#bombshell summer tour

[nhlovesadri3]

Adriana Lima, with Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Erin Heahterton and Candice Swanepoel at the VS Bombshells Kick Off event of The Bombshell Summer Tour, The Grove, Los Angeles, 12/05/11.

[favefandomimagines]

I Know Places 4 (r.c)

Summary: Rafe’s mistakes might be finally catching up to him; Y/N tells Kie the truth

AN: things are beginning to happen!!!!

Previous part

Taglist: @luvrclub

It had been a week since Y/N and Rafe’s first date, and she felt like she was floating.

Every text from him sent her heart racing, every late-night call made her stomach flip. He had a way of making her feel important, like she was the only thing that mattered when he was talking to her. She’d never had that before—not really.

Growing up, she had always felt like the friend of the pretty girls. Kie and Sarah were the ones guys gravitated toward, the ones who turned heads without even trying. Y/N never felt invisible, not exactly, but she had never been the one to have someone’s full attention.

But now, she did.

And it was hers and hers alone.

Keeping it a secret, though? That was the hard part.

Rafe had been adamant about their second date being his idea. He wanted something lowkey, something personal, but wouldn’t tell her anything else.

“Just trust me, Pretty Girl.”

And she did.

The problem was Kie.

Kie knew Y/N better than anyone, and the past week, Y/N could feel her best friend watching her. She wasn’t outright suspicious—not yet—but Y/N could tell she was waiting for her to slip up.

And today, with the bait shop quiet and no one else around, Y/N decided it was time to tell her the truth.

||

The shop smelled like salt and baitfish, the usual scent of their summer days. The morning rush had ended, and now, with John B and JJ out doing scuba tours, Sarah handling inventory, and Pope and Cleo getting groceries, it was just Y/N and Kie.

Y/N leaned against the counter, her fingers tapping anxiously. Kie was organizing some fishing lines, humming to herself, completely unaware that Y/N was about to drop a bombshell on her.

Y/N took a deep breath. “Hey, Kie?”

Kie looked up immediately, raising an eyebrow. “Oh no, what happened?” she teased.

Y/N huffed a small laugh, but it died quickly. “I have to tell you something,” she said, her voice a little too serious. Kie’s teasing expression softened.

“And I’m telling you as my best friend first, not my brother’s girlfriend. And I need you to let me explain fully before you react.”

That got Kie’s attention. She set the fishing lines down and turned to face Y/N completely, concern flickering across her face.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “I’m listening.”

Y/N inhaled deeply, bracing herself. “I’ve been talking to Rafe.”

Kie’s expression didn’t change, but Y/N saw the way her shoulders tensed.

“Since the night of the beach party,” Y/N continued. “We went on a date last week. And we’re going on another one soon.”

Silence.

Y/N forced herself to keep going. “I really like him, Kie. He’s different than he used to be. Something happened that made him finally grow up and start treating people like humans.”

Kie was still unreadable, which only made Y/N more nervous.

“He asked me about me,” Y/N said, her voice softer now. “My favorite books, my favorite memories with you, what I want to do with my life. No guy has ever cared enough to ask me that. And I think I really like him.”

The silence stretched, and Y/N’s stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Kie finally spoke, her voice even. “Are you done?”

Y/N nodded slowly, preparing for the absolute worst.

Kie exhaled through her nose, then tilted her head. “Was he nice to you?”

Y/N blinked. She had expected yelling, accusations—not this. “Yeah, he was really nice to me.”

Kie studied her. “And you’re positive you think he’s changed?”

“Yes,” Y/N said, her voice firm. “There’s something different about him. I told him about my dad, and he actually wanted to defend JJ. The Rafe we knew wouldn’t say that.”

Kie was quiet for a moment before stepping closer. She placed her hands on Y/N’s shoulders, looking her straight in the eye.

“I just want you to be happy, Y/N,” Kie said, her voice filled with sincerity. “You’re my best friend. And though I’m not thrilled about keeping this from JJ, you were my friend first. And I get why you haven’t told him.”

Y/N felt her throat tighten. “So… you’re not mad?”

Kie sighed. “I want to be, but no. I trust you. And if you trust Rafe, then I’ll try to trust him too.”

Relief washed over Y/N, and before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around Kie. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

Kie hugged her back, squeezing her tightly. “Just don’t let him hurt you, okay?”

Y/N pulled back, nodding. “I won’t.”

But deep on the Cut, someone was getting hurt

||

Rafe’s truck came to a screeching halt outside Barry’s place, the tires kicking up a cloud of dust as he yanked the keys from the ignition. He barely registered the familiar surroundings—the rusting cars, the half-collapsed fence, the dim glow of a single flickering porch light. His mind was only focused on one thing.

Finding them.

The second he slammed the truck door shut, Barry was already stepping onto the porch, lighting a cigarette like he wasn’t about to have the shit beaten out of him.

“Damn, man,” Barry drawled, exhaling a plume of smoke. “You look pissed. Gotta be careful with all that pent-up rage, Cameron. Might give yourself an aneurysm.”

Rafe didn’t say a word. He crossed the distance in three strides, grabbing Barry by the collar and shoving him up against the wooden porch post.

Barry let out a choked laugh, unfazed. “Oh, we’re doin’ this already? Usually, we at least have a drink first.”

Rafe’s knuckles connected with Barry’s jaw before the man could finish his sentence.

Barry grunted as his head snapped to the side, the cigarette dropping from his lips.

“Where the fuck are they?” Rafe growled, his voice low, dangerous.

Barry wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, smirking despite the fresh bruise forming. “Man, you’re gonna have to be more specific. I know a lot of people.”

Rafe hit him again. This time, Barry stumbled, his back slamming against the porch railing.

“Don’t play with me,” Rafe snapped. “I know you were the middleman. I know you know who came into my house.”

Barry laughed, shaking his head as he leaned against the railing like they were just having a friendly chat. “You think I got control over those guys? Shit, Cameron. You don’t owe me money. I was just the guy making introductions. You’re the one who decided to play businessman and not pay back what you owed.”

Rafe’s fists clenched, his breathing heavy. He was losing control. He could feel it slipping, just like it always did.

“I swear to God, Barry, if you don’t start talking—”

“They know about her.”

The words cut through the rage like a knife.

Rafe stilled.

His grip loosened. “What did you just say?”

Barry wiped at his bleeding lip again, his smirk widening despite the fresh bruises. “The guys you owe? They know about Y/N.”

The air between them shifted instantly.

Rafe’s breath came short and fast, his chest tightening, panic seeping in through the cracks.

“No,” Rafe said quickly, shaking his head. “That’s not possible. No one—”

Barry let out a humorless chuckle, rubbing at his jaw. “Oh, come on, man. You really think you kept that little crush of yours a secret?”

Rafe’s stomach churned violently.

Barry smirked, tilting his head. “You forget how much you used to talk when you were high, Cameron? You wouldn’t shut the hell up about her. Some Pogue girl you couldn’t stop thinking about, couldn’t stop watching.”

Rafe’s entire body felt like it had been submerged in ice water.

Barry leaned in slightly, voice dropping into something more sinister. “Looks like they figured out your soft spot.”

That was it.

That was the moment Rafe snapped.

His fist connected with Barry’s face one last time, harder than before, sending the man sprawling onto the ground with a loud grunt.

Barry groaned, coughing as he rolled onto his side. “Fuck, man. You really gotta work on those anger issues.”

Rafe stepped back, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his bloodied fists trembling at his sides.

He needed to get out of there.

Without another word, Rafe turned, storming back to his truck and tearing out of Barry’s driveway in a spray of gravel.

His mind was spinning, spiraling, breaking.

They knew about Y/N.

They knew.

Rafe’s pulse pounded in his ears as he drove blindly through the Cut, the weight of the revelation pressing against his ribcage.

It didn’t make sense. There was zero chance anyone knew about Y/N. No one had seen them together, no one knew they were talking.

The only reason Barry even knew about his feelings for her was because of the past.

Because of the times Rafe had been too fucked up to keep his mouth shut.

Rafe had always had a thing for Y/N Maybank.

For years, he watched her from a distance, pretended to hate her, pretended she didn’t make his head spin in the worst way. She was the only Pogue he never really saw as one of them.

She was smart, sharp-tongued, unapologetically herself.

And the fact that she belonged to them? That she was best friends with the people he grew up hating? It only made her more untouchable.

But now, somehow, the people he owed knew.

And that meant she wasn’t untouchable anymore.

||

Rafe wasn���t sure how long he had been driving before he found himself in front of the Maybank house.

His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might crack a rib.

And then, he saw her.

Y/N was on the porch, her laughter ringing through the air as she helped Sarah carry in large boxes of inventory. Her hair was falling loosely over her shoulders, her sundress swaying slightly in the warm evening breeze.

She looked happy.

Untouched.

Pure.

Rafe tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his jaw clenching.

Then, he glanced down at his hands.

His bloody, shaking hands.

The stark contrast between the two—the warmth of Y/N, the darkness that had seeped into every inch of his own life—made his stomach turn.

He had already dragged her into this without meaning to.

But he’d be damned if he let her get hurt because of him.

Rafe exhaled sharply, his grip loosening on the wheel.

He had to keep her out of this.

He didn’t deserve her. He knew that.

But he’d burn the whole damn world down before he let someone take her from him.

[81folklore]

dress - VETTEL - part 3

pairings: sebastian vettel x famous!reader (fc: taylor swift)

summary: the fans think they have finally recovered from the bombshell yn and seb dropped a year ago, only for it all to break down when she goes on tour

authors note: ok lets talk quickly, this is set in the future because past me wasnt planning on making more parts so i said there would be no tour, turns out i want the tour so lets fast forward to like summer 2024. seb and yn have still been keeping a pretty private relationship, but shes turned up in the background of sebs insta lives and hes been in the background of stories etc. next, shes on tour!! only really just started in the fic, maybe at show 30-35 and kinda like the actual eras tour its taken a little bit for her to be comfortable and seb has been backstage/not seen (yes this is important)

authors note 2: i mentioned a little bit ago that i wanted to do the rep vault tracks but i dont know when that will happen so in the meantime you can have this and then ill do one more part when rep tv and then i’ll probably end this fic (maybe i think i’ll definitely miss them)

authors note 3: hi this is from future me who has already finished writing. i apologize for how all over the place this is but as i already said i will be doing another chapter for the rep vault tracks and i love writing for these two so i probably wont ever end this fic.. anyways hope you enjoy!! (also i was watching smallishbeans while writing this so sorry for any typos😭)

part 1 part 2 masterlist

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cardiff that was so much fun!!! loved every single second of it and thank you for coming out to see me! see you soon london🫶

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oh wow! london you have just blown me away, seeing not only you all inside the stadium but seeing videos of you all outside having the time of your lives makes my heart so warm!! i cant wait to play for you all again🐝

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[pop-punklouis]

if maya was telling the truth (who knows) why do you think per your tags zayn wouldve done it during 2014-2015? granted i wasn’t here for that era so is it just because that’s when zayn left?

not specifically.

i think it’s hard to explain how the autumn of 2014 and beginning of 2015 felt as a fan if you weren’t there for it. there was obviously a lot of tension on many fronts at the time. even coming off the tail end of the weedgate video in the summer…. think the ben winston interviews, the louis twitter account bashing the rainbow direction project with bullshit 2.0, liam’s weird tweets/favorites about the rainbow project, i hate to say it bc i try to not speculate too much over appearances but the obvious weight loss of both louis and zayn in 2014, the zerrie engagement the media wanted to make part of their press cycles regardless of it making zayn uncomfortable anytime he had to open up about his personal life, 1989 releasing and all the press associated with harry— including all the pap walks he was doing with different girls and going to different parties, the rumors of tension while recording four and zayn’s songs not being chosen, the boys hanging out with separate producers and drastically different industry personalities who i’m sure were whispering in all their ears, FOUR and WWA being the peak of their success and fame as a band and what comes attached to that, the pressure to ride that wave and continue pushing certain images and too many public appearances on radio and print and award shows and tv etc., louis and zayn consistently in the nightlife scene, the not-so-subtle marketing of harry as the face of the band was in full-form here, naughty boy made his first appearance during this era, harry with his black & white instagram feed and the color theory that felt very. real at the time, zayn missing televised performances last minute, louis getting his dagger tattoo, the drugs and alcohol abuse im sure was starting to really occur at this time, the first leg of OTRA where it was obvious none of the boys had real tour rehearsals of the four tracklist because they fumbled the words back and forth during the australian dates (i always remember how shockingly poor those performances of stockholm syndrome were), the beginning of party boy!louis’s public persona was rearing its head as spring of 2015 rolled in, liam’s tweets being the cause of controversy back and forth, the lack of personal interaction on stage with everyone, zayn missing tour dates before the bombshell of his departure was dropped……

there was a lot of tension there that i know i only realized when i looked back at that time period altogether. as it was happening, all of these things were either missed or didn’t seem too significant because the music was great, we were getting more content then ever, the band was finally starting to get the praise and recognition they deserved in the industry, the boys were more active on social media, and the fans, for the most part, were having fun. but, it’s obvious (at least to me) that the cracks in the machine that was One Direction started as the latter half of 2014 came. And no matter how much duct tape and glue they or their team or the label execs tried to put on it, it eventually fell. i do believe that time period was the foundation for all that came after though, so that’s why it isn’t surprising me to me if that’s when zayn and liam had that altercation because i can imagine tensions were high with everyone behind the scenes off/on as they continued at a speed that just. wasn’t sustainable.

[film-classics]

Carmen Miranda - The Brazilian Bombshell

Carmen Miranda (born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha in Marco de Canaveses, Porto on February 9, 1909) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her sass and signature fruit hat outfit that she wore in her American films.

Miranda was introduced to a composer while working at her family's inn and soon recorded her first single in 1929.  She then signed a two-year contract with Rádio Mayrink Veiga, the most popular Brazilian station of the 1930s. Her rise to stardom in Brazil was linked to the growth of a native style of music: the samba.

At the invitation of US show business impresario, Lee Shubert, who saw her perform in Rio's Cassino da Urca, she came to Broadway and starred in hit musicals.

When news of Broadway's latest star reached Hollywood, Twentieth Century-Fox offered her a contract in 1941. Her most memorable film performances are in the musical numbers of films such as Week-End in Havana (1941) and The Gang's All Here (1943). After World War II, Miranda's films at Fox were produced in black-and-white, indicative of Hollywood's diminishing interest in her. As a result, she produced her own films to limited success. Although her film career was faltering, her musical career remained solid and she was still a popular nightclub attraction. She continued to tour the US, Europe, and Latin America.

After filming a segment for the NBC variety series The Jimmy Durante Show, where complained of feeling unwell, she died at home in Beverly Hills, California from a heart attack. She was 46 years old.

Legacy:

Was the first contract singer in Brazilian radio history; subsequently, the highest-paid radio singer in Brazil in the 1930s

Chosen by former Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas as a goodwill ambassador to the United States in 1939

Was the first Latin American star to have a block in the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in 1941

Was Hollywood's highest-paid entertainer and the top female taxpayer in the US in 1945, earning more than $200,000 that year

Has a museum in Rio de Janeiro, Museu Carmen Miranda, established in her honor in 1976

Received the Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique Grande Oficial, a Portuguese order of knighthood, in 1995

Has a square in Hollywood named Carmen Miranda Square with a ceremony headed by honorary mayor of Hollywood Johnny Grant and attended by Brazilian consul general Jorió Gama in 1998

Was one of 500 stars nominated for the American Film Institute's 50 greatest screen legends in 1999

Honored by the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro in 2005 and the Latin America Memorial in São Paulo in 2006 with a Carmen Miranda Forever exhibit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of her death

Bestowed the Ordem do Mérito Cultural by the Ministry of Culture of Brazil in 2009

Was a part of a set of commemorative US Postal Service Latin Music Legends stamps, painted by Rafael Lopez, in 2011

Commemorated in the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony with a tribute

Honored with a Google Doodle on her 108th birthday in 2017

Was the first South American honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6262 Hollywood Blvd for motion picture

[earlgreytea68]

So I was like, Why can't I find any footage of the Magic 8 Ball song? What did Patrick play for the piano medley?? I eventually gave up and went to look at the set list.

And at first I was like, ...they played Bang the Doldrums for the Magic 8 Ball song? That's it? All Patrick played was Golden?

And then I paused and repeated those sentences to myself: They played Bang the Doldrums. Patrick played Golden.

Like, if you had shown me this set list a year ago, I would have told you it was an impossible Fall Out Boy set list. They played Dead on Arrival? Calm Before the Storm?? I remember the first time they played Calm Before the Storm on this album cycle, I almost fell out of my chair when it started, it was so shocking. Hum Hallelujah into Headfirst Slide????? Another song we absolutely COULD NOT BELIEVE when they first played it live, it was so shocking that Pete told the crowd he expected faces to melt off. Then they played Golden and Bang the Doldrums and THOSE ARE SONGS I SHRUGGED OFF????? They have now played these songs so often that they barely registered as things they were playing until I stopped and thought: They played BANG THE DOLDRUMS??? When I joined this fandom, that song had such mythos around the idea that they would never play it live and now they clearly love to play it live, they trot it out all the time.

And it occurred to me, as I contemplated all of this, that this was, in fact, probably the point of the astonishing summer tour they went through. They have already detonated most of the emotional bombshells of their career, and now they can just...play them. Like, that's the wonder of what they did: They unlocked their entire catalog, embraced all of it, in one shocking six-week dash through their history. We called it the tour of healing, and this is what it means to be healed: to come out on the other side of the apocalypse and casually slide Hum Hallelujah into Headfirst Slide, with Golden and Bang the Doldrums lurking in the wings, and it's no longer a big deal because it's healed, the way that that broken bone from the summer you were 12 is no longer a big deal anymore. It may twinge from time to time when the weather gets iffy, but by and large, it's just another of your bones again.

It's amazing, what this band has done for itself. They smashed all of the walls they'd put up around the tender vulnerable parts, they dragged them out into the light...and they not only survived, they thrived. Now they just play them, because everything they have ever been is something for them to cherish now, nothing for them to hide away.

And at the end of the day, Pete Wentz leaned his elbow on Patrick Stump and wiggled to the beat of their love song. Their throughline through the whole thing, and it was there for them again last night, at the end of an extraordinary set list that they have made feel ordinary. How lovely for them, to once again be at "Saturday," and for the ordinariness of all of it to be as ever the most extraordinary part for them: me and Pete, once again, one more time, forward into their future. "Saturday," still there for all of us the way at the end of the day the way it has been for twenty years now. Nothing could be more ordinary at the end of a Fall Out Boy show. How utterly extraordinary.

[skyler10fic]

WonderGirls: Ch. 1

Summary: Daisy Johnson is cast in her first big starring role as a superhero in a Wonder comic-book action film after her long-running TV show ends. She's out as bisexual in the industry and to her show's devoted fanbase, but it's hardly newsworthy in comparison to the A-list celebrity stardom of her idol-turned-new-costar, Carol Danvers. America's Sweetheart has a secret and she's under a lot of pressure to keep it that way as Wonder Studios tries to market their characters as love interests for Pride clout without infuriating the haters and bigots. Will rainbow capitalism land on their side toward real progress or will fear win out over love, both in the movie and behind the scenes?

Read on Ao3

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

“Cut!” 

Daisy relaxed as the director conferred with the assistants. It was their third straight day of shooting and Daisy still hadn’t met her co-star in this superhero film, aside from a group Zoom for script read-throughs. Carol Danvers, a gorgeous blonde bombshell, was a Hollywood darling of the moment with her previous work on a historical romance, an all-female Top Gun remake, a beloved sci-fi instant cult classic, and a charming family-reunited comedy. Daisy, however, had spent the last decade in a spy TV series. She was grateful for her big break going on so long, of course, but it was time to show she had more to offer as an actress than being the IT-geek-turned-action-hero sidekick. The TV show writers had eventually given her more than teen genius comedic relief lines as she had grown into a young adult, but as sad as she was to say goodbye to the cast that had become a family, it was time to spread her wings. 

Her action scenes in the spy show had landed her a spot in the next big superhero film, WonderGirls, from the Wonder comic-book movie franchise. She was playing one of the four titular girls and Carol played another. Specifically, Carol’s character and her own were supposed to fall in love, in a groundbreaking, much-hyped will-they-won’t-they romance. Wonder had limited the script to a vague love confession and embrace so they could still distribute the movie overseas where a sapphic storyline would be frowned upon or even banned completely. 

Instead of “taking five” and drinking expensive bottled water alone on set between awkward stunts, Daisy had wanted to ask Carol how she felt about it, both the scene and the politics of it. And she wanted to strategize for their promo tour during Pride month next year, designed to turn the film into a lauded progressive summer blockbuster without losing any international revenue. 

But so far all Daisy had done was train with a personal trainer from the studio and her stunt double, attend script readings with the whole cast, and film flying scenes in a harness in front of a green screen. Her character didn’t technically have the power of flight the way Carol’s character did, but she could jump high enough that it resulted in a similar effect, so only one of them could use the harnessed set at a time. Daisy was scheduled first for everything since she was now technically otherwise unemployed with the conclusion of her TV series and Comic-Con behind her. She had her own diehard fans at the cons, but even she hadn’t been able to get close to Carol’s panel and signing table. She’d barely glimpsed her future co-star before Carol was swept off to another studio to shoot a promo for her latest family comedy, coming soon to theaters. 

Between brand deals, international film festivals, promo spots, and only the most prestigious con panels, Carol had been wrapping late reshoots and starting her press tour. Daisy, meanwhile, had come home to an empty house after a very emotional trip to San Diego full of closure and ice cream. And she didn’t know what to do next. Scripts from her agent started to come in after a few days, but the parts for moms (she was only 28!) and eye-candy love interests of male main characters depressed her, and the parts for spy/crime show tech support felt too type-casted. 

This part, a WonderGirl, seemed too good to be true. Not just a sexy side character or a quirky support role, but a film starring hero. It was somewhat familiar with the action, yet also totally different, a broader audience, and a chance to inspire queer girls everywhere. And, of course, working with Carol Danvers was a huge draw. Daisy might have had a bit of a celebrity crush on her, if it were cool for celebrities to have crushes on bigger celebrities. 

More importantly, her career was not dead—despite having to hang in the air from a wire while pretending to be unconscious from the blast of a villain’s weapon, all of which would be added in postproduction. 

At the end of the day, Daisy grabbed some pizza from craft services and headed back to her trailer to eat dinner alone and study her lines. She had one night shoot scene tonight and then she could go home. And then back to the studio again early in the morning for more.  

—------------------------ 

Carol Danvers was exhausted. She was constantly surrounded by people telling her she was running late, needing more things from her, and trying to get her to sign pieces of paper or pose for a photo. The fans were not the exhausting part so much as just the general busyness of it all. The lights flashing and the international flights and the relentless pace of everyone’s success and futures riding on her.

It was her name on the billboards, her face on the latest issues of all the magazines, but in reality, she had a team of people financially depending on her ability to charm and impress. 

Today’s New York rain had slowed down the day considerably, plus mobs of press and fans. Her agent, publicist, assistant, and bodyguard worked together to keep everything on schedule for today’s photo shoots and publicity videos and more, but some things couldn’t be helped. 

“Shoots on WonderGirls start tomorrow,” her assistant reminded her as the small entourage ducked into a restaurant they knew would keep out the paparazzi. 

“Yeah, I have some concerns about the script,” Carol admitted. They were seated and confirmed their “usuals” would be fine. “It’s not so much what’s there as what… isn’t.” 

Her publicist sighed. “You have that look. The one where you’re about to get serious with unserious people. It’s Wonder. It’s comic book movies. Don’t overthink it.” 

Carol frowned in thought. “But they are trying to make it a breakthrough film for queer representation. That’s how they pitched it to me. So, where is it? Where’s the queer scenes or lines?” 

“I’ll talk to my people at Wonder,” her agent promised. “I’ll see what we can do to make it more explicitly stated, but I don’t know that they can push it much more between the protests of Concerned Moms for American Values and the political climate, especially in the international market right now…”  

The waiter brought out some champagne samples for them to try and approve for Carol’s official endorsement. As he passed out the glasses, he explained each brand too fast for Carol to remember any of them and disappeared back into the kitchen.

As soon as he was gone, Carol’s agent kept talking, but Carol’s attention wandered. She looked around to the people who knew her best and realized that they were all her employees. She didn’t think of them like that. She thought of them as a team, and they were each the best in the business. But at the end of the day, this was a professional business dinner, not friends venting together without real-world consequences on the table. Even drinking champagne together was about a business decision. 

So instead of unburdening her heart about what it was like to be “an open secret” and “Hollywood out” and being told now wasn’t the time to be visibly queer or that it would hurt box office sales to talk about LGBTQIA+ issues, she nodded along and ate her meal. By the time they finished, the crowd outside the restaurant had been driven away by pounding rain, and the entourage rushed to the waiting luxury SUV with dark coats held up and open like umbrellas to shield Carol and themselves from the worst of the storm. 

As they drove back to their hotel to pick up their luggage and head to the airport, Carol watched the rain against the window and wondered what it would be like to twirl an umbrella in it as long as she wanted, maybe even to kiss a real girlfriend in real rain—not a male co-star with a practical effects machine dumping water on them. 

Unfortunately, reality was not on the schedule. Tomorrow, she’d be back in LA and acting her way through the day, not just as her character but as the perfect, shiny, Hollywood star from dawn to midnight with coworkers who’d be doing exactly the same and then plotting her downfall behind her back. When she’d had her big break at 16, it hadn’t seemed so different from high school. Now at 30, boarding yet another red-eye flight, she was ready for a change.  

[readyforthegarden]

Silver Springs - Part Three

Masterlist

Pairing: Sam Kiszka x Original Female Character

Synopsis: The year was 1976, the season was summer. The days were hot and the nights were hotter. Music was the best it had ever been, especially rock music. Sam Kiszka has been riding the high of being in one of the top bands on the scene, but when his bands tour is accompanied by another up-and-coming band, with a lead singer that gets on his very last nerve, will everything come crashing down or will they end up making music that changes the world?

Warnings: Smoking, drinking, drug use 18+ only, Minors DNI

WC: 1951

🎶 🎶 🎶

Sam was wrong. He was so, so wrong. Harlow only became more grating on his nerves as the days went by. She sang constantly, as she walked down the halls of the venue, from soundcheck, in the bathroom, hearing her through the door as he passed it by. If she wasn’t singing, she was humming. The worst fact of the matter was Josh was enamored by her, constantly bringing her in to listen to something, to harmonize with him, warm up with him. Sam was surrounded by Harlow entirely.

He watched from the side stage in Jackson, Wyoming as Josh and Harlow sat cross-legged in the middle of the stage, hands held up, palms facing each other but just a few small millimeters from touching. They both had their eyes closed, lazy, lit smiles on their faces while they hummed in unison.

“Your aura is so strong, Josh.” Harlow said, her tone of voice in slight awe.  “Your pulsing with energy, I can practically see the colors with my eyes closed.”

“Tell me,” Josh murmured, a smile tugging his lips up at the corner. “What colors am I?”

“Oh you’re a vibrant orange.” Harlow replied, grinning, eyes still closed. “Exuding out all around you, and then closer to your body, yellow.”

“I like that, it sounds groovy.” Josh chuckled. “I don’t know if I can see yours.”

“That’s okay,” Harlow bumped Josh’s knee with her own in the small space between them. “I’ve had mine read before, and I’ve been told it’s usually a shade of purple or more indigo.”

“What do the colors mean?” Josh asked, opening his eyes. Harlow followed suit, yet they kept their hands up in front of them.

“Well, everyone interprets them slightly differently,” she explained. “But orange is usually someone who is very happy, happy to be themselves and be where they are and who they’re with, and loves to love. You make friends quickly. Yellow is a general playful spirit, balanced and incredibly smart.”

“Ooh, yeah I like my aura.” Josh laughed. “What about yours?”

“Indigo and purples can represent a connection to a higher self, being able to ‘see’ others for who they truly are. Which I fully believe because I’ve been able to tell when someone has been lying to me quite a few times, I’ve become very intuitive as I’ve learned about everything.” 

“You don’t get to be where you are as a woman in this industry by being dumb, that’s for sure.” Josh smiled at Harlow, and she returned it.  

“I wish more people could see that.” Josh watched as her smile faltered slightly, her hands slowly falling to her lap, breaking their energy connection. 

“They will,” Josh assured her, reaching his hand out and cupping her chin. “You’re a star of your own right, Harlow, much like your namesake.”

“You caught that, huh?”

“Harlow and the Blue Jean Babies?” Josh smirked. “My mother still talks about Jean Harlow and Bombshell. It’s one of her favorite movies.”

“She was something, wasn’t she?” Harlow blinked.

“And you are too.” Josh replied, shaking her head back and forth slightly with a chuckle. He leaned in, lowering his voice as if he was sharing a secret. “You’re gonna be huge, baby.”

“Don’t I know it.” Harlow whispered back, giggling.

Sam felt something tighten in his chest as he watched his eldest brother lean in towards the object of his annoyance, his hand already on her face to hold her in place. Of course his brother would fall for her shit, all that free-spirit nonsense. He would make his move only a week and a half into the tour.

Sam plugged in his bass to the amplifier, plucking the strings and letting the notes thump all too loudly through the speaker, jolting Josh and Harlow apart. He watched her back as Josh stood up, offering her his hands and tugging her up too before she gave him a small wave and moved to leave the stage as Danny and Jake entered. As she passed Sam, leaving behind a trail of her perfume, notes of lavender, patchouli and jasmine floating over to him and causing him to lock eyes with her. Her eyes glimmered as she smiled at him, and Sam merely frowned harder, the lingering image of his brother leaning in to her flashing again in his mind.

“Break a leg tonight, Sam.” Sam only gave her a terse nod to her as he tuned his bass up for the show.

🎶 🎶 🎶

“Party on our bus tonight, boys!” Josh grinned as he strutted into the green room after the show, rubbing his hands together before going to the rider table and picking up the bottles of booze, tucking them under his arms and heading out, not even bothering to change out of his jumpsuit. Sam sighed, hearing Josh making sure to invite Harlow and the Blue Jean Babies.

“Aww, what, you’re gonna be a party pooper?” Jake teased as he changed, using a towel to wipe the sweat from his body.

“I’m just tired.” Sam mumbled, whipping off his jacket. “I just want to get into my bunk and go to bed.”

“Tough luck, rockstar.” Jake laughed, flicking his little brothers arm. “You chose the lifestyle, you gotta stay up all night and party with us.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sam pushed Jake away, and continued to change, keeping his grumblings to himself in his head. 

As soon as the busses pulled out of the venue, the party was on, Jake, never tired, was already playing a spare acoustic he had stowed away on the bus, enjoying being in control of the music that everyone sang along to. Heady smoke filled the bus and Sam had to admit, he was feeling a bit better, even with Harlow singing a few feet away from him.

He stood next to Billy in the tight space, both of them being on-lookers as Danny gently spun Harlow around to the music, taking the small joint from her lips and placing it in his. 

“This is wild, man,” Billy muttered, taking a sip of his beer as he watched on. Sam quirked an eyebrow at the guitarists admission.

“This is one of the most tame parties I think we’ve ever had.” Sam chuckled. Billy shook his head.

“Not the party…well yes, the party, but the fact I’m here. We’re here.” he shook his head.  “I never would’ve thought it would happen.”

“Life works out like that,” Sam shrugged. 

“Not life.” Billy shook his head. “Her.” he used the hand holding his beer to gesture towards Harlow.

“I’m sure you could have made it here without her.” Sam scoffed, barely hiding his sour feelings. Billy just shook his head and smiled.

“I’ve known that girl since we were in diapers.” Billy sighed wistfully. “I’ve never met anyone else with the determination and drive to do something like she has. We always dabbled in music together, we really thought we were gonna be the next Peter, Paul and Mary, just missing the Peter.” 

“And then you found one, and then a drummer.” Sam chuckled. 

“Yeah, she went into the city one weekend, and came back and was so fiercely determined to make this band happen. My dad almost killed us, running up the electricity bill and making all that noise. But she started going out and booking us shows. Dive bars, legion halls, anywhere that would take us. And somehow within a few months, something clicked and we started booking clubs, and bigger shows, and then you and your brother came into our lives and suddenly we’re on a giant tour with one of the biggest rock bands the world has ever seen.”

Sam sipped his beer again, selfishly thinking to himself that the trajectory of their careers were double because of him, for putting Harlow in her place when she was still just Brandy Lawson, and second for letting them come on the tour. 

“It’s just really incredible.” Sam nodded, smiling at Billy as the smell of jasmine and lavender hit his senses, now mixed with the smell of tobacco and marijuana. Harlow was standing in front of them, slipping the lukewarm beer from Billy’s hand and taking a large swig of it.

“All the dancing and smoke has me thirsty.” she laughed, she turned to Sam. “What are you wallflowers talking about?”

“You, of course,” Billy smirked. Harlow gave him a wicked smirk back before darting her eyes to Sam.

“Me? Well it was all good, I hope.” Billy reached out, taking Harlow’s hand and twirled her around. 

“Just about how determined you were to make it with the band.” Sam regarded her once she was stationary again. Her eyes lit up, the drive that led them all the way to where they were now sparking through the haze in the air. He had hoped the quip regarding her passion would make it feel more like desperation, and embarrass her slightly, but the only glow on her cheeks was from the blush she had worn on stage and the alcohol she had consumed.

“When I want something, I get it.” Harlow replied.

“Is that so?” Sam challenged, raising his eyebrows. The pair stared at one another, a silent conversation existing between them for a few moments before Harlow turned and walked back over to his brothers, joining in on another song.

“She’s not lying.” Billy sighed.  “I’ve never seen anyone say no to that girl. Hell, she could sell salt to the ocean.” Sam watched as Harlow took a drink that Josh offered her, the two of them clinking the rims of their plastic cups together before taking sips. He felt a small pang in his stomach as he watched Josh place a hand on her back, nearly feeling sick that his brother would choose to start something with this woman who only seemed keen on getting to the top. 

Sam finished off his beer before reentering the party, taking the now roach-sized joint out of the corner of Jake’s mouth and taking a long, deep drag from it. Holding the smoke in his lungs for as long as he could, he slowly let out the stream out of his mouth. His eyes lazily gazed around the small area of the bus, and and he couldn’t help but smile as he watched Danny take over on the guitar for a bit, giving Jake a small reprieve to grab a beer of his own and slowing down the pace.

“Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train,” Danny began singing softly, earning some hollers of excitement at the Joplin tune. It only took a few more lines before everyone else’s voices joined his, even Sam’s.

“When I's feelin' near as faded as my jeans

Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained

And rode us all the way into New Orleans

I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana

I's playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues

Windshield wipers slappin' time, I's holdin' Bobby's hand in mine

We sang every song that driver knew”  

There was a new air of levity in the entire bus as everyone sat together, singing and swaying. Sam caught Harlow, her arm slung around Billy’s shoulders as they sang, sharing his empty beer bottle as a microphone.

“Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose

Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no-no

And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues

You know feelin' good was good enough for me

Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee”

And maybe feeling good was going to be good enough for Sam Kiszka, at least on this tour.

🎶 🎶 🎶

Taglist: @joshsindigostreak @ascendingtostardust @sammysprincess @sammykiszkamyass @belovedsamuel @sunfl0wer-power @indigo-starcatcher @sammyscherub @earthlysorrows @lvnterninthenight @allieisacrybaby @losfacedevil @xserenax-13 @sarakay-gvf @shutupdevvie @myownparadise96 @watchingovergvff @gretavanfleetposts @sacredthefran @josiee-gvf @joshkiszkatoothgap @madneedshelp @gardensgatedaisy @demonrat444 @writingcold @dannyandthekiszkas @lightmylove-gvf @tearsofbri @paleshadow-ofadragon @happy-harpy-stuff @like-a-woman-in-a-dream @starshine-wagner @objectsinspvce @josh-iamyour-mama @mountain-in-springtime @cal-a-bungaa @capturethechaos @jankandjonch @gvfpal

@allybjt @hippievanfleet @weightofbrokenbells @joshkiszkasbadussy @malany-gvf @ruby0antlers @samofthedawn @sacredjake @aim4thedoublee @diditallforyouu @gvfmarge @highladyofasgard @sammysvanfeet@gold-mines-melting @earthgrlsreasy @mountain-in-springtime @forcebond301 @stardust-and-shadows @llightmyllovee @gretavangroupie @comesofarsomehow @starcatcherkiszka @indigofallingsky @hellowgoodbye

[sparkz-flyy]

Hollywood Studios Underestimated Taylor Swift And Are Losing Out On Millions

"Taylor Swift isn't just shaking it off: she's shaking things up in Hollywood with a bombshell deal that has reportedly left studios seething.

The pop icon is bringing her "Eras Tour" concert to theaters on October 13, and has made the radical move of cutting out the middleman — a Hollywood studio distributor like Disney, Paramount, or Universal— and making a deal directly with AMC Theatres to distribute the film on its screens, while also distributing in other theaters via a sub-distribution deal with Variance Films.

Here's why this is such a big deal. Traditionally there are three parties involved in bringing movies to theaters: the producer, the distributor, and the exhibitor. The first two are often housed under the same roof; for example, Disney owns Pixar Animation Studios (a production company) and also distributes Pixar movies by making deals with exhibitors (theaters). Box office ticket sales are then split between the exhibitors and the distributor, with the studio usually taking a bigger cut of opening weekends, and theaters taking a larger percentage later on in a movie's theatrical run.

Up until recently, there was a sharp dividing line between movie studios and theaters: studios were not allowed to own movie theaters, due to a landmark antitrust decision in 1949. But this decision was overturned in 2020, which means that Disney could now theoretically launch a chain of Disney theaters, and an exhibitor like AMC can get into the distribution game.

So, when the Swift family found Hollywood's studios seeking to control the when and where of "Eras Tour" hitting theaters (as is typical of a movie release), they instead turned to AMC Theatres, saying: "I've got a blank space, baby, and I'll write your name."

Intentionally or not, this is a power move, and studios are reportedly angry about it. None of them have really capitalized on the opportunity to own their own movie theaters yet; they've been too focused on launching their streaming services, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic had everyone declaring that the cinematic experience was dead. But movie theaters rose up from the dead (they do it all the time) and have had a triumphant return this summer thanks to the twin powerhouses of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer."

As the gatekeepers of major movie releases, studios hold a lot of power in this relationship. But, as it turns out, they don't hold any power over Taylor Swift.

According to a report by Puck News, the Swift family hired director Sam Wrench to shoot "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" for a budget of around $10-20 million, and were directly discussing distribution with studios. However, at least one distributor was thinking of a 2025 release, long after the live tour had ended, and the Swifts wanted it to play in theaters alongside the tour. So, they began negotiating directly with AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron, put together a deal in secret over a number of weeks, and announced it without any of the studios getting a heads-up.

IndieWire reports that there's "major anger" at the studios over being blindsided by this news. According to Puck News, Universal Pictures is "extra-pissed." Not only was the studio considering picking up "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" for distribution, it's now had to move "The Exorcist: Believer" off its cool horror release date of Friday the 13th of October, to avoid getting crushed under Taylor's kitten heel."

Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1383696/hollywood-studios-taylor-swift-eras-tour-losing-millions/

[mega-mbeon]

I've been a fan of both McFly and Busted along with their supergroup McBusted (no matter what other fans say) with me starting off as a McFly fan and rediscovering Busted since McBusted.

It was my wish for both of my favourite pop punk groups to join together as McBusted with Charlie Simpson joining them as there is something about both bands combined that makes them more awesome and it was a huge bombshell drop that Busted has crashed the McFly 21st Birthday Party show (with McFly having to slag them off during their summer shows which serves as a publicity stunt to foreshadow this) as the reveal of the Busted Vs McFly tour.

This gives me something to look forward to and something for me to focus on next year after going through anxiety this year having McFly and Busted to get back together for something fun like a spiritual successor to McBusted with Charlie Simpson, something that'll help me to get back to my blubbery, whimsical side as I enjoy watching their rivalry banter and humour along getting excited for whatever awesome things that will come out of Busted Vs McFly. I have already made a few predictions on what to expect for the tour like covering each other's songs, going head-to-head with their hits and comparing to their reality TV show appearances.

Though behind their friendly, healthy rivalry and banter, it's nice to hear that they are clearly close friends and been wanting to do this, bringing out the kid in them as said in their interviews below.

I thank McFly and Busted for enchanting my life with their music, inspiration, accomplishments and the guys themselves and I shall be looking forward to seeing them all in one show as Busted Vs McFly, something that again, gives me a reason to look forward to next year after going through stress and worry. McFly, Busted, McBusted are the things that matter to me in life.

Be sure to check out their interviews including the ones below:

With the full house

With Danny Jones and Charlie Simpson

Again with Danny Jones and Charlie Simpson

With all but Tom Fletcher due to other commitments.

With Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, James Bourne and Matt Willis.

[nhlovesadri3]

Adriana Lima, with Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Erin Heahterton and Candice Swanepoel at the VS Bombshells Kick Off event of The Bombshell Summer Tour, The Grove, Los Angeles, 12/05/11.

[witchywriterlythings]

Something This Way Comes

Chapter Six: I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

Once I wrapped my mind around the fact that the Latin teacher I had been afraid of for a few weeks was actually working for the camp my mom wanted me to go to and was actually half horse, we started a tour. But after doing pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front, so I made sure to keep up. 

A lot of the campers we passed stared at me and I self consciously tugged my hair to cover the back of my neck. I wasn’t sure why some of my more animinalistc traits had faded, but I didn’t want them suddenly reappearing and getting me caught. 

It was also interesting to see how much bigger the other satyrs were compared to Grover, especially since a lot of them had visible horns despite all of them sharing curly hair that would have covered anything less than a few inches. The kids they were chatting with seemed to be older than me, maybe eighth grade or high school? It was intimidating to see so many people bigger than me. I didn’t like it and neither did my instincts. 

To take my mind off the other demigods, I turned back to look at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized—four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weathervane on top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched.

 "What's up there?" I asked curiously, my eyes flickering to look at him.

He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. Interesting. "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?"

"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."

I got the feeling he was being truthful, but I was also sure something had moved that curtain. Something dead, maybe? I shuddered at the thought. 

Chiron showed me around the strawberry fields and explained how it was a source of income for the camp that allowed them to get supplies from the mortal world. "Children of Demeter and the satyrs typically tend to the plants, and of course Mr. D’s presence is a boon for them as well. While not as receptive as grapes, they do make a fairly good strawberry wine we also sell." He frowned down at me with a look. "While you may have some strawberries if you help with the plants, none of the campers are permitted any wine." 

I wanted to scoff at him, but it wasn’t as if he knew how much I hated alcohol. Gabe liked to force me to drink his beers when I gave them to him too warm and try to get me in trouble with my mom. But he was also in charge of a lot of teenagers and kids, so I wasn’t surprised he was worried. "Of course, sir." 

Looking at the satyrs made me think of poor Grover and what he might be facing in the house, so I tried to get Chiron to tell me what was happening. He was quick to explain why the god was so disappointed in him and despite my growing anger over anyone thinking less of Grover for any reason, I couldn’t deny that I was the one to bring him over the property line. And it always did seem to come down to technicalities with people, didn’t it. 

I started picking at my nails since I would be repainting them as soon as I found my stuff anyway. "He’ll get a second chance, right?" 

Chiron winced and the barest hint of lemon wafted off him. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age... ."

I frowned as I tried to remember anything Grover said about his birthday, but despite me nagging him to try and figure it out, all I got was that it was in the summer so we couldn’t celebrate it. "How old is he?"

"Oh, twenty-eight," Chiron said as if that wasn’t a bombshell he just dropped. 

 "What! And he's in sixth grade?"

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."

 "But...shouldn’t he be an eighth grader, at least?"

"Yes," Chiron agreed. "But at any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career..."

"He shouldn’t have to," I said. "It’s not fair. What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"

Chiron looked away quickly and I knew I wasn’t going to get a straight answer out of him. I wanted to stomp my foot in frustration, but the last time I did that I was five and caused the ground to shake a little. "Let's move along, shall we?"

I might have let the subject drop if he hadn’t talked about my mom when he was explaining Grovers "failures". He’d almost intentionally avoided saying she died, just that she was gone. A bit of hope started building up in my head as I thought about it more, lapping at my self control. "Chiron," I said. "If everything in the myths are real…"

"Yes, child?"

I ignored him calling me a child instead of my name, at least it was better than ‘boy’. "Does that mean the Underworld is real, too? "

Chiron's expression told me to drop it, but he sighed. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now...until we know more...I would urge you to put that out of your mind."

 "What do you mean, 'until we know more'?" 

"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."

And I didn’t get a straight answer out of him for the rest of the tour. I could feel a growl of frustration building up in my throat but I kept shoving it down. He showed me the armory but didn’t explain any of the weapons, just asked if I had any of my own. When I asked if my mother’s dagger was found, he frowned and said no before moving on to the the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.

 "Sword and spear fights?" I asked.

"Cabin challenges and all that," he explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."

I had to curl my hands into fists and do the breathing exercises my mom taught me before I lost control. Already I could feel the back of my neck itching and my nails sharpening into points. But the pain, the blood, it helped me focus.

Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory, so I assumed it was for the sooty god’s children. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass, for she of the grain. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at, with its opposite in number eight shining in silver for the twins. In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined fire pit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.

I was going to ignore her, but the second we got close enough I could smell roasted pork and suddenly I was back to being small, when the heat would go out in the apartment and my mom would bundle us in blankets around a fire, sharing hot cocoa and hotdogs. I froze where I stood as I fought back tears over the memory, watching as soft brown eyes raised to meet mine. 

The goddess smiled softly at me, a bit of surprise on her face like she didn’t think I would notice her. She put a finger to her lips before giving me a little wave and turning back to tend to the flames. 

Chiron was still explaining the cabins and didn’t seem to notice, so I did as she bid and focused back on the conversation. At the same time I felt like something had been knocked loose in my chest, I felt a little bit more settled and sent her a silent thank you. 

"We haven't seen any other centaurs," I observed.

"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here."

 "You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ..."

He smiled down at me. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am." Before I could ask anymore questions about that, like how it was possible for him to still be alive, or why his brothers would be at a sporting event of all places, he turned to face one of the last cabins. "Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

While she didn’t look overly happy to see me, in fact it was like she was still thinking about how much I drooled, I couldn’t help smiling. She was interesting and I couldn’t wait to find out how to make her my friend, so I tried looking at what she was reading to start a conversion but she pulled it to her chest before I could. There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns on the back, like those in an architecture book.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have a masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

 She raised her chin slightly like she was happy to be given a task, but also scrunched her nose slightly like she didn’t like that it involved me. "Yes, sir."

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, this was the one that threw me the most. It didn’t look specifically tied to any of the gods and in fact, looked more like where they would put anyone who didn’y fit. The paint was peeling, there were a few roof tiles missing, and the only sign that it was tied to a good was the caduceus thing above the doorway.

"Why…?" I tried to ask, but I was shooed inside before I could finish. I really didn’t want to intrude on a god’s space unless I was their kid, but it seemed I wasn’t the only one who was a misfit. It was clear there were too many kids for one cabin, with sleeping bags all over the floor without any space between them, even some under the bunk bends, and hammocks hanging in the available air space. Quite a few of them shared similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers. But even more looked almost nothing a like. No matter what they looked like, I could tell they were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on." She even made a shooing motion with her hands. The second I was inside, she moved in beside me and announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked. I was pretty sure it was one of the traveler’s kids in a hammock, maybe a year or two older than me. 

I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined." Was it because they didn’t know who my dad was? 

Everybody groaned.

One of the oldest guys stepped forward and instantly I wanted to take a step away from him. Despite his friendly demeanor and the way the rest of them seemed to turn to him instantly, the feeling I got from him was dangerous. "Calm down, we can make room." He sent me a charming smile that I didn’t return, but he didn’t seem phased. "You can have that spot on the floor over there." 

I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, since they hadn’t given me my stuff from the car back. Or did they even go retrieve it after the fight? "Thanks." I knew my voice was short, but I couldn’t help it. I felt like there were ants crawling around under my skin and no one would tell me anything. If I didn’t get some aggression out soon, I was going to explode. 

As if by some miracle she knew what I needed, Annabeth reached out and grabbed my wrist.  "Come on," she told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court." Instead of the empathy I was hoping for, she whirled around to glare at me once we were a few feet away from the closed door. "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What did I do?"

She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

 "What's your problem?" I knew I shouldn;t be snapping like this, but it was either words or claws and I knew which one I had to choose. "All I know is, I killed the bull—"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth snapped back, as if she had any reason to be mad at me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To what? Get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

I bared my teeth at her in a snarl and she just raised an eyebrow at me like she was unimpressed. Later I would be happy about that, that she didn’t run away. But not right then. "You want the chance to watch your mom get murdered? Good for you! I didn’t!" 

She actually flinched at that and this puffed up act of hers dropped a little with her shoulders. "I’m sorry about your mom, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…" she trailed off awkwardly and shuffled a little. 

I refused to tell her it was okay, because it really wasn’t, but I forced myself to relax and give her a more neutral face to look at. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together?"

"You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent." She stared at me, as if waiting for me to understand something instead of actually explaining what she meant. I remained stubborn until she finally sighed and said, "you wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us. You couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"What does that have to do with why the cabins are overcrowded? I know about the gods but—"

—"Well! A newbie!" a husky voice cut in and I actually growled in frustration. When I turned, I realized there were four older girls coming our way who had to have at least four inches on me and I once again hated being so short. All of them were wearing camo jackets with their hair tied back and had the same glare, which I wasn’t sure what I did to deserve. The leader grinned at me in a way that reminded me of Nancy Bobofit. 

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares." The way she said the other girl's name was like a warning. 

I blinked at them while I tried my hardest not to let my eyes water from the overwhelming smell of iron and blood coming off them. I had never been around so many threats before, but at least these four didn’t set me off as much as some of the others. "That explains the smell." 

Wait, did I say that outloud? Shit. 

"You’re dead, punk. Come on, we got an initiation for newbies." Somehow, the blood in the air got even worse as she glared at me and I snarled right back at the threat. 

Annabeth tried to step between us, but she was shoved to the side. 

"Stay out of it, Wise Girl," Clarisse snapped and I decided right then and there I was going to ruin her day. 

They brought me to the girl’s bathroom by the back of my neck. I put up a bit of a fight, just  so they didn’t realize what a mistake they were making, but inside I could feel the water rushing through the pipes and I couldn’t wait to use it. 

To give credit when due, one of the Ares girls ran ahead to make sure no one was in there before dragging me inside, but that might have been so there were no witnesses. Not like there weren’t campers turning to  snicker at me while they dragged me there, but still. I never said they were smart. 

Annabeth even followed along, even going as far as to stand in the corner by the showers to watch through her fingers.

Clarisse barely got me into one of the stalls before I let go of the control I had been carefully maintaining this whole time and my powers tugged behind my stomach. I could hear the pipes rumbling around us and the fist in my hair loosened as the daughter of war started to realize what a mistake she’d made. 

A vindictive part of me, the angry part that I assume came from my fathers, hoped she had opened her mouth in shock and was gurgling behind me. The part that was my mom and recently, Grover, squashed that hope and took over to make sure the water wasn’t reacting to my thoughts. I turned around on my knees to watch as Clarisse scrambled back, slipping and sliding, towards her friends. Too bad the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away.

I turned wide eyes to Annabeth, who hadn’t been spared by the showers but was at least still in the same spot. I was too drained from that to remember to let myself get wet, and let the exhaustion show on my face. 

Annabeth looked around us and then narrowed her eyes at me. "How did you ..."

If I didn’t answer, it wasn’t lying, right?  

When we walked out the door, the first thing we saw was  Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead." 

I knew she hated me and thatI should have let it go, "don’t make waves" and all. But I never could control my motor mouth and said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

Her friends had to hold her back and I felt smug at the slightly impressed looks of the other campers. She had to be dragged toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.

Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her, but at least she didn’t smell like sewage. She’d only been hit by the showers even if it might have been a bit cold. 

"What?" I asked, hoping that she only had an ideas of what I was. "What are you thinking?"

An invite to join her team for capture the flag was not what I had in mind, but I took it. 

<Prev Master Post Next>

[misswildekitty]

Limelight Magazine Profile: Kitty Wilde

Kitty Wilde was born in Stockton, California, to an investment banker and a kindergarten teacher. Early on, she showed a musical talent and a love for performing, being proficient in guitar and piano by the time she was eight, and beginning songwriting shortly after. At the age of fourteen, her parents sold their home in Stockton and moved the family to West Hollywood in Los Angeles to help her pursue a music career, which her mother quit her job to manage. 

Originally, and under the direction of her mother, Kitty tried to make it in the world of Christian contemporary music, aiming for a more soulful sound influenced by country. Her first album, Heart Open, was a moderate success when she released it at the age of 17, but her interests always lay elsewhere. At 18, a producer at Galaxy Records offered her a contract and the opportunity to rebrand, and her second album, Obsession, came out the following year. With Obsession came the new image of a manicured pop princess, and the lead single, Poison Ivy, was top of the charts that summer, earning Kitty a nomination for Best New Artist at that year’s Grammy Awards. 

However, it was her third album, Tantalising Lies, that secured her success, dominating the charts for six weeks after its release. The album featured collaborations with Halsey and The Weeknd, elaborate and dazzling music videos, and the mix of girl power synth pop and heartbreak power ballads that would become her signature style. The album also secured Kitty’s first two Grammy wins, for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, and the success launched a sold-out national arena tour. 

Kitty’s goal is to dominate the industry. Her most recent album, Fantasy, has been extremely successful so far, and she’s cultivated an image of an unattainable bombshell, much to the chagrin of her mother. She’s explored other ventures such as acting and modelling, but her focus remains razor-sharp on her music. She hopes to score more nominations for Fantasy, and hold a world stadium tour, one that her team seems fairly confident that she’ll be able to sell out. Kitty’s reputation in the industry is one of being extremely hardworking, sometimes to a fault. Although never described as a diva, her ambition can cause her to be quite ruthless, and her honesty has been described as abrasive in the past.

[fmhiphop]

Lizzo's Instagram Follower Count Drops By 220,000 Amidst Harassment And Body-Shaming Allegations

In a wild turn of events, Lizzo's Instagram followers are dwindling faster than ice cream on a hot summer day! It turns out there are some rather shocking allegations swirling around. A trio of former dancers has filed a lawsuit against the pop sensation, her dance captain Shirlene Quigley, and their production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring. These allegations are as varied as a buffet spread at an all-you-can-eat restaurant. We're talking assault, racial and religious harassment, fat-shaming, disability discrimination, and even a dash of false imprisonment! Lizzo, in response to these claims, took to her social media with a lengthy post. She described the past few days as "gut-wrenchingly difficult" and declared the "false allegations" as "unbelievable." The real drama is unfolding!   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating) Lizzo's Instagram Empire Takes A Hit KingCasinoBonus, the ultimate casino comparison site, decided to investigate social media! They crunched the numbers over at Social Blade and guess what they found? Lizzo's Instagram empire has suffered a hit of 226,933 followers ever since that astonishing news hit the scene. That's not all – in the blink of an eye (well, almost), the "Pink" singer lost 132,942 followers in just one day! Meanwhile, over on Twitter, it's no laughing matter either. Since that lawsuit bombshell dropped in California on August 1st, Lizzo has seen her Twitter tribe shrink by over 27,000 followers. Editorial Insights On Allegations: Ionut Marin's Perspective Ionut Marin, Chief Editor for KingCasinoBonus commented on the social media figures: “For Lizzo fans, it will be alarming to see their idol accused of body-shaming, assault and more, when she has been such a proponent of body positivity for women all over the world.” “As the lawsuit continues and new reports emerge, it will be interesting to see how Lizzo’s Instagram followers will fluctuate. With over 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify, we could also see these figures fall over the coming weeks and months as more details are revealed. These reports could also threaten to derail any of the pop star’s music releases and tours in the future.” Written by Nikiya Biggs | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Follow and like FMHipHop on Facebook, Spotify, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram! Read the full article

[denimbex1986]

'Without putting too fine a point on it, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" made history at the box office this past weekend. Warner Bros. bet big on director Greta Gerwig with her adaptation of Mattel's beloved doll, while Universal went all-in on Christopher Nolan and his take on the man who gave us the A-bomb. Much was made of the fact that both films were due to square off right in the heart of the summer moviegoing season. Rather remarkably, both films did better than anyone could have expected on the same weekend.

"Barbie" topped the charts with an astounding $162 million domestic opening and $182 million internationally for a grand total of $344 million, per The Numbers. It is, by far, the biggest opening ever for a movie directed by a woman. Meanwhile, Nolan's "Oppenheimer" came in second with $82 million and $93.6 million internationally for a $175.6 million global debut. It's one of the biggest-ever openings for an R-rated film, and the biggest opening of Nolan's career for a movie that doesn't have Batman in it. There were no losers here.

So, what went right on "Barbenheimer" weekend? Just about everything, to put it simply. But for those who would like to dive a bit deeper into the why of it all, we're going to look at the five biggest reasons why this box office showdown became one of the biggest in cinema history. Let's dig in.

Both movies are very good

First and foremost, there is simply no substitution for quality. Both "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" have been met with rave reviews from both critics and audiences alike. As it stands, both films carry above 90% ratings from viewers and reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, and both of them also carry an excellent A CinemaScore. You can read our 9 out of 10 review of "Barbie" here, as well as our 9.5 out of 10 review of "Oppehneimer" here. Both Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan delivered incredibly good movies that work for the vast majority of people who have seen them, and there is nothing quite like delivering on the hype. Had either movie fallen short of expectations, we might be having a different conversation.

A genuine groundswell of excitement

Anyone who has spent any amount of time online in recent months can almost certainly tell you that these movies took on a life of their own. In particular, the box office showdown that Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures ended up going through with. The "Barbenheimer" of it all really caught on, with tens of thousands of people planning double features, documenting their journeys on social media, and proudly supporting both films. It wasn't a matter of one versus the other, it was about finding a way to embrace both, by and large. It's the kind of thing that every studio in Hollywood is probably going to try and replicate in the years to come. But the truth of it is, this is the sort of thing that happened organically and simply can't be replicated. All of that online buzz undoubtedly raised both movies to heights well beyond what anyone expected. Online chatter often doesn't amount to real results. In this case, though, it was undoubtedly a significant factor.

Genuinely great marketing campaigns

Aside from the masses who live their lives online embracing the "Barbie" vs. "Oppenheimer" of it all, it should not be overlooked that both Warner Bros. and Universal, respectively, ran great marketing campaigns for both films. We had very intriguing trailers that sold the films for what they were, very good posters, and impactful press tours before the SAG-AFTRA strike effectively shut most of that down. "Barbie," in particular, ran one heck of a campaign that seemingly reached every sector of our very splintered media. That's no small thing these days. But the fact of the matter is that both movies had opening weekends large enough that this all had to extend well beyond the vocal minority on social media. Honest-to-goodness marketing actually got through to people all over the world. Maybe if we're lucky, as a result, we'll get away from boringly photoshopped floating head posters in the future, at the very least, for big summer blockbusters. A man can dream.

Counter-programming at its finest

I'll be the first to admit that, in the months leading up to the big weekend in question, I championed Universal moving "Oppenheimer" later in the year as it seemed like an obvious awards contender. More than anything, I believed both movies would suffer by dropping on the same weekend. I am very happy to have been wrong about that. And boy was I wrong! This proved to be the biggest overall weekend at the box office since "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019, which is truly remarkable. The biggest takeaway is that counter-programming, when done effectively, is arguably the most necessary tool in ensuring a healthy box office recovery in the coming years. It doesn't just have to be 52 weeks per year, 52 big movies. There can and should be room for more, it just comes down to studios being smart about it.

This is an extreme example, but it should signal to Hollywood at large that moviegoers will come out for the right movies regardless of competition. People want to see what they want to see, simple as that. A record-breaking number of people saw both "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," and yeah, quite a few people saw both. It's wildly encouraging and, hopefully, not the last time we see something like it.

Offering audiences something outside the norm

Maybe more than anything, both of these movies demonstrated that audiences are hungry for something a bit different than the typical blockbuster fare we've been getting for quite some time. There's a reason that "Barbie" made more in a single weekend than "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" has made in several weeks. Just because a franchise has been around for a while doesn't mean we always need more of it. Yes, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is one of the biggest hits of the year — let's not ignore that — but that's also a movie about endings more than anything else. Superhero movies such as "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and "The Flash" that tried to set up stuff for the future? That didn't pan out very well.

Similarly, "Oppenheimer" let one of cinema's most beloved blockbuster filmmakers do his thing without being anchored to IP and, wouldn't you know it, audiences turned up. Granted, "Barbie" is based on a globally recognized brand and Nolan made a biopic about a very famous historical figure, so these aren't exactly "original" films. Be that as it may, the big takeaway here is that studios need to move beyond focusing so much on sequels and reboots as big summer blockbusters. Audiences are ready for something different, so Hollywood needs to give them different.'

[sluttyten]

All My Love

(formerly just known as poly series)

COMPLETE | ~200k length | Smut, check content warnings

a smutty series where YN meets and falls in love with 14 members of NCT.  Smut, smut, more smut, with some fluff and angst and things. All current members are mentioned in the story, but not all of them are involved in the smut. 

bulletpointed parts are drabbles, not really necessary to the storyline, so you can skip them if you want

i. can’t we share - 17.1k, a chance encounter leads to you meeting and falling in love with them all, and why bother choosing between them when you can have them all?

ii. naughty & nice - 6.8k, it’s Christmas and you make yourself a present for your boyfriends, but Kun, Doyoung, and Ten are the only ones who get to unwrap you

let the day pass us by - 2.8k, you spend a little cuddly, sexy quality time with jaehyun

iii. all you need - 22.8k, more of the poly orgy smut OR being in love with and making love with all twelve of your boyfriends is easy, they brighten your days and your nights, and it’s a lot but it’s all yours

never: a drabble - 2.5k, during the tour bus scene of All You Need, Haechan is elsewhere although he wishes he’d have been there. And then you’ve got poor YangYang, who has also played unfortunate witness to your relationship antics.

iv. love me - 10.5k, it’s been a month since where you left things in your relationship with the boys, and you’re trying to get over them, but how can you do that when they want so badly to be loved by you?

v. never enough - 18.9k, in the end it comes down to this: hands on skin, rolling bodies, tongues and teeth, and so many things happening, yet it’s still never quite enough (pure smut, honestly)

vi. traces of you  -  23.8k, there’s so much love to go around, quiet moments and hot nights, the press of skin on skin, whispered promises and I love yous, and under it all just the constant beating of a heart loved.

mornings like this - 3.1k, set during the events of traces of you, you wake on a hot summer morning and one of your boyfriends distracts you from making breakfast

vii. good thing - 13k, after the bombshell realization you need to uncover the truth. this is the aftermath.

viii. coming home - 21.3k, when you found out you were pregnant, you worried you’d have to go it alone, but instead you find that you have quite a lot of support, several boyfriends that love you wholeheartedly, and a place to call home

gimme that: a drabble - 7.2k, taking place shortly after you’d moved in to the house with them, you’re dealing with a bothersome pregnancy symptom, and Xiaojun wants to be there with you. Hendery finds his curiosity sparked.

ix. adore you - 32.8k, these last months of your pregnancy bring delights and troubles, but it all culminates in the true wonder of holding your daughter in your arms with her father at your side

x. fresh air - 28k, the first few months of life with your boyfriends and your newborn daughter bring numerous hardships that none of you were truly prepared for

xi. let me - 43.4k, this relationship has been hard and getting harder with the birth of your daughter, the rumors, the breakups, and now you just hope you’ll get your happily ever after

xii. last piece: an epilogue - 9.9k, Jaehyun’s always wanted a child with you throughout the entirety of this polyamorous relationship, and after having three kids with other men, you’ve decided, it’s time that you and Jaehyun give it a try