#icons camp rock 2

[devonneicons]

Demi lovato in Camp Rock 2 (2010) just like or reblog ღ

[nostalgc]

[bcacstuff]

At 19,200 feet, the oxygen levels are significantly lower than at sea level, which can cause various issues like:

Shortness of breath

Headaches

Fatigue or dizziness

Nausea

Dryness in the throat or other altitude-related discomfort

They’re likely attributing how they’re feeling—whether it's tiredness, lightheadedness, or difficulty speaking (e.g., losing their voice)—to the challenges of being at such a high elevation. The exclamation "It’s 19,200 ft!" emphasizes how extreme the altitude is and helps explain why they’re affected.

Yes, the heigh altitude and low oxygen is in fact the biggest problem. As I wrote in my previous post about the trek, often people stay at villages a few days to acclimatize, doing small hikes up and down again to adapt to the altitude. Ascending to fast can result in, what is called altitude sickness.

This chart visualizes it

There are 3 high altitude levels or actually 4 including the Death Zone (which is the top of Everest, not Everest Basecamp)

As you can see the height he mentioned in his post of 19.200 ft (8.500 m) is just in the extreme altitude level. This sounds maybe a bit scary, but perhaps it's better to look at it in more detail, or actually how their trek evolved regarding altitude

Starting point was Chheskam, which has an elevation of 1,910 metres (6,266 feet). From there the journey went via the Hunku Khola valley following the new Mahakulung Muddhi-Kongme Dingma Trail.

Kongme Dingma elevation is 4.800m (15.748 feet). This part is gradually ascending as the trail went through the Hunku Khola valley.

From Kongme Dingma they went over the Amphu Laptsa and into Khumbu. Amphu Laptsa is a pass which includes rappelling and this is where the video and the pic are taken imo. Amphu Laptsa is at 5,845 metres (19,177 feet) which matches what he wrote in his post.

Amphu Laptsa

From Amphu Laptsa the trek went via Chhukhung (4,730 metres/15.518 ft) above sea level ending up in Lobuche (4.910 metres (16,100 feet) elevation yesterday.

Lobuche Village

Today they planned to go to Gorakshep  (5.160m/16,929ft). Only 5km and (only) 250m ascending, abt. 2 hours hike would look easy, but it’s at 5 km height! Every step at this elevation (due to low oxygen levels) is several times tougher compared to the same at the sea level.

The trail goes along the Khumbu Glacier

Gorakshep is like the Himalayan version of Grand Central Station. People are either using it as a brief resting spot before trekking straight to Everest Base Camp or overnighting here either because they will set off of Everest Base Camp the following the day. Some have just returned from Base Camp and are doing the reverse. Yaks are coming and going with tons of gear and supplies for expedition preparations. Helicopters are zipping in and out – some carrying scenic flight passengers who prefer to see the region by air, while others are being emergency airlifted out of the areas and back down to lower altitude.

As was reported there are still a few more adventures to come…. I expect one of those will be EBC and probably some more iconic places.

Though, just a few days ago it was reported how some moron defaced the iconic rock at EBC 😣

Very disrespectful!

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

"It’s more than sales – it inspired an entire generation of young girls to know they had a place in heavy music." Inside Fallen: the album that turned Evanescence into instant 21st century metal superstars

No rock band had an explosive a rise in the 2000s as Evanescence. This is the story of their classic debut album

Evanescence’s Amy Lee was at one of the many awards ceremonies she attended back in the first half of the 2000s when she was approached by a fan. This wasn’t unusual in itself, except this fan happened to be rapper and mogul P. Diddy.

“He said, ‘I love your album, I listen to it when I work out’,” Amy tells Hammer today. “And I was like ‘Really? That’s awesome!’ That was surprising to me. You know who I am? That’s weird.” Weird is right. Just a couple of years earlier, Amy had been a shy, aspiring singer and songwriter who had played no more than a handful of times with the band she’d co-founded as 13-year-old almost a decade earlier. And now here she was, getting star-spotted by hip hop A-listers at swanky awards ceremonies.

“What do they call that thing? Imposter syndrome!” she recalls today. “I definitely felt like I’d snuck in the back door and somehow got to go to the Grammys. Like, ‘I’m not supposed to be here and people do not know who we are and this is a prank.’ I think part of that is just it all happening so fast and being so young.”

The reason for the attention was down to the blockbusting success of Evanescence’s debut album, Fallen. Originally released in March 2003, and about to be reissued as a deluxe 20th anniversary edition, Fallen appeared at the tail-end of the nu metal boom. It offered a gothier, more dramatic take on that sound, which bridged nu metal and both the rising symphonic metal and emo scenes. It would go on to sell more than 10 million copies in the US alone, turning Amy Lee into an icon and role model for a generation of young, female fans.

Amy describes the young, pre-Evanescence version of herself as “a little bit shy”. Earlier this year, she told Hammer’s sister magazine, Classic Rock, that the death of her younger sister, Bonnie, when Amy was six, was a catalyst for “this soul, spirit- searching, expression mode”, which would eventually manifest itself in music. She wrote her first song aged 12, and others quickly followed. “I wrote plenty of songs that were crap,” she says with a laugh. “You just haven’t heard them.”

Things became more serious when she met future Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody in 1994 at a Christian Youth Camp in Little Rock, Arkansas, where her family had moved to a few years earlier. She was 13 and Ben a year older, though the two decided they could make music together. Amy describes their initial endeavours as “more like an electronic duo, like Massive Attack” than an actual band, though some of their early songs would end up on Fallen, including Imaginary, Whisper and My Immortal.

The nascent Evanescence didn’t play a gig for nearly six years, partly because of their youth, and partly because they wanted to concentrate on honing the songs they were writing. “The live part for me at that time just wasn’t my focus,” she shrugs. “I wanted to make stuff.”

Their first release was a self-titled debut EP that came out in 1998 via local label Bigwig, followed by another EP, Sound Asleep, the following year (both featured songs that appeared on Fallen). They’d played a few a low-key acoustic shows in their early days, but their first proper, plugged-in show was at a bar named Vinos in Little Rock on January 2, 1999, less than a month after Amy turned 17.

“It was difficult to be on stage at first,” she says. “I had to really work at being a good performer. I remember the first time we played a gig and four people knew the chorus to one of our dumb little songs,” she adds, self-effacingly trailing off.

It was an early version of My Immortal that caught the attention of Diana Meltzer, head of A&R at Wind-up Records, in 2001. Amy had just enrolled in college to study music theory composition when she got the message that Wind-up were interested in Evanescence - essentially herself and Ben.

“I still wanted to make music, but I was going to study so that maybe one day I could work on film scores as a backup plan,” she says. “We got signed three months in. I had one semester of school. I literally went from graduating high school to moving to LA and making our album in a year and a half.”

Producer Dave Fortman can remember the first time he heard Amy Lee sing Bring Me To Life in the studio. The guitarist in 1990s rockers Ugly Kid Joe pivoted to production after the 1997 break-up of that band, working with the likes of Superjoint Ritual and Crowbar before signing on to produce the debut album by an unknown band from Arkansas called Evanescence. After listening to their demo, he jumped at the chance to work with them. And then came the moment when Amy began singing in the studio.

“Amy was in the booth and this voice just came out,” Dave tells Hammer. “My engineer, who has worked with some of the biggest names in music bar none, turned to me with his jaw on the floor and said, 'Goddamn! This girl can sing.’ You just forgot where you were, you weren’t working anymore, you were just in awe of her. They were the most talented people in their age I’d ever been in contact with.”

The Evanescence that recorded Fallen was Amy and Ben, plus keyboard player/string arranger/co-songwriter David Hodges (who joined the band in 1999) and an array of session musicians, including future Guns N’ Roses/Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese. Dave Fortman estimates the album cost around $250,000 to make – a sizeable sum now, but relatively modest at a time when seven-figure budgets weren’t uncommon (Korn’s 2002 album Untouchables reportedly cost $4 million). Some of that budget went on the real-life orchestra that Amy insisted on using for many of the songs – a bold move for a new band, when an electronic recreation would have been cheaper.

“None of us were ever going to back down on that,” says Dave Fortman. “It had to be that way or it wasn’t going to work. We recorded the orchestra in Seattle where they have no union, so it was cheaper. If we’d have known it was going to smash in the way it did, hell yeah, we would have just recorded them in LA!”

Evanescence didn’t get everything their way. Bring Me To Life, which addressed Amy’s feelings of numbness while in an abusive relationship,  was augmented by the inclusion of rapper Paul McCoy in an attempt to appeal to the nu metal market - a decision that went  against the band’s wishes. “I was so scared in the beginning that we were going forward with something  that wasn’t a perfectly honest picture of who we were,” Amy told Metal Hammer earlier this year. “But it didn’t last long. After a few songs, the mainstream was able to hear more than the one song and it was like, ‘OK, they at least sort of get what we are.’”

Advance expectations for Fallen were modest when it was released on March 4, 2003. “If it had gone gold [500,000 copies], we’d have A all been delighted with that,” says Dave Fortman. As it turned out, the album smashed it, selling more than 140,000 copies in its first week of release alone and reaching No.7 in the US Billboard charts. Bring Me To Life was a huge factor in that success. Like My Immortal, the song made its first appearance on the big- budget, Ben Affleck-starring Daredevil movie, which hit cinemas a few months before Fallen came out. 

When it was released as a single in its own right, accompanied by an expensive-looking urban-gothic video that saw a nightdress- clad Amy somnambulantly climbing the side of a tower block, like a cross between a character from an Anne Rice novel and a comic book superhero, Wind-up reps had to beg radio stations to play it (“A chick with piano on a rock station?” was a common response). Those that did air it soon found their phone lines jammed with people who wanted to know what it was that they’d just heard. It entered the US Top 10 and did even better in the UK, where it reached No.1.

Bring Me To Life and subsequent singles Going Under and My Immortal put wind in Fallen’s sails. Those 140,000 sales shot upwards at a vertiginous rate: within a month, it had sold more than a million copies in the US alone. By the middle of 2004, it had reached seven million (in 2022, Fallen was awarded a diamond certificate for US sales of more than 10 million). The speed of the ascent left Amy Lee dazed. “There was just so much going on,” she says, exhaling. “I don’t know if I got to focus on it that hard at the time.�� 

The label wanted to get Evanescence out on the road to capitalise on that initial success. A touring band was assembled around Amy and Ben – guitarist John LeCompt, drummer Rocky Gray and bassist Will Boyd were recruited to back them. Their rise as a live band was equally dizzying. The day Fallen was released, Evanescence headlined the 200-capacity Engine Room in Houston, Texas. Three months later, they made their first UK appearance playing the Main Stage at the inaugural Download festival, sandwiched between Stone Sour and Mudvayne. Two weeks after that, they returned to the UK to headline a sold-out show at London’s prestigious Astoria.

Inevitably, given the scale and velocity of Evanescence’s success, it didn’t take long for the backlash to kick in. Amy was the focus of much of the criticism, with the barbs ranging from the petty (one magazine questioned her goth credentials) to the outright misogynistic (she was painted as a diva with absolutely nothing to back it up other than the fact she was a woman). Evanescence themselves were perceived by some of their detractors as nothing more than a cynical marketing experiment; the phrase “Linkin Park with a girl singer” appeared a depressing number of times back then, which diminished the decade or so Amy and Ben had invested in their band and music.

“I felt a lot like people wanted to see me fail, especially in the beginning,” Amy says. “I think it’s partially that they want to see if you’re the real thing, and when you shoot up so fast and you have a lot of success really quickly, I think there’s a little bit of a human nature thing that wants to poke a hole in that. I felt on the defence, I felt misunderstood – I’ve got a badass, bitchy look on my face on the album cover, so obviously I must be some kind of bitch.”

Amy was just 21 when Fallen was released, and the criticism took a toll on her. “It was hard as a young person to feel misunderstood,” she reflects today. Things became even more complicated when Ben left acrimoniously in October 2003, just six months after the release of Fallen, with creative differences cited at the time as the reason for the split (in 2010, he admitted to trying to force the singer out of the band they had founded together).

“I felt frustrated,” says Amy. “I wanted to hide a bit in that initial aftermath. People always wanted to attach me to drama, like Ben leaving the band. All of that was trying to be made to make me look bad, like it’s my fault or, ‘Well now it’s going to suck because she didn’t actually do any of the work, obviously all the men behind her did all the writing and the creation.’ It just made me angry a lot.”

The criticism and fractured personal relationships may have been difficult to deal with, but the impact Evanescence had was undeniable. Fallen landed at a transitional time for metal. By 2003, nu metal was on a downward trajectory creatively and commercially, with scene heavyweights Korn and Limp Bizkit both releasing dud albums in the shape of Take A Look In The Mirror and Results May Vary respectively. The New Wave Of American Heavy Metal was bubbling up, but it didn’t possess the same kind of mainstream crossover potential.

Fallen was different. Nu metal may have been in its DNA, but so was goth and electronic music. It was heavy enough for metal fans but it was also dramatic and heartfelt enough to draw in the emo crowd and pop fans alike. The soaring piano ballad My Immortal, with its narrative of a grieving relative haunted by the spirit of the family member they’re mourning, and Going Under, another song detailing the feelings of hopelessness that come from suffering in an abusive relationship, were unquestionably dark, but Evanescence wrapped them up in ear-worm hooks and gothic allure, while Amy’s presence imbued them with a distinctly feminine spirit that was a world away from nu metal’s over-testosteroned aggro.

The broad-church appeal of Fallen was reflected in the range of musicians who garlanded it with praise. Over the years, it’s been cited as an inspiration by everyone from Lzzy Hale and The Pretty Reckless’s Taylor Momsen to pop star Kelly Clarkson. Björk praised Evanescence and so, more surprisingly, did Lemmy, a man not known for his love of goth-tinged ballads.

“They’re fucking excellent,” said the late Motörhead frontman when asked for his view of the band. Even more significant – and noticeable – was the devotion Evanescence, and Amy in particular, almost instantly inspired among fans, especially female ones. The look she sported in music videos, magazine photo shoots and TV interviews – goth-style corsets, black and red eye make-up - was taken up by countless rock club kids up and down the country.

But arguably the most lasting impact Fallen has had is musical. It marked a changing of the guard: not just the end of nu metal, but the beginning of the rise of symphonic metal. Bands such as Nightwish and Within Temptation released albums before Fallen, making sizable waves in mainland Europe, but Evanescence put a distinctly American spin on it, turbocharging symphonic metal’s rise on the back of Fallen’s success. Even now, Amy’s too modest to acknowledge the influence that Fallen had.

“People are always asking me that question: ‘What is it about that album that resonated with people so much?’” she says. “I don’t know. Some of it’s just out of your control. At that age and that time in my life, I don’t think I would have given myself that credit.”

Dave Fortman is far more forthright on the subject. “Did I notice it?!” he says. “How could you not?! That’s what happens when you become, not just a big band, but an icon. She truly changed things. All those symphonic bands that came in their wake? They’re all Amy’s children.”

Fallen helped turn Evanescence into one of the biggest bands of the 21st century. They beat superstar rapper 50 Cent to the award for Best New Artist at the 2004 Grammy Awards (Bring Me To Life also took the trophy for Best Hard Rock Performance). To date, the record has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide – only Adele, Eminem, Norah Jones, Lady Gaga and Linkin Park released albums that have sold more during that time.

Dave calls Fallen “a life- changing album”. He explains: “It’s more than sales – it inspired an entire generation of young girls to know they had a place in heavy music. To show they didn’t have to ever compromise.” It’s a sentiment Amy shares as she looks back at the shy 21-year-old of 2003.

“It was crazy, it was awesome,” she says. “But there was a lot for me that was going on personally, turmoil and relationships within our band. It was just this wild time where so many things that felt huge were happening at the same time. Did it change the musical landscape? I don’t know. But it inspired somebody for something good, it made them walk back from the edge, feel their self-worth in some way. I think it’s truly a gift and a blessing in my life.”

Originally printed in Metal Hammer #381

[dangerprone2000]

✨FRAPHNE MOMENTS💕✨

In Scooby doo Movies: Part 1

A compilation of the cutest moments I have seen I’m my “watching all existing Scooby doo movies” journey.

1. Scooby doo- pirates ahoy 🏴‍☠️

Go on, Tell me they don’t look like a married couple🫠💜

2. Scooby doo - Music of the Vampire🧛‍♂️

So many iconic scenes of Fred’s Jealousy, a flirty Daphne and THEY ARE HOLDING HANDS😭

3. Scooby doo- Stage fright 🎶

Do I have to say more?

4. Scooby doo- Camp scare 🏕️

The eyes, Chico… 🤌

5. Scooby doo- Kiss rock and roll mystery 🎸🤘🏻

The movie in general doesn’t have a lot of sense but that’s the magic of cartoons, isn’t it?

Still pretty cute Fraphne💜

[lyril]

intro & directory 🌟

syd | she/her | 21

welcome to my blog! on here i enjoy talking about cartoons and video games and pathetic fictional men that i am currently throwing rocks at. lately, i've been watching bojack horseman!

blogs i have that you may know of:

while i am here every day, please note that most of my blog runs off of the queue, so i may reblog something really old from you just because it's been in there a while... i also make a lot of posts that i'll delete later from time to time just to keep the organization on my blog. i don’t need anything blacklisted, but feel free to remind me if you need me to tag something. i try to keep this blog mostly discourse-free and organized.

i don't get a lot of asks so if you have any thoughts or questions for me i'm always curious!

@lyril -> you are here! main organized blog

@eats-a-berry -> extra zone to be loose and wild on compared to this much more curated zone

@vizabel -> art blog

@deadbeandrop -> camp lazlo blog

extras:

@its3oe -> my girl friend ^_^

@/yamada-2 -> icon src

enjoy your stay! ☆

i love my friends and mutuals !!!

[neopianbiologyproject]

Trudy's Surprise

Now that we've verified all the base petpets, we can discuss Trudy's Surprise, its candidate specimens, and how their origins affect our determinations.

What is Trudy's Surprise?

To summarize this Jellyneo article, Trudy's Surprise is a daily activity. Essentially, it's a slot machine without the slot.

If played on consecutive days, prize values increase each day, up to 25 days in a row. That is, the player still rolls to match icons, but each icon is worth more depending on how many days in a row the player has spun Trudy's Surprise.

Excerpt of JN's chart on this:

If the player's streak is broken, or the player reaches day 26, the counter resets to Day 1. It's one of those daily log-in bonuses MMOs all have these days (tho, to be fair, you can fully ignore Trudy's Surprise and turn off notifications about it if you so choose, without missing out on much).

There are minor exceptions which you can read in the linked article, but these don't really matter for our purposes.

What's important to us is the items Trudy's Surprise gives out. For a streak of 7 days (so, Days 7, 14, and 21 in the 25-day cycle, if playing consecutively), the machine will also give out an item. Many of these are exclusive to Trudy's Surprise.

What Trudy's Surprise items are notable to us?

You can see the full list on Jellyneo, but here are some items I want to highlight. These are either species candidates, informative about a candidate, or informative about Trudy's Surprise itself.

Key: 🎰 Exclusive/unpaintable Petpet 🖌️ Non-exclusive/paintable Petpet

Pool 1 - Trudy's Surprise theme: Gold Frogarott🎰

Pool 2 - Terror Mountain theme: Cloud Snowbunny🎰, Rainbow Abominable Snowball🎰, How to Build a Snowman: A Petpets Guide

Pool 3 - Beach/summer theme: Elderly Darpinch🎰, Woodland Yoakie🖌️

Pool 4 - Neovia theme: Bloody Finger Hotdog, Floating Figures, Ghost Tyrowbee🎰, Glowing Melton🎰

Pool 5 - Kiko Lake theme: Corals in Kiko Lake, Water Smiley🎰

Pool 6 - Tyrannia theme: Tyrannian Blibble*, Tyrannian Gulper🎰

Pool 7 - Maraqua/Krawk Island theme: Barnacle Burrito, Island Yullie🎰, Pirate Altachuck🎰

Pool 8 - Cottagecore theme: Cloud Weewoo🎰, Strawberry Eizzil**

Pool 9 - Stargazing theme: Eventide Felly🎰, Starry Baby Space Fungus🎰, Book of UFO Mysteries and More, Space Rock Collection

Pool 10 - Disco theme: Disco Tasu🎰, Jelly Barlow🎰

Pool 11 - Skater theme: Checkered Cadro🎰, Fire Sharky🎰

Pool 12 - Arts & crafts theme: Clay Bika🎰, Sketch Tasu🎰

Pool 13 - Camping theme: Fire Dofrey🎰, Woodland Snicklebeast🎰

Pool 14 - Food theme: Chocolate Albat🎰, Strawberry Plumpy🎰

Pool 15 - Pizza theme: Fire Cofferling🖌️, Picnic Geb🎰

Pool 16 - Grey theme: Grey Mini Trudys Slot Machine

Pool 17 - The Void Within theme: Grey Bowla🎰, Grey Doglefox🎰, Nyx Action Figure, Tavi's Hair & Tail Shampoo

* The Tyrannian Blibble is unpaintable, but available to buy on Krawk Island. ** The Strawberry Eizzil cannot be created through painting (no other Eizzil can be painted Strawberry), but the Strawberry Eizzil can be painted to another color.

What do we know about how these items are generated?

The way that Trudy's Surprise "gets" these items to award them to Neopians is unknown, but we can tell the box is seemingly aware of current Neopian events (the above themes relate to on-site plots, holidays and announcements). For the items that are non-exclusive, it may stock itself with existing items, maybe by having Trudy gather items and stock the machine herself. But for items that are exclusive, and particularly the living ones, it's not possible for Trudy to be creating these specimens herself; the machine must be generating them or drawing them in from elsewhere, automatically and magically so.

Let's look into the history of Trudy's Surprise itself.

It's hard to find articles from when Trudy's Surprise first landed on the site; the Neopets fansites don't document its discovery, rather focusing on what it does for Neopians and how to interact with it.

Clicking the [?] button on Trudy's Surprise itself brings up the following story:

A strange feeling nagged Trudy, a curious Ixi, for days. A forewarning of doom perhaps, she thought. Soon after, on one of her long, solitary walks that spanned the length and breadth of Neopia, something strange happened. She heard an unusual rustle in the bushes. Curious, she took a peek. Hidden among the bushes was a slot machine! ‘Ka-ching, ka-ching,’ it seemed to whisper. Trudy hesitated only for a moment before she succumbed to its call. She pressed the button on the machine, unsure of what she may unleash. To her amazement, she was awarded Neopoints. Trudy fell to the ground and cried with joy. She could finally afford a fancy frock for the ball. From then on, Trudy took more walks, hoping luck would smile upon her again. And it did. She discovered she could play the machine once every day to win prizes. With each consecutive day, the number of Neopoints awarded increased. Occasionally, the machine was extra generous and gave her a Gift Box. On the 25th day of playing, she won a phenomenal number of Neopoints! After 25 days, things changed, leaving Trudy puzzled. This FAQ, helped her make sense of everything, though.

From this we gather... Trudy doesn't know what the Slot Machine is, either. Also the FAQ for Trudy's Surprise wasn't crafted by Trudy, but another artifact (artiFAQt) that she seems to have found somehow? The link is broken, now, and according to this reddit post it always has been.

No one knows where the Slot Machine came from, or where Trudy was when she found it -- just that it generates coins and items and dispenses them in a predictable pattern over the course of cycles of 25 days.

So, in summary:

Trudy's Surprise is a slot machine

The Slot Machine dispenses neopoints and sometimes items

No one knows where the Slot Machine came from; just that it was found by Trudy

The items dispensed by the Slot Machine can be living creatures

Each item dispensed by the Slot Machine corresponds to a set of items belonging to a single theme

The set themes sometimes correspond to site events

What we need to determine, specifically, is whether the Slot Machine is generating these items, or bringing them in from elsewhere through something like teleportation of items, or being stocked by ghosts.

If all of the Trudy's Surprise petpets were exclusive to Trudy's Surprise, I would say the Slot Machine is creating them, somehow, and all items from the Slot Machine should be considered Constructa with a local habitat of wherever the Slot Machine is located. However, we know some species, like the unpaintable Tyrannian Blibble and the paintable Fire Cofferling, are available elsewhere in Neopia, so the Slot Machine isn't making up items, just relocating or fabricating copies of them to be dispensed. The Slot Machine also seems to do this with a particular interest in items that are so rare they exist but are extremely difficult to find elsewhere. In the case of living specimens, these species are so rare in the wild, they had yet to be discovered, but did already exist. We know the machine is "interested" in generating wealth and valuable items, so is it possible that it's selecting these petpets because of their rarity in particular?

We don't know where Trudy found the Slot Machine, but as long as we aren't considering the Machine to be the sole origin of these items, that fact strikes me as irrelevant to this question. The items can be associated with any region and the ones available elsewhere don't have any correlation in location.

Another theory is that the Slot Machine is of alien make, and somehow crash-landed in Neopia, later to be found by Trudy. In this case, the petpets it dispenses could be rare because they don't exist in Neopia. But I find this conflicts with the petpets being named for existing petpets, even if they constitute different species by way of being unpaintable. I suppose that hinges on whether we trust the naming force to be accurate in its assessment of similarity.

I think our best bet is to call these petpets Neopian rather than alien, as we have evidence that at least some of them do exist naturally. On top of that, the creatures' habitat of origin should be considered based on the pool of reward items the creatures were added with. E.g., the Water Smiley would be from Kiko Lake, as it was added with the Kiko Lake-themed items.

So, without addressing exceptions yet, we can determine the following habitats:

Set 1 - Wealth: Unknown, could be anywhere in Neopia.

Set 2 - Terror Mountain

Set 3 - Beach: The plants Bludberry and Krakuberry (ingredients in the Bludberry Urgoni Cupcake and the Krakuberry Shake) are from Mystery Island. The petpets Darpinch and Yoakie would come from Maraqua if they weren't painted. I think we call this one Mystery Island, which already has a strong beach association.

Set 4 - Neovia: Haunted Woods

Set 5 : Kiko Lake

Set 6: Tyrannia

Set 7 - Beach 2: The items Sinking Pirate Ship Background and The Endless Tales of Pirate Adventures have a Krawk Island association. The Maraquan Frisbee, Summerfun Flotsam Beach Ball and Jetsam Mini Fan are associated with Maraqua. The Barnacle Burrito is from Kiko Lake. I think the pirate associations here are so specific, and the rest of the items have a beach/island/stranded theme, we place this set in Krawk Island overall.

Set 8 - Cottagecore: None of these items have a particular location association, but the vibes are very Meridell/Brightvale or Neopia Central. Without a strong "medieval" or even farming lean in the theming, I think we'll call this Neopia Central.

Set 9 - Stargazing: Space. These items are either from space, about space, or made to look at space.

Set 10 - Disco: Unknown. Possibly Neopia Central. Slim chance it's Tyrannia, which has a large disco scene.

Set 11 - Skating: Neopia Central. Only in that it's absolutely nowhere else.

Set 12 - Arts & crafts: Unknown. Possibly Neopia Central. Crossbow gives medieval vibes, though.

Set 13 - Camping: Unknown, likely Terror Mountain.

Set 14 - Cooking/food: Neopia Central, based on the "Egg-onomics: Best Ways to Cook an Egg" and "Inside Neopian Fresh Foods Shop Background" items.

Set 15 - Pizza: Neopia Central, based on the Pizzaroo Playset and Inside Pizzaroo Background items.

Set 16 - The Void Within: Space, probably. Need the Void Within plot to conclude to be sure of its origins. Because we decided the Slot Machine isn't generating any new items, Grey items are converted from their existing variants, and don't count as new species.

There are some exceptions, but this post is WELL long enough and I'll address them in their individual posts. For the rest of the items, I'll classify them as indicated here and with respect to their original variants.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on my logic here! I'm curious about possible alternatives or anything I might've missed about Trudy's Surprise. Thank you!

[dystini]

Indycar Driver Lore

Indycar Driver Lore Masterlist

Josef Nicolai Newgarden

His name was originally Joseph Edgar Newgarden but it was changed when he was 6

Birthdate: Dec. 22, 1990 Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Residence: Nashville, Tennessee Height/Weight: 6’0/177lbs

Rookie Year: 2012

Team: Penske

Follow him on: Instagram Twitter YouTube

Career Stats

2012: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing - 23rd Overall 2013: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing - 14th Overall 2014: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing - 13th Overall 2015: CFH Racing - 7th Overall 2016: Ed Carpenter Racing - 4th Overall 2017: Team Penske - 1st Overall 2018: Team Penske - 5th Overall 2019: Team Penske - 1st Overall 2020: Team Penske - 2nd Overall 2021: Team Penske - 2nd Overall 2022: Team Penske - 2nd Overall 2023: Team Penske - 5th Overall

Cohosted (as of 2024 on indefinite hiatus) fan-favorite behind-the-scenes video series Bus Bros with teammate Scott McLaughlin. Bus Bros Playlist

Behind-the-scenes race weekend videos. Admit1 playlist

SRX - 2022 Nashville, 2023 Motor Mile

IMSA 2023 - Tower Motorsports - Daytona 24 | Porsche Penske Motorsport – Petite Le Mans 2024 - Porsche Penske Motorsport – Daytona 24 win

-a versatile athlete, who appeared on a 2016 episode of “American Ninja Warrior” with other NTT Indycar Series drivers and has participated in the NFL Combine and the Indiana Pacers Slam Dunk contest. He played baseball and basketball before turning to racing. -Listens to R&B and dance/EDM and is a fan of Twenty One Pilots, The Weekend, Skrillex, and Diplo -Avid gamer; is a brand ambassador for Forza Motorsport and is featured in voiceovers for multiple versions of the game, including Forza Motorsport 7 -Is an outstanding ping pong player and hosts an annual celebrity ping pong tournament around the Music City Grand Prix. It serves as a fundraiser for SeriousFun Children’s Network -Enjoys rock climbing and most outdoor activities; an avid Forza player

-cannot resist chocolate chip cookies or brownies

-doesn't like heights

Iconic/memorable moments

The rainbow cake deep throat at 15:00 "I may just put this in my crotch." 11:55 (keep watching for shirtless, sweaty Josef) Pullups with chains around his neck 0:15 (plus other drivers working out and highlights) The infamous Milk Gimp Indy 500 ad (viewer discretion advised) Drivers of the Corn - starring: Simon Pagenaud & Josef Newgarden BUS BROS Episode 12: We Got You My Favorite Summer Salad! (Because the world needs Josef Newgarden squeezing the life out food to make a salad.) starting at 0:50 Josef and Sage Karam at the 2015(?) NFL Combine 2022 INSIDE THE RACE // JOSEF NEWGARDEN Josef Newgarden shares BBQ Turkey Burger recipe LET THERE BE MILK. IndyCar off-season training hits different. Indy 500 Champ Josef Newgarden Shows Us His Workout | Train Like | Men's Health Josef Newgarden and James Hinchcliffe Visit Space Camp 2023 Indy 500: Josef Newgarden Victory Celebration Speech Josef Newgarden relives 'the worst wreck I've ever had' at Texas | 'I Survived' | Motorsports on NBC Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin are teammates, friends, competitors | Motorsports on NBC PLAYING THE NEWLYWED GAME WITH THE BUS BROS: SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN & JOSEF NEWGARDEN!!!! Josef Newgarden: Defending a Championship Google Search - Josef Newgarden IndyCar Chronicles with Josef Newgarden INDYCAR 101: Driver Fitness with Josef Newgarden Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud | No. 1 Josef Newgarden III (Incognito 3) INDYCAR FANswers: Josef Newgarden INDYCAR Travels: Josef Newgarden in Milwaukee Josef Newgarden Undercover

The INDYCAR Off-Season with Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe, Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly IndyCar: Robin Miller with Josef Newgarden at Road America Driver Josef Newgarden Red Carpet Interview from the INDYCAR Championship Celebration Josef Newgarden | Christmas Movie Quotes Reddit Asks Josef Newgarden Anything! 2022 Edition Reddit Asks Me Anything! Part 1 Reddit Asks Me Anything! Part 2 Josef Newgarden goes INTO THE CROWD to celebrate his Indy 500 victory! James Hinchcliffe talks donuts, mac & cheese and chocolate with Josef Newgarden , Romain Grosjean Will Power and more. Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin | Hot Seats with Hinch

2024 Cheating scandal Team Penske hit with penalties over Push to Pass use; O’Ward declared St. Petersburg winner How Team Penske took push-to-pass beyond the limit

Penske Perfect and Details Matter are two phrases often used in conjunction with the Penske organization. And when they can be used to dunk on Ferrucci, all the better.

Josef is a perfectionist. This is a combo of his highly competitive nature - which has been said about him from a young age - and the Penske Perfect motto which he has taken to heart. He is highly critical of himself - getting very down on himself if he makes a mistake and taking the blame for things not wholly under his control. But he tried to maintain a genial if slightly arrogant image in public. He slips sometimes - there have been a few angry Twitter interactions that he later apologized for and on occasion after a race, his temper will get the better of him and he'll say things he probably shouldn't.

He can be goofy as hell as seen on Bus Bros. Scott McLaughlin has brought this out of him since becoming teammates. Josef has said that Scott makes him feel more comfortable being his real self.

I would be remiss if I did not point out Josef's thighs. He is a specimen in general but those thighs should get special attention.

Fanfic Lore

Frequently paired with teammate Scott McLaughlin. As of 2024 there has been a cooling of their friendship as Josef pulls back to focus on racing/the championship.

Historically paired with Conor Daly. They raced together in karts and lower-series cars.

[iviarellereads]

The Shadow Rising, Chapter 36 - Misdirections

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Crescent moon icon)(1) In which these new characters sure are suspicious.

PERSPECTIVE: Rand, breaking camp. The Shaido worry him. Their path home takes them in the same direction as the Jindo, and they follow about a quarter mile behind, though they could have waited another day for Muradin to return. The Wise Ones walk halfway between the groups, probably to keep the peace.

Aviendha walks beside Rand's horse, and hasn't been more than three paces away from him since he awoke. She gets all up in his face about setting El aside when she poured her whole heart into those two letters, even to the point of describing El’s virtues (body) to convince Rand that El is the one meant for him. Rand thinks that's impossible, the letters contradict each other entirely. He finds himself missing Min, who never made him feel like an idiot the way El and Avi both do.(2)

PERSPECTIVE: Mat tries not to look at Rand and Avi. Sweat stings his wounds: Moiraine offered healing last night, but he refused. A few cuts are a small price to pay to not have the Power used on you, and what really ails him, he doesn't mean to talk about until he understands it himself.

He thinks about how he went to Rhuidean, like the snake folk said he should. He got his blood-priced items. He could leave now... if not for Rand's pull still keeping him here. And if not for having to make his way alone out of the desert without dying.

They come across some peddlers, and Rhuarc and Heirn go on alone, or would, except that Rand and his hundred-strong honour guard go too. Mat goes with Rand. Couladin trots out from the Shaido, and Moiraine is about to follow, but the Wise Ones seem to talk her out of it. Still, she watches everything very carefully, something glittering in her hands.

The peddler leader is Hadnan Kadere, seeking Cold Rocks Hold. Rhuarc says he's headed away from Cold Rocks. Why does he not have a guide? This is the first time Kadere's come so far south and he thought perhaps there were no guides.

Rhuarc says there are always guides, and Kadere had nearly stumbled into Rhuidean. Kadere's face goes grey. Rhuarc offers that Kadere can travel with him to Cold Rocks Hold, it would not do for him to get lost again.

Couladin says they should travel with the Shaido, as the more populous group. Rhuarc asks if Coul became clan chief while he wasn't looking, and besides, the peddler seeks Cold Rocks. Coul says the Shaido will camp next to Cold Rocks, because He Who Comes With The Dawn concerns all Aiel. Mat notices how Coul doesn't ever acknowledge that Rand is He Who Comes.

Kadere offers to show his wares, and Rhuarc suggests when they camp for the night. Mat, however, interrupts to ask to buy Kadere's wide-brimmed hat for a gold mark.(3) A woman accepts, calling herself Keille Shaogi, a peddler traveling with Kadere. She asks if anyone else needs anything for the sun and heat, even singling out Rand to ask him, though he's wearing a shoufa around his head and looks every inch an Aiel except for being on horseback.(4)

They get back to their respective groupings, and Mat asks Rand if he saw the gleeman. He did, but he's more focused on Kadere, calling him a dangerous man. All that sweating, going white in the face, but his eyes never changed. Like he knew what he was doing, going to Rhuidean.

Rand mutters about time setting snares, and he has to avoid theirs while he sets his own. Mat can make neither heads nor tails of it. Rand says they ride with evil now, and Mat should watch himself. Mat asks if Rand thinks Kadere is dangerous, and Rand says yes, a dangerous man, the eyes always give it away... but who can say? But, Rand continues, he doesn't have anything to worry about, with the Wise Ones and Moiraine watching out for him, and we mustn't forget Lanfear. Has any man been under so many watchful eyes?

Mat wonders what Rand meant, thinking Rand's walking a razor's edge now, make no mistake. There has to be a way out of the Waste before it's too late.

=====

(1) Why is this icon here? Lanfear doesn't appear in this chapter… or does she? I don't think this is at all subtle: something about this is Lanfear's influence or presence. (2) What an interesting comparison he makes here. Now why would these three women in particular come to his mind in this situation, in these positions in his life, when we know he might be destined to an Aiel-style marriage with more than one wife since Min saw him with three women? (3) Well well well, if you've seen any fanart of Mat, he's always pictured with a wide-brimmed hat, because he buys it here and is never without one again. And it adds a certain something to set him apart from other characters. (4) It's curious that Rand seems to think he's being watched by Lanfear, here in the Waste. There's only one unfamiliar woman we really talk to in this chapter, and admittedly, "Keille" does seem suspicious here in particular. Why would she pick out Rand like that, even if he is on horseback when no Aiel ride by choice? What about the disconnect between her voice and her appearance?

[t4tails]

Since we already got Venus and Spectra's finalized looks, what's your top ten of the Core Signature dolls?

No Clawd and Deuce don't count, boy dolls are fake.

okay here we go. warning that i start out as a bit of hater. teehee

10. spectra. im sorry, but the way its just a worse version of an already released collector? the complete lack of anything new fashion wise? this is nothing. the clear hands and feet are cool, but i heavily doubt a later deluxe version of her in a different line isnt going to blow this out of the water. absolutely nothing of interest is going on here.

9. toralei. between dumbing down g1s mean girl personality, AND giving her long hair? horrible. at least give her pants. she looks like the protagonist of a disney channel original movie. camp rock lookin ass. shes the most plastic & playline looking, easily.

8. ghoulia. the fashion, with the exception of the hunk of textureless fabric that is her skirt, is great. i love the jacket especially, and making her a skater is so fun. however the base doll is SO UGLY!!!!! whyd they give her BROWN EYEBROWS? an unflattering green skin tint? obscenely light pink lips? none of it matches. i hate it. i take offense to it

7. clawdeen. kind of the reverse of ghoulia where the base doll is mostly really nice, except the pastel hair 😒, but the fashion is... a mess. the first red flag of them not having a direction to take her style. the shoes and coveralls give sporty, but then theres the gold jewelry and fur coat...? at least her freckles are cute.

6. draculaura. big step up! from here on its mostly my personal taste. this is cute! im generally just of the opinion that most draculaura dolls are very similar, and its not a style i tend to LOVE, so they blend together for me. cool heart and bat motif, just not for me specifically.

5. cleo. the really busy patterns kind of drag it down, but overall shes really pretty and definitely reads pharoah! her makeup especially stands out. so nice

4. lagoona. some people dont like g3 lagoona. i am not one of those people. her pink and blue serves, sorry. she always has such nice makeup, not to mention a fun sporty mermaid motif. im a lagoona lover

3. frankie. the icon, the myth, the legend. already giving us transgender swag in their very first doll. could have a little more detail/accessories, but their color scheme is so nice i cant complain.

2. venus. FINALLY. DIFFERENT HAIR! she is so fucking beautiful, i need her. her color scheme? great. her fashion? fantastic. her accessories? so fun. dont look at her weird fucking pet

1. ABBEY. her comfy swag. her beautiful colors. shes so peak and she does it so casually too. the light freckles are so adorable, and shes able to look cold and welcoming at the same time. slay

[devonneicons]

Demi lovato in Camp Rock 2 (2010) just like or reblog ღ

[nostalgc]

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, 2010.

[louisupdates]

Louis Tomlinson in Tampa, FL

Photos and Written by Romina Raggio

Louis Tomlinson is, and will always be, an absolute rockstar! Louis took Tampa by storm on Friday, July 14th at our very own Yuengling Center, located on the University of South Florida Campus, as part of his Faith in the Future World Tour. Dedicated fans with general admission floor tickets began lining up as early as 9am for their numbered wristbands, per the policy set forth by Louis' team to dissuade overnight camping. Later that day, they returned to line up in their places to enter the venue.

Once inside, fans were regaled by powerful and emotional ballads from the first opener, Andrew Cushin. At just 23 years old, Cushin puts on a show filled with passion and left fans absolutely floored! Next came a band by the name of "The Snuts". Originally from Scotland, the Snuts know how to put on a show. With high energy songs like "Seasons", fans were jumping around & filling the center with fun dance moves and smiles.

When it finally came time for Louis to take the stage, fans were absolutely brimming with anticipation. Fog and strobes filled the scene as the opening notes of Louis's song "The Greatest" began to play. Louis' band made their way out onto the stage, and the screams were deafening as we awaited the man himself. The crowd absolutely exploded as Louis finally appeared, and proceeded to put on one of the best shows I've ever seen!

When Louis began his performance, I was absolutely speechless. His voice is absolutely incredible, with the most beautiful and unique vocals of any vocalist I've ever heard. Louis sang his heart out, songs like "Bigger Than Me" and "Face The Music" from his latest album "Faith in the Future", while also bringing out some oldies from his debut album "Walls" with songs like "Kill My Mind" and "We Made It". Fans went absolutely nuts for Louis' cover of "505" by the Arctic Monkeys, and then completely lost it to Louis' new rock rendition of one of his earliest singles "Back to You" feat. Bebe Rexha. Louis sings each and every word with so much passion, and every one of his songs is an absolute work of art! Louis also takes every possible opportunity to thank his fans, saying time and time again that he wouldn’t be here if it weren't for them, and expressing just how much he loves them. At one point, Louis even took the time to sign a tattoo for a fan, a common request from his tattoo-obsessed fanbase. Louis was constantly cheesing at fans and looked to be having the absolute best time on stage, and we just couldn’t get enough of him!

As Louis' left the stage proceeding his final encore, something incredible happened. One particular fan in the crowd began belting out the lyrics to "No Control", a song by One Direction that is famously known to be written by Louis himself. The entire crowd then began singing along, me right along with them, serenading Louis backstage with this and another 2 songs from his One Direction days in a nostalgic sing-along. The camaraderie within the crowd was beautiful, and it was so touching to see music bringing fans together like this.

Louis then took the stage one final time, performing an acoustic "Saturdays" under one single glowing bulb, the iconic "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" by the one and only One Direction, and finally finishing off with an off the charts performance of "Silver Tongues". Fans at the barricade scrambled to get as close as possible when Louis climbed off stage and sang the final few lines from on top of the barricade itself. Louis pulled himself out of the crowd, said one final thank you, and left the stage. With that, Louis concluded his final Florida show date of his Faith in the Future World Tour.

I could not stop smiling throughout the entirety of this show, from the incredible openers to the iconic Louis Tomlinson. As a longtime fan, I'll never get tired of seeing Louis perform, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone! Louis was born to perform; From his early days as the lead in his school play of "Grease" to his chart topping years in One Direction, to now, taking his solo career to new heights every single day. It's only up from here for him, and fans and I alike cannot wait to see where he takes us next!

Louis Tomlinson, FITFWT23: TAMPA [14.7.2023] Part1. Photos Part 2, Part 3

[chaserainbows]

cooking some emerald (amano's cut) gym leader teams

roxanne's honestly fine i just think that most rock gym leader teams are very similar and wanted to give her some unique pokemon with the advantage that this makes her gym less of a clean sweep for mudkip and treecko while also giving torchic some neutral damage options

i was gonna say that brawly's team is kinda homophobic considering how overused the machop line is but upon Further Inspection he literally has no other option so i just evolved his ace since makuhita evolves really early and gave him an extra makuhita to show off the evolutionary line

wattson's an interesting case because his team was bad in rs then they fixed it in emerald and clowned it again in oras so really the only thing he needs is to have manectric as his ace

plusle and minun are there because they don't get used anywhere else and he has them (but doesn't use in battle) in oras he could totally keep his voltorb though

also i could add chinchou to give him a ground check but it doesn't really fit his vibe, maybe in rematches

flannery's the most tragic one because on one hand she has a fucking slugma and 2 members of the numel line even though literally everyone in team magma also uses them but on the other hand that's basically the best she can do since slugma evolves super late and hoenn only has 4 non-starter fire options even though it has 4 fire specialist npcs

jail

but yeah i gave her an underleveled magcargo because it's not even that good anyway and pulled in a ninetales from mt pyre because i think it kinda fits her vibe

norman's fun i like the idea of giving him both vigoroth and slaking because they're from the same line but work very differently so they feel distinct

i replaced linoone with dodrio because dodrio's a pokemon that you kinda tend to forget you can catch in hoenn while linoone's very common in his gym but also it's a pokemon you can find in johto and that's his home region

i wanted to give him girafarig for that same reason but the vibe wasn't vibing

winona has a really fun varied team in emerald honestly no notes

i COULD replace swablu with swellow since it's an iconic pokemon of hers in the anime but i kinda like the idea of swablu as a support team member that also foreshadows mother altaria about to clean house, if she had swellow here though it'd also make perfect sense

tate and liza are so camp like they're the only double battle gym leaders until gen 8 and they have a cool concept in emerald with all their pokemon being immune to ground for earthquake spam but at the same time almost every single pokemon they have is weak to water you need surf to get to them and surf's good in doubles in gen 3

their rsoras teams are even campier but i digress

they basically just need more pokemon that don't get one shot by surf so i added wobbuffet and chimecho because they don't get hit by earthquake and it's ridiculous how easy it is to get through emerald without knowing that chimecho exists

also wynaut can be found in mirage island which is very close to mossdeep and i like the implications

juan's also pretty good i basically just added a lanturn so he doesn't have less pokemon than tate and liza and because it does fit his vibe way better than wattson's

i was a little hesitant about keeping crawdaunt because it overlaps with sidney but it's probably okay since it's better for 2 league members to repeat crawdaunt instead of sharpedo like every fucking team aqua member

i also wanted to feature huntail and gorebyss somewhere but couldn't figure out where to fit them on the team and then i realized that they'd be almost perfect for matt and shelly to help them stand out from the rest of team aqua

[mywisdomexchange]

Exploring America's National Parks: A Journey Through Nature's Masterpieces

There's something truly magical about stepping into a national park. These vast, unspoiled landscapes are like windows into our planet's history, offering breathtaking scenery, diverse wildlife, and opportunities for adventure. Over the years, I've had the privilege of exploring several of the United States' most iconic national parks. Here's a glimpse into my experiences:

1. Yellowstone National Park: A Geothermal Wonderland

Yellowstone is a must-visit for any nature enthusiast. Its geothermal features, such as the Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful Geyser, are simply awe-inspiring. I spent countless hours hiking through the park's forests, marveling at the towering geysers and colorful hot springs. Wildlife sightings were abundant, including bison, elk, and even a few black bears.

One of my favorite memories was watching a bison herd graze peacefully in a meadow. It was a humbling experience to witness these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. If I were to return to Yellowstone, I'd love to explore the park's backcountry and hike to some of the lesser-known trails.

2. Yosemite National Park: A Granite Wonderland

Yosemite's towering granite cliffs and cascading waterfalls are a sight to behold. I spent several days hiking to the base of Yosemite Falls and exploring the park's ancient sequoia groves. The iconic Half Dome is a must-see, but be prepared for a challenging hike.

I was fortunate enough to witness a black bear foraging for berries in a meadow. It was a thrilling encounter that reminded me of the importance of respecting wildlife. If I were to return to Yosemite, I'd love to try rock climbing or whitewater rafting in the Merced River.

3. Grand Canyon National Park: A Canyon of Wonders

The Grand Canyon is a natural wonder that defies description. Standing at the rim and gazing into the vast chasm is a truly humbling experience. I spent several days hiking along the rim trail and descending into the canyon on a mule ride. The views from the bottom were breathtaking.

I encountered a variety of wildlife, including deer, wild turkeys, and even a bald eagle soaring high above the canyon. If I were to return to the Grand Canyon, I'd love to hike to the bottom of the canyon and explore the Colorado River.

4. Glacier National Park: A Crown Jewel of the Rockies

Glacier National Park is a hiker's paradise, with hundreds of miles of trails winding through alpine meadows, forests, and glaciers. I spent several days backpacking in the park, camping under the stars and exploring the stunning alpine lakes.

Wildlife sightings were plentiful, including mountain goats, grizzly bears, and even a moose. If I were to return to Glacier National Park, I'd love to hike the Highline Trail, one of the most scenic trails in the park.

5. Acadia National Park: A Coastal Gem

Acadia National Park offers a unique blend of rugged coastline, lush forests, and historic landmarks. I spent several days hiking along the park's scenic carriage roads, exploring the rocky coastline, and visiting the historic town of Bar Harbor.

I encountered a variety of marine life, including seals, seagulls, and even a whale. If I were to return to Acadia National Park, I'd love to go kayaking or paddleboarding in Frenchman Bay.

Exploring America's national parks is a truly unforgettable experience. Each park offers something unique, from towering mountains and ancient forests to geothermal wonders and rugged coastlines. If you're looking for adventure, inspiration, and a deeper connection with nature, I highly recommend visiting one of these incredible places.

[styleofdiamandis]

MUSIC VIDEO: "OH NO!"

‚Tis the season of reflection, and what better way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas than by delving into the mesmerizing world of Marina’s past fashion? This festive season, let’s take a stylish trip down memory lane and revisit the iconic fashion moments that have left an indelible mark on our style radar.

This Christmas, I can’t help but be inspired by the fabulous allure she exuded in the 2010 music video for "Oh No!" directed by the visionary Kinga Burza. The styling brilliance of Celestine Cooney played a pivotal role in creating an aesthetic that resonates even today.

For the opening scene, Marina wore a pink color-block short-sleeved shift dress with horizontal stripes from the House of Holland Fall/Winter 2009 collection.

Marina completed look n. 1 with a pair of Pleaser Kiss 208-2 clear PVC platform sandals with silver piping.

Marina sported a second total House of Holland Fall/Winter 2009 look – cropped wool jacket with the matching pleated jodhpur trousers, both in an array of purple hues with contrasting white horizontal stripes. And peep those square-shaped buttons!

Indian designer Ashish used to be the most worn brand of hers during the "The Family Jewels" era so it's no surprise she incorporated some of his colorful sequin designs into the video.

From his Spring/Summer 2010 collection, Marina chose a kaftan-style mini dress depicting the map of Italy in bold, vibrant colors.

In a bunch of other scenes Marina is rocking the Ashish Spring/Summer 2010 yellow sequin peace sign sleeveless top and a pair of gold sequined capri trousers!

If you‘d ask me to describe this music video in three words, I'd say: fun, whimsical and CAMP!

Marina worked it in a gold sequin credit card dress from iconic French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's Spring/Summer 2009 runway!

The second money-themed look by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac hails from his Fall/Winter 2009 collection. The cool detail about this dress, which you can‘t really see in these images, is that it has an turquoise silk backside!

Those fabulous disco ball-inspired shoes belong to Maison Margiela's Spring/Summer 2009 20th-anniversary collection.

British fashion designer Christopher Kane also contributed to the "Oh No!" fashion by sending Marina few of his archival pieces, and my personal favorites on top of that.

Here, the Welsh-Greek beauty wore his Spring/Summer 2007 red bandage bodycon mini dress with crystal-embellished pill zipper in pink!

For the final lewk of the video, Marina danced, spinned and jumped around in the most adorable fuchsia crushed velvet mini dress from Christopher Kane's Fall/Winter 2007 collection which was inspired by Paul Delaroche's painting "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey" — and vindictive, man-eating women.

Thanks to this close-up, we can see that Marina wore a pair of insane Christian Louboutin Very Mix strass-studded platform peep-toe pumps in silver.