#if u saw me post this literally like .2 seconds ago and delete it

[lonesome-witching]

The World Can Know

I have gotten the request to write a celebrity AU by @rabbitofdeath-atcastleaarrggh based on this post by @autismbarbie (I think). And I have to say I absolutely loved that post so much that I was a little excited to write this.

You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

It had all started with a drunken tweet. She shouldn’t have been drunk. It was only 2 pm and she was supposed to be working. But she had finished the last song for her album, and somebody had pulled out a bottle of champagne and now she was sipping lukewarm beers in the recording booth and scrolling through twitter.

It was then that Robin Buckley saw a picture of Nancy Wheeler. It wasn’t that she had never seen her before, she had seen Nancy everywhere. A couple of days ago, she and Steve had gone to see one of her movies. And Robin had returned the next day to watch it again. So, she knew of Nancy Wheeler. She had seen her all dolled up in movies and on red carpets. She had spent an embarrassing long time staring at her in that flowy top with her dark red lips at the Paris fashion week just a few nights ago.

The only difference was that all of those times Robin hadn’t been drunk, and therefore had been able to refrain herself from making her tiny obsession public knowledge. But this time as she noticed the picture of Nancy Wheeler in a simple blue shirt, purple cap and sunglasses walking in New York, the same streets Robin walked every single day, she was drunk.

Her fingers were typing out the words before her mind had registered them. Her thumb only hesitated a second before posting the tweet.

Literally dont FUCKIGN talk to me if u r not Nancy wheeler btw!!! dont even say hi i’ll be pissed

She regretted that tweet that same night when a text from Steve told her to check twitter. The memory of her own embarrassment came flooding back and the only reason she opened her account was with the pure intention of deleting the entire thing. That was her intention until she noticed the notification. It was a simple reply, just a simple hi with a smiley face behind it. The main reason Robin nearly went into cardiac arrest was that it was from Nancy freaking Wheeler. 

-

Talking with Nancy had been surprisingly easy. They had hung out a few times, going for walks after dark and eating take out in Nancy’s luxurious apartment. Robin had even invited Nancy to the recording studio after a mix up with the vocals forced her to drop everything. They often talked until the early morning hours, laughing and crying like kids at their first sleepover.

Now that Robin was able to see Nancy in real life it became obvious that the pictures and movies didn’t do her justice. That she looked best when she woke up with her hair all messed up and her eyes only half open.

It also became obvious that Robin was falling in love with her. Robin had difficulty not staring or stuttering when they hung out. She would always trip over her words whenever she tried to give Nancy a genuine compliment. And when Nancy returned the favor her cheeks would heat up and turn bright red. The words ‘I’m in love with Nancy Wheeler’ might as well have been tattooed on her forehead.

As the months crawled forward Robin and Nancy hung out more and more. Even when Nancy had to go to LA for some promotion material for her newest premiere, they called every night. Robin would listen attentively to Nancy chattering about her day as she stayed up way too late talking the other girl to sleep.

It almost felt like they were dating. Almost.

Robin tried her best not to dream about that possibility. After all, she had already gotten way too lucky to have her idol in her life.

Robin checked her phone for the thousandth time, waiting for a reply from Nancy. But as her screen lit up, she saw nothing but her lock screen. It had been a mere 9 hours since she last received a text from Nancy. She could survive 9 hours without Nancy. She had to.

Robin checked her phone again when the doorbell rang out, echoing through her too empty apartment. She dropped the phone on the couch and got up, shuffling to the door. On the other side stood Nancy Wheeler, her hair wet and dripping raindrops on the floor.

“It’s raining,” she stated as her eyes stared into Robin’s face.

“Nance? What are you doing here? Come in, come here.” Robin pulled her in, nearly hugging her. “I’m going to get you a towel… And— and some dry clothes. You should shower. I thought you were in LA.”

“I just got back. I— Robin, I need to speak with you.”

Robin stopped running around, a pink towel in her hand that nearly dropped to the floor as she saw the expression on Nancy’s face. “Okay.”

“I—” Nancy frowned. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Maybe at the beginning,” Robin offered.

“I don’t know if there is a beginning. And I’m hoping this isn’t the end. I just feel like there is middle. Everything has been the middle. I can’t start at the beginning because there isn’t one. There is just you.”

“Me?”

Nancy nodded, taking a deep breath. “There is just you. And then there is me. And I’m hoping you and me could be an us.” Nancy’s teeth were digging into her bottom lip and Robin worried she’d draw blood.

“What are you—” Realization dawned on her. Nancy’s doe eyes and nervous expressions might have not been enough, but her words were clear. “Oh.”

Nancy nodded again, barely. “Do you think—”

“Yes. I like that. I’d really like to be an us.”

Nancy’s lips turned into a bright smile as she closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together.

-

“I wrote you a song,” Robin said about two weeks after their first kiss.

They were laying in Nancy’s bed, cuddling and kissing. It had been heavenly to be cooped up in Nancy’s flat the entire day. It had been marvelous to sink into her mattress and feel her lips all over her body. And now Robin was enjoying the warmth of her girlfriend.

“You wrote me a song?” Nancy asked with a soft voice.

“I did.”

“That is so sweet.” Robin could hear the smile in Nancy’s voice.

“I was hoping you would be in the video.”

“I would love to be in the video.”

-

They had agreed to keep their relationship to themselves until the video came out. Which Robin knew, logically speaking, wasn’t very long. It was supposed to be released in less than a month time so it would align with Nancy’s premiere.

But Robin was ecstatic about her new situation, and she had lasted about 3 days after they had agreed. It had at first been a slip of the thumb. She had taken this adorable picture of Nancy and couldn’t not post it. Maybe she could have used a more ambiguous caption than ‘gf reveal’ but she had slipped up. It was Nancy’s fault for being so cute.

It was only when no one believed her that she kept going, that she kept tweeting about Nancy and her dating. Not that it helped.

“They still don’t believe me. It’s insane.”

Nancy laughed softly. “At least I know it’s true.,” she said as she pulled the phone out of Robin’s hands and crawled onto her lap.

-

The premiere of Nancy’s movie was scheduled for Friday. The music video was going to drop Thursday. Robin smiled as she thought about it. But tonight, on this beautiful Monday evening, Nancy was curled up into her side as they watched the Late Night Show together. Nancy was on this episode and when she was announced Robin cheered at the screen, much to her girlfriend’s amusement. 

“So, we have to ask, is there anyone special you are taking to the premiere on Friday?”

“Well, actually, there is,” screen Nancy answered, and Robin’s eyes widened. “I’ll be taking my girlfriend, Robin Buckley.”

Nancy’s arms tightened around Robin’s waist. “So, I may have told the world.”

“Yeah,” Robin replied, nodding at the screen, not even registering the reaction from the audience.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Nancy looked up with those soft doe eyes.

“Mad? Why would I be mad? I’m delighted. I’ve been talking about it for ages now. All I wanted was you and for the whole world to know.” She lowered her face to press a kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.

[doebt]

heres what ive been working on -_-

[notyobabygirl]

hey girl. i’ve been dating my bf for over a year and when we first started dating my mom and brother noticed he still had a picture on instagram posted with his ex. i wasn’t bothered by it at all because i knew he never used that instagram account and i just know he isn’t the type to even look at his own page or realize he has it up still. but my mom and brother kept bugging me about it like it was soo weird that he had it on his page so i eventually just went on his phone and deleted it myself. he never even noticed lol. but now over a year later it somehow got brought up and my brother said something about me being a 2 compared to my bf’s ex…. and i was like wtf lol. my brother is 16 so he’s like obviously always making weird jokes and likes to bully me lol but i didn’t know if he was joking or kidding. i would’ve asked except my mom and dad were there so i didn’t want to make it weird or look insecure. it’s funny because a year ago when they saw the picture of her up my brother was like “you kinda look like her” and my mom didn’t know it was his ex and thought it might’ve been his sister and she said “aw this girl is cute is that his sister?” LMAO so fml. if i’m being honest she is pretty but i honestly think i’m prettier. not being mean or self centered at all. we do have some similarities though so i can understand why my brother said we kinda look alike… but then why did he say that i’m a 2 compared to her today? like that’s so weird lol. i don’t even think he’s seen any other pics of her or even know who she is, he just remembers the 1 picture that was deleted more than a year ago. idk i’m trying not to take it to heart especially because my bf never talks about her or even gives a fuck about her like they’re completely out of each other’s lives and they didn’t have a very long relationship anyway. but i mean it’s kinda hard when your own brother is comparing you to a girl your bf dated 3 years ago when you’ve been dating him for more than a year now.

the only thing i will tell you is that your brother is being a dick to you on purpose. hes doing what annoying little 16 year old brothers do and that is picking on you to make you feel insecure and just get under your skin. he saw literally saw a picture of her for two seconds and just wanted something to say. its not worth having another thought about and just try to forget it. dont let your bro get you down its not worth it. love u babe

[fnaf2yaoi]

lemme talk abt something or more so someone lol!! (feel free to ask me to tag this!)

so theres this person in the osc tiktok who like 1-2 months ago got into drama w/ someone else bc they didn’t support neopronouns and some other stuff. stuff went down, they got educated everything was over. well this person literally like. can’t let go of this stuff?? they have posted constant videos abt the drama, sometimes making the other person look bad, even though?? they were in the wrong?? ltrly like the only reason why- and i’m sure abt this, that they “apologised” was bc all the drama was “hurting their ego🥺🥺🥺” i rmr in the vid exposing them (its deleted now) they ltrly mentioned smthn abt how all this was hurting their ego n shit. they also ltrly won’t leave this person alone and stuff.

i remember, when i was like “oh they’re a better person now, i’ll give them one more chance” they ltrly made a video of somesort abt how ppl were trying to remutual them n stuff n yadda yadda ya. like, some people were being forgiving of them, but okay? and they literally tagged me in it but the moment i saw that vid i unfollowed. and i told them that when they tagged me then they blocked me but i didn’t rlly care.

couple days later they ig unblocked me, and had? tagged me in a vid saying “ik u dont follow but do u still see my vids?” like. you blocked me first of all so, no. second of all i just found it kinda funny that after that they replied to my comment with a vid of “what they’ve been doing” like. okay?? why do you want me to see this? you have tons of other followers, and clearly you don’t want anything to do with me since you blocked me. i also find it funny they’ve made multiple accounts, and i mean MULTIPLE. they’ve used them to ltrly like. attack someone over the drama.

i made a post abt them before but i had deleted it bc i thought they had become a better person.

they’ve also made a roleplay acc for silver spoon from ii, and were literally gatekeeping the character. they apparently sent death threats to another silver spoon acc and also had kam in their bio (kill all men) 😐. luckily this acc was deleted wahoo!!!

i won’t say who this is just bc i don’t want people attacking them, but if you wanna dm me and ask for their acc, or other accs so you can block them bc they still do stuff like this then feel free to ask but yea lol. they’re genuinely an asshole.

[aharris00britney]

ASKS 19

It’s 6am and Brandon woke me up when he got up to go to work so now... i answer asks bc i cant sleep. 

@mileyzangel said: Can you please make a Harley Quinn hairstyle from both Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey?

I went and watched Birds of Prey the other night and it was really good. Brandon went to sleep I think tfgvhb. But I doubt I’ll try doing her hair from either of the films. @enriques4 is working on one for her Birds of Prey look if you are interested in that <3

Anonymous said: is tiny living worth it? im leaning towards the gameplay although i love cas. is the gameplay as bad as people say?

I honestly don’t think the new beds do anything. They’re... there. Lmao I think the CAS and buy items are very nice. If we get some cc murphy beds then that would make them a lot more usable tbh.  

Anonymous said: how do you and ayoshi keep making some fantastic collabs?? y'all are literally the first people i go to when I make a fresh install and I can't wait to see what you do next

Anonymous said: AxA CC KINGS!!!

Anonymous said: you guys didnt have to snap like that on AxA

Anonymous said: I LOVE EVERY SINGLE PACK U AND AYOSHI DO PLEASE KEEP MAKING MORE

Anonymous said: another iconic ah00b x ayoshi collab YAS LESSGOOOO

We put a bunch of cc ideas (hair and clothes) in a discord server we have together and then work on the stuff together on call usually so each item is the way we both want me. Like for example i’ll be meshing the Ivy top while he works on texturing the ribbed version.  We also only do collabs when they happen, we didn’t plan AxA 2019 or this new set, mainly just made cc starting in May and wrapped it up in July to release in August. Then this time we started making stuff late December and got most of it done by the time I got done with my break. Having a planned collab/deadline makes stuff less stressful and the stuff usually turns out better imo

Anonymous said: hi! ur sims are so prettyyyy what skin texture and eyes do u use?

Anonymous said: hi! wcif the eyes of the sim in the edit that Dogsill edited for you please? thank you!

Anonymous said: Hi! I really love the way your sims looks so, I was what skin and eyes you use?

I actually am changing my default eyes so I need to update my resource page soon ;n; but the skins they use are all listed for each sim on the resource page here

Anonymous said: you always name axa packs by the year but this one was named after a season those that mean.... 👀

We are wanting to do something in the fall, just not sure how our lives will be then ya know? There’s a chance that this will be the AxA 2020. Since we weren’t sure I didn’t want to label it that if 2 AxA’s release this year lmao

Anonymous said: what game is the pokemon thing you're playing!? pls help a guy out i'm in love with the art style

Pokemon Sword and Shield (I have shield) for Nintendo Switch. I’ll prob post more pics once I get some new shinies :P

@kristabunny said: lol is it bad that when I saw your Santana hair I read it as Satan Hair XD

tbhhhhh it was lowkey referencing that lmao. I made the hair in October for a speed meshing video and since it was around Halloween I was like “lemme give her an almost demonic name” also Santana from glee is a queen

Anonymous said: Tbh I absolutely adore your female cc but I LIVE for your male cc!!!

Thank you! lmao the only thing I can take full credit for is the AxA male hairs. I mesh the clothes for packs but ayoshi does the texturing for them.  

Anonymous said: Could you have a go at the updo Dua Lipa has on the cover of her Future Nostalgia? The high bun with a flick in it and the strands of hair down the sides. Thanks if so :)

I’m not the biggest fan of the hairstyle tbh ;n; but we will see. (Physical is a serve, just saying)

Anonymous said: So ive never played pokemon before until my friend gave me a copy of pokemon moon. I love cats so of course my starter was a litten, but i had no clue about evolutions or anything like that. I was heartbroken when my cute litten turned into some big man cat :(

omg noooo ;n; yeah Litten is a cutie... incineroar is... well I got used to him tbh and kind of like him now? I absolutely hate scorbunny’s evolution (and most of the SWSH starters final evolution) so I think that made incineroar slightly better in my eyes. My shiny litten will be staying a kitten however :)

@multifandom-slytherin said: Hello! I love your cc! Would it be possible for you to make the bangs from your Bree Hair a separate accessory that you can put with other hairs (for example the BG low ponytail)? Thank you so much!

Anonymous said: have u considered making or allowing someone to make an acc version of your handmade bangs?

I have thought of doing accessory bangs tbh, I just like... don’t like using accessory bangs myself. So I’m not sure if I’ll end up doing it. I might try it for myself and see how many hairs they work with, and if it is a decent amount I’ll release. 

Anonymous said: First off I want to say how amazing all of your hairs and collabs are! Second I was curious if you ever thought of going back to your old hairs and updating their thumbnails / display indexes so they matched your stuff now?

I really really wanted to have all my 2019 hairs updated by 2020. It was only January 2019-April 2019 that needed updated (thumbnails and display indexes). But I just lost motivation for doing it. I will focus on it next time I have a big break from school. Also planning on updating select stuff from 2018 and 2017. 

Anonymous said: please put Sophia Barker in the gallery. PLEASEEEEE it's the most beautiful sim I EVER seen! >:3 PLEASEEE!!!!!!!!!!

She should be on there? I think? Make sure you have CC enabled and if you can’t find me through the gallery her tray files are here

Anonymous said: Hi! After the recent patch I started having a small issue with Bree hair(without bangs), when I zoom out it looks like a completely different hair, something similar to that one basegame hair that's layered with tips pointed outward but longer. Thought I'd let you know, maybe others have had a similar issue or maybe I need to change a setting or something. Love your work so much!

Really surprised this is the first time someone told me about this lmao. The hair should be updated now on SFS/Patreon <3

Anonymous said: I tried to look around for this on your "Asks" portion before bothering you (so sorry), but do you have a link perhaps for all the lips you use on your models? Are they in game or a cc you create? Thanks so much! Love all of your work! I'm super new to cc stuff and I found yours like 2 days ago and have been going nuts with downloads lol 

like presets? None of my cc models use a lip preset. I do use this slider on some of them though. For lipsticks, that is listed for each model on my resource page <3

Anonymous said: i’ve been looking for a hair like lexi that i actually like forever and now i find it but it’s for paterson peeps and i’m like actually broke and i’m like :/

im sorry ;n; at least it wasn’t too long of a wait? :/ I hope you liked the hair

Anonymous said: I can't find your jisoo ponytails in your downloads?

they’re in my retired section... may they rest in peace. scroll to the bottom of my downloads and youll see ‘RETIRED.’ click that for the retired download page. 

@eclypt-0-sims said: Hi, I recently started making MM hair and I know you're probably an expert at this but; every time I go into CAS to test a hair, all of my accessories clip with the hair. Like the hair texture would cover some glasses if my sim was wearing glasses. I don't know how to fix it, someone told me to delete an eye weight in blender but I don't really understand weight painting that much, any suggestions? love your content btw

this is a late as hell reply i’m sorry. I think that you have texture where the glasses texture would be. Hair texture should only be in hair section or hat section (if you don’t want it hat compatible). Here is a UV map layout that I use for making hair textures. It shouldnt have anything to do with weights

Anonymous said: Do you use reshade when you take previews for your cc? and also is the tropical punch ombre overlay a palette or did you make it?

I do use reshade when I take cc previews. It adds a bit of saturation to my sims and gives them some shadows under their chin/clothes. Nothing major. Also, myself and @imvikai came up with the tropical punch palette together.

@little-eris​ said: You probably have answered this before but who drew your tumblr icon? I’ve seen the same art style with other simmers 👉🏼👈🏼 it’s super cute!

thank you! here is their twitter 

Anonymous said: The male sim in your Tiny Living review looks soo familiar; was there inspiration from anyone IRL? The person he reminds me of isn't even famous so I don't even know! He is very pretty though *-*

He was a gallery sim that I just revamped a bit so I’m honestly not super sure lmao. But he is very attractive yes I agree

that concludes this ask ceremony please collect your things and move to the exit to your left. fvghbjn if you sent something I didn’t answer and it was off anon I’ll get to you soon (person who asked what beards I used for AxA... I see you)

[vocalyunho]

best friends or? (part 1)

Pairing: Wooyoung x Female Reader Genre: fluff, light smut Word Count: 1,2k

A/N: hi,hello~ I’m reposting this bc I accidentally deleted it...it’s my first posted work and i hope you enjoy it even a tiny bit. It’s supposed to have a smutty part 2, but I’ll only write one if people enjoy this one ;u; 🌱

You and Wooyoung had been friends since the first year of high school. This friendship came literally out of nowhere since the only reason you guys started interacting was a group project in which you were in the same group. By the end of high school though, you ended up being best friends...

You really loved Wooyoung and you knew he loved you just as much by the way he was always treating you and by always being by your side during happy and sad moments.

When you guys were studying your asses off to get into college he would offer to have ‘best friends study sessions’ which actually were an oasis in the desert for u since you ended up having so much fun during these, when you decided to break up with your then boyfriend bc this relationship wasn’t bringing out of you the best version of yourself, Wooyoung gave you a whole lecture about how toxic relationships are the worst and you don’t deserve to be in one of those because you’re too nice and deserve the world.

But you were also always here for him...when the results of the finals were out and Wooyoung made it into his 2nd college choice you made sure he KNEW this was a whole achievement. You’ll always remember the lecture you gave him that day bc you said so beautiful and encouraging things you never knew you would be able to say.

Now 2 years into college not only was Wooyoung your best friend, but also your flat mate and your fellow student in some classes since you studied in different departments.

The only difference by your side is that the past couple of months you couldn’t help but notice many little details on him and on his behaviour...you would find yourself unable to stop staring at how veiny his arms and hands were or how his knuckles were kind of hairy or even the way his lips curled up into a smile if you told him something funny. And then at nights you would just overthink his little actions during the day...how he would offer you a glass of water out of nowhere and shout “STAY HYDRATED” or even how he always asked you how class was.

You didn’t brush all these thoughts off because you knew they meant something for you, something you were scared of accepting...

Your schedule had been hectic lately and your days just as chaotic...and all that because the exams were close and the feeling of failing even closer. Both Wooyoung and you would attend classes in the morning, come back home to study for hours and then sleep till the next day started and the same things happened. You couldn’t even have your “late dinner dates” anymore where you just ate unhealthy snacks and binge watched series, because studying made you sleep early or stay up till really late until you fell asleep on your desks.

It was a Friday night, already 12:40 am, and you were still studying until you heard a knock on your bedroom door. Your eyes were heavy from the need to sleep but you answered with a soft “come in”. Turning your head towards the door you saw a tired Wooyoung, with his white t-shirt and grey sweatpants on, having a fixed but genuine small smile on his face. You felt your heart beating louder in your ears as it hit you how much you’ve actually missed him these past weeks...

“can we spend some time together, please? I really need it”

“sure, Wooyoungie...I was about to stop right here anyways, I can’t study any more tonight”

He came inside your bedroom and closed the door with a soft click. Sitting on your bed, he crossed his legs like a little child and stared at you still sitting on your desk without saying a word. Looking at him in the eyes you cracked a smile and said

“is that how you wanted us to spend time together?? say something!”

“okay but come over here first”.

You made your way on your bed and sat on it using the same position as Wooyoung, facing him and waiting for him to speak. You knew he wanted to tell you something, maybe something important, because you knew him too well for your own good. There was no way he’d come in your bedroom this late on a Friday night while you both were studying for the exams that started on Monday morning, just to spend some time with you.

While waiting for him to speak, your eyes made their way up and down his body slowly and painfully for your own good. He looked so good in all comfy clothes and his hair was so beautifully messy, like he had been making out with someone before coming in there...

“I know how you feel” he blurted out and got you out of your thoughts in an instant.

“what?” your eyes got fixed on his own immediately.

“I’ve seen how you look at me lately, it’s not the same way you always did. I’ve also felt you shiver while I was whispering to you during a movie and for God’s sake I just saw you checking me out like 10 seconds ago” he said with enough force to make you feel like he was mad.

“I didn’t??” you said. Your voice came out louder and stronger than you thought it would and your eyes, filled with regret, looked straight into his eyes. The only thing in your mind was how stupid you were to make it this obvious that you felt things for him.

“if you don’t quit looking at me like this, I’ll fuck you right this instant”

“what?” your eyes widened as he glanced at your lips and back up into your eyes.

“I’m not even kidding, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking about you...and us...in a different way” he said as he scooted closer to you.

You didn’t bother going back, you wanted to be this close to him and even closer than that. Now it was your turn to lean forward and he was the one who made your noses touch.

“what do you mean you’ve been thinking about us?”

“I’ve been thinking about you for months in, like, a different way. It’s not the friendly or platonic love anymore. It’s...stronger than that”.

“but...if you knew how I felt all this time, why didn’t you make a move earli-?”

He closed the remaining space between your faces with a forceful move. His lips were on yours in a second...his breath was hot and his body was so close to yours that you shivered under his touch again.

It was slow but with each breath you were taking it got sloppier and heavier. His hands went up on your cheeks and stayed there while his tongue brushed on your lower lip, mindlessly asking for access. Your lips parted enough for his tongue to slip inside and make the kiss even more passionate. Your hands were on his thighs, supporting your upper body and your mind was all over the place.

Leaning back on your bed, you tugged on the end of his t-shirt forcing him to get on top of you. He instinctively put his hands on each side of your face, his arms keeping him up right above you.

He distanced his face from yours a bit so that he could look into your eyes and you took a deep breath realising you had just made out with your high school best friend and were holding strong feelings for him all this time...

part 2

[thoughts-and-pans]

Suprise

Thank you for the request, i really liked this concept. This is the one i had to unfortunately delete and re-write (cuz it only posted the first paragraph) so i cant remember who requested it. Nevertheless, i hope you all enjoy this. Let me know if u want a part 2 because i want to elaborate a bit on what happens after. Feedback is always appreciated. ~Jai

You could feel the butterflies in your stomach as you looked out the window of the plane. It was finally happening, you were so close. You checked how much time was left until landing,

1 hour and 36 minutes

You were waiting for this moment for so long and you were so happy it was almost here. Your beloved husband Mena was away filming Aladdin, and because of work you weren't able to see him as frequently as you would have liked.

 You were a high school teacher and you loved your job, but it ment you weren't able to take vacations throughout most of the year. You were lucky that you got to see Mena during the holidays, but you had a wedding to attend during spring break and he had to re-film some scenes. That ment you hadnt seen him in almost 6 months. That's the longest you two have been apart.

As hard as it was you both loved your jobs, and you were able to stay in touch very easily. But it still sucked not having him in bed with you every night.

 You could tell the long distance was really starting to take a toll on Mena.  For the past few weeks he looked so needy whenever you face timed. You could hear the sadness in his voice when he spoke. He was practically whinning for you to hurry up and see him. It made you feel terrible but you kept reassuring him, that once school ended and report cards would be issued, you would be on the first flight to London. 

  You told him that you'd book a flight during the second week of july, once all the report card stuff was done. But in reality, you had finished all your work early (thanks to late nights and plenty of coffee) and was visting him a week early. You wanted to suprise him since he was missing you so much. So you emailed his team and asked them for help, to ensure that everything went off without a hitch. 

After the plane landed, you entered the airport in London, going straight towards baggage claim. There you met Miranda, one if Menas P.A's on set. She led you to an awaiting car and you two bonded over the drive to the studio.

   The two of you got along very well, Miranda was a great listener and super funny. She told you some hilarious stories of your husband and his cast members on set. Then she mentioned how off he had seemed a few weeks ago. You were quiet after she said that, knowing exactly why. You explained how you two hadnt seen each other in so long, and how it had been your longest time a part. Obviously you both knew it would be hard, but you didnt realise how hard

She gave you a sympathetic look and told you that all the waiting would pay off. Now you could spend the next few weeks together and hopefully Mena could catch a break with filming soon. You smiled, trying to push away the sadness, and it wasnt too hard because just then, the car pulled up to the studios.

  The butterflies came back right as you left the car, thanking the driver and following Miranda into the building. Once you got through security she led you into the area they were filming in. She told you not to say anything when you entered the room, just follow her on to the set.

When you entered the set you had to bit your lip to stop the gasp that was about to leave your mouth. It was breathtaking. The large room was made out to look like the inside of a palace. The set designers truly did a fantastic job. You couldnt wait to see it in the movie.

Miranda held your hand and pulled you across the set. As you passed by the crew members they all waved hello. Miranda had said that Mena talked about you 24/7, to anyone who was willing to listen. It was honestly really cute. The fact that your husband talkd about you so often made you blush. So you assumed that all these people knew you.

  You were close enough at this point to see the back of your husband, dressed as prince Ali. This time you had to cover your mouth with your hand to stiffle the gasp.

After 6 long months he was right here infront of you. Not through a screen, but actually, physically here. Your eyes began to sting and it took all you had to not burst into tears. Not wanting to upset him, you hadnt mentioned how much of a toll being apart had taken on you aswell. You tried to busy yourself with work as much as you could, to distract yourself, and it had worked. But after a while all you could feel was a dull ache in your heart. You quickly composed yourself, knowing that it was almost time.

Since Mena had his back to you, he didnt know you were there. According to the script, after he finished his lines, the "Genie" would gesture him to turn around. What Mena was expecting to see was Naomi, in charecter as princess Jasmine. But what he saw instead made his jaw drop. Literally.

It took him a second to register that it was really his wife, standing right in front of him smilling. He tried to talk but nothing came out. He was in total shock.

So he didnt say anything. He simply pulled you towards him into a tight embrace. All around him he heard cheering, and a chorus of "aw's" from the crew.

You weren't expecting him to be shocked, but you returned the hug immediately. You took a deep breath and inhaled the familiar smell of his cologne.

You were home.

[therothwoman]

GUYS BLACK PANTHER HOLY *SHIT*

JUST GOT BACK FROM THE THEATER BUT MAKING A REACTION POST NOW BECAUSE OH MY GOD

(under cut for spoilers)

The Squee

- dat opening animation

- also I saw someone say that this took place just a few days after Civil War and I didn’t really believe them but then RIGHT IN THAT FIRST NEWS CLIP NOPE IT REALLY JUST HAPPENED A WEEK AGO.

- Easily one of my favorite things about this movie were all the little moments of “yes T’Challa is rich and powerful royalty with superhuman abilities but as a person he’s also Just A Regular Dude.” Cases in point:

- “I never freeze.” *sees Nakia like 2 minutes later* “............hi.”

- BASICALLY EVERY SCENE WITH SHURI OH MY GOD

- “Are you recording?” “...For research purposes.” *CRASH* “deLET E THAT FOOT AG E !!!”

- oh yeah speaking of which

-  S H U R I

- Now I’m thinking back to that one scene in the Avengers where Tony is showing Bruce around the helicarrier lab while telling him about Stark Tower and part of me is thinking:

Tony: Ten floors of R&D. It’s like candyland.

Shuri: you are like a little baby watch this

- HER MOMENTS OF “YES SHE’S A TECH GENIUS BUT SHE’S ALSO A REGULAR TEENAGE GIRL” WERE WONDERFUL TOO

- like I thought that one post about her making fun of T’Challa’s shoes was just a joke but then L I T E R A L L Y “WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOOOOOOSE?????” fam I died

- T’Challa’s little coronation spirit-journey was him getting to see his father again oh god my heart

- which made it Even Worse when his second one later was basically “wait no I’m not gonna die yet also d A D YOU FU CKED UP.”

- Speaking of T’Chaka: knowing all that business about him and Ulysses Klaue, T’Challa spending most of Civil War thinking that a dude with a weaponized arm killed his dad has gone from “yeah that’s a pretty good revenge motive” to “SUDDENLY HIM ASKING BUCKY ‘THEN WHY DID YOU RUN’ MAKES UNCOMFORTABLY MORE SENSE BECAUSE THERE’S SOME ACTUAL FAMILY HISTORY THERE OF SLIPPERY BAD DUDES WITH ROBOT ARMS.”

- Kinda disappointed that we didn’t see more of M’Baku? I’d seen him hyped up as a sort of unexpected breakout character, but he wasn’t really there all that much? Although that scene in his throne room was pretty excellent. Especially his SHUT UP, WHITE BOY chant at Ross.

- Speaking of which: I was actually fully expecting Ross to betray Wakanda around the third act? There was a “he’s going to steal something or leak vital info to the US” vibe I was getting about him, so I was actually...kinda surprised when he didn’t? And also surprised that he didn’t die by Heroic Sacrifice during the big battle at the end, because it sure felt like they were building up to that. Oh well.

- speaking of that battle

- Armored War Rhinos? ARMORED WAR RHINOS.

- Okoye can stop a charging giant animal...and my heart. Also:

Me two years ago: “Please please make a buddy-cop movie with Bucky and Sam, that would be so much fun!”

Me now: “okAY BUT F I R S T: BUDDY-AGENT MOVIE WITH OKOYE AND NAKIA AND SHURI AS THEIR TECH-GIRL-AT-THE-COMPUTER”

- that one shot at the end of the car chase in Korea with Okoye sliding to a halt with her spear in the car fragment and Nakia ju s t SLI D IN G IN N EXT  TO HER WITH T EH RE MA IN S OF TH E D RI VER’S S EAT OH MY GO DD

- like I was genuinely not expecting any kind of comedy beat after seeing that car get blown up while Nakia was still inside but that was. the Actual b Est.

- That post about T’Challa: Best Dressed at the UN was The Most Correct.

- White Wolf My Son Bucky Is Out Of Cryo And Can Go Outside And Is Actually Getting A Chance To Live In Peace And Safety sweet merciful lord that shot of him standing by the lake and thanking Shuri was one of the most Blessed Images I’ve seen in a movie lately (especially since it’s now been almost exactly four years since Winter Soldier came out and ended with him ragged and confused and alone and now he’s finally Safe and somewhere Calm where he’s being Helped by Actual Good People for a few scant glorious few more weeks before Infinity War happens and shit gets properly fucked but I Will Take This For Now).

- Although I will admit: “ah, another broken white boy to fix!” ...yeah, we kinda deserved that one, didn’t we...

Which brings me to:

The Serious

- I’d seen a headline somewhere with a picture of Killmonger saying “were we rooting for the wrong character in Black Panther?” and after realizing how morally gray this movie could be when it wanted to, I can understand what they were talking about.

- Case in point: the dichotomy of “this is the way Wakanda has always been, and if we open ourselves up to the world, our resources could be plundered and fall into the wrong hands and Bad Shit Would Go Down” vs “there are people out there who need the help of the resources we can give them and we are squandering our gifts by not sharing them with those who are suffering.” Usually I’d side with the latter ideology, especially in an out-with-the-old-ways-in-with-the-new kind of plot, but...this is an African nation we’re talking about. We’ve...we’ve done enough and taken enough from that continent. If they have a goddamn space-age utopian city that they don’t want to share, they should be allowed to keep that shit.

- and then Killmonger shows up and turns the “share the gifts of Wakanda” mentality into a more explicit “arm the African diaspora of the world and literally kill white supremacy” motive and things get extra morally complicated, and what with all this recent-schoot-shootings-and-certain-(white)-Americans-losing-their-shit-over-BUT-GUNS=FREEEDOME!!11! stuff in the news this is turning into Uncomfortably Topical Stuff That I Am Most Definitely Not Qualified To Discuss.

- Also his little spirit-journey scene taking place in his old apartment. “Everyone dies. That’s just how it is around here.” ...I have never before had the experience of heart-sinking feel like Actually Literally I Feel Like My Heart Just Physically Moved A Few Inches Lower In My Body but it fucking happened at that line.

- and speaking of which: “put me in the sea, like our ancestors, who knew that death was better than a life in bondage” might just be the most powerful last words of any character in any movie I’ve ever seen.

- When I went to see Wonder Woman last year, there was a moment during the opening scenes with the Amazons training where, for possibly the first time in an action movie, I felt “this is something that was made for me.” I hope that every black person who sees Black Panther will feel that too. Because it was a strange new feeling, but a very very welcome one.

Guys this movie was Really Fucking Good, go see it.

[mindior]

The Devil Wears Gucci (Preview)

A/N: Hello! I deleted the first post of this story because I didn’t like the cover and I wanted to edit some things a bit, but most of it is the same. Enjoy~

Description:  Jimin begins his summer working at a high end fashion magazine as a regular desk employee before he then earns the most feared position in the market: Kim Taehyung’s assistant.

Pairing: Jimin x Taehyung, Jimin x Jungkook

Warnings: Explicit wording

CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3

‘’Two what?’’

Hoseok heavily sighed on the other line.

‘’Four, soy caramel lattes, decaf, no fat.’’

Jimin furrowed his brows at the distant sound of Hoseok’s voice through the heavy crowd, working his way through two women dressed in black fur coats walking cocker spaniels before he made it to the door of Starbucks and nearly threw himself inside.

‘’U-uh, ok. Two coffe—‘’

‘’Four, Park Jimin, four! Soy caramel decaf nonfat lattes, and you need to be back in ten minutes. He’s almost done shooting.’’

A break of sweat started of Jimin’s forehead and his palms went cold, that familiar piercing cut of anxiety crushing through the pit of his stomach.

Two weeks ago, Jimin was laying down in his bed staring at the ceiling eating a bag of white cheddar puffs while season 1 of America’s Next Top Model played on his TV, the season he’s watched six times total and was working to get that lucky seven. Exactly a week later, he was rushing to wipe bread crumbs from the side of his mouth as he ran down the street from the subway directly into Dulcet Kalon, the high end fashion magazine company located on 59th and Ashwood, right in the East Village.

Never had Jimin thought that he’d be working this summer, let alone, in one of the most couture high fashion companies in the world.

Before his junior year of college ended, Jimin had signed himself up to be considered to work at local magazine and fashion corporations, as a part of a summer program offered by his school, the Fashion Institute of Technology. He had signed back in December, and by May, it was something he had completely forgotten about. Plus, it was never something he thought that he’d be able to do, as selected individuals were some of the top in the class, and Jimin never considered himself to be even close.

But like a sweet surprise, Jimin had gotten a call from his school counselor that he had gotten chosen, and he had gotten chosen for the company everyone had wanted.

Dulcet Kalon, or, Sweet Beauty, as it can be translated to literally meaning, is one of the biggest fashion and beauty blockbusters in the world, let alone the country. A fashion magazine and a modeling agency mixed together, DK has specialized for decades branding some of the most successful models society has ever seen, let alone having some of the prettiest magazine covers. Not only are they a couture fashion corporation, but they’re sister to Vogue, as they’re both under Conde Nast. A chance to intern here is a direct ticket to being able to work at any fashion journalism related company in the world, and here Jimin was, chosen to do it.

Of course, it was an amazing opportunity, and the people there were great. He got his own desk right across from Jung Hoseok, the senior two-year employee who was shadowing Jimin for the two month span he was going to be there. But, there was one person there who Jimin was scared of every time he saw them, and that was the most infamous model in the label.

Kim Taehyung, the ‘’Prince’’ of the company, the ‘’Diva,’’ or his most used label, the ‘’Devil.’’ Jimin didn’t know much about him, he rarely ever saw him and if he did, it was a few second passerby on their floor or walking out the building in an expensive fur coat on his way to his limo.

But, even though he was nearly a ghost to the floor, Jimin had found himself being scared of him, and it didn’t help that he was almost on every cover displayed in the building. Taehyung was one of their best models, if not unbiasedly the best, and he was endorsed and sponsored by several brands, including his personal favorites Gucci and Puma. Even though Taehyung is an independent model, he is still loyal to Dulcet, and comes back more often than any of the models who are free signed.

While as successful as he is, it isn’t hard to be aware of the presence that is created whenever Taehyung enters a room. Everyone looks away, walks the other direction, stops what they’re saying, hides their food, or goes to another room. In the least, Jimin knows he isn’t the only one who feels a weird air whenever he sees him; it’s almost like he can’t ever look directly at him.

According to Hoseok, people don’t treat Taehyung that way for no reason. His attitude matches his nicknames; he is a diva paired with a naturally sharp tongue and a gaze that could scare hundreds. He’s not scared to say what’s on his mind and be brutally honest, and he has the looks to back him up. The only real downside, is that because of this, Taehyung has never had a longterm assistant, which is the norm for every model to function properly, especially in DK. Every assistant has either quit because they can’t keep up with Taehyung’s requests, or are fired because they looked the wrong way (which actually happened). The longest one he’s had lasted for four months, and the story about that one is super hush hush, so Jimin’s never asked. But since several people want to work at the company, they always give them that job.

‘’It’s the ‘garbage’ job,’’ Hoseok once told Jimin at his desk rearranging a stack of papers.

‘’Anyone who wants to work here always starts with that job after something small like cleaning or front desk. They only last like two weeks, it’s a game of quit or be fired, and quit usually wins.’’

Thankfully, Jimin has missed that whole loophole and gets to work at the 22nd floor at his desk, minding his business and taking care of small tasks.

Which is exactly why when Jimin woke up and finally got to work on time did he almost faint when Hoseok told him he needed to get coffee for Kim Taehyung.

His assistant this time called in-sick (which is a direct way of getting fired), and there was no one to get his early daily fix of Starbuck’s coffee in the morning; not before Hoseok or Namjoon could come in to still in for a day until another assistant was assigned.

Jimin had tried avoiding communicating or doing any work for Taehyung as much as he could, but yet here he was, second week on the job, doing the exact thing he tried to avoid.

Barely managing the phone against his ear as he shifted through the crowd and stepped inside of the Starbucks, Jimin walked himself straight into the line and let out a deep breath.

‘’Yeah, sure, got it.’’

‘’Repeat it back.’’

Jimin pulled back to look at the time on his phone before putting it back to his ear.

‘’Four cappuccinos, I’ll be back as soon as possible.’’

‘’Four soy lat–!’’

Exact second, a bulk body bumped into Jimin from the back and his phone went sailing to the floor, making an annoyingly loud clatter, and to his worst fear, ending the call.

‘’Shit,’’

Feeling the color leave his face, Jimin leaned down and quickly picked the phone up, first checking for the call than looking for any possible scratches. Completely annoyed, Jimin turned to the culprit who had bumped into him angrily.

‘’Can you act like you have two fucki—‘’

There were two things Jimin could do at this second. He could close his mouth and turn around as if nothing happened, or he could continue to stare at the incredible piece of art that was staring directly back at him.

A sharp cut jawline was the first thing Jimin saw, next to a pair of dark round brown eyes that looked back at him curiously. He was tan, whomever he was, and was wearing a leather jacket with something that looked like sheep fur around the lining and hoodie, a dark black shirt underneath, next to some leather pants and some boots. Aside from his out of season attire, his hair was dark and parted to the side and shined beautifully even under the horrible fluorescent lights. He had not one imperfection on his skin, and before Jimin could stare any longer, his concentration broke when he smiled.

‘’Excuse me.’’ He said, and Jimin blinked his eyes twice and looked down at the floor.

‘’Oh, uh, s-sorry.’’

Jimin started to turn around but his voice stopped him.

‘’I wasn’t paying attention when I walked in. I’m sorry about your phone, I hope it didn’t get scratched or cracked or anything.’’

It was as if Jimin had completely forgotten about his phone in the seconds he had seen him, and he glanced down at it and looked up at the man.

‘’No its fine, the phone is ok.’’

The man’s smile reached his eyes, and Jimin admired his nicely fit and small buttoned nose. Jimin started to turn around again before he was stopped.

‘’I hope this isn’t inappropriate to ask, but do you work at Dulcet Kalon?’’

Jimin looked back at him and lifted an eyebrow. He wasn’t wearing the ID tag around his neck or had any obvious signs of identifications to the company, so how the unknown man knew he worked for DK was beyond Jimin, but he was pretty so he was going to let it slide.

‘’Uh, yeah, matter of fact I do.’’

The man nodded at this with a light smile.

‘’Cool.’’

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Jimin turned around and unlocked his phone, looking for any missed calls or text messages from Hoseok, but nothing. He could have single handedly accidently just gotten himself fired, and the mere thought of that happening was enough to make him sick. But he had to at least get this right, he couldn’t have the call end prematurely and show up with the wrong order of coffees. If only he could remember what Hoseok said the first time, it seemed like everyone at work talked so fast and Jimin couldn’t keep up at all.

‘’Thre—no four, four…lowfat? Nonfat. No, low fat.’’

Jimin stopped himself and placed a hand over his face in frustration, and his anxiety grew worse when the line moved up, and there was one more person in front. If only he could just hear it one more time, there was no way he was about to allow himself to stand in front of this cashier and stutter on his own words for what he needed to order.

‘’Four…lowfat, c-chai?’’

Just as Jimin had whispered that to himself, the line moved up again and now he was face to face with the cashier.

Nervously wringing his fingers together, Jimin cracked a half-smile at the female who smiled back at him.

‘’Hello, how may I help you?’’

Quickly, Jimin fumbled with his phone and unlocked it as if the answer was laid right there before him. Well, maybe it technically was, he could easily call Hoseok but he would need to go to the back of the line; he couldn’t just call someone while people waited behind him. On top of that, he needed to be back within 10 minutes, and Starbucks was a nice 4 minute walk alone from the building.

‘’I believe it’s four soy caramel nonfat decaf lattes.’’

The young man from behind Jimin nodded at the cashier with a star-stellar smile as she glanced between the two for confirmation.

‘’Is that your order sir?’’ she asked Jimin, and taken back by the mystery man’s sudden inquiry, he snapped his head to the cashier and flashed a grin.

‘’Yes, yes it is.’’

Just as he had turned to say thank you, the man was already out the door and back into the busy summer NYC street, gone into the crowd.

[techyblogger]

Writing For People or For Google https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/abjt99/writing_for_people_or_for_google/

~ recent comment.. deserves to be a post.

My method is to write for people and then go in and add text decoration to make it readable and scannable. I add internal links (ranking factor) where appropriate, make short paragraphs, and of course the proper H tags.

When in doubt I always go with the hybrid approach:

Write for people, tweak for SEO.

  What to write? That is not 100% SEO driven.

One of the pieces of how to content that my boss wanted me to write was a how to guide on how to tie different types of knots. It took 2 hours of research to put that one to rest.

As soon as I saw animated knots dot com, the 10,000 YouTube videos and watched about 50 of them... I knew it was a waste. There was no way my company was going to spend any amount of money to create something bigger or better than what was already out there.

Budgets & Resources Matter

So, there are cases where SEO must come first. The research, for sure.

Spinners

I work for a company whose owner is addicted to spinners. They are written 100% for Google bot. They are ingeniously created and any human being that reads them will laugh.

I took a website recently that had 300,000 pages indexed. I deleted every single spinner on site (250,000 descriptions) and so far there’s been no change... it’s been almost 3 months!

My Theory is that it is under an algorithmic penalty and as soon as the core quality update hits again the site will improve dramatically.

[The only thing that Google did was, from an organizational chart point of view, move penguin and panda into the core algorithm.

They didn’t actually change anything. They literally dragged and dropped it under the heirarchybof Core Algorithm.

They did this because now they won’t have to say that any updates are penguin or panda. This makes it more difficult to deduce what they changed. So now they just say it was a core algorithmic update.

So, what I mean by this is that when there is a panda update which will hopefully come in the next two months, the site will improve].

Follow the rules

We test what works A/B Testing on multiple websites that have greater than a half a million pages and ranks for more than 100,000 keyword phrases in top 100 results.

We run these tests all the time and they always come back the exact same way.

First place: Manual written descriptions

Second Place: spinners with Functions

Third Place: Spinners or Nothing.

Spinners using functions are still very good because of the dynamic information being loaded on the page it changes often enough with good info. (Ratings, reviews, savings, deals, and product specifications, SKUS)

And then lastly spinners which until the last few months no one in the company knew that spinners and “ no description text” created the exact same result.

3 months later... same results.

If human beings read the spinners, it doesn’t read perfectly. We get complaints occasionally from customers saying that We hire people from overseas Who learned English from The Nigerian prince sending spam emails offering fortunes of gold.

When in doubt go with what Google says, I made the company that I work for, to date, more than $50 million more than they were going to make just in the last two years by following the rules.

My bosses hate me and the owner wants to fire me but left to his own devices he would have to fire half the company again like he did 7 years ago due to penalties by Google. There is no love there is no pat on the back there is no thank you. Because I don’t let him Break the rules, he resents me.

Sometimes making somebody follow the rules and follow best practices is the toughest job there is.

He threatenEd my job one time because I would not purchase a link from a horrible spam-filled website.

When you do the right thing there might not be any praise.... or visible benefit, like Game of Thrones, you get your head chopped off or worse, your balls.

But when it comes to writing write for people throw in some internal links, make it readable and scannable.

Happy new year my brothers!

submitted by /u/lonewolf-chicago [link] [comments] January 01, 2019 at 10:43PM

[hurricanetortilla5ever-blog]

welcome to the journal 2.0i had to delete the last blog because bryan literally snuck into my phone to get it , now were gonna discus about bryan a bit and idk where my head is at 

lemme updat u to where we left off

he acts up because he saw my blog post from my journal 2 weekks ago 

i was cold but i didnt even show it to him , the nly reason he knew i was being cold ws because of my post other wise he wouldnt have noticed anything homie acts up and pulls the whole i hope youre happy thing then appologise the next day after seeing my post , cause my second post, really told him that i loved him and i think he felt bad , he should , he really fucked up .hes scared i guess cause of the way he said it and how it made me think , and hoe it made me think of soemthing true , he definetely doent want me to stop loving him like i do homie still tries to push it i the morning that he doesnt have time and its irreleva nt you see thats the part that gets me hella fired up , will he always disregar what is important to me ? it worries me . how can i pursue a future with someone when i feel like he still admit he wasnt happy about doing it 

if  i didnt act out like i did he wouldnt have told me about the journal , fuck 

im just not important to him 

not enought o fuking matter

will he ever take anything seriously thats serious to me ?

imagine if i told him i wanna stay a virgin , will he respect me then ? or will he say no fuck that its irrelevant to me not important to me , i couldnt care less 

fuck i havent skept in two days i pulled an allnighter yeterdy and only sleot an hour today , i cant fucking eat i cant fucking think without crying’

i should ask him if he still think its a hassle ? seeing his answer would know where he stands 

he doesnt even know he fucked up , he says i know i fucked up i guess , that son of a bitch i swear do i have to slit my wirsts for him to beluve the pain he cause me ?

the reason why i had those thoughts of me wanting him to find someone else is because hes not happy with me , i can see it , when i cuddle him and heosnt cuddle back , when i kiss him and he doesnt kiss back , sweet bryan is gone ,, an im jsut like any other girl he would treat .

i said myself i want a simple love 

someone that will make me feel special 

i dont know what to do 

i cant loose him but i dont wanna drag him if hes not gonna love me the same way

[thedgreene-blog]

the TOP 10 albums I saved to my Spotify in 2017

Seasons greetings friends. I write to you from icy cold Vernon, BC. I’m fighting a sore throat, dried out sinuses, and an eye infection I got from the pool at the Vernon Lodge (formerly the Best Western, currently featuring a Don Cherry branded sports bar). But enough about me. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and kick up your feet. It’s time for another one of D. Greene’s horribly written year end top 10 lists.

10. The Guess Who - American Woman (also Wheatfield Soul and Canned Heat)

 We’ll start off with a perfect double whammy example of why you should stop reading this right now. Seriously. Ok well don’t say anyone even remotely recommended reading this all the way through. First off - These albums came out over 40 years ago. Second - I listened to them all 5-10 years ago. But guess what amigos - they weren’t saved to my Spotify library until this year. I have a beautiful memory of driving around getting together production requirements for a weekend of shooting Gritzmore Season One which is available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube and Funny or Die. With me were my friends Derek (listens to Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone Age), Justin (listens to Tragically Hip and Anime music), and Melissa (listens to only Japanese folk songs and Lady Gaga(Zef if you’re reading this please DM me)). Despite our wildly different tastes in listening; all genres were transcended by the heavy yet clean and spatial Canadian dad rock majesty that is the Guess Who. While most dad bands force you to listen to a best of because of the sheer monotony of a pentatonic rock album produced in the 70s, The Guess Who’s albums hold up. You’ve got the sounds of jazz, hard rock, 60s referencing psych and more. I’m really running out of steam here and I’m still on number 10 oh my god. Be a good Canadian and listen to some Guess Who.

9. Painted Fruit - PF II

And now to completely stray from the previously mentioned guide lines seemingly rendering this piece of “journalism” more pointless than it all ready is. This album isn’t on Spotify but it is on Bandcamp. Painted Fruit are some old friends from the mother land, Vernon. I shot a video for them a while ago. It still kind of holds up even though it’s on YouTube in 720p. This album sports shiny reverberating guitars influenced by beach rock, drums caught up half way between garage and math rock, and vocals obviously influenced by Talking Heads or similarly uninhibited post punk wailing. My favourite track is “Primitive” it really heats up near the end. Very upbeat but dark. It’s not too common an album can keep you tuned in start to finish but the Fruit’s second album is mentally stimulating all the way through whether it’s on in the car or if you’re taking a more scrutinizing listen with headphones.

8. Fleetwood Mac - Future Games

If you’ve ever spent any time around me you know I don’t shut the fuck up about pre-Stevie Knicks Fleetwood Mac. I think I’m SO god damn cultured because I can say “ACTUALLY they started out as a blues band before transitioning in psychedelic and eventually soft rock”. Wow David. Mr. Rock and Roll trivia. You don’t know shit about what’s going on in the world politically or even in your own city for that matter. You don’t watch sports. You don’t even watch current TV and movies even though you claim to be a writer and director. But I bet you’ve got some sick ass trivia about Fleetwood Mac. They’re that band that does “thunder only happens when it’s raining” right? They’re pretty good - my mom has a few of their CDs. Whatever don’t tell me how to live my life. One day I’m going to get on Jeopardy and then we’ll see who’s laughing when I burn the fuck through the entire rock and roll trivia category and the $1000 daily double is “this guitarist played in Fleetwood Mac before departing and eventually joining the religious cult known as the Children of God” “WHO IS JEREMY SPENCER, ALEX!?” Anyway this album is really good and it’s finally on Spotify. And not to confuse you, Jeremy Spencer plays on Then Play On, which is not on Spotify yet. Danny Kirwan is on Future Games.

7. Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak/Graduation

Hey Kanye how you doing buddy? Seems like you’re thinking about a lot. Got a lot going on upstairs. Glad I got to see the Life of Pablo show before you cancelled the rest of the tour. If you need to talk or anything I’m right here. It can’t be easy keeping up with those krazy Kardashians. What happened to the album you said you’d put out by this past summer? Can we have a little teaser at least? I was going to DM you on Twitter but you deleted it. Well I just wanted to write and say that I was listening to 808s and Graduation and was thinking about how 10 years ago you literally laid the ground work for the majority of current pop and hip hop. Every dance track lately has the same synth sounds as Graduation. Even rock artists are writing easy listening yacht rock inspired songs again. And who did you sample on Champion? That’s right Steely Dan. You were pumping out vocoder and heavy minimal bass 10 years before Future and 21 Savage. You’re truly an artist my friend even if I compared you to dads who use Facebook last year. Gimme a call man let’s hang out - I miss you.

6. Once and Future Band - Once and Future Band / Brain

The best kind of satisfaction is the kind you didn’t even know you were after. I came across Once and Future Band and realized I had an itch for prog rock I didn’t know needed scratching. If you’ve ever rocked out to Yes, early King Crimson, late Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, I urge you to check these guys out. Every song plays for around 5-6 minutes. Each track an adventure. They even pepper in elements of classic rock and pop but keep you guessing with messy yet precise fills and time signatures. I just noticed their EP “Brain” isn’t on Spotify anymore which is a huge bummer but you should try and track it down.

5. Arcade Fire - Everything Now 

Arcade Fire are a band that “get it” in every sense of that expression. Lyrically I haven’t identified with songs like the ones on Everything Now since...I want to say ever. They’ve completely found their place sonically after the somewhat experimental “Reflektor.” We can all pretend the song you put out with Mavis Staples doesn’t exist, don’t worry. The singles off this album are perfect. The album tracks leave nothing to be desired. Your music videos - MOIA *kissing fingers hand gesture*, your concert OH MY GOOD GOD it was a work of performance art. It’s hard to put into words how Arcade Fire pleases me as a band so I’m going to stop now. Please keep making records forever. Also u kno Arcade Fire can get it ;)

4. Vulfpeck - Mr. Finish Line

This year I was introduced to one of the tightest bands of I’ve ever heard. I’m not using tight like I’m a snowboarder from 2009. I mean musically this band is tight. Vulfpeck is based around 2 guys who went to music school and became gods of building beautiful, happy, upbeat songs around a bass guitar and a drum kit. There is one fill in the track Baby I Don’t Know where the saxophone and the guitar walk down some sort of mind mending jazz scale that just about broke me the first time I heard it. I feel like I intended for this article to be funny but I’m getting really earnest with these entries which isn’t good because it’s not funny and it’s not written well why are you still even here. Hang in there. If you prove you read it all the way through I’ll shake your hand, look you in the eye, and say say thank you.

3. The Lemon Twigs - Do Hollywood

A studio band built around 2 kids who were 17 and 19 or something when this came out. I’m not a real journalist do your own fact checking. I just know when I saw them play at the Cobalt they weren’t even close to old enough to drink in Canada. The Lemon Twigs are part of a fascinating group of LA musicians who seem to all be associated with Johnathan Rado - member of Foxygen, produced this album for the Twigs, produced Tim Heideckers album that came out this year. (How Tim Heidecker is spending his time creatively recently is very questionable. Wareheim remains my favourite. Also Tim and Eric shaped modern comedy but that’s a different essay). Rado also worked with Diane Coffee, former Foxygen drummer, former child actor - like the members of the lemon twigs. The Twigs went to the same high school as Billy Joel which probably doesn’t mean anything but hey isn’t LA neat? In their circle as well is Alex Cameron whose latest album is pretty fun. Basically what I’m getting at here is I’m a big Hollywood wannabe who feels left out of the fun. I just wanna be famous ok? Dammit. This album is great check it out.

2. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell Live

Sufjan Stevens is a fascinating artist and person. Who would you sit down and have a 4 hour conversation with if you were given the chance? Sufjan Stevens is on my list. I want to know his creative process, how he spends his days off, how he decides what clothes to wear, why he would cover Hotline Bling live (not complaining - it was incredible to see in person). I got to see Sufjan in concert twice last year and while the experiences were almost too good to be true I was left both times with the bittersweet feeling that I may never experience this or something quite like it again. It’s definitely not being there but if any of Sufjan’s work needed a live recording it was Carrie & Lowell. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

HAIM - Just the song You Never Knew. Devonte Hynes is one hell of a producer and song writer. I think I tricked myself into liking HAIM just because I have crushes on all three of them. When I get to Hollywood I’m going to ask Alana on a date.

John Lennon - Mind Games

There’s so much post Beatles music I feel like I’ll never get through it all. I’m usually turned off by Lennon’s cynical lyrically driven basic rock songs but there’s some really good stuff on this album.

Kevin Morby - City Music

New music that sounds old. This album is great and led me to listen to a bunch of his old stuff too. If you don’t know Morby listen to Singing Saw, Harlem River, and follow him on Instagram.

LCD Soundsystem - american dream

I’m more into dance music than I’ve ever been. Not EDM but music by bands that makes you dance. Also my friends got to see them live in New Orleans and I’m definitely not jealous and didn’t have FOMO the whole time they were there and I was back in Vancouver.

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffit

Zeppelin’s best album that isn’t made up of songs completely stolen from black musicians.

Loving - Loving

Cool easy listening woozy Mac DeMarco rip off tunes.

Nick Hakim - Green Twins

Cool soulful spacey psych music that doesn’t cross into sounding like Hozier.

Paul McCartney - Pure McCartney

Best of Paul who is the best Beatle.

Shintaro Sakamoto - various

Awesome Japanese psych pop.

Steely Dan - Aja

The best of all dad/yacht/jazz rock there is. The bench mark for easy listening melodic rock. I listened to I Got The News probably 200 times this year.

The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

I call bullshit on every music writer who put this in their year end list. No one has played this album past like track 5. It all sounds the same.

NUMBER ONE BEST THING ON THE SPOTIFY OF 2017

Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog

I love Mac. I want to be his friend. Actually I just want his life. I follow him and Kiera on Instagram. His cover of Wonderful Christmastime he just put out is great. I hope Mr. DeMarco keeps making music for decades. What a guy. He doesn’t even shave or dress up when he goes on network late night talk shows. Unfortunately I don’t go to his concerts anymore because they used to be $20 and now they’re like $60. Anyway man keep doing your thing. I don’t care if I come across as a mindless hipster who happens to also roll up his pants. I like your songs. You write great lyrics about love and life. You can shred guitar. Your live cover of Reeling In The Years is amazing. I still laugh about the time I saw you cover Enter Sandman and Smoke On the Water. Mac 4ever.

Well that about does it. Hope you all had a great Christmas and a great time reading this. I’m gonna go put visine in my eyes and watch Elf.

Love, David. (go watch Gritzmore Season One and email it to all those network executives you’re secretly friends with)(here’s a picture of me in my dad’s old clothes)