#talk about a teen anthem

[art-killed-the-superstar]

day 11!! baby boy odyn inherited a love of comic books from his late uncles but it's hard to come by india ink and screen tones in the apocalypse, so what's his go-to? handmade paper zines, of course!

[starkwlkr]

Could you please do a ruby/baby leclerc imagine where she's a bit older and Charles being the overprotective dad, tells her she can't wear that and she has to change, and they fall out and then make up again

teen angst | charles leclerc

give my girl ruby a break, charles!! and for this, ruby is aged up to 18 and mathéo is 14 so double the teen angst for charles 😳 also sorry charles, you’re sticking with ferrari in this one until idk

Charles was looking for his family. He had even called Y/n, but she didn’t answer. He was getting frustrated, but all his worries left when he saw his wife of many years walk into the Ferrari garage with their two kids by her side. Even after all this time, he felt like a teenager in love with her.

“I was beginning to think you forgot about me.” Charles teased, giving his wife a kiss on the lips to greet her.

“I would never.” Y/n smiled at her husband. “We’re going to go see Pierre for a bit before the race begins. Ruby wants to wish him good luck.”

“Where is my good luck— wait, what are you wearing, Ruby Jules?” Charles looked at his daughter’s outfit. She had a black skirt and a cropped shirt.

“I found it in maman’s closet. She said she wore it on a first date.” Ruby said.

“No, I remember what she wore on our first date and it wasn’t that. We went to her favorite restaurant and she wore a black dress.” Charles confirmed.

“I said she wore it for a first date, papa, i didn’t mean yours.” Ruby teased and kissed her father’s cheek. “Bye, I’m going to see uncle Pierre. Good luck, old man.” Then she left in search of the Frenchman.

“Can I go see uncle Daniel?” Mathéo eagerly asked.

“In a second, baby. Your papa looks like he’s about to faint. What’s wrong, Charles?” Y/n asked.

“Y/n, did you not tell her to change?” Charles sighed. “I have a jacket in my drivers room, let me go get it.”

Before Charles could leave, Y/n stopped him. “Charles, it’s hot today and you’re going to make her wear a jacket? She looks nice.”

“I think she still looks ugly.” Mathéo added.

“Théo, what did i tell you about making fun of your sister?”

“She’s not here so it doesn’t count!”

Charles shook his head. “What if I give her a Ferrari shirt? I think I have one—“

“No one is changing. Charles, just accept that our little girl is growing up and her style is changing. She’s not going to wear shirts with rainbows on them anymore.” Y/n tried to get her husband to understand, but he still wasn’t convinced.

“I’m still not happy about it.” He mumbled.

“I know.”

As the Monaco national anthem played while Charles stood on the podium, he kept a close eye on his little girl, even if she was considered an adult in most countries. Ruby could tell he was mad about the outfit, but she didn’t see any problem with it. If her mother wore it years ago, why couldn’t she?

“I’ll be in dad’s driver’s room. Maybe he can actually celebrate without babysitting me from the podium.” Ruby rolled her eyes. She kissed her mother’s cheek and excused herself from the people around her.

Charles’ eyes still followed her until she was out of sight. He then mumbled a ‘what?’ to his wife wondering why Ruby had left even though the ceremony wasn’t done yet. His wife just shook her head.

Shit he thought to himself.

After the ceremony, he only had one person on his mind. His Ruby Jules.

“Go talk to her, she’s upset. She’s in your drivers room. Y/n said.

“Now can we go see uncle Daniel?” Mathéo asked for the millionth time.

Charles made his way to his drivers room, occasionally thanking people who congratulated him on his win. When he stood infront of the door to his room, he knocked them waited a couple seconds.

“Mon chéri? It’s papa. Can I come in?”

“It’s your room, dad.” Ruby said softly.

Charles turned the doorknob and opened the door. He found Ruby seated on the tiny sofa on her phone. “I saw you left before the could spray you with the champagne.” He tried to lighten up the mood.

“I’ve seen you do it many times.” Ruby mumbled.

Charles stayed silent for a bit since he didn’t really know how to even speak to her without making her upset. He didn’t remember himself being this difficult to talk to when he was a teen, or was he? He was definitely going to ask him mother about it later.

“I know you don’t like my outfit. But I like it and maman likes it too. These are hers after all.” Ruby spoke, breaking the silence between them.

“Your maman and I had a talk and I have to accept that you’re growing up. But you’re my Ruby Jules, my little girl. You know when you were small, you would always ask for ice cream at every race. . . Do you still want to get ice cream?” Charles asked the teen.

Ruby cracked a smile. Of course she remembered always asking for ice cream. That was her thing. “I do. But are you really mad about my outfit?”

“Furious? No, but you are growing up and you’re not going to wear rainbow shirts or princess fairy dresses anymore so if you like to dress like this then I say you look pretty.” Charles nodded.

“Princess fairy dresses,” Ruby chuckled. “For my nineteenth birthday, I say we bring back the princess fairy theme. I miss it.”

[dyssonant-skyline]

What happened with helluva boss season 2? I decided to pick it up and watch it since its free and I was curious about how the sins were handled. (This is a stream of consciousness rant, but I needed to get it all out.)

I thought the first season was okay, with some episodes being stronger than others, but holy shit it really is the Stolas show now. Striker is doing more assassin work than them. I actually got my hopes up for a mystery plus assassination plot in unhappy campers, shouldn't expect shit around here though.

I don't think I can say anything that hasn't already been said about Stolas. I don't like him. If his relationship with Blitzo was less coercive or less sexual I think I'd like him more? It is impossible to empathize with a guy who is using his power to force someone into sex.

I also felt a bit weird that the show would put something sexual in front of a child character and that was the entire joke.

Like, that's an audience of teens watching Millie and Moxie make out and I assume fuck. Gross, but also just not funny? I don't remember if these are the only instances of it, but two is still two too many imo.

I know I said I wasn't going to comment on vivziepop as a person, but knowing how she treats her staff... its impossible to not conflate her with Mammon. 2 Minute Notice feels like an anthem for her overworked underpaid staff.

I also have opinions on the way a circus and clowns are portrayed in the hellaverse, but I don't think I can really put them into words. I have a friend who is fixated on clowns and clown trivia and idk. After talking to them about different types of clowns most clown characters just ring hollow to me. Especially the fish twins, I don't care what anyone tells me they were NOT clowns.

I don't think I'll incorporate anything from helluva boss into my rewrite, Hellbound Hostel. But I did like a couple of things a lot!!!

Fizz is a pretty cool design and has a palette that is loud while also being appealing. If I ever drew non redesign fanart for these series it would be of him. I think it helps that the majority of his features tie to his backstory in some way. That being said, I'm not crazy about his relationship with Ozzie.

The little metal rings and filigree around angelic weapons is a neat design choice. Good visual storytelling and all.

That's about it... orz If anyone wants to talk abt it with me my askbox is open.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

When I was in middle school, someone told me that Taylor Swift’s Mean was about her relationship with her (allegedly) shitty dad, and I grew up thinking that even if the work itself was kind of lame at the very least she had some experience with childhood abuse that inspired her work and she was speaking to young people who had similar experiences. Upon investigation just now, it appears she wrote that song about nobody and when pressed says it’s a response to “da haters”. I already suspected that all the things people like Taylor Swift’s music for are projected onto it by themselves, but I guess that kinda proves it, doesn’t it.

possibly this is just me speaking as Mean enjoyer (Speak Now as an album doesn't do much for me, but it's a fun catchy little bop) but I guess I don't understand why a song has to be rooted in a real tragedy to validate existing. I guess Swift kind of sets herself up for it by constantly talking about how her songwriting is super personal and basically her diary, but I also don't think it's particularly egregious for a 20 year old who's been heavily scrutinized since her teens to release a slightly dorky little anthem about beating the haters. it's unbelievably silly when she does it now, of course, but Mean came out 14 years ago at an extremely different point in her life. idk I think it's fine.

[sidekick-hero]

I want you to want me

(Teen | wc: 922 | steddie | prompt: open mic night for @steddieholidaydrabbles | tags: exes, open but hopeful ending, inspired by my favorite movie of all times 10 things I hate about you)

"Come on, Eddie. You've been moping around for weeks. Let's have some fun like we used to, man." Gareth was practically whining at Eddie and it was getting on his nerves.

"No way, man. I'm not moping, I just don't feel like going to some dumb-ass party to watch preppy jerks get drunk and barf in the bushes."

Never mind that the one person he actually wants to see won't be there. He'll still spend every second looking for that familiar shock of hair he loved running his hands through. He dreams about it still, can still hear the way Steve sounded when he tugged at the strands at the back of his neck.

He wonders when it'll stop hurting so much to think about him. To miss him like a fucking limb or something and still be afraid to even call him. What could he even say? I'm sorry for breaking your heart and I understand you hate me. The problem is that while acting like I cared about you for money I actually went and fell in love with you, so will you please give me another chance.

Yeah, sure.

"You're not even listening, dude. Harrington has really gotten to you," Gareth huffs, sounding genuinely upset. Eddie has hurt enough people he cares about, so he gives Gareth a look that says ‘I’m listening’ and Gareth rolls his eyes at him, but continues. "I told you about the open mic night, Will's reading one of his short stories and asked me to come. Me. This could be my chance. And you owe me man for all the crazy shit I helped you with while courting a jock of all people. So you coming or what?"

Gareth’s right, is the thing. Eddie owes him for everything, helping him in so many ways to make Steve fall for him. Coming with him to this stupid thing is the least he can do. He doesn’t have to like it though, so Eddie throws his arms up in the universal gesture of ‘fine, whatever, but I'm not going to enjoy watching you make goo-goo eyes at Will Byers’.

Gareth's rubs his hands together like some sort of super-villain with extremely fluffy hair and Eddie regrets all his life choices.

Open mic night is just as awful as Eddie thought it would be. There's this girl, something silly Thompson, and Eddie feels like he's listening to a small animal giving birth as she sings the national anthem. It's deeply disturbing.

He lost Gareth as soon as they entered the bar and Will spotted them and waved Gareth over. And that's a good thing, he's really not in the mood to watch them fall over each other.

They've been in this hellhole for almost an hour when he spots something that makes his stomach do somersaults while his skin starts to tingle all over. A shock of mousy brown hair, messier than usual, probably from Steve running his hands through it nervously.

His breath stops as he sees Steve climbing onto the stage with a single sheet of paper in his hand, chewing on his full lower lip as he stares out at the crowd. Eddie wants his eyes to find his. He is afraid that they will.

"Hey, uh, everybody. My best friend thinks I need to find some closure? Or something. Maybe she just likes to see me suffer for being an asshole in school. Anyway, I, uh, I'm just starting, I guess."

Eddie's stomach plummets at Steve's words. Closure. He should leave before he has to listen to Steve tell him and everyone in this room how much he hates Eddie.

He's not sure if he'll survive the damage to his heart, but he deserves the pain, he knows it. So he stays.

To everyone else, Steve must look calm, maybe a little embarrassed to be up there. But Eddie sees the way the hand holding the paper trembles, the way his eyebrows knit together, and the self-soothing way the fingertips of his other hand keep tapping his thumb.

I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick, It even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you're always right, I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you, Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

Halfway through, Steve's eyes find his, and even with the way Steve pinches his nose, there is no way to stop the tears from streaming down his face. Eddie's heart breaks again for the man in front of him. God, how could he have been so stupid and selfish to accept an offer from Carver, of all people, to woo Steve so he could make a move on his sister Chrissy?

When Steve’s finished, he almost runs off the stage and out the door while Eddie stands shocked, Steve's words ringing in his ears.

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

Maybe they still have a chance.

[weirdstuffinthewoods]

Music in I Saw the TV Glow

Possible spoilers ahead so read at your own discretion (I’m bad at determining how much information is too much)

I’m a firm believer that one of the most important facets of I Saw the TV Glow is its soundtrack. I don’t know if Schoenbrun has an uncanny ability to track down music that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of teenage ennui or if they’ve just got really great taste. Seeing this in a (mercifully silent) movie theater really let the soundtrack form an immersive layer around me, and the moment the first notes hit, I was 15 again. Unsure of myself, extroverted on the outside but barely connected to my insides, and feeling like I was just playing a role I’d molded from what I assumed people wanted of me. The dreamy, atmospheric chords that wound around soft lofi voices with only a guitar or a keyboard called to the part of me that wanted to connect but didn’t know how.

There’s something to be said about the order of songs on the soundtrack, although it’s been awhile since I listened to an official soundtrack that was a compilation rather than a score so maybe changing the track order isn’t as radical as it feels. For now, I’m just going to talk about a couple of songs, although I’m sure as I listen obsessively to the rest, I’ll have way more to talk about.

Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl by yeule

We start with the opening credits song that haunts my TikTok fyp, Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl. This is a cover of the original sung by Broken Social Scene. The original has a whisper quality- repeating lyrics over a simple acoustic melody with strings rising in the background as the refrain starts. It feels like a girls’ garage band of the grungy 90s, almost the vibe we need but not quite.

The covering artist, yeule, is a nonbinary Singaporean who is said to “…incorporate elements of ambient, glitch, and Asian post-pop…” (Wikipedia) which makes this version much better suited to an analog horror about 90s TV nostalgia. In yeule’s version, the same acoustic melody opens to a new beat made up of interchanging robotic and static tones, while in the background, strings wait for their chance to swell in the space between the verse and refrain. It sounds like an android is slowly waking up to be this jaded pop singer who’s just existing at this point, not living. The lyrics are the same as the original, and speak of someone that’s changed, either the singer or maybe a friend that left them behind.

You used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that.

Now you’re all gone, got your makeup on and you’re not coming back.

Bleaching your teeth, smiling flash, talkin’ trash under your breath.

Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me.

In the context of the film, it feels like the crisis of identity both main characters face. This isn’t my home, you’re not my dad. The memories don’t feel like they’re yours, they belong to someone else. You’re different now, but also you know you were different then, and you’re only different now because you’re hiding in a disguise you hate. And, at least in Owen’s case (depending on your interpretation of the film’s ending), you’re not coming back. You’ll just dream about the person you know you are because you’re too far into the mask to find them again.

The bass joins in on the refrain and the ambience grows with glitch noises interspersed throughout. A strange sort of beauty begins to show and blooms when the drums kick into the chorus. You’re a teen again. It’s raining, you’re like Owen in the car, stretched across the backseat and staring at the ceiling, full of a feeling you can’t name that’s so much more than just being bored.

On TikTok, this song has become associated with a trend of kids, all much younger than me, sharing their stories of transness that was rejected by the people in their lives. A lot of them have detransitioned for safety and comfort, what little they can find by pretending it was a phase. It’s what drew me to this film, because the piece reflected their state of just physically existing in a world they don’t feel is theirs. For a lot of them, this film gave them hope or gave them new determination to make space for themselves, and I love that about it.

Another Season by Frances Quinlan

Immediately after this, we jump to the closing credits song that plays to a theater full of sobbing patrons who got it and laughing patrons who didn’t, Another Season. The jump is jarring, especially when you’re driving away from the theater in a throat-closing rush of tears (ie: me) and you’re brought straight from the introduction of this neon haze that is the suburbs to this fuzzy, pink screen that watches you come to terms with what you’ve just seen. The static breaks to silence except for a soft, melancholy acoustic melody. A soft voice speaks as if to a friend, and the chorus repeats, “If this isn’t over, what else could take shape? How will you remember it?” In the moment, especially post-there is still time, it feels like a call to action as you leave the theater crying. What could happen next? How are you going to remember your life? There are definitely multiple interpretations to this film, but I wanted to feel hope at the end, so for me, putting this song over the credits felt like Jane saying, “yes, it’s scary, and I’m leaving you to wonder what happened to Owen, but what we aren’t going to do is wonder what’s going to happen to you because there is still time.”

There’s so much more to look at in the choice of music and its juxtaposition with the visuals, but I’m going to leave this here for now with the opening and closing. Suffice to say, go see this movie. Support indie film, make the journey, it’ll be worth it if this resonated with you (but also why did you read this?? I’m sure there’s at least one mild spoiler in here).

[echo-s-land]

French queer playlist because why not

Comme ils disent by Charles Aznavour (1972) | about a gay man, he cross-dresses too. Don't really know how to explain that one. It's great, it aged really well (Aznavour was a straight man but he had several queer friends)

Sans Contrefaçon by Mylène Farmer (1987) | wasn't actually written with trans masculinity in mind, but it's a trans masc anthem at this point

Ziggy (un garçon pas comme les autres) by Céline Dion (1991; the original cover/song was in 1978 tho) | girl falls in love with her friend, a gay teen - is sad for herself but doesn't insult him or anything

College boy by Indochine (2013) | a song I found not so long after figuring out my own queerness so it has a special place in my heart. lots of cw for the visual clip (homophobia, bullying, conservatism, police violence, religious hypocrisy, physical assault, crucifixion)

J'ai le droit aussi by Calogero (2014) | gay teenager wants to live like he wants, is scared of other's view/judgement on him (including his parents)

Mohammed je t'aime by Gargäntua (2015) | being gay in the hood is like everywhere else - it may not be a good idea to be public about it. lots of cw for the visual clip (physical assault, homophobia, internalized homophobia, suicide). I hope one day Gargäntua will make a song about Mohammed finding happiness because he clearly deserves it if not for the trauma in this song

comme les autres by keen'v (2015) | gay man (teen?) coming out to his father, father is homophobic

C'est toi qu'elle préfère by Alice et Moi (2017) | sapphic anthem at this point; unrequited love

Normal by Eddy de Pretto (2018) | gay man responding to an homophobe (honestly i find it very satisfying)

Grave by Eddy de Pretto (2018) | the singer is an openly gay man, he talks to a wide range of different gay boys/teens/men and are telling them to not worry when they discover their homosexuality; that it's okay

Séduction by Joanna (2018) | bi woman falls in love with another woman

Ta reine by Angèle (2018) | wlw.

Amour censure by Hoshi (2019) | Hoshi is an openly lesbian singer; the song denounces homophobia

Immoral & Illégal by Gargäntua (2022) | 'Everything I love is immoral and illegal' - if that's not a queer feeling. More seriously, it's more me deciding to interpret the song this way then the song being about queerness. Still, whether you listen to this song and think about addiction, queerness, or any marginalized community, well.. well you can't change my mind about it having (intended or not) queer subtext

La mort avec toi by Gargäntua (2022) | literally 'partners in crimes', I decided it was queer for various reasons but you may not think like me

[bug-fics]

Trailer park kids Eddie x reader headcanons

Major implications for southern-esque Eddie. Just growing old together as poor kids

Pairing: Eddie Munson x reader

This is way longer than I was planning lmao. Literally like 2k words of headcanons but it’s cute so it’s fine

(No descriptions of reader, gender neutral)

At least where I’m from trailer parks are a major sense of community. Eddie growing up surrounded by people who would always have his back fueled him as a kid. I know we often make Eddie a sad kid who was hated by everyone but I like to think the trailer park helped Wayne raise Eddie a lot while he was growing up.

When Wayne was working long shifts at the plant Eddie would go over to his neighbor's house for dinner and homework help. The nice lesbian ladies taught Eddie all about Dolly Parton. 9 to 5 became his anthem as a 13-year-old kid who has watched everyone around him get screwed over by “the man”

As his best friend for life, you grew up in the same trailer park, but instead of an angsty teen who is all for bringing down the patriarchy, you grew up to be a spunky happy go lucky person who loves running around barefoot, dancing to country music and singing off pitch as loudly as you can while Eddie just stares with a smitten look. (Obviously, you also hate the patriarchy but Eddie wears his love of anarchy loud and proud)

It’s always been you and Eddie growing up but there were a few trailer park kids who you would play pretended with. None of you had toys growing up, money typically went towards food and bills so it was rare for a toy to be seen in the park. When someone did get lucky to get something new it was a big hit. None of the kids were stingy with their toys because growing up poor you learn to care for those who don’t have what you do.

Having a secret spot for just you and Eddie in the woods behind your trailer. It wasn’t anything special, just a dried-out River that had a lot of stray cats nearby.

You broke your arm falling out of a tree in the woods so in order to make you feel better Eddie threw himself out of the same tree on purpose hoping to break his arm as well.

It worked

Having matching casts. Eddie got pink because you got pink and when it was time to switch colors Eddie chose the camo green plaster so you did what any best friend would do and got pink again

Eddie crying because you didn’t copy him

“It’s ugly teddy, I don’t know what you wanted me to do”

This makes him sob even more. (Ofc the broken arm isn’t what made him cry)

By the third plaster switch you learned your lesson and let Eddie choose for the both of you which made everything better

Wayne saved every cast. Each one is full of signatures from the problem of forest hills. Many of them are relics with names of elders who have passed or families who got lucky enough to move away. It was a weird momento but they were put in a box in storage

I like to think Wayne is a very sentimental guy, saving everything he can of Eddie’s (and yours by association) as a way to try and make Eddie’s childhood better. It’s dumb but something Wayne thinks helps.

Sharing your Walkman together listening to tapes handed down from neighbors. Good music was expensive so most of the recordings consisted of ’50s and 60’s classics but sometimes someone would give you something newer like an Abba or Led Zeppelin cassette.

One day one of the burly biker guys who lived in a trailer on the other side of the park gave Eddie a few of his Dio tapes and that was the start of his metal addiction. (I like to believe Eddie isn’t really a music elitist, he just doesn’t like when people disregard his interests, and metal music is typically talked down upon so he’s gotten used to defending it)

Like I said, he grew up on country and Dolly Parton. He has no right to be rude about other people's musical interests.

It’s just a part of the defense mechanism he built up when he realized that the trailer park and the way people treated each other was just a little bubble and most people aren't that nice. Especially the upper-class folks who look down on you in school for not using “proper English.”

(You and Eddie as well as most of the trailer park kids failed English at least once because of all the southern slang and phrases you used in your essays that were  supposed to be professional)

I like to think Eddie has had a screaming match with one of his English teachers about certain words not being real.

“Mr. Munson how many times do I have to tell you ‘fixen to’ isn’t a real phrase” “well I’m FIXEN TO tell you that y’er wrong”

“Mr. Munson, you can’t do that in my classroom.” “Can’t n’ver coulda done nothin, Mrs. T”

I don’t know just young Eddie arguing with southern phrases as his comebacks, his trailer park accent still making an appearance. It’s cute.

You and Eddie were a force to be wreckin with. Your mom and his uncle couldn’t handle your shenanigans

I like to think that all the years of growing up together you and Eddie had sleepovers every night. Even on school nights. Like switching between his trailer and yours. It wasn’t a big deal because you lived next door to each other but it was still a hassle.

“Where are your pj's?” “Left 'em at Eddie’s.”

“Eds have you seen your backpack? We gotta get your homework done” “yeah.” “Where is it?” “Ts at Bugs.”

(Eddie calls you Bug because as a kid he’d chase you around with them. You don’t have a fear of them but playing tag with worms is much more fun especially when Eddie thinks you’re scared)

Eddie had freckles and a gap tooth growing up. The freckles faded because he never went outside in his teen years and his gap went away when his grown-up teeth grew in.

The younger teenage years between you two were filled with tension. Puberty wasn’t fun especially when you both grew out of the baby faces and couldn’t bathe together anymore.

Lots of stolen glances and yearning except neither of you knew what the feelings were so they were labeled as platonic. Even when thing’s definitely crossed the boundaries of friendship it was “just how we act” which definitely made realizing you were in love a lot harder as adults

Standing up for each other in high school. (Having the other kids from forest hills also stand up for you guys. It was a found family of hoodlums of course you were gonna stick together)

You actually weren’t a part of hellfire. You didn’t sit with them you didn’t talk to them you didn’t share any interests with them. The only reason why you knew about any of that stuff was because of Eddie. So you had your own group of school friends that you sat with at lunch

The only time you talked to anyone in that club was for corroded coffin. Jeff, Gareth, and Charlie got used to you being around for practice and gigs even if you had no clue about anything they were doing.

You and Eddie were definitely the type of friends to kiss and say it was just platonic

You’re the only person who has seen Eddie cry other than Wayne and your mom when he was a kid.

Getting detention on purpose if the other got in trouble. School was unfair to kids like you, so might as well get some quality bestie time out of it.

As you got older and Eddie finally graduated he managed to leave and move to the “city” with Robin and Steve leaving too behind. It wasn’t far, the city being only about 2 hours away but daily hangouts turned to weekly if you were lucky.

One summer Eddie brings the gang (Steve Robin and Dustin technically max is there but like that doesn’t count she lives there) to the trailer park for a tailgate/block party where they meet you. Dancing barefoot with Marlene and Darcy, a few girls who you grew up with who weren’t lucky enough to get out of the park. Well, you and Marlene were dancing, Darcy was a few months pregnant with her first kid, but you were sure to include her in the fun. (You three were the resident line dancers at these parties, dancing like no one’s watching.)

You don’t notice Eddie and his new friends right away. In fact, Eddie found your shoes before he found you, thrown towards the side, your socks not far behind. The only reason why you noticed Eddie is because Wayne called your name once the song ended and he was standing next to his uncle.

Running as fast as possible toward the boy. You can hear the pads of your feet on the gravel street the party was being held on. I mean full-on throwing yourself in his arms screaming the nickname you had for him (tater, short for tater tot because as a kid he’d carry them around in his pocket for snacks when he got hungry.)

He wasn’t gone for long. You both had seen each other a few weeks ago but when you spend nineteen years together every day of your life, three weeks seem like a lifetime.

It’s always been an unspoken assumption in the trailer park that you and Eddie would get married at some point. The gossip stopped when he moved to the city, especially because the new gossip was that Marcus (another boy from the park) was wantin to ask your mom for permission to marry you since Eddie was “out of the picture”

Of course, you were none the wiser. You’ve had plenty of suitors but why take any of their offers when you had your best friend Eddie? It’s totally platonic to want to move into a house, share a bed and cuddle up in the mornings, raise a kid, adopt a cat, grow old, and be buried together.

Mhm best friend Eddie

Being in the park, Eddie’s new friends get to see a new side of him.

You convince him to dance with you. Lots of twirling and laughing together. (City Eddie wouldn’t be caught dead dancing to country music)

Screaming the lyrics to red solo cup with each other while pouring drinks (quoting the song you told Steve that he didn’t have a pair of testicles since he preferred to drink from a glass (fuck king Steve who threw parties Idk who that is, I just know sad Steve who was forced to be a rich businessman growing up)

rushing around like headless chickens looking for the props you needed to perform a true southern draw (growing up the two of you lived to play cowboys.) yelling at some of the younger kids in the park for their plastic guns and stealing cowboy hats from some of the elder guys who were sitting in the plastic white chairs strewn around.

Fake draws were serious in this household.

Of course, you both cheat turning and shooting before someone told you to draw your guns. This definitely turns into a huge screaming match.

Letting Dustin have his first sip of beer

“How old is the boy? Fifteen?! And you’ve never even had a sip of beer? Tater you’ve changed, he’s well past his prime your supposed to introduce him to it as his elder.”

Fighting with Steve because he’s trying to stop you from giving Dustin beer but Dustin is all for it. He thinks it’s gonna officially make him a man.

Of course, he spits it out right away. Cheap beer is disgusting, but it’s a delicacy in the trailer park.

When Eddie goes back to the city, he makes a joke about stealing you to come live with him. And of course, you agree. The joke turns into a real conversation about getting you out of Hawkins and it doesn’t take much convincing on his end.

Of course, the apartment he shared doesn’t have an extra room but you can just share his room. You know? Take half of his closet, you can have your own key and share his bed as you’ve always done. And of course, you get whatever side you want and sometimes Eddie would bring you breakfast in bed, and hold your hand, and give you little kisses, but it’s totally platonic with a capital P, and definitely not just dating without dating (mhm yep sure)

The city is much different from forest hills. Eddie has to basically build a contraption that resembles those leash kid backpacks so you don’t run off.

Definitely a golden retriever x golden retriever dressed as a black cat dynamic

[lonelyroommp3]

☕️ Musical from the last 5 years (lol) that i should listen to

my god *i* don't even really listen to many musicals from the last five years because i sort of stopped paying attention after like 2019 when the MT fandom on here died down considerably. yes i work in musical theatre. don't look at me

okay here are some of my suggestions in no particular order based on shows i've actually managed to listen to and enjoy

sing street - one of the great theatrical casualties of covid - the cast literally moved into the theatre on the day the broadway shutdown started and the subsequently postponed bway transfer has just never materialised. they did have an out of town production in 2022 though :)) anyway, love this album, one of the few MT cast recordings that makes it onto my general listening playlists because several of the songs also work really well as standalone pop tunes

& juliet - if you just want to have a silly fun time listening to a jukebox musical this is thee one. bonkers little plot but it's packed with bangers throughout and repurposes its pop soundtrack into a musical theatre context in ways that range from unexpectedly genius (turning britney's "i'm not a girl, not yet a woman" into a nonbinary anthem) to really stupid in the funniest way possible (an entire character is named just to set up a *NSYNC joke)

kimberley akimbo - 2023 best musical winner, a solid example of the typical contemporary musical theatre sound which handily fulfills both the niche of "i enjoy shows like dear evan hansen and want another emotional teen story" and "i want more good meaty lead roles for older actresses"

a strange loop - 2022 best musical winner, a meta show about a fat black queer man who works as a theatre usher and is writing a musical about a fat black queer man writing a musical. filled with commentary about race and sexuality, definitely one for if you want your musicals to be thought & discussion provoking

shows i've not personally listened to for whatever reason but i've heard good things

operation mincemeat - i've heard nothing but hype about this show to the point where it's actually put me off seeing it. so of course i am perpetuating the cycle by recommending it to you without ever having listened to it

standing at the sky's edge - another west end show that i have heard so many good things about and not got around to seeing. so here you go. blind rec. fuck it

octet - i kind of went off dave malloy entirely around 2018 through zero fault of his own, god bless him, just because many of his fans were still being so annoying about the 2017 tonys. but i've heard good things about this show and maybe i need to actually get over myself and give it a listen

message for the masses if i didn't include your fave show or included something i hate it's because it's 10pm and i wanted to answer this quickly so i just skimmed wikipedia for musicals from 2019-2024 and thought oh yeah i know enough about that one to talk about it. i will have forgotten things. don't @ me please i beg you

[smallsdotcom]

[ . . . ] ARMY FANDOM BREAKDOWN

while main BTS stans refer to themselves as ARMY and are often viewed to stanning all eight members, there are however several solo stans or fans who bias one member more than the others. Y/N has referred to her fans as GRLANDRITES. this comes from a combination of her stage name GRLZILLA + ALEXANDRITE, a gem that is labeled as one of the ugliest in the worlds.

NICKNAMES : uglies, little shits, gems, worms

LIGHTSTICK : ARMY BOMB

GRLANDRITES EMOJI : 🪱

OO. FAN DEMOGRAPHICS

AGE RANGE : while ARMY come in all ages, your fans are mostly in the age range of early teens to late 30s.

GENDER : when you originally debuted in 2013, bighit had it so you were geared to bring male k-pop stans into the fandoms. and up until around 2016, most of your fans were male. beginning at around 2018 you have gained a plethora of more female and nonbinary / genderqueer fans. this spike has remained constant in recent years from 2020-2022 and while you still have male fans, your female fans have outnumbered them.

REGIONS : you are most popular in east asia, north america, oceania, and europe. your largest fanbases are found in korea, america, japan, england, france, germany, australia, new zealand, and scotland.

OTHER FANDOMS THEY ARE CLOSE TO : ixluvs ( exile her ) revluvs ( red velvet ) moas ( tomorrow by together ) engene ( enhypen ) fearnot ( le sserafim ) carats ( seventeen )

OO. FAN REPUTATION

ANTISOCIAL : it’s a known fact that you are antisocial. it’s often seen during interviews and when how very rarely you are seen out when in korea. this trait is often shared with a number of your stans as many have voiced that the reason why they stan you is because of how you don’t talk much in interviews, always avoiding talking on red carpets, and how you don’t leave your home.

COMPETITIVE : this is trait shared with the rest of the ARMY fandom. GRLANDRITES are often competitive when it comes to voting for you specifically especially in the BEST FEMALE category. it’s not often you get placed into that category so when you do, your stans work harder than the devil himself to make sure you win.

OBSERVANT : your stans have became observant when BTS started becoming extremely popular. this trait is often used when they watch videos of you during interviews. some of your longer stans mostly have this trait as they can tell by your body language if someone is making you uncomfortable or not.

CREATIVE : GRLANDRITES are probably some of the most creative people you will ever meet. they have been known to create several different types of art works and projects dedicated to you. when GRLHOOD was released, one specific stan did a whole series of painting dedicated to the mixtape. you found out about this and even bought the pieces and they can still be seen hanging up in your apartment today.

HUMOROUS : your stans love making jokes. especially at your expense. they are the ones who started the “disappointed y/n look” meme back in 2018. if you do something meme worthy, they are the first ones to turn it into either a meme or sound on tiktok.

OO. FAN FAVORITES

ANTHEMS : i doll, girl in the mirror, dead man runnin’

FAVORITE ALBUMS : grlhood, wings, most beautiful moments in life pt.2, love yourself: her

FAVORITE ERAS : i need u, run, spring day, fake love, on

FAVORITE TITLE TRACKS : i need u, fake love, idol, on, run bts

FAVORITE B SIDES : borderline, egoist, dead man runnin’, pied piper, save me, left right, breathe, dracula, whalien 52

FAVORITE COVERS : come back home ( seo taiji and boys ) speechless ( aladdin ) paradise lost ( gain ) watermelon sugar ( harry styles ) talk ( khalid )

OO. FAN TRIVIA

GRLANDRITES do not get along with jungkook stans for some reason and can always been seen fighting with them on twitter

their nickname “worm” comes from when some fans asked you if you would still love them even if they were worms and you just replied with “but you guys are already worms, aren’t you?”

GRLANDRITES have a good relationship with exile her’s fandom, IXLUVS.

a notable moment for GRLANDRITES was when one of your long time stans since debut was getting married and her fiancé had invited you. you flew back to korea just to attend the wedding and even sang as a song that you had written just for the couple.

in 2017, a fan bought you a star and named it GRLZILLA. you then bought a star that looked to be right next to yours in 2019 and named it GRLANDRITE.

[stuck-in-total-drama-hell]

what i think the total drama characters would wear to taylor swift’s ✨the eras tour✨ part 16/16

Courtney as Lover or Speak Now

Look, your girl WKR fell off the face of the earth because I can’t be internet girlie while also being work girlie, school girlie, counselor girlie, and everything girlie. This girlie is just trying to survive until she graduates in 2025.

Anywho, better late than never. The final what TD characters would wear to the Eras Tour. Originally, I had thought long and hard about what era Courtney would be. The girl could work any T Swift Era. I originally settled on Lover. Because I can see Courtney having like a romantic style when dressing up like the tulle dresses with flowers or hearts. Also, like Duncney, so Lover fit. Even the songs, like Cruel Summer, TDI Duncney anthem. As much as I selfishly want to see Courtney rock the Rep era and could see her in the sweaters and plaid of Folklore or Evermore, I had settled on Lover.

As you can see, there’s another look inspo. My mind went straight from Lover to overcome by the obvious choice of Speak Now once Taylor’s Version came out. Speak Now is so fucking Courtney, from the purple, to the aesthetic, to the album. Speak Now is such the perfect mixture of hold nothing back revenge album and so stupidly and romantically in love that it drives you insane. We’re always talking about how Speak Now Taylor (teen version) was completely unhinged and should have been feared more. Well that’s exactly what Courtney is. These huge and vast emotions that spark such a mixture of love, insanity, feminine rage, and just everything. I mean, every single song has been a Duncney amv/tiktok/edit at some point. I am completely settled on Speak Now Courtney, and cannot be changed. I will die on this hill.

[tdinyomomma]

TDWT- Cody X Reader (Chapter Three) Walk Like An Egyptian Pt. 2

If you haven’t read: two

“Let’s take a few moments to review some of the features of our aircraft.” Chris announces, the next clip showing back to when a piece fell off the plane outside and a raccoon falling out with it. “Safety is our number-one priority. So please remain seated with your seat belts fastened at all times.” 

Showing off Owen knocked out, straps holding onto him to sit up right. 

“The plane has one exit, located here.” Another old clip of Chris throwing Ezekial out of the exit door to the plane, after that is the team mates running for their lives. “

As we explore exotic destinations, take time to familiarize yourself with the local architecture. The world is our playground.” It’s a bunch of clips of the teens getting hurt in the last episode.

 “But remember- refusal to sing will lead to immediate disqualification. When dividing into teams, be sure to give your crew a catchy handle. Upon arrival at our final destination, one lucky competitor will receive a parting gift to remember: 1 Million dollars!” It shows the kids passports and a big ole hunk of cash before going back to Chris with his hands behind his back. 

“So stow that carry-on baggage and lock those tray tables in the upright position. We’re taking off for one crazy ride, right here, right now, on Total… Drama��� World Toouurr!”

Of course we’re back behind the starting line in the middle of a hot ass desert. Have I mentioned that I need a new agent? If not… I need a new one. 

“Ooh, look! Team colors!” Izzy awes in admiration at something so simple. 

“Why the heck is our mat yellow?” Harold speaks up, disgusted. “We’re no cowards!” He raises a fist into the air. 

“Relax, sugar. The mat’s gold ‘cause team victory is in first place!” Leshawna points out. “Not for long.” I whisper, glancing down at their stick. 

“I can’t believe Duncan got disqualified just ‘cause he won’t sing.” Gwen exclaims, obviously hurt that, that punk loser decided to take his losses. 

“Maybe he can’t sing.” Heather quips. “Oh, he can do anything he sets his mind to. And now he’s stuck on the plane, waiting for a ride home. Poor thing. He must be miserable.” Courtney cuts off the mean girl and I raise a brow. 

“It’s his fault if he is so miserable, even seems like a player since you two are so upset about him leaving.” Was what I wanted to say outloud but this is about gaining their trust. I couldn’t say that. 

“It’s a shame he quit, but hey, you won’t focus on a boy being here or not if you’re winning.” I grin, nudging the two girls earning small smiles in return along with them blushing. 

“You’re right, Amazing super star, [Name] [Last Name].” Courtney sighs in a dream-like state and I snicker, glancing over to see Heather’s upset expression. 

“Duncan-and-Courtney fans will be devastated, but I also agree with [Name] Courtney don’t need no man” Sierra snorts, 

“But another but, I think you and Owen have a shot at becoming fave “Total Drama” couple on my fan site.” She informs Izzy. 

“Owen’s magic. When he breathes, his nose whistles the national anthem!” The crazy redhead shouts proudly. 

“Super cute! But he’s no [Name]... Or Cody!” She says as Cody and I walk past which gives me the shivers. I plug my ears to not hear another fact she weirdly knows about us two. 

“Does she weird you out too?” I question the boy next to me and his eyes widen. He stares at me for a few seconds so I repeat myself. 

“Did you not hear me or something?” I crossed my arms. “No, no! I did, I just didn’t expect you to actually talk to me.” His face turns red and I ruffle his hair. 

“Cute,” I then grabbed my hand sanitizer realizing what I just did. 

“And yes, she does extremely weird me out.” He tells me as he fixes his hair. Before I can continue on the conversation a cymbal crashes loudly. 

“Mmm. Good.” Chris stuffs his mouth with grapes. 

“Don’t know about you guys, but I am loving egypt.” He chuckles. 

“Mmm! And I’m gonna love it even more watching you enjoy your second challenge– The amazing camel race.” He declares. 

“Where are the other camels?” Harold quizzes. 

“There are no other camels. It’s a camel race. Not a camel’s race.” He fixes their thinking about the whole race ordeal. “Yes!” Heather cheers. 

“What?!” Alejandro adds in, distraught and angry. 

“We won last time, but they get a camel, they get a goat and we get a stick?!” Leshawna furrows her brows. 

“Each reward has its advantages. Trust me. You’ll be racing to the world’s most infamous waterway, the Nile.” He assures them. 

“Teams must bring their rewards all the way to the finish. You have 60 seconds to strategize.” He points, 

“Move it, people. It’s a race.” Heather hurries us as she is already on top of the camel. 

“Uh, Hello? It’s Team Amazon, not Dictatorship Amazon.” Courtney argues with the girl. 

“Great. Well, I’ll stop being bossy when you start doing things right.” Heather says, I get on the stupid camel and I’m squished in between Gwen and Izzy. 

“Whee! Yeah! I get the throat!” She then starts grunting and it sounds more like a donkey noise if anything. “I just introduced myself in camel-ese.” She mutters. 

“I bet you did.” Gwen encourages her and I shake my head trying not to scoff. “Oh, hey. Fancy meeting you here.” Cody lifts himself up in front of Gwen. 

“Go out for a slushie later?” He asks. 

“Cody. Hey. Listen, I still really appreciate you setting me up with Trent that time.” Gwen thanks the boy. “Nice, right?” He smiles a toothy smile. 

“And now that he’s gone, huh? Yeah. I’m available.” Cody tells her, I make a face knowing the girl is not interested.

 “Hear that? It’s the sound of girls all over the world running and rushing, just desperate to lock their doors.” Heather starts off nice and then completely stomps on his heart. I sighed out as the other girls laughed. 

“That was mean, he didn’t deserve that.” I snap back to her. “I’d be interested in Cody, he’s a sweet boy.” I tell Heather, it shut the other girls up real quick too. Of course I wasn’t telling the complete truth, and normally I wouldn’t have cared about anyone really. But laughing at him like that for having feelings just didn’t sit right with me. 

“A’ight! Nile’s thataway! Kind of big, blue and watery. Can’t miss it. Or I guess you can, but then you’ll die. Probably get killed by the local scarab beetles. It’s mating season and they get all killy when they’re in heat.” Chris tells us, I watch as Leshawna goes up to him. 

“I am glad there aren’t any out here. Those things are nasty!” She looks up at him. 

“I’ll tell them you said so.” Chris motions to Chef Hatchet who knocks over a big vase. It lands with a thump in the sand and shows the little beetles crawling out.

 Leshawna screams, running away causing a domino effect to all of us around. Then that stupid ding goes off. 

“Ooh! Time for a song! Think of it as a mini challenge. Music can soothe the savage mate-seeking scarabs. So make up a good song and maybe they won’t kill you. Or don’t and get disqualified, like Duncan.” He speaks up, but I’m more focused on the bugs crowding around us as the others groan except for Izzy of course. The music starts. “

No need to get crazy.” Alejandro starts off. The other guys snapped to the beat. 

"It’s lovin’ time at last.” He belts. 

“You don’t want to eat us up!” The guys sing together. 

“We’re mostly full of gas~ No!! No!” Owen shouts as the beetles start to climb up him. 

“It’s mating time for scarabs!” Courtney, Heather, Gwen and [Name] sing. 

"So what you waiting on?” Leshawna pushes two of the scarabs to each other. 

“Just ignore us humans.” Izzy holds one. 

“And make out till the break of dawn!” The teens all come together. 

“It’s lovin’ time,” Alejandro says. 

“lovin’ time, lovin’ time.” 

“Scarab mating season!” 

“It’s lovin’ time.” It shows Cody staring between Gwen and now [Name] as they sang their part.

 “Lovin’ time, lovin’ time!” 

“Scarabs, get busy now.” Alejandro seems disappointed in what he has to sing out loud. 

“It’s lovin’ time.” Harold does his own piece. 

“Lovin’ time, lovin’ time.” 

“Scarab-mating season!”

“It’s lovin’ time!” Cody sings, now starting to tip-toe away as the Scarabs are busy loving each other and finding their mate. 

“Lovin’ time. Lovin’ time.” 

“Scarab-mating season!” 

“Season, eh!” Ezekial messes up the whole tone and the Scarabs get agitated. “Whoa! No! Wait!” The bugs start crawling up him as the others run away screaming.

An air horn goes off as we get on the camel. As moments pass we’re still in the lead.

 “Come on!” Courtney smooches at the animal we’re riding. “Come on, camel! Faster!” Courtney attempts to motivate him. 

“That is not how you talk to a camel.” Heather then clears her throat. “Freakin’ move it!” She shouts. 

“Much better.” Gwen laughs. “Shh, guys! Keep it down, okay? I’m trying to tell him a fairy tale!” Izzy tells them then starts making the grunting noises again. 

“So, how’s it going back there, Cody?” Gwen changes the subject moving along from whatever crazy girl is doing. He gets whacked by the tail of the camel. 

“Ow! Great!” He chuckles trying to play it off. Thanks for- ow! Asking. As long as it doesn’t– oh! Go number three.” Cody informs her. 

“We’re gonna go win the race now. See ya!” Heather blows raspberries at the other team behind us. “Eat sand, losers!” Courtney jumps into the teasing. 

“Such witty remarks from such fiercely intelligent women. I’m both humbled and intrigued.” Alejandro responds and I roll my eyes. “Nice try, but I’m with Duncan.” Courtney turns away from the hispanic charmer. “And what a pity it is that you should give yourself to a quitter who doesn’t deserve you.” He tells her, which he’s not half wrong. “That’s not- Duncan is totally-” She scoffs. “You’re just- Will someone just hurry this Camel up?!” She orders. 

“Can you see the Nile, Izzy?” Heather asks. “No, not yet!” Izzy makes the Camel speak. 

“It’s got to be around here.” Courtney says. I just glance around not seeing anything. But then a smell emits the air and we all gag, realizing the camel just did it on Cody. 

“Ew!” Courtney yells. 

“Oh, gross!” Gwen gags. Then the camel comes to a stop. 

“Uh, guys the other team is gone. We’re all alone out here.” Gwen announces. “Does anyone know where we are?” Heather asks. 

“Planet earth, silly.” Izzy laughs.

 “We’re lost!” They all say as if it wasn’t fucking obvious. 

“No dip, guys. They probably went another direction, let's try going to the right!” I simply tell them, folding my arms now, getting super sweaty and irritated. 

“Are you sure?” Heather questions me. “All in favor of my idea, say I.” I smile up at her in a cocky way as they all quickly say I in return. 

They all still argue but I have Izzy talk to the camel to know where to go. The camel changes courses like I said to a while ago.

“Wait, what is that?” Gwen points ahead of us.

 “The finish line!” They shout. 

“Weird. I asked Ruby where we could get lemonade. But this is okay, too I guess.” Izzy explains. “Want me to tell her to hurry up?” She looks back at us. We all just blankly stare at her. “Okay.” She then does the grunting. Once we get to the water the other team is already making their boat. 

“Basket-weave a boat?! Ugh!” Heather shouts in disgust. I get down and pet the camel as a thank you for carrying us but right after I go for my hand sanitizer because you don’t know what kind of diseases animals carry. 

“Sorry you guys are so far behind. Plus our baskets are nearly done already thanks to my speed weaving.” Sierra apologizes. 

"Plus you’ve got Owen on your team. Lucky.” Izzy says. 

“But you have Cody and [Name]!” She then runs over to us and pulls us into her chest. “I wish we were on the same team, too!” Sierra hums. “Uh, I have to do something.” He pulls away and I nod in agreement following after him. 

“Aw, you guys are so cute together.” I overhear Izzy tell Sierra. 

“Maybe we could swap teams!” 

“Trade a basket case for a basket weaver? Fine. Sierra, you’re with us. Izzy, go play with the boys.” Heather calls the shots. 

“What?!” Alejandro shouts but immediately Sierra starts basket weaving for us. 

“Wow, she’s amazing.” Courtney compliments her and I would’ve too if it wasn’t for how creepy the girl is towards me. 

“Maybe you should think about listening to me a bit more this time around, hmm?” Heather suggests, which Gwen and Courtney burst into a fit of laughter. 

“It’ll take a lot more than this to earn our trust.” Gwen tells her. “A lot, a lot more.” 

“Where’s Chris? He won’t allow this.” Alejandro says. 

“Excuse me. Did somebody- Ugh” Chris comes up on a boat and Sierra pulls him into a tight hug. “Today is officially the best day of my life, so I really hope you allow us to swap.” Sierra stares up at the host. “But of course, you’ll make the best decision, ‘cause you’re the best decider ever!” She cheers for her. “And that’s why I’m going to allow it.” Chris smiles, I throw my head back in major disappointment. 

“Smiley face!” The purple haired girl squeals.

 “What was that about Chris not allowing it?” I tease the boy now standing in front of me as his head is down. Heather also sticks her tongue out at him but instead of getting upset he blows a kiss at her. She gasps, crossing her arms and looking away from him. 

“Ta-da!” Sierra shows off her work and we come running her way. 

“Team Amazon Rocks!” We uplift the girl happily. Chris says something as the other team finally makes their way to the water.

 “Cody! Let’s go!” Courtney yells as Cody struggles to get the camel onto the boat with us. 

“Come on, pal. Just get in the boat.” Then the boy says something quieter and goes behind the camel and tries to push but ends up with his face in the animal's ass. 

“Cody!” Sierra gasps.

 “Izzy, tell ruby to get in the boat!” Courtney demands. Izzy goes to do it but that Noah kid stops her. 

“Whoa! Whoa! Izzy’s on our team now, not yours. Not a word.” Noah glares at her. “Oh! Fun!”

 “Fine. We’ll do it ourselves. C’mon.” Courtney motions for us to follow her. We then try to get the camel to get moving as we pull on the rope around her neck. But she doesn’t even budge. I notice the other teams already start to get a move on. 

“This is totally unfair! If it wasn’t for that stupid swap, we’d be halfway across the Nile by now.” Heather groans.

 “We’re gonna win fair and square.” Alejandro says. 

“But to make sure you believe, talk to the camel.” He turns to Izzy. “Yeah? Okay.” Izzy starts the grunting noise and finally the animal starts trotting. We finally get moving and right as we do that stupid ding goes off once again. 

“Time for a musical reprise!” Chris shouts at us. Everyone groans.

 “Hey if you finish the song the first time, you wouldn’t be here now, Zeke. Start singing!” He calls out the homeschooled kid. “And put your backs into it.”

“Mm-mmm, crocodile amigos, what you swimming for?” Alejandro starts us off once again. 

“We don’t mean to bug you.” Courtney sings next, Gwen right after. 

“Please let us reach the shore!” Even the Camel brays out a song. 

“These crocs are gettin’ killy” Lindsay worriedly sings. 

“Just bop them on no-ose! I learned that in muskrat boys it vanquishes all foes.” Harold tells everyone. I watch as Ezekial goes to bop a croc but he fails and the croc eats the stick he had in his hand. 

“It’s rowin’ time!” Alejandro sings. 

“Vanquishing, vanquishing!” Now all of them sing. 

“Crocodile season!” “

It’s rowin’ time,” DJ adds. 

“Crocodiles! Crocodiles!” 

“Tell me I’m not sinking.” DJ asks. 

“Yeah, it’s rowin’ time!” Cody sings this time, on the camel’s hunchback bump. 

“Singing it, singing it! Crocodile season!” 

“It’s rowing time!” 

“Rowing time, rowing time!” The Amazon get ahead and makes it past the finish line. “

Till the Amazons Wi-i-i-i-in!” The Amazon team belt it out towards the end.

“Congrats, you’re alive. And as long as you all brought rewards across the finish line, there will be no elimination tonight.” Everyone cheers but I remember the Victory team lost their reward.

 “I lost the stick.” Ezekiel announces to his team. He then chuckles nervously causing Chris to actually start laughing. 

“Wow. Sucks to be you.”

We get to go to the wonderful first class area. We all sit down and Courtney comes up to me. “Hey!” She grins at me and I do a small wave along with a smile. 

“What’s up?” I ask. “Could I sit with you?” She seems hopeful. 

“Oh, of course!” I had to think about it at first but realizing to earn her trust I have to be nice. I go back to cleaning my area up a little bit. I feel her staring and I start to smirk. 

“You wanna fangirl a little bit?” I messed with her and she went to deny it but then blushed. 

“I’m sorry I just really love your work in the movies you play in.” She admits. 

“Don’t be sorry I love fans or just people who enjoy my work, we can talk all about it.”

“Call me whatever you want, at the end of the day my career comes with that stuff. I'm used to fangirls and fan meetings and I love everyone who appreciates me.” [Name] smiles sweetly at the camera.

Taglist: if you want to be added lmk!

@marsyay78

@ghostdoodlen

@laecrowa

@pulling-out-my-eyes

@tulipatheticee

@cipher-004

[sparkles-oflight]

FANÁTICO - The references + Argentinian Politics

So, Lali released a new single called "FANÁTICO" and if you are out of the loop like I was this, you'd think this is another video calling out haters like a lot of artists do.

TURNS OUT, it's directed at a very important person in Argentina at the moment, and everyone should be talking about it.

I'll list all the silly references I was able to get and all the info I was able to find on the video undercut. If you see something wrong or know something else, feel free to add more info.

FANÁTICO's lyrics in English

WHO THE FUCK IS LALI?

Okay, first thing is first: Who is Lali?

Lali (Mariana Espósito) is an Argentinian singer who began her career in acting in the Cris Morena novela "Ricón de Luz". Her biggest role was in "Casi Angéles" where she belonged to a band called Teen Angels.

In 2022, she came out as Bi and she also sang the national anthem of Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar

Not only that but she's probably one of the biggest - if not the biggest - Argentinian pop artists at the moment.

SILLY REFERENCES

Now, back to the MV, let's start with silly and unrelated references to Argentina politics I was able to catch.

It says "Day 33". Lali is turning 33 this year.

The nun is a reference to a character she played in a novela called "Esperanza Mía".

I'm not sure about this one, but her style of clothing reminds me of Dolly Parton

The bodyguard has a necklace that says "Disciplina" one of Lali's songs from the last album

The dress and hair are a reference to Miley Cyrus' "Flowers". Lali has referenced her multiple times and says she has a crush on her.

While this dude walks in she mentions her song "Disciplina" again which is about BDSM, so I think that's what this is referencing to.

WHO THE FUCK IS MILEI?

If you don't know who Javier Milei is, allow me to introduce him to you.

Milei is the current president of Argentina. He is the head of a right/extreme-right wing party called the Partido Libertário.

After Milei won the elections, Lali expressed her sadness and he said he only listened to Rolling Stones and that he didn't know who Lali is

"Lali Espósito is sad about the victor of Javier Milei, and he replies with: I only hear Rolling Stones

The Argentine actress expressed her displeasure after the victory of the leader of La Libertad Avanza in the primary elections. “Sorry, I don’t know who she is,” the politician replied."

His political party was also responsible for spreading Fake News about Lali (claiming she was leaving the country or she was living of the government's money)

"The new fake news from Javier Milei's trolls against Lali Espósito: they are obsessed

Troll accounts, endorsed by the President of the Nation himself, once again invented fake news to attack Lali Espósito."

MILEI LYRICS REFERENCES

Some of these references I couldn't get on my own so here's a link with sources

Referring to the fact he claimed to not know her, but he can't shut up about it

(also, even if it was true... dude... you have to know your country's biggest stars as a president. you have to know about culture to be able to to manage its funds)

Reference to the times he has liked anti-lali posts

A reference to Lali saying he is is unfair and violent and inviting him to one of her shows.

MILEI VISUAL REFERENCES

This is not just about Milei, but I didn't know where else to put it.

A reference to Milei claiming to not know Lali

Iñaki Gutierréz worked for the government and has called Lali a "delinquent", but also claimed he's not an idiot and her music is good. Thus the wardrobe change.

This man wearing a leather jacket is a direct reference to Milei. They are around the same age, Milei wears leather jacktes, and this actor is imitating his way of screaming. Here's Milei screaming at a VOX meeting (far right movement in Spain):

unrelated but Vox has annexed Portugal in their campaigns and as a Portuguese person I feel the need to tell them to fuck off

in a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, we see a girl wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt with the Argentinian colors

Also, the Libertários (the supporters of Milei's Party) have called her Lali "Depósito" (storage), and that's why the whole MV is in a storage room. You can see some of their marketing on that using AI-generated images here

MARKETING OF THE SONG

Surprisingly, this song just.... dropped.

Well... not really.

A couple of days before the song was released, a poster of Lali showed up in the streets of Buenos Aires.

The following day, it was vandalized

People began speculating and the next day she announced a new single to her upcoming album. With the release of the MV, it was revealed she did it.

Also, I think that's supposed to be a reference to something, but I couldn't find anything.

If I missed anything, let me know ;)

[fazedlight]

Soft asks: 1 and 8

1. What song makes you feel better?

Definitely Boston by Augustana. That came out around the time I applied to MIT, and became an anthem for me of sorts. These days it has a different sort of meaning for me, because now I'm well on the other side of some very tough years and some very profound loneliness. So it gives me the kind of comfort of "Well, it's been a long road and I've been through worse, I'll get through this too".

Wonderful by Gary Go was another comfort song I had in college and I still love it.

8. What's a fabric/texture that’s nostalgic for you?

San Marcos blankets!! (Which we grew up calling Mexican blankets, though that's frequently confused with sarapes.)

The horse is the one that's always on my bed - I've had it since I was a teen. It followed me across the country to Boston, then back across the country to California over a decade later. The factory that made San Marcos blankets was closed in 2004, so this is quite possibly one of the last few ever made.

The small bear blanket is one given to me by my grandmother when I was born.

(Someone on Twitter has almost the same horse blanket with the same color wall behind the bed... so I put some Supergirl stuff on the bed to make it clear this came from me 😂)

The blanket on the right was given to me by my mother last Christmas, to celebrate me becoming a Mexican citizen earlier in the year. It's definitely not an original, but it's very cool-looking 👀

Thanks for the ask!! I was particularly hoping someone would ask about 8 so I could talk about San Marcos blankets 😂❤️

soft asks

[music-my-beloved]

Please Please Me: A 16yo's (horrible) album review

I Saw Her Standing There 🧍: She was just 17 apparently! Honestly I reallyyyy like the song !! She's electric and vibrant. Uber catchy and is kinda adorbs ! I'm not 17 but I shall imagine that this song captures what it's like to be 17 in some way, shape, or form ( hopefully, maybe not idk ).

Misery 💧: uh, babe it's giving break up !!! If I made a song like this all I'd hear is "God stop wallowing in self pity and get yourself back up there !!" But sometimes people need a little time to rot in their feels and I think this song is great for that !!! It's not super catchy but overall I didn't hate it. Music doesn't need to be catchy to be good >:3

Anna (Go To Him) 💍: I LOVE ITTTTTT. Man, Anna's a meanie girl ! What she did was dirttyyyyyy 😭😭 but good on the guy for letting her go and be happy even tho he couldn't be,,,, it was so sweet !! Uh anyway yeah this song is so good. I love how longing and sad it sounds. It's like if Misery and I Saw Her Standing There had a baby. It totally fits the 60's I can see it playing at a dinner or something !! Also, Anna girl, give that ring back !! 😭

Chains ⛓️: Honestly I can see myself liking this song in the future (two or three weeks from now) and it's honestly a really unique take on love that I really like. His girl's got him chained down with the chains of love !!! Not in an oppressive and controlling way but she's got him locked in !!! He loves her so much, they're connected 😣

Boys 🤷: Erm. Gay Anthem?? Don't know what to think about this one I really don't know 😭😭 talks about 'em all the time I guess??

Ask Me Why ❓: It's so cute !! I can also see this one being played at an old diner. The do-wop sound is like, addictive and supperrrr catchy. Really like this song. Kinda reminds me of A World Without Love by Peter and Gordon !!

Please Please Me 🫵: Honestly kinda forgot about her ?? After the first listen it was like I just had a fever dream. But also that might have been because I was in the car with my parents talking and I could hear them through my headphones so idk you tell me :/ but now that I've relistened to the album while writing the reviews I love this one!

Love Me Do ❤️: Don't really jive with this one :/ it's not a bad sing but it just wasn't my cup of tea !! I feel bad saying that 'cause I don't wanna be the typical teen that "only listens to catchy, simple songs" but this one just wasn't there for me the way Please Please Me and Anna were 😭😭

P.S. I Love You 💌: ITS SO CUTTTEEEEE !!!!! Was this song a precursor to All My Loving like, directly ??? If it wasn't I probably look stupid saying that but whatevs. This song is like, old and faded is a really lovely way like,,, who writes letters anymore, it's so romantic!!! The simple guitar is like, really bleeding through to me for some reason idk good job George !!!

Baby It's You 💕: 60s came through with this one. She is PUNGENT. It's giving Runaround Sue !! This one just feels like a classic.

Do You Want To Know A Secret 🫠: Elementary school yard ramped up!!! I can almost hear the children playing and yelling in the background it's so cutesy. Overall a pretty good track. Wouldn't mind hearing it again !!

A Taste of Honey 🍯: Reminds me of a song i'd hear in Rango.. hmm. I don't like this song as much as I feel I should?? Didn't quite give with me, it's just another track I guess (idk this review felt mean 😭😭)

There's a Place 🏩: Its like an amalgamation of all of the songs in the album. I'm hearing baby it's you, please please me, and literally everything else idk it's so strange

Twist and Shout 🌀: This song is iconic. There's nothing I cans at that will add or take anything away. Might be a bit overrated idk it's just me . But it's uber high energy and I like it !!

More Reviews Later, Next Up: With The Beatles ..

[invierno-inferno]

rating Lovejoy songs based on how aspec they are

(disclamer: a lot (most) of these are a stretch. but nothing is more powerful than an aroace who wants representation.)

Are You Alright?

Taunt: off to a bad start- the only remotely-aspec-if-you-squint line is 'did anybody ever say no to you?' which implies that the singer is rejecting the subject of the song. why? aromanticism or asexuality, maybe. along with the general theme of running away in this song, although that's also a reach. 1.5/10.

One Day: again, not much. the song is about the singer's romantic partner not being good for him, which is a pretty common topic for a song. the idea of wanting to be in a relationship despite it not being good can apply to aspec people, but overall this song doesn't give much. 1/10

Sex Sells: now we're getting somewhere! I see this song as a story that 'call me what you like' and 'it's all futile! it's all pointless!' are also about: an asexual alloromantic and allosexual aromantic trying to make a relationship work. in this song, it's obvious that the singer and the subject want different things from the relationship- the more relevant of this song is that the subject prioritizes sex, which the narrator does not want. pretty aspec! 7/10

Cause for Concern: honestly, this song's got nothing. a banger, but not aspec. 0/10

Pebble Brain

Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry?: definitely less to go on, but I hear this song as the singer helping his friend to break up with her boyfriend by implying they have the beginning of a relationship. maybe a sort of prequel to the 'sex sells' story. 4/10

Model Buses: the lines 'you're just scared/you're just scared of the future' is often something paraphrased by aphobes, invalidating their orientation by saying things like 'you're afraid of growing up' and 'you're afraid of commitment'. pretty aspec, but it is only a couple of lines that probably weren't intended to be read this way. 3/10

Concrete: not much of anything. 0/10

Perfume: that's what I'm fucking talking about. 'seems like all her friends/abruptly fell in love/and she was in the dust/darling, life was streaming past/so she learned to lie/she learned how to pretend/a drama in the futile/a means to an end'. it's aro! it's aro. to quote the writer of the song, 'you aromantics need to read my lyrics! listen to it's all futile! it's all pointless! and figure out what it's about. and perfume.' super aro, however it's only half a verse. 8/10!

You'll Understand When You're Older: same deal as 'model buses'. a lot of aspec people, particularly teens, are invalidated by being told that they are late bloomers. 3/10

The Fall: love this song, there's nothing aspec though. 0/10

It's All Futile! It's All Pointless!: aro. it's SO aro. see the quote above about perfume and iafiap. also, an entire verse explicitly about not being in love! subject is almost definitely alloaro. and general themes of doing what society tells you, despite you being unhappy with it. 11/10, aro anthem.

Wake Up & It's Over

Portrait of a Blank Slate: not super aspec. however, 'how do you all make it look so easy?/open your hearts up so quickly, it scares me' sounds arospec to me! 4/10

Call Me What You Like: this is the last song of the story that starts with 'sex sells'. some especially aspec lines include 'you could kiss the skin from my lips if it makes you feel good/not sure if you want it, not sure if you need me, too'. the first line implies that the narrator is indifferent towards sex and/or romance, and engages in it only if his partner wants to. in the second line, he wonders if his partner values him in the relationship. 'I'm not made for you/but what else is new?/oh lord, she tells me that it's nothing/I really hope it's nothing' to me references the narrator and the subject experimenting to figure themselves out- 'what else' could be new is romantic feelings. the narrator hopes there aren't any. 6/10

Consequences: One of my favorites, but there's not much here. Maybe 'I wish I tried more/wish I tried more/wish I tried' in reference to a romantic relationship, which some aro people can relate to by thinking that if they had 'tried harder' to be in love, the relationship would have worked. Kind of a stretch, though. 1.5/10

Warsaw: at first glance, there's not much but if we look closer... the subject is unhappy in her current relationship, (a common theme in Lovejoy's songs) and is sleeping with strangers, which is the same situation as 'call me what you like' and by extent iafiap, in which the subject is likely alloaro. 'the place that she got her first kiss is now a vaccination clinic' also supports that the subject of this song is the same as the one in iafiap, cmwyl, and sex sells- same meaning as 'what was your thought when you realized you'd never feel naïve love again?'. (I know I said cmwyl was the last in the story- I feel like this isn't solid enough to definitely be a part of it). my argument's a bit weak. 5/10

Scum: 'no matter how much you think you love him/you'll still flinch when his blood pool touches you.' can't figure out how to explain this one, but you get it. 'maybe he'll be jesus/maybe he'll be jesus this time.' 'jesus' in these lines might mean The One- maybe this person will be the one, maybe this relationship will be the one. I'd group this song in with model buses and you'll understand when you're older, just a couple one-off lines. 3/10

It's Golden Hour Somewhere: 'they'll tell you this is normal/they'll tell you this is love/I'm not sure if the stuff I want is even worth the price it comes'. again, can't describe it, just seems aspec. 2/10