a few scenes. it's always gonna be a kj and owen mood for me. :')

4. Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill" - for a while in college @dirigibleplumbing played "wuthering heights" like everyday BUT somehow i never heard/took in "running up that hill" until i started watching Pose last year - when it plays at the end of the pilot !!! while that man is picking up angel !!! I just !!!! stay away from her, get a job !!!! anyway, also, max gender, is there a more gender-y song?

5. Afsky, "Tyende Sang" - more metal. first track i heard on Seek & Destroy that gave me a fanfiction oh. moment. like, we are no longer just doing fic research, we go here now.

6. HAAi, "Baby, We're Ascending" - this song is fine/fun, i threw it on a recent playlist so i'm hearing it a lot, but i loved loved loved HAAi's recent Resident Advisor mix & listened to it a bunch. tried to put it on during a philly wedding afterparty last spring but then it was TOO LOUD and we had to leave to the hotel. :(

7. Built to Spill, "Car" - I think this is my favorite track from their early 90s album There's Nothing Wrong With Love, an all time album which i also loved as a teen. good to sing along to.

I want specifics on the general idea I want to think what I should know Want you to do me what you show

gotta just absolutely belt it out. those lyrics are all caps in my head.

8. Sevana, "Lowe Mi" - this has been playing all the time on KEXP's saturday morning reggae show. it's super catchy.

9. Leonard Cohen, "The Partisan" - as previously discussed i love a good time loop story - it's maybe one of my favorite tropes?? the melancholy and bittersweet yearning can be so exquisite, it fully KOs me - anyway, this track is used so well in Palm Springs, under that slow-mo close up on Sarah while Nyles realizes he is big time in love and needs to get his shit together -

10. Florence + The Machine, "Morning Elvis" - this is my Grey's end of season 2 song for Izzy and Denny :((((( I guess 'cause "we are trying to make it through the devastation" vibes + Denny is from Memphis.

idk idk @katiewont, @rostovs, @zombiesassy, if u wanna-

[thelakeshore0]

The Lakeshore in Seattle, WA

When looking for retirement communities in South Seattle area, it's crucial to consider several important factors. This advice is particularly relevant for seniors seeking a safe, comfortable, and well-designed living space. Ultimately, your specific preferences will guide your decision. For instance, if you're interested in retirement communities in the South Seattle area, you should explore options provided by reputable real estate services like The Lakeshore. By doing so, you can embrace a lifestyle filled with connection and joy in everyday retirement living. Besides, independent living can be an ideal choice for older adults who value their independence and thrive on social connections. With so much to offer, what's not to like about this enriching way of life?

Seattle, WA

Currently, there are many tourist spots to visit in the Seattle, WA. Perhaps, you want to plan ahead to have a perfect travel experience. In Seattle, WA area, there are many pre-scheduled activities. First, there will be SEATTLE | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" | One-Day Choir activity this coming Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at around 6:30 in the evening, at Washington Hall. Next, the Night Train - Bass Edition is scheduled tomorrow, January 18, 2025, at around 10:00 in the evening, at Orient Express. Lastly, you can also opt to attend the Anime Rave presented by Cult Fest this coming Friday, January 24, 2025, at around 9:00 in the evening at Vue Lounge.

Gas Works Park in Seattle, WA

Have you ever heard of Gas Works Park in Seattle, WA? It's a popular tourist destination and a favorite spot for many visitors who love exploring unique locations. Basically, Gas Works Park is a 19.1-acre public park located on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant. It's nestled on the north shore of Lake Union at the southern tip of the Wallingford neighborhood. Then, this park offers a glimpse into industrial history, as it contains the remnants of the only remaining coal gasification plant in the United States. Moreover, the park holds significant historical value and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 2, 2013, more than a decade after its nomination.

Seattle weather: Rain returns for Friday morning

There are many interesting news reports in Seattle, WA. In a recent news article, it was told that earlier today, Seattle got to 52 degrees. The record is 60 degrees, which happened back in 1945. The sun came out, and it was a beautiful afternoon for almost everyone. Aside from that, it was mentioned in the news that rain returns early Friday morning and will be with us most of the morning commute and through mid-day. Then, the people will also see mountain snow. In addition, showers will linger through the afternoon, but we could also see a mix of clouds and sun.

Link to map

Gas Works Park 2101 N Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98103, United States Get on I-5 S from N Northlake Way and 7th Ave NE 6 min (1.6 mi) Follow I-5 S to WA-900 E/Martin Luther King Jr Way S in Tukwila. Take exit 157 from I-5 S 12 min (11.7 mi) Continue on WA-900 E/Martin Luther King Jr Way S to your destination in Bryn Mawr-Skyway 9 min (4.5 mi) The Lakeshore 11448 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98178, United States