#but I do love using the time to listen to new music

[hope-for-the-planet]

Trans person in the US. Bust some of the doomerism for me? Tell me it's going to be okay?

Hi Anon

Usually, I have boundaries for myself about keeping this blog focused on environment-related issues, because there are limits to what I can speak knowledgeably about. But now doesn’t feel like the time for that.

Anon, I will tell you that I live in the US, I am queer, my spouse is trans, and we have two young children. I am sitting right there with you in the fear and grief and every day when I ask myself “is there still hope” I find reasons to say “yes”.

They want—all of us, not just queer folks—to feel overwhelmed and hopeless, because despair is a tool that keeps people from realizing their power and taking action.

They want us to feel so afraid that we lose our faith in other people and withdraw from our communities, because we are easier to conquer alone.

Do not give them what they want.

Hope is most necessary in the bad times. The ability to imagine a future that is better than things are now is exactly what gives us the power to begin making things better. Our community has been through terrible things before, and they did not lose hope or give up—otherwise we would not be where we are today.

When you start to feel like all the light is being blotted out, turn off the news, put away your phone, and go get in touch with something you love. Go outside and look at the sky, talk to a friend, listen to music, do some small thing to make something better even if it’s just cleaning your kitchen or picking up some litter around the block or returning an extra stranded cart in the grocery store parking lot. Remind your brain that you have agency to make positive change in the world through your actions.

I know it is really hard to pull out of the darkness sometimes. I know there will be days that hope seems like a foolish, naive thing, that despair and distrust seem like the only rational options. But hope is what keeps us alive. Hope is what allows us to save each other.

I wish I could give you a specific article or other source to reassure you that everything is going to be ok, but things are still too in flux day by day. I can tell you that people are already fighting back, in big and little ways, all over this country and the world. These orders and bills are being pushed by a loud but small minority—this is not how the majority of the country feels about trans rights.

Make a plan for staying safe. Reach out to your community. Find music, activities, podcasts, movies, whatever helps you feel uplifted and take mental breaks from dwelling on the news. If you can, find ways to get involved in making things better in whatever big or small way feels doable for you--it may help push back on the doomerism more than you think. And my inbox is open if you need to talk.

I wish I could invite you over for dinner. I wish I could look into your eyes and tell you that things may get hard for the next few years but that does not mean that your life can't still be full of joy and beauty and fulfillment in spite of that.

I’m right there with you. Let’s make it through this together <3

[gyeomsweetgyeom]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ Self-On Kode with Haechan ⋆⭒˚.⋆

idol!Haechan x f!idol!reader

summary: what better way to promote your new music than to do an interview with your boyfriend?! Does he know that? No!

(cw: f!reader, idol!reader)

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

You were grinning widely as you sat in the pink chair. You bowed to the camera introducing yourself with an excited smile, "Hi everybody! I'm so excited to be here today. The staff and I have planned a bit of a prank today."

Your friendship with Haechan had started when you debuted. Haechan was one of the first idols around your age that you felt comfortable with. He was funny, nice, and was a good friend. He gave you a lot of advice on how to handle the long days, how to speak up with your company, and how to take care of yourself when it all got to be too much. And perhaps... taking care of yourself meant indulging in your friendship with Haechan, in private and in public.

The fans had surprisingly been pretty cool about both of you being close. It wasn't very often that fans got to see two idols from different companies have a genuine friendship. They liked seeing the two of you play around backstage, the random mention of each other in YouTube vlogs or lives, and the very few and far between posts you shared of each other.

When the edits evolved from 8 whole minutes of the two of you being the best of friends to the both of you being secretly in love for 11 minutes, maybe, just maybe, you both began to see each other in a new way. Maybe you guys went on a date to test the waters and maybe that date meant that the two of you became something more and maybe this video would be one of the first times you both directly acknowledged your romantic relationship. Well, beyond standard wordy posts that your companies put out to disclose your relationship.

You smile at the camera, "today I will be pranking my boyfriend Haechan. He thinks he's doing this interview with someone else and has no clue its me!"

Finally, on the other side of the wall, enters the set and sits himself in the blue chair, "Hello, I am Haechan from NCT. Today I will be using the screen name Sunshine and I am excited to figure out my partner is. I think I'll figure it out very easily."

On your side of the wall you, cup a hand over your mouth to suppress a giggle, "I'm going to be so annoying!"

"Hey," you type, biting your bottom lip to keep yourself from laughing.

"Oh, it's starting!" you hear Haechan exclaim. You phone vibrates with a message that reads, 'hey.'

"Geez, he's really boring isn't he? Let's make this more exciting!" You laugh, typing back something you don't think you'd ever tell your boyfriend to his face, "wow, I know this is a handsome man I'm talking to. Tell me, are you handsome?"

Haechan flushes in front of the pink wall with his jaw dropped in shock, "w-what?!"

You calm down a bit, not being as bold with your flirtation so that the both of you could progress the conversation. You both make small talk, talking about base level interests. Then comes the home screen exchange. You'd been preparing for this!

Since no one ever really saw your homescreens, you and Haechan had decided to have cute matching backgrounds, a cute couples selfie you'd taken together. What he didn't know, and you didn't tell him because he was so whiny, was that you had changed it. So he sent you an blurred version of his usual background, a picture of the two of you with you biting his cheek and his eyes screwed shut laughing. You knew the picture well, not only because you lived it but also because you had the picture that followed as your own background before you changed it for this interview.

Haechan's phone dropped from his hands, eyes blown wide in shock again. The staff were busy laughing behind the camera while you sat with a smug smile, listening for his reaction. "Is this real? Is this actually your background?" You read the message that had been sent to you.

"Why wouldn't it be?" You message him back.

Haechan doesn't even look at his phone again, he locks his screen and sets it on his thigh. He groans, rubbing his hands through his hair and over his face, "how do you turn someone down nicely?"

You bite your lip when you hear that. Your plan had worked, your precious Haechan was flushed and embarrassed. You type back, "do you know NCT Haechan? He's so talented and funny. I'm a big fan, are you?"

"Yeah, it couldn't be more obvious," Haechan grumbles, staring at the homescreen. He can't look at any of the apps or notifications because he's staring at his own face! A collage of pictures of him-- only him. Pictures of him from his debut to pictures of him from his last performance.

Maybe he was speaking to some kind of comedian, it was some kind of joke that happened to revolve around him. He'd watched some of these interviews before and it never worked out that one person knew who they were texting and the other didn't. This had to be some kind of strange coincidence.

He somehow expertly turned the conversation around, evading your question and changed the conversation into something more lighthearted. Then comes the first Would You Rather. The question: would you rather make a burping sound while farting or farting sound while burping?

You take a second to think, considering the question then finally send your answer, "I think I'd rather make a farting sound while burping."

"Really?" Haechan replies, "why is that? I mean I agree, but I'm curious to hear your reasoning?"

"Tell me yours first," you reply.

"Well mostly I don't want to feel the rumbling feeling of a burp in my butt," Haechan types out.

"He's so gross," you mutter as you read the screen, "he's such a guy." And yet you type out a message, "wow, that's so manly of you.."

Haechan runs his hand through his hair, "how would someone read that and find it attractive?"

Again, he doesn't address your flirting. He maneuvers around it, he doesn't want to be the guy that hurts yours or anyone's feelings, even a stranger's.

By the time the both of you get to the end of the interview having just sent the most recent pictures in your camera roll to each other, Haechan feels a horrible ball of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. You had sent him a picture of a flower from some bush outside and he had sent you a picture of the products that had been used on his face before the interview. (He'd sent the picture to you.) How is he going to handle this?!

He looks up from yet another flirty message with a look of unease, "you guys don't do these things with crazy fans right?"

The staff reassure him that no, they absolutely would not ever do anything to put him or anyone else in harm's way. His partner is just a silly person, a jokester.

You, on the other hand, are a ball of excitement to reveal yourself. The time comes to meet your partner, though you already know yours. You prop yourself on the wall, one hand outstretched against the wall and the other on your hip.

Haechan rounds the corner and sees you. You flip your hair, winking at him with a, "hey, handsome."

He falls to his knees, hand clutched over his heart while he lets out a sigh of relief and a loud exaggerated whine, "how could my own lover do this to me?!"

It takes both you and the staff to calm Haechan down, but you eventually get him to sit in the chair of the high top table and get the frown off his face. He's still pouty of course, and he lets you know so, "how could you do this to me?"

"With the help of my managers, your managers, the production here at Kode... duh," you answer, squeezing his knee beneath the table reassuringly.

"You're so funny," he deadpans, "but seriously, I was so stressed that I was going to have to see a real life crazy person and turn them down while maintaining my safety. Thank goodness it was a real life crazy person I already knew."

You shove his shoulder with a laugh, "so you had no clue who it was?"

"Absolutely no clue," Haechan confirms, "I did think that this was going to be easy at first, but you came on so strong that I had to mostly focus on getting us to have a normal, not flirty conversation. Did you have fun stressing me out, my menace?"

"The best time ever," you nod with a proud smile.

Haechan lets out a breathy laugh, more of a soft exhale of air as he pulls your hand up and pressed a kiss against the back of your hand, "I'm never doing an interview with you ever again."

"You say that now, but you're my biggest fan. Don't you want me to be successful? How can I be successful if even my handsome, sunbaenim boyfriend won't help me?" You tease, looking at him with a look all too innocent to be real.

"Oh right. Please make sure to check out my girlfriend's first solo debut. The music is amazing, her voice sounds like angels singing, the music videos are award winning, the outfits are out of this world and there is nothing like it in all the world. Please support her... or I will have to," Haechan states with a fake smile while looking right into the lens of the camera, letting his smile drop into a pleading face for the ending.

"Yes, please make sure to check out my solo! I appreciate it," you smile at the camera, bowing to show your gratitude. While you fulfill your promoting duties you miss the adoring look on Haechan's face. The way his eyes soften and he looks at you with a calm, serene look of love.

You look at him with a soft smile, "can you forgive me for my prank?"

He tugs you into his side, his arm wrapped around your shoulders, "I can make an exception if you promise this will be the last time you prank me."

"Well, of course," you answer too quickly. A lie, of course.

The conversation between you dwindles down and the two of you take your selfie. You smile brightly at the camera with your head tucked beneath Haechan's chin, Haechan smiles sweetly at the camera with his usual close-lipped smile. It's the first selfie as a romantic couple that anyone will see of the two of you and it makes you slightly nervous, but more than anything you're excited for people to see just a sliver of the dynamic you and Haechan share, the love that's there.

"Thank you to the team at Kode for having us and thank you to the fans in advance for all the love and support. I hope you love it," you smile at the cameras.

The video ends with the screen fading to black, but if fans listen closely, they can hear Haechan reassuring you, "everyone is going to love it, honey. How could they not love anything you do?"

[milkoomi]

inner glow up. ᥫ᭡

while we focus on our physical selves to glow up, we tend to forget about our minds and hearts. we also need to focus on letting more light come into ourselves. the way we think, the way we love, the way we expend our energy; all of that can have this aspect of “glowing up” too! in this post, we’re going to discuss how to glow from within and let that beautiful new energy radiate outwards.

let’s begin …

୨ৎ — the mind

deep clean your thoughts

meditation:

take a moment, even if it’s just for 5 minutes, to sit and clear your head. focus on breathing exercises, concentrate on the rhythm of your heart, listen to the ambient noises of your surroundings. meditation is a fantastic way of clearing your mind and removing those overwhelming thoughts that are piling up in your brain! you also don’t need to be sitting, you could also meditate while in the shower! i have an entire guide on how to do so! you can also take meditative walks and focus on your surroundings.

journaling:

just dump all your thoughts onto a page, write down everything that’s on your mind. once you’re done you can even rip up the paper and toss it away! doing these journal dumps can help release those racing thoughts and clear your mind. it may even help to relieve some weight off your shoulders!

decorate your mind with peace & kindness

write down affirmations or go to a mirror and say those affirmations to yourself! fill your head with positive thoughts and calming reassurance.

try recording a voice message & send it to yourself! you can say your affirmations that way or give yourself a motivational mini-speech. this way, you can go back to those messages when you need an uplifting message from someone. and it’s always better to get back up with kindness and love from yourself!

organize your headspace

make room for positivity, peace, and grace and throw out all the negativity that’s tossed around in your head. don’t let negative talk from others, media, or yourself take up space in your head! your mind should never hold a spot for negativity.

distance yourself from those who bring you down

delete social media that no longer serves you or take regular breaks to unplug from your phone

replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations

replace “i can’t” with “i can”

୨ৎ — the heart

nurture your heart

as your mind is an important place to keep thoughts of joy, kindness, and love, your heart needs to feel it!

practice self care

take care of your physical needs (shower, drink water, brush your teeth, eat nutritious and delicious foods, move your body)

write yourself love letters

say “thank you” when receiving compliments

provide protection for your feelings

your heart is scared and access to it should be very limited. don’t let just anyone in. now, i’m not saying you have to put iron walls up around your heart and feelings, but i’m saying that you need to be selective. be picky about who you surround yourself with.

invite people who…

provide genuine & unconditional love

support you and your dreams

encourage you to prioritize your health (physical & mental)

offer guidance when you feel lost

close the doors on people who…

make jokes out of your insecurities

take your passions and dreams as something to laugh about

invalidate your feelings and thoughts

think it’s okay to walk all over you

don’t value your time and space

୨ৎ — letting in the light

i believe our energies attract different things whether we want them to or not. letting dark or bad energy ruminate within yourself and allowing it to consume you can attract misfortune, loss, and sadness which keeps us from reaching our true potential.

let light or good energy flow within you and let that energy be the one that takes up all the space. you’ll attract what you actually want rather than the things you wish to avoid.

light energy can come from…

taking up hobbies you enjoy

listening to music that makes you feel good

spending time with loved ones

going on nature walks

playing with pets

celebrating your accomplishments

final notes —

the biggest take away from this: protect your peace. becoming the best version of yourself comes with knowing how to find peace within yourself and making sure you show yourself love and kindness. the main person you should lean on for that kind of good energy should be you. let your glow up start from within!

with lots of love, faustina 🌷

[agirlwithglam]

📚 It girl's guide to school 📚

hiii girls! this is part of the big Guide to being the It Girl. this section will be all about school, studying and academics. i'll teach you how to tackle school, get the highest grades effortlessly, and look chic and gorgeous doing it! the rest of the ultimate it girl series is linked! 🎀

guide to getting good grades:

LISTEN IN CLASS. one of the best tips ever. if you would actually listen to what your teachers teaching in class, you’d get to spend a lot less time studying.

ask if you need help! these teachers are qualified for the job, they’re meant to be good at it. so if you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid to ask. and if you’re really too much of a chicken, ask once the class is over or email the teacher. but honestly? half the kids probably aren’t even listening tbh so u do ur thing!

participate in class. actually participating in class will help you so much in recalling the information. it’s a great way to actively revise. you don’t have to be a teachers pet or anything, but if you know the answer, put yourself out there. anyone who judges you simply judges themselves and their inability to speak up.

change up your environment so that you're still interested and excited to learn! you could go to a coffee shop, set up a mini picnic in the woods, go to a library, etc.

use alter egos!! i will never stop recommending this because it really is an amazing tip. either you can create your own alter ego who loves to study and gets high grades, or you could pretend you're rory gilmore or hermione granger!

revision/ study techniques:

feynman technique: teach it to someone else/ to plushies. try not to look at your notes too much, pretend ur a teacher.

use practice questions/ practice exams! trust me this can be so helpful! try and find past exams and go over them in exam conditions so you can see what u missed later. or, you can get all the info and ask an AI like chatgpt to write questions based on it and go through them!

BLURTING! love this method! basically, you write all the information you know about the topic on one page (optional: set a time limit) and then go over it with a different colour pen and add in what you missed. do this a couple times until you haven't missed anything! - you can do this by creating a mind-map, or literally just scribbling down everything you know.

SQ3R method: survey/ skim over the text, question- make questions on it, read- begin reading to find the answers to the questions, recite- summarise the words in a section in your own words, review- quiz yourself on what you just learnt

organise/ prioritise what you need to study using the traffic light method. first, identify the topics, then highlight them according to these 3 colors: red- struggling a lot/ no idea , yellow- okay ish, need to work on it a bit tho , green- good understanding & confident on the topic.

make associations. this is especially helpful for when you need to memorise things. the thing you need to memorise- link it to stuff that you already know.

⭐️ use mnemonics, songs, raps to remember! a couple years back, my science teacher made us create a rap on osmosis (a biology term). and not even kidding, i still remember the simple definition of what it does because of that rap! so create songs or rap and maybe even make a whole music video on it! trust me, not only is it so fun but it really does help keep the information in your mind!

more resources:

huge big list of studying and school

another big study masterpost

100 reasons to study

how to be a whole new student this year

ACE your exams -by me!

study icons:

as i mentioned earlier, channelling the energy of a character who already studies and gets good grades is an amazing way of getting yourself motivated! here are some of my favs & tips to study like them! (p.s i've also added links to the names for a more in depth guide on each person!)

♡ rory gilmore

she loves studying- develop that mindset! have a passion for learning more.

"i can go from 0 to studying in less than 60 seconds"

switch between different subjects when you get bored

ask someone to test you with flashcards

♡ elle woods:

study while you exercise- take care of ur body too!

"what, like its hard?"- i love her sm for this!! if anyone else can do something, of course you can do it too!

be ambitious + have strong source of motivation

get into study groups

♡ paris geller

have the discipline and ambition to do the things that will get you to where you want.

"i want to win, and i'm going to win." - love this, she's sure of herself and confident in her abilities.

prioritise & use to do lists

start early to be the top of your class!

♡ blair waldorf

honestly its so fun to embody her energy of high value, cares about her education, so confident and takes no sh*t from others!

"anything you can do, i can do better"

always have a plan

have flash cards, take notes

♡ hermione granger

always participate in class!

read more about the material. + learn more!

teach others & help them study

finish the hw/ work quickly and do the extra credit!

stylish in school 101:

SURVIVING SCHOOL AIR: here are some tips to staying/ looking pretty and refreshed all day at school bc u and i both know the horrors of school air 🙀 :)

DRINK WATER. stay hydrated - very important. always drink water. this keeps your lips hydrated, face hydrated, and just makes you look a lil less dead.

lip gloss/ lip balm to reapply throughout the day, esp for my girlies with chapped lips! i keep lip balm in my pocket so its always there when needed, but you can also keep it in your locker/ bag/ pencil case.

perfume. you can keep it in your locker/ bag/ pencil case to spray whenever needed and smell sweet and amazing the entire day <3

stop touching your face!! your hands have so much crusty dust and bacteria that can give pimples on your face.

keep hair away from your face. leave it out if you want, but try to make sure it doesn't touch your face too much- it also has tons of crusty musty dusty germs

keep a hairbrush in your locker. listen, i know how messy hair can get during school so keeping it in school is SO helpful to maintain the tidyness and cleanliness

waterproof makeup - if you wear makeup.

sunscreen!! keep. applying. SUNSCREENN!! i'm not going to elaborate further on this point.

ACCESSORISING YOUR UNIFORM!!

this is for the girlies who have a school uniform! i understand it can be so annoying so to have more fun and feel more confident, ACCESSORIZEE everything as much as you're allowed! here are some ideas!

♡ necklesses

♡ bracelets

♡ bows in your hair

♡ bows in your bag

♡ bows everywhere basically 🎀

♡ decorate your ipad/ pencilcase with stickers

♡ headbands

♡ rings

♡ cute earrings

♡ cute watch

♡ nails

♡ a cute clip!

the ultimate it girl series

xoxo, vanilla!

[prettygirl-gabi]

Chapter 28: Family Ties and Fresh Beginnings

Rating: General Audiences

Warning: none

Paring: Paige Bueckers x !photographer fem reader

Fandom: Women's basketball

Summary: meeting the fam and Aubrey’s back after 381 days on the bench....

Welcome to the chapter 28 of Through The Lens. I hope you all enjoy and there is more to come...stay tuned my loveies!! 🏀💕📸

Reader’s POV

The car ride to Minnesota was filled with soft music and Paige’s occasional humming. I had been nervous about meeting her dad, Bob, her stepmom, her stepbrother, and especially her little brother, Drew. Paige had assured me they’d love me, but the fluttering in my stomach wasn’t listening.

“You’re going to be fine,” Paige said, reaching over to give my hand a comforting squeeze. “Drew’s going to adore you.”

I smiled nervously. “You sure about that?”

“Positive.”

When we arrived, Bob greeted us with a warm hug and a wide grin. Drew was shy at first, hiding behind their dad, but it didn’t take long for him to warm up.

“Hi, Drew,” I said, crouching to his level. “I’m Y/N. Your sister’s friend.”

Drew peeked up at Paige, who gave him a wink. Then he looked back at me, eyes sparkling.

“Do you like LEGOs?” he asked.

“I love LEGOs,” I replied, grinning.

He gasped. “Really? Can we build something?”

“Of course!”

Paige laughed as Drew grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the living room. “Told you he’d love you,” she whispered as I passed.

Paige’s POV

Watching Y/N and Drew bond melted my heart. Drew was usually pretty reserved around new people, but he was already chatting away with her like they’d known each other forever.

“She’s great with him,” my dad said, coming to stand beside me.

“She’s great, period,” I replied, smiling.

Reader’s POV

Later that night, after dinner, Bob sat us down in the living room. Drew was asleep on my lap, his tiny hands clutching my shirt.

“Paige, Y/N,” Bob started, his tone serious but kind. “I can see how much you two care about each other. It’s obvious in the way you look at one another.”

I glanced at Paige, who gave me a reassuring smile.

“But love isn’t always easy,” Bob continued. “You’ll face challenges, especially with the paths you’ve chosen. Paige, your basketball career will take you all over the country, and Y/N, your work will demand so much of your time and energy.”

I nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

“If you really love each other as deeply as you say you do, you’ll overcome anything. But it’ll take work—communication, patience, and trust.”

“We know,” Paige said, her voice steady. “We’ve talked about it, and we’re ready to face whatever comes our way.”

Bob smiled. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

Sunday rolled around quicker than I anticipated, and the gym buzzed with excitement. The possibility of Aubrey Griffin returning to the court after her long recovery had everyone hyped.

During the press availability before the game, Paige, Azzi, and Coach Geno fielded questions from reporters. I stood at the back of the room, my camera in hand, capturing the moment.

“Aubrey’s been working hard,” Geno said. “There’s a good chance she’ll see some action today. It’s been a long road, but she’s ready.”

Paige chimed in, “Having Aubrey back would be huge for us. She’s a fighter, and we’ve all missed her energy on the court.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Paige’s confidence in her team—and in herself—was one of the things I loved most about her.

The energy in the arena was electric as UConn took the court against Seton Hall. The crowd roared when Aubrey jogged onto the court in her uniform for the first time in over a year.

I positioned myself near the baseline, capturing every moment. Paige was in her element, leading the team with precision and grace.

At one point, she glanced my way, a small smile tugging at her lips. It was a brief moment, but it was enough to make my heart flutter.

After the game—a solid win for UConn—96-36, waited for Paige outside the locker room. She emerged, her hair damp and her face glowing.

“Great game, Bueckers,” I said, nudging her playfully.

She grinned. “Thanks, but I think I owe part of that win to you.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“You’re my lucky charm,” she said, wrapping an arm around my waist.

I laughed, leaning into her. “You’re so cheesy.”

“Yeah, yeah but you love my cheesyness.”

She wasn’t wrong.

That night, as we lay in her dorm, Paige turned to me, her expression soft.

“Did my dad scare you the other night?” she asked.

“No,” I said honestly. “He just reminded me how important it is to keep working at this—at us.”

Paige smiled, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “We’ve got this, Y/N. No matter what.”

“I know,” I whispered, closing the distance between us.

In that moment, with her arms around me and the world outside forgotten, I knew we could handle anything together.

---

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-Thank You For Reading!🩵🩶

-prettygirl-gabi🎀✨️

Tag list: @sayurireidotcom , @astroeliza , @paxaz535 , @0phantom0 , @starlighttsv , @authentic-girl03 , @sevyscoven .... (more to be added)

[ilylillies]

I LOVE pound CAKE so MUCH!!! It tastes SO good with the ICING too!! It brings back a LOT of memories when my MOM first MADE it!! It tasted WONDERFUL, SWEET, VANILLA-Y if you want to call it. Its REALLY good I LOVE POUND CAKE.

Oh yeah, what’s your FAVORITE CAKE?

Cant call myself devoted if I always make the mistake of holding your hand in my claws.

What are YOUR FAVORITE COLORS? My FAVORITE colors are, BLUE, PINK, YELLOW, and BLACK!!! I LOVE PINK, BLUE, and YELLOW because they make the most PRETTIEST, MOST BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS!!

My FAVORITE LANDSCAPE ( I don’t know if it counts, but I’ll just say it anyway for the internet gods to notice, ) is a CORAL REEF!! I actually like any marine landscape because the LUMINESCENTE and MAGIC of the UNDERWATER is a FANTASMICAL sight to SEE!! What are YOUR FAVORITE LANDSCAPES??

My FAVORITE MUSICAL GENRES are ELECTRONIC, FUNK, HIP-HOP, INDIE, I THINK ACOUSTIC, SOMETIMES ROCK, I really just like about ANYTHING at this point cause WHAT ELSE AM I DOING IN MY LIFE??? What are YOUR FAVORITE MUSICAL GENRES?

My FAVORITE GAMES are THE SPLATOON FRANCHISE, GREAT GOD GROVE, MOUTHWASHING, ANIMAL CROSSING:NEW HORIZONS, and ROBLOX as of what I can remember right now. What are YOUR FAVORITE GAMES??

My TOP SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS are TUMBLR, REDNOTE, and FACEBOOK because Im like I guess a weirdo, JUST KIDDING I DONT USE FACEBOOK, I cant check TUMBLR until the end of the week and I don’t even have TT cause TT is kinda in deep with politics and stuff so yeeaahh.

My FAVORITE franchises as of RIGHT NOW are GREAT GOD GROVE, MOUTHWASHING, REGRETEVATOR, SPLATOON, I think I’m still in WELCOME HOME a bit here and there, I.O.N OBJECT SHOW, OBJECT SHOW COMMUNITY (OSC), and thats all I got for now. What are YOUR FAVORITE FRANCHISES??

SONGS I LIKE are NEW DROP by DON TOLIVER, HEART BEAT by CHILDISH GAMBINO, (This IS WHERE I GET WEIRD) ANTHEMS FOR A 17 YEAR OLD by BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, SOUK EYE, BROKEN, SHE’S MY COLLAR, and the one and only TOMORROW COMES TODAY by GORILLAZ (I told you its getting weird) HEADLOCK by IMOGEN, AH AH by SYLENDENNA, RAINCOAT & DIRTY CAR by STUDIO KILLERS, SARAH, TREEHOUSE, HARVEY, SANDY, 16 MIRRORS, and MIS by ALEX G, CORBON AMODIO’S LUCY (Bingo bango bayber) I THINK I LIKE WHEN IT RAINS by WILLIS (Now were really falling, WHY DOES MY PHONE SMELL LIKE METAL) (sorry im adding so much words for algoridunm to word count) uhh uh um LAGTRAIN INFECTED MIX by JORJ1357 I think you know enough, what are SONG YOU LIKE?

My FAVORITE HOBBIES are DRAWING, ANIMATING, USING PINTEREST, WATCHING HOOPS AND YOYO, and other FRANCHISES, EATING, PLAYING ROBLOX OR SOME OF MY OTHER FAVORITE GAMES like SPLATOON, READING WEBCOMICS, USING INSTAGRAM, LITERALLY MY PHONE, LOOKING AT PEOPLE ENJOYING THEIR LIVES SKATEBOARDING AND URBEX EXPLORING WHILE WEARING COOL CLOTHES AND LIVING COOL LIVES AND IM OVER HERE NOT KNOWING BASIC HYGIENE Help me

My FAVORITE FRUITS are WATERMELON, APPLES, BANANAS, and ORANGES because their all SWEET, APPLES, ORANGES, and WATERMELONS are HONEY CRISP and JUICY, BANANAS are SOFT yet PUNGENT in such a WAY I don’t know how to DESCRIBE.

My FAVORITE SEASONS are ALL the seasons. FALL gives a homey vibe where you listen to acoustics and wear cute layered clothes. WINTER is a time where I watch people slip on the ground early in the morning, get to wear warm clothes and snuggle inside my blanket while scrolling on my phone. SPRING, a time of rebirth, anew, a time where flowers, lakes, nature, get to glisten from the death of winter, a time for new days. SUMMER is my utmost FAVORITE time of the year, as it brings out old nostalgia of memories with my cousins, the beautiful weather, the MUSIC is amazing, Its a beautiful time to enjoy. What are YOUR FAVORITE SEASONS?? Cant wait to find out!!

My FAVORITE songs are 16 MIRRORS by ALEX G, AH? AH! By SYLENDANNA, WAIT A MINUETE by WILLOW, SHES MY COLLAR by GORILLAZ, also my FAVORITE BAND so far, GOD IS CALLING ME BACK HOME by KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD, I havent listened to many of their songs but this one I heard from YUGO LIMBO, creator of Smile for me Dr Habit and Great God Grove, when they made a trailer for their psychedelic horror comic, and I though it was pretty nice, I REALLY like Lost so—

—ul down x Floki, and uhh looks like Pinterest’s word limit is here, I gotta go byeee.

My FAVORITE type of IMAGINARY WEATHER is when it’s RAINING on a SUNSETTING afternoon. Although Ive never SEEN it, a SUNSET RAINBOW out on a CLIFF, or off in the DISTANCE of a CITY would be a PLEASANT sight to see. Whats YOUR FAVORITE imaginary WEATHER??

WHAT are YOUR FAVORITE FLAVORS?? My FAVORITE FLAVORS are VANILLA, HAZELNUT, CHOCOLATE, WATERMELON, and BUBBLEGUM!!

My FAVORITE DRINKS are SLUSHIES, ORANGE FANTA and ROOT BEER SODA, HOT CHOCOLATE, or, COCOA, BATTERY ACID DRINK from tiktok with the SMOKY ICE, OREO MILKSHAKES, and WATERMELON SODA.

My FAVORITE BUBBLE GUM FLAVORS are the ORIGINAL, JUICY FRUIT, CINNAMON, WATERMELON, BUBBLE YUM is my FAVORITE BRAND of BUBBLE GUM other than HUBBA BUBBA and DUBBLE BUBBLE. I also like POP ROCKS.

What are YOUR FAVORITE BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR or FLAVORS?

A Palestinian prisoner from Zionist occupation prisons... Zionism is terrorism.

Zionists are truly disgusting oppressors. They kill, torture and imprison Palestinians just because they are Palestinians and do not want to leave their homeland. They torture them beyond your imagination. They don't care whether the other person is a woman, child or baby. They have no conscience or common sense. If there is an zionist near you, protect yourself from him/her/ something

Free, free Palestine! 🇵🇸

[crazylittlejester]

my modern au links as tiktok trends/specific videos ive seen recently

Twilight: “‘you’re so funny’ haha thanks I’m not allowed to randomly text my friends ‘i love you’ without context anymore”

Sky: That trend where a girl will be doing her makeup and her boyfriend reaches out to poke her cheek or something and then it cuts to him sitting in the back with a FULL face of makeup while the girl continues doing hers like nothing happened

War: “I woke up with bruises all over my arms and legs. Do not be alarmed! I am not getting abused, I just tried wall twerking on an elevated surface last night and I took a BIG tumble, so… Just wanted to clear that up because you WILL be seeing the bruises ALL over. No need to be concerned, I was just trying something new”

Legend: That “me listening to ____” then vs now trend, except it’s Will Wood and all the songs are the exact same and the caption is “I have autism”

Wild: The casually stopping the elevator trend (Twi and War did it with him but Wild won because of the way he stuck his finger in there like he was going “wait” and then twirled his cane as he stepped in)

Hyrule: “Unfortunately my body doesn’t understand the difference between being held at gunpoint and presenting in front of a class”

Four: One of those videos where funky music is playing in the back and the camera keeps getting really close to the person’s pets, and he would do this with his mice

Wind: “I told the geese what you said. Good luck getting to class tomorrow”

Time: (to be clear he would not have tiktok, nor would he be caught up on trends, but for the sake of the post) he’d get some comment from someone who saw him mention he was trans that’d be like “you’ll never be a woman” and he’d respond with a video of him falling to the ground screaming in slow motion like “NOOOOOOOO” (he’s a trans man)

Twilight, pt 2: “I never even considered Dr. Pepper could be a woman… Maybe I’m part of the problem??” (he would then follow this up with a video like “LMAO WTF NO I ALWAYS REFER TO MY DR PEPPER CANS AS ‘SHE’”)

Hyrule, pt 2: It’s just a video of him trying to pet an opossum he saw out in the wild. All the comments are “DO YOU HAVE NO SURVIVAL INSTINCTS”

Wild, pt 2: “The devil couldn’t reach me so he gave me the talent and the passion but not a body that could continue to do the sport I love”

bonus Sun: “using my scary dog privilege to walk around at night” and the camera pans to Twi, War, Sky, Athena, and Linkle walking in front of her, and no one in the comments can figure out who the scary dog is because War is an immediate no, Athena is a solid maybe, if you don’t know Sky you wouldn’t assume it was him, Twi LOOKS scary but you can see the sad wet dog in his eyes, and Linkle is an absolute wild card

[beesgobzzzing]

Article translation

Hooja and Käärijä are performing together for the first time in the first semifinal of Melodifestivalen in Luleå. Maybe Hooja will be participating in Melodifestivalen for real in the future:

You never know, Hooja says. [Bees note: Their manager said in a podcast during the fall last year that they were not interested in competing in Melodifestivalen, so this is definitely a politicians answer.]

Among feather boas and pink sequins, dressed in their particular fur hats, baklavas and fleece jackets, Hooja and DJ Mårdhund has arrived in Luleå Energi Arena. [Bees note: Mårdis and myself has referenced this as Coop Arena before, and that used to be it's name. Like many arenas elsewhere, this one also takes it's name from their main sponsor, which changes every now and then.] They are debuting in Melodifestivalen. They do have someone who has a lot of experience from this setting with them - Finnish Eurovision favorite Käärijä. But they're not taking part in the actual competition.

Together they are here as an interval act in Melodifestivalen's first semi in Luleå, where they are performing their new song "San Francisco Boy".

The trio has taken a break in show preparations and sit down on some chairs by one of the arena entrances. Käärijä is not wearing a mask, but does wear sunglasses just like the duo from Gällivare.

You're a bit secretive, and I think it's fun to work with artists who don't only have the music but another level to it. You have nice clothes too, Käärijä says.

Outside the glass doors another masked artist, Fröken Snusk [Bees note: her artist name translates to Miss Dirty], appears and waves to her coworkers before she once again disappears into the darkness.

Why are you making a song together?

Why not? I listened to Hooja's music and thought "oh, Swedish music can sound like this". Of course in a positive way, Käärijä says and laughs.

He says it's not always easy to make music with other artists. But the collaboration with Hooja has been painless.

Everything went so quick from meeting for the first time until we had a finished song, DJ Mårdhund says.

It was destiny, Hooja adds.

(Text under the picture: Käärijä has watched Melodifestivalen at home in Finland and is happy that he gets to enter the stage in Sweden with Hooja. "Dreams can become true", DJ Mårdhund notes.)

That the song is called "San Francisco Boy" has nothing to do with anyone from the trio having been there.

We have seen San Francisco in pictures, very nice pictures in my opinion. They have a nice and big bridge, DJ Mårdhund says.

Maybe we should go there together and make "San Francisco Boy part 2", Käärijä says.

Käärijä competed for Finland in Eurovision in 2023 with the song "Cha Cha Cha". He came in second after Sweden and Loreen's song "Tattoo". Being in Melodifestivalen now is not something he minds.

It's fun, I love Loreen, and I like you too, Käärijä says and points at Hooja.

He won the audience vote in Eurovision and quickly became a fan favorite. Not least of all in Sweden, where his song climbed the charts. He wasn't quite prepared for the love from the Swedish audience.

There were a lot of Swedish people who wrote to me and said they liked my song. I didn't think Swedish people liked Finnish music, but it was really nice to see that the song charted so well in Sweden.

The trio has a very full schedule during these few days in Luleå. Hooja describes the whole event as "hullaballoo".

There are a lot of people running around but it's a fun show, he says.

Being the interval act together with Käärijä feels safe, according to the duo.

It feels good having you here, you've done this kind of thing before, Mårdis says and looks at Käärijä:

You're almost being a father figure for us.

But will being the interval act this year make Hooja want to compete for real in Melodifestivalen in the future?

You never know. We are not going to say: No, we would never do that. But we're not going to give a definite yes either, Hooja says.

Wow, what a politician's answer, DJ Mårdhund says.

Maybe I should get into politics instead, Hooja says.

[fools-and-perverts2]

hell yeah thanks so much for the tag x3

3 Ships I Like

right, least to most rare: bernstead (judy/violet) from nine to five the musical is such a mood right now, i downloaded like ten new fics for them the other day, morgana/annis from merlin YOU CAN HATE IT IF YOU WANT 😆 but i will never stop defending it they're such a great dynamic imo and finally the rarepair to end all rarepairs, olivia/ellegaard from mcsm THERE ARE LITERALLY ZERO POSTS FOR THEM but i love them so muchhhj

First Ship Ever

rosalina/daisy from mario. have they ever even interacted in canon? who knows but they were defo my ogs

Last Song I Heard

i am currently listening to change it from nine to five the musical so. that

Favorite Childhood Book

fly by night by Frances Hardinge is seriously good and i would honestly read again, Frances Hardinge books can 100% be enjoyed by anyone and i love them to this day.

but.

the mr gum series by andy stanton was undoubtedly much more influential to me, being such a comfort throughout my childhood right up to when i first started high school, using the audiobooks to process a kind of hard time and they're so funny and ridiculous as shit i can't decide

Currently Reading

all my rage by sabaa tahir. it's really good but reading is so hard now i have to do it in small chunks

Currently Watching

Minecraft story mode!!! it's a rewatch, and i may be considered playing it rather than watching but it's the yt reupload of the Netflix version rather than the video game, so i say I'm watching. but also proper-watching bbc robin hood (series 2 - no spoilers!) and farscape on itv, both really fun series' that only sometimes have Female Character Problems

Currently Consuming

BN. (french biscuits)

Currently Craving

BN. (french biscuits)

man that was fun!! um. @greencloakedfae @deuxiemedunom @frenchgirltalya @big-bad-boink @a-storm-of-moss-and-rats + anyone who wants to, please join in! no pressure if you don't tho, this is Tumblr. nothing is weird, everyone is a social outcast, there are no rules, thank you and goodnight🫶

9 10 Fandom Folks to Get to Know Better

Thanks so much for the tag @schofielded !!

3 Ships I Like

Okay so I’m currently writing for Anderperry so they have to be at the top of the list, Reddie is my beloved which I fear will follow me throughout my life so they’re next, and hmm idk what to put for my third one since I like to read for a lot of ships and have barely written for others. I think I’ll go with a surprise pick and say Boreo! Tragic gays for the win

First Ship Ever

Omg I actually cannot say it was too embarrassing. The first one I’m willing to say is Larry which is also embarrassing and I regret it but I fear the fanfic was so good sorry.

Last Song I Heard

Drums of Death by FKA Twigs. I am addicted, something about the beat is just so good.

Favorite Childhood Book

This is kind of hard for me because I mainly had author phases as a kid rather than just one book that I adored. Looking back, though, I would probably say The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo was my favorite. Her descriptions were so good that it made me want to eat paper like the mice.

Currently Reading

Four Minutes by Nataliya Deleva! It’s a queer Bulgarian novel I’m reading for my around the world goal and I’m really enjoying it so far!

Currently Watching

Just finished watching Swing Girls (2004) so I’m counting it since I’m between TV shows right now. Anyway the movie was so cute and feel-good, I definitely recommend!!

Currently Consuming

I had fried chicken for dinner if that’s what this is referring to. Anyway it was good!

Currently Craving

A strawberry limeade with added coconut and cream from Sonic 💔 I don’t have my car rn so I am stranded sadly

No pressure tags: @neil-perrys-suicidal-tendencies @vinesandvellichor @good--merits-accumulated @lc-27 @axe-76 @dreadedwhim @poetrusic1959 @yawping-poets-society @scriptscraps @neilperryismine + open to anyone who wants to join!!

[corpish]

gym bro reporting for duty (insta)

[a-dash-in-the-middle]

going to music places with only knowing the genre and liking new songs, and singing the ones i knew, and singing them badly bc i missed half the lyrics and not having an encyclopaedia of the genre in my mind bc i always liked the music and the pretentious pricks from serbian turbo folk to punk metal and grunge will not stop me from enjoying new things and knowing nothing about the band who sings it

[hoovesandfloorpaws]

i was only gonna put this in the tags, but it'd be too long, honestly. i love Kate and always loved working with her and this video is another reason added as to why. what she said is all so true and so fucked up - and starting 2007 and onwards (when Foundations was released), she even was a (what i'd call) concretely mid-sized artist who released music that was VERY in-trend at that time (2008-2015's love for indie pop and indie rock; which was also my main breadwinner genre during that time). she had quite substantial support tours and festival slots, as well (at least in the UK and most of Europe) and the fact that she's still obviously struggled and is still struggling is WILD and disheartening (and sadly, harsh reality).

this is obviously a very broad discussion with the many different sizes of artists and tours and depending on how much or little financial budget is made available through a label/tour agency/artist themselves/etc., but like Gina said: "No wonder so many artists cancel tours" and this is very true!

getting a tour off the ground, in my personal work experience of the past 15+ years, has always been tough, but it's getting harder and harder and fucking harder.

listen, i'm Live Nation's biggest hater for a reason. already loathed their 'work practices' since 2010 (with which i am very familiar with, obviously). won't go into detail here, but it's not gotten better in the slightest. LN claims to not be a monopoly, but just as with their daughter company Ticketmaster, they've been encroaching on the live tour industry for decades with no sign of stopping. and yeah, that company is one of the final bosses in a bigger picture; but there's also shit like the aforementioned ticketmaster and associated smaller companies using their status and influence to scoop up venue after venue and tour agency after tour agency ("no compliance? no shows/artists for you and we have the biggest ones! go ahead and starve then!") for exclusive ticketing/artist contracts, which always include a new magical fee on top of another one. it has become outrageous! and can you guess how much of that is funnelled to the artist? correct. NONE of it.

i had artists insist on a certain low-as-possible ticket price (which is fair and noble) and with ticketing fees, it was suddenly double! and especially if you're not a big enough artist or agency, it's impossible to refuse. i've torn out so much hair over this, is2g..

not to mention the shift from tour agencies hiring local promoters to do the shows to the agencies skipping that step entirely to do the shows themselves and ~streamline the process (see also: save money), leaving local promoters all over the world in the dust. and can you imagine what happens when a not-local agency (meaning: a Finland-based agency booking a show in Argentina or a US-based agency booking something in Czech Republic) tries to promote shows to areas and with venues they are not at all familiar with and they also sure as hell don't budget in location-specific + demography-specific promo for the concert? -- exactly. low as hell ticket sales! - which either the marketing/PR firm or the artist themselves will take the blame for. similar to management, labels and/or tour agencies demanding the artist "go with the times" and do "more legwork" to "promote themselves" (through social media, of course) and refusing to give big enough budgets for tour promo and then tour promoters having to choose between two half-empty cups of Nothing. or when, say, an act like Kate Nash is already well-known in the UK and scheduled to tour the entirety of Europe, but since management wants the good promo & press for a "sold out tour in the UK!", most of the budget goes towards the UK and almost nothing's left for the rest of Europe and you don't even break even on those shows and the tour agency is all pikachu-face in your e-mails.

i can't possibly count the times where i had to ask bands and/or mgmt the gruelling question if they'd possibly rather cancel dates or entire tours - or when I even had to recommend it honestly - or the times i was asked that question and had to discuss it with my artists. can you imagine what that does to the mind of an artist?? a cancelled tour because of low sales or a tour that runs into red numbers is like a stain on your resumé and future partners will potentially not even invest in another tour with you; give you a harder deal or ask the artist for a financial security clause. and like i said, this is still all in the realm of artists in Kate's size range. for smaller artists, it's ten times harder.

so i will leave this saying -- if available, please buy tickets through independent (but obviously legitimate! please never use scam sites like viagogo!) local ticket shops; if you can't go in person, they usually have web shops, too. and for the love of 1D, please buy merch at shows!! (or if you can't go in person, buy it in their official merch stores, if you don't buy secondhand). Merch remains the only source of income that goes to the artist as direct as still possible nowadays! (depending on the artist size, the artist or tour promoter/agency has to pay a merch fee or even sells through a hired merch service, but oftentimes even those few people are part of the travelling tour fam who manage the distribution at venues) -- from personal experience, the merch sales were so, so many times what saved the tour from not meeting break even or was the only true profit made. merch sale numbers get completely counted into the end count of potential financial success of a tour.

but i know the people to really address about this aren't the fans. it's the money-greedy people in their capitalist conglomerates who have the real power here; who sit on their millions and reap their annual dividends and couldn't give less of a fuck about the artists, art or music, than how much money they're/it's making them.

Kate Nash on the financial reality of being a touring artist.

x

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

words can’t express how much i love him, his courage and fearlessness of expression in everything he creates is pure magic 🖤

[gellavonhamster]

I love fanmixes/character playlists/whatever you call it because they give you an opportunity to discover new songs and bands that you probably wouldn't have checked out otherwise, and these songs come complete with associations with a beloved story/character/ship, and if there's a song you also associate with it you get a surge of validation, and even if you don't feel like one song or another actually fits that story/character/ship, you've still discovered new music, and that's something

[adelle-ein]

every year spotify wrapped just confuses the hell out of me. what is "pov: indie" (why not just indie????) what is "alt z." what the fuck is "hopebeat," is it like "indie poptimism." and where is provo

[duskbellamy]

I just listened to some of your stuff. I remember being where you are.

I'm in music school rn. What I've learned is that ALL music is a mash of things the artist has absorbed before. I'd say all art, really. Re-combination into a new and improved thing is basically what humans do as a species. It's the reason we have so many genres in the first place. Trying to fit yourself into an existing genre is only going to make you blend into the crowd more. The key is really going to be finding the labels that connect you to the right audience. DO NOT change your music overall to fit a genre, change your music to improve it. Use genre elements to develop specific songs. If really need be, a new genre will develop.

As far as changing your process goes, that comes naturally over time. Think of an artist you love, and how their early stuff is different from their latest stuff. Even look at how different 90's electronic is from modern stuff! Don't be afraid to try new things, but don't force *everything* to be new unless you're looking for a challenge. Baby steps.

I also had trouble conveying specific ideas and feelings. Then I learned a little bit of music theory. Knowing how chords work helped a ton: think of a chord progression as the colour palette. The melodies and basslines and other pitches in your song are the detail, brush strokes.

Lots of really great stuff out there on YouTube about basic theory. When you have a decent grasp on chords, this website is an absolute gem. Look up any song that you like the vibe of and it'll show you exactly what they did, chord-wise. You'll tweak and swap chords as you go, and your ability to convey a specific emotion will get better and better.

TL,DR: Look up some basic knowledge on chords and KEEP. MAKING. MUSIC. The only way to solve any of the problems you've listed is to do it more.

i've often struggled to describe my own music. it's not playlistable or tiktokable or even genre-categorizable in any sensible way. i worry constantly that this puts distance between my work and the audience. i tend to sit awkwardly between all my influences. chiptune, ambient, experimental, dnb, hip hop, house and club music are all in there somewhere, but the result is sorta poorly defined. "post-hyperpop" is a useful label for similarly influenced music, but is itself poorly defined. and that genre doesn't tend to include a lot of instrumental music, which is my bread and butter

i don't have this problem in other artistic mediums. musically, i feel like a child playing with fingerpaints. full of thoughts and emotions to express, able to smear and splatter colors, but unable to create something that expresses any specific feelings or ideas. often unable to connect to the audience in a meaningful way

not sure how to square this circle. give up on conveying specific ideas? give up on genre? or embrace genre and work hard to adopt a sound that listeners will understand?