#Super Bowl 52

[chosetherose]

*WSJ Link*

There Are Plenty of Power Publicists. But Only One Works for Taylor Swift.

By Allie Jones

April 18, 2024 at 8:00 am ET

Taylor Swift was celebrating the end of the Australian leg of her Eras Tour in late February when a bit of unpleasantness sailed out from Down Under and landed on the home page of TMZ. The New South Wales Police Force was investigating a 71-year-old man for allegedly assaulting a 51-year-old man at a wharf north of the city, according to their media unit. Per TMZ, the septuagenarian was Scott Swift, Taylor’s father and a key member of her management team, and the younger man was a photographer. 

The story had all the makings of a public relations nightmare: (1) Celebrity family member allegedly behaves badly while (2) disembarking from a luxury yacht, resulting in (3) a police investigation. To make matters more complicated, Taylor was reportedly present for the alleged altercation—hiding under an umbrella, TMZ said. Though the man didn’t require medical treatment, the police said, there was video footage. Would this be the end of the pop star’s marathon run of fawning press? 

Not if Tree Paine could help it. 

Swift’s longtime publicist first released a statement that did not refute TMZ’s story, exactly, but offered some exculpatory evidence: “Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.” Subtext: Scott Swift was simply protecting his daughter and another defenseless woman from a couple of rogue aggressors. He was not charged. 

Around the same time, as if by magic, People found a video of Scott passing out sandwiches to young female fans at one of the Sydney shows and published it along with fan commentary. “Isn’t he the sweetest and cutest,” one cooed.

Online, Swifties clocked the People story as good old-fashioned damage control. As a chorus of fan posts put it: “The devil works hard, but Tree Paine works harder.” (In late March, the New South Wales Police Force media unit said that the North Shore Police Area Command finished its investigation and that it is taking no further action.)

The public often sees Paine expertly attending to Swift’s needs, from smoothing out Swift’s red carpet dresses to leading her past scrums of paparazzi.

The average celebrity publicist does not have fans. But Paine, the 52-year-old redhead seen trailing Swift at awards shows and rubbing shoulders with Gayle King in the Eras Tour VIP area, has become a Swiftverse cult figure in her own right. Fans post reverently about her PR machinations and share videos of her expertly attending to Swift’s needs: smoothing out Swift’s dress on the red carpet, leading Swift right past a scrum of reporters whose questions have not been approved, subtly offering Swift what appeared to be water at the Video Music Awards—a night when the star was filmed dancing in a manner that suggested inebriation.

Swift has trained her followers to look for meaning in her every gesture, outfit and Instagram caption. Paine’s own work—the stories she chooses to respond to, the narrative she puts forward in the media—has become part of that lore. 

And Swift and Paine are creating a lot of lore lately. Swift spent the fall cheering on her new boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, as he sailed to Super Bowl victory, and dropped by the Grammys to pick up album of the year for Midnights and announce her new album in an acceptance speech for yet another award. The Tortured Poets Department, which fans speculate is at least partly inspired by her breakup with the British actor Joe Alwyn, drops this month, and Swift will promote it while balancing her public relationship, continuing her sold-out international Eras Tour amid growing criticism of her private jet usage and brushing off baseless conspiracy theories that she is secretly working as a Democratic operative to swing the 2024 election for President Joe Biden. 

In a long career of riding high, Swift has hit the stratosphere. It’s Paine’s job to keep her there. 

Back in 2014, Swift’s world domination was not yet assured. That March, trade publications reported that the pop star’s publicist of seven years, Paula Erickson, had submitted her resignation. Fairly or not, during Erickson’s tenure, Swift developed a reputation for being both boy-crazy and unwilling to joke about it. See: Swift’s string of high-profile relationships with Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Jake Gyllenhaal and Harry Styles; her alleged wedding-crashing with Conor Kennedy; her humorless response to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s joke at the 2013 Golden Globes about her dating life. (“There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women,” she told Vanity Fair when asked about the incident.) Erickson declined to comment for this story.

Paine, who had been working as the senior vice president of publicity in the Christian and Country divisions of Warner Music Nashville, came on board and quickly flipped the script. She launched her own firm, Premium PR, and signed Swift as her first and only client. “There isn’t a publicist in NY, LA or Nashville that wouldn’t jump at an opportunity to work with someone as talented as Taylor Swift and her management team,” Paine told Page Six at the time. 

That year, Swift moved from Nashville to New York, went full pop with the release of 1989 and began flaunting her friendships with a gaggle of famous women, known colloquially as The Squad. The public started to forget about the time Swift, age 22, allegedly bought a house across the street from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. 

Now that Swift has hit the stratosphere, it’s Paine’s job to keep her there. 

Throughout this transformation, Paine refused to let rumors about her client fester. The very week her hiring was announced, she began issuing public rebuttals to the tabloids. “Never believe the National Enquirer,” she tweeted about an apparently false story that Swift declined to record a duet with Randy Travis. Ten years later, the gossip about Swift has changed, but Paine’s approach has not: She recently called out the anonymous gossip account Deuxmoi for causing “pain and trauma” by posting false rumors about Swift secretly marrying Alwyn before the two broke up. 

Paine became even more visible to fans in 2020, when she appeared in Swift’s Netflix documentary Miss Americana. Wearing white shorts and blue nail polish, she clinked white-wine glasses with Swift as the singer-songwriter anxiously prepared to post her first political statement on Instagram. Swifties have since turned Paine into something of a meme: Online, they joke that Swift’s “Out of the Woods” lyric “the monsters turned out to be just trees” is a reference to the publicist and that a redheaded Eras Tour backup dancer is Tree-coded. They have decided that in the inevitable Paine biopic, the publicist will be played by Amy Adams, and that she will win her first Oscar for it. 

The fan obsession has been fueled, in part, by how little Paine has shared publicly about herself. Her Instagram is private. The last time she sat for an interview was 2012, when she was a VP at Warner and appeared in Nashville Lifestyles’ “Most Beautiful People” issue; she posed for a photo in front of a shiplap-covered wall wearing a peasant blouse and made the astonishing revelation that she was “trying to enjoy life.” I cannot report whether that is still true; Paine declined to be interviewed for this story. 

Born Trina Snyder, Paine grew up in Costa Mesa, California. She was still going by Trina when she was initiated into Pi Beta Phi at the University of Southern California in 1990, according to the women’s fraternity’s official publication, The Arrow. 

Like her client, Paine is a Nashville transplant. In her early career, she worked her way up at a variety of L.A. record labels—World Domination, Maverick and Interscope, whose roster included Snoop Dogg, No Doubt, Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. She launched her own guerrilla-marketing company, worked for the Academy of Country Music and eventually joined Warner Music in Tennessee. 

In 1998, she married Lance Paine, a businessman and onetime president of the Nashville candy brand Goo Goo Cluster, in Las Vegas, according to public records. (Lance also served as president of the company owned by HGTV’s Property Brothers.) The Paines have one teenage daughter, and according to the society pages, they have spent some nights mixing with locals at Nashville charity galas. 

Paine has built a fearsome reputation in media circles, closely guarding access to Swift.

But mostly, Paine works. She has built a fearsome reputation in media circles, closely guarding access to Swift and sending emails to journalists with surprising velocity whenever she disagrees with a story. “Once I started working in media, I would always hear about people getting emails from Tree Paine, or maybe, people being afraid of getting emails from Tree Paine,” says Hunter Harris, a self-described “Painiac” and the writer of the entertainment newsletter Hung Up, which regularly chronicles Paine’s engagement with the press. (Harris has also contributed to WSJ. Magazine.)

In the past 10 years, Paine has guided Swift through some of the more tumultuous moments of her career: her feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West; her trial accusing a former DJ of sexual assault; her battle against her former label, Scooter Braun and private-equity giants for the control of her master recordings. At almost every turn, Paine presents Swift—arguably the most famous woman on the planet, a billionaire with a private jet—as a relatable underdog fighting for her voice to be heard. 

It has, for the most part, worked. In the process, Paine has become one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry. 

Getting any kind of journalistic access to Swift has become a fool’s errand. The star sits for few magazine interviews, and in between, Paine does her best to ensure that no information about Swift that Swift has not expressly chosen to share with the public becomes available. One magazine writer recalls the slightly fraught process of interviewing another artist on one of Swift’s stadium tours a few years ago. As a condition of the interview, the writer had to agree that anything they witnessed or discovered about Swift while spending time with the other artist before a show would be off the record. Paine was clear: No journalist is going to catch Swift in her sweatpants backstage and write about it. 

When writer Emily Kirkpatrick reached out last year to seek Swift’s comment for a profile of the actress and musician Suki Waterhouse for the fashion website Ssense, Paine surprisingly acquiesced, with the caveat that Swift’s quote be printed in full—no edits, no line breaks. (Kirkpatrick, annoyed, accepted the terms.)

This is an understandable sticking point for Paine. The Kardashian-West debacle revolved, in large part, around a truncated recording of Swift. Before the rapper released the single “Famous,” which contained lewd lyrics about Swift, they spoke by phone, where he asked her to promote the track on Twitter. For years, a snippet of the call released by Kardashian painted Swift as a liar who publicly rejected the lyrics but privately approved them. When someone released the full call online—a friendly heads-up but one in which West never shares the final lyric (“I made that bitch famous”)—Kardashian tried to save face. “To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that ‘Kanye never called to ask for permission…,’ ” she tweeted. But Paine never said that exactly. She tweeted a rejoinder: “I’m Taylor’s publicist and this is my UNEDITED original statement. Btw, when you take parts out, that’s editing. P.S. who did you guys piss off to leak that video?”

The biggest year of Swift’s career has also been her most public yet. There’s the tour, the new album, the NFL boyfriend, the constant tabloid coverage of her relationship with the NFL boyfriend, the never-ending paparazzi strolls with her famous friends at sceney New York City restaurants. There have been stumbles: Swift forgot to thank Celine Dion, who presented the album of the year award, when accepting her Grammy. (A photo of the two singers hugging circulated online later.) She’s still taking heat for her private jet. She dated Matty Healy. 

But the sheer volume of information about Swift that pours, ceaselessly, out of every tabloid and news outlet from the Daily Mail to the New York Times typically washes away negative stories as soon as they are published. There are fans who speculate that Paine sent Swift to Kelce’s regular-season game against the New York Jets in October so that internet searches for “Taylor Swift jets” would return cheery images of Swift dancing in a VIP suite with Blake Lively instead of stats about CO2 emissions. 

Swift is at a point in her career, however, where she could completely disappear from view and still generate more headlines than just about any other person on earth. Scientists at Caltech and UCLA recently published research proving the existence of “Swift quakes” (seismic activity caused by fans dancing and jumping at concerts). Ancestry.com shared on social media that Swift is a sixth cousin, three times removed, of poet Emily Dickinson. The New York Post talked to experts to guesstimate how much Kelce has spent wooing Swift so far (more than $8 million, allegedly). 

If Swift released The Tortured Poets Department with zero fanfare, it would probably still hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. But she chooses to feed the beast—with black-and-white Instagram posts, snippets of possible lyrics, a pop-up poetry library, so many vinyl editions—and, with Paine’s help, make her own news.

[tessa-liam]

Marabelle

It’s A Dream Come True

– Chapter 7

Choices – The Royal Romance, AU

Series Premise – An American teenager from New York City is introduced to the world of a small European country and its society of royalty, nobility, and commoners. How will her life story be transformed? Will this new adventure bring her happiness...or regret?

Marabelle Series Masterlist

Main Pairing – Prince Liam Rys x F!OC Sophia (Sophie) Taylor

Other Pairings – Maxwell Beaumont x M!OC Daniel (from NYC), Drake Walker x F!OC Melanie Smithson

Most characters belong to Pixelberry.

Series Rating – M*🔞Warnings: this series will have NSFW material, crude language & innuendo.

Not Beta’d - Please excuse all errors.

Category – Alternate universe/on-going series/angst/fluff

Words: 2393

It’s A Dream Come True

Chapter 7

Chapter Summary – It’s the evening of the Masquerade Ball. Bertrand and Maxwell formally introduce Sophie to King Constantine as Lady Sophia of House Beaumont and officially joins the court as a noblewoman. Prince Liam and Sophie spend more time together and reach a milestone.

Music Inspiration:

When You Walk in the Room, Sanne Saomonse

A/N1: Bethany Beaumont, Maxwell’s mother, is originally from the U.S. and is Barthelemy Beaumont’s second wife. Annabelle Beaumont (deceased) is Bertrand’s mother.

A/N2: ‘Social Season’ in this AU series refers to a traditional period in the spring/summer for royalty and members of the court to take part in Balls, dinner parties and charity events.

A/N3: My submission for Choices Flashfics @choicesflashfics, Week #52, prompt 3 - “Well...that was/this is unexpected.”

A/N4: My submission for @choicesseptemberchallenge2023, @midnightmelodiz, Day 4 – Dreams, Day Dream, “I’m in love with you!”

It’s A Dream Come True

Royal Gym, Cordonian Palace

In the heart of the palace, Liam and Drake were in the midst of an intense workout session. The Royal gymnasium was within an imposing chamber with high, vaulted ceilings, adorned with paintings of legendary battles and noble ancestors.

Liam adjusted the weights on the bench press and began to lift, his muscles straining against the resistance. Drake, spotting him, supplied encouragement.

“You’ve got this, Li! Remember, every rep gets you one step closer to looking dashing in that masquerade outfit.” Drake chortled with a grin.

Liam chuckled, grateful for Drake’s support. “I don’t know how I’d manage this without you, my friend. It’s not just about looking good at the ball, though. I want everything to be perfect for Sophie. This is a big night for her.”

Drake nodded, understanding all too well the pomp and circumstance of court events.

“Yeah, I feel you, buddy. Melanie has been talking about this ball non-stop. It’s like the Super Bowl of fancy parties, and I am determined not to embarrass her.”

Their conversation paused momentarily as they continued their workout, their thoughts on their respective relationships. While Drake thought about Melanie and their commitment to each other, Liam’s thoughts went back to his conversation with Sophie after the garden party.

‘Sophie, I’m glad you could make it.’

'Thank you for inviting me, Liam.’

'I hope you don’t mind my asking, but is everything all right? You seemed a little ... disturbed earlier.’

‘I must admit, running into your chest was not exactly how I envisioned starting a conversation today.’

'Nor I, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.’

Sophie opened up about the events that had troubled her that day. She spoke about the pressures of court and the weight of expectations, and her encounter with Madeleine.

Liam knew and understood that the palace and the court can be overwhelming; even at times, for himself. He found that they had ‘common ground in unexpected places.’

This was why he was determined to get to know her better. He felt a connection with her and a shared understanding that went beyond their titles. Liam wanted to find out everything about her.

After finishing their sets, they retreated to the terrace to grab water bottles and fresh fruit. Liam sat down with a towel and wiped sweat from his brow. “Have you chosen your mask for the ball yet?” he asked Drake.

Drake scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Not yet, but I’ve been thinking something mysterious and intriguing. Melanie loves a good mystery, so I want to keep her guessing all night.”

Liam grinned. “All night, Drake? Really?”

“Yeah, maybe not all night,” Drake winked with a grin. Liam laughed taking a swig of water.

The Masquerade Ball

“Awe, Sophie... look at you!” 

Maxwell blurted excitedly, as he twirled her around to appreciate her gorgeous red ball gown.

Sophie blushed at Maxwell’s enthusiastic compliment, feeling a warm flutter of happiness in her chest. Her ball gown, with its intricate lace details and flowing skirt, had taken her hours to choose with Aunt Bethany, but it was worth it to see the delight in Maxwell’s eyes.

“Thank you, Max,” she replied, her voice soft and touched by his admiration. “You don't look too shabby yourself in that dashing suit.”

Maxwell chuckled and gave her a playful wink. “Well, I had to step up my game to match your elegance tonight. Wait until Liam sees you, little blossom,” he teased.

“Are we ready?” Bertrand inquired, stepping beside Sophie and his brother, offering his arm for her to take.

As Sophie slipped her arms with her cousins, Maxwell exclaimed, “let’s do this.”

The doors to the grand ballroom are opened, and the herald announces,

“Lady Sophia Taylor of House Beaumont, accompanied by Duke Bertrand Beaumont of Ramsford with Lord Maxwell Beaumont of House Beaumont.”

The Introductions continued, as each noble or noble couple made their entrance into the ballroom.

King Constantine and Queen Regina, seated on the raised dais, exchanged polite greetings and nods with each noble as they were presented, their regal presence commanding respect and admiration from all in attendance.

As Sophie, Bertrand, and Maxwell approached the royal dais, Sophie executed a graceful curtsy, her gown billowing elegantly as she lowered herself before the King and Queen.

Bertrand and Maxwell, the brothers by her side, performed deep and respectful bows.

King Constantine and Queen Regina acknowledged their gestures with warm smiles and nods of appreciation.

Prince Liam, who was standing to the right of the dais, could not help but smile as he caught Sophie’s eye after she had finished her graceful curtsy as she moved towards him. His smile was warm and friendly, a silent greeting that conveyed his pleasure at seeing her once again.

"My lady, you are a vision of beauty."

Sophie, her cheeks tinged with a subtle blush from his attention, returned Liam’s smile with a gentle one of her own. It was a small, private moment amidst the grandeur of the ballroom, but it spoke volumes of their connection and friendship in the midst of the royal event.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as he gently lifted her hand and pressed a tender kiss to it. Her heart fluttered at his chivalrous act, as she felt a rush of warmth and attraction towards him.

With a charming smile, Liam offered his arm to Sophie in invitation to join him in the ballroom. She gracefully accepted, her hand resting delicately on his arm as they entered the grand hall together, the music and festivities swirling around them.

Melanie, watching the pair stroll into the ballroom, could not take her eyes off them. Their presence captivated her completely.

“Do you want another drink, Mel?” Drake asked, trying to get her attention. His voice broke through Melanie’s trance, and she turned to look at him, momentarily torn between her fascination with Liam and Sophie and the offer of another drink.

“Oh, uh, yeah, sure,” Melanie replied, her gaze reluctantly leaving the couple as she refocused on Drake. “Thanks, Drake.”

As Drake shook his head and started to walk to the bar, Melanie could not help but steal another glance at the couple now across the room. Liam and Sophie looked so comfortable together, their laughter heard from across the hall. It was hard for Melanie to ignore the pang of jealousy that tugged at her heart.

Drake returned with a fresh drink in hand, offering it to Melanie with a warm smile.

“Everything okay?” he asked, concern clear in his eyes.

Melanie forced a smile, trying to shake off her feelings of longing. “Yeah, just lost in thought, I guess. Thanks for the drink, babe.”

He nodded understandingly, his stare lingering on her for a moment longer before he turned to talk with his sister, Savannah. Melanie took a sip of her drink, determined to enjoy the evening despite the twinge of heartache.

Melanie watched as Liam gracefully guided Sophie across the ballroom floor, their waltz a mesmerizing display of elegance. The couple moved with such synchronized grace that it seemed as if they were the only two people in the room. She could not help but feel a pang of envy at their obvious connection.

As they waltzed towards the French doors and stepped out onto the balcony, Melanie’s curiosity got the best of her. She decided to follow discreetly, making her way through the crowd and out onto the balcony as well. The cool night air greeted her, and she saw Liam and Sophie standing at the balcony railing, gazing out at the garden maze.

From her vantage point, Melanie could see the intricate pathways of the garden maze lit by soft, romantic lighting, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Startled, Melanie turned to see a royal guard standing behind her. She immediately straightened up and offered a polite smile.

“I’m sorry,” she said apologetically. “I didn't realize. I was just admiring the view.”

The royal guard nodded, his expression stern but professional. “I understand, Miss, but for security reasons, we need to keep this area clear. I’ll have to ask you to return to the main ballroom.”

Melanie nodded in understanding. “Of course, I didn’t mean to intrude. Thank you for letting me know.”  She turned to leave the balcony, casting one last glance at Liam and Sophie, but they were no longer there.

The Garden Maze

Sophie’s laughter echoed through the hedges as she darted around corners. Her gown billowing behind her. The scent of blooming flowers filled the air, and the distant sound of music from the palace mingled with the symphony of nature. Liam pursued her with playful determination, his eyes alight with mischief as he turned a corner.

He found Sophie, cheeks flushed with eyes sparkling, standing at a small clearing where a stone bench rested beneath a canopy of Ivy. Sophie, breathless but with an impish grin hiked up her gown, revealing her shapely legs and slipped off her heels.

“A lady must do what a lady must do,” she declared, her voice teasing. Liam couldn't help but chuckle, charmed by Sophie’s unpretentious spirit. He approached slowly, allowing himself to savor the moment.

“Well, this is unexpected,” Liam remarked, his voice laced with amusement.

Sophie's eyes twinkled mischievously. “You didn't think I let you catch me so easily, did you?”

Liam shook his head, feigning innocence. "Of course not. I just did not expect you to resort to such …  tactics.”

With a playful glint in her eyes. Sophie stepped closer. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, don't they?” She winked.

Their continued banter dissolved into shared laughter, filling the garden with an infectious joy. Liam took a step closer, his fingers lightly brushing against Sophie's as he reached for her.

“Well then, Lady Sophie, I shall have to employ my own tactics.”

As if in response, Sophie took a step back, her eyes dancing with anticipation.

“And what tactics might those be?”

With a sly smile, Liam lunged forward, but Sophie was quicker than he anticipated. She dodged his outstretched hand with a graceful pirouette, her laughter ringing out like a sweet melody.

 Their game of tag continued, each chase and evasion bringing them closer together, the connection between them growing stronger with every shared moment. The palace seemed a distant world, forgotten in the enchantment of their own private garden.

They finally paused, breathless, and flushed from their game of tag.

Liam’s gaze met Sophie's, and in that moment, the world seemed to fade away leaving only the two of them.

Their newfound love, unspoken yet palpable, hung in the air like fragrance of the surrounding flowers. It was a love that was blossoming amidst the twists and turns of the garden maze, a love that had taken root in their hearts.

Without a word, Liam took a step closer, his hand gently cupping Sophie’s cheek. She leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed. Their lips met in a tender, unhurried kiss. Sophie's blue eyes met his as Liam wrapped his other hand around her waist to pull her closer. Their lips met again, this time with an urgency as Liam deepened the kiss; his tongue searching hers.

Beaumont Estate

It was early morning when Sophie awoke in her bedroom at House Beaumont. The dreams she had experienced that night were like fragments of a beautiful story unfolding into reality.

As the soft light filtered through the gauzy curtains, Sophie could not help but smile. She lay in bed, the memories of her adventures with Liam in the garden maze still fresh in her mind. The way he chased her, the laughter they had shared, and the kisses that had ignited a fire within her heart.

With a contented sigh, she pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She couldn’t linger in bed all day, no matter how tempting it was to stay in bed with her daydreams. ...but she knew Marabelle was waiting for her morning ride.

Sophie picked up a brush and began to brush her long, chestnut hair. Her reflection in the mirror seemed different now – happier, more alive. She remembered the laughter they had shared, the way Liam’s eyes sparkled when he looked at her, and the warmth of his embrace. In her thoughts...Liam, I think, I’m in love with you!

📌@ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @charlotteg234 @irisk12 @walkerdrakewalker @choicesficwriterscreations @midnightmelodiz

[justwriteryan]

MEANWHILE IN THE BATSON HOUSEHOLD...

Interior shot. Day. A teenage boy is sitting on the couch enjoying a bowl of cereal. He’s watching anime on TV. This is BILLY BATSON’s ideal Saturday morning. The sound of a cell phone buzzing beside him steals his attention away. Billy sees a text from his sister, Mary.

                                            CHECK THE NEWS!!!

Billy sighs. He lifts the remote and changes the channel. News 52. The banner racing across the foot of the screen reads: METAHUMAN EMERGENCY IN KHANDAQ.

There is news footage of a powerfully built man hovering in the air above a city of tall buildings. Smoke and debris float around them. It’s a warzone. The figure turns toward the camera far below him. His eyes are glowing. Sparks of lightning dance from his fingertips. His outfit is black as night, save for a single golden lightning bolt on the chest.

NEWS ANCHOR: IF you’re just joining us, we’re getting reports of a major Metahuman emergency in the nation of Khandaq. Eyewitnesses are claiming the Justice Society were at the scene but their whereabouts remain to be seen. No information on the identity of this super-powered individual but based on their appearance and the powers they’ve displayed, there may be a connection to the flying superheroes of Philadelphia.

Billy’s jaw drops. His spoon falls out of his hand. The news camera zooms in and we get a better look at the menacing face of BLACK ADAM.

BILLY: Oh, sh-

Cut to black. A single word cuts through the dark.

                                               SHAZAM!

Look, we all loved the Henry cameo (as futile a gesture as it turned out to be). But this would have been a much more fitting Black Adam post-credits.

[queelignapologism]

Queelign Headcanons (Part 1?)

AHEM. So. I originally planned for this to be a list of short points but, as usual, got carried away. Curse you, bowl-cut malewife Quee, curse you and your stupidly fascinating potential as a character.

Queelign can sing. This man is voiced by George Blagden who is an amazing singer, and I like to believe that he inherited the same singing talents. He probably never feels the need to use them though - dude is a crusader - but he could be convinced if one rolls 20 in persuasion. Here’s an extract of George for illustration (solo between 1:15 and 1:52)

I think Queelign might often neglect his own health on his quest to purge all of the graceless. I mean, the man invades us in some random place in Belurat and he’s the only crusader presence there as far as I know, so one has to wonder what in the world he was doing here. Was he just… waiting there for some impure heretics to appear? I also like to think that the yellow-ish skin isn’t natural (jaundice?) and might be a result of some kind of liver damage, whether it be a genetic disorder or other causes of cirrhosis/or just some kind of health condition. Not like it’s stopping him from wooping some Tarnished anyways… (source for below : Zullie the Witch on yt)

Queelign opposed the idea of the Specimen Storehouse with a passion. Assuming Salza sided with Hilde in favor of it, we can safely guess that their position is driven by scholarly pursuits. Now, why would Queelign, who is seen actively hunting the graceless even years after the war, and who seemingly has no interest in learning about his ennemies’ ways and customs, want to preserve the culture of those he deems impure and heretical? If anything, their mere existence is a plague to fair mother Marika! Queelign is first and foremost a warrior, bloodthirsty and fanatical, and as such certainly does not care about the specifics of the people he slaughters. And in the end, war ultimately ends up being all that remains of him.

As time went by, I feel like Queelign would have gotten progressively more scared of the dark. Already when we give him an Iris of Occultation in the prayer room, which blocks out light in all its forms, he freaks out and despairs about Marika abandoning him. This is actually the main objective of the Iris, as darkness=forsaken by the Queen, aka the worst fear of any crusader. And Queelign being desperate as he is for grace, he would take his fear a step further by avoiding all places exceedingly dark. I can imagine that when he takes the time to rest, if he ever does that lmao, he’d wish to absolutely have a source of light somewhere to avoid being alone in obscurity.

Queelign definitely admires and looks up to Messmer, the mere fact that he reshaped his greatsword to match his spear is proof enough. He is also a Fire Knight, which means he was ready to abandon whatever high station he had in Leyndell to serve Messmer. Heck, he even wanted to be Messmer 2.0 as a ‘Second Impaler’. However, Queelign also expresses a certain desire to remain pure himself (« I would not. Am I not pure? »), probably in order to get Marika’s favor, I’d assume. This might explain why he is so different from the other Fire Knights we meet in the Shadow Keep, who are all super tall and lanky, have red hair, and a seemingly burnt upper face (much like the regular Messmer soldiers). Although this could totally just be because of the limitations of the player-type NPC models :P

(This is the end, finally 😭)

[lovelyprincessn64]

Halloween request event

Come one and Come all today is spook mouth all day and night and this year I want to give everyone a special event for a holiday of horror and nostalgia.

Welcome to the Halloween party to request for any horror of your choice and to your heart desires and here are the choices:

Creepypastas and pokepastas

Crospe Groom Vincent Valentine anniversary

Spooky Mouth

Horror games and movies pules tv shows

Day of the dead

Celebrating the FNAF movie

Characters cosplaying

Halloween party

Trick or treat

Prompts of your choice (it has to be spooky theme)

AUs

Pumpkin patch

folklore

Monsters

Suff form your childhood or nostalgia

Retro

Fan made monster high skullector dolls

Fanasy horror

Dead in the night

20. Any thing horror related

21. Gruesome faith

22. Yandere nightmare

23. Fan art of fan made horror games

24. Lots of blood and gore

25. Gothic style

26. Fall / autumn

27. Vacation to nightmare

28. Apocalypse

29. Dark desire

30. Monster fright

31. Hypnos lullaby tribute

32. Friday the 13th

33. Candy

34. Horror anime shows

35. Japan Halloween theme

36. Your ocs

37. Black and white horror Style

38. Tim Burton

39. Disney's Halloween theme movies

40. Bloody movie theater

41. Bloody snacks

42. mcdonald's boo buckets

43. Halloween specials

44. Vincent Valentine's birthday

45. L's Birthday

46. Bakery hell

47. Pumpkin spice latte

48. treehouse of horror

49. Childhood trauma

51. Tails's birthday and Tankman birthday

52. Monster Mash

53. sweetest of dreams

54. Night of the nuns

55. Ladies night

56. Sweet as sugar

57. Cafe nights

58. Fortunes of misfortunes

59. Last night at the Christmas party

60. Everless night

61. Final Call of a final girl

62. Death by Grimace Shake

63. Cupcakes

64. Eddsworld

65. R.I.P in pieces

66. Nightmare night

67. Five nights of fun

68. Victims of blood lust

69. vocaloid of terror

70. Dawn of the box office

71. Build a bitch

72. Doomsday

73. Winterwonder HorrorLand

74. Magician of mischievous

75. Tales of Horror Korean

76. Psychotic pharaoh

75. Animal crossing Halloween stuff

76. Cookie Run

77. Grave mistake

78. Lost CN episodes

79. Haunting Hour

80. Chills

81. Deadly sorrow

82. Night of the Woods

83. Come learn with Pibby

84. Fran bow

85. Garden of nightmares

86.🌡Blood n Honey 🍯

87. Random Encounters

88. Reflections

89. Deepest of regrets

90. Hell on kitty

91. Wii Deleted You

92. Jerry's basement

93. Toy Story Black Friday incident

94. Mario Madness

95. Baked alive

94. Dead Bart

95. Saturday of asphyxiation

96. Wonderland Massacre

97. Untold loneliness

98. Mr. Prinz's Pokemon Dusk & Pokémon Dawn also Pokémon Nightfall even Pokémon Nocturne including Pokémon Aurora along with Klaus and Dave even the dark Chronicles.

99. Cult Of The Lamb (some parts of it),

100. Splatoween Splatfest

101. Printer problems

102. The Phantom of the Opera

103. Soap opera genre

104. Dream yard of doom

105. Buried alive

106. Spider tea party time

107. Afterlife with Archie

108. The Walking Dead

109. Lost Silver

110. Evil Among Us

111. Rainbow Factory

112. What have I done

113. Old Chateau

114. Zardy's maze

115.Japan Halloween style

116. Ghosting you since 96

117. The bite of 87

118. Horrific Thanksgiving

119. Self aware genre

200. Earthbound Halloween hack

201. sonic channel

202. Balena Productions (some of it)

203. Tails gets trolled Halloween mod

204. Little Red Riding Hood zombie BBQ

205. Creepy dolls

206. Blood and Feathers

207. meatcanyon (but no requests of his real people videos including the controversial Super Bowl incident)

208. happy birthday balvenie

209. Karamari Hospital

210. Halloween shit post

211. Unown King

212. Cursed Cat Alastor

213. Lady/ man in the mirror

214. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

215. Resident Evil

216. Spooky Redraws

217. The House of the Dead

218. Haunted Mansion

219. October birthdays

220. illbleed (it's a horror game)

221. Night of the consumers

222. Flesh Birds

223. Dino Crisis

224. Witch way

225. Eaten alive

226. Spookycore

227. No Escape

228. Goth Amy

229. Jack the Pumpkin King

230. Dear brother

231. Ben 10 Zombozo

232. Living Dead Boy / Girl

233. Monster Hunters

234. Nuns murder

235. The man that killed Halloween

236. After Dark

237. Little dark age

238. Calling All The Monsters

239. Turn the lights off

240. Thriller

241. Bloody Mary

242. Dead by Daylight

243. Spooky skeletons

244. Monsters under the bed

245. Charlie Brown Halloween special

246. Death comes at midnight

247. Black cats

248. Hocus Pocus

249. Radio demon

250. Overdue

251. Haunted by screams

252. Pandora's Box

253. Starve Eggman / starved characters

254. Ghostbusters (No 2016 version)

255. Nowhere to Run

256. Bloodpop

257. Plants vs Zombies

258. Main course

259. Genocide

260. Last Escape

261. Kill la kill anniversary

262. Shitno

263. Carnitrix

264. Blood stain ritual of the night

265. Suicide mickey.avi

266. Rain of Terror

267. Castlevania

268. Nightmare invasion

269. Deceased

270. City of the Dead

271. Scent of night

272. Look out!

273. Wind's Wreck

274. Children of the Night

275. Burger and Frights

276. Headless Horseman

277. Unborn's lullaby

278. There's always another night

279. Nebula

280. Reversion

281. Haunted by Screams

282. Living in the Dark

283. Moonlight Menschen

284. Hazbin hotel

285. One night at flumpty's 

286. Crimson head

287. I am not me

288. Silent Hill

289. Jack O'Lantern

290. Gorefield

291. Tofu Survivor

292. Grim Reaper

293. Grave robber

294. Scared Stupid

295. Mr. X

296. Don't feed it at midnight

297. Red Mist

298. Boogeyman

299. Ghost zone

300. What's your favorite scary movie

301. Thalassophobia

302. Mr. L

303. Death is part of life

304. Abandoned by Disney

305. He needs to eat

306. Why I'll never play a Mario game again

307. Appleyes

308. Body Gore

309. Black Ops Zombies

310. Dead space

311. Sleep experiment

312. Every copy is personalized

314. Sonic Generations beta

315. No mercy

316. Eyeless Jack

317. Slender Man

318. Ben drowned

319. Godzilla NES

320. Misfortune.gb

321. Glitchy red

322. Strangle red

323. I am Mr mix

324. Happiness for sale

325. Rap rat

326. Escape from Marywood

327. 1999

328. Rotten yellow

329. Zombreon

330. Pokemon Dead channel

331. Creepy Jigglypuff

332. Disabled can't sing (it's based off of a Pokemon Creepypasta about a Wigglytuff name disabled that cannot sing or use any Pokemon moves)

333. Please hurry

334. Sonic. exe

335. Bio crisis

336. Lisa Trevor

337. Circle you game

338. I hate you

339. Left unchecked

340. National Noodle Day

341. Boyfriend day

342. Abandoned loneliness

343. Pasta night

344. Bad ending friends

345. Evil art

346. Possessed Dawn

347. No you're not the one

348. I am not a clone

349. Goosebumps

350. Triple trouble

351. Sally.exe

352. Purple guy

353. King of five nights at Freddy's

354. Not everything as it seems

355. The murder of me

356. I'm pretty sure it's haunted

357. Luna game

358. Polybius

359. Lemon monster

360. Ed Edd n Eddy's boo haw haw

361. Las plagas

362. Ghost train

363. Resident Evil scrapped creatures

364. The Batman that laughs

365. Gregory's Horror Show

366. Deep fear

367. Faceless

368. Slendytubbies

369. Helluva boss

370. Carnival of Lost Souls

371. Vampire heart Draculaura

372. Why do ghouls fall in love

373. Sugar skeletons

374. Blood drive

375. Darkstalkers

376. Little red psycho Hood

377. #DRCL midnight children manga

378. Blood wash

379. She sways in her velvet dress

380. Keep going

381. Broken finger paradise

382. Horror tales patrick

383. Just gold

384. Survive the night

385. Hex Girls

386. Scooby-Doo Zombie Island (sequel to the movie not allowed)

387. Virus

388. Higurashi: when they cry

389. Hinamizawa syndrome

390. It's alive

391. Happy Fella

392. Harvest festival 64

393. Bonnie's Bakery

394. Morning coffee

395. Close at 2

396. Mouthwashing

397. Dr jekyll and Mr hyde

398. Fruit witches

399. Scoop room

400. YouTuber lumpy touch

401. Sleep paralysis

402. That's not my neighbour

403. Scarlet milk

404. Fundamental paper education

405. Zodick the Hellhog

406. Noh mask

407. Okiku doll

408. Aka Manto

409. Jinmenken

410. Oiwa

411. Nure-onna

412. Rokurokubi

413. Gashadokuro

414. Kunekune

415. Fanarts of The Batman Vs Dracula 2005

416. Scissor Twilight

417. Corrosion Isabella

418. Jenny Green Teeth

419. Cartoontrix

420. Jack Skeleton as tooth fairy

421. Silly Billy fnf

422. Hotdiggedydemon shed.mov

423. Oozers from adventure time

424. WB Splatter Spike or WB Splatter Tom or both / come up with your own suggestion

425. 1945 Tom

426. Ikenie No Yoru (translation it means: Night of the Sacrifice and it's a horror Wii game exclusive to Japan)

427. Tom the Postgirl

428. Childish Life Prolgue

429. Marry in Red

430. Lily's Well

431. Rainbow Factory

432. Elements of insanity

433. Pumpkin soup

434. Character of your choice as a pumpkin head

435. Howliday 

436. Mummy Majesties

437. MLP infection au

438. MLP candy mare

439. Zodiac of October

440. Gorefield of October

441. PortaBoy+

442. The Queen Of The Zombie Bees

443. Dead rising

444. Mlp Creepypastas

445. Gore N’ Kawaii

446. Count Mickey Dragul (some info: Count Mickey Dragul is a Disney horror / vampire wedcomic made and creative by twisted-wind as for the comic It's basically a vampire AU of mickey mouse)

447. I used to be a hero

448. By the ghosts of what I've done

449. There is no soul

450. Soulless

451. Bound by pain and flame

452. Trapped inside this nightmare

453. Cries of the lost souls

454. In the shadows of the night

455. The lives I couldn’t save

456. A hero’s heart not fully gone, in search of saving life

457. Stocked full of zombies that are craving brains

458. Evil beyond imagination

459. Creepy doll from kingdom hearts 3

460. Chucky doll

461. Unknown from dead by daylight

462. Glen / Glenda

463. Candy gore

464. Sick of candy

465. Suburban gothic

466. Doom Asylum

467. Dark Nautical

468. Southern Gothic 

469. Pastel Goth

470. New England Gothic

471. Danny Phantom

472. Butcher doctors

473. Thonkingposting aesthetic

474. Chucky the notorious killer doll day

475. Would you love a monster

476. Gonna be your Frankenstein

477. You feel your heart drop

478. Don't you want to come out?

479. Even up close you're a cute human

460. They woke up on the wrong side of the grave

461. Flesh eating cybertronian

462. In dripping blood

463. Hopeless lab experiment

464. Your no longer safe

465. Driven to murder

466. So called prison

467. Mutant imposter infection

468. Twisted Disney

469. Graveyard plague

470. It hurts to smile

471. I can't stop smiling

472. Molt effect

473. Divine swamp fever

474. Poison berry

475. Wort garden virus

476. False alicorn syndrome

477. Pestraobia Virus

478. Red Disease

479. Smile Virus

480. Rainbow Mouth Infection

481. Color Virus

482. My Little Bat

483. Maniac as always

484. Phantom Disco

Disclaimer: be sure to read the rules before requesting please be thankful and understandable and civil thank you for reading and understanding.

Note: unlike normal requests you have to request horror theme or if your not interested you can always send a normal one.

Have fun ~🎃🎁

[defjux]

100 of my favorite Hip Hop Albums of 2022 Might be excessive but there was simply just a ton of music this year that I enjoyed and found myself going back to, and I believe each of them is worth checking out.  Each of the album titles here also links to either a bandcamp page or stream where you can listen to the project. Hopefully you’ll at least find one new album that you enjoy here, and as always feel free to reply with what you enjoyed and connected with the most this year. I’d love to know, and any other recommendations are definitely appreciated. This was an incredible year for new releases, not just for hip hop but for music in general which is why i’ll be posting another top 100 list for all of the non hip hop stuff I enjoyed from this year, hopefully in the next few days.  Peace. Chart w/ titles included 2022 Hip Hop Spotify Playlist 1. Billy Woods & Preservation - Aethiopes 2. Avantdale Bowling Club - TREES 3. Cities Aviv - Working Title For The Album Secret Waters 4. MIKE - Beware of the Monkey 5. ELUCID - I Told Bessie 6. AKAI SOLO - Spirit Roaming 7. Teddy Faley - Teddy Brown Brown 8. Defcee & BoatHouse - For All Debts Public and Private [IMPORT EDITION] 9. Ka - Woeful Studies / Languish Arts 10. J.I.D - The Forever Story 11. Open Mike Eagle - Component System with the Auto Reverse 12. billy woods x Messiah Musik - Church 13. Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Cheat Codes 14. ShrapKnel - Metal Lung 15. SolarFive & Iceberg Theory - Momento Mori 16. Moor Mother - Jazz Codes 17. Serengeti & Child Actor - Ajai 2 18. Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals - King Cobra 19. Joshua Virtue - RAMA 20. Zilla Rocca & andrew - Don't Wait For Me to Leave 21. Fly Anakin - Frank 22. Cities Aviv - MAN PLAYS THE HORN 23. KILLVONGARD - I Think I've Lost It. 24. R.A.P. Ferreira - 5 to the Eye with Stars 25. Illogic - The Transition 26. Quelle Chris - DEATHFAME 27. Bloodmoney Perez - Curses 28. Fatboi Sharif & Noface - Preaching In Havana 29. Ockham's Blazer - Ockham's Blazer 30. Little Simz - NO THANK YOU 31. Theravada - Strange Voice 32. amani & robalu - I'll Be Right Black 33. Jam Baxter – Fetch The Poison 34. OKnice - Have You Tried Being Happy? 35. Davis & Foule Monk - Plum Whisky

36. Noveliss - Vagabond 37. SHIRT & Jack Splash - I Turned Myself Into Myself 38. Moses Rockwell - Until You Run out of Cake 39. Ja'king the Divine - 手术: BLACK SUN TZU 40. Archibald SLIM - Worldly Ways 41. NNAMDÏ - Please Have A Seat 42. YUNGMORPHEUS & Theravada - Up Against the Wall; a Degree of Lunacy 43. Roc Marciano & The Alchemist - The Elephant Man's Bones 44. Nas - King's Disease III 45. Lord Kayso - MOOR CHORES 46. Ace Cannons & MIGHTYHEALTHY - Mightycannons 47. Rich Jones & Iceberg Theory - Smoke Detector 48. Lukah - Raw Extractions 49. Nicholas Craven & Boldy James - Fair Exchange No Robbery 50. Ghais Guevara - There Will Be No Super-Slave 51. Lupe Fiasco - DRILL MUSIC IN ZION 52. Milc & Televangel - Neutral Milc Motel 53. ILL Conscious x Mute Won - Acres of Diamonds 54. L'Orange & Solemn Brigham - Marlowe 3 55. $ilkMoney - I Don't Give a Fuck About This Rap Shit 56. Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious - The I & I 57. Wiki & Subjxct 5 - Cold Cuts 58. Love, Ulysses - 61​,​265​,​147 59. Vic Spencer & August Fanon - Psychological Cheat Sheet 3 60. Stik Figa x August Fanon - Heresy 61. Raz Fresco & Nicholas Craven - Boulangerie 62. QThree - U Be Ight 63. Wrecking Crew - Sedale Threat 64. eLZhi & Georgia Anne Muldrow - Zhigeist 65. Apollo Brown & Philmore Greene - Cost of Living 66. miles cooke - i used to feel things 67. Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - I Love Y.O.U cuz Y.O.U Ugly Vol.1 68. demahjiae - Angels Wear Black 69. AJ Suede & Televangel - Metatron's Cube 70. Sacco & Vanzetti - It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You 71. Mavi - Laughing so Hard, it Hurts 72. Rhys Langston - Grapefruit Radio 73. Steel Tipped Dove & Aloe Vera - Days Pass Strange 74. PENPALS - Dimensions of Dialogue 75. Malachi. Whitman - Happy Place 76. Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future (Extended) 77. Lungs/LoneSword, Phiik & Cise Greeny - Where Are The Bugs!? 78. Pink Siifu & Real Bad Man - Real Bad Flights 79. Andrew - The Rain Knows What It's Doing 80. Mattic & Parental - Down In The Rabbit Hole 81. Boldy James & Futurewave - Mr. Ten08 82. Ransom & V Don - Chaos Is My Ladder 83. Torito & Small Professor - Soiled 84. Jermiside & The Expert - The Overview Effect 85. big kahuna og & graymatter - METAL GEAR SOLID 86. Duncecap & Hajino - Go Climb A Tree 87. Earl Sweatshirt - Sick! 88. Deca - Smoking Gun 89. Freddie Gibbs - Soul Sold Separately 90. Mickey Diamond & Big Ghost Ltd - Gucci Ghost 91. Rome Streetz - KISS THE RING 92. Redveil - learn 2 swim 93. Daniel Son - The Bush Doctor 94. Dälek - Precipice 95. Jesse the Tree - Pigeon Man 96. Jason Griff - Fireside Chats 2 97. Benny the Butcher - Tana Talk 4 98. Killah Priest - Mother 99. Lord jaH-Monte Ogbon & Sadhugold - The Black Möbius 100. Kipp Stone - Room 109

[americannoteven]

Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles is retiring officially as a Philadelphia Eagle this season I’m gonna inconsolable

[bananaofswifts]

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour opening weekend: Tears, joy and ‘therapy’

Fans descend on Glendale, Ariz. (a.k.a. ‘Swift City’) for a long-awaited chance to commune with their pop icon, revel in her lyrics and express their true selves

By Emily Yahr

GLENDALE, ARIZ. — Taylor Swift had endless choices when deciding how to kick off her first concert tour in nearly five years on Friday night, a captivating spectacle that stretched over three hours and included 44 songs. After starting with a brief snippet of “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” the namesake song to her 2020 Netflix documentary, she launched directly into “Cruel Summer.”

As the track’s hazy opening synth-pop beats blasted through State Farm Stadium, you could hear the gasps, with simultaneous shouts of “OH MY GOD!” barely heard above the ecstatic mayhem (and in some cases, heaving sobs) among the nearly 70,000 in attendance. Swift, resplendent in a shimmering bejeweled silver bodysuit and matching knee-high boots, beamed at the crowd, because she knew exactly what she was doing.

Swift fans believe that, in a parallel universe, “Cruel Summer” (the yearning anthem on her 2019 album, “Lover,” about a steamy and toxic relationship, with a chorus that demands you sing-scream along) was destined to be the song of the summer of 2020, released as a single as Swift planned to embark on a series of festivals called Lover Fest. Obviously, the global bummer of 2020 happened instead. Yet the obsession with “Cruel Summer” persisted, especially because Swift had never performed it live.

So this wasn’t just a song. For many, this was a stinging, subconscious reminder of how much we lost and what could have been. It was also a moment of pure, delirious joy — not only because of the thrill of hearing a beloved song live for the first time, but also because it’s clear that even one of the most powerful celebrities on the planet had felt all of that, too. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that at the top of her first show on her Eras Tour — 52 dates of sold-out stadiums — she wanted to pick up right where she’d left off before the world shut down.

“I don’t know how to process all of this and the way that it’s making me feel right now,” Swift told the stadium when the song was over, her voice slightly shaking. Later, she added: “I’m really, really, really overwhelmed, and I’m trying to keep it together all night.”

ying to keep it together” has rarely applied to the 33-year-old Swift, who, nearing the end of a second decade as a professional musician, has ascended to a rare, glorified status as a once-in-a-generation pop star. She has no chill. After rising to fame with songs about her awkward, unpopular teen years, she now embraces cringe and earnestness. That’s part of the draw for her legion of fans, who see her as one of them. After Ticketmaster melted down during sales for the Eras Tour, the parent company’s chairman went on the defensive by pointing to the extreme demand, claiming that the number of people trying to buy tickets “could have filled 900 stadiums.”

The Swifties shelled out hundreds — sometimes thousands — of dollars for tickets and travel and descended on Glendale this weekend, determined to make the often harrowing process of ticket-buying a distant memory. The Phoenix suburb, which recently hosted the Super Bowl, could hardly contain its excitement. The mayor declared it would temporarily change its name to “Swift City,” and electronic signs on the highway encouraged safe driving with Swift puns: “CUT OFF? DON’T GET BAD BLOOD. SHAKE IT OFF.” “RECKLESS DRIVING? YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN.”

But that was nothing compared to the electric energy surrounding the stadium. To be a Taylor Swift fan is to learn to master the clues and secret messages that could be embedded in every lyric, public comment and social media post, no matter how opaque. To be a Taylor Swift fan is to always come ready, which includes devising the perfect outfit to wear to a concert, with unlimited options bestowed by the singer herself, who chose a tour theme, “eras,” that celebrates her past and present.

Being in the crowd was like being in a force field where all pretenses are gone; Swift’s music covers the spectrum of bubble-gum pop (which she refers to as “glitter gel pen lyrics”) to deep introspective poetry, and her concerts are a place where you can dance or cry to either. Swift has laid bare her own insecurities and emotions over 10 studio albums and more than 200 songs. Here, in her presence and among one another, fans become their truest selves.

Scanning the crowd, you could see countless sequins and bejeweled skirts and jackets, an homage to the “1989” era. There were also dark blue dresses with stars for “Midnights”; red heart sunglasses, a black bowler hat and a T-shirt reading, “Not a lot going on at the moment,” a shout-out to the “22” music video; dark lipstick and black leotards as a tribute to “Reputation”; lyrics scribbled down people’s arms in marker, something Swift used to do before every concert; and No. 13 painted on hands, another former Swift tradition, from when she was starting out as a country star.

“My inspiration is the Red Tour, one of Taylor’s iconic outfits, and I just wanted to re-create it,” said Giacomo Benavides, a 26-year-old content creator dressed like a circus ringleader who traveled from Peru for the show.

Some were even more specific: Olivia Jackter of Tucson, 26, wore a traffic-light get-up that displayed the phrase “I don’t know,” referring to a lyric from the song “Death By a Thousand Cuts.” Would non-Swifties understand it? Of course not. Did that matter? Of course not. “This was going to be my costume for Lover Fest. I’ve been waiting for this for years,” Jackter said.

A group of 20-something women attached plastic Easter eggs to white T-shirts with photos of some of their favorite “Easter eggs” and hints that Swift has dropped over the years. One man dressed in a cat costume as Swift’s newest pet, Benjamin. Two women whooped excitedly when they walked by each other in a line for food and saw that they wore matching floral dresses similar to what Swift wore to the 2021 Grammy Awards.

Another popular theme was “All Too Well,” the searing breakup ballad that recently got a second life when Swift released the updated 10-minute version. Lots of fans wore outfits displaying those lyrics. Ivan Hernandez of Phoenix sported a blue T-shirt that read, “Where’s the scarf, Jake?” — a reference to the song’s supposed subject, Swift’s ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, and the lyric that suggests that he swiped her scarf.

“[My son] wanted to go to the concert, and he said, ‘Let’s wear outfits,’ and I was like, ‘Well, I’m not going to wear an outlandish outfit,’” said Hernandez, 46, whose 13-year-old son, Eli, was wearing an Eras Tour shirt they had bought at the merchandise stand Saturday afternoon before Swift’s second show. “So I just went online and started looking for something about ‘All Too Well,’ and this is the one that came up.”

Swift, who misses nothing, praised everyone for their effort from the stage.

“You have really outdone yourselves, guys. The way that you decided to show up to this concert, you really, really decided to show up,” she said, noting that she saw people dressed as mirror balls (from the song “Mirrorball”); willow trees (from “Willow”); and “sexy babies” (from “Anti-Hero” — and too complicated to explain). “I have seen, like, really amazing, specific visual representations of lyrics or weird online inside jokes that we have.”

“I was thinking about tonight and how special this is,” she added. “You have led me to believe, by you being here, that it’s special for you, too, so it’s really nice that it’s mutual.”

Swift’s unusually close relationship with her fans started back when she was a country artist, a genre in which singers are supposed to think of listeners as their peers. Swift always went a step beyond, chatting with fans on Myspace back before Nashville executives even knew what that was, and that connection has continued to this day.

In concert, Swift referred to the journey that she and her fans have taken together, like they’re a family. (The “four new members of the family,” she said, are the four albums she has released since her last tour.) She made no secret of the fact that she monitors fans’ social media activity, even dryly noting that her 2020 record “Evermore,” is “an album I absolutely love, despite what some of you say on TikTok.” (People on the platform are convinced that “Evermore” is her “forgotten child.”)

This is all why her bond with her fandom remains so strong. She connected early on to fellow teenage girls who inferred from society that their crushes and feelings and dreams were silly, only to find someone in Swift who took them seriously and who could articulate, in songwriting, what they didn’t even know they were feeling.

“By the time she’s done living through something and writing about it and releasing music, I’m living through it,” said Briana McReynolds, 32, of Phoenix, who showed up in a T-shirt covered in lyrics, as well as a purple streak in her hair to represent “Lavender Haze,” Swift’s latest single. Her best friend, Chris, accompanied her to the concert as an “emotional support Swiftie.” (“I’m doing my best,” he said.)

She’s just accidentally kind of written the soundtrack for my life,” McReynolds said. “She’s matured with all of us, or we’ve matured with her. So no matter what age I am, she can totally sing my heart.”

Caitlin O’Connor, 32, of San Diego came to the show with her mom; they have seen every Swift tour together for the last 15 years, and O’Connor makes sure to go multiple times.

“You don’t need therapy; you need Taylor Swift songs,” O’Connor said. Swift’s concerts, she explained, “are my happy place, and there’s nothing else like it. It’s the most natural high you could get in your whole life.” On her arm, she has a tattoo of lyrics from Swift’s ���Treacherous”: “All we are is skin and bone, trained to get along.”

“I love that line. Really, at the core, everybody is human,” she said. “And that’s also the thing with Taylor Swift concerts: Everybody is really nice. … You bond over something immediately.”

Swift is highly aware of the world she’s built, and she doesn’t shy away from it. In a surprisingly direct admission, while introducing the song “Mirrorball,” from her 2020 album “Folklore” during an acoustic set, she reiterated to the crowd just how intensely she’s missed them over the past several years.

“I was thinking about how one of the songs that I wrote with you in mind during the pandemic was one of the first songs I wrote on ‘Folklore,’ and it was me writing about how badly I craved the connection that I feel from the care that you have directed my way,” she said. “I was trying to think of a sort of eloquent way to say that I love you and I need your attention all the time.”

The stadium quieted as she strummed and sang.

“I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try; I’m still on that trapeze, I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me. ’Cause I’m a mirror ball. … I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight.”

And although she asked the members of the crowd for their attention, she didn’t need to; it was already there, and it always will be.

[luckyshotwrites]

Ch. 76 // I missed this. // Day 52 ½

Contents (Warnings): Sleepover? (Softer Angst?, character and monster info as always). Read full chapter on - A03

Wordcount: 1,643 (I'm sorry I cut this chapter short! I keep getting a little overwhelmed with stress when I don't post in a while. I hope you enjoy this softer moment regardless though!)

Song I correlate to this Chapter: Another Love - Violin Cover: Joel Sunny

Side note: This will contain experimental writing; first person (Lynette's view) will be implemented alongside third person for the two other essential characters, (mostly) Alexander and (occasionally) Drake. All their text will be italicized for those third-person moments, with the characters' names in Bold at the start and their thoughts in Bold. There may be other characters I write for using this.

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

(Nov. 14th, Monday)

Wicks 

He sat there dazed after he cracked his eyes open. They dragged across the coffee table, littered with various candy wrappers, an empty bottle of soda, and two empty plates with light smears of pizza sauce. We ate all this?

"YOU CAN'T GET AWAY, BETA REPULSTER!"

He heard a shout from the T.V., and he knew right away without seeing the screen that it was The Super Rangers. 

And as he looked up at it, he smiled at poor special effects and cheesy dialogue they enjoyed so much as kids. Especially the voice of the green ranger, which he was embarrassed to admit it, but he modeled himself after. The darker shade of green uniform and all. 

The pressure against his right shoulder shifted, and his attention fell to his sleeping sister. Her feet curled up on the couch, and one of her arms delicately draped over his body like a makeshift blanket. And Lynette's other tightly snuggled their half-filled popcorn bowl into her body.

Wicks dared not disturb her. Looks like I'm stuck here. Wicks said in his head. He rested back and closed his eyes again. 

Except this time, the inked thoughts in the back of his head crawled forward. I should tell her. The guilt he had carried for months was now in a committed relationship with his anxiousness. It felt worse knowing that she was aware of his actions and not the cause.

Would she forgive me? Wicks moved his head away from her; he couldn't rest it on her like he wanted. I can't give her more reason to fear us or...me. 

He squeezed his lids tighter and felt Lynette shift more. His thoughts felt like they were picking at every bit of his brain and pulling it apart. 

"Wicks." She muttered his name softly, and the arm that laid over his body moved. 

He peeked through his eyelids, "Lentils?"

She pressed hard against his shoulder with her movement. She dug into her pocket, and that's when his mind registered the ringing. The phone that he lent her was going off.

Holding the bowl, she passed his phone up, and he fumbled it, while Lynette muted the T.V. 

He quickly answered without seeing who it was, "Hello?" 

"Hey, Wicks," He recognized the passion in her animated voice; it was Olivia, the leader of their base. 

"What's going on, Olivia?"

Lynette pushed off him quickly and accidentally punted the bowl with her knee. It sent popcorn everywhere.

His sister silently held her agony, trying not to disturb his call.

He put the phone between his shoulder and ear to help her clean it up. 

"Apologies for calling you so late." He listened keenly. "Are you available to meet in-house?" 

She threw up a hand, telling him to stay there, so he complied. 

He sat back, a little peeved she didn't let him help. He watched her scoop whatever she could on the couch into the bowl. 

Wicks knew what that meant. "Yeah. I'll get ready." She hung up the phone after. He put it into his lap and watched Lynette sweep the rest of it from the hardwood floor.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

He nodded as he let his mind open up, and the mark given to him by the C.P.P.A. became visible and glowed. 

It was a crescent moon with an oval right between its two curves and two lines going through it, one going horizontal, the other going vertical. The horizontal line has two "fins," one on the top and one at the bottom. 

The whole symbol indicated his level, a second class, while the color of the glow, his being a soft red, showed that he was part of the chaos unit. 

Lynette's hands twisted around the broomstick handle with concern. "Wicks?"

"It's okay, Lentils. I'm going to be communicating with my boss." He realized that didn't explain too much, "in here." He tapped on his head to assure her.

She understood and went to take the swept up popcorn to the trash. Olivia's voice soon entered his head using transmission.

"If you hadn't guessed, this is about Claudia." That's what he figured. "She doesn't seem to be lying. If anything, she's been candid." Olivia sighed. "We plan to move her to the agent complex, so she can be under surveillance for the next year or so." 

Wicks gave a light nod. That makes sense. Plus, if she has a magic mishap, the others can see it, or if anyone from that "family" comes after her. They can stop her. "Is there an issue with that?"

"She requested to see your sister." 

Wicks had to look over the couch to see Lynette across the bar counter, in the kitchen, and throwing away the mess. "Why?"

"She's scared. One of Claudia's other close friends was unavailable for contact. So Claudia asked to see Lynette." 

Wicks chewed on that thought. He felt Claudia's thoughts, knew Edgar's testimony fit what he felt from Claudia, and Lynette explained Claudia's situation to him too.

Lynette met his gaze from across the room. She mouthed the words, "what?" 

He twisted back into a proper sitting position and faced the T.V. "You'll have to give me a few minutes; I'll ask my sister how she feels about it. Okay?" 

"Okay. Give me a text saying I'm on my way for yes, or my sister's sick, so I can't go for no after." 

After that, he let the symbol in his hand fade.

"Were you talking about me?" Lynette asked as she approached, holding two glasses. 

"Somewhat," Wicks replied. Lynette handed him a cup of cold green tea. He took it. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, "Sleepy," as she said that word, her body made her yawn as further proof. 

"I mean...with everything that happened." Wicks looked over her as if the other ten times weren't enough. She was unscathed, thankfully.

"I'm..." She sipped her drink before answering, "Fine." She choked back with eyes of shame. I don't blame you, you know that. Wicks knew it didn't matter how many times he told her that, she'd still blame herself.  

He took a breath, "Claudia wants to see you."

Her eyes opened wide, "Me?" She pointed at her own face.

"My boss said she asked for you." Wicks put the mug to his lips, "Don't feel obligated to see her if you don't want to; you need to worry about yourself."

He didn't see any of the same nervousness she had around Alexander when she was near Claudia, and his sister rarely mentioned her. So, he assumed she hadn't been a central problem.

"Then we can see her."

Wicks shook his head. She's always like this. "Do you truly want to? Not for what you think she wants but for yourself."

Lynette, without hesitation, spoke, "Yes. I don't want her to feel alone."

Wicks squinted. That's not for you. Wicks knew he couldn't convince her. "Okay...I'll tell my boss." Wicks looked down at his phone, then stopped after typing yes. Should I trust Claudia? 

His hazel eyes kindly met Lynette. She blew on her tea, realized it was cold and grumbled something to herself. She didn't look nervous or worried at all. Was this Lynette's first monster friend? The reflection of her slight joy, made him come up with a ridiculous idea. Something they could never do before. 

His next words came out, hesitantly, "What about a sleepover?" 

"Sleepover?!" Her face lit up with excitement-filled worry. She clearly wasn't sure whether she should be happy about her first sleepover or concerned that it was with Claudia. 

That way, I can see your relationship with her. Wicks chuckled, "Maybe she'll like the super rangers?"

"Yes! Let's do that! We should get more snacks, too, though...I'm not entirely sure Claudia eats normal things." Lynette put a hand to her chin. "Maybe Tila knows? I should ask her. Wait, I'm surprised she wouldn't want to see Tila." 

The mutters got quieter and quieter from Lynette.

It's been a while since you've held a big smile. Wicks sprang up from the couch, nearly spilling his tea. He quickly brought it to his lips and tried to let it fall into his mouth instead. 

And because of that, it splashed his face.

Lynette squeaked and went to rush back to get a napkin.

"It's okay, Lentils," he moved his hoodie up to dry his face. "I got it." He smeared his sweater with it. 

Her cheeks puffed up quickly, him doing this was more of a running joke at this point. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT WITH YOUR SWEATERS!" Lynette then looked down at her cup and back to him.

"Don-"

He couldn't get the word out fast enough, she splashed her face with tea like himself.

"HEY." Wicks went around the couch to grab and drag her to the kitchen to clean up. 

She picked up her t-shirt to dry her face off and mimicked his serene, soft, deep tone, "It's okay, Wicks, I got it."

He stood over her and exhaled, "I get it; napkin next time." 

"You say that every time," she grumbled putting her cup down on the coffee table besides Wicks's, "your poor abused sweaters." It's nice to hear you lightly scold me again too. 

Wicks threw his hand up, placing it against her head. "Let's go get your friend and I'll see what I can do about getting her to stay the night, sound good?"

Lynette peered up and agreed, "yeah, it'll probably be better to get snacks with her, wouldn't it?"

Wicks didn't know if it was the fact that he was walking around now, the word snacks, or just thinking about eating more. But, he started to feel like throwing up. "yeah we need more..." it left in a disgruntled whisper, "snacks."

...

Hey, you, thank you so much for reading. I'm glad I put out a story that people can enjoy! I hope you continue to enjoy it as WE have a LOT more to go! YOU BETTER KEEP PROSPERING! (Nonnegotiable, as always~).

Catch up, see some maps/art, or check the latest release dates down below  ↓ ↓ ↓ 

First Chapter Previous Chapter Next Chapter

What I’d do for a Livable Income (Synopsis/Chapter - List)

[austin-in-taiwan]

July 13 - Taipei - Nightlife, Elephant mountain, Raohe night market,

Every Sunday on this trip, we get an entire free day, and today was our first one! So, to celebrate our first free day in our study abroad program we decided to go out and experience the nightlife in Taipei (Saturday night/Sunday morning). A group of 12 of us all went together to New Taipei (the east side of the city) near Taipei101 to Wave Nightclub. We arrived at 10:30 when they opened, and there was already a line to get in. We waited about an hour to get in, which was well worth the wait. Before getting there, we hadn't known this was the 32nd-best nightclub in the world (djmag.com). There were two floors (the 7th and 8th floor of the building) and a balcony with a fantastic view of Taipei101. I spent lots of time inside on the dance floor and outside talking with friends with a fantastic city view. The music was excellent as it was a mix of EDM, rap, and other classic club music that is also common in the US. Overall, it was a great night out, and I recommend it to anyone coming to Taipei. Since we had stayed out super late (we got back at around 4:30 AM), I had a late start and woke up at around 11:30. I met up with a few people to get lunch. Unfortunately, the first few restaurants we tried either had a long line or were closed, but we eventually stumbled upon a ramen restaurant. I like spicy food, so I got a 7/10 spicy rating for my bowl. It was delicious, but the spice definitely had me sweating.

After that, we met up at the Taipei Arena, where we decided to take a break from the 95-degree weather and do some ice skating! Once we got bored and tired, we took a bus to a Jade market, which our tour guide Peter recommended since it's only open on weekends. Under a highway, over a hundred shops were selling jade, necklaces, bracelets, and tons of different jewelry! Right next door was also a flower market that sold various flowers, plants, bonsai trees, planting equipment, etc.

Next, we went back to the hotel to meet up and hike Elephant Mountain. We tried to get there for sunset and missed it, but regardless, the view was absolutely stunning. The stairs were steep and the hike long, but we got a good workout and a view that may even be better than the top of Taipei101.

Finally, after all that walking (over 24000 total steps and 52 floors climbed), we went to Raohe market to try as much street food as possible. I even finally got to try stinky tofu. I've never been a big tofu fan but I knew I had to try it because of how popular it is here. Honestly, I thought it was kind of bland and probably wouldn't have it again. However, the rumor is true, it definitely stinks up the market!

[mamaestapa]

Joe Prompts

hey loves!! i’m going to be posting some prompts down below for imagines for Joe! feel free to request as many as you’d like, and you can use multiple prompts in the same request too. i will be writing and posting these in between updates for welcome to the jungle :)

i’m willing to write fluff, angst, maybe smut? i have only wrote smut TWICE though, so no promises that’s it good lol.

prompts

1. "is that my shirt?"

2. "i love you"

3. baby

4. cuddle me?"

5. "you're my everything"

6. "just pretend to be my boyfriend/girlfriend"

7. jealous

8. "i'm not leaving you ever again"

9. "i don't care where i go as long as it's with you"

10. "i'm pregnant"

11. "it's okay to cry in front of me"

12. “marry me?"

13. "i missed you"

14. "can i have a second chance?"

15. "you're in love with her"

16. friends with benefits

17. "can i kiss you?"

18. "you're distracting me"

19. "that was hot"

20. "oh my god, you're so drunk"

21. "we'll figure this out"

22. "i'm not going anywhere"

23. "let's get tattoos"

24. "you have such a cute laugh"

25. “your eyes are beautiful, you know that?"

26. "do you forgive me?"

27. "move in with me?"

28. first date

29. "we'd have cute kids"

30. meeting the family

31. "i love you, more than a friend"

32 "where's the spider?"

33. "let me help"

34. "can i come over?"

35. adopting a pet

36. "i need you"

37. thunderstorm cuddles

38. kissing in the rain

39. "i cant wait to see what the future holds for us"

40. "that was embarrassing"

41. "i'm so nervous." "you should be"

42. "are you okay?"

43. "awe, you got me flowers?"

44. paint fight

45. halloween

46. birthday

47. christmas

48. "you're breaking my heart"

49. "can you keep a secret?"

50. road trips

51. "you told me you wouldn't love another girl, but then you held our daughter"

52. talking about you in an interview

53. "no, i'm not letting you go. it's too early to get out of bed"

54. "i love you, but that's a terrible idea"

55. "i might not know what's coming next, but if you're here i know i'll be ok"

56. watching the sunset

57. mistletoe

58. "don't go on that date" "why?" "because it will kill me if you do"

59. "can i hold your hand?"

60. first game

61. one bed...👀

62. "it's a boy/girl!"

63. movie night

64. "you belong with me"

65. "i want cookies" "it's 3am?"

66. super bowl

67. engagement

68. instagram posts (3-4 posts)

69. "my lips are chapped, kiss me"

70. nfl draft

71. "and that's now daddy got mommy to marry him"

72. bringing baby home from the hospital

[dailyoverview]

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona will host Super Bowl LVII (57) this evening as the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs. This will be Kansas City's fifth Super Bowl, following wins in Super Bowls IV (4) and LIV (54), and Philadelphia’s fourth, following a win in Super Bowl LII (52). Kickoff is at 6:30 pm EST—who are you cheering for?

33.528000°, -112.263000°

Source imagery: Nearmap

[searabbitz]

South Park Splatoon Hcs??? Yes😀

Inkling

L-3 Nozzlenose main

B rank/Part-Timer

He would def be one of those motion controls players who make fun of stick players

He’s either a try hard or throws matches no in-between

He would focus more on splatting opponents rather than inking turf

Always rushes enemy base, he never inks team base EVER

Squidbagger

Ruins squid parties on purpose

Octoling

Hydra Splatling main

He also plays Tri-stringer quite a bit

A rank / Profreshional +1

Handheld/Sticks player

Prob would prefer rank or salmon run

Tower Control is his favorite rank mode

Has really bad luck with his super jump spot getting camped

Gets splatted in the stupidest ways ever istg

Hasn't completed After Alterna yet

Always gets #1 Popular Target, every single match

Octoling

Squiffer main

He also plays Flingza Roller

S+ rank / Profreshional +2

Prob uses motion controls most of the time

Prefers rank

Tower Control and Clam Blitz are his favorites

Makes silly doodles on the community posts

Literally carries 90% of the matches

Normally teams up with Stan

Would prob post gameplay clips + edits of his octoling on TikTok

Inkling

Splatana Stamper main

S+ rank / Profreshional +1

Sticks player, cant play motion to save his life

Prefers rank

Rainmaker and Clam Blitz are his favorites

Inks base before heading to mid

He does that thing where he'll stand at super jump spots with full charge to one-shot the opponent

Someone take zip-caster away from him, an absolute menace

He'd probably have all the gear tbh, like you wanna match with him? No problems just say the gear he's got it

Inkling

Inkbrush main

A rank / Overachiever

Motion Control player

Prefers Turf War

Carries tbh

Loves splatzones and Clam Blitz

She'd be one of those people who has like insanely detailed community posts and your left to wonder how the fuck someone does that on a switch

Major squid sisters fan

Teams up with Bebe a lot

Octoling

Bloblobber main

Motion Control player

B+ rank / Overachiever

Prefers Turf War

Rarely plays ranked matches, that's why her rank is low

She also has all the gear

Always matches with Wendy when they team up

Hasn't finished story mode yet, not because shes stuck on a level she just... forgets about it tbh

Beautifully decorated locker

Inkling

Luna Blaster Neo main

Usually uses motion controls

A rank / Profreshional Part-Timer

Likes Rainmaker and Splatzones

Always teams up with Tweek

They usually match gear/emotes

Beat story mode, hasn't attempted After Alterna yet

Usually carries the rainmaker cause no one else picks it up

Inkling

Ballpoint Splatling main

He plays handheld/sticks, he’s usually too jittery to use motion

A rank / Overachiever

Prefers Turf War

Likes splatzones and tower control

He finished story mode and refuses to touch After Alterna

Will usually demote his salmon run rank, the higher ranks are too stressful

Likes decorating his locker

Inkling

Dualie Squelchers main

He would probably play some blasters as well

Handheld/sticks player

A rank/Profreshional Part-Timer

Turf war’s his favorite game mode

Rainmaker is his favorite rank mode

It probably took him a month to beat After Alterna

So many dodge rolls

Allergic to not super-jumping

Octoling

.52 Gal Main

Motion Controls player

S+ / Profreshional +2

Prefers Salmon Run or Rank

Splatzones and Clam Blitz are his favorite rank modes

His locker is super nicely decorated like one of those themed ones people do

He’d post tiktoks of his gameplay

Inkling

Custom Splattershot Jr. main

Def plays sticks

B- rank / Go-getter

Turf is his favorite gamemode

Doesn’t play rank or salmon run that much

He likes those custom mini games people come up with like hide n seek, bowling, etc.

His locker is full of those furby looking things (i don't remember what they're called)

Inkling

Aerospray RG main

Handheld/Sticks player

A rank / Pro-freshional Part-Timer

Prefers rank

Rainmaker and Tower Control are his favorites

Booyah bomb spammer

Always carries the rainmaker unless someone grabs it before him

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

What are your thoughts on the He Gets Us ads that have been taking reddit like an eleventh plague upon religious trauma subs?

I'm going to be generous and assume that it's a problem in Reddit's algorithm. But then, I don't quite know how Reddit's ad system works. If it's deliberate, than it's unacceptable to be putting it into those types of subs. I'd hope people were reporting them as inappropriate. Imagine ads for Tinder in a spouse-abuse recovery sub. Or Triple Whopper ads in a bulimia recovery sub.

I'm sure there'd be endless complaints if the "there's probably no god" ad was targeted into /r/christianquestions.

They lost their shit and called it offensive when it was simply posted out in the open in public space. It's not like billboard trucks were parked right outside their churches.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/jan/09/atheist-bus-campaign-asa

The advertising regulator has received almost 150 complaints that an atheist ad campaign, proclaiming "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", is offensive to Christians and other religions that believe in a single God.

"How dare you tell people to stop worrying and enjoy life?!? What's wrong with you, you monster?!?"

Regarding "He Gets Us":

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2023/02/13/this-billionaire-is-a-donor-behind-the-jesus-focused-super-bowl-ads/

The group behind the Jesus-focused ads is He Gets Us, a limited liability company that says it’s an initiative of The Servant Foundation, a public charity and Christian foundation based in Kansas that last year launched a $100 million effort to improve the image of Jesus, as the Washington Post reported. One of the backers of the initiative is billionaire David Green, the founder of craft store chain Hobby Lobby, who is estimated by Forbes to be worth $14.8 billion.

I mean, he can spend his money however he likes, but it's weird that Jesus needs so much human assistance. Surely if he was real, they could just put him on TV. There's plenty of networks that would pay for the privilege. Why would I want to follow a savior and god who was that helpless? If he can't even convincingly exist, what's he going to do in the war against evil? (The evil he created.)

It seems like Xians are finally acknowledging the exodus - pun intended - of "nones."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/Ad-Meter/buzz-meter/2023/02/12/he-gets-us-super-bowl-ad-commercial-jesus/11243476002/

In a September 2022 modeling, the Pew Research Center estimates that if Christians in the USA continue leaving religion at its current rate, Christians of all ages will shrink from the current 64% to “between a little more than half (54%) and just above one-third (35%) of all Americans by 2070.” The study also estimates that if current trends continue, those identifying with no religion will increase from the current 30% to “somewhere between 34% and 52% of the U.S. population.”

Also in the above USA Today article:

a group touting itself as a “movement to reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible and his confounding love and forgiveness.”

You know, forgiveness for things we didn't do, which nobody else did either. Except the crime of existing as a human.

The "Jesus of the Bible" is a pretty nasty piece of work. It's only with modern interpretation, editing, revision and cherry-picking that he's been refashioned into the "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" we are told about today.

The "Jesus of the Bible" is a racist, sexist, xenophobic, slavery-endorsing, anti-Semitic mobster. I suppose in a way I'm all for reintroducing people to that, so I can go:

And from the Forbes article:

The ad ended with the phrase “Jesus loved the people we hate.”

As has been made abundantly clear, "Jesus" doesn't care about humans. He doesn't care whether you hate someone or not. All he cares about is whether he hates them or not. And whether he hates you or not depends on what you give him. He loves people who idolize him, not people who are good, decent or moral.

What you want is irrelevant; he just wants you to join his enablers and flying monkeys.

Matthew 12:30

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Luke 11:23

He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Jesus doesn't give a shit about you until you grovel at his feet and feed his rampant narcissism. That is, he's pathologically incapable - at least as far as fictional characters are capable of anything - of genuine, benevolent, sincere altruism.

Mark 7:25-30

For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

Matthew 15:22-28

And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

"Tell me you're a filthy dog and maybe I'll cure your daughter with my magic powers that cost me nothing to use as freely as I wish."

So, "Jesus loved the people we hate" isn't the selling point they think it is. Jesus loves Gerald Ridsdale and George Pell, for example. They'll join Hitler in heaven. On the other hand, he also hates the people we love. Such as my atheist parents; he regards them as "not with me" and therefore "against me."

Matthew 10:32-33

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

It's always about him. That's how narcissists operate.

"Jesus loved the people we hate" kind of blows the whistle on the whole "love the sinner, hate the sin" thing, though, huh? They're admitting they do hate "the sinner."

Remembering, of course, that Xian love is - like every cult - only for other Xians.

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

"My disciples" ... "love one another." There is no instruction for universal love, and obligatory love is a demonstration of not understanding love in the first place.

I'm not even sure who the ads are intended for. If you're already a Xian, why are they recruiting for a club you've already joined? And Jesus is clear: only belief is necessary for salvation.

And if you aren't already a Xian, why would these ads convince you of the existence of this storybook character in the real world? It seems to be the Xian refusal to acknowledge that people legitimately don't believe what Xians and the bible claim, and are just "angry" at or "hate" their fairytale characters.

Circling back, I hope, and am going to be charitable and give them the benefit of the doubt until I see evidence otherwise, that they're not being predators deliberately targeting the ex-religious subs, and that it's just the algorithm putting "topic = religion" together.

However, these are the same people who think that questioning whether any of it is actually true is a personal failing and moral flaw. And whine that non-believer blogs exist at all. All while $100m ad campaigns for their thing air on TV. The writing appears to be on the wall.

Next time you get a religious whiner, point out the "He Gets Us" campaign and tell them to either be consistent and condemn it, or else shut up.

[queenhermionelambert-blog]

Part 5 of the adorableness of Daniel (sorry for the delay...)

51. Daniel was just this cute little puppy when he started acting professionally after moving to Los Angeles in 2012. He has come a long way since then.

52. Also, big news for those who don't know, Daniel is a soon-to-be married man!!! Can't wait for the wedding!!!

53. Congrats are also in order for Daniel after he gave an absolutely gorgeous and fabulous performance of the national anthem at last month's Super Bowl!!!

54. A service dog got to meet Daniel when he came to visit his beautiful fiancée Britt in Morristown, New Jersey for DWTS: Live!!!

55. Look at those green eyes!!!

56. And Daniel's smile always makes me smile!!!

57. I honestly feel like a proud mom every time seeing Daniel and Britt continue to kill it both individually and as a couple!!!

58. Seriously, Daniel & Britt are both living my dream life right now!

59. Seeing Daniel dance on DWTS with Britt truly inspired me in more ways than one! ✨️ Team Sign to Shine always and forever ✨️

60. I feel like Daniel and I would be really good friends, like best friends!!! 🤟🏻💙💜🫶🏻💗💕💋🥰😍 We would support and encourage each other!!!