#april 2020 play-at-home

[seniouesbabes]

Lily Maymac 🌸💋🍒🌸 IM DYING 🤣

[whatispersonalspacejyp]

SKZ Reaction; Asking you out

Genre: fluff

This is a continuation of how you meet

Original Date: 14 April 2020

Bang Chan

GIF by luvknow

You and Chan spend a lot of time producing new music. Right now you were walking to his studio with four cups of coffee. Since Jisung and Changbin where in the too. 

You stood just outside the door when you heard them talk. “No, Jisung I’ve asked yet, I want to ask with the love song I produced.” “You know y/n could come back any minute right?” You opened the door at that moment. “Did ya’ll order some coffee?”  Chan blushed a bit as he looks at you as you winked at him. 

Jisung and Changbin noticed the tension within the room and smirked. “Y/n, Channie-hyung made a song for you.” Jisung said, earning a glare from Chan. “Oh well I wanna hear that.” You laughed, Chan at this point had his head in his hands. Changbin took it to himself to play the song. 

The song had a soft tune and the lyrics sounded like a confession. You had closed your eyes enjoying the sounds. “This sounds really good, did you really wrote it for me?” 

“Yes...” Chan finally looks up at you and smiled when he saw you smile. “I like you too Chan.”

Lee Minho

GIF by

Minho came every Saturday to the shelter, too help you with the cats. The both of you were playing the kittens at the moment, you were still curious about why Minho actually was coming every week.

“Minho, why do you come here? You have three cats at home and a busy job.” You couldn’t understand why he want to be here. Many times Minho said he likes it here, but you didn’t believe it.

Minho could clearly see that you wanted answers and not the one he gave you. “Well, actually I met a someone, who I started to like a lot. More than I’m allowed to. And that person is here every Saturday taking care of cats.”

“That’s great to hear.” You felt a bit nervous, cause the only one you could think about was yourself. But at the same time you didn’t believe it, why would he like someone like you. 

Minho smiled. “y/n would you like to be mine?” You looked up in shock. “Yes.” you crawled closer to Minho and hugged him.

“Your stuck with me now Lee.”

Seo Changbin

GIF by strayteensehun-blog

The two of you sat inside his studio writing lyrics. Every time you looked at Changbin you felt butterflies in your stomach. Right now you couldn’t help it, you were staring at the boy and without realizing it you were drawing him. Once you looked at the paper again and back to earth you were a bit shocked.

Changbin noticed the staring and sat closer to you. “What do you have already.” You were quickly moving the notebook so he couldn’t look. “It’s a secret.” Both you and Changbin were now in a playful fight, since he wanted to know what was in the notebook. In the end Changbin won and got a hold of book. 

Your face was red when Changbin looks though it, he smirks at the drawing with hearts around it. “You like me? Yes, I can see it in your face. Well lucky you. I like you too. But one thing you need to know is your drawing is amazing and it’s mine.” He carefully rips the page out of it and put in it in his notebook so it wouldn’t get damaged.

Hwang Hyunjin

GIF by prodskz

After the accident from a few months ago. You and Hyunjin were practically stuck to the hip from that moment. Always practicing new dances together.

“Y/n, JYP-Nim asked some of us idols to compete within a dancing competition. And I want to ask you if you want to be mine dance partner. I still have some other background dancers but I want you to be mine main one.” You nod at him. “Sure. What’s the theme?” 

“Love songs.” there was a moment of quiet in room. “Right, let’s start learning the dance right?”

Now nearly a week as passed. You had a small break and watched Hyunjin. “You look really hot doing that.” What could you possible lose right? Hyunjin turns around in shock. “Hyunjin, I think I like you. More then I probably should.”

Hyunjin smiles. “I like you two. I guess this dance really brought us closer.” He walks towards you and kissed your head. “Now I put more love within the dance. It would look so realistic.”

Han Jisung

GIF by lees-minho

The two were best friends ever since you were seated next to him. This even went to the point of sharing a dorm room together. You were laying on your bed while Jisung was sitting at the desk.

“Sung, I’m bored.” You complained as you rolled to watch him. Jisung lets out a sigh. “You could study, the test week is coming up.” Now it was your turn to sigh. “Fine, let’s date.” 

“Sure.” You weren’t actually thinking about what he said, but before you even knew it Jisung laid on top of you. “Your heavy! What are you even doing?” You laughed, wrapping your arms around him. “I’m cuddling my bored significant other.” You finally realized what Jisung was talking about seconds ago. 

“I really thought you meant that were going out, in like you know getting some fresh air. But I do like you too Sung.” 

Lee Felix

GIF by kim-woojins

Today was prom night. You got a cute outfit which matched with Felix’ one. As you were doing the last bit of preparation a car rolled on the driveway and within a few minutes the doorbell rang. Luckily your mom was a savior for opening the door as you nearly fell of the stair because you were busy with one to many things. 

“Mr. Lee, you look amazing.” Your mom said smiling at Felix. “Y/n is there.” Your mom went out of the way and Felix and you made eye contact. “Wow.” was all that came out of Felix’ mouth. You smiled shyly and grab all you needed. “I’m ready Lix.” Felix grabs your hand and pulls you with him. “Mr and Mrs y/l/n, don’t worry. I’ll make sure y/n will safe with me.” With that the both of you got into the car going to the prom venue.

“Y/n, I actually wanted to ask you this at the end. But I can’t help it to ask you now. Will you be mine?” Felix asked as he looks you before you went into the venue. “Yes.” You both hugged and went inside to have the best time of your lives.

Kim Seungmin

GIF by hyyunjinn

You had been talking to Seungmin a lot. Even your fan noticed, to the point of them shipping the two of you.

Seungmin was in the practice room when the members of Day6 bursted in with you behind them. “We all decided that Seungmin you would officially be our little brother. Since your dating our little sister.” Jae said as he walked in, startling the poor boy. 

Seungmin looks up confused. “I didn’t know you had a little sister and I’m not dating anybody.” Jae rolls his eyes, while Sungjin took over. “Well you spend a lot of time with y/n. Including skin ship. And don’t forget that millions are shipping the two of you.” You stood there embarrassed, trying to stop them. But it was no use as Brian back hugs you. 

“Seungmin, I’m sorry I tried to stop them.” You yelled before Brian covers your mouth. Dowoons face lightens up. “Well if your not dating. How about confessing, cause I’m getting tired of listening to y/n talking about you.”

Your face turned red, as Seungmin’s did the same. “Okay, what could I actually lose. Y/n I really like you,  accept me as your boyfriend.” You could just nod your head. Brian lets you go and push you towards Seungmin. “You two love birds have some fun!”

Yang Jeongin

GIF by bxngchannie

You and Jeongin became great friends after the first coffee ‘date’. To the point the two of you couldn’t help and do those ‘dates’ more often.

Right now you were already waiting for two hours and you were pissed. You understood he was busy, but a text couldn’t be that hard right? You stood up, paid for the drinks you bought and left to go home, only sending him one text. “I wasted two hours of my life because of you.”

Jeongin in the meantime had practice, but things didn’t go as planned as they were already three hours longer busy with the dances. Chan noticed the tired and stressed faces and dismissed them. That’s when Jeongin realized he forgot about you. “Channie-hyung, please help. I messed up big time.”

The doorbell rang, you looked in the mirror and try to make yourself to look a bit descent, before opening the door. As you opened it, the first thing you saw was a bouquet of flowers. Then Jeongin came behind the flowers. “I’m so sorry y/n. I never meant to ditch you. Practice turned out to be longer and I totally forgot to text you about it. Please accept these gifts.”

You grabbed the bouquet out of his hands and put them on a vase, when you turned to Jeongin again he holds a bag in front of you. You saw a piece of paper, teddy bear and some sweets in there.

The paper said. “Please date me.” You read the letters on the paper a few times before hugging him while saying yes.

[demilypyro]

At what point in time did you see a giant hammer and go “yeah, that’s my main.”

Monster Hunter: World is a 2018 action role-playing game developed and published by Capcom. The fifth mainline installment in the Monster Hunter series, it was released worldwide for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in January 2018, with a Windows version following in August 2018. In the game, the player takes the role of a Hunter, tasked to hunt down and either kill or trap monsters that roam in one of several environmental spaces. If successful, the player is rewarded through loot consisting of parts from the monster and other elements that are used to craft weapons and armor, amongst other equipment. The game's core loop has the player crafting appropriate gear to be able to hunt down more difficult monsters, which in turn provide parts that lead to more powerful gear. Players may hunt alone or in a group of up to four players via the game's online multiplayer.

Announced at E3 2017, Monster Hunter: World adopts the series' standard formulas from its older home console roots and recent handheld games to take advantage of the higher processing power provided by modern consoles and computers. Changes made in Monster Hunter: World include creating environmental spaces that are fully connected and removing the "zones" that were necessary for the PlayStation 2 and handheld games, more advanced monster artificial intelligence and physics, a more persistent cooperative multiplayer experience, and a refinement of the game's tutorials and user interface to help with bringing new players into the series. These changes led Capcom to plan for the game's simultaneous release worldwide, since Monster Hunter as a series has generally languished outside of Japan partially due to disparate release schedules. Capcom also opted to support online play between these different geographic regions for similar reasons. The delay for the Windows release was attributed to Capcom seeking to make sure its first foray into the Windows market was optimized for players on computers. By April 2020, updates to the game were synchronized among all platforms.

Monster Hunter: World received critical acclaim upon release, with critics praising how Capcom was able to make the game more accessible to new players and to Western markets, without detracting from the series' core gameplay elements and enjoyable difficulty, and fully taking advantage of the computational capacity of modern consoles to create living ecosystems, with some even calling it the best in the franchise. Monster Hunter: World is the single highest-selling game in Capcom's history, with over 21 million copies shipped by July 2022. A DLC expansion pack, subtitled Iceborne, was released for home consoles in September 2019 and for Windows in January 2020, and reached 10 million sales by December 2022. The next mainline installment, Monster Hunter Rise, was co-developed alongside World and announced for a worldwide release on Nintendo Switch in March 2021, with a Windows version released the following year.

[brian-in-finance]

Instagram

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WHAT THE STARS ARE SAYING

Check out why so many famed actors use Backstage

Trusted since 1960

Founded in 1960, Backstage has a storied history of serving the entertainment industry. For over 60 years Backstage has served as a casting resource and news source for actors, performers, directors, producers, agents, and casting directors.

Over that time, Backstage Magazine has also appeared on numerous TV shows, such as “Mad Men,” “Entourage,” “Glee,” “Oprah,” NBC's “Today” show, Comedy Central's “@Midnight”, NY1's “On Stage,” and “Saturday Night Live,” as well as multiple mentions on shows like “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” “Girls,” and appearances in films such as “13 Going on 30,” the Farrelly brothers' “Stuck on You” and Spike Lee's “Girl 6,” and even a mention in Woody Allen's short-story collection “Mere Anarchy” and Augusten Burroughs' novel “Sellevision” – and Backstage has received accolades from multiple Academy Award-, Emmy-, and Tony-winning actors and directors. (Plus, the hit musical “The Last Five Years” even includes Backstage in its lyrics: “Here's a headshot guy and a new Backstage / Where you're right for something on every page.”)

CAITRÍONA BALFE

ACTRESS

"I still get Backstage emails 'cause I still subscribe to Backstage. [Backstage is) kind of the Bible in the beginning, which is amazing. Samuel French and Backstage go hand in hand, you know? You go there for your plays when you're in classes, and then you get your Backstage."

Backstage 1

•••••

Brian’s Note: The following story originally appeared in April 2015. Most recent update is December 2020.

The Gorgeous Determination of Caitríona Balfe

Caitríona Balfe is on the move. That's been true most of her adult life— especially the 10 years she was modeling for Victoria's Secret, Dolce & Gabbana, and others—but as she sits on the rooftop patio of a West Hollywood hotel in mid-March, she mentions that she's pulling up stakes from Los Angeles.

"It just feels silly to have an empty place for 10 months until I figure out what I'm doing with my life," the Irish-born actor says. "I've rented the same place for the last four years and now I have to give it up." Her apartment is being razed to put in condos, but her departure from L.A. is extra poignant considering this is the city where Balfe journeyed when she decided to put aside that successful modeling career and focus on the vocation she'd always wanted: acting.

Photo: Luc-Richard Elie

"I've moved so much since I was 18," she says. "I mean, l've lived so many places. New York, I lived in for almost eight years [while modeling], and that's been the longest of anywhere since I left Ireland. But L.A. is where I came and said, 'OK, this is what I wanna do with my life.' "

She refuses to think of her move as a permanent one, though. "I'll be back," she declares, "but it feels really sad. My little apartment, it's got so many memories."

Balfe's sadness is no doubt mitigated by the fact that part of her need to move is due to the precipitous rise in her fortunes. She'll soon be flying to Scotland to shoot the second season of "Outlander," which returns to Starz April 4 to conclude Season 1.

When last we saw Balfe's Claire, the resourceful British nurse who comes home after World War |I only to be inexplicably teleported into the 18th-century Highlands, she was half-naked with a knife to her breast. Don't worry: Claire will get out of that scrape, but more perils await-to say nothing of the emerging multi-era romantic triangle developing between her, the Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), and her 20th-century husband, Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies), who wonders where she's gone.

Based on the much-beloved Diana Gabaldon novels and developed for television by "Battlestar Galactica" rebooter Ronald D. Moore, "Outlander" is an ostensibly lush period-piece-within-a-period-piece drama that's consistently richer and thornier than its romance-novel trappings suggest. And much of the credit goes to Balfe, who had managed small parts in films such as “Super 8” and “Now You See Me” before landing the central role in this adaptation.

In person, Balfe is far less imposing than the steely Claire, who has to weather the dangers of being a woman in sexist, violent Scotland in the 1740s. Cast late in the preproduction of “Outlander”—Moore has mentioned in interviews how hard it was to find the right Claire—she didn’t have time to consider what the role would do to her life. “I’m so bad on social media," she confesses on this warm afternoon, nestled underneath a cabana. "I had set up an account on Twitter maybe a year or so before I got this job and had, I thought, a lot of followers — 250 or something, and most of them are my friends. Within about a month or two, it was thousands of people — and my phone, I didn't know how to turn off the alerts, so it was just going all the time. That was the beginning of the awareness."

Growing up in the small Irish community of Monaghan, Balfe had considered acting from an early age. ("I was devastated that I wasn't a child actor," she says, smiling. But after traveling to Dublin to study theater, she changed course once she received an offer to model. It wasn't a secret passion of hers, but who turns down a trip to Paris? "My parents felt that I should finish college," Balfe recalls, "but l'm slightly headstrong, so l took their advice and I completely ignored it."

Over the next decade, she lived in France, Italy, Germany, and Japan, her modeling inexperience hardly a detriment. "You'd be amazed how little information or training goes into it," she says. "When I first arrived in Paris, I was told to take a bus to the office. I left my suitcase — I barely spoke any French — and someone took me across the street, helped me buy a Carte Orange. They printed out five addresses that I had to go to that day, and then they sent me off." She still remembers at 18 riding the subway alongside 16-year-old aspiring Russian models, who knew no French or English, homesick and sobbing their eyes out. "That was just the way it was," says Balfe. "You become pretty tough. When I went to Japan, it was similar: They would drive you to their castings, but the minute you got a job, it would be like, 'Here's an address, here's a map. Good luck.' They don't have signposts in English in Japan, so the map and the address are not always very helpful."

Hear Balfe recount her early misadventures in modeling and you can't help but think of Claire, who's equally thrown to the wolves once she arrives in the 18th century amid people wary of the English in general and assertive women in particular. "Honestly, l've been in so many situations in my life where you just are completely displaced," Balfe says. “You have to adapt very quickly and figure it out. I definitely think that informs Claire a lot. It helped me understand her."

Did moving to Paris at such a young age teach Balfe that she can cope in any circumstance? "I think I didn't really realize that until many years later," she replies. "I have a great knack of not thinking about things and just going for it. You learn the hard way sometimes that you're able to get through, but sometimes it's quite tough when you're in a situation where you don't know anyone and you're trying to find your way around cities. But if an opportunity presents itself and it seems like a good idea, l'm just like, 'OK, let's do it, then I'll figure it out.'”

The decision to reconnect with her acting ambitions was conducted just as boldly. Ready to quit modeling, she moved to Los Angeles because a writer she was dating lived there. He was the only person she knew, but she had read a Vanity Fair interview with Amy Adams in which she said she trained with Warner Loughlin. "I could walk to that place from my ex-boyfriend's house," she says, "so l was like, 'Well, I'm gonna go there because I can't really drive. I started from scratch. I didn't have any managers, I didn't know any agents, I hadn't acted in almost a decade." But she just kept taking classes, moving from Loughlin to the studios of Sanford Meisner and Judith Weston. "I think when I first got here, I had a nice little air of delusion: 'It's gonna work out,'" she says with a laugh. “You just don't know how."

And then came "Outlander." By email, Moore admits that he didn't know Balfe's work until her audition tape came unsolicited to his office from her agent. Once she was chosen for Claire, he made it clear how demanding the job would be. “I told her in our first meeting that this was going to be an even bigger responsibility and workload than the normal TV lead," he writes. "Because the story was being told from Claire's point of view, Cait was going to be in every scene, every day for months, which is an extraordinary amount of work, far beyond what most actors are ever asked to do."

Moore's warning didn't faze Balfe. Writes Moore, "After she met with the president of Starz... and it was clear that she was going to land the role, I walked her to the elevator and just before the doors closed on her, I said 'Your life is about to change forever,' and she gave me a grin that was both thrilled and slightly nervous. I never saw her hesitate after that."

She's never hesitated before. As Balfe prepares to say goodbye to L.A. (for now, she thinks back to her early days in the city, trying to convince casting directors that she was more than just a model. "I went on many, many, many, many auditions that were Hot Girl No. 2 — you wanna shoot yourself," she says, laughing. "But, you know, I'm very lucky that l was even getting those auditions in the beginning. And it toughens you up. At least for me, to have that fuel to prove people wrong—it definitely spurs me on and makes me wanna work harder." Then she smiles conspiratorially. "And shove it to them."

Backstage 2

Remember… I told her in our first meeting that this was going to be an even bigger responsibility and workload than the normal TV lead. — Ronald D Moore

[toasttt11]

five times quinn knew

One.

March 28, 2020

Carter answered the FaceTime from Quinn smiling at her phone waiting for the call to connect from Michigan to Sweden.

“Hi Quinny.” Carter smiled at her big brother, sitting on the couch in her common room in Sweden.

“Hey Cart.” Quinn smiled softly at his sister, feeling weird to be home with his family and without her, “How has your day been?” Quinn yawned slightly having just woke up and wanting to call his sister before anyone else wakes up and interrupts him, and Sweden is six hours ahead of Michigan.

“Good, I just got back from our practices so i have the rest of the day off.” Carter smiled telling Quinn about her morning having got back from her hockey practice a little bit ago.

Quinn heard a door open and saw Carter’s head snap up away from the camera and saw her smile, a smile he has never seen before.

“Is that?” Carter happily grinned seeing Connor holding something in his hands.

Connor laughed and handed her a smoothie, “Thought you would want one.” Connor soflty smiled at his teammate who has became one of his best friends the last few weeks, he saw she was on call with her brother and quietly excused himself knowing she missed her brothers.

“Was that Connor?” Quinn questioned rasing an eyebrow at the screen, thinking about how Carter just acted.

Carter snapped out of something and looked down at the screen, “Yeah.” Carter nodded happily sipping on her smoothie.

Quinn smiled softly seeing his baby sister have her first crush and he has a feeling she hasn’t even realized it yet.

Two.

April 13, 2021

Connor frowned as he watched Carter play the game even though she had been very sick the last two days, throwing up often but Connor also knew how much Carter wanted to play in the game as it’s important game if they want to play if the playoffs this season.

The Regina Pats did end up winning the game securing their spot in the playoffs. Carter also had to throw up multiple times during the game and Connor was seriously worried as Carter has barely ate anything that last two days and had been throwing up so much.

Connor helped Carter into her apartment and walked her to her bed, Carter slowly laid down and Connor covered her up and tucked her in, “I’ll be right back okay.” Connor brushed a hair off her face before grabbing the bucket and setting it next to her.

“Okay.” Carter quietly croaked out feeling miserable.

Connor opened Carter’s phone pulling up Quinny🩵 and hitting the call button.

Connor heard the call accept and Quinn’s voice come through, “Hey Cart, i saw you guys won, good job!” Quinn smiled as he was laying down on his couch.

Connor cleared his throat nervously, “Hey uh it’s Connor.”

“Connor? Where’s Carter?” Quinn sat up hearing Connor.

“Carters in bed but she’s sick, really sick. She’s been throwing up the lays two days and can’t keep anything down, She shouldn’t have played tonight and i couldn’t stop her. And she’s not getting any better and i have no idea how to help her and she doesn’t want anyone knowing and-“ Connor rushed out all those words breathing heavily, he felt his hand shake anxiously.

“Woah buddy, take a deep breath okay.” Quinn soflty spoke to Connor, even though he is nervous for Carter, Quinn was getting up and starting to quickly pack a bag, “Try to get more liquids in her and i’ll be there in a few hours okay.”

“Okay.” Connor took a deep breath slowly nodding, feeling a bit better because of Quinn.

“And Connor thank you.” Quinn couldn’t help but softly smile seeing how worried Connor was for Carter and how Connor is taking care of his baby sister.

Three.

September 10, 2022

Quinn walked in the kitchen in the morning hearing Carter in the kitchen already and saw her blushing and smiling as she held a big bouquet of flowers and Quinn could tell they were her favorite type of flowers.

“Who are those from?” Quinn teasingly smirked knowing exactly who they were from.

“Connor.” Carter sheepishly told her brother with a smile.

“They are very pretty.” Quinn nodded at his sister with a smile.

“Aren’t they!” Carter happily smiled giggling as she looked at her flowers.

Quinn could feel his heart softened seeing Carter so happy about something, it’s not often she gets so happy about something and it reminded him of the days when she was a kid and would be that happy when anyone in the family would play hockey with her and it made him happy that there are still things that can make Carter that happy.

Quinn knew that nothing in the world makes Carter more happy than Connor does and that’s all Quinn could ask for.

Four.

October 22, 2022

Carter happily smiled as she quickly got out of her gear earning a few looks because they had just lost and she never looks this excited, Carter showered quickly and put on her outfit back on and rushed out of the locker room seeing Connor waiting outside the locker room, She smiled happily walking over to him getting pulled into a tightly hug.

“Hi.” Carter happily spoke to her best friend, resting her head againt his chest and relaxing being in the arms of her bestfriend.

“Hi.” Connor grinned, Connor being home for a few days and Carter invited him to her game and to stay over with her for the night.

“Baby Hughes have a boyfriend?” Brock asked Quinn as they walked out of the locker room, seeing Carter with a guy.

“Not yet,” Quinn fondly shook his head, “He is her best friend they use to play together.”

Brock nodded in understanding and say his goodbyes to Quinn and ruffled Carter’s hair as he walked by her to his girlfriend.

“Brock!” Carter groaned and Connor chuckled slightly.

Quinn walked over to the two and Connor smiled seeing Quinn, Quinn pulled Connor into a hug and smiled at him.

The three headed to the car and Quinn drove them back to his apartment.

Quinn knew the two missed each other so he had no problem seeing them head to Carter room to spend time alone. Quinn just headed to his room and started reading his book in bed.

Carter let Connor get changed into comfortable clothes in her bathroom as she changed into his sweats and Luke’s hoodie.

Carter hopped into her bed quickly turning on her heated blanket waiting for Connor to come out of the bathroom.

Connor came out of the bathroom and quickly got into the bed next to Carter and Carter cuddled up to him. Connor and Carter started taking about everything they had missed over the last few months.

Quinn closed his book ready to go sleep and paused hearing the giggles coming from Carter’s room and fondly smiled glad to hear her laugh a lot again. Quinn having noticed Carter had been sad lately and knew she was missing her best friend. Quinn smiled glad Connor is her best friend and is waiting until they finally get together.

Five.

April 15, 2023

Connor had finished his last season at the Regina Pats and had come home for the few weeks before everything for the Drafy starts, he saw Carter’s last home game and had spent a lot of time with Carter.

Carter staying in Vancouver for a little while before Jack and Luke are done with the playoffs and they head to Michigan and getting to spend time with Connor.

Connor was peacefully laying his head in Carter’s lap as she brushed her fingers through his hair as she read out loud.

Connor always loving listening to Carter read and had asked Carter once before to read to him and now it’s something they do often and they both enjoy.

Quinn walked into the apartment hearing Carter read out loud and paused knowing Carter absolutely hates reading out loud and use to hate having to in school, he remembered she would practice with him the night before she had to read in class. Quinn quietly walked into the living seeing Carter reading to Connor and couldn’t help but smile seeing how much Connor doesn’t even realize how much an effect he has on Carter.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Cecilia Nowell at The Guardian:

On the campaign trail this year, Donald Trump routinely criticized US media. The president-elect called for CBS to be stripped of its broadcast license after it aired an interview with Kamala Harris, refused to participate in an interview with 60 Minutes and routinely called journalists the “enemy of the people”. But perhaps no American media has attracted as much ire from the president-elect as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – a non-profit corporation created by federal law in 1967 to distribute funding to public media organizations like PBS and NPR.

“NO MORE FUNDING FOR NPR, A TOTAL SCAM!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social in April. “THEY ARE A LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE. NOT ONE DOLLAR!!!” As the Trump prepares to take office next month, public media organizations – such as NPR and PBS, which have aired longtime favorites such as Curious George and All Things Considered – are readying themselves for funding cuts and other attacks against their programming. After Trump was re-elected in November, NPR member stations circulated a report warning that “it would be unwise to assume that events will play out as they have in the past” where funding is concerned, the New York Times reported Friday, and PBS board members received an update from political consultants earlier this month. Trump and his allies have repeatedly called for the federal government to cut all funding to public media. In March 2017, Trump called for Congress to cut all funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the first proposed budget of his presidency – a call he repeated throughout his presidency.

In response to a 2020 effort to defund public media, the PBS president and CEO, Paula Kerger, issued a statement noting that “PBS and our member stations have earned bipartisan Congressional support because of the vital role that public television plays in homes and communities across the country. For 50 years, PBS has served as a trusted source for educational and thought-provoking programming, including school readiness initiatives for children, support for teachers and caregivers, public safety communications and lifelong learning across broadcast and digital platforms.” But the conservative playbook Project 2025 has continued echoing conservative calls to cut funding to PBS and NPR, stating that the new Trump administration should strip public media of federal funding and licenses for noncommercial education stations.

[...] In November, shortly after Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Musk coauthored an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal with Vivek Ramaswamy (the two have been tasked with leading a “department of government efficiency”, an agency Trump claims he will create). In it, the pair identified the $535m Congress allocates each year to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as one line item they would cut to reduce federal expenditures. As recently as this week, Musk posted on X that “legacy media must die”. Although these attacks against public media are growing more concerted, they’re not new. Every Republican administration has aimed to defund public media since the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was founded. American public media traces its origins to the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, passed under Lyndon B Johnson’s administration. A public-private partnership, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting connects 1,190 public radio stations and 356 public television stations with federal grants, allowing those stations to maintain editorial independence and also raise funds from members and sponsorships. Today, 99% of the US population lives within listening range of at least one public media station.

The attacks on NPR and PBS should worry us all, as it is part of Donald Trump's authoritarian war on press freedom.

[numinousmysteries]

more a headcanon that got out of a hand than a fic. tw: 2020. that whole thing. [on Ao3] @today-in-fic

For years they feared a mass contagion of extraterrestrial origin spread by swarms of bees. Instead, the virus that grounds the world to a halt is an earthbound molecule transmitted invisibly through laughter, kisses, shared spaces, and spoken word.

A pall falls over the house. Banished from campus, William half-heartedly watches lectures on Zoom. Mulder starts the tiger show but turns it off in disgust before the first episode ends. 

Scully is the only moving part, chugging along in sharp contrast to their inertia. She’s long existed in the liminal state between the sick and the well, the living and the dying, but the sheer volume of devastation brought by this virus is wearing her down. Out of desperation, the hospital administration pulls her off her normal caseload and assigns her to the overcrowded ER. 

On a purely scientific level, the work—the once in a lifetime opportunity to chart a course of treatment for a novel virus in real-time—is thrilling. There are no textbooks, decision trees, or best practices; only instinct, trial and error. But this isn't just cells in a microscope—it's a protein expanding and exploding in human bodies. Bodies with children, parents, spouses, loved ones. Bodies that can no longer fit in the hospital morgue and need to be carried out to refrigerated trucks lining the streets outside. She's never felt like more of a failure.

She doesn’t want to talk about the work. She comes home still masked and then locks herself in the guest room in an attempt to protect them from whatever she’s been exposed to during the day. 

“Hey, Will,” Mulder whispers conspiratorially one April afternoon. “Did I ever show you how to pick a lock?”

But their son has all of her practicality and simply shakes his head in resignation. They compromise with a private salute to their personal healthcare hero, clanging pairs of All-Clad pans out the kitchen window to herald her arrival home. Even through her N95, they can tell it makes her smile. 

*****

William watches lectures and does his problem sets, but his heart isn't in it. Staring at the screen all day isn't as engaging as exploring physics in-person with his professors and classmates.

Mulder's got them in the habit of running laps around the property for exercise—or, as Scully says, to prevent bed sores and blood clots in their otherwise sedentary lives—and sometimes they'll do what William calls "prison workouts", push-up, planks, and bodyweight squats until their quads ache. They'll toss a ball in the yard or play one-on-one basketball on the rusted net in the driveway. 

Mulder knows their son is miserable, marooned in this house with his parents, so he's trying his best to keep the kid entertained. Secretly, he enjoys this little stolen time with his son. The kid should be out there, learning about the world and his place in it, but this could also be their last chance to spend every day together like this, and he knows better than to take it for granted. He just wishes Scully could be with them and not on the other side of a locked door.

They FaceTime with her and can hear her in-person voice preceding its echo on the phone by a few milliseconds. Will calls it mom from the future and mom from the past. They both wish she could be here in their present.

"Can we please come in?" Mulder begs quietly to the closed door one night, tracing the grooves of the wood with his fingertips. "We can all wear masks. I just need to see you." His voice cracks with need and desperation.

"I don't know," she says. "I'd never forgive myself if I got either of you sick."

"But you feel fine, right?"

"For now, sure," she concedes. "But I could be incubating the virus. Asymptomatic transmission is real and happening all over the world."

"What if we're outside, appropriately distanced, and wearing masks?"

He can hear her thinking, then sighing, from the other side of the door. "Fine. You two go outside first and sit on one end of the lawn. Then I'll come out in a few minutes and sit several feet away."

"Great!" He leaps to his feet to gather three lawn chairs and tell William the plan.

Muller and William set hers up closer to the house then measure out about six feet further out in the yard before placing two chairs for themselves.

They take their seats, put on their masks, and wait for her to emerge.

His heart breaks a little when he sees her. He watches her go to work and come home every day through the window but he hasn't noticed how thin she looks or gotten close enough to see the dark hollows under her eyes. He knows it's been rough for her. She’s tougher than most but this situation is unbearable. He's tempted to close those six feet between them and take her into his arms, coronavirus be damned.

"Move further back," she says, waving her hand off in the distance when she sees them.

He notices William is about to protest but he brings his hand to the kid's forearm and shakes his head. She's the boss in this situation. They're lucky enough to get to see her, what's a few more feet?

*****

The days drag on. Experts talk about flattening the curve. The curve does not flatten. Experts advise not buying masks, to save them for the healthcare workers who need them most. Experts say to wear cloth masks. Experts say cloth masks are not effective. The president advises drinking bleach. Bodies keep piling up. Scully keeps showing up for work and secluding herself at home. 

"Listen, why don't you quit or take some time off?" he asks her through the door. “We can afford it.” 

"I took an oath," she says solemnly and the conversation ends. He knows better than to fight against her sense of duty. He knows better than to argue she should put her own health first. The only cards he has to play would be himself or William, but she keeps isolating herself to keep them safe.

William itches to go beyond the property on his runs. The dirt road that leads away from the house is typically empty so Mulder doesn't mind if he does a few miles out and back.

"I’ll cross the street if someone is on the same side as me," William says. That's enough for Mulder.

"Should we make sourdough?" William asks one afternoon, briefly looking up from his phone.

Mulder doesn't know where this sudden culinary interest comes from but he's excited to do anything that gets William away from his screens. Especially something they can do together.

They consult with Scully who, of course, knows about starters and mothers, live cultures and pre-fermentation. From the other side of the door, they take notes.

"We'll cut your slices real thin and slide under the door," Mulder says.

The grocery store in town is doing curbside pick up so they order their ingredients online and then drive up to receive their bounty.

They mix the starter together first, watching as the liquid thickens and bubbles in a mason jar. It reminds Mulder of their old kitchen science experiments from William's childhood. Baking soda and vinegar volcanoes. Mentos in soda, although Scully didn't like the cleanup after that one. Just like he was as a kid, William is methodical and delighted by chemical reactions. 

The starter has to rest in the fridge for several hours so they take a break to research recipes. No one has ever made bread in this house, he thinks. Scully's a good cook, but she prioritizes nutrition and efficiency. She's not about to spend hours in the kitchen plodding through the steps of an elaborate recipe. Mulder is even less so. His culinary prowess has expanded from his bachelor days, when boiling water was an occasion, but he still sticks to the basics, evolving as William's tastes grew and matured.

Why had they never done this before?

"It smells good!" Scully shouts from her quarantine.

"At least we all still have our sense of smell," William jokes.

At night, Mulder and Scully sit with their backs to the door and try to inhale the familiar scent of each other. He hasn't touched or held her in weeks. It's the longest they've gone without physical contact since he was dead and buried. And the longest they've gone without sex since the first couple of months after the trauma of William's birth. He'd do anything just to hold her hand, rest his palm on the small of her back, bury his head in her hair. He knows this is harder for her, but it isn't easy for him either.

After William retreats to his room for the night, he knocks softly on her door. "Are you up?" he asks.

He hears her get out of bed and step over to the door.

"I'm up," she says, softly.

"What are you wearing?"

She gives him a hollow pity laugh. "I miss you."

"I'm right here.

"You know what I mean."

"Oh, I know," he says. He knows in the deepest reaches of his being. "I miss you so much."

"Let's go somewhere when this is all over."

"Mmhmm," he agrees. "You and me on a beach. I'd say Will, too, but I'm pretty sure he's sick of us—or at least me."

"How's he doing?"

"He's holding up alright," Mulder says. "It's tough for him but I think he's putting on a brave face for my sake."

"He's a good kid."

"The best."

They're quiet for a minute. He strains to hear her breathing on the other side of the door and imagines her sitting there.

"Are you sure I can't come in?" he asks. "We can wear masks. Sit on opposite sides of the room."

"Mulder, no."

"I really want to see you."

*****

By May, it's warm enough for them to spend most of the evening outside, sitting or walking (at a safe distance) together for hours. Will retreats to his room to do homework or, they suspect, chat online with his friends, but Mulder and Scully like to stay out until after the sun sets, talking or just enjoying each other's company in the silence.

"You haven't gotten sick yet," he says, one night, initiating his latest plea to get her to open the door between them. "And I read case numbers are going down. Don't you think we can relax a little?"

"Trust me, I want to," she says with a sigh. "I miss both of you."

"You have no idea how much I miss you," he says, seriously.

"I think I have some idea," she says, the corner of her lips arching into a smile. 

"Do they know if this thing is sexually transmitted?" he asks. "We can wear masks. That could be kind of hot."

"If we're close enough to do that, I think we're close enough to infect each other," she responds quickly, making him realize she's also thought about it and that makes him smile in turn. 

They're quiet for a while, walking and feeling the air cool down as night settles over them. These chaste days feel like the early years of their partnership. He isn't sure what's worse—never having touched her or not being able to know once he knows how sweet it can be to be. Actually, he's sure the latter is worse. Now he knows what she feels like underneath him, what her skin tastes like, the sound of her little moans. They've had phone sex, quietly, from different ends of the house, after she let him leave her little pink silicone vibrator outside the door one night.

"I wish it were you," she sighed over the phone the first night.

"It can be," he said. "Just let me in."

"You know I can't."

Back on their walk, his dick pulses just thinking about the way she sounded on the phone that night. Husky, breathy, like a storm building and breaking overhead. The first time they were together, the force of her orgasm blew him away. He knew she wasn't putting on a show for him by how embarrassed she seemed afterward. He kissed her gently on her neck, her breasts, her collarbone as she came down, her breathing slowed, and let her know he'd never seen anything sexier in his entire life. Scully screamed when she came. She twisted her tiny features up in a gasp that seemed to straddle the line of pain and pleasure. Her whole body came along for the ride, spasming and pulsing, and he knew he'd spend the rest of his life trying to see that again and again. Fortunately, there were lots more times after that. As William got older, they'd learned to be quieter, which only made it more thrilling when he left for college and she realized she could come with abandon again. Of course, COVID brought him back, and sent her into the guest room, so they hadn't had a chance to be loud in months.

"Call me later," she says. It's a demand, not a request.

"You know I will," he replies. "I'm torn. I want to stay out here and be with you, but I also can't wait to go to bed and talk to you."

"Well, I was hoping we'd do more than talk."

"You know what I mean."

"Oh, I know," she says. "I'm also looking forward to that."

Crickets fill the silence of the balmy spring evening. It's nice, just being with her like this. At this point, he'll take whatever he can get.

"I spoke to Frohike today," he tells her.

"Please don't tell me he's bought into these ridiculous conspiracies about the virus," she rolls her eyes over her mask.

"He has some interesting ideas," Mulder smiles. "But you know he's mostly harmless."

*****

She's among the first at the hospital to get her first vaccine dose that winter. William and Mulder celebrate from their side of the door with whiskey shots of their own.

"I still need the second dose in a couple of weeks, and then it takes two weeks after that to be effective," she says.

"But we're on the right track," Mulder calls out.

"The end is in sight!" William shouts.

“To our hero,” Mulder toasts, clinking his shot glass against the door. He never thought he’d be so intimately familiar with the texture of their guest room door. 

"Where should we go on our vacation?" Mulder asks. “You know, when this is all really over.” 

"I'm going back to school," William says.

"Good!" Scully calls from her side of the door. They both know how much he's missed his friends and his classes. In a few weeks they’ll pack him up with masks and home tests and warnings to avoid superspreader events. It’ll be a mostly virtual semester, but still good for him to get out of the house.

"I guess that leaves me and you, woman," Mulder says to the door. "Where am I whisking you away to?"

"Somewhere warm," she says longingly. "On the ocean."

"That can be arranged," he says. He's dreaming of long afternoons in the sun—well, as much actual sun as Scully will allow—holding on to her as they wade out into the ocean. Full days where they don't leave their hotel room bed. They've earned it. She certainly has.

[teaandmisanthropy]

We had to say goodbye to Snookums a few weeks ago, on August 16, 2024. These are some of the last pictures I have of him.

He was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as a result of (probably) lymphoma and had been losing weight for a couple of months and his digestive system was deteriorating.

He got lots of attention and extra treats at the end of his life, and he lived to the age of fifteen and was a happy, goofy, lazy snugglebug who was full of affection for us and friendly to everybody, including multiple dog acquaintances. He was a devoted, biddable sidekick to the BB (Arwen) (2007-2021) and a wonderful adoptive uncle to Tristana (2020, adopted April 2021-). And despite being a mellow fraidy cat who had always been submissive before, he didn't hesitate to become the senior boss cat and tell off Anubis (who is young and unusually strong and was about half again his size) and actually defended Tristana from Anubis's attempted attacks a few times when he managed to breach containment.

Snookums was my baby, and what you might call my familiar animal or one true cat, from the time we brought him home. He spent three days hiding in a blanket cave in the sauna at our old apartment in Turku and wouldn't eat for over 24 hours, until I finally got him to by feeding him from my hand.

He was afraid of crackling noises and especially plastic bags and loved chasing/ collecting hair elastics and chewing on rubber bands and silicone oven mitts and old wired earbud wires, all of which had to be hidden from him. He loved kisses and his method of kissing was to headbutt you in the head, earning him the nickname "butthead".

He was also the most talkative cat we had ever met when we got him, and used to meet me every time I came home and make a long speech that I referred to as the Kittysburg Address. He purred very loudly and was terrible at cleaning his own claws, which was perhaps partly because he was already missing a couple of the tiny teeth when we got him at age 1.5, but mostly because he was lazy. So he had to have toe gunk cleaned from his claw sheaths basically his whole life and he hated it, but was fundamentally non violent, so the most resistance he ever offered was occasionally squirming in a half hearted escape attempt.

When he was young he also used to wake me up in the middle of the night wanting to play, and I woke up many times back then to find his toys (usually hair bands and silicone oven mitts) in or around the bed. But even when young and irrepressible, Snookums was pretty lazy and spent much more time snoozing and snuggling than the BB, who often ran around bouncing off the walls without him, even though he was her constant companion and playmate.

In later years he got more lazy, as well as becoming more like himself in other ways (snuggly, silly, food-motivated), and he also acquired diabetes, which reduced his energy a lot. But he lived for about six years with his diabetes under control after his diagnosis, and was doing very well recently. The final illness was probably not related to his diabetes.

For many years, actually since he was very young, I used to periodically just start crying while I was holding him in my arms, because I loved him so much. The spectre of losing him someday, even when it was far in the future, was already scaring me. (We got him two years after the death of @waxjism's One True Cat, Lily, so this wasn't out of left field.) Maybe I did some of my grieving in advance. I felt like I didn't have time to grieve right after, but even though the sadness is massive, I have had an easier time adjusting my brain to the new reality than after the loss of past pets. Cornish rexes are very snuggly and affectionate cats and most of them spend a lot of time lying on people's laps, giving out hugs, basically, but Snookums is the only pet I've ever felt was comforting and soothing me just as much with his snuggles as I was soothing him.

[spaceotter42]

LGBTQ Rep Since Cyrus Goodman on Disney Channel

by spaceotter42

(note: each description below is in the same order as the photos above.)

Cyrus Goodman of "Andi Mack" was the first out gay main character on a Disney Channel series. He was also the first to say "I'm gay" on a Disney show. Played by Joshua Rush, Cyrus ended up with his crush, TJ Kippen (Luke Mullen), in the final episode, "We Were Here," airing July 26, 2019.

Violet Sabrewing's two gay dads were introduced on the DuckTales episode, "Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!" the Season 3 premiere airing on April 4, 2020. They are named Indigo ‘Indy’ Sabrewing and Tyrian ‘Ty’ Sabrewing.

Luz Noceda, the lead character in "The Owl House," was revealed to be bisexual in the episode "Enchanting Grom Fright," premiering on August 8, 2020. She had a romantic dance with her former nemesis and future girlfriend Amity Blight.

An out gay character, Alex, was seen and described as gay on “Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion." The character appeared in only one episode, "Ultra Matchmaker," airing on July 8, 2022.

Trans actress Juliana Joel introduced her out trans character Nikki on the "Raven's Home" episode "The Fierce Awakens," premiering July 8, 2022. Nikki became a recurring character as Raven's fashion design assistant. She is openly described as "trans" on the show. Shown above is Juliana Joel with Raven-Symone.

Disney Channel's first gay marriage proposal was seen on the "Bunk'd" episode, "No Pain, No Grain," first shown on March 3, 2023. Regular character Winnie (Shiloh Verrico) helped her brother Wayne (Frankie Rodriguez) propose to his boyfriend Nicholas (Jacob Haren) during their visit to the camp.

This article covers only Disney Channel shows and not ones originating on Disney+.

[yurimother]

Yuri Isekai 'The Executioner and Her Way of Life' Audiobook Announced

On Saturday, Yen Press announced at its Anime Expo panel that it is producing an audiobook adaptation of Mato Sato's Yuri isekai light novel series The Executioner and Her Way of Life. Yen Audio, Yen Press' imprint from audiobooks, will release the first volume in December 2023.

Yen Press describes the series:

The Lost Ones are wanderers who come here from a distant world known as “Japan.” No one knows how or why they leave their homes. The only thing that is certain is that they bring disaster and calamity. The duty of exterminating them without remorse falls to Menou, a young Executioner. When she meets Akari, it seems like just another job…until she discovers it’s impossible to kill this girl! And when Menou begins to search for a way to defeat this immortality, Akari is more than happy to tag along! So begins a journey that will change Menou forever…

Eight volumes of the original light novels, which are illustrated by Nilitsu, are published by SB Creative's GA Bunko label in Japan. The series received praise for its play on isekai settings and tropes and its inclusion of Yuri elements, which was a relatively uncommon choice when the series first debuted in 2019.

A manga adaptation illustrated by Ryo Mitsuya began serialization in Young Gangan in 2020. Square Enix publishes five collective volumes of the manga in Japanese.

Yen Press licensed both the light novel and manga adaptations of The Executioner and Her Way of Life in English, publishing six volumes of the light novel and two of the manga as of the time of writing.

A television anime adaptation of the series aired from April until June of 2022. It is directed by Yoshiki Kawasaki at J.C. Staff and is licensed in English by Sentai Filmworks. The series is available to stream with English subtitles and dubbing on HIDIVE.

Source: Press Release

[bacusdraculacape]

I was discussing with @misskattylashes about what our big ideas about what people in the AM-verse seem to be teasing about or whatever. Then I got a Brianstorm of Big Ideas admist it...

First things first. Some relevant history; Arctic Monkeys first formed in 2002. They’re first live gig was 13th June 2003 at The Grapes, an Irish pub in Sheffield, UK (where AM are iconally from and formed). In 2004, some other icon stuff happened:

> 14th of August 2004; marks the first known live performances of: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor / Bigger Boys Stolen Sweethearts / Choo Choo! / Dancing Shoes.

> 8th of October 2004; marks the first known live performance of: Fake Tales of San Francisco.

> 3rd of November 2004; Marks the first known performances of: When The Sun Goes Down / A Certain Romance.

> 12th of December 2004; Marks the first known performances of: Stickin’ To The Floor / Settle For A Draw.

AM’s demo album: Beneath The Boardwalk first surfaced in 2004 also.

As well 17th of October 2004 marks the official debut date of Am’s first ep / single: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.

Moving onto the next iconic year of 2005:

AM’s first ever global tour started and happened in 2005. Introducing them to stages all over: UK / Ireland / Europe / and a couple stages in US.

23 October 2005; AM’s debut single IBYLGOTDF went straight to No.1 on the charts.

In 2005 more live debuts to Am singles were:

> 7 (22 Jan ‘05) /

> The View From The Afternoon / Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But.. / Mardy Bum / From The Ritz To The Rubble (4th Mar ‘05)

> Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured (5th Apr ‘05)

> an unknown new song (23rd April ‘05)

> You Probably Couldn’t See For The Lights But You Were Staring Straight At Me (26th Jul ‘05)

> Wavin’ Bye to the Train tr the Bus (23rd Aug ‘05)

> Still Take You Home (11th Oct ‘05)

> When The Sun Goes Down (21st Oct ‘05)

> Leave Before The Lights Come On (22nd Oct ‘05)

> Riot Van (3rd Nov ‘05)

> Fake Tales Of San Francisco (15th Nov ‘05)

Onto the most iconic year for AM: 2006

Their first world tour continued in 2006

Other songs saw their live debuts such as:

> AM’s cover of Love Machine by Girls Aloud (19th Jan ‘06)

> Who The Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? (27th Jan ‘06)

> Cigarette Smoker Fiona (1st March ‘06)

> Despair In The Departure Lounge (13th March ‘06)

> No Buses (24th Mar ‘06)

As well as the debuts of:

> their debut album: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (21st Feb ‘06)

> When The Sun Goes Down SINGLE ALBUM (17th Jan ‘06)

> I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor SINGLE ALBUM (14th March ‘06)

> Who The Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? SINGLE ALBUM (25th April ‘06)

> Leave Before The Lights Come On SINGLE ALBUM (14th August ‘06)

Music Videos:

> Leave Before The Lights Come On (4th August ‘06)

> Fake Tales Of San Francisco (14th August ‘06)

(info above sourced from setlist.fm)

As i’m penning this it’s currently the year is 2024, next year is 2025, and the year after that is 2026. Currently, AM have been a band for 22 years. They started playing at giggs live 21 years ago. They began performing their original songs practically 20 years ago. I BET YOU LOOK GOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR is gonna be 20 years old 17th October 2024. So this ongoing train of thought starting thus metaphorical ball running in my mind:

What if the AM are working on an AM 20th anniversary thing? To celebrate 20 years of still being a band and to celebrate two decades worth of fans, and remarkable once in AM-verse lifetime memories, and everything fabulous that came about because of AM forming 22 years ago? Maybe that’s the mysterious thing that they have been planning at?

If it is an AM anniversary thingy here’s a list of theories of what it could be if that ever is in the cards for our beloved Arctic Monkeys:

> An AM greatest hits album. With B-sides from TBHC & The Car. Sorta similar to AM Live at Royal Albert Hall album that dropped in 2020. Cause sure if it was a new album it would likely be reported already. Also during The Car Tour Alex would have wacky beautiful moments playing random stuff on the piano and making Alex sounds sometimes before playing: Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?

> An AM documentary. - AM photographer: Zachary Michael I think it is, has been seen tagging Alex Turner around in a number of Alex Turner recents post the finale of The Car Tour. What if that’s to get shots for the AM documentary?

> An AM book / photo album. Think Alexa Chung’s IT, but if it were AM recounting their career with lots of snapshots and stills of them over their career being fabulous? Also, I can so imagine physical photo album books are still Alex Turner’s thing. I say still because Alex Turner was born in 1986, so he probably grew up with the likes of physical photo albums years before digital camera roles came into place.

> Also for either of my documentary or photo album thing; what if the AM recents with Nick, Jamie, Alex etc have been teases to them visiting iconic AM hotspots / venues etc that AM became and are famous for and that they’ve lots of gratitude towards those locations for giving them that boost in their career/ E.g. Mojave Desert & New York City & Los Angeles where AM recorded Humbug / Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield UK where AM recorded some of their first ever songs at. / Vox Studios LA, La Frette Paris France where AM recorded Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino / The Grapes & Leadmill where they played they’re first ever gigs? -Jamie was spotted attending a concert in Yellow Arch Studios the other week for a Sheffield originating band.

> Strings added to AM songs. Think Glastonbury 2013 where’d AM had a whole orchestra add strings to Cornerstone and Mardy Bum. Exactly. Also, think back to the last four The Car Tour gigs. AM played in Ireland all 4 days with James Ford and an orchestra doing strings on a few songs. What if those four last gigs were the foreshadowing / prelude of Alex’s and AM’s big ideas of what's to come?

Also, Alex isn't seen much public-wise these days at all. If he’s working on an Anniversary thingy it would make so much perfect sense for his ‘hibernation’ / disappearance. Whatever you wanna call it. What if he’s just hardcore hyper focused on getting that right if that is what him and the band are working on?

Another wild thought I have: What if AM bring back songs in the Anniversary thing from Beneath The Boardwalk etc like songs that we’ve never heard the light of day of yet??!!

Thanks @misskattylashes your help and contribution 😘

[rip-us-xoxo]

My family- Draco Malfoy x Reader (REPOST)

Posted OCTOBER 06, 2020

Reposted APRIL 16, 2023

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Warnings- Body image issues and you might blush

——————————————————————————

You sat in yours and Draco’s living room, watching both of your kids play. Raynor, who is 6, was sitting on the floor playing with building blocks and Sloan, who is 4, was just playing with dolls. Draco was at work still, so you were still on kid duty. Meaning, that you weren’t able to do anything and you were honestly too afraid to.

You were very surprised though that it was peaceful because fights happen very often between your two kids. The one that they had a couple of weeks ago though was pretty bad. Sloan, your little girl, made Raynor, your little boy, mad, and then they started fighting which caused Raynor to hit Sloan. But then Sloan bit Raynor. It took so much effort to pull the two apart but at the end of it, they were both crying and Raynor was bleeding.

You looked up at the clock on the wall that showed Draco would get home any minute now. You looked down at yourself to see that you were still in a tank top and booty shorts. You did not look presentable at all.

You huffed and pushed yourself off of the sofa to look in the mirror that was in the living room. You saw the stretch marks on your thighs and saw how your boobs were practically spilling out of the top of your tank top. “Having two kids really does a lot to you,” you mumbled and then looked over at your children who were still playing nicely.

You then heard the front door open and a, “I’m home!”. “Daddy!” both of your children yelled, dropping their toys and running toward the front door. You slowly made your way over to see Draco spinning your children in the air and kissing them. You stayed silent as you watched the cute moment unfold. Draco then stopped and sat his stuff down on the bench next to the front door.

“Hello Love,” he greeted you as he walked up to you. “Hi,” you said sheepishly as he kissed your cheek, “Sorry about this,” you apologized to him and motioned to your outfit. “Don’t be,” he said and gave you another kiss on the cheek. You smiled and followed him to your shared bedroom.

“So honey, how was your day at the Ministry?” you asked him as he kicked off his shoes and walked into your shared walk-in closet, closing the door. You leaned against the door so you two could have a conversation.

“It was good, how about yours?” he asked and you heard shuffling. “It was good, I promise I did stuff today. I didn’t just sit around looking like a hot mess all day,” you said which made him chuckle. “Well I think you look gorgeous, dear,” he said as he opened up the closet door. He was now in black sweat pants and a black t-shirt.

“Well thank you for the flattery but we’ve been married for 7 years, you don’t need to compliment me,” you told him and started walking away. He swiftly pulled you back and kissed you. “You’re my wife and I can compliment you whenever I like,” he told you, which made blush rise on your cheeks.

You then walked back out to the living room together to find your children peacefully playing once again. “Well, that’s unusual,” Draco said and looked over at you, “they would usually be at each other’s throats,”. “We thought that mom was looking a little rough lately so Sloan and I decided to behave and not fight,” Raynor said simply and went back to playing.

You frowned a little and looked down at yourself. “Say sorry to your mother,” Draco told the boy sternly. “No, sweetie, it’s fine. He doesn’t have to apologize, he didn’t say anything wrong,” you told him and rubbed his back gently before walking to the kitchen. 

You sighed as you pulled out your wand and started waving it around, ingredients flying in the air to make dinner. You stood there lazily with no expression on your face, you were still thinking about what your son had said.

“Jesus, even our son thinks I’m a mess,” you chuckled as you felt arms snake around your waist. “But love, you’re not a mess. You’re a mother, and a great one at that,” Draco whispered and gave you a kiss on your neck.

“Mommy!” you heard from behind you. Draco and you turned around to see Raynor standing there with Sloan behind him. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, you just haven’t been looking well lately so we wanted to make it easier for you,” your son told you.

“Wait, what do you mean? How has mommy not been looking well?” Draco asked, concerned. “She just looked pale and she even threw up a few days ago,” Sloan told him. Draco’s eyes went wide as he looked over at you.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were sick? You know I would have taken off of work to take care of you,” Draco told you and hugged you. “Well then, I guess you’ll have to take 9 months off of work,” you told him and giggled slightly. “9 months? That’s ridiculous-” his eyes then went wide as he realized what you just said.

He then looked down at your stomach and then at you. “Are you-? I’m gonna-”, “You’re going to be a dad, again,” you whispered and held your stomach. He smiled really big and hugged you super tight and then kissed you all over your face.

“I’m gonna be a father again!” he yelled and then started kissing your stomach. “Draco, stop it,” you giggled.

“I’m confused,” Sloan stated, to which Raynor said, “Me too.”. “You guys are going to be big siblings!” you cheered and then went to hug them. “Really?! Wait, where?” Sloan said and started looking around. “The baby is in here,” you told her and pointed to your stomach. She walked up to your stomach and put her face on it. “Hi baby, I’m your big sister, I hope we can play when I see you,” she whispered to your stomach.

“Aw,” you squealed and then looked over at Draco, who was looking at you admiringly. He couldn’t believe he was going to be a father to one more child and that you were the one carrying it. Draco hugged you and your children while putting a hand on your stomach and whispered, “My family,”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

xoxo

[black-arcana]

NIGHTWISH's FLOOR JANSEN Announces September 2025 'Music And Spoken Word' Tour Of The Netherlands

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen will embark on a 10-date solo tor of her original home country, the Netherlands, in September 2025.

The 43-year-old Dutch-born vocalist, who resides in Sweden with her husband, SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl, shared the news of the upcoming trek in a social media post earlier today (Monday, October 14). She wrote: "Big news, everyone! I'm thrilled to announce something very close to my heart – my first-ever theater tour, 'Strijdlust' (Fighting Spirit),coming to the Netherlands in 2025!

"This is a dream come true and a new chapter in my journey. From metal stages to intimate theaters, I'm taking a leap to share my story with you in a whole new way.

"'Strijdlust' isn't just a show. I'll be opening up about my battles with cancer, the joy of motherhood, and the whirlwind of my music career — all through music and spoken word. And yes, it'll be in Dutch!

"Life has thrown some curveballs my way, but each challenge has only made me stronger. This tour is my way of sharing that strength with you. From NIGHTWISH to my solo career, you've been with me every step of the way. Now, I invite you to join me for this intimate, powerful experience. Let's celebrate life, music, and the fighting spirit that connects us all.

"Tickets are on sale now! Can't wait to see you there and share this special journey with you all."

In November 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

In October 2023, Jansen and Van Dahl welcomed their second child, Lucy. Jansen and Van Dahl also have a seven-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

In April 2023, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's latest studio album, "Yesterwynde", which arrived on September 20, 2024 via Nuclear Blast.

Floor's debut solo album "Paragon", arrived in March 2023.

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two No. 1 albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member.

NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

[dcgtaggcd]

… the photo on the missing poster is of DENVER MARSHALL. they are THIRTY, and have been missing for TWO YEARS. when the sun rises, they work as GUARD. rumors in town say they can be TROUBLED and VALOROUS. they chose to live in THE TOWN.

BASIC INFORMATION

NAME: Denver Lyn Marshall GENDER: Non-binary (they/them) NICKNAMES: n/a BIRTHDAY: April 30th, 1994 AGE: 30 SEXUALITY: Lesbian HOMETOWN: Selma, Alabama BIRTHPLACE: Selma, Alabama RELIGION: Christian EDUCATION: n/a RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single

PERSONALITY & BEHAVIOR

HOBBIES: Running, Fitness, Dog training, Fishing, Camping, Hiking. LIKES: Strict routines, normalcy, peacefulness, alone time, black coffee, country music, southern rock. DISLIKES: Chaos, upheaval, sudden changes. STRENGTHS: Patient, reliable, bravery, charming, witty, sarcastic. WEAKNESSES: Stubborn, suspicious, emotionally aloof, detached. COUNTERPARTS: Rip Wheeler, Max Mayfield, Shane McCutcheon AESTHETICS: rocking chairs creaking on an old porch, grandma's letters tucked into a bible, a collection of dog tags in your backpack, worn dickie's jeans, watching night turn to day through the creases of eyelids, bruce springsteen vinyl collection, nightmares that feel incredibly too real, barrel aged whiskey.

BACKSTORY: ( tw: ptsd, military)

you can find the full story here. ( coming soon )

BACKSTORY BULLET POINTS:

Childhood

Born in Selma, Alabama, to a U.S. military general, Denver is the youngest of six brothers.

Raised in a strict, military-minded household, where patriotism and discipline are paramount.

From an early age, Denver is expected to follow in the footsteps of their brothers and serve in the military.

Teenage Years

Despite feeling like an outsider in their family, Denver graduates high school and enlists in the U.S. Marines at age 18.

During their time in the Marines, they serve as a cavalry scout, participating in several tours of duty.

Develops strong bonds with fellow soldiers but struggles with the rigid gender expectations and the growing sense that something about their identity isn’t aligning with their family’s vision for them.

Early Adulthood

Denver serves multiple tours in combat zones, including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, beginning with their first tour at age 19.

First tour (2012–2013): Involved in intense combat, where Denver’s PTSD begins to form.

Second tour (2014–2015): Deployment in Afghanistan, with more combat and reconnaissance missions that solidify their role as a cavalry scout.

Third tour (2016–2017): Another stint in the Middle East, witnessing the full brutality of war, further deepening their trauma.

In 2017, Denver’s PTSD becomes severe, leading them to seek out therapy and support groups for veterans.

In 2018, Denver is approved for a therapy dog and adopts Mercy, a golden retriever.

2019: Denver comes out as non-binary to their family, but the response is cold and distant. The estrangement only increases, as they realize they will never live up to their family's expectations

Leaving the Military

After their discharge from the Marines in 2020, Denver struggles to reintegrate into civilian life.

Their PTSD worsens, and they develop a deep fear of feeling trapped in a life they don't identify with.

Denver moves into their late grandmother's old house in Selma with Mercy and continues attending therapy sessions while dealing with the psychological scars of war.

Entering Arcadia

In 2022, Denver, after attending a PTSD support group, is driving home with their dog when they encounter the mysterious tree across a back road. They maneuver their truck past it, confused and disoriented, not realizing that this event marks the beginning of their shift into Arcadia.

As they drive further, they find themselves entering the eerie town of Arcadia, which is completely unfamiliar, despite having driven those country roads countless times before. The sense of displacement is immediate, and Denver begins to wonder if they took a wrong turn or if something else is at play.

[nodynasty4us]

From the April 2, 2024 story:

It would be hard to design a setup more amenable to Democratic turnout. Women will presumably show up to the polls in droves to register their opinion on abortion. Young people will turn out to support marijuana legalization AND abortion access. And because 60% is the bar, it will be an all-hands-on-deck sort of election. Nobody who cares about either issue can tell themselves "Ah, I'll stay home. My vote's not needed." Meanwhile, even if the pro-choice and/or pro-marijuana forces can't get to 60%, there are lots of important races that are determined by a simple majority, or, in the absence of a majority, a plurality. The state's electoral votes. The U.S. Senate race, featuring the never-won-any-election-by-more-than-2% Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). The various House races, which could return a Congress that protects abortion access nationwide. The state legislative races, which could seat a legislature that overturns the 6-week ban. Yes, there are certainly some anti-choice and/or anti-marijuana folks who will get themselves to the polls. But the zealots were already voting, and non-zealots tend to be less motivated when the status quo is already acceptable and/or when their side only needs to get to 40%. It's nearly inconceivable that yesterday's [state supreme court] decisions could drive Republican turnout more than they drive Democratic turnout. And, as a reminder, Donald Trump won the state by 3 points in 2020 and by 1 point in 2016, while Scott won election to the Senate by 0.13% in 2018. It won't take all that much of a Democratic surge to produce very different results in 2024.

[cutepresea]

A look back at XDU's April Fools' jokes since it ended service this year and there won't be any from now on

2018: Dr. Ver takes over

2019: Adam transmutes gold into "Adam's Gold" (yes, you read that correctly, it was already gold) which you then did quests to obtain

2020: Wish of Alca-Noise event runs. An Alca-Noise wishes to be the hero, but tragically those awful Symphogears keep killing off his friends, one by one. Turns out to be a movie idea Adam came up with

2021: Shem-Shem☆Panic event runs. Hibiki and Miku find a tiny Shem-Ha in their refrigerator. Shenanigans ensue until it is revealed to be a dream Miku was having. A card of Chibi Shem-Ha was given as a login bonus

2022: A Symphogear Folk Tale: Funatarou event runs. In this strange retelling of Momotarou, Fine finds a giant fried shrimp floating down the river. She takes the shrimp back home to Genjuro and Elfnein, or rather Funatarou, is born from it.

She then has to travel to Tiffauges Island to defeat the evil oni master Carol and her Autoscorers oni minions, meeting some talking animals along the way (which are just the other characters, of course)

...Yes, it was a dream Carol was having. A card of Elfnein was given as a login bonus

2023: Elfnein creates a fighting game and plays it with Hibiki. A Memoria was given as a quest reward and low poly versions of Hibiki and Elfnein were unlockable to be viewed in the character room