#grand Ole flag

[bevanne46]

Pat Sloan's FREE Grand Ole Flag Quilt Pattern. https://www.ilovetomakequilts.com/flag-quilt-free/

[hey-must-be-a-devilbetween-us]

can i be feral for a second?

i want izzy to be with fang so bad i'm dead serious he is so soft and healthy and cute and sweet and the total opposite of what izzy has pretended hes wanted.

i love fang so much i want him to shush izzy some more and kiss his forehead and touch his face and tell him hes pretty in that soft voice and izzy has an 'everything i've ever wanted as been right in front of me and i never knew it' moment

okay i'm leaving now thank you good day.

[jade-len]

bad svsss fanfic/au idea: random marriage/guidance counselor transmigrates into PIDW, sees the absolute mess of lord luo bingge and his harem, goes "jesus fucking christ", and makes bank.

and like. they're probably not even that good of a counselor. it's just that people lack any sense when it comes to bingge, and since he's the emperor, that means pretty much everyone. also because therapy doesn't exist. i'll give them some credit though, whatever they hell they're doing works.

now, while sqq and sqh are having a grand ol' time in SVSSS with their husbands, this random, average counselor has to deal with being in the care of lord luo bingge. no wife beam. no anything. all they have is some basic empathy and common sense people just tend to lack in here for some reason.

it's even worse considering the fact that they've arrived after luo bingge completed his plan and became the hailed demon emperor. now, while they've never full on read the entire thing, they've heard enough from a close friend who has kept up with it to know the main character is the literal embodiment of the cycle of abuse and heavy unresolved issues. like, it got to the point where they started to unironically use luo bingge as an example of how to not deal with conflicts and trauma.

really, how could people like bingge? seriously, it's just another edge lord main character with way too many glamorized issues and abuse. red flag! (hey, who the hell is peerless cucumber and why does he keep defending binghe? lord, have mercy on these impressionable young men...)

so, after being kidnapped taken in by bingge and his wives after the bunch claimed that they were a "wise man" or whatever (all they did was offer some basic relationship advice to some poor woman, who turned out to be ning yingying, who told the other wives, and it just spiraled from there), they were deemed "special" and given their personal office and a room! hey, better than being on the streets in this god forsaken hentai-ish world, i guess.

quickly, a routine was established. one that, especially, consisted of luo bingge outright ignoring them. which, they weren't complaining about!

wake up, eat, meet with multiple of the wives, spend their hard earned money on delicious delicacies, meet with more wives, sleep, repeat. the most interaction they had with the demon emperor was him ordering them around, but even then, that was uncommon. it was, surprisingly, easy to fall into the rhythm of this undoubtedly odd life. you're upset that lord luo hasn't spent much time with you? maybe you can ask! the other wives are being annoying? remove yourself from the situation. you're upset that lord luo has so many other wives? oohhh... yeah. uhm.

luo binghe only tolerated them, they knew that. and they're sure that, if not for multiple of his wives insisting on keeping them, they'd be dead for even daring to be so "intimate" with them. a little bit of a shock, if they do say so themself. like, insecure much (something that they'll probably never get used to is the fact that bingge built an entire little village for his wives, though)?

but that's not the most shocking thing, oh, no.

it's this.

"i- i tried.. i tried to take the.. hiic-- other.. other shizun w-with me.." lord luo binghe, the powerful, almighty demon emperor, trembles and sobs. "b-but he! he wanted to-- s-stay with that.. stupid, inferior version of my- hic- self.."

despite the mountain of gold they're getting paid in, is it really enough to deal with this? probably not. will they get killed for witnessing luo binghe's vulnerability? perhaps. is he a dictator, the embodiment of the cycle of abuse, and a crazily vengeful bastard? definitely.

"it's-- s' not.." his voice breaks. something else inside of them probably does, too. "..n-not, hiic- fair."

should they feel bad? they shouldn't. he's hurt much too many people. isn't it a little late? can he even be redeemed? because, they are absolutely not here to try and "fix" him.

and yet.

"can you breathe, lord luo? deep breaths, don't focus on anything else but me, okay? i'll do it with you too. can you do that for me? there, there. you're doing a very good job, do you know that? here, when i'm upset, sometimes i like to do something called, '5-4-3-2-1'. i promise it'll help, binghe. would you like for me to do this one with you too?"

they can't help but think about a small, lonely boy on qing jing peak.

. . .

after that, bingbing slowly starts to come around and develop an actual bond! cool!! he just,,, can't believe only his wives were granted the "wisdom". how foolish was he?

"i know i'm only a mere human, but i can tell that lord luo is... masking things. you can put that away for now, okay? i promise, everything you say here will be confidential information, and it'll never leak... no no there's no enemy spies here-"

"i'm not even going to question this. you go back there right now and deal with it yourself if you cannot respect me or the other clients. aka, your wives."

"no, it's not stupid. this is how people help themself, and it's okay if you want to do it. as long as it doesn't hurt you or anybody. it helps, and that's all that matters."

"oh? one of your wife confronted to you about it? i'm glad to hear that, she's doing well, i see. i'm also happy that you're listening too, really."

"yes, and when something like that happens, you--- no- don't pull out xin mo now. what did we say about that? good job."

"here, can i touch your hands, binghe? there we go. when you're unsteady, you feel the need to pick at your skin, correct? well, let's try a few different things to keep those hands busy! it must be quite stressful being an emperor. how about we start with crocheting! it's quite popular back at my hometown."

"your mother sounds like a wonderful woman, lord luo. hey, how about you take a small break and visit her, okay? you want me to come with you? of course, it'd be an honor."

and thus, the story of the poor transmigrator counselor continues on with luo bingge added to their schedule!! this could be read as romantic or platonic lol. but i was thinking of this as luo bingge obtaining his first actual friend. it takes a long while due to bingge's... bingge-ness, but eventually it all works out lmao

[fragileruns]

hihi! happy release of speak now tv!! could i request remus lupin x reader, to sparks fly. just some good ol’ fluff, maybe they’re both pinning for eachother or something? would be terrific 😋💜

sparks fly | remus lupin.

hi, lovely! i hope this was what you wanted, if not please feel free to request any changes or let me know!! thank you so much for your request, i had so much fun writing this and i LOVE pining remus!

content warnings: gender neutral reader (i believe, pls send me any corrections), reader has hair, lovesick & pining remus/reader, kissing in the rain, not proofread)

speak now (taylor’s version) event!

Remus Lupin was a hard person to get to know. He wasn’t rude necessarily, he just wasn’t really out there. Not like the group he surrounded himself with, especially the two marauders known as James and Sirius. No, Remus was quiet and reserved. He didn’t like to let people get in too close, and it was why it had been difficult for you to even be able to consider yourself friends.

You had always liked him, always wanted to get to know him. Always gotten flustered anytime you were nearby him. At first, it was a typical hallway crush: you didn’t really talk to him, you just thought he was attractive and sweet. But, after you had started spending time together (kudos to Sirius, who had called you over to where they were sitting one morning for breakfast and forced you two to talk. Unbeknowst to you, Remus had been harboring a similar hallway crush and his friend was desperate to make him ask you out), that silly crush had developed into a much deeper pining.

You tend to forget about all of the red flags whenever you’re around him. You ignore how he disappears every month, how he has a tendency to fly off the handle on certain weeks and how anything can set him off at that time, how he never wants to talk about himself or his past. How, despite him knowing almost everything about you, you know hardly anything about him. It’s easy to forget all of that when he’s having a good day. When he apologizes if he was harsh, and when he gives you those soft eyes filled with regret. When he leans in to fix the tie of your school uniform or fix your hair. It’s so, so easy to forget.

But then, you go back to your dorm and you remember it all. Your mind tries to put the pieces in place, and you fail everytime, always chalking it up to him having a bad day and hoping tomorrow will be better.

Today had been one of those days where he was apologizing. Apologizing for snapping at you yesterday, for asking you to give him space in such a harsh way. You didn’t deserve that, he knew that. He wanted to kick himself for always putting so much on you, he wanted to make it up to you.

“Come on,” he had been tugging your hand, a soft smile on his face as he pulled you through the doors. He had yet to tell you where he was taking you, only that he had a surprise and you’d see soon enough. You had asked if it was your birthday or something, confused why he was so eager for whatever he had in store, and he simply said it was a grand gesture for his being such a jerk the other day.

“Remus, are we almost there? My feet hurt,” you complained, a whine in your voice and he only laughed, pulling you further. You both had to keep your voice low, walking around the outside schoolgrounds when you were supposed to be in your common rooms for curfew.

“Just a few more steps, promise,” he assured you, and you were slightly concerned over his giddiness. He was never this happy. You decided not to question it, though, only admiring his smile from where you were walking a bit behind him. Your chest felt warm at the idea of him being so happy over something he had done for you. It had you almost believing this pining feeling was mutual.

You shut up your complaining for a while, partly scared of ruining this nice moment. Luckily, Remus hadn’t been totally lying when he said just a few more steps, and it wasn’t long until he was pulling you to the quidditch field.

He turned around and grinned at you, and you only furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. What was so special about the quidditch field? You had opened your mouth to question him, but he quickly stepped out of your view, putting on full display the picnic he had set up. It wasn’t a ton, mainly snacks and desserts since it was so late at night.

“I wanted to do it during the day but James refused to give up his practice time. So, night time picnic it is,” he explained, grabbing your hand again to pull you towards the setup. You were scarily silent, and he was worried he overstepped: worried this was what made you finally notice his feelings for you, and that he’d run you off. “Do you like it? Is it too much? I just - I felt really bad about being so harsh, and I wanted you to know I didn’t mean it. I was just having a rough week.”

“No, no - it’s not too much. It’s great. But, Remus,” you started, his side turning to face you now, and you begged yourself not to look into his puppy-like eyes because you knew you’d get distracted, “you don’t have to apologize. It’s okay to have a bad day. You’re allowed.”

“I have a lot of bad days. More than most people.”

“Maybe, but I don’t mind.”

“You should. I put you through too much,” he frowned, and somewhere within your conversation, you had both sat down, but he kept a hold of your hand. He was rubbing shapes into your palm, and you assumed it was more for him than it was for you.

“Seriously, Remus. It’s okay. I wouldn’t go through it if I thought it was too much. Or if I didn’t think you were worth it,” you assured him, your head tilting slightly as he finally looked up at you, something different in his eyes. Something you hadn’t noticed before.

“You’re so good. You’re too good,” he mumbled, and you weren’t sure if you were supposed to hear or not so you pretended not to. “Please tell me you’re just pretending and you’re not actually that oblivious.”

“What?” A confused expression came over your face again at the sudden statement, pulling your hand from his as you sat up straighter. Had you missed something?

“Us. Me - my feelings for you. You seriously haven’t noticed?” He questioned, seemingly in disbelief at whatever it was you had failed to take note of. “I’ve been in love with you since I saw you. I - why else would I take you on a picnic at night? I don’t just treat everyone like this.”

Your eyes widened, your mouth parted and for a moment, he worried he said the wrong thing. “You’re in love with me?”

“Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay,” you responded, giddiness lacing your tone and you couldn’t help the grin that slowly overtook your features. It seemed as if he couldn’t help it, either. He leaned in closer, and you thought he might kiss you. He looked like he wanted to.

“I have to tell you something, first. Because it wouldn’t be fair to you, if I didn’t. And I know this might change how you see me,”

“Nothing would change how I see you,” you interrupted. He ignored it.

“But you deserve to know,” he finished, and he glanced up at the sky for a moment. Then, he closed his eyes and you had a thousand different scenarios running through your mind. None good, not after seeing how much it seemed to pain him to tell you.

“I’m a werewolf,” he finally said under his breath, and this time you know he didn’t want you to hear him, but he needed you to.

“Is that all?”

“Is that - uh, yeah, that’s all. You’re not surprised?” He looked confused, his eyebrows furrowed in a perfect way, and he didn’t understand why you so willingly accepted it.

“I mean, kinda. But, why would that change anything? It’s not your fault. It would never change how I see you.”

After that, he can’t hold himself back. He finally lets himself kiss you, nothing stopping him at this point, and you’re glad he does. His hands softly cup your cheek, and yours quickly find their way to his hair. He acts like he’s trying to kiss away all of the pain he had caused, though you weren’t sure there was any anymore. The kiss is soft and sweet, with months of prolonged pining poured into it.

And then, a teardrop. At first, neither of you notice it, too captured by each other’s presence. But then, it starts pouring down rain, and that’s harder to ignore. He reluctantly pulls away, and your eyes shut at the sudden wetness.

“I guess you didn’t think to check the weather?” You questioned, voice raised a bit so that he could hear you over the downpour. He shook his head and you thought you heard a ‘sorry’ come from his mouth. You couldn’t help but laugh at his disappointed expression, and his head nearly snapped with as quick as he tried to look at you.

The both of you quickly got up, having to run inside to try and escape getting too soaked, though you assumed it was too late for that. After you managed to get inside, he turned to you with a small smile.

“I’m sorry I ruined our date.”

“Was it a date?” You asked, and he glared at you, making you grin. “Okay, kidding. But you didn’t ruin it. It was fun. Do you not like rain?”

“Not when I’m trying to kiss my longtime crush,” he joked, but he was happy you didn’t seem to mind.

“You can still kiss them,” you responded, and he didn’t have to take a moment to consider it. You were glad to give in, despite the feeling of your clothes sticking to your skin, which only got worse when he pressed to you. You could feel the raindrops dripping from his hair, and his hand was wet where it held your hip, but you didn’t care. You could feel sparks fly, and you knew all the pining had made this worth it.

“Lupin. Y/L/N. Go back to your rooms. And please, dry off before you sneak back in next time,” A voice came out loud, and you both felt a towel thrown at you. You pulled away to see Mcgonagall shaking her head at both of you before walking away. You grabbed the towel from the floor and turned to Remus, who was only smiling back at you, a lovesick look in his eyes.

“Totally worth it.”

[the-nebula-sys]

Well, the personal era is over now. Now it's time for a somewhat more permanent era, the era of the Hexaflame. Because I, am many. There are six people in the brain. That number could change. This is a bio for all of them. Update: there are eleven

So hi, I'm the same ol' Ellie as the one who made this blog. I am an autistic, aegosexual, cupioromantic tgirl. Please use she/her pronouns for me. My hobbies are worldbuilding, and learning about stuff. I also really, really like the Outer Wilds. You should play it. Right now. Here's my AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TehAspyfics. If there is no signature, assume that it's me that's posting.

Hello there! I'm Megan, and I'm only fronting to make my bio. I am a very big lesbian. I would also like you to use she/her when reffering to me, please. (Quick note from Sieben, her signature is a pride flag. If you see a 🏳️‍🌈, then that's Megan). Update: as of april 25th, Megan is now a little

Hi there tumblr. My name is Sieben. I'm a straight up boy, so I use he/him pronouns. Respect that. Update now that I know my sexuality. I am ace. Good day.. If I'm posting, then you should see a radio. 📻

Hello. My name is Void. Pleasure to meet you. I am an agender void being. I use any pronouns. I use 🖤. (Note from Alex: Void's sexuality is unknown.)

I am Alex. Welcome to my blog. My sexuality is unknown, yet I am having a feeling towards women. Please use he/him pronouns for me. I use a butcher knife for my signature. 🔪 I also came up with the signature system.

Ah, hello there young ones! You may call me the Grand Maestre. I go by anything with the vibe of masculinity. Pleasure to meet you. Also, you'll see this ⚕️when I post. If you need help, call for me.

(Umm, what is this thing called again? Tumblr? Okay, I got it) Hello there, Tumblr! I'm very pleased to meet you! My name is Agatha, princess of somewhere or other. Use she/her for me or you shall be executed. You know who I am, as I use a crown. Good day!-👑 (note from Void: Agatha is a fictive of Sapphia from High Class Homos. And she really fucking hates it. Please don't mention thag comic when she's around. Thanks)

Tumblr. I am Unit 6497. Call me Unit. I go by any pronouns. I use a robot to let you know who I am.🤖

Am Sammie. Am what you call little. No idea what "pronoun" is. Ummmmmmmmm... typing thingie is signature. Bye. (Update from Ellie, it's a 🧸)

(Here we go) Yeah hi, I'm Entrapta. Yeah, from the show. She-Ra is that good, okay? Ellie's brain rotted too much and now I exist. Okay? She/her for me, and I use a wrench-🔧

I'm Bob, the resident trauma-holder. Please use he/him when talking to me. 🐻 because I can't find anything

I do believe that this bio thing is finished. I mean, not neccesarily complete, just that we can't think of anything more to add right now. I hope to see you again soon, sincerely, ⚕️

[ursa9909]

Sammy a True Texan #4

We need a point in Season 2 of Chaos Theory where everyone has to wear disguises and Sammy's needs to be either 1) a sombrero with mustache 2) camo 3) actual cowgirl attire 4) all of the above

But the best part would be that no one bats an eye at her, but poor Ben with dirty ripped T-shirt, sunglasses, and a bandanna, who actually fits in with everyone around on the ship/new destination is setting everyone's red flags for some reason.

Ps. She should have a cart selling desserts blasting music and all the smugglers are just having a grand ol' time dancing and eating with her (Yas joins for a second) while the rest of camp fam are trying to look through important documents and save the eggs/dinos

Pss. Now I really want some taquitos and sopapillas :(

[discolesbo]

Terve Ukraina (Hail Ukraine), a 1917 poem by Eino Leino

Eino Leino is a national poet of Finland and is also from the same area as me so I am here to flex, of course.

Terve Ukraina! Kunnias soikoon, [Hail Ukraine! May your honour ring,] Huutona huomenen valkenevan! [As a cry of a breaking morning!] Voimasi, lempesi leimaus voikoon [May your strength and love's fire] vaatia, laatia maan vapahan! [demand and create a free land!] Uljas Ukraina! Nyt älä horju! [Valiant Ukraine! Don't falter now!] Kerran se koittaa kansojen koi. [Once, the dawn of nations will arrive.] Tyynenä, vankkana vaarasi torju, [As calm and sturdy, fend off your dangers,] tai jos on tarpehen, niin salamoi! [Or, if need be, strike with lightning!]

Kaunis Ukraina, kansojen suola! [Beautiful Ukraine, the salt of nations!] Sulla on lippu ja meillä on tie. [You have the flag and we have the way.] Myötäs on myrskyssä Suomi ja Puola, [With you in the storm are Finland and Poland,] Myös Viro, Lätti ja Liettua lie. [And it seems Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as well.] Eespäin, Ukraina! Et ole orja, [Forwards, Ukraine! You are not a slave,] itse jos toivot ja tahdot sa sen. [If you yourself wish and want it so.] Kuuletko kuoron, mi suur' on ja sorja [Can you hear the choir, so big and graceful] kuin meri kansojen kauhtuvien? [Like a sea of fading nations?]

Uusi Ukraina, tenhoisa, uhkee! [New Ukraine, charming and grand!] Väljinä välkkyvät virtasi suut, [The mouths of your streams glimmer so wide,] Vapauden purppurakukkihin puhkee [Into the purple flowers of freedom blossom] Mordva, Grusinia, Permi ja muut! [Mordovia, Georgia, Perm and others!] Hetki on Venäjän heimojen nousta; [It is time for the tribes of Russia to rise;] katkoa kahlehet tsaarien yön. [Cut the chains of the night of tsars.] Loista; Ukraina! Jännitä jousta, [Shine; Ukraine! Steady your bow,] valkaise tie tasavaltaisen työn! [And light up the road of republic work!]

[wherewhereare]

Amber Sampson

Thu, Apr 11, 2024 (2 a.m.)

When Paige Overton sang with the cowpunk quartet The Clydesdale, she performed at Brooklyn Bowl and during the Neon Reverb fest, and seemingly every other local venue and event. She has played her share of stages, but few compare to the setup of Blake Shelton’s new country bar and restaurant Ole Red.

“This is definitely different from anything I’ve experienced in this town,” says Overton, who fronts outlaw country band Paige and the Overtones and duo Opal and Turq. “I feel like we’re all kids again. It’s this new, buzzy, fun place and there’s a lot of camaraderie there.”

Overton is one of several local musicians who’ve been invited to play the Strip venue, and the feedback has been resoundingly positive. From the professionally staffed sound and lighting teams to the sprawling stage and lightning-fast stage breakdowns, she regards Ole Red as a true concert venue.

This new, high-profile home for live performance at the heart of the Strip should impact the local country music community, which, despite the popularity of the genre, only plays in a few local venues. Stoney’s Rockin’ Country at Town Square, Gilley’s at Treasure Island and Losers Bar at MGM Grand are among Vegas’ most prominent country bars and lounges.

“I don’t even know if it’s the lack of country bands, but sometimes I think it’s the lack of places that they fit,” Overton says. “I know bands that there’s only a few and far places that really embrace [country] so they have to drive all the way out to Pioneer Saloon to play, or the LeDoux that’s all the way over by Lake Las Vegas.

“I think it may encourage people to step out a little bit, but also it’s a breath of fresh air for people who already play this type of music and have their own little spot in the sun now.”

Ole Red senior talent buyer Marc Feldman says that’s precisely what this venue has set out to do here.

“We’re really giving the opportunity to plant a flag and give country music a home, and give some of the folks who live here, who truly are authentically country, a place to shine,” he says.

A big part of that has been encouraging musicians to play original music rather than what may be popular with Strip crowds. To Feldman, Ole Red is “the proudest stepping stone anyone could have in their career,” and artists are taking that seriously.

Local musician Zach Ryan, who spent eight years in Nashville before returning to Vegas, can attest to that. He often performs his twangy brand of ’60s and ’90s country at Ole Red.

“They treat you there like you’re the talent,” says Ryan. “Some places I’ve played, they’re herding me around and don’t give any breaks. In Nashville, we played about three hours and 45 minutes with no breaks, so someone would have to jump on the drums, which was usually me, while the drummer went to the bathroom.”

Transitioning from the shotgun bars of Nashville to Ole Red has been a “real treat,” he says. “A place like that is a place where you can come as a casual music country fan or a real country fan. It felt a step above Nashville.”

Ryan views Ole Red’s arrival as a sign of the times. He points to Beyoncé releasing Cowboy Carter—“Country music is becoming relevant again, and it’s not your grandpa’s music anymore,” he says. “It’s something young people identify with because so much of it just is talking about everyday problems.”

It’s also incredibly versatile. At Ole Red, Overton can lay on the Waylon Jennings and the Loretta Lynn.

“Sometimes if I’m feeling crazy I’ll even do ‘Stand By Your Man’ from Tammy Wynette, which is sometimes a show suicide because it’s slow, but I don’t give a sh*t,” she says. “It’s fun, and people are usually really into it.

“I hope we see this as a step in the right direction to really embrace more of our musicians in this town,” Overton says. “Let’s get the people paid to play and let them do what they love.”

[rubyvroom]

I gotta say though, the idea that country music wasn't regressive and ultraconservative until after 9/11 is a little bit revisionist history. Just from living through it in real time, it had the exact same reputation in my peer group as being flag and beer republican music well before that*. It got a lot WORSE after 9/11 but that's not where it started. And just look at any history of Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry. As far as I can tell it was a long process of change from radical progressive roots to reactionary conservatism that accelerated alongside Reaganism and evangelical politics -- but I'm sure a bigger country music fan than I could trace this in detail.

*I wasn't a city dweller either, I lived in the farmlands through the 90s. We still preferred rock music.

[shadowmaat]

The good ol' days

One thing I miss about being a kid is Saturday Morning Cartoons. All the big broadcast channels showed cartoons all morning long. And in those days, cable wasn't as much of a thing.

Those cartoons were a huge deal for me. I would obsessively read through the special edition TV Guide that listed out all the shows, gave a synopsis, and told you when and where to watch them. I'd agonize over having to make a choice when two things that sounded good were airing at the same time because, again, in those days it was live or nothing. Unless you had the money and technical expertise to figure out how to record something on a VCR on ONE channel while watching another. Shit was wild. LOL! If I'd put half as much thinking and concentration into school as I did figuring out my Saturday morning schedule, I'd probably have been an A student.

Anyway, I'm not saying streaming is bad, and I'm not trying to imply networks should try and bring that stuff back. It wouldn't work. The world has changed too much, especially where mass media is concerned. I just miss the innocent kiddie-brained fun of it and how VITALLY IMPORTANT it was to me.

Likewise I also miss TV seasons. I miss the special edition TV Guide that was all about the New Fall Season. Reading through to see what sounded good and to mock stuff that sounded dumb. Planning out my weekly evening schedule and again, having to make sacrifices. I also miss when networks were invested enough in getting people to watch that they'd have actual TV specials to hype up their new lineups. Crass commercialism? Absolutely? Dumb fun garbage? Damn right.

There are a hell of a lot more channels now (even a Cowboy channel and a Cowgirl channel because gender all the things!). There are more ways to watch things, too, and that's mostly an improvement for folks who can't live in front of their TV 24/7. Not that I did that, despite how it sounds. And not that programming actually ran for 24 hours. I can remember a few insomnia-plagued nights in my teens when you'd get that stupid American flag graphic and crappy anthem rendering as a station ended its broadcast day. Pfft. That Nationalist-specific bit of nonsense I don't miss at all.

I don't really have a grand point to this and there's no social commentary beyond the obvious "times change." I just wanted to reminisce a bit. Chances are, if they DID bring back Saturday morning cartoons and Fall TV lineups, I'd probably hate everything on offer anyway, fickle old creature that I am. I mostly don't watch stuff anymore; not on TV or streaming. I think the last show I made a conscious effort to keep up with was the Good Place. And there are shows I love that I've mostly only seen through gifsets and tumblr rambles, like Leverage and its sequel. I honestly love that trend.

[theonlybegottensim]

Just having a grand ol' gameplay time with Karen! [American Flag Emoji]

[throughthejunobush]

Why I hate everyone in s5 (and a few things I like about some of them)

Clearly I’m invested in this season despite having about 0.000001% satisfying content (and I’m being very generous with the word satisfying here), but as the gif says, I’m in it, and when fictional characters treat our MC’s badly, I think the best thing for us to do is come together and rage about it so we can feel empowered in real life when real people treat us shitty.

So without further ado, a breakdown of the main LIs and what I like about them but mostly what I hate about them.

Suresh

Let’s start with the clear center of attention of this season. The one the writers desperately want us to be hung up on even though they refuse to give Suresh stans anything but abuse and scraps.

When the season started, I was all in on this man. He is incredibly hot, cocky, confident. I’m all about that. I have several fic ideas in my google docs on how to give this cheater a redemption arc. I was excited for Suresh to win MC back, hopefully in spite of all the gorgeous wonderful love interests that MC had to choose from…

What a sweet naive little baby I was back then. I will say that Suresh has some compelling moments. He says some really touching things. Even seems believable when he says them. But I quickly learned that even when you’re into him and ready to get back together, he pushes you away repeatedly, outright lies to you and any other girl he’s flirting with. He cheats on MC and takes a photo… A PHOTO of the girl, then doesn’t even have the good sense to delete it. Brazen! Then he tells MC it was a one time thing, he regretted it immediately, he couldn’t date anyone after her for a while, he never got serious with anyone after her. All lies.

And I’m no Arlo fan, but the way he treats her is seriously fucked up and shows his bad character. He acts super into her in front of others, then tells MC how she’s the only girl for him. Flirts with MC during his date with Arlo, in such a sneaky way that he makes Arlo believe that he’s flirting with HER. He even tells Arlo that he is completely over MC and that Arlo is the only girl he’s interested in, that he sees a future with her. No wonder this bitch is freaking out on MC all the time! Suresh is gaslighting the fuck out of her! To me, Suresh really lost all chance of convincing me that he cared about MC when Arlo starts yelling at her across the room because Suresh had been flirting with her (despite several attempts by MC to tell him to back off) and he just giggles and laughs like he’s having a grand ol’ time watching MC’s throat get ripped out. If he had stood up for her and told Arlo to calm down, taken the blame, I think I would be a Suresh stan right now. But he didn’t so I’m not.

Alfie

Ohhhhh Alfie. I wanted so badly to love him. He’s cute, charming, cheeky, seems to really like MC, he even understands the pain of being cheated on! He’s giving MC darling little nicknames (that he never uses when they’re actually coupled up). If you’re on a Dana route, he’s arguably even more endearing because he’s quietly pining after MC all that time while trying to remain a supportive bestie.

The first red flags with him were with Kat and Meera. He told Kat he only had eyes for her even though he’d been flirting shamelessly with MC the whole time. Then when Meera showed up, he was like, can someone please remove this bag of trash labeled MC so I can go sniff Meera’s perfect Barbie vagina?? He doesn’t truly want a real human person as a partner, apparently. He resents MC for having past relationships, and cannot DEAL, despite constant reassurance from MC. So when computer generated Meera shows up, who has no past to speak of, no drama, no impulse to challenge him or really do anything besides serve as a human laugh track to Alfie, he drops us so fucking hard despite telling us how special we were like two minutes earlier.

Inexplicably, he chooses MC anyway, and tries to act like he’s somehow being romantic? I’m sorry that I’m not swooning over your tortured moment of barely picking MC. I was all in on you and really liked you and you treated me like a burdensome problem you wish you didn’t have for the past 24 hours.

Well you know the rest. He tells MC he’s ready to commit for the rest of LI. He’s falling for her. He’s SERIOUS YALL. And then Kat merely alludes to MC just talking to Suresh, which Alfie already knew about because he left to let her do it, he runs off crying and shoves his tongue down his best friend’s girl’s throat so fast. The way he treats Finn is so fucking shady! What an immature baby Alfie is! He doesn’t want a real relationship. He wants to play pretend that he’s in love where everything is smooth sailing and his partner only exists to please him. Which is what he did when Meera came back A COMPLETELY CHANGED IMPROVED PERSON, after being away for like, 2…maybe 3 days? However much time it was, the Villa took longer blubbering goodbye to her when she got voted off (WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT BY THE WAY?)

Finn

Mostly, I like Finn okay. He’s pretty funny and fun to be around. But I don’t trust him. He’s been flirting with MC on the side the entire time and if I were Kat, I would be so hurt. I don’t like how he’s leading Kat on the believe that he’s all in on her and then telling MC she’s really the one he wants. Not to mention that he’s always like, hmm I like you MC and I can’t put my finger on why 🤔 uhh because I’m a hot awesome genius with the patience of a goddamn saint for not pulling a Carrie on this entire Villa??

That being said, in this fictional world, he might be the best option available in the next few weeks, so I’m not totally ruling him out.

Dana

Dana is arguably the worst character in LITG history. She is a bundle of contradictions. She’s your best friend and would NEVER mess with your ex (not that we asked her to do this, she VOLUNTEERS this information)… until she does mess with your ex and decides she wants to get to know him. She doesn’t want to get to know Eddie, except for when she does. She’s all in on MC and fancies her the most, except when Eddie, Suresh, Arlo, or Gabi are around.

She does all the same fucked up shit that Alfie did but she is extra shitty to MC during Casa, even though she actually had the option to talk things out. But no, she’d rather hump the leg of the girl your ex smashed your heart with, even though said girl is pathetically hung up on a guy who ghosted her and has spent the last several days announcing to the world that MC is the only girl for him (seriously, Gabi may be hot but she sucks, and not because she was the other woman. I don’t blame her for that). Even if you’re just friends with Dana, she ignores you the entire time at Casa when MC is reeling from being cheated on, YET AGAIN. And as soon as everyone is reunited and you have some SHIT TO SAY to about 15 different people, she drags you off to ask for advice and comfort because Gabi is being shady. Don’t care! You made your bed, go lie in it.

Nicolas

Jury is out on Nicolas. He’s hot and really nice to MC. I’m annoyed he hasn’t tried to touch MC’s boobs yet, though. And I’m nervous how they’re playing up his “love of drama”. I did think it was kinda cute when he’s like, I’m just trying to show you that your ex baggage doesn’t bother me. MC needed to hear that, and Nicolas is a schemer, but he’s the first fucking person to be on MC’s team and looking out for her. So he wins this week 🏆

I assume Johnny is similar, which is a shame because he had a very distinctive personality from Nicolas initially and sounds like they’re just melding them together or rather, giving him Nicolas’s personality.

Gabi

Full disclosure, i haven’t done any scenes with Gabi. Maybe she’s nice. I truly don’t blame her about Suresh cheating. I have no ill will towards her about that even though she seems to believe we’re competition. I do know that she was a bitch to MC when she came in, and that she is seemingly still hung up on Suresh even though he lied about her and ghosted her in the cruelest way. Which is annoying and sad. And she seems to be using Dana, which is also shitty. Doesn’t seem like a person I’d want to take a chance on.

Did I forget someone? If I did, they probably suck too.

[sidewayspeace444]

Good ole auntie LQ is doing all of this fake junk trying to make it seem like the troll is in NY with Chris but someone that’s been on the Materialists set every day is telling the Georgia Peach blog that Chris is there 2 hrs early every day and stays late into the night. So if LQ wants us to believe the lies she spews then that means that trolls ass is sitting in a hotel alone and Chris, her new hubby, is doing all he can to stay away from her stank ass. Ain’t “married” life grand!? 😂

My favorite line “I’m in her private account”

I wonder if this person knows the American flag?

[ragnarssons]

Learn what Zionism.

All it is, is the right to self determination for Jews… so why do you think everyone is allowed self determination but Jews?

Do you even know what "self-determination" means?

No one is "allowed" to self-determination, it's something you give yourself. Now, there are Jewish people who don't need an ethno-state to feel self-determined: you can feel self-determined without needing Israel to exist, like according to the second part of the definition. And no, if Zionism is self-determination for Israel's government, then it is not for all Jews: first, because there are Jews who oppose Israel (not only ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, who are treated as "a sect" by the Israeli gov and all their propagandist buddies like i24, but also far-left Jews, literally Jewish people from around the world who, just here on this very website, are testifying being against Israel). Second, because there are literally Palestinian Jews that Israel ALSO kills. Third, because by being racist to begin with - especially now, with a far-right party in power, Israel also mistreats Jews of color. All of these are facts, there are testimonies, historical proofs. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=history-in-the-making https://www.international.ucla.edu/israel/currents/article/224386 Now, I'm not against self-determination for the Jewish people. But today, in the context of Israel, treating zionism as only "self-determination for Jewish people" is literally negating and erasing Israel's history, actions and clear intents when they claim building a zionist society and a zionist state. THEY are the ones who took flag of Zion as their flag and are throwing it around everywhere, on captured civillians, forcing them to brandish it while threatened and humiliated. There is nothing wrong with self-determination. There is something wrong tho, when this "self-determination" comes at the expanse of millions of people being oppressed, locked-up in opened-air cages (because BOTH the Gaza strip and the West Bank find themselves behind walls!), suffering apartheid and being murdered just for being there. There is something wrong, when this "self-determination" comes about with racist language. When this "self-determination" comes with the idea that "Palestinians are r*pists", "Palestinians are terrorists", "Muslims hate everything", "Palestinians are human animals", "the children of Palestine brought it upon themselves", "we are the children of the light, they are the children of darkness", "Palestinians are pests", "Palestinians are rats", "Palestinians are the invaders and deserve to be erased", "there is no Palestine", etc. When "self-determination" comes at the mouth of people who will present you the map of "the Great Israel" with literal dozens of countries being conquered in the name of "Zionism", and how many people slaughtered and displaced in this grand plan, huh? ALL words that HAVE been spoken ever since October 7. Do you want to imagine what has been said since 1948 until October 7? What's "self-determination" when it comes from the mouths of Israeli who are literally dancing around a singer being like "Gaza is in ruins hahahah!". What's "self-determination" when it serves people posting dumbass tiktoks mocking MOTHERS holding their dead children in their arms? What's "self-determination" when premature babies are taken out of their incubators to DIE because "oh grand ol' HOLY Israel is defending the Jewish right to self-determination"? "Self-determination" does not justify, nor does it erase or excuse the war crimes and the crimes against humanity. And that's without MENTIONING the blatant racism spewed by Israeli authorities. Again, is that "self-determination" or just racism, really?

I literally said it, yes, in facts, anon is right, Zionism is the right to self-determination for Jewish people. (If you want to be overly simplistic, ignore stuff that other people have already talked about on this very website, about how Zionism is actually a Christian belief, that served to justify getting rid of the Jews at some point because it suited Europe's own racist views back then (weird, just like after WW2 but oh well >> [x] it's weird really, how the idea of Zionism is always related to "the nice displacement of Jewish people" it really almost sounds like a big fat manipulation from Western governments, but who am I to tell?)). But as long as "self-determination" will come covered in some innocent people's blood, I will not support it. As long as Noah Schnapp comes with his "zionism is sexy" sticker right after posting things like "you're either on Israel side, or on terrorists' side" thus implying that ALL Palestinians are terrorists, I will not support him and you CANNOT just say that "oh but sweet old Noah, he just wants to feel 'self-determined!' :(((((" As long as Noah Schnapp will come with "zionism is sexy" stickers while also liking Amy Schumer's obviously racist posts saying "Palestinians are r*pists" I will not support him. As long as Noah Schnapp will come with "zionism is sexy" stickers while also liking videos implying that ALL Palestinians are Hamas and that standing up against Israel's crimes in Gaza is "defending Hamas", I will not support him. Just like I would oppose European settlers "right to self-determination" were they to come now to the Americas to colonize and kill the native population, I will oppose Israel's zionism as they are doing it now. I will oppose ANYONE saying this version of zionism is legitimate, or "sexy", or justifiable in any way shape or form. Maybe YOU should be angry at Israel, using the right to self-determination of the Jewish population to excuse GENOCIDE. To excuse APARTHEID. To excuse murdering children, murdering mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. When you watch the footage, of an Israeli soldier, raising his gun at a child, do you think to yourself "oh this is self-determination"? This is the truth, I'm not the one taking the Jewish people's dire need to self-determination and freedom and security, after everything they've been through, and using it to justify behaving like a genocidal maniac. I'm not the one hiding colonialism and genocide behind the Jewish people's right to "self-determination". If you think "zionism" as Theodore Herzl wrote it and believed in it when he participated in creating the state of Israel is how zionism should be, then that's a problem, really. And that's the problem that everyone has with how Israel has built and is still building itself. As long as people allow Israel to hide behind Zionism to justify what they're doing, every murder, every inch of land taken from the Palestinians, every child without parent, every parent without child, I will be anti-zionism. Period.

[crocheting-cupio]

I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but I'm so, so, SO grateful my Mom is an ally. Actually, that's not giving her enough credit. She is a huge advocate for Queer Rights. She comes to Pride with me, my trans sister, and her three queer kids every year and we have a grand ol' time. She's also the one who drove me to my transitioning surgery and took care of me during recovery.

Her dad (my biological grandfather) was a big advocate too and used to preform at drag shows regularly. He even won an award for it once many years ago. Unfortunately, but the time I was figuring out who I was he was getting sick and couldn't do it anymore, so I never got to see him preform.

My Mom went out of her way to list her shop as an LGBTQ+ friendly business on Google, and the Inclusive Pride Flag hangs in the shop window all year round. Whenever a confused grandmother comes in not quite understanding why her grandson is now her granddaughter, my Mom makes sure to guide them in the right direction: "You don't have to understand it, just call them what they want to be called, and support them for who they are, and you're good. That's it."

She also comes to protests with us when our rights are being threatened. These directly affect her children, grandchildren, and friends, after all. She is absolutely fuming whenever this happens, even if across the border or Atlantic Ocean.

Of course my Mom is immensely supportive to me. She does her best to correct people when they get my gender/pronouns wrong (unfortunately they don't always register the correction). She is always considerate when talking about subjects that make me uncomfortable, like people I haven't seen in a long time using my deadname. She is encouraging when I try something different, like buying men's clothes instead, and actively helps me pick things out.

So my Mom is no stranger to the Queer Community, she is very much a friend. She would absolutely punch a transphobe and/or a homophobe.

[notmuchtoconceal]

( )

_ *

^>^

^. ^

( o ) . ( o )

i know my worth

and who

i am

9 . 9 6. 6

mister if you're

hard up

i can spare a few

grand

6.6 / 9.9

hell freeze over and

i'll be

damned

( 69 )

fore i take orders

from any ol'

man

( ) . . . ( )

do i look like

(((

*& *& *& *&

( )

%* %* %* %*

))))

i'm a whole l o t t a

show-stopper

mississippi new (p)ork city

ya better

treat me proper

to all my headstrong

(((

Gnortsdaeh ym lla ot

to all my headstrong

Gnortsdaeh ym lla ot

to all my headstrong

w o m e n

single mamas with the children

three jobs and somethin

like a flag on the fourth of july

make em salute ya

like a flag

On The Fourth of July!

to all my headstrong

Gnortsdaeh ym lla ot

to all my headstrong

Gnortsdaeh ym lla ot

to all my headstrong

w o m e n

single mamas with the children

three jobs and somethin ~

don't let them put you in a corner

Renroc a ni uoy

tup meht let t'nod.

cause it's a new world order

Renroc a ni

you're a star

you're under strife

(((

Yluj fo htruof eht no galf a ekil ay etulas me ekam

like a flag

on the fourth of july

make em salute ya

like a flag

On the Fourth of July!

i'm a whole l o t t a

show stopper

mississippi new (p)ork city

ya better treat me

proper

i'm a whole l o t t a

you'd better

recognize a real ass woman

if ya can't

don't bother

i'm a whole l o t t a

show-stopper

Mississippi New York City

ya gonna treat me proper

i'm a whole l o t t a

you gotta

recognize

a real-ass

woman

if ya can't

don't bother

i'm a whole lotta grown ass

american woman.