#they haven’t performed since 2016????????

[gruesome-beauty]

and if i said i was at the ally coalition show tonight and brendan from turnstile did underwater boi and also remi wolf did a performance of soup that left me shaken to my core and also sabrina carpenter my absolute beloved pranced around that stage and lounged on a piano and also??? alsO???? steel train reunion. steel train performing kill monsters in the rain and bullet. do you fucking understand what kind of a night that was for me specifically.

[crag-dreams]

It’s the Saturday before Election Day 2024 here in the US, and stress/anxiety/fear/etc… is pretty high for a lot of people. That’s warranted, because another 4 years of Trump/GOP rule will harm so many people. You should do whatever you need to manage the next few days (including voting if you haven’t already), but I really want to encourage you to stop giving polls and “close race” media coverage much / any of your time or consideration.

Polling processes are wildly obsolete for how Millennial and Gen Z voters act compared to Gen X and Boomers (this is not a dig at these generations, just a factual observation). Polls are also easily manipulated to return a desired result, and the people running polls have a vested interest in getting your engagement. Keeping the results tight keeps eyeballs on them.

Similarly, the 24/7 media environment needs you constantly on edge and worried so you keep checking in and listening. They have no interest in a boring election or landslide victory. The majority of journalists have not risen to address this moment with the deliberate, in-depth reporting that we need. It’s far easier to throw together click-bait headlines to pump their numbers. It’s why they spend days covering the tiniest slip by Harris/Walz (and previously, Biden) while giving Trump/Vance a pass on every insane thing they say. Trump is *incredible* for news companies. He is so outrageous that their headlines write themselves, and as long as they don’t follow-up to truly report on him in a way that would end any other politician, they have unlimited content. Whatever you think about Biden, just remember: a single debate performance that wasn’t great was seized upon by the media (because it made for great engagement) and ended his candidacy. Trump can say the most batshit things (they’re eating the dogs!), and they minimize it at every opportunity, because he is good for them. They are sacrificing their journalistic integrity and responsibility at the expense of real people’s lives and rights.

So, what do we do if polls and most news coverage isn’t useful? Remember:

Trump lost the 2020 election. The Electoral College is the only reason it was even close. People were fed up then, and they are even more fed up now.

Roe was overturned by an activist Supreme Court that Trump is responsible for. In virtually every state-level election since then, the results have been outstandingly positive for Democrats, including in the Deep South™. This is why so many GOP politicians have stopped talking about abortion, even going so far as to remove their position from their websites, or directly contradicting themselves when asked about it. The only person making a decision about a woman’s body should be that woman, and these predominantly white dudes still don’t realize how badly they fucked up.

The majority of Trump’s former Cabinet and senior leadership have very publicly turned on him. While it would have been nice for them to do this earlier, it’s unprecedented to see so many prominent Republicans declare they will not vote for him. This doesn’t impact the hardcore MAGA crowd, but it absolutely speaks to more centrist Republican voters.

Trump has been convicted of sexual assault, and he is an adjudicated rapist. He’s been convicted of 34 felony indictments, with more to potentially come. Even though it seems like he never suffers consequences for these legal issues, it costs him voters. People who could justify supporting him before are finally reaching a limit, even if they don’t publicly admit it. (Some do!)

Also, more and more people who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 are willing to publicly admit they are tired of him and can’t do it again. His rallies are smaller and smaller, the crowds are less engaged, and, yes, people leave during his rambling rants more and more often.

Gen Z is getting to vote for the first time at any real scale. Say what you will about TikTok and other platforms, but they are more informed and showing up and caring about issues that didn’t move the needle for Gen X or Boomers. Remember the Access Hollywood, grab ‘em by the pussy, tape? That should have ended his original campaign, but it didn’t. Gen Z has found out about that, and it’s just one of so many things driving them to get out and vote. The turnout is going to be incredible.

Because we still use the stupid Electoral College, this election largely comes down to swing states. The Trump campaign has done almost everything imaginable to lose those voters. Whether it’s bashing unions (Trump said a child could do the same job as automotive workers building cars, he bragged about not paying overtime, etc…), immigrants (they’re eating the dogs, GOP-led states demonizing them), Puerto Ricans (calling their home a floating pile of garbage, Trump denying hurricane relief for almost two years), or women (abortion, telling women they should vote how their husband wants them to, Vance thinking their purpose is nothing more than baby-making, stay-home, wait-on-a-man’s every need), they are losing the swing states.

Elections are *incredibly secure and trustworthy.* The Trump/GOP camp has attacked this at every opportunity with virtually no success. The few instances of voter fraud we’ve seen in the last few years are almost entirely from Republicans. They have already started the narrative that the election is rigged if Trump loses. This narrative will only increase as results start to roll in on Tuesday. Don’t even worry about it. They will lose every / almost every single lawsuit they try to bring. It will have no impact on the eventual outcome.

Early voting, including absentee and mail-in ballots, turnout is incredibly encouraging. The higher the turnout, the better, and people are showing up. There’s fatigue and embarrassment on the GOP side (you’re gonna eventually hear from those voters that they stayed home, voted for Harris, etc…), and there’s excitement and motivation on the Dem side.

Are there reasons to be worried? Of course. The Trump campaign is going to try and obstruct the voting process in every way they can. They’re blocking poll monitors in Texas and Florida. Drop boxes in some states have been attacked. Voter rolls have been illegally purged. They’re bringing lawsuits (most of which they’ve already lost) even before Election Day. They’re going to claim fraud. They’ll probably incite violence again.

These are the actions of a desperate campaign that isn’t trying to actually win, because they know they’ve already lost.

So, we can acknowledge our stress, anxiety, and fear, but we don’t have to let it ruin the next few days. Get outside and enjoy (hopefully) beautiful Fall weather. Snuggle your pets. Listen to your favorite albums. Read a great book. Hang out with your people. Vote.

We’re a few days away from a massive weight being lifted from our shoulders. Don’t let it weigh you down until then.

[twopoppies]

I might miss the point but both are football fans and both attended the final with their groups of friends, sat separately and most likely ran into each other in the VIP area backstage hence the pic. A place like being at the same wedding is a totally different thing especially if we know Louis isn’t friends with the bride as much as Harry is. Sure they seemingly ran into each other alongside other VIPs and singers and F1 drivers backstage in the stadium but sat separately and went with different groups of friends. How is that any more than just that. They could hate each other and still run into each other unwantingly at such events haha it’s not possible to forever avoid that, especially at a big final like the euros or a music award show etc.

I’m not sure what you’re trying to achieve here. Are you trying to convince me that it’s not a big deal? Maybe you haven’t been here all that long, but plausible deniability is the name of the game. Everything you cite is exactly the reason they both could show up there.

It seems like you don’t understand the lengths to which people (including HL) have gone to keep anyone from seeing the two of them even in the same vicinity.

You certainly don’t have to believe they’re still together, I’ll even give you a pass if you’ve somehow ignored all the evidence and believe they never dated, but if you actually believe the two of them hate each other, you’re a lost cause.

The point of everyone’s excitement is that, for some reason, the two of them being in the same place at the same time was allowed to be public. And that we got a photo of them just feet away from each other. Other than Louis’ performance in 2016, that hasn’t happened outside of One Direction concerts and interviews since Lairport in 2014, IIRC. They’ve been consistently absent from each other’s lives in a way that is so glaringly obvious, it would be funny if it wasn’t so infuriating.

I’m not saying anything more is going to come from this moment, but it was a big deal.

[im-sew-curious]

There’s something wrong with me. I was so excited to see this photo. Yeah, of course, for the obvious reasons. But also because it confirmed and showcased an alteration that has been done to Taemin’s clothes so he’s less likely to split his trousers.

Taemin in his pleather pants at his Metamorph concert, 2023.

He’s got crotch gussets. Such a sexy term, I know. Basically, it’s a long triangular piece of fabric that’s stitched from the crotch down into the trouser legs. This provides some extra depth to allow for a fuller range of movement during squats, lunges, etc.

The gusset is that piece of pleather, pieced inside those red lines.

Sometimes it’s made of matching stretch fabric, and sometimes it’s the same fabric as the trousers. The width and length of the triangle can vary based on the amount of extra ease required for the specific movements. In this specific pair, the gusset is truncated at the zippered knee so there’s no point.

Jinki during the Your Number Performance Video (Black Version) showcasing a beautiful example of a gusset

During a fitting, it’s important to have the performer do all of their most extreme moves to make sure things don’t bunch or bind. Since we don’t normally get…excellent crotch shots…of Taemin, like that one, I can’t tell how common it is for him to get these gussets.

If it’s a shopped garment and not custom built (I’m assuming the Metamorph pair is custom) and they have the money, it’s possible they could purchase two pairs. They could then cannibalize one pair simply to make perfectly matching gussets.

If the trouser hem is taken up quite a bit, it may also be possible to use that fabric to make some.

It's also notable that the seams in these trousers are “flat felled.” That’s the type you typically see on jeans. It’s topstitched twice so it’s a very strong seam, which also helps to prevent split crotches.

You can see the beautifully done flat felled seams at this intersection of center front seam, front and back leg, and gussets. It's so pleasing to me!

Here's what a flat felled seam looks like. Hefty jeans seam. Big, beefy jeans seam.

Perhaps his most famous “blowout” was during the 2012 performance of Sherlock at the KBS year end music show. But he’s pretty famous for them in general.

That's just impressive

I’m not quite sure when Taemin’s styling team started incorporating crotch gussets into his costumes…my research is pretty spotty.

There is one instance during his Danger era in 2014 where he had a sort of gusset installed, however, it lacked a center front seam. This, along with the fact that his trousers were riding low, didn’t provide the correct…body geometry, to broadly explain it, to really help. It was also very wide and not tapered, which widened his whole trouser leg. It was also not stitched securely enough to keep from popping open at the center front. But this is the first attempt I've seen trying to accommodate his issues.

You can see how it lacks the refinement and finesse of the future "generations" of gussets.

There were at least two instances of Taemin splitting his trousers in 2016 at a DxDxD concert and a Drip Drop live performance. His striped DxDxD suit definitely did not have gusset, and I’m unsure about the latter. I think it’s interesting that they tried a gusset on him two years prior, then didn’t again. Except….

Taemin's gusset-less suit which he wore during Shinee's DxDxD concert in 2016, which split during the show.

All of SHINee had crotch gussets in their Your Number suits in 2016. I wrote a whole thread about that here.

So basically, I’m confused. It seems like the usage of gussets in Taemin’s trousers was very sporadic.

I haven’t seen more recent examples of either gussets or split trousers, other than the Metamorph trousers. But I haven't been able to get good views of most of the things he's worn over the last 7 years. This could mean that his team has begun to incorporate gussets into more of them, or we just don’t know about the blow-outs. Or I haven't done enough research. I got a good view of the inner legs of his blue satin suit in the Idea MV and I didn’t see anything. Same with his black Criminal trousers.

Nope?

Wearing trousers high on one’s waist and very close to their body helps a great deal. You can see that in the blue satin Idea trousers. That way, the loose fabric doesn’t stretch more than it should as the legs splay apart and cause ripping. The styling team may have made sure to do that more. It’s possible that they could have also made sure to incorporate more stretch into the trousers they buy (or possibly, occasionally, make) for him.

Taemin's Kcon look. You can see how the trousers go nearly all the way up to his "natural waist" (which is where you crease when you bend to your side.) That helps keep them up to where they need to be, preventing a saggy crotch, which, in turn, prevents rips.

Working with performers for many years, one gets to know the idiosyncrasies and patterns of the way they move in their clothing. I worked with one performer in musical theatre who was infamous for splitting his trousers. We searched for matching fabric before we even tried on his trousers for the first time, knowing he would be getting gussets.

All this is to say, I applaud the stylist team for making these accommodations for Taemin. He, more than anyone, needs these alterations to give him peace of mind to perform "full out" and stay rip free!

Here’s a bonus 9 minute compilation of Taemin ripping his trousers. Serial Pants Ripper Taemin. (Cw: The last bit is uncomfortable, featuring some prompting from hosts for Minho to touch Taemin’s butt to see if it was pointy, which was preferable to the host doing so.)

[hunieday]

Re:vale - 2D☆STAR Vol.5 interview

Please note that I am not a professional translator and I'm only doing this to share the side materials to those who cannot access them, if you notice any mistakes please let me know nicely. Enjoy!

This magazine has been released in November 2016 aka before part 3!

Interviewer: Thank you so much for your hard work with the shooting and outfit change! Pleased to work with you for this interview.

Interviewer: It's been a little while, but congratulations on the success of your 5th anniversary live performance at the Zero Arena inaugural event!

Momo: Thank you very much!

Yuki: Thank you.

Interviewer: Your live concert was very exciting. Could you please share your honest thoughts?

Yuki: It was our honor as Re:vale to be chosen to perform in such a special place like Zero Arena.

Yuki: I'm grateful to all the staff who worked hard to make the show a success, to TRIGGER and IDOLiSH7 for their support and their performances, and to all the fans who came to see us.

Yuki: I’m sincerely glad that Momo and I worked so hard together.

Yuki: Right, Momo?

Momo: Yeah!

Momo: I'm really grateful too! I want to thank each and every one of them as loudly as I can!

Yuki: We’re also glad we were able to cover a Zero song as planned.

Momo: And the exclusive one-night shuffle units with TRIGGER and IDOLiSH7 were super exciting too!

Interviewer: Speaking of TRIGGER and IDOLiSH7, they did perform a medley of Re:vale songs, how did you decide on that?

Momo: Actually they didn’t inform us about that, it was a complete surprise!

Yuki: It sure was.

Yuki: We were as surprised as the audience, if not more.

Momo: I almost cried even though we were about to perform!

Yuki: You mean you were actually crying.

Momo: Come on, Yuki, don't reveal Momo-chan's secrets so casually!

Yuki: Fufu. My bad.

Interviewer: I see. Thank you for sharing that precious memory with us!

Interviewer: Allow me to change the topic, could you share your thoughts on this cover photoshoot?

Momo: The shoot was so much fun! There was Re:vale spray-painted on the set which was very exciting!

Yuki: It was. The letters weren't very visible in the end because we stood in front of them, but it was nice to have a set specifically dedicated to us.

Momo: And the outfits exuded our adult charms thanks to the casual jackets and hats, don’t you think!?

Momo: Right, Yuki?

Yuki: Fufu. For me at least. Momo didn't give off much of an adult vibe.

Momo: Huh!? That's not true! I was oozing with charm, right!?

Interviewer: Yes! You both looked wonderful.

Interviewer: The theme of this issue is "Secret Talk with Close Friends", so please tell us about a moment where you felt grateful for having a partner.

Yuki: I'm not good at socializing or livening up the mood, so Momo's ability to make everyone around him happy helps me out a lot.

Momo: I'm happy, but you say that all the time~ Tell me something new!

Yuki: Then show us your example, Momo.

Momo: For me, it's Yuki's cooking!

Momo: I'm really happy that he makes dishes with meat just for me since he doesn’t even eat it! I can really feel your love!

Yuki: Hmm, I see what you mean.

Yuki: Then, during our indie days when Momo and I were still living together in poverty, Momo never got mad at me even when I was getting fired from my part time jobs. I’d love to thank you for that.

Yuki: Thank you.

Momo: You went back in time out of nowhere!?

Yuki: It's about how grateful I am to you ever since we started working together.

Momo: Here it is! Yuki's handsome comment!

Momo: You're in such high spirits today, you’re making my heart flutter!

Yuki: Fufu. Sorry for always being so handsome. 

Interviewer: Since we’re already at it, is there anything you'd like to tell your partner?

Momo: Yuki, there's still a confession you haven’t told me yet, right!?

Yuki: Why does it have to be a confession?

Momo: Because we're on the cover, so it's a great opportunity!

Momo: Please give me a warm confession that will convey our relationship to those who don’t know about Re:vale!

Yuki: Wait. Don't ask me to do things outside my expertise out of nowhere.

Momo: No way... I've always trusted you, Yuki... Was I just a game to you...!?

Yuki: No, not in the slightest.

Momo: If you don't share that special confession, Momo-chan might not recover...

Yuki: Ahh, are we doing this?

Momo: Momo-chan might not recover...

Yuki: Alright...

Yuki: "Until the end of the world, you’re the one and only partner for me in the universe." …*chuckles*

Momo: Yuki, you’ll ruin everything if you laugh at the end!

Yuki: I tried my best, so cut me some slack.

Interviewer: Thank you for the passionate messages!

Momo: Actually, TRIGGER’s Gaku came up with this line for me.

Yuki: The Number One most desired Man is also handsome on the inside, isn’t he?

Momo: I respect him for being able to churn out a dramatic line like that without any shame, even though he’s our junior!

Yuki: That’s right. No matter how many times I say it, it doesn't sound as manly as when he does.

Momo: You'll sound good if you don't laugh halfway through, Yuki!

Interviewer: Now onto the next question. Where do you see Re:vale in 10 years?

Yuki: I'll be 36, Momo will be 35, and it'll be Re:vale's 15th anniversary in ten years.

Momo: I'll work hard so that Yuki doesn't replace me with a younger guy!

Yuki: Hey, don’t say something that might cause misunderstandings.

Momo: Because I'm working on anti-aging!

Yuki: You’ll still be my partner even ten years from now, right? I’m looking forward to working with you more, Momo.

Momo: Yeah! Looking forward to it too, Yuki!

Momo: If I can still be with you and Re:vale in ten years then that's enough to make me happy!

Yuki: Thank you, Momo. I’ll be happy too.

Momo: I’m gonna be a bit greedy, but I’ll also be super happy if all our fans continue supporting us in ten years like they do now!

Yuki: Fufu. Indeed.

Interviewer: Lastly, please share a message for your fans who continue to support you.

Momo: I hope everyone enjoys the cover issue featuring Re:vale.

Momo: We were able to be on the cover of the magazine and succeed in the inaugural performance thanks to everyone's support! Thank you!

Momo: You have plenty of choices with so many charming idols featured in the magazine, including TRIGGER and IDOLiSH7, but please continue to support Re:vale!

Yuki: We were able to achieve all of this, from the magazine cover to the inaugural performance, all thanks to our fans who believed in Momo and I and kept supporting us.

Yuki: We will continue to do our best to keep offering the best Re:vale, so please continue supporting us.

The End

[9w1ft]

Hi 9, can I ask you something DNPy?

I am a baby kaylor so I am still gathering and processing info and lore; my question is, during 2017, do we know for sure kaylor were still together? I mean, is there any lore or coincidences that support this?

🤍 thanks

nothing dnp-y about this ☺️ there’s plenty of lore and coincidences. here are some things for you to consider:

karlie put out a celebratory valentine’s day vlog in 2/2017 where she does obvious visual copying of the vogue best best friend video, and taylor recorded the reputation at&t now promo sometime before rep release in 11/2017 which also copies parts of the vogue best best friends video.

reputation promo photography shows taylor wearing both the evil eye ring and the vsfs angel wing ring, which are both kaylor rings. here is one example but you can look up more, like the ups promo video or other at&t promo photos. because promo would have been done months before release date, this implies she was more than fine wearing kaylor symbols in the middle of 2017.

yes. vsfs angel wing ring is a kaylor ring through and through. go actually read the masterpost if you haven’t. i’ve put a lot of work into it!

taylor wears the vsfs angel wing ring and the evil eye ring when recording several rep songs, which can be seen in the behind the scenes making of a song clips (check youtube) and footage from miss americana

the J necklace made its first public appearance dec 26, 2016, and can be assumed that we’re supposed to assume it was a birthday or christmas present. and she’s wearing it during the filming of the recording of call it what you want, which also references the necklace. so assuming you don’t believe toe is real, her happily recording call it what you want after dec 13 2016, and then performing it with a huge smile on her face on SNL in nov 2017 are both hints

call it what you want is a song that is obviously meant to sound like she says karlie in several different ways. karlie what you want / call it what you want karlie / karlie would you want to?

there’s the whole business of the clip of taylor singing call it what you want acoustic while playing guitar, the idea that she’s debuting the song to karlie in this clip. it makes sense because as i mention above, the song is sung in a way that sneaks in ways for her to sing “karlie” and taylor is wearing the vsfs ring in the clip.

there’s also the point about how a lot of us who really know what karlie’s voice sounds like (since we have watched so much of her content) can hear karlie singing along to the song, when taylor points to the filmer for the line “i did one thing right” as well as the “yes” part

karlie posted from london in december 2016 and december 2017. and in between we also know she was in london throughout 2017 because she went to london fashion week, british fashion awards, several other events. just search the internet for “karlie kloss 2017 london” etc. this pokes holes in any argument that puts taylor running away to london as some sort of kaylor disqualifier. karlie was seen in london too. she was also posting from nice france over the summer in 2017, which is just a chunnel away from london if you think about it. she was plenty close more than several times to where people like to say taylor was.

derek tweeted what is basically an easter egg to call it what you want being about karlie, just about a week before it was released

also another big group of things is just how there’s an obvious reason for taylor and karlie not being seen together throughout 2017:

taylor and karlie disappeared only as the election results came in. they were literally seen together on the eve of the general election in 11/2016. its at this point, literally from this day, that taylor begins wearing the vsfs angel wing ring (read the masterpost linked above). by process of deduction you can prove she’s wearing it in the pic of her and karlie kissing lorde’s cheeks, because she was papped wearing it to the party. i just mean this to say that it makes sense that they stopped being seen for 2017, because they had a reason. the election results.

the glitch 2190 days of our love blackout line represents the amount of time between when they went dark in 2016 til midnights release

in the lavender haze explainer video taylor describe how she and her lover had to combat weird rumors for the past six years. this also neatly fits the time between when they went dark after the election and the release of midnights

miss americana and the heartbreak prince, which is about the 2016 election, includes the line “it’s you and me that’s my whole world”

call it what you want, again, is a song about running away with someone and nobody hearing about you for months, which fits the rep social media hiatus where taylor was not seen

this is more of an opinion i guess but i happen to think that taylor’s “darkest night” was sometime between 2016 and 2017 and i think that call it what you want’s “starry eyes sparking up my darkest night” connects to renegade’s “i tapped on your window on your darkest night” and the lover album prologue and this continued theming of karlie having been there for taylor when taylor was at her lowest.

i could go on and on with the lyric parallels that show the narrative post-election but it’s kind of never ending so anyways.. i’ll keep my list of things to everything right here. hope this all helps!

[theflagscene]

GMMTV having mostly queer shows on the docket for the next year and a half—there’s still a bunch that haven’t aired yet remember—should not surprise anyone.

There’s still 6 QLs yet to have been aired that they showed us at the 2024 lineup, and 7 heterosexual series as well. So add up what we got today that puts it at what? Like 23 queer series vs 8 straight series, with 2 that are an ensemble casts that have a mix of queer and straight couples.

That sounds like a massive shift from back in 2016 when they had one BL and two hetero series with side BL characters, because ya know what? It is! But you know what else? I don’t give a shit, and I bet most other queer/LGBTQ+ folks don’t either.

I’ve spent my entire life watching movies and tv shows about straight couples, didn’t matter the genre, the characters were always straight. And when I first started seeing fully queer made for tv movies from all around the world in the mid 1990’s most of those were about how wrong it was to be queer, how unacceptable it was, how I was going to burn in hell or die of AIDS or be murdered just for walking outside with my partner. But I didn’t need to see that on my tv, because I lived it already. I grew up in the LGBTQ+ community, my parents fostered two gay sons who grew up to be drag queens, their closest neighbours and friends were queer, they were the only parents around the neighborhood that were safe for queer kids. I watched people die of AIDS, I remember when Mathew Sheppard was murdered, I saw my childhood friend be brought to our house by his mother asking my parents to ‘take him, because his father is gonna kill him’. I’ve lived it and seen it all with my own two eyes.

So you know what, yeah, I wanna see dumb ass gay as fuck romances on my screen. I want shows with messy gays and not a single token hetero, because after the lives the queers have lived, we’re allowed to have some escapism that isn’t a warning that our entire lives are wrong or disgusting or evil.

So bring on the cats, the magic, the sluts and the sassy queens! The cheating, the threesomes, the marriages and divorces. I want it all, even if I don’t personally watch it or enjoy a certain series, I know someone out there will. They will love it and just for that reason alone I will love it as well.

GMMTV is a massive multimedia conglomerate, they have the GMM25 as well as One31 TV channels and hold shares in about three or four other companies/channels, they still make a shit ton of your typical heterosexual series and lakorns. This shift to mainly QLs isn’t wrong, stupid or even all that much of a surprise. Yes, they are doing for the money because they know that currently the QL market is hugely popular. But did anyone ever think of why it is? It’s not just about ‘Y girls’ or fujoshis or whatever else people think, it’s also because of the queers that are finally getting to see someone like themselves in the media. It’s not about a gay guy fetish, because if it was, every GL since FreenBecky walked onto the scene would’ve tanked. No, it’s also because even straight girls/femmes are so fucking tired of the same old shit, the same old guy gets the girl, blah blah, that they wanna see some girls kissing too.

Also this allows so many queer actors, writers and directors to be more open and honest about themselves and their lives, I hope to see more QL performers come out in the future. As queer, trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, all of it. I hope that the the rise of QL media can make it a safer place for queers to exists, in a world so full of hate, let’s just have this one tiny corner that’s barely a splash in the ocean. Because I love our tiny splash, and I hope it continues to be rainbow sparkly for a long time. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

[pjharvey-moved]

oh wow apparently the bassist for big thief (who is from tel aviv, is or was at least at one point very pro-israel, and who was the band’s motivation for scheduling a performance in israel despite the bds movement) is no longer in the band…. they haven’t had any band lineup changes since 2016 until this

[shefaniquotes]

SHEFANI PLAYLIST (Spotify 🎧)

Songs that have been referenced by Blake or Gwen in connection to their relationship or are otherwise associated with them

1. Hotline Bling – Drake

💬 Blake: "Gwen sang it to me on 'The Tonight Show' one night, so ..."

🎼Call me on my cell phone Late night when you need my love I know when that hotline bling That can only mean one thing

2. Step By Step – Eddie Rabbitt

💭 Blake often sang this song in BSers Lounge – fans associated it with Shefani

🎼First step, ask her out and treat her like a lady Second step, tell her she's the one you're dreaming of Third step, take her in your arms and never let her go Don't you know that step by step, step by step, you'll win her love?

3. Leather and Lace – Stevie Nicks

💬 Blake: "We should [cover that song]." Shefani fans favorite since Gwen performed the song in December 2015

🎼But I carry this feeling When you walked into my house That you won't be walking out the door Still, I carry this feeling When you walked into my house That you won't be walking out the door

4. I've Been Lookin' – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

💭 Back in summer 2018, Blake’s mom posted a video of them singing this song while driving in OK

🎼I've been looking for a love Someone to hold as I lay sleepin' I'm not talking 'bout someone Who's scared of promises Or keepin' 'em I'm just looking for a love To stand the test of time I've been lookin' for someone To be all mine

5. Baby I'm-a Want You – Bread

💬 Gwen: "What’s that song that I love…?" - Blake: "Baby I'm-a Want You by Bread?"

Blake on The Voice: "Gwen's not kidding. We listen to Bread all the time."

🎼Used to be my life was just emotions passing by Then you came along and made me laugh and made me cry You taught me why Baby, I'm-a want you Baby, I'm-a need you

6. There’s No Stoppin’ Your Heart – Marie Osmond

💬 Blake: "I love that song ‘There’s No Stopping Your Heart."

🎼I plan to be the one who sticks around Ooh your love could lift me up above the clouds I get so high when I'm with you, I may never come down When forever starts, There's no stopping, no stopping, no stopping your heart

7. I Want To Know What Love Is – Foreigner

💬Gwen: "You took a song that’s actually on my makeout playlist"

🎼I wanna know what love is I want you to show me I wanna feel what love is I know you can show me

8. So Small – Carrie Underwood

💬 Blake on The Voice back in 2016: "I completely got wrapped up in the lyrics of that song. You delivered the message to me tonight, and I totally related to the lyrics of that song."

🎼And what you've been out there searching for forever Is in your hands Oh, and when you figure out love is all that matters after all It sure makes everything else Seem so small

9. Haven’t Got Time for the Pain – Carly Simon

💬 Gwen: "I would dedicate this song to @Blakeshelton gx."

🎼All those crazy nights when I cried myself to sleep Now melodrama never makes me weep anymore 'Cause I haven't got time for the pain I haven't got room for the pain I haven't the need for the pain Not since I've known you

10. Stricken – No Doubt

💬 "She asked me if I knew the song Stricken and told me she recently sent it to Blake."

🎼I love you completely I guess I'm kinda mad about you I love you, I love you I do Love overcomes all of my senses Lowers all of my defenses, yeah

11. Defenseless – Kirk Jay

💬 Blake: “This is my life right now.”

🎼Oh, I'm defenseless Like a drought to a flame I’m defenseless Girl, when you say my name But the thing is I have never felt safer than this

12. Lookin' For Love – Johnny Lee

💬 Blake before playing the song: "I’ll try. I gotta do it for Gwen."

🎼Well, I spent a lifetime lookin' for you Single bars and good time lovers were never true Playing a fools game, hopin' to win And tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again You came knockin' on my heart's door You're everything I've been looking for

13. Turn Your Lights Down – Bob Marley and the Wailers

💬 Blake: "Gwen and I have a playlist. I want their version." - John: "It's a good love song for when you guys..." - Blake: "You're talking about loove."

🎼This potion might, this ocean might, carry me In a wave of emotion to ask you to marry me And every word, every second, and every third Expresses the happiness more clearly than ever heard (uh) And when I play 'em, every chord is a poem Tellin' the Lord how grateful I am because I know him (what? word) The harmonies possess a sensation similar to your caress (uh)

14. In Your eyes – Peter Gabriel

💭 The first dance song

🎼In your eyes The light, the heat (Your eyes) I am complete (Your eyes) I see the doorway to a thousand churches (Your eyes)

15. Islands in the Stream – Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

💬 Gwen: "That song would be my dream if me and Blake could do that song together one day."

🎼I can't live without you if the love was gone Everything is nothing if you got no one And you did walk in the night Slowly losing sight of the real thing But that won't happen to us and we got no doubt Too deep in love and we got no way out

[the-ball-is-round]

I will always support the USWNT, and not to be dramatic, but I think this is what heartbreak feels like.

I’m just gonna be so honest. This is not the USWNT that I fell in love with ten years ago. And Vlatko as a coach has been an absolute disgrace to the history of this team. We aren’t getting past Sweden. It just won’t happen.

-The fact that we have had three years to rebuild this team after 2020 and this is what we have to show is horrendous.

-The fact that we haven’t been in a battle with our federation the way other teams have been and this is what we have to show is horrendous.

-The fact that we have more resources and more money than any other women’s team and this is what we have to show is horrendous.

-the fact that we have been world champions for eight years and ranked number one by FIFA for over a decade and this is what we have to show is horrendous and a disgrace to the legacy of this team.

This is just so disappointing. Sure, the players haven’t been as individually brilliant or consistent as we’re used to (in fact they were absolutely terrible individually against Portugal and they have lost all their ability to play with energy and are making increasingly inexcusable mistakes), but the blame for this failure lies with the coaching staff.

- There is no fire or desire to win in this team. The team keeps saying ‘they gave everything’ and I just don’t think that’s true. And it’s hard to watch these players not give it their all when we all know they can achieve so much more.

- our young players are so unprepared on this scale, and our team doesn’t know how to play with each other because Vlatko refused to make any decisions about anyone in the past three years until two months ago. How can a team play well then they’ve never played together?

- Vlatko doesn’t play players where they’re good. Sure Crystal Dunn and Emily Sonnett are good outside backs. But they are absolute beasts in the midfield. Sure Julie Ertz was good in center back when she last played it in 2016, but she is an absolute hazard for other teams in defending mid.

- they haven’t actually made any formation or structural changes since Jill Ellis left. You can’t keep the same tactics for four years and not expect teams to dismantle them.

- They’ve shown a serious inability to tactically adapt to different opponents within the flow of a game.

- They aren’t using the bench players. For years we’ve said that the US has the most talented bench in the world. Why aren’t they being used? To be so far into this tournament and to have not used eight of your players is just bad resource management.

- His lack of substitutes in a game is so worrying in this age when we’re seeing so many injuries. It’s just so frustrating when he doesn’t even try to make changes throughout a game.

- And to top it all off, Vlatko is so massively delusional about this team’s success under his management. He keeps saying “we got the job done”. You didn’t. You hung on by a thread and the only reason you succeeded was purely based on luck. You can’t make positive change if you don’t acknowledge where your problems are.

I will always back the USWNT. Besides what they’ve done in the past on the field, their off the field impact has been immense and I will always be proud of them for that. They have absolutely changed this sport for the better, and I will stand by their work for equal pay, the queer community, and people of color.

But reflecting on this tournament, what little girl is going to be inspired by this performance?

[fromtenthousandfeet]

I'm going to write a lot of meaningless words because I really want to talk. Sorry author, your blog will have to suffer. I apologize in advance for all the grammatical errors, I haven’t practiced my English for a long time, and it was not good to begin with

We are all worried about what is happening to Jimin, what he is thinking about and what he is going to do. I know a lot of people hope that he didn't sign the contract, but I'm inclined to think that he did. Unfortunately, Jimin loves the group very much and from some of his words in 2023 I conclude that he does not see himself outside of it (the show with Yoongi, for example, and all the "we are family" bs)

To be honest, Jimin's situation can be understood. Despite his strong spirit and hard work, Jimin was practically not allowed to show himself as a solo artist (his only solo work within the group was in 2016 - Lie). Moreover, there were cases where Jimin has taken an active role in composing melodies but was not credited. In general, his artistic vision was always present and should have been developed, but was shadowbanned for the benefit of the group and the company (also lets not forget the narrative where only the great and mighty rap line members write group songs)

However, even in such conditions, Jimin’s inner star shone. The growth of his popularity began with the red-haired Perfect Man, while the peak occurred in 2018-2019. After which the group entered the global market and Jimin's focus was blurred between the maknae line (and to some extent Yoongi). Not only did Jimin lose his dominant role, but he also gained a colossal number of haters, primarily among the crazy shippers who took the helm of the biggest fan accounts

Pandemic, scandal, Jimin's departure from social networks... A chain of unpleasant events happened since Dynamite and then hiatus. It seemed that everything was bad-bad. But no, Jimin was reborn as a phoenix and so did his personal fandom (I mean pjms). Yes, there was a free fall, there were some shitty paid articles, there was Jungkook, carried in the arms of the whole company, but Jimin’s light was bright

Enough of history. Now my true thoughts

Each member was developing himself as far separately as possible from the group. Of course, none of them named their own fandom out loud, as Lisa did, but each was focused on his own brand and media portrait. Some were especially smart and made "new friends". That's what Yoongi and Taehyung particularly did. I think these two have the greatest chance of leaving the group with the least losses in the future. Of course, except for Jungkook, who already has everything planned by the company. Unfortunately, Jimin didn't make new friends, working with the same group of people he'd been working with for the past 10 years. It’s good, of course, when people know you, but it also slows down your further development. If Jimin ever leaves the company, he would be left with nothing (btw he worked on CTT with Ayo and SGMB with Tommy and... Well, I hope he'll never work with them again)

I don’t know how much Jimin fought for himself, but in the end he was deprived of what the whole world knows him for, namely powerful performances and Western influence. Considering that he will be in the army for a year and a half, and when he returns, he will be back in the group, and before the army he practically did not appear in public for a year... In total, at least 3 years down the drain. He may find himself in a situation where his peak value is lost

Last but not least. I don’t really like to talk about the members, but they all showed their true colors in the solo era. Each of the 6 use each other to achieve their goals and get maximum profit from what their fans buy. Many pjms believe that by saying such things you are projecting yourself onto Jimin, but I will say it anyway: Jimin, it’s time to stop being everyone’s punching pillow. Open your eyes. Members can love you, you can love them too, but you need to love yourself more. On Instagram you need to promote yourself, not others. You should write songs not about the group, but about yourself (ah, this f..ing movement in SGMB). You need to go to your own meetings, not to the promo of others. Phew. I said it. I said it out loud

All in all, only when Jimin starts fighting for his rights, something good will happen. Pjms are strong and love him to no end, but no one will fight against the company forever. Sooner or later we will be mired in negativity if Jimin doesn't show that he loves himself and is willing to defend what belongs to him. If he chooses the path of the shadow in the group... He is finished

Anon, amen to all of this. Let's hope that Jimin is able to assemble a team of good managers, a decent social media person, and highly skilled and creative songwriting/producing team that have nothing to do with HYBE. Let's also hope he comes back from MS with crazy high self esteem and doesn't take any shit from anyone at that stupid company, including, but not limited to, his fellow team members. Call me crazy, but I have a lot of faith in him.

P.S. OMG! Your English is amazing. You write so much better than the average American. I take my hat off to you and your English instructors.

[bluvlet]

top 5 movies?

It’s strange to think of my favourite movies as a list of five and not as my letterboxd top four!

5. Paterson (2016)

I haven’t seen it in well over a year, so I can’t really be too specific in my thoughts. But its simplicity in both its story and the way it’s told is something very profound to me. This movie has impacted my thinking a lot. I still take a lot of lessons from it when I’m feeling overwhelmed by life.

4. In Bruges (2008)

Been one of my favourite films since I was 13. Martin McDonagh was one of the early writers I latched onto for inspiration when I was kid; I really cherish my memory of getting to watch The Banshees of Inisherin in theatres in 2022. In Bruges’ themes + characters are just endlessly tragic and fascinating to me, I must have written thousands of words about it over the years. Plus, it’s so understated how visually stunning this film is!

3. The Shape of Water (2017)

Guillermo Del Toro is one of my favourite directors ever, if not my favourite. Forever in awe of his use of colour, and his love of the ‘monster’ really speaks to me. Calling this movie ‘the movie where Sally Hawkins fucks a fish’ does it such a disservice. It’s so beautiful.

2. Take Shelter (2011)

Jeff Nichols is another of my favourite directors. There is such a subtle yet powerful humanity to the characters in his films. They are so willing to understand each other, and they care for each other so dearly that I can feel it radiating off the screen. Michael Shannon is one of my favourite actors and he is just phenomenal in this - his best performance. And that ending just sticks with you.

1. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

I’m a huge Twin Peaks fan. I can never really put into words for people why this is my favourite movie, but I’ve never really felt the need to. Just absolutely devastating. Laura Palmer breaks my heart. I think about her all the time.

[lewisinho]

two narratives sky sports f1 absolutely loves sticking to despite them having been disproven several times:

1. lewis was still recovering from ad21 at the beginning of the ‘22 season and hence why he wasn’t ‘performing’ nor ‘motivated’; (he was literally working hard and testing, and motivating the entire team)

2. nico rosberg still somehow knows lewis ‘better than anyone’ and is somehow qualified to psychoanalyse lewis, as if they haven’t not been on speaking terms since 2016

[sadaveniren]

People who are coming into my ask box talking about exploiting children as if gay men (and women) haven’t been having and using their own biological kids to closet themselves since the dawn of time.

NOTE I’m not saying it’s okay to “exploit children” but it’s ONE OF THE WAYS GAY PEOPLE SURVIVE. THEY HAVE KIDS WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX TO SHOW THEY ARE NOT GAY! Gay people put themselves through forms of corrective rape to try and protect their closet. And so Louis having a kid play actor (obviously we can’t know what the kids knows or doesn’t know but my personal thought is the kid is told he’s an ACTOR) is just a different flavor of that.

And we can get into the entire argument about the exploitation of child actors at a separate time (WHICH WOULDNT BE ON LOUIS IN THIS CASE MIND YOU THIS WOULD BE ON THE KIDS ACTUAL PARENTS WHO ARE PUTTING HIM UP AS AN ACTOR!)

Basically what I’m saying is regardless of what we the fans think or feel Louis’ closet and BG are not OUR problems. They aren’t OUR decisions. They are a product of Louis’ closet and we do not know the behind the scenes reasons these things might still be going on. And also to look at BG in isolation of the last two or so years in terms of Louis “choosing this” completely ignores the fact he DIDNT choose it. He fought against playing dad for SO LONG. If he is still doing there is a reason and that reason might just be it is the most simplistic way to maintain his closet - WHICH IS HE CHOICE.

Walk quickly with me through this hypothetical situation where Louis ends BG AND maintains his closet. BG has been something that has been an internet meme since the beginning. If BG ends the likelihood of Louis being able to maintain his closet without doing something ELSE heterosexual would be near impossible (elounor engagement anyone?) because a lot of his interactions with Eleanor (and women in general) would be scrutinized.

His only other - non ramped up stunt - option would literally be to disappear for a couple years, to let it all die down and hope that things ease up and so by the time he came back nothing was talked about. Maybe going MIA for a couple years isn’t something he wants to do!

You are allowed to be upset that things aren’t ending but a lot of the arguments and talk I see and get sent makes Louis a villain when he’s just trying to survive in the music industry as a gay man. His documentary just got banned in Malaysia for (among other things) pride flags - which he didn’t cut out! Him AND Harry have both performed in countries where homosexuality is criminalized and sneaking pride flags in was an act of extreme courage.

Being closeted is OKAY. It has to be because being secretly gay and alive is better than being openly gay and dead. So please remember… gay people do stuff we may not agree with to protect their closet. Having a child actor spend 3 hours a day acting is really not that serious of a crime. He could have an ACTUAL CHILD who he ACTUALLY was showing off and making money off of ala… oh idk the Kardashians… Beyonce or plenty of other celebrities who make their child part of their brand. It’s not like he’s out here using Freddie to make an adidasxFreddie collab. He is literally just… pretending to have a son that he showed in his documentary because HES CLOSETED. And if he didn’t include him in the documentary that’s meant to show off his life - coupled with the fact he just broke up with Eleanor - would make fans start digging and low tier media would pick it up - just like they did in 2016 with BG.

Just. Please. Critical thinking. Compassion for closeted people. Learn to separate your emotions from choices other people make.

[girlmagazineedits]

That was one heck of a show, Beyonce the woman you are...

If you haven’t seen it already, Beyonce’s incredible halftime performance at an NFL game on Christmas Day has outstanding imagery and deep cultural significance towards African American history. 

In no particular order, I will break down this performance of her album Cowboy Carter.

We see Beyonce riding in on a white horse. White horses symbolize American spirit, “a relentless pursuit of freedom and justice” and in greek mythology, finding and riding a white horse grants great power and success. 

With the backlash of her album Cowboy Carter, she is stating that she can find success in any genre as she is already widely successful in hers. It’s also just the cowgirl thing to do.

Beyonce is also from Houston, Texas, a place known for being very southern and having deep country roots as well as her mother being from Louisiana, and it doesn’t get any more country than that!

Many of her dancers and performers in the show were seen wearing white bandanas. White bandanas signify unity, which Beyonce is trying to do with her crossing over genres.

The band playing was TSU’s “Ocean of Soul,” which is an HBCU, or historically black college and university marching band. 

The women singing “Blackbird” beside Beyonce in the opening were Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and Brittney Spencer, all black women country singers. The song “Blackbird” originally sung by The Beatles is a song inspired as a message of hope to Black women during the Civil Rights movement.

Shaboozey performed his song with Beyonce “Sweet Honey Buckin”, as he is also an up-and-coming black country artist.

She had various young black talent portrayed all throughout her show along with Ja'Dayia Kursh who became Arkansas' first Black rodeo queen in 2017.

In the scenes where carriages and Cadillac cars were in shot, they were decorated with roses. During Juneteenth celebrations in Texas in the early 1900s, their buggies, carts, and wagons were often decorated with roses. Juneteenth, or June 19, 1865, is a day marked and celebrated to be the end of African American slavery in America.

In a scene you can see performers standing on top of the horses, this signifies a popular, powerful photograph from a 2009 article by Gabriela Hasbun for Andscape, where six black men are seen standing on their horses. A tribute to black cowboys in America.

After Beyonce’s iconic release of her album Lemonade, she performed “Daddy Lessons”, a country-leaning song, at the 2016 Country Music Awards alongside Dixie Chicks and the backlash was brutal. Country fans and C.M.A. watchers did not like the fact that Beyonce was there since she was not a country artist, and they also criticized her political views at the time. 

Following the blatant discrimination and backlash, the Country Music Association in Nashville took down every trace of the live performance off of their platforms and photos taken by them. They did not defend Beyonce and people did not take lightly to that. 

After Cowboy Carter's release in early 2024, the C.M.A. disrespected Beyonce again as they did not recognize Beyonce and Cowboy Carter and she did not receive one nominee for this album despite its high praise and topping the country music charts. 

This halftime show performance and Cowboy Carter in general is a beautiful articulation of being black in a predominately white business, (and country). She took something that is supposedly only for white Americans and made it a cultural phenomenon in music and black music history.

“The cowboy is a symbol of strength and aspiration in America. The cowboy was named after slaves who handled the cows. The word ‘cowboy’ comes from those who were called boys, never given the respect they deserved,” - Beyonce

[scarlet-came-back-wrong]

From Julie C. Dao post about her novel Now Comes the Mist:

"I was immediately drawn to Lucy after seeing Frank Wildhorn’s “Dracula, The Musical” on Broadway in 2004. The show . . . didn’t do as great in the U.S. as in other parts of the world, like Japan (where the role of Dracula has been played by a woman!). But I loved the music, and the best songs — the showstoppers, in my opinion — were reserved for the minor characters. I like “The Master’s Song,” a delightfully creepy waltz sung by Renfield, a patient in an asylum who forges a connection with Dracula.

My favorite song, however, is “The Mist.” I fell in love with the eerie music box melody and Lucy’s opening lyrics: “My soul was floating above a moonlit sea / At the same time, I was drowning yet felt somehow free.” The song has stuck with me for twenty years, as a girl who loves me some dark sketchy monster man romance (paging Beauty and the Beast, Hades and Persephone, and Phantom and Christine!). There’s also a great Lucy/Dracula duet (“Life After Life”), but “The Mist” has had my heart since day one.

If you haven’t seen my book trailer yet, you can watch it here and listen to a clip sung by Lauren Kennedy as Lucy. (Kelli O’Hara, one of my favorite musical theater stars ever since the gorgeous “Light in the Piazza,” played Lucy on the Broadway stage.)

Lucy has yet another great song that you can listen to in the German production of “Dracula, The Musical,” performed in Graz, which is on YouTube. It’s called “The Invitation” (or “Die Einladung”). Lucy is alone in her room, torn between wanting to retain what’s left of her soul and also yearning for the freedom Dracula can give her, until at last she throws open her windows with wild abandon and welcomes him in. It gave me chills and serves as major inspiration for my book!

As you can see, MIST has been forming roots for a long time. But it didn’t blossom until 2016, when two friends and I were having a fun conversation on Twitter. We are all BIPOC women and all fans of Dracula, and we were thirsting (pun intended) over some of the actors who had played this iconic role in film and TV. “The three of us could be Dracula’s Brides of Color,” I joked. One of my friends responded by creating the hashtag #BOC, and then a lot of other people jumped in on the discussion with their own funny anecdotes and ideas.

That chat, as lighthearted as it was, got the wheels turning in my head. What would it be like if Dracula’s brides were primarily women of color? After all, BIPOC most certainly existed in Victorian London. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to explore vampirism as a type of colonization? And how might being a vampire affect BIPOC differently?

I enjoy and respect Bram Stoker’s novel, but I have always wanted more for some of the characters in it, particularly Lucy Westenra, who was Dracula’s first victim on English soil and the best friend of Mina Murray. Mina is much better known because every adaptation insists on portraying her as Dracula’s love interest (for which we likely have Francis Ford Coppola to thank, as this romance does not exist in Stoker’s novel).

It has never sat well with me that beautiful, vivacious Lucy, who has three men vying for her hand in marriage, was forced to succumb to vampirism as punishment for being too sexy. She has a line of dialogue in Stoker’s novel where she jokingly contemplates marrying all three of her suitors at once, so as not to hurt or reject any of them, and that has always been misinterpreted and blown out of proportion, in my opinion, as “proof” of her promiscuity and desire for bigamy."