#Sydney fireworks Show

[allylovesyaxx]

😍

@bigballsacksammy

[tinytracys]

Happy New Year!!

The Tracys watched the Sydney fireworks. It was a good show although Virgil reckoned he’d have done a better job of fitting it to the music and Alan challenged him do a bigger display on Tracy Island. Scott said he’d have to limit the budget to $20m USD but Virgil reckons he can do it for a couple of thousand using stuff Brains has left lying around. Kayo quietly makes plans to seek out a replacement island while John brings up the footage of the time Virgil obliterated his eyebrows with a mere barbeque…

Gordon, however, is distracted…

ARE THEY POURING LAVA INTO THE HARBOUR ?!?!

😱😱😱🐟🐠🐡🦀🐚🦈🦑🪼😱😱😱

[pureseasalt]

smthng smthng the plate in sydney’s head when she’s visualizing and brainstorming for a dish being the exact same plate that carmy picks for the restaurant is symbolic of their bond that despite their differences they understand and know each other on an instinctive level as if they are showing us in under 1 minute that theres no doubt that these two are soulma- (thunderous applause) (the sound of a hundred and million syd/carmys hooting whistling popping fireworks) (i get lifted off the stage and crowd surfed by the same hands that typed 1k word essays and edited gifs and created fancams and fanvids for syd/carmy since s1e1 of the bear fx) 

[tedwardremus]

What kind of dates do you think Harry and Ginny go on? I think they are super fun-loving thrill seekers. Harry was denied so many happy experiences when he was younger and I bet Ginny fantasized about all the things she would do when she was older and had money and finally some freedom. So, I think they are super fun and they travel a lot. Basically act like two big kids even when they are 35 or 45. They do things like order every dessert item on a restaurant's menu. They do dumb challenges like try every cereal and rank them from best to worst. Make a list of every single theme park and all the best rides and try to experience every single one (they def took Teddy to Disney World and paid for the VIP treatment so he could eat with Mickey Mouse). They do bucket list things like spend Christmas in NYC (Harry loves it because the muggles are distant and rude and that's totally his vibe) and spend New Years on Sydney Harbour watching the fireworks on the beach (one of Ginny's fave ever memories). When the kids have birthdays they are the aunt and uncle that rent the bouncy castle and water slide and rent a fckn pony for the kids to ride. They are FUN. For Christmas they do a build the nicest gingerbread house challenge with the kids and its super competitive. One time Ginny shows up at Hogwarts and says there is an emergency and the kids need to go with her and they are like wtf and then they meet Harry in Hogsmeade and take a portkey to Coney Island (Hermione is so furious and yells at H/G over this because it's SO childish and irresponsible - Ron is like please don't tell her I went with you she thought I was at work).

It was a difficult undertaking to plan a date night when your boyfriend happened to be the most famous wizard in the entire world. Everywhere they went, the press was sure to follow. And if not the press, then someone would try to tell Harry how amazing he was and ask for an autograph. Either way, if they spent too long in public, Harry would get spotted, and his mood would turn sour.

There was always the Leaky Cauldron—Hannah would ensure they had a private booth. But the Leaky was crowded and noisy and they spend so much time hanging out with friends there it didn't really feel like a date night location.

There were always weekend getaways to Romania to the Dragon Reserve to see Charlie or France with Bill and Fleur. But family trips, while fun, were not romantic.

They'd head out to Muggle London, go to the zoo, and once Harry took her to the movies. But if she was honest, Ginny didn’t understand the hype and much preferred reading her books or listening to stories on the wireless.

Or they’d go out with Hermione and Ron, but again—a date that included brothers was automatically not romantic.

Then there was coordinating their busy schedules. When Ginny didn’t have a game, she was usually training, and now that she was on the national team as well as the Harpies, her schedule was even more hectic.

Harry, of course, was busy not just with Auror training but also various committees to reform the Ministry. He always did his best to spend a day or two a week with Teddy—even if it was just a quick mealtime hello.

That’s why their best dates tended to be quiet ones at home. Just the two of them in the safe sanctuary they had built together. Away from public eyes, dark magic, and intrusive press. They’d play music records—a mix of wizard and Muggle music. Do silly dances while they cooked. Sometimes dinner turned out well, and sometimes they ended up walking to the nearby village to get takeaway when it turned into a disaster. But they had been living together for a couple of years, and Ginny was confident that their cooking was improving.

They’d share a bottle of wine and start a fire. Afterwards, Harry would look at her and ask if she wanted to fly.

She always said yes.

And in the cover of darkness, they’d fly. And they’d be free. It was wonderful—to reach out and touch the stars and have the love of your life hold your hand in return.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

I worked out that timeline for the Haunted Mansion Au. I tried to include everyone but let me know if I missed anyone.

Trigger warning cause uuuhhh, there is obviously a lot of death and these could be considered graphic, especially with the teens.

1800s: If Creed! Reader is ther, they freeze to death first. Laura goes insane from grief and eventually passes due to a fever. Logan nearly drinks himself to death after his daughter and nibling are gone, but a snake beats him to it. Victor Creed goes insane after losing everyone and spends over half the family fortune on seances, fortune tellers, mystics, anything to try and bring back his family. Eventually, he dies of old age. Ororo, a family friend, inherits the house but is fatally struck by lightning only 7 months after. After that, the mansion is constantly switching owners.

1870s: Kurt and Rogue die at the Circus they both work at. Kurt's trapeze breaks mid show and he dies as soon as he hits the ground. Rogue's trickshot act goes horribly wrong and she bleeds out in less than an hour. There were some rumors of sabotage, but nothing was ever proven.

1900s: Tragic house fire takes the life of young Roberto, who was trying to save his family, not knowing they already got out.

1910s: Bobby Drake goes missing from home in the dead of winter, presumably running away after a fight with his family. His body is found after the lake thawed the following spring.

1930s: A heist goes wrong for the thief "Gambit", who is shot fatally by the police after being sold out by his cohorts. They never did find where he hid all his stolen money.

19540s: Charles Xavier returns home from war, paralyzed from the waist down but alive. When going to see his "good friend" Erik, a jewish refugee, he is mugged and dies from the injuries. Everything he owns is given to Erik.

1950s: The Summers family is in plane accident that takes the life of their oldest son, Scott. A year later, Scott's girlfriend Jean quietly in her sleep. Doctors report she had a brain aneurysm in her sleep.

1970s: The chandlier of the mansion falls and stabs the master of the house Erik, who inherited it from Charles. His two children inherit it from him. His son, Peter dies two years later in a car crash due to his speeding. His daughter, Wanda, dies 6 months after that from a laced drug during a protest.

1980s: Town Troublemaker Lance is crushed during an earthquake after it destabilized part of the school. Later reports say he could have still been alive for a few hours after he was buried by the rubble.

1990s: Local Scientist, Teacher, and former high school wrestling champ Dr. Hank "Beast" McCoy passes away during an failed chemistry experiment that shuts down the school for a month. Three weeks later, one of his students, Todd, dies after touching a poisonous frog previously owned by McCoy. Six years after, Up and coming actor Kevin "Morph" Sydney dies unexpectedly after a severe allergic reaction to special SFX make-up used when making a film about the Mysterious Creed-Howlett family. A year after that Evan Daniels is attacked by a porcupine that escaped from the local zoo and animal hospital. He was a descendent of one of the town founders, Ororo Munroe.

2003: A young girl by the name of Jubilation Lee passes away when her and her friends mess with illegal fireworks one night and one gets stuck on her coat. Two weeks later, her classmate Kitty Pryde is dared to spend the night in the supposedly haunted mansion by her friends. While exploring, the rotting wood in the attic couldn't support her weight, and she fell through down to the first floor.

XXXX: The mansion hires a new groundskeeper, who looks awfully familar...

That is perfect. Just- it's perfect.

This is now the official timeline of the Haunted Mansion AU.

(Wait until Reader see ls the old family portrait of young Creed Reader... or finds Kitty's body... or a snake...)

[yaekiss]

꩜ Room Content: GN! Reader x GN! Yan! Sydney the Faithful, no gendered terms used for reader or Sydney, nsfw bulleted point towards the end where reader tops and chokes Sydney, unhealthy relationship from Sydney, worshipping, lmk if I missed out anything ! ꩜ A/N: This is so all over the place my bad LOL anyways some quick thoughts on how yan!Sydney the Faithful would play out, I also have thoughts about how it'd be like once the relationship has corrupted Sydney into their Fallen development but those r thoughts for another day orz...

- Started out as something harmless and cute, you spent so much time with them and you're one of the nicest people they've met in school so far, you’re probably their first crush ever !

- And when you reciprocate their love confession, those euphoric firework feelings never really fizzle out

- As your relationship progresses, you become all they can think about, be it while stamping the overdue books during their morning library counter duties or during mass

- Their eyes wander to where you’re seated at the end of the pew, next to some other initiate. Maybe you’re talking to them, maybe you’re just quietly listening to Jordan, but neither stop a strange new emotion from bubbling up in them

- When they see Jordan push the bread into your mouth, something in them twists. They’re not sure if they want to be the one to gingerly press the bread onto your tongue or if they want you to be the one to do the same to them

- If you took Jordan’s place, would they be able to hold back from enveloping your fingers in their mouth? To stop themselves from savouring you as if you were holier than anything in the temple itself? Sydney has to shake to clear away the thoughts, which catches your eye and, heavens above, what wouldn’t they do to keep your gaze upon them for a second more?

- Also thinking about a Devotion meter that serves as something like Kylar's Jealousy meter

- But unlike Kylar, they're more self-assured in your love for them. If anything, the more you remain steadfast in your relationship with them when others try to steal your attention away, the faster their devotion accumulates. (It’ll be even worse if you had an angel transformation, what’s stopping them from believing you should be worshipped?) 

- Both Sirris and Sydney know about your living circumstances so it's not terribly difficult to convince their parent to let you stay over for a night or two when they come to pick Sydney up at the temple. Besides, Danube street and the orphanage are so close to each other, it’ll be no trouble at all!

- And if they take your hand into their clasped ones in the middle of the night, knelt at the edge of the bed while you’re asleep, feverishly praying for salvation for the both of you, surely you wouldn’t mind

- They find themselves rubbing at their holy pendant a lot more these days when they think about you. (When their thoughts stray into more inappropriate unholy territories, they fantasise about you wrapping the cord of their pendant around your hand to use it as leverage while you pound into them, the sensation of being choked by you might just send them to heaven ♡)

- Perhaps they need to bring you to the prayer room to fully show how much they need to worship you + + Devotion

Thanks for reading! Consider supporting me on kofi if you enjoyed this or check out my other works hehe ♡

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

New Year celebrations around the world! 🌎

From Sydney to London, countries around the world have begun welcoming the year 2025 with spectacular light shows and fireworks 🎆

#Sky

Posted 1st January 2025

[anonsally]

Days 8-9 in Australia

Yesterday was New Year's Eve (Australia being in the future [compared to the US and Europe]).

It didn't start out very well: Wife tested positive for influenza A. She felt a little better than the previous day, actually, but she was undeniably unwell.

The daytime was fairly low-key. We did some laundry, I went to buy snacks to bring on our trip to Western Australia, and I packed my clothes. In the evening, Wife's sister and I took public transit [bus, train, another bus] to the flat in Neutral Bay where she and her husband used to live [her mother-in-law inherited it, and her brother-in-law is currently staying there with his fiancee and their baby]. It has a balcony with a spectacular 270-degree view of Sydney Harbour, including the bridge (though the view is looking directly along the bridge, not perpendicular to it) and part of the opera house roof. It's thus a pretty great place to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks. Wife didn't come because she was ill, and her brother-in-law didn't come because he had to work.

So it was me, Wife's sister, her in-laws (including the parents-in-law), and a sort-of friend of the mother-in-law with her friend.) The baby stayed awake the whole time, more or less (there may have been a brief nap at some point). She was very cute.

We put together a huge antipasti tray for everyone to choose things from, and there was Bowle (a peach white-wine punch). I had some nice chats with the in-law-in-laws, and we admired the view. At 9pm the kids' fireworks happened. We had more food and I watched a little of a documentary show about the urban birds of Sydney, which I'll hopefully get to see more of before I have to leave, but it wasn't really the right situation to be able to give it my full attention.

We did some cleanup around 11:30. At midnight, we toasted with champagne and enjoyed the spectacular fireworks display. Then we lit sparklers and took photos... But we hung out quite a while afterwards, leaving sometime after 1:30. We got a ride most of the way to a station and then took 2 trains to our neighborhood and walked 15min. back to the house. (On the first train, our car was probably about 30% young, German, very drunk, and singing badly with great enthusiasm at top volume. I think about 30% of the people in the car were entertained by this, while the remaining 40% were deeply annoyed.) It was still really warm out and I was utterly exhausted. We got home after 2:30am and I didn't turn out the light until 3am, which is much past my bedtime.

Today, New Year's Day, was also our departure day for Western Australia. I slept till about 9:45am. We finished packing and ate. Wife's brother-in-law seems to have caught her flu, but her sister and I are still okay... Wife is feeling a little better, though her nose is still very runny. The fever is definitely gone.

The travel part of the day did not go very smoothly:

The first rideshare car showed up and then drove off right away without letting us in.

The second one stopped, but when the driver saw that there were 3 of us and how much luggage we had, he said we needed to order a larger vehicle.

Luckily, the third one was big enough for us and all our stuff, and he took us to the airport.

Although Sydney to Perth is a domestic flight, we were flying out of the international terminal on the same plane that does a nonstop Perth to Paris (!!!!!) flight. That made check-in extra complicated because none of the electronic stuff was prepared for that scenario, even though we were not the only people doing it.

So they had to give us paper boarding passes with a special sticker that we had to sign, and which then had to get rubber-stamped (literally) by someone when we went through passport control. We also had to take the special security line for families with small children in order to get to the right people for the rubber stamp.

Once we were finally in the terminal, it went okay until we boarded the plane.

I was very disappointed to find that my "window seat" had no window, unlike all the other window seats! If I craned my neck I could see a little bit out of the window for the row behind me.

Nobody sat in the middle seat between me and Wife's sister, which was lucky. Wife was on the aisle across from her sister.

Wife's sister managed to spill her tomato juice.

I did at least get the last chicken meal they had.

On disembarking in Perth, we had to show our boarding passes again and get manually checked that our passports matched our boarding passes.

We did get our luggage okay and were picked up by a shuttle to the car rental place.

However, the car rental had been booked through a 3rd party and the actual rental company didn't have documentation that the second driver was supposed to be included.

Furthermore, it turns out that there are some weird-ass restrictions on where we can take the car. Most car rental companies only want you to drive on paved roads, which is not unreasonable. But this company also says that the "unlimited kilometers" in the contract will be completely invalidated if we go certain places, including anywhere east of Esperance. The Main Reason to go to Esperance is that there's a spectacular national park just east of it, and that's an important part of our itinerary on this trip. But it will add hundreds of dollars if we take the rental car there, because there is a tracker in the car. So it looks like we will have to find some way to pay someone to take us through the park, which is super irritating when we thought that having the rental car would be enough. [Also included in the areas we can't go are anywhere outside a city after sunset. What?!]

On the positive side, I saw a new bird at the airport while waiting for the shuttle: a pair of red-tailed black cockatoos! I also saw a Willie-wagtail harassing a magpie about four times its own size, and I believe a galah flew over the car while we were driving.

We drove safely to our Airbnb in Fremantle, where we will stay for 2 nights. We befriended an adolescent kitty who lives next door, and the apartment is very nice.

We found a grocery store and bought some essentials, came home and ate a few raw vegetables and, in my case, the crackers and cheese I was given on the plane. Now it's time for bed, because tomorrow we go to Rottnest Island to meet the quokkas!

[yannaryartside]

SYDNEY NEEDS HER OWN 'THINKING OF HIM IS MY SOLID GROUND" about Carmy.

Please, I want to see the fireworks he causes in her mind. I want her to feel relief when thinking about him, as we see on Carmy's face when she calms his panic attack. I want an equivalent of that scene. Let him be her peace. Let him reach her in all the ways he was absent before, in ways a man has never touched her before. Let us know the good he does to her heart. Her need for him is as spiritual and profound as his need for her. Let us not take her feelings for granted, something he gets because "he is Carmy." She is a troubled, complex person, and he is "the one" for her, not just a guy she happens to like, not the love she just happens to accept. They have been given us clues about this, they way he makes her smile and promises her not to fail, but we don't know her "core wound" yet, I think Carmy providing for her what she does for him is yet to be solidified.

Idk if I am explaining myself correctly, but I have seen this before, particularly in stories with a guy protagonist, where the affection of the woman is the goal, she is the "best" woman, for x or y, and the reason the protagonist is "the one" she chooses is often simplified or attributed to the guy's "good qualities." In most Spiderman comics, for example, Mj (the version that is an actress) and Peter don't have anything in common. Her choosing him has more to do with her admiring his selflessness and bravery; for me, that was never enough. It is too simple, like he is the one for her (in opposition to every other woman on the planet) for being a good man, like a reward. For a change, in old comics, they don't do this. They explain that MJ comes from a toxic household and Peter is the most honest, reliable person she knows. Still, they also explore how Peter never liked MJ growing up, because he thought she was shallow. They get to know each other and love each other's mannerisms, personalities, and defects. You must prove it on each side if you are gonna do soulmates.

That being said I know Storer will satisfy with this. Sydney is a person of value to a lot of people. The show wants you to know she is the woman who does the most good to him, but she is not a trophy, not a goal to indicate "he has made it." So yeah, give me that scene. Let it be in a moment of crucial need or a private moment of exhaustion, Carmy's eyes apairing in her imagination. I want her to have a face, the realization sinking in her. It may happen when they decide to be together.

[lonelycowgirls]

Been There All Along

A little two-parter of Harry and Stella and the drama they see themselves embroiled in when Harry plays 15 consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Part One

Part Two

The Yellow Glitter Waistcoat

A shot of smut after Harry finishes playing his second headline show in Sydney, Australia. Stella can't keep herself together and just wants her man.

I Can Hear Your Thoughts

I didn't know what to name this... it's just a cute and cheeky little glimpse of Harry and Stella and how he reassures her when she's feeling less than perfect.

Moongazing

Harry and Stella return to Holmes Chapel and visit the field where they had their first kiss. Wholesome, cute and inspired by the Satellite music video.

Cuz I Love You

Stella gets on top of Harry and he gets distracted by the joys of Deal or No Deal.

Tongue-tied

Harry plays a show in Barcelona and Stella's looking forward to showing him her downward dog.

Remember, remember...

Harry and Stella go to a bonfire night fireworks display, and Stella's basking in the cosy autumnal bliss.

Girl on Film coming 21 February 2024

Stella can't get her boyfriend off her arse... but maybe she doesn't want to.

Stella and Harry's time in Sydney, Australia

Stella and Harry at LOT Wembley

Harry and Stellaween

[gingerylangylang1979]

Carmy and Claire... ooof

I’m just gonna get into it. 

She tried to be Carmy’s Pete

I feel like Claire is supposed to be Carmy’s Pete, but it doesn’t work because Carmy is not Sugar. I was searching for a parallel to how they were trying to show Claire as a balancing force for Carmy. Which I get. Opposites attract. You see that with Nat and Pete but for some reason it doesn’t work with Carmy because he is so much more ill adjusted than Sugar. Claire, despite being super understanding, also never saw the worst of Carmy. He reserved the worst for the restaurant and used her as an escape. He reserved the worst for Sydney. So Claire was never truly tested or trusted to see it all so of course she easily loved him. They never argued. I did like the softness and gentleness we saw. Carmy needs that, but it just wasn’t totally honest because they were in the honeymoon phase and he was on best behavior just for her. What if she was struggling at some point, would he be able to be there for her in the same way? No. I think this was a perfect example of a woman thinking she can fix a man. The problem is she never saw how deeply he is broken. 

Carmy created a love bubble

Carmy never set boundaries and said this is what I can give while I’m on this new project. So she got a false sense of what his world really is and what his priorities needed to be. She has a busy job too but it seemed he accommodated her so in a sense she never really saw the actual reality of them both working like crazy and him coming home stressed. He created a bubble of perfection with her at the center that was never going to be sustainable. 

The whole portrayal was lame. 

Not gonna lie, I did like seeing romantic Carmy, for personal reasons. If my one positive takeaway is yes he wants to fuck women, yes he can be gentle, that’s a win for me. BUT the overall tone just wasn't hitting. Which gets to a bigger gripe about the tone of most of the episodes not hitting for me. It felt very primetime drama for me with the dialogue equivalent to a teen show. They even went to what looked like a frat party. Her lines were very, “I’m the perfect, quirky, understanding girl with no problems of my own,” and he got throwaways like, ���She’s so great it scares me.” Just really mediocre compared to dialogue we’ve seen written for this show. And the fireworks kiss? Come on! I was expecting running in the rain to happen at any moment. I couldn’t tell if the writers wanted me to be invested in them or not. I guess maybe they were trying to make a reliving of Carmy’s lost youth, quite literally? I dunno. It felt sweet at times but also just super corny and out of place on this show. 

Is she a pick me? 

I actually hate this term. I feel it’s used so flippantly and can be hurled at any woman like a slur. But saying it defines what I mean so forgive me. Claire got the red flag literally from day one. He gave her the wrong number but she still pursued him. She questioned him on it a few times until she got a real answer but his answer was kind of bland. He just said I like you so much and don’t want to mess up. I dunno, when I’ve heard that from a man in the past, they usually do mess the fuck up, big time. This is their way of letting you know. She obviously didn’t ask to define the relationship. Carmy works it out with the crew so they never had the conversation with each other. The whole girlfriend/girl who is a friend thing was so lame for a grown adult man to need to ask about. Sydney was right to punk him and be like which is it? Exactly how important is this? So was Claire never questioning what they were this whole time? She said I love you to him first, I think? She said it on the voice message, which I thought was a bit bizarre. He said he loved her to other people but we never saw him say it to her face. I think it was just really strange that we never got a scene of them saying it to each other. Sorry, I’m old fashioned, the man needs to say it first, to a woman’s face. I feel this is one step away from a woman proposing to a man which is also a no for me. 

I didn’t understand the family connection 

They all know her yet we hear nothing about her from them and Carmy has been home quite awhile at this point. Fak has her number? They call her Claire Bear? They don’t call anyone not immediate family Bear so why does she get that? Because it rhymes? Eeek. She is supposedly so close with them all but we never see them interact with her until she dates Carmy? Sugar never mentioned her. Did he have a crush in high school or did he just wish they were friends before? When Mikey, Richie, and Fak try to push her on him at Christmas he seems really disinterested. Was it just a self esteem thing, that he was put on the spot, he didn’t want a relationship, or just didn’t have a crush on her like that? It’s really unclear what that was about. And then she knows about The Bear name but he says he wishes she talked to him more. So when was this conversation? It’s just really sloppy and none of the details align. Everyone treats her like she was so close to the family but there’s no real evidence of that from the past that makes any sense. I’ve seen some fans say Carmy connected her with his family trauma and that’s why it can’t work. I don’t really get that. Maybe that’s what they tried to write but I’m not getting how when it seems the family connection is just them trying to set him up with her. Am I missing something?

Will they explore this again?

I think it’s hard to tell. It is interesting that they started in the refrigerated section and it ended because Carmy was trapped in a fridge. Cold, literally. The use of the blue light when they were in bed and the blue light when Carmy was trapped was interesting. Does it mean finality? I don’t know. She didn’t even get a last name. They didn’t really end it face to face. Would they explore it again if Carmy is more stable? At this point I have no idea what they intend but I can’t conclude it’s done, done. Overall, the fan reactions have been negative. I’m not sure if the show cares or not. If I were her I would stay away. Repeat relationships rarely work out because trust is broken. How would she be able to trust Carmy again? Even if feelings are still there I would feel duped if I were her. 

Thoughts?

[charlesandmartine]

Tuesday 31st December 2024 the end

New Year's Eve

A cloudy start once again in downtown Balgowlah, but hopes of better things as the sun climbed, as was the case. It would have been a bit of a shame if the planned fireworks on the Bridge went off like damp squibs, especially as the authorities probably went for the deluxe selection box.

Understandably, we decided to have a relaxing morning before gearing up for the excitement of the Opera, fireworks, and very late and possibly difficult journey home afterwards. The biggest problem we could foresee might be that our formal wear, slightly more appropriate for societal occasions such as the SOH, and hitherto been tucked away for the entire trip in suitcase 2, may turn out, when tried on, to have somewhat shrunk during their time of isolation and require us to lose half a stone by the evening. It happens.

Well, worry no further. The required ensembles were retrieved from their solitude, creases ironed out, and apart from the odd additional bulge, fitted extremely well. Martine looked a million dollars, and I, well, at least I wasn't wearing shorts!

The 173x wisked us away to the city where we had our priorities. One to get a meal down us, and two, not to get it 'down' us on the glad rags.

The whole of Sydney city centre up from CQ was shutting down from 15.00. Tannoy messages spookily booming down at us around the streets like something out of 1984, warning us of street closures and no possible entry to the CQ area. We found our burger bar (best burgers in Sydney) with the assurance that we would be able to get to the head of the queue for SOH.

I don't think I was quite prepared for the system designed to so strictly enable but control entrance to the Opera House. I would like to describe it as organised chaos, but that would be overstating the level of organisation. There were people absolutely everywhere; many outside of the SOH who had camped overnight to ensure a great view. Numbers were by ticket, but there were hundreds of thousands who had postioned themselves in the bars, restaurants, the steps to the House, and all around its perimeter. Somehow, alost impossibly, this was controlled by a small army of security personnel. There was a queue to go past the portals and into the Concert Hall itself, then up the normally empty stairs to join another ziggy zaggy queue that had an unclear purpose other than it was something to do and it was a queue afterall. Some were dragged away from the queue because they should have been by then tucking into their pre-show meal and were in the wrong queue entirely. Those that remained, including us, bemused, eventually found that we were there to collect our colour coded wristband, that was to indicate which location we could watch the fireworks from. I asked a member of staff if they'd done it this way before. No, she said. Eventually, we made it to the front and were presented with an envelope with a couple of lilac wristbands. A quizzical soothsayer might seek the truth by asking, couldn't some of these been issued with the tickets when they were collected 2 days ago, or even issued when your right of passage had been assured? Well, eventually, we all shuffled through this crazy process and emerged into the light of the deserted theatre bar and podium. A glass or two of fizz, standing on the western podium with the magnificent backdrop that is Sydney Harbour, and all was forgotten, watching the sun setting beyond the CBD and with the expectation of the gala show to come. We were here again, and that was all that mattered.

The gala show was amazing, with works by Mozart, Strauss, Bernstein, Puccini, Gluck, Bizet, banging out those huge arias such as from Magic Flute, Cosi Fan Tutte, Barber of Seville, Carmen, La Boheme. Fantastic, then it was out to see fireworks. There is a bit of a practice at 9 pm when they have a short display, which always coincides with the interval. But as the clock ticked, the last moments of 2024 leaked away, perhaps wasted in the anticipation of the main display to come, or maybe the desire to get home and go to bed, either way destiny was determined to mark a new chapter, the turning of the page. Consequently, as the seconds display counted down on the port bridge tower, someone, somewhere, with a shaky hand, struck the first match, on the first strike of midnight. Coloured lights spread instantly across the skies; Sydney Harbour Bridge ablaze with a myriad display of combustion and the first to herald in a new year. Whether Sydney's fireworks are any better or worse than London, Paris, or New York is a matter of opinion, but for us, this is such an iconic place that we love very much, that we would not wish to be anywhere else. The fireworks thundered around Circular Quays and I have to say, with the atmosphere of the massive crowd, the gasps of surprise, and screams of approval, explosions in front of us from the bridge, explosions above us across the sails of SOH, the golden curtain of fire from the length of the bridge, it was the best display I've ever seen, probably!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY 2025!

[jetsteelyourheart]

Bloodlines Book 5 Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Before drawing that dress in all its glory in a bunch of art I had to design something. With only a vague book description to go on this is what I made. I know its not one shoulder and there's no tulle (I hate tulle with a passion) but old Hollywood didn't really do one shoulder. (After I designed this I did find Richelle's reference which was... hmmm.. a choice)

As a sidebar, the inspiration for this dress was "Old Hollywood Firework" which seemed appropriate for Las Vegas.

Excerpt from Chapter 20 of Silver Shadows:

It was more than a little surreal when I stepped into the store and saw Sydney...

... and time as I knew it suddenly froze.

I'd meant it when I told her to get whatever she wanted. I didn't care. She really could've shown up at the alter in a teal T-shirt, and I would've married her with my heart full of love. That being said, I'd had a few ideas of what kind of dress she'd go with. Something modest, say with long lace sleeves, was my biggest guess. Or maybe one of those simple kinds with a short-sleeved top that had no extra embellishment. She was Sydney, after all. I'd expected pragmatism from her.

What I didn't expect was old Hollywood glamor. The dress wrapped around her snugly, showing a body that in no way looked too skinny, with folds of organza and crystal beaded embellishment. Just below her hips it flared out mermaid style in a burst of tulle that was also decorated with scattered embellishment.

...

She was perfect. Radiant. Glorious. A vision.

"I feel like I should be on my knees again," I said in a small voice.

She gave me a nervous smile and ran a hand over the glittering dress. "Just tell me you can afford all this, because I might take back what I said about going with the T-shirt."

[gaybd1]

Reasons Taipei 101 is the coolest building in the world

Yeah, locals say it's a tourist trap but I will go to my grave defending it. It was the VERY first thing I did when I first came to Taiwan. I've been to the top four times and it's not nearly enough

1. Just LOOK at it! So beautiful!!!

The entire design of the building is chock full of symbolism, but that would honestly take a whole other post.

2. It's really tall!!!

More than half a kilometer tall! It was the tallest building in the world from its completion in 2004 until the Burj Khalifa was finished. The only building outside of Asia that is taller than Taipei 101 is the One World Trade Center in NYC. It is STILL the tallest LEED-certified building in the world.

3. It also used to have the fastest elevators in the world!

You can get up to the observation deck in 37 seconds!

4. It's really tall AND was built in a VERY Earthquake-prone area, which is just badass

It was built only 200 meters away from a major fault line. It was built with a TON of innovations to withstand earthquakes up to a 9 on the Richter Scale. There are videos online of the observation deck at the top rocking during typhoons and major earthquakes, but the building is TOTALLY stable because...

5. It has a GIANT METAL BALL at the top to keep it from falling down in earthquakes and typhoons

It's called a mass damper and it's one of the reasons I'm so obsessed with this building. This thing has a diameter of 5.5 meters and weighs 660 metric tons (that's 728 American tons or whatever they're called)! Typhoons and earthquakes make this thing swing around (it moved a meter during a typhoon in 2015!) and that keeps the building itself from moving too much

6. The damper has mascots - Damper babies!

There's mascots for everything in East Asia... But these guys are a hit. There are four different babies in four different colors, all with their own personalities. There's so much merch for them too, and even comic books.

Look at these guys!

7. The entire building lights up on New Year's Eve!

Okay, this might actually be the coolest fact. In America, you go to Times Square and see the ball drop or something for NYE. In Australia you see the fireworks over the Sydney Opera House or whatever. But in Taiwan, Taipei 101 LAUNCHES FIREWORKS OUT OF ITS SIDES! AND the countdown clock is just the entire side of the building and there's a cool light show during the fireworks! Check it out!

8. The top of the building lights up in different colors depending on what day of the week it is!

It's a nice touch. It'll also do special light things for special events (like pride or the war in Ukraine), but generally:

9. It has a vertical marathon every year!

I almost forgot about it, but yeah. You can run up the stairs all the way to the top. Wild!