#when she won artist of the decade

[selenastaylors]

you can say stuff just cause you have a “idgaf” personality & not care what other think but theres a clear line you dont cross & thats disrespecting others in the industry whom have said nothing but kind things about you in the past

[lollobarcollomanonmollo]

women artists that you should know about!!

-Judith Leyster (Dutch, 1609-1660)

During her life her works were highly recognized, but she got forgotten after her death and rediscovered in the 19th century. In her paintings could be identified the acronym "JL", asually followed by a star, she was the first woman to be inserted in the Guild of St. Luke, the guild Haarlem's artists.

-Artemisia Gentileschi (Italian, 1593-1656)

"... Si è talmente appraticata che posso osar de dire che hoggi non ci sia pare a lei, havendo fatto opere che forse i principali maestri di questa professione non arrivano al suo sapere". This is how the father Orazio talked about his nineteen year old daughter to the Medici's court in Florence.

In 1611, Artemisia got raped, and she had to Undergo a humiliating trial, just to marry so that she could "Restore one's reputation" , according to the morality of the time. Only after a few years Artemisia managed to regain her value, in Florence, in Rome, in Naples and even in England, her oldest surviving work is "Susanna and the elders".

-Elisabeth Louise Vigèe Le Brun (French, 1755-1842)

She was a potrait artists who created herself a name during the Ancien Règime, serving as the potrait painting of the Queen of France Marie Antoinette, she painted 600 portraits and 200 landscapes in the course of her life.

-Augusta Savage (Afro-American, 1892-1962)

Augusta started making figures when she was a child, which most of them were small animals made out of red clay of her hometown, she kept model claying, and during 1919, at the Palm Beach County Fair, she won $25 prize and ribbon for most original exhibit. After completing her studies, Savage worked in Manhattan steam laundries to support her family along with herself. After a violent stalking made by Joe Gould that lasted for two decades, the stalker died in 1957 after getting lobotomized. In 2004, a public high school, Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts, in Baltimore, opened.

-Marie Ellenrieder (German,1791-1863)

She was known for her portraits and religious paintings. During a two years long stay in Rome, she met some Nazarenes (group of early 19th century German romantic painters who wanted to revive spirituality in art),after becoming a student of Friedrich Overbeck and after being heavily influenced by a friend, she began painting religious image, getting heavily inspired by the Italian renaissance, more specifically by the artist Raphael. In 1829, she became a court painter to Grand Duchess Sophie of Baden.

-Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (French,1841-1893)

Morisot studied at the Louvre, where she met Edouard Manet, which became her friend and professor. During 1874 she participated at her first Impressionist exhibition, and in 1892 sets up her own solo exhibition.

-Edmonia Lewis or also called "wildfire" (mixed African-American and Native American 1844-1907)

Edmonia was born in Upstate New York but she worked for most of her career in Rome, Italy. She was the first ever African American and Native American sculptor to achieve national and international fame, she began to gain prominence in the USA during the Civil Ware. She was the first black woman artist who has participated and has been recognized to any extent by the American artistic mainstream. She Also in on Molefi Kete Asante's list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

-Marie Gulliemine Benoist (French, 1768-1826)

Daughter of a civil servant, Marie was A pupil of Jaques-Louis David, whose she shared the revolutionary ideas with, painting innovative works that have caused whose revolutionary ideals he shared, painting innovative works that caused discussion. She opened a school for young girl artists, but the marriage with the banker Benoist and the political career Of the husband had slowly had effect on her artistic career, forcing her to stop painting. Her most famous work is Potrait of Madeline, which six years before slavery was abolished, so that painting became a simbol for women's emancipation and black people's rights.

-Lavinia Fontana (Italian, 1552-1614)

She is remembered for being the first woman artist to paint an altarpiece and for painting the first female nude by a woman (Minerva in the act of dressing), commissioned by Scipione Borghese.

-Elisabetta Sirani. (Italian, 1698-1665)

Her admirable artistic skills, that would vary from painting, drawing and engraving, permitted her, in 1660, to enter in the National Academy of S. Luca, making her work as s professor. After two years she replaced her father in his work of his Artistic workshop, turning it into an art schools for girls, becoming the first woman in Europe to have a girls' school of painting, like Artemisia Gentileschi, she represent female characters as strong and proud, mainly drawn from Greek and Roman stories. (ex. Timoclea Kills The Captain of Alexander the Great, 1659).

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

Introductions (2.1.1)

About me:

↪ Leah, she/her/any pronouns

↪ In my early 20s

↪ Reader, writer, sometime animator and artist

↪ Big cannibalism fan. Huge, really ;)

↪ Been doing martial arts for over a decade

↪Fan of CJ Cherryh

↪I reblog stuff from @leahpardo-pa-potato

My writing:

↪ Generally horror, with sides of fantasy

↪Posted in regular chunks of 500-1k words

↪I love tag games, esp OC ones :)

↪I do mini-series, one-shots, and novels

↪I will love you forever if you send me an ask

↪See my full list of one-shots here and my longer pieces below

My art and animation:

↪Masterpost here

↪Mostly blender 3d animations, though I do a bit of drawing too

↪ Don't expect it quite as often as my writing ;)

↪Just interact here to join the taglist!

WIPs / Longer stories

The Unwanted Visitor: (Completed)

Aida's house has been haunted by a spirit for as long as she can remember. Thing is, she's grown used to her Unwanted Visitor (or Vis, as she likes to call him). So when exorcists come after him, she does what any sane person would: protect her brother friend.

↪ Urban fantasy-comedy, very light-hearted

↪A lot of found family and sibling squabbling

↪If you like teens causing chaos, this is for you!

↪Final bit here

A Perfectly Normal Schoolgirl: (Completed)

All Katherine wants is to eat mortal food, bask in the warmth, and be a normal schoolgirl. But when a boy begs her to help him save her parents, she finds herself fighting for her (and his) life once more.

↪Urban fantasy with a side of horror

↪ Basically an inversion of a bunch of tropes

↪My attempt at writing fantasy without mentioning magic by name

↪Full thing here

Convenience Store Vampire: (Completed)

You'd expect vampires to be imposing and terrifying, masters of the night and princes of darkness. But that's not Davie, no siree. He's stuck down by Sunny Mart, working all day to scrape by. The last thing he wants is any trouble. Unfortunately for him, that's exactly what he's getting.

↪Silly urban fantasy shenanigans

↪ What it says on the tin + slice of life

↪Full thing here

A Tale for A Mouse: (Completed)

Who doesn't like to listen to evil old dark lords monologue about their childhood? Take a seat and come hear the story of the Spirit Emperor, as told by the man himself!

↪Cannibalism. Lots of it. World building too :D

↪High fantasy told via monologue

↪I cannot stress how proud I am of this.

↪Full thing here

Fast Food:

An embarrassment to his entire tribe, Hash is lazy and uninterested in anything. So, when he reaches majority, he gets unceremoniously booted out of home. Follow his adventures through Triworld, as he somehow ends up in every single single conflict across the continent.

↪High fantasy with a side of humour

↪Very heavy Lore™ and Worldbuilding™

↪ My excuse to ramble about fictional history

↪Latest bit here :)

A Tale of Love, Death, and Maggots:

Doc's been wandering through hell for a good twenty years, now. He thought he'd seen it all. He thought he'd felt it all. He thought he'd lost it all. But it turns out love just has a way of crawling back into his chest and breaking his heart again.

↪ Tragedy, fantasy?, horror?, Idk it's a weird little thing

↪I hope you like death because this sure has a lot of it

↪Latest bit here and here's a moodboard of it

Lich-Queen (Completed):

Iraela has all but won: the King of Ceredell and his bride are gone, the cities fallen to her army of undead, and the way to the throne cleared for her. But her coronation, and her sanity threaten to fall apart under the weight of duty. Can she hold it together until she truly becomes Lich-Queen?

↪High, dark fantasy with some horror and gore

↪Watch Ira slowly lose her mind in real-time

↪If you like cannibalism, you'll love this

↪Full thing here

The Novel™ (Mind of a Mercenary):

Luna, Terror of Garvenoi, mind-mage extraordinaire, has been caught at last. Whilst everyone celebrates, she is given an ultimatum: Be an indentured hunter for the government, or die. But when she signs on with them, she finds that perhaps death might have been a better choice...

↪ Urban Fantasy set in a Non-Earth world

↪Starring a sassy, mean-girl villain protagonist

↪Enjoy several hundred pages of Luna trying and failing to run from her duties

↪Find snippets here (find the others on my masterlist of writing)

Finally, my taglist! If you interacted with this post/already asked me to add you, and you don't see yourself here, please remind me! I may have accidentally missed you :')

Oh pls kill me I felt so silly doing this- Anyways bye guys hope to see y'all around don't judge me for this

[retropopcult]

"Thirteen" is a song by American rock band Big Star.  Rolling Stone describes it "one of rock's most beautiful celebrations of adolescence", and rated it #396 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It was written by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell.

The name of the album was #1 Record, which was bitterly ironic, as it ended up selling under 10,000 copies upon its initial release in 1972 (the name of the band also proved to be an unfortunate misnomer, because outside of critics and other musicians, they remained virtually anonymous during their brief time together).

Bell and Chilton wanted to emulate the Lennon/McCartney formula as much as they could, so they shared credit on many of their songs even though there was in fact little writing collaboration between the two. “Thirteen" was in fact entirely Chilton’s creation, and he also delivers the aching vocal that vacillates between hope and heartache and that many cover versions have tried to emulate but never quite matched.

The yearning acoustic ballad focuses on an age that is somewhat underrepresented in pop and rock music. Chilton found that bittersweet spot when innocence still lingers but more complicated emotions start to work their way into the picture.

Over tender guitars, he begins with a question that thirteen-year-old boys have been asking thirteen-year-old girls for generations: “Won’t you let me walk you home from school?” “Won’t you let me meet you at the pool?” he follows, again treading lightly so as not to scare her away. He eventually suggests a date at the dance on Friday; “And I’ll take you,” Chilton delicately sings, as if anything more forceful than a gentle plea will destroy his chances.

In the second verse, the narrator for the first time reveals an obstacle blocking the path to this girl for whom he is clearly falling hard: “Won’t you tell your Dad get off my back?” he asks her. His response to the doubting father is brilliant: “Tell him what we said about ‘Paint It Black.’” By drawing a parallel between his own musical tastes and that of the father, he’s hoping to show that he’ s not just some punk kid with bad intentions.

The final verse finds him struggling as she remains seemingly unknowable (“Won’t you tell me what you’re thinking of?”) resulting in his sweet but awkward follow up (“Would you be an outlaw for my love?”) His final lines redeem him in terms of his integrity and honor, even as they suggest that he’ s losing his opportunity with her in the process: “If it’ s no then I can go/ I won’ t make you.” The final “Ooo-hoo” that Chilton utters is a real killer, tinged as it is with the sting of implied refusal.

Over the decades there have been some fine cover versions of this classic, with brilliant and diverse artists like Garbage, Wilco, and Elliott Smith taking their turns, among many others. But they’d likely all agree they were playing for second behind Chilton’s one-of-a-kind, haunting performance. “Thirteen” is as good as it gets for those looking to relive that moment when life is still rife with possibilities but love seems stubbornly impossible.

Music critic Simon Robinson rates it as Big Star's best song and one of the most important of 1972, praising the "catchy melody and jangly guitars that perfectly capture the carefree and optimistic spirit of youth" and the "simple yet poignant" lyrics that evoke the "experience of teenage romance and heartbreak."

[dd-is-my-guiltypleasure]

David Duchovny: ‘The X-Files took up my life, but it was a miracle’

It's behind a paywall so if somebody has access I would love to read the article

Update : got it, thanks @aimsies-mctaymellburg

David Duchovny: ‘The X-Files took up my life, but it was a miracle’

As Fox Mulder in the hit sci-fi show, the actor and singer peddled fringe conspiracy theories. Now the 63-year-old says Mulder’s paranoia is everywhere.

In hindsight it wasn’t a great idea for me to kick off an interview with David Duchovny by suggesting that he was a musical dilettante. You’re most likely to know Duchovny, of course, as Fox Mulder, the conspiracy-theory-guzzling FBI agent in The X Files, one of the biggest shows of the Nineties, watched at its peak by 30 million in America alone. Perhaps you saw him as the womanising writer Hank Moody in Californication or the 1960s detective Sam Hodiak in Aquarius. You may even have read some of his five books.

Duchovny, a New Yorker living in Los Angeles, is less known for music, although he’s been making rather decent folk-rock for a decade — songwriting, playing guitar and singing in a honeyed drawl. His 2015 songHell or Highwater has been streamed more than a million times while Layin’ on the Tracks, from 2020, has pointed lyrics about a certain politician (“It’s a killing joke that no one laughs at/ A stupid orange man in a cheap red hat”). He has released three albums, with a fourth due next year, and this month plays Latitude festival in Suffolk and the 2,000-capacity Shepherds Bush Empire in London.

So does the 63-year-old feel that he should no longer be seen as just a musical dabbler? “That’s part of a lazy person’s perception,” he says, bristling slightly. “It’s a lens through which people want to see me. I think music is an innocent art form — you listen to it and you have a response. To bring any kind of baggage to bear on it in the beginning seems to me to be dishonest, but that’s the way things go.”

YouTube clips of recent shows suggest people were having a lovely time, I say. This doesn’t have the soothing effect intended. YouTube footage lingers “because of the horror of the cell phone”, Duchovny says. “It’s a pet peeve of mine.” Is he tempted to ban them at his shows, as artists from Prince to Bob Dylan have? “I don’t know that I can enforce that view on anybody.”

For Duchovny, it’s as much about phones limiting his performance as it is about the audience not living in the moment. “To do something unique or for the first time, to reach for a note or play a different melody — all these are chances you might take if you weren’t inhibited by the fact that somebody is [recording] it,” he says. “You’ve got to be able to fail and the ubiquity of cell phones makes failure scarier than it needs to be.”

Failure is the key to another of his jobs: podcasting. In his series Fail Better, he adroitly interviews guests including Bette Midler, Ben Stiller and Sean Penn about their failures. “I feel like I’ve been failing my entire life,” Duchovny said on launching it in May. That may sound strange from a man with English degrees from Princeton and Yale, who has won a Golden Globe for The X Files and another for Californication.

Is he familiar with Elizabeth Day, the British journalist who has hosted a successful podcast called How to Fail since 2018? When Duchovny announced Fail Better, Day tweeted: “I might invite David Duchovny on @howtofail to discuss his failure to be original.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” he says. “If she wants to be rigorous in her thinking, she would investigate what my approach to failure is. I don’t know what her approach to it is. My sense, since failure is universal, is that there’s room out there for more than one discussion.” This is a rather po-faced response to what seemed like a playful comment from Day, and surprising because Duchovny has a wicked sense of humour. He can also afford to be more magnanimous, given that his podcast is at No 12 in the UK chart and hers is at 54.

Gillian Anderson, his X Files co-star, certainly likes his podcast, writing this week on Instagram that she had listened to all of the episodes and found them “intimate and vulnerable … very smart questions, although I wouldn’t expect anything else from you [David]”.

“It’s very sweet,” Duchovny says. “I will email her and thank her. I’m sure somebody running my social media is … I don’t really like to be on social media.” Later that day his Instagram account replies to Anderson’s post: “Thank you for listening, you have an open invite [to appear on his podcast]!”

That encounter would be worth hearing because his relationship with Anderson is fascinating. Despite their chemistry in The X Files there were rumours of friction — although they looked to be getting on swimmingly when they appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show in 2016 to publicise the return of the show, which ran for two more seasons.

When asked by Kimmel about frostiness between her and Duchovny in the Nineties, Anderson collapsed into giggles, laid her head in Duchovny’s lap and put any froideur down to the dampness of Vancouver, where the series was shot. Her hair kept going frizzy, she explained, and “for every single take we’d have to stand there and blow dry my hair again”.

“And I got pissed at that?” Duchovny asked.

“Well, I think it added to the tension,” Anderson said.

“It kinda makes me sound like an asshole,” Duchovny replied.

Anderson had nothing to do with him leaving The X Files in 2002, he says now. “That was just me wanting to have a family, but also to try other things. It had kind of taken up my life. There was no animosity with the actual show and the people that I worked with. I am proud of the show — it was culturally central in a way that it’s very hard to do these days in a fragmented landscape. There’s so many lightning-strike aspects to it that I can’t help but think of it as some kind of a miracle.”

The X Files gave conspiracy theories a kind of nobility — “the truth is out there”, as its tagline ran. Now they are more widespread and pernicious. “Mulder’s way of looking at the world was through conspiracy and that was the fringe at that point,” Duchovny says. “It doesn’t seem to be so fringe any more. It’s really the world that [The X Files creator] Chris Carter foresaw happening almost 30 years ago. He’s almost clairvoyant in that case.” Is Duchovny more evidence-based than Mulder? “Not at all. I’m an artist — I am associative-based and I see poetry as science and science as poetry.” So are there some conspiracy theories that he buys into? “No, I’m talking about art. I think conspiracies are mostly just lazy thinking.”

One failure that has shaped Duchovny is that of his marriage to the actress Téa Leoni, who starred in Bad Boys and Deep Impact. They married in 1997 and have a daughter, West, 25, and a son, Kyd, 22, but divorced in 2014. “That darkness does deepen you. It makes you more empathetic and humble,” Duchovny says. One of the themes of his podcast is “the difference between humiliating and humbling. Often we focus on humiliation in our culture. I don’t see any positives coming from humiliation, but I see a lot of them coming from humility.”

One wonders if the reference to humiliation has something to do with Duchovny checking into rehab for sex addiction in 2008. Could him playing the bed-hopping Hank in Californication be a case of art imitating life? “People never tire of trying to figure that out,” he says with a sigh. “But to me, that’s not what acting is about. I don’t look for things that are mirroring my life in any way.”

Well, there are parallels in Reverse the Curse, the 2023 film that Duchovny directed, starred in and adapted from his book Bucky F***ing Dent. He plays a would-be novelist who has “sacrificed his artistic dream to put food on the table”. His father, a publicist, did the same, publishing his debut at 75, the year before he died. The film has some really funny scenes, including one where Marty and his son have a farting competition in a motel room that ends up smelling like “an aquarium that fed a sock”. That may have come from a line in Aquarius where someone says something similar about a police station. “I might have ripped it off, I’m not sure,” Duchovny says. “ You can ask Elizabeth Day about that.”

David Duchovny will perform at Latitude festival, near Southwold on July 25 and 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, W12 on July 27

[frozen-snowflakesandsunflowers]

Jennifer Lee and Marc Smith revealed as director and writer for Frozen 3 and 4 + Lee no longer WDAS's CCO | News

The source comes from the Hollywood Reporter:

Frozen Fan's wish comes true... Sort of. Jennifer Lee has been replaced as Walt Disney Animation Studio's Chris Creative Officer by Jared Bush. Those of you wanted Jennifer Lee to step down from her role as CCO of WDAS have won but she is confirmed directing and writing Frozen 3 and 4. But not for the reason you wanted, but for a better reason actually. We knew she was involved with the film's making but didn't know that she would write it and direct it with Marc Smith, who some of us speculated as director.

For those who don't know who Jared Bush is, he's the co-director and co-writer of Zootopia, director of Encanto and producer of Raya and the trj Last Dragon. Both him and Lee are currently executive producers on Moana 2.

Disney Co-Chairman, Alan Burgerman has said the following, “Jared Bush is an incredible filmmaker and a talented executive who’s been a prominent creative force at Disney Animation for the past decade, and I am thrilled that he’ll be taking the reins of this storied studio. [...] I also want to thank Jennifer Lee for her passionate leadership of the studio over the past several years — she’s made an indelible mark on both Disney Animation and the industry. I know she has so many more stories to tell, and there is truly no one better suited to oversee the continuation of the beloved story of Frozen.”

Bush has said, “I am so deeply grateful to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their faith in me, and thankful to Jennifer for her leadership and for her generous support as she embarks on the next chapters of Frozen. Disney Animation is home to some of the greatest stories and characters of the past century, and I’m so excited to work with all of our filmmakers, artists, and Disney Animation team members as we shape the future of this legendary studio together.”

But here's the most revealing part. In a note Lee sent to the staff of WDAS, reads:

Morning All,

For so many of us here, our dreams came true when we joined Walt Disney Animation Studios. I pinch myself every day that I get to be a part of the Disney magic with all of you, as our stories bring genuine hope, wonder, possibility, entertainment and joy to the world through the beautiful craft of animation. It has been my great honor to be CCO these past six years. I’m so proud of all we’ve built together, weathered together, and discovered together. The love, dedication, talent, and passion you all show every day is not just an inspiration to me, it’s an inspiration to the world.

As you know from Alan’s email, I will be returning to filmmaking full time writing and directing with Marc Smith on FROZEN 3 and FROZEN 4. I admit, I was hooked from the moment Marc first pitched this new adventure for our gang, and I am in awe of the incredible work he has done since then developing this powerful story. As a studio, we are fairly new to musical sequels, and this will be our first story told over two films at once. I’m excited for the challenge and so grateful for this opportunity to return to filmmaking, and can think of no better way to do so than with our FROZEN family.

One of the things that makes Disney so special is our commitment to having filmmakers as our studio leaders. This morning, Alan also announced that Jared Bush has agreed to be our new Chief Creative Officer. Jared’s talents as an animation writer and director stretch far beyond the ZOOTOPIAs, the MOANAs, and ENCANTO. He is committed to this studio and its future, and I truly believe that his passion, his tireless work ethic, and his pursuit of excellence will only make us stronger.

I am so grateful to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their incredible support and guidance over all these years. Every moment I’ve gotten to work with them has been a master class in creativity, business, community, and integrity. I want to thank them for supporting my decision to return to filmmaking at this studio that I love so much.

I also want to thank Clark Spencer, the greatest partner anyone could ever have. He is brilliant, patient, and, like Kristoff from FROZEN, he’s the honest goods. He is our rock and will continue to be. And I could not have made it through the hours without Eileen Aguirre. Her care for this studio, her knowledge, and her considerate spirit remains a beacon to all of us.

I can’t wait to get back in the rooms with you! Thank you again for everything; you’re all worth melting for.

Sincerely,

Jenn

So from these statements, especially Jennifer Lee's note, it is confirmed that she has stepped down from the role of CCO because she decided to be a full-time writer and director on Frozen 3 and 4 with Marc Smith., who was the storyboard director for the previous films but now is co-writer and co-director. Those who speculated Marc from the moment Jennifer Lee gave the hint in previous interviews, we're spot on! I didn't believe it at first but obviously should have since he gave the initial idea.

I know Jennifer Lee has gotten a lot of hate since Frozen 2 and we're glad to hear that she isn't writing or directing Frozen 3 and 4 (until now) but it's not bad news because I'm sure she's learned her lesson, main one being to give the story a good amount of time to develop before rushing into things that haven't been fully thought out yet, hence Frozen 3 a release date being delayed to Nov 2027 from the expected Nov 2026. Plus Marc Smith is helping her so it will definitely be different than the previous two with a new co-director/ writer and a fully developed story.

The concept art definitely looks promising though it's far from final. So yes I have full trust in the movies but also a little cautiously as one should be.

[corneliaavenue]

What is Billie saying about Taylor?

There have been a lot of little things over the years

In 2020, when Taylor won the Billboard Woman of the Decade, she talked about all of the new up and coming women in the industry and specifically highlighted Billie because she was winning Woman of the Year that year. First thing Billie says when its her turn, "Yalls speeches were long as fuck!" (note, Taylor's speech was 15 minutes and she does go on to talk nice about Taylor later in her speech)

In 2022, Damon Albarn shaded Taylor saying she didn't write all of her music while simultaneously cheering on Billie and Finneas for writing all of their music. Taylor clapped back in a tweet. Billie then invites Damon out later that year for her Coachella set, where Finneas was overheard saying "Taylor Swift is going to sue us"

In March of this year, Billie talks to Billboard about the act of releasing multiple variants and how wasteful it is. "We live in this day and age where, for some reason, it’s very important to some artists to make all sorts of different vinyl and packaging … which ups the sales and ups the numbers and gets them more money and gets them more" and "some of the biggest artists in the world making f–king 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more. It’s so wasteful, and it’s irritating to me that we’re still at a point where you care that much about your numbers and you care that much about making money"

Billie's manager has been liking and even retweeting several Taylor hate tweets.

Billie talked about albums being too long on Zane Lowe, but she was talking about her previous album Happier Than Ever when discussing it, so I will only side eye. "I think for that one we just didn’t put that much into it. That’s why there’s 16 songs. Nobody needs that many songs"

Last night, Billie's interview with Stationhead came out where she said that "Doing a 3 hour show.. That's literally psychotic. Nobody wants that. You guys don't want that. I don't want that. I don't even want that as a fan. Even my favorite artists I'm not trying to hear them for 3 hours. That's far too long.

Billie now has multiple versions of her album to purchase including paint splattered, discounted on iTunes to $5, and physical copies discounted at Targets for somehone who thinks its wasteful to make multiple different vinyl packages and it is disingenuous to up her sales and numbers

[adharastarlight]

Tis The Season

Two: Magic

Pandora drags Regulus to a Christmas market... Regulus who hates Christmas

“It all looks so pretty!” Pandora practically cooed it as she dragged her best friend into the Christmas market in town. Dragged being the correct word, he was all but clawing at her to make their journey stop. It was no secret that he hated the season, but he’d agreed to spend the day with her and she needed to find a present for Evan. He was the only one she hadn’t found something for and if he won their yearly contest, she’d have to admit he was the better twin. And that was never happening again.

“Yes, yes, very nice. Why couldn’t you order your present online like everyone else?”

“Because shopping for it is half the fun! Come on, Reginald! Your fiance is the biggest Christmas fan in the world, you could at least try not to scowl at every part of it. Try to enjoy it!”

“What is there to enjoy? The crappy songs? The capitalist-driven consumer driven splurges disguised as bonding? The awful movies which all look the exact same? The bloody sprouts? The ugly jumpers? The-”

“The magic of it, Reg!”

He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, “what magic?”

“All of it!”

Regulus sighed and gloomily trudged behind her as she pranced around each stall, oooing and ahhing every now and then. He glanced up occasionally and he had to admit some of the handmade pieces were beautiful, but it didn’t brighten his mood all that much. He liked winter, he did, just not the festivities which suffocated him during it. His brother seemed to have found a love for it, he’d even learned the dance from Mean Girls, which had admittedly scarred him for life. Remus was neither for or against the holiday which made him… somewhat bearable. He was however a sucker when it came to Sirius, which meant their small cottage became an assault to the senses, cinnamon mixed with cranberries and a constant flow of laughter and joy. The nerve of some people.

And then there was James. Stupidly perfect James, who of course had one fatal flaw. He adored Christmas. And Regulus? Well Regulus’ fatal flaw was James. So their house was coated in stupid tinsel and red and green and gold and a sprinkling of cheer from midnight on December first. Didn’t mean he liked it.

“Reg! Reg, look! Oh, it’s perfect!”

He looked over at her gleeful beckoning, at a small, ornate charm. It was of a holly leaf but didn’t seem absurdly Christmas orientated. It wouldn’t ruin the charm bracelet Evan had had for almost a decade now. Barty had found it in his mum’s old jewellery box and given it to his boyfriend and he hadn’t taken it off since. It was getting quite full now, a sprinkling of charms for different occasions and some just when the moment struck - he had one of a cactus and no one quite understood why.

“It’s gorgeous, Panda, it’ll go perfectly with the socks and book.”

“You think? Ooo, look there’s matching cufflinks. Do you think Barty would absolutely kill me if I got them for me?”

Reg laughed softly and shrugged, “considering he hates having to wear a suit to work, perhaps.”

“But they’re precious!”

“Get them, love, Ev wouldn’t let him kill you anyway. And we both know he’s whipped.”

She beamed at him before talking to the artist animatedly. He let her voice waft over him as he stared out at the people milling around, bundled up in their gloves and scarfs, woolly hats on giggling childrens’ heads. Hands were clasped around warm drinks, heads of couples bent together, their breath visible in the cool air as they muttered words. He supposed there could be a kind of beauty in the joy found in Christmas. The smiling faces and rosy cheeks, the way every word of the shivering carollers was tinted with a grin. Maybe he would like Christmas, if he wasn’t such a stubborn git.

“Okay! Where d’you want to go next?”

“Home?”

“Reg.”

He sighed and raised his hands in surrender, “tell me where we’re going then.”

Pandora grinned at him and tugged on his arm, leading him through the crowds to a small stall he hadn’t noticed on their initial loop around. It was covered in blank baubles and little containers of paint. “Can we, pretty please? The answer’s yes.”

He sighed, it’s not like he’d ever actually been very good at telling his best friend no, “I’ll watch.”

“He’ll paint.” The blonde said brightly to the man standing with a paint stained apron and a steaming mug between his gloved hands.

Regulus sat on the chair he was led to and stared at the bauble in front of him. His best friend had already started painting, chattering excitedly to the seller. He contemplated if she’d notice him darting away, but just as he’d concluded she would, his phone rang. He smiled at the screen as the name flashed up, “hi, mon amour.”

“Reggie! Where are you? I brought home dinner.”

He checked his watch and cursed under his breath, “I’m with Dora, she’s dragged me to this blasted market. I’m meant to be painting a bauble.”

James’ laugh trickled down the line and he had to force back a lovesick grin, “I’ll save you a plate, sweetheart. What’re going to paint?”

“Not the foggiest idea.”

“Hmm, what about a deer?”

“You’re biassed.”

“Just a little. Paint whatever you want, my love, it’s going front and centre whatever it is.”

Reg blushed and looked down at the white ball, “it is?”

“Of course, angel, you’re painting it.”

And there it was, alongside the butterflies soaring through his stomach, magic.

[fancylala4]

I saw some of you anti Ts posts they are funny and I need to Rant. sorry.

I am so FUCKING sick and TIRED of being relatable being cool! Fuck! If I wanna listen to someone they need to sound good! Way better than ME! Why is being average so overhyped! Bring back actual talent! Bring back people who can sing! Really sing. I want to be awestruck. I want to me in mesmerized. For fuckss sake Taylor Swift is only that popular because she is average and these swifties identify with her.

And fucking hell I AM SO TIRED of this bitch! I am so tired that they act like only her achievements count and as if achievements of other artists don't fucking count!

The Weeknd has a song with 4Billion streams on Spotify.

Drake has one song with 3 Billion and one with 2 Billion

Post Malone has one with 3 Billion and two with 2 Billion

Dua Lipa has four with 2 Billion

Justin Bieber has 3 with 2 Billion and 1 with 3 Billion

Coldplay has 3 with 2 Billion

Bruno Mars has 3 songs with 2 Billion

Ed Sheeran has 3 songs with 2 Billion and 1 song with 3 Billion

Taylor fucking Swift just recently as one song with 2 Billion streams! ONE! if she is so big? Why doesn't she have more? I can answer you this. Because her stupid fans only care about first week streams. They care about getting her on the chart. That is what spotify and billboard pushes. These morons will mass play her music all night so it get streams. It's so embarrassing.

If she didn't release shit constantly and her stans weren't some pathetic losers wanting her to chart so she just charts there is no WAY in fucking hell she could compete with todays artists.

Fucking hell and they compare her to Michael Jackson! Taylor Swift does not have the LONGEVITY. SHE DOES NOT. Not Mariah Careys, Britney Spears, Elton John or the Beatles. There's more but here's a few.

Michael Jackson had a top ten hit in 5 DIFFERENT DECADES. ( 6 if you count the Jackson 5) And probably will have another one after the biopic comes out!

If Taylor Swift would do this she would have to be able to have a TOP TEN HIT in 2030 and 2040. There is no way she would be doing this.

Mariah Carey in 4 DECADES SINCE THE 90'S!

Britney Spears the same as Mariah!

Elton John in four from the 70's- 20's missing the 00's and 10's.

The Beatles in the 60's 70's 90's and 20's.

Like i hate it so much how much this woman is pushed! And swifties gon act like as if she is the only artist being this succesful! SHE IS NOT! It's more impressive that Rihanna still gets high streams beside not releasing anything for YEARS! BTCH i wanna see Taylor Swift not releasing anything for 7 Years and see where she's at. Let's find out. But this woman is to coward to ever do that. She is so damn desperate for validation it's embarrassing.

HOW THE FUCK IS SHE NOT EMBARRASSED WINNING ALL THESE AWARDS OVER PEOPLE WHO ARE 10 TIMES MORE TALENTED THAN HER?!

This btch is absolutely not humble because i would be embarrassed. Literally. It's like how can you shit as tour gain so much money when you know you can't dance and are a mid singer.

And these faces of acting shocked when she wins an award! With that open mouth and GOD! Yes we get it you won again "suprisingly."

How the fuck does she have more AOTYs than any other fucking artist ever? How the fuck does this mediocre ass woman have more than Janet, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder.

And don't let me start on her victim card that she has used has her brand since fucking Kanye West had to go up on stage and embarrass her. He literally started this whole shit. You can never criticise her for anything. Because if you do you are a misogynist who just hates succesful women. She's always the fuckin victim and swifties romanticize it so much! They want her to be this struggling underdog who rose to fame cause that is what fits their damn wattpad story!

Taylor Swift wants to be the Man. She wouldn't be as succeaful if she was a man. Point blank period. Her shield to protect her self from any criticism wouldn't work. The only thing she has to be oppressed about is being a woman thats why her and swifties milk it so fuccking hard!!!

Thanks, and it’s ok. This whole blog is just a bunch of rants anyways.

But everything you said was true. I didn’t know she of all people have more aoty awards than those you mentioned. This just proves that the Grammys are a joke.

[calabria-mediterranea]

Loredana Bertè & Mia Martini: 2 voices from Calabria, Italy

Italian sisters and singers Loredana Bertè and Mia Martini were born in Bagnara Calabra (Calabria, Italy), respectively in 1950 and 1947.

Mia Martini is considered, by many experts, one of the most important and expressive female voices of Italian music, characterised by her interpretative intensity and her soulful performance.

Her debut album, Oltre la collina is regarded as one of the best Italian albums made by a female artist. Hit songs like Piccolo uomo, Donna sola, Minuetto, made her one of the most popular artists of Italian music in the 1970s, both nationally and internationally. She is the only female artist to have won two Festivalbar consecutively, respectively in 1972 and in 1973.

In 1977, two important encounters occurred in Martini's life: the first with Charles Aznavour, with whom she began a musical collaboration, and the second with singer-songwriter Ivano Fossati, with whom she started an artistic and sentimental partnership.

In 1982, she sang E non finisce mica il cielo, written by Fossati, at Sanremo Music Festival, where she received the Critics Award, which was created specifically for her interpretation and which was named after her as "Mia Martini" Critics Awards from 1996, the year after her death.

In 1983, she was forced to leave the music industry and quit her career, as the music sector and colleagues considered her a person bringing bad luck and barred her from participating in any music and TV events, radio shows and concerts. This kept her away from the music scene for seven years. Only in 1989 was she able to reprise her career, when she returned to perform at Sanremo Music Festival, singing Almeno tu nell'universo, which brought her a new success.

She died on 12 May 1995 in Cardano al Campo at the age of 47.

After her death, the town Bagnara Calabra dedicated to the singer.

Loredana Bertè is a singer-songwriter and artist who has been in the music industry for over five decades. She has released twenty-one studio albums, five live albums, and three soundtracks throughout her career. In addition to her work as a solo artist, she has also collaborated with other renowned artists such as Gianna Nannini, Angelo Branduardi, and Claudio Baglioni.

In her long career, Bertè has experimented with different genres, from rock to reggae, from funk to pop. Bertè is known for the eccentric clothing she wears onstage for her performances.

One of her most popular song is E la luna bussò, an Italian reggae ballad which stayed on the Italian Singles Chart for 29 weeks.

In the 1980s Bertè achieved success in Italy with songs such as Maledetto Luna-Park, Una Sera d'Ottobre, and 'Ti Sento'. She also released two successful studio albums during this period: 'Loredana' (1985) and 'Loredana Berté' (1986). In 1988 she represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Non siamo soli'.

Bertè is one of Italy's most beloved singers and has achieved great success throughout her career. She has sold over 12 million records worldwide and continues to be an inspiration to generations of fans across the globe.

Follow us on Instagram, @calabria_mediterranea

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Flying High…On The Bars🤸🏽‍♂️ | Top Gun Maverick Imagine (Bob Floyd) Part 1

Takes place after the events of TGM

TGM Masterlist

PART 2 HERE

Characters & Pairings: Lt. Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd x Olympic gymnast!reader (romantic), Dagger squad x reader (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, mentions of sporting injuries, slight profanity, recounts details of 2012, 2016, & 2020 Olympic Games. | Female!reader (she/her) | wc: 9.4k—I decided to split this into 2 parts because it was almost at 20k words.

Premise: When one sets their eyes on the Olympic dream, it becomes their life. When one falls in love with a person committed to achieving that dream, it becomes theirs as well. One year after a global pandemic shut down the world and two years after the high-risk uranium mission of the Top Gun special detachment, the dagger squad gather in Bob’s home base of Lemoore, California to witness the love of his life compete for a final shot at All-Around gold in the worlds greatest gymnastics competition. Prepping for her final Olympic Games, gold medalist Y/n L/n thinks back on her decade long career, and the moment she met the man of her dreams.

Note: Y’all I am loving these sport imagines for TGM I’ve been doing. I think imma do a soccer or tennis next 👀 now disclaimer this imagine does recount details that took place in the Olympics mentioned, but there were changes to the narrative to fit the story. Basically you’re imagining it was you on the teams instead, so don’t come at me saying, ‘that didn’t happen.’ I kept the outcomes for certain scenarios the same, but then changed others to fit Y/n’s place. Hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts. Also like my ‘For The Gold’ imagine, I’m going off the basis that the events of TGM took place in 2019, not 2022.

I also wanna disclaim that I am very aware of scandal that took place with USA gymnastics. I have decided to not mention it in this miniseries for the sake of not triggering anyone and because I do not want to spread misinformation in case I were to miss things. Of course we know it happened, and it just makes me angry and disgusted to even think about that doctor and I do not want to trigger anyone at all. I do mention Nadia Comaneci in this (she was my idol when I did gymnastics) but do know I do not mention her coaches who were involved in the scandal. I loved Nadia, not her coaches and I’m just as disgusted with them as I am with that doctor. My heart is with all the gymnasts who were affected.

—————————-

“It’s 6:30 am Eastern time back home in the US, however it is 8:30 pm here in Tokyo on Thursday, July 29th, as we get set up to watch the final of the Women’s All-Around in artistic gymnastics. The men competed last night, and it was an unfortunate loss for both Americans after failing to medal in the Team. It was silver for the women’s two nights ago in the team final, losing to the ROC by about four points in the overall score—the first time the American’s have lost the gold in the Team since reclaiming the title after The Magnificent Seven in 1996.”

“It was a shocker to many people, John. Team USA have dominated the international level of gymnastics for over a decade now. They have been the Olympic champions in the Women’s All-Around since Carly Patterson won the title in Athens, they were the two-time gold medalists in the Team and have had someone on the podium in almost every event for the past few Games—Simone Biles dominated Rio four years ago. They were the favorite to win on the team final, but fell short and I know it must’ve been a sad loss for Y/n L/n on Tuesday after being part of both the London and Rio winning teams.” The tv screen was split with the coverage showing the commentators and footage from the 2012 London Olympics. It focused on the gymnast standing on the podium with her teammates, gold medals around their necks and waving to the crowd.

“I agree, Andrea. You know she is the first American gymnast since Dominique Dawes to make it on the team for three consecutive Olympics. After last night she became the second American, after Dawes, to medal in three consecutive Olympics—silver medal in the team final. She’s the veteran, having been in the elite stage since 2011 where she won her first World title on the bars. In London she walked away with three gold medals, the team, the uneven bars, and the balance beam. It was history for the USA gymnastics that Olympics with Gabby Douglas becoming the first African-American to win the All-Around and Y/n L/n as the first American to win gold on the bars in its individual final. L/n then repeated her victories in Rio—making Olympic history for Team USA again with back-to-back gold in the team, bars, and beam.”

“You know it was a big surprise when she appeared at the trials in June. After winning her seventh World’s title on bars in 2019 Y/n was hoping to get the gold on beam after reclaiming it in 2018, but a bad fall on the apparatus tore her ACL. It would have put her out of the trials had it taken place in 2020, but Covid canceled the entire 2020 season and the Olympics were postponed a whole year. Y/n didn’t say anything about coming back to the sport after recovering until after the VISA championships when it was revealed she petitioned for a spot in the trials. Both Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, who were her teammates the last two Games have since retired. I really thought it would be the same for Y/n L/n, but she surprised everyone.”

“She already, Allen, has made history in her own way by becoming the first American to win the gold back-to-back on two individual events—her signature event the uneven bars that she’s got multiple world titles to as you mentioned, and the balance beam. Many predicted Simone, the favorite to win on beam, would come out on top since it’s one of her strong factors, but an unfortunate mistake cost her the gold. Then in bars Y/n unveiled a massive dismount, becoming her fifth eponymous skill rated a J-Value. The gold medal was already hers at that point. ”

Now the split screen had a reply of the stunning routine on the uneven bars. The second her feet hit the floor and her arms raised over her head, the then two-time Olympian already knew she had secured the gold.

“That was an amazing moment to witness. The entire stadium was holding their breath. Y/n had already established herself as one of the best gymnasts on the uneven bars since her debut on the national team in 2010. Her routine in London was flawless, both in the team and event finals. After the Trials her teammates selected her as the captain of this squad and has really shown true leadership in these Games—we’ve seen it during qualifications and the team finals, comforting the team when the results came in. Her and Simone shared a moment together after the vault when Simone decided to pull out for the remainder of the competition. The veteran gymnast making a statement on Twitter in defense of Simone when she was receiving criticisms for her decision. Y/n’s definitely taken the role of big sister—the oldest at aged 25– and I know the girls are likely having some difficulty without family and friends to support with the regulations set for these Games. There’s no spectators in this arena save for the media and volunteers. Each nation was only allowed to bring one coach if I’m not mistaken so all the gymnasts are having to adjust. Definitely a different feel these Games no doubt—especially for Y/n who has got to experience the energy one sees in an Olympics with a full house. She’s the fan favorite for this All-Around in Tokyo and it’s going to be interesting to see if Y/n can deliver on Sunday as well and pull a three-peat on the uneven bars—the first for Team USA.”

“It’s definitely going to be an interesting Games no doubt now that it’s been confirmed Simone Biles will not be competing in the All-Around final citing concerns with her mental health. After pulling out of the Team finals it was unknown if she would continue in the All-Around and event finals. She and Y/n were the top two Americans to qualify—the first time for Y/n in her now third Olympics after having not been selected to compete for it in the preliminaries in London and lost to teammate Aly Raisman in Rio. Sunisa Lee has replaced Simone in this final and now the two Americans will go head to head for the title of Olympic Champion.” More replays showed of not only past Olympics but also the preliminaries from Saturday showcasing the contenders for the All-Around; Suni Lee in her Olympic debut and the now three-time Olympic gymnast Y/n L/n.

Thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean where the sun is not even out as it reaches 3:30 in the morning, members of the 2019 Top Gun special detachment, Navy servicemen & women, and residents of Lemoore, California gathered in the gym of Taylor’s Elite Gymnastics Y/n spent 20 years training in.

“You excited, Bobby Boy?” Jake clapped his friends back, shaking his shoulders lightly in a playful manner. “Ready to cheer on the missus?”

Bob scoffs, but blushes nonetheless, “of course I am, Bagman. This is everything she’s trained for. If I could be there I would be the loudest in the stands” Jake makes a sound, muttering, ‘simp,’ causing Bob to brush him off. Phoenix comes over two cups of coffee, handing one over to her backseater.

“Leave him alone, Seresin,” she scolds, “if that was your wife you’d be doing the same thing.” Jake falls silent making Payback chuckle from his spot on the beanbag in front of the four, “he’s not saying anything ‘cause he knows it’s true.”

Fanboy pitches in, munching on some mini donuts, “he’s probably just still salty Y/n wouldn’t hook him up with one of her old teammates. Or that one swimmer he used to gush about.” From the side Rooster explodes in a loud laugh, causing Jake to glare at him. Coyote has to bite back a grin, not wanting to show amusement at his best friend's bad luck.

The pilot wipes a fake tear, still giggling, “Sorry, that was just really funny.” While the others began to tease Jake, Bob focused on the screen. Softness in his eyes as he watched the NBC live coverage, showing footage of Y/n warming up while in the corner of the screen had replays of her 2016 Games in Rio. His heart was hurting he couldn’t be in the stands due to Covid, but regardless Bob was over the moon with love and happiness for his wife.

Since the age of 5 the gym was her second home after her mother put her in a mommy & me gymnastics class. Bouncing on the trampoline was really what made the child fall in love. She could be there all day if they’d let her. Then after a few more classes that were meant for just some bonding time between mother and daughter, Y/n begged to be placed in the regular lessons after seeing the older girls swinging on the bars and balancing on the beam.

It was the start of a career that would span over a decade when Y/n began competing, claiming multiple national titles, world championships, and three Olympic Games.

In 2004 Y/n sat glued to the TV watching Team USA compete in the Athens Olympic Games. Carly Patterson was crowned Olympic Champion of the All-Around and Y/n knew at that moment she wanted to become an Olympian.

Her parents were hesitant, especially after talking to other parents during Y/n’s lessons, to pull her from school and dedicate all her time to training. There was also the topic of moving to find a coach. Many gymnasts they read up on had traveled to different gyms and had lifelong coaches. For Y/n, her family wanted to stay in Lemoore. Her father had done time in the Navy and was stationed there when he met Y/n’s mother. They fell in love and her father decided to end his contract with the Navy to be with her mother. Not long after he ended up getting a good civilian job on base with Y/n being born in 1996.

What made her parents decide to go through with full-time training were the owners of the gym. Mike and Mary Taylor. Husband and wife who together ran and coached the gymnasts. It was a fairly new gym—having only opened in 2000 so they never had one of their students go to the international level. “There is a fire in her, we both see it. She’s got the dedication, the spirit, and we would love to be the ones to help her achieve the dream of the Olympics. And we would do everything in our souls to make it happen. When we look at her, we see a future Olympic champion.”

So the deal was set. Y/n would become homeschooled and spend nearly 10 hours in the gym everyday. After waking up she would have breakfast with a smoothie before starting one of two 5-hour practices. Mornings were dedicated to bars and beam with Mike and afternoons with Mary on floor and vault. Lunch would be in between and then after dinner Y/n would condition with a personal trainer. Within a couple years she had worked up to level 5 and began competing in meets.

It was learned very quickly that Y/n had a talent for the uneven bars. She was strong on the beam and good on floor and vault, but bars is where she shined. An All-Around gymnast, Y/n put more focus in perfecting her bar routine than anything else. It was where she felt like she had a better chance at becoming an Olympic champion. Flying high in the air on releases brought joy and hitting a perfect handstand made Y/n feel like she was on top of the world.

Nadia Comaneci of Romania, the first gymnast in Olympic history to receive a perfect 10 in competition, was her idol and who Y/n strived to be like. She was the definition of perfection. Every moment of free time Y/n was watching reruns of the 1976 Games in Montreal where Nadia claimed the All-Around, Uneven Bars, and Balance Beam gold. Sometimes Y/n wished she could attempt to do the flawless routine, but the uneven bars were placed differently than they were in the 70s.

There was also the American Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win the All-Around at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Y/n admired many gymnasts from the former USSR in the 60s & 70s & 90s including Olga Korbut, Ludmilla Tourischeva, Nellie Kim, Larisa Latynina. Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina, Belarus’s Svetlana Boginskaya, and Vera Caslavska of the former Czechoslovakia were amongst Y/n’s idols in the sport.

And of course, the 1996 Magnificent Seven: Shannon Miller, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, and Kerri Strug. The team of women Y/n cited as her biggest inspirations. Y/n was born the year they won the US their first gold in the Women’s Team All-Around on home turf in Atlanta. Chills always appeared when watching replays of Kerri Strug landing the vault on practically one foot to secure the gold against Russia.

In 2010 at age 14 Y/n made her debut on the junior national team. She appeared in several championships, claiming titles to the uneven bars and balance beam. She never listened to commentators when watching replays of meets to see what she needed to improve, but there was always a heaviness to her heart when they would say she was unlikely to be an All-Around contender. “We’ve seen her these last competitions and there’s no doubt she will be a threat to other gymnasts when it comes to the uneven bars—her routine even here on the junior level is insane—and possibly balance beam, but there is a lot to be done for Y/n on the floor. She’s powerful on vault—as we saw in her Yurchenko 1 ½ twist, but fails to stick the landing and is always taking a large step with big deductions. She needs to control that power so she’s not catapulting forward on the landing.”

Her family and coaches reminded her to not listen to commentators or opinions of the media. It was hard first coming into the national stage, but by the 2012 U.S Olympic Team Trials Y/n was a pro at handling the them. She was 16, the reigning World Champion on the uneven bars, and looking to earn her place on the London team. The trials lasted two days with Y/n qualifying after finishing in the top 8 of the VISA Championships. 15 total girls including the Beijing All-Around Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin and member of the 2008 silver winning team Alicia Sacramone, all competed for one of the five spots on the team.

Like all the gymnasts in attendance, Y/n competed on every apparatus but it was her bars and beam routines that secured her spot for London. After a small mistake on the floor Y/n feared it would be the make or break in deciding if she would make the team since she did not rank in the top two places by the end of the trials. Her vaults were good form wise, though she needed to really work on sticking the landing better. When her name was called out in the back room Y/n burst into tears. Her coaches pulled into an embrace, crying with her, before she and the other four girls were hauled to the floor. The crowd of spectators were on their feet. Cheers from every corner.

Vision blurry, Y/n turned her gaze to the section her parents were seated in. When she found them the tears fell more rapidly at the sight of her father practically jumping up and down whistling while her mother was in her own emotional state. They blew kisses to her, Y/n returning them before waving to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, your women’s 2012 London Olympic team!!!”

London was a dream come true.

The moment Y/n stepped into the arena she had to hold back her tears, pitching herself as though to say, ‘is this really happening?’ The smell of the chalk brought comfort. Y/n was itching to get on the bars and show the world what she was made of. Her teammates were some of the best gymnasts to exist with several World titles to their name. The pressure was on for these young women. The media and fans back home were hoping they would be the first team since the Magnificent Seven to win the gold in the team final. It was their goal, but they had tough competition against Russia and China.

The qualifications were intense, but the team as a whole managed to get the top rank to guarantee a spot in the final. After discussions with the appointed team coach, Y/n only competed on the bars and beam. Uneven bars was her strongest apparatus where she would no doubt deliver. The beam was her second strongest, with a difficult routine that when executed would bring a high score. It saddened the gymnast she would not get the chance at All-Around gold, but Y/n pushed her emotions aside to focus on the big picture. Rio was four years away, she could easily try for a spot on that team. For now, she needed to focus on getting the gold in her events.

Qualifying in the top spot on bars and beam, the next step was the Team final.

And it was one to remember.

The team kicked off on the vault where Gabby, Jordyn, and Aly gave a beautiful start to the competition. Russia was next before the second rotation: bars. Y/n was the last of the three Americans to perform after Russia went first. She kept her back to the bars when the Russian athletes were up, the golden rule of gymnastics that was learned very early on: never watch your competitors or pay attention to the standings. Very often will it jinx the performance of the gymnast who does. And Y/n was not about to let that happen.

When Kyla and Gabby were on, Y/n clapped and cheered them on alongside Aly and Jordyn. “C’mon Gabby, you got this!” Yes! Beautiful—one more big one!” “Stick it, Kyla—stick it! YEAH!!”

Then she was up.

A quick pep talk from Mike and Y/n stepped onto the platform and waited for the green light. When it appeared, she saluted the judge and faced the bars, taking a deep breath before running to punch her feet on the springboard, hitting her hands onto the low bar in a straddle position before catching the high bar. The entire routine Y/n didn’t think, she just let muscle memory take her away. Cheers from her teammates and the crowd fueled her. Release after release, handstand after handstand, kip up to the high bar from the low bar. The routine felt like forever but in reality it was only less than two minutes.

“Beautiful start off the springboard and onto the high bar—from here are a series of handstands which have become a staple in Y/n’s routines since the junior U.S Championships in 2010. Here we go on the first….hit it right on the mark, now the second…oh gorgeous form—legs are squeezed together. She will hit two more before going straight into a big release. Here it comes-over the high bar—-wow look at the height! Then straight to the low bar and back to the high into another big release. Unstoppable, this routine is jam packed with difficulty. Y/n has shown little mistakes since unveiling this routine at the beginning of the season—despite one error during the American Cup where she missed a handstand that resulted in shaky release. One more big transition from high bar to low bar and back again before falling straight into a release. Wow, that was amazing! Now she’s gearing up for the dismount—very difficult here—she’ll be doing a double twisting double layout, the same Shawn Johnson did in 2008 rated a G-Value skill. Here we go, the moment we’ve all been waiting for—and she sticks it!! Unbelievable! The crowd loved that and so did her teammates, they’re jumping for joy down below.”

Y/n finally breathes as the crowd goes wild around her. Briefly closing her eyes, she exhales before facing the judges to salute. A wide grin on her lips, Y/n claps her chalky hands covered by the grips and runs to the stairs to be embraced by her coach. Her teammates surround her, hugs and high-fives all around. “That was amazing!” “You were perfect! Absolutely perfect!”

“This is why Y/n was picked for these Games—it is that routine that secured her spot on team USA. It’s untouchable. She is the World Champion in this event, completely dominating the junior level—no one else could touch Y/n on the bars. She’s looking to become the first American to win the uneven bars on Sunday night for event finals and she is exceptional. Those handstands are perfection, the form is impeccable and the landing was perfectly executed—she would get a ten if it were the old system. Now we’re just waiting for the score, which is going to be big. Her start value is 7.1, huge for an uneven bars routine but it’s those transitions combined with the releases and of course that G dismount that really make this routine such high valued—not to mention the series of handstands at the beginning. I believe she has the highest start value in this event these Olympics—no doubt the fan favorite for Sunday night.”

Y/n downs a bottle of water, ignoring the snaps of the cameras from the press directly in front of her. She waves to a few people in the audience, a little girl shrieks when they see the gymnast noticed them. Quickly Y/n packed her bag because they were about to make the rotation to beam. They were just waiting on her score.

“For those of you at home watching for the first time who are confused on how the scoring works, the gymnasts routines used to be scored out of a 10–that’s how it was for the Magnificent Seven and Carly Patterson. But after the 2004 Olympics the Code of Points changed and now they are given a difficulty and execution score. The difficulty is set in stone by the routine, so in Y/n’s case her start value is 7.1–that is the difficulty of her routine based on all the elements put together. The execution score is out of 10–similar to the old system where the judges deduct when they catch errors, imperfect form, or the gymnast falls. After the execution score is decided it is added to the start value, and that is the score the gymnast receives. The highest score Y/n can receive is a 17.100 if she were to receive a perfect execution score of 10. On the screen now is the deduction zone and green is what these athletes want—they want little deductions as possible. Yellow is basically the caution area and red is the danger zone where the gymnast made a really bad mistake—possibly a fall off the apparatus or had too many visible errors.”

“You know, Y/n does her best to not leave room for deductions but there’s always something the judges will catch. Scoreboard is coming around and it looks….it’s a 16.541 for Y/n L/n! Holy moly that is a massive score for the Americans—it’s put them well ahead over Russia going into rotation three. She scored higher than in the qualifications which was a 16.3! I know she’s happy now—we can see her smiling from this angle as the Americans get ready to move to the balance beam. Y/n will compete on the beam along with Kyla Ross and Aly Raisman before sitting out of the floor.”

Warming up on the beam, Y/n did her spins, a couple jumps, her Arabian, and dismount. She was set to go second, giving a slight break after coming off of the high from bars since the US was set to go first in the rotation. Then in the final rotation on floor they would compete after Russia. Y/n was confident in her beam routing, having perfected it for over a year. It had lower difficulty than her bar routine but was still highly valued at 6.4. The highest Y/n had received on it was a 15.628 at the trials, usually ranging between 15.100 and 15.533 in other competitions. In the qualification round Y/n got a 15.478 and secured her place in the individual event final.

“Welcome back to our coverage of the women’s artistic all-around team final in London. We’re onto rotation three of four and it’s the balance beam for Team USA. All three Russians have competed with great performances and very little deductions. The margin between Russian and the US looks like it may be neck and neck going into the floor. Up first for the Americans is Kyla Ross—she and Y/n L/n will finish their team finals on this event. They both were chosen to compete on just the bars and beams—Jordyn Wieber will join Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman on floor after sitting out for two rotations following the vault. Up first for team USA, Kyla Ross.”

“Let’s go, Kyla!!” Y/n clapped her hands around her mouth. “You got this girl!” When the gymnast finished Y/n was immediately hauled up the stairs, high-fiving her teammate before waiting for the green light on the far right end of the beam. Once Kyla’s score was finalized and on the board, the green appeared and Y/n saluted the judge. The springboard was placed beside the middle of the apparatus, and Y/n once again took a deep breath.

“Y/n’s got the green light from the judge, and is now setting up for her mount. This is quite the skill she is about to do—Dominique Moceanu of the 1996 team performed this mount on the beam in Atlanta. Here she goes….beautiful. It’s a tricky mount but when executed right it can be stunning. Now onto this interesting spin that many gymnasts have started to use in their routines, it’s called a ‘wolf spin.’ She’ll do three full turns right here before setting up for her first big combo—Arabian into a pike jump then right to a back handspring—a little shaky right there on the landing. There will be a slight deduction for not having her chest up in time. Gorgeous spins as she walks to the opposite beam. Here is her tumbling pass, back handspring to a layout—repeating it—and she’s got it! A spin to jump combination and straight into a back tuck. Y/n has made it a habit in her beam routines to display her strength. From this handstand she will turn and split her legs down the middle before holding it at an angle so she’s not level with the apparatus. Very hard to do that could easily end in disaster, but she makes it look effortless. The crowd loves it too. Now all there’s left is the dismount—the time buzzer has sounded. An F-valued skill she’s gonna do a stretched back salto with a triple twist. And she sticks the landing once again!! Beautiful end on the beam for Y/n L/n! That is gonna be a good score I feel.”

“Great job, that was awesome!” “Well done, Yn.” “You did amazing!” Her teammates swarmed her again, followed by her coach who pressed a fatherly kiss to her forehead, “well done, well done, my little powerhouse.” Catching her breath, Y/n wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Together they looked out to the audience to try and find his wife, her other coach, and Y/n’s parents. When they found them they were on their feet clapping, waving frantically at the two. Then the score came in and Y/n visibly saw them get more excited. Rotation 3: BB—Y/n L/N (USA) 15.840

“Wow, a huge score for Y/n L/n of Team USA—15.840! That is the highest score she’s ever received now—her 15.6 at the Olympic Trials was the highest she had gotten on this routine and now it’s been replaced.”

“Well deserved too. This routine was the best she’s ever performed, John. There were those two slight errors where her chest was low on the landings, but her form is just outstanding.”

After cheering on Aly it was time for the last rotation. Y/n packed up her backpack before pulling on her Team USA sweats to cover her bear legs. Over by the floor Y/n was filled with nerves, but confidence for her teammates. After the beam there was a tight lead over Russia, but not by a large margin where anything could happen. It was gonna come down to what happens on the floor.

When the results came in and USA appeared on the #1 spot Y/n jumped for joy, interlaced hands with her teammates in the air. The entire arena was on their feet—especially those who came all the way from America to support. Y/n’s parents and coach were whistling and screaming, it was a truly golden moment for the 16-year-old from Lemmore, California. And for the girls sharing it with her.

They pulled off what they set out to do since being named at the trials. The Olympic Gold in the Women’s Team Final, making them the first team since the 1996 Magnificent Seven to win the title. It was an honor Y/n would carry for the rest of her life and got to share with her spectacular teammates. Standing on top of the podium, with a gold medal around her neck as the national anthem played, Y/n let the tears fall freely. Overwhelmed with emotion, her lips trembled as she mouthed the lyrics. The arena was quiet save for the melody, but when it ended it erupted in cheers. Together with her team Y/n raised the bouquet of flowers to the sea of spectators. Cameras flashed as they posed with the silver and bronze winning teams Russia and Romania.

Post interviews took place and Y/n was still unable to let go of the grin on their face when answering questions. “Y/n, congratulations on this amazing win. You and the team have won the gold—America’s first Team gold since 1996. Can you put into words how you’re feeling right now?”

“Honestly I can’t—I-I’m just so overcome with emotion, it still feels unreal. I want to take this moment to thank my parents who are in the crowd, they have been my strongest support system during this journey and of course my amazing coaches that are with me in London. And of course Aly, Jordyn, Gabby, and Kyla. They were spectacular tonight—I’m so proud of this team, everyone gave it their all and pulled off the best routines we could to get here. After the first rotation the energy just kept bouncing off each of us—it was a great start that flowed into every rotation.”

“I have to bring up that bars routine, Y/n, everyone is talking about it. Absolutely phenomenal. That was the best we’ve seen you do in the event—scoring higher than you did in qualifications. You’re the reigning World champion and the favorite for Sunday night’s event finals. Do you think you’ll do better than you did tonight ?”

Y/n bit her lip, offering a shrug to the reporter, “The thing about this sport is you never know if you’re gonna hit the routine each meet. The goal is to every time but you just have to go in there and give it your best. And that’s what I plan to do Sunday. My coach and I are going to work on where improvements are needed, and I hope to deliver the same way I did tonight.”

The volunteer signaled for the reporter to hurry it up. “Well we’ll be cheering you on both Sunday and Tuesday night as well for the beam finals. Congratulations again on behalf of everyone watching at home. You and the team did amazing and we hope you all have fun celebrating tonight. We’ll see you back here Sunday for the uneven bars.”

Y/n shook the reporter's hand with a grin, “Thank you so much! Have a great night,” blowing a kiss to the camera, Y/n waved to the fans shouting out to her and moved to follow the team out of the arena. The next time she was in the dome was to cheer on Aly and Gabby from the stands during the All-Around final. Kyla and Jordyn were with her, as were the coaches and parents. A wave of red, white, and blue was around them, supporters of Team USA which competed for the loudest section against others when it came to cheering on the Americans. Y/n was on her feet each time Aly or Gabby finished a routine, “Way to go, Gabby!!” “I see you, Aly, let’s go!!”

By the end of the competition Y/n was frantic with joy. Gabby’s name was at the top spot making her the All-Around Olympic champion. The entire arena was on their feet in an explosion of cheers. Unfortunately Aly missed out on the bronze, landing fourth place. Y/n shed tears for both Gabby and Aly, filled with joy for the former at winning the gold, but heartbroken for the latter.

The rest of the week flew by in a blur until it was Sunday night and Y/n was back on the mat for the women’s uneven bars final. She along with seven others would compete for the honor of Olympic champion. The last to compete, the athlete kept her back to the bars and mentally prepared—doing some handstands to pass time. When her coach came up saying it was time, Y/n shook the nerves off and blocked out the crowd.

This was the moment of her life.

“Representing the United States of America,” the crowd cheered, “Y/n L/n!” Taking her place on the mat, Y/n saluted the judges at the green light before licking the tips of her thumbs and clapping once—a ritual since she started competing. With a nod to her coach, who was set up to move the springboard upon her punch onto the bar, Y/n sprinted up and started the routine.

All throughout the routine Y/n thought of her idol Nadia, striving to have the perfect form she did when she took the gold 34 years prior in Montreal. She let her body do the work, letting it carry Y/n through the air upon releases and putting it in the right position with each move. Before long it was time to dismount. The arena was on edge, waiting for the show-stopping move that Y/n had stuck in the team final. With a deep inhale, the gymnast released her hands and twisted before opening her arms at the nick of time.

When her feet hit the mat, arms out and upright, Y/n had to hold back the tears for she knew she just pulled off the best bars routine of her life.

The audience knew it too, they were in an uproar. It continued even after Y/n saluted the judge and walked off the stairs. Her coach practically hauled her off the last step, embracing her while she cried. Of course it was bad luck to celebrate when the score hasn't come in yet, but Y/n had the highest start value of all the finalists and there was no doubt she just overtook the #1 spot. “I’m truly speechless folks, that was without question the best routine of the night. Y/n L/n promised to deliver and she did—from start to finish the routine was non-stop. Hit after hit—that landing will go down in history books. Y/n knows it too, she’s already celebrating it looks like with her coach, Mike Taylor, who’s been with her since she began her gymnastics career. The crowd is celebrating too—I can see her teammates on their feet. We’re just waiting on the score and it should be coming in at any second—-16.825! THAT’S THE GOLD MEDAL FOR Y/N L/N OF THE UNITED STATES!!! She’s the new Olympic champion on the uneven bars—the first for Team USA!!!”

Being on top of the podium felt like cloud 9. Y/n couldn't believe that after years of hard work and dedication she was the Olympic gold medalist in their favorite event. It meant more to her than when she won the World title the year before. All she pictured when the national anthem played was her at nine years old, sitting in front of the tv to watch the Athens Games. That little girl was now an Olympic champion. The best in the world on the uneven bars.

A dream that came true.

Speaking of another dream, Y/n felt all the wind leave her body when after the podium ceremony she was called over by the team’s head coach….and next to her was Nadia Comaneci. Beaming at the gymnast when they locked eyes. If the cameras were not on them her knees would’ve buckled right there. There was no stopping the tears at that point. Her idol was congratulating her, hugging her, completing her routine….it was the best moment of Y/n’s life. More so than actually winning the damn gold medal.

When Y/n repeated the glory on the beam two nights later with a 15.866, there weren't as many tears but the emotion was all the same. It had been the final night of completion for gymnastics with Aly Raisman securing the gold on the floor exercise. Team USA on top of the podium in 5 of 6 events. Y/n was over the moon.

But one question remained.

“Hello again, Y/n, wow has it been a run for you in your Olympic debut. Along with Aly Raisman you’re the most decorated American to come out of this competition. Three gold medals. The Olympic champion on the uneven bars and balance beam as well as the #1 team in the world. Unbelievable, you’ve been amazing to watch this week and everyone at home must be over the moon for you.”

“I really am—It’s so unreal to think that this time last year I was making my debut with the senior national team. I’m so filled with gratitude, my parents and coaches—this wouldn’t have been possible without them. To be called a three-time gold medalist is the biggest honor in the world and to share one of them with my team is….I’ll never be more proud than I am of them. They’ve done amazing at these Olympics—Gabby winning the All-Around, Aly with the floor and the bronze on beam. I’m just so overcome with happiness for not just myself but for them as well.”

“I gotta ask because it’s been buzzing after your win on the bars, but are you looking for a shot at the Rio team in 2016? You’re now the Olympic champion in two events—are you hoping to defend it in four years? Not to mention hopefully get the chance at competing in the All-Around since you weren't selected in the qualifications?”

This was the question that had Y/n up nearly all night thinking about. It was unspoken between her and her coaches, having wanted to focus on the current competition than set sights on the future. Now that the Olympics were technically over for her, Y/n was ready to get back in the gym for another chance at glory.

This time, her goal was the All-Around title.

“I pretty much knew regardless of the outcome of this competition that I would train for Rio. Now the motivation is tenfold really and I do hope I get the chance at the All-Around if I do make the team. For now I’m gonna celebrate with my family, coaches, and my team before getting back in the gym for next year’s Worlds.”

The 2013 to 2015 World Championships were some of the best years in Y/n’s career. Not only did she take the silver in the 2014 & 2015 All-Around next to gold medalist Simone Biles, but claimed the 2013 gold on the balance beam followed by silver in 2014 & 2015, shocked the globe by becoming the 2015 World Champion on vault, and went three for three gold on the uneven bars. By the time the 2016 Olympic trials came around, Y/n was the second ranked gymnast in the world.

The Olympic Rings were tattooed on her forearm, a reminder that she accomplished her childhood dream. Making the team for the second time that summer was beyond what Y/n could put into words. And she would not be the only returning olympian to the US team, Gabby and Aly were coming with her.

There was a lot of talk of what Y/n would bring to the Rio Games. Not only was she the defending champion on bars and beam—hoping to bring a first for the US by repeating her success in London, but she was aiming for a spot in the All-Around competition. Commentators couldn’t get enough of the impending qualifications. Simone was the top contender—the #1 gymnast in the world—and would no doubt qualify, which only left one spot. One spot that three gymnasts wanted.

Gabby, looking to defend her All-Around title.

Aly, to claim the medal she missed when placing fourth in London.

And Y/n, the reigning two-time World silver medalist.

All three members of the gold winning team in London. All three individual Olympic champions.

It would be a heated competition between athletes and friends.

When the trials concluded Y/n had a lot to think about. A lot to mentally prepare for. In the Olympics anything can happen. She witnessed that in London when Jordyn, the reigning World champion, did not qualify for the All-Around. Romania claiming the bronze in the team final over China. Then Y/n beat the leading contender for the gold on beam. Nothing was guaranteed.

As Y/n packed up her bag following interviews after the 2016 team was announced, she headed to leave for the parking lot to meet with her parents and coaches. Phone in hand, Y/n sent a message to her parents when they asked if she wanted to go out to eat to celebrate. As she came around the corner, having waited until most of the spectators had already left, the gymnast gasped when something crashed into her legs causing the phone to drop from her hands, “Oh!”

“Daisy!” A male voice shouted against the sound of feet approaching. “I told you to watch before turning—I’m so sorry ma’am. I—.” His voice stopped suddenly when Y/n lifted her head to connect with a stunning pair of blue eyes. They belonged to a young man with a baby face, roughly around her age but possibly older by a few years, who had blonde hair—stood at about 6 ft and wore a pair of glasses. “O-oh God, you’re Y/n L/n. I-I’m so sorry about my sister—she wasn’t looking.”

The little girl in question—who looked to be about 11 years old— was now in front of Y/n, mouth agape as she stood starstruck. In one hand was a handheld American flag with the event program in the other and she had team USA painted on her cheek. She looked very similar to the man behind her as she had matching hair and eyes. Daisy, as her name was shouted by her brother, looked like she could cry. “I’m so sorry, Miss. Y/n.”

“Oh it’s alright,” the woman softly smiled. Daisy had the same look of awe and emotion Y/n had when she met Nadia Comaneci in 2012 after winning the uneven bars. “Really, it’s okay. I should’ve watched where I was going.” She bent down to grab her phone, silently thankful it didn’t crack any more than it already was. The guy, however, saw the cracks and went pale.

“I’m so so sorry. O-oh gosh, I’ll pay the full amount to replace it—.” Y/n immediately cut him off.

“No, no, no, it was already like that,” Y/n lightly laughed, a little embarrassed to reveal the truth, “I promise you, I just haven’t had the time to get a new one. But it wasn’t her fault I can assure you. It was actually the locker room floor that’s responsible.” Daisy looked embarrassed and guilty at the thought she broke the Olympian’s phone, but upon Y/n’s words she visibly relaxed.

Her brother on the other hand still wasn’t sure. Internally he was freaking out. The now two-time olympian and gold medalist was right in front of him. And she was so beautiful in person it was making his brain scatter…..And his sister knocked her phone from her hands. “Are you sure? I can really write you a check right now Ms. L/n.” The woman waved a hand with a shake of the head, “You have my word. You don’t me anything, Mr……” she waited for him to say his name. A light tint of red appeared on his cheeks, “U-uh Robert, but you can call me Bob, everyone does.”

Y/n extended her hand, making Bob blush more when he went to shake it and a spark ignited causing them both to flinch. “Sorry!”

Y/n only laughed, finding him adorable, “It’s okay. It’s nice to meet you, Bob, and please call my Y/n. And it’s nice to meet you too, Miss. Daisy.” The little girl smiled wide, in a state of visible joy that she was in the presence of her idol.

“You were amazing today, Y/n,” Daisy complimented, making the woman smile.

“Thank you. Did you have fun watching the competition?”

Daisy nodded, “I had a lot of fun. My favorite was you on bars—I had my brother get seats near them so we could watch you.” Y/n couldn’t help but feel warmth in her body. Anytime she had fan interactions it reminded her how she fell in love with gymnastics. Watching the Games and competitions on tv, attending them in person to watch athletes she admired growing up. One could never get used to it. Y/n could see herself in Daisy, for she had begged her parents to always get seats by the bars when they went to watch the 2008 Team trials.

“You’re her favorite gymnast,” Bob casually said with a smile. Y/n thought at that moment, ‘wow he’s got a beautiful smile.’ Her heart picked up at the realization she was attracted to the man. There was just something about him that had her wanting to stay and talk with him.

Y/n smiled at the compliment, turning to Daisy, “I’m extremely honored to have that title, Miss. Daisy. Thank you so much for your support and coming out today. I’m happy I did not let you down,” Y/n then asked, “Are you a gymnast too?”

“Yup!” She said proudly, “I’m level five. I watched you win in London and wanted to be like you,” Y/n placed a hand on her chest, an ‘awe’ escaping her mouth as she tried to hold back the emotion. This little girl was about to capture her heart.

Her brother surly was about to.

Bob nodded his head to his sister, “Her birthday was recent and this is what she asked for. To come watch the trials—to hopefully see you make the team. C-congratulations by the way! You were incredible out there.”

“Thank you,” Y/n said to him, “It’s a privilege to get to compete for a second time. Thank you both for coming out and supporting,” she turns back to Daisy, “And happy belated birthday!”

“Thank you!” She beamed, before hesitating to hold out her hand with the program. “Could—could you please sign this?” Y/n quickly pocketed her phone, removing a sharpie from her bag, “of course. Anything for the birthday girl.” Taking the program, Y/n flipped to the page with her picture and information, scribbling a message saying, ‘Daisy, Shoot for the stars and go for the gold. Thank you for all your support. All the love, Y/n,’ with a little heart at the end. Closing it, Y/n handed it over to her just as Bob was pulling out his own phone.

“Do you mind? I know you must be on your way.”

“Oh not at all,” she said, motioning for Daisy to come closer, who politely asked, “Can I give you a hug?”

“Oh course!” Y/n opened her arms and Daisy fell into her embrace. They faced Bob, smiling at the camera and he took several photos before nodding, “perfect.” Daisy then requested a selfie, and Y/n was all too happy to say yes. Bob handed Daisy the phone who then handed it to Y/n who went, “oh you want me to take it? I’m not the best selfie taker but for you I shall.” Y/n flipped to the front camera and took several photos with Daisy. One nice one of them smiling and a few goofy faces, ending with a kissy face.

Y/n handed the phone over to Bob, but Daisy stopped them, “now you two!” Bob flushed, looking at Y/n to see she was just as suprised. He was silently embarrassed to say he too would have liked a photo, but it was getting late, the gymnast was obviously tired, and they had an early drive back home the next morning. He was due back to report on base on Monday after taking the last Thursday and Friday to take his sister to the trials. “Oh Daiz, it’s getting late. We don’t wanna hold Y/n up—.”

“C’mon, Bob,” she whined, “this way you can brag to your Navy buddies you met an Olympian. And not just any Olympian, you met Y/n L/n!” The insinuation had Bob slightly glare at his sister, finding it to be rude to say such a thing in front of the person they were referring to. He didn’t want Y/n to think it was for clout.

“Daisy—.”

“I don’t mind,” Y/n offered with a kind smile, butterflies erupting in when they made eye contact. Despite the aviator’s fears, Y/n wasn’t offended. In fact she found it amusing, wanting to do it for him. She could tell Bob was still unsure so she said, “If we do a selfie then it’s best for you to take it.” Bob gave a nervous laugh, but nodded and moved closer to Y/n. He was taller than her so Bob held the phone up higher than usual and at an angle.

After the photo Daisy insisted on taking one of them despite her brothers protest. Y/n chuckled at the banter, before pulling Bob to her and placing a hand on his back. Blushing, he put his arm around her shoulder. Daisy didn’t say how many photos she had taken, but judging by her thumb rapidly hitting the screen it was safe to say it was a lot. Feeling bold, Y/n looked up to Bob, “You know if you let me, I’d be happy to help you with the ultimate bragging rights?”

The man’s eyebrows raised, “what did you have in mind.” He wasn’t sure if he should be excited or scared by the look on Y/n’s face.

“It requires you to crouch down,” upon his wide eyes she quickly added, “I’m not gonna kiss you, but I will kiss your cheek if you let me.”

“Oh,” Bob couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Y/n didn’t appear to be lying. “Oh—um.”

“If you’re not comfortable I totally understand.”

“No, no, no, i’m fine with that. It just threw me off for a second. But y-yeah, sure that’d be cool.” Y/n giggled, and motioned for him to bend to her level.

“Get that camera ready, Daisy.” The girl gave a thumbs up, and Y/n stood on her tippy toes while Bob hunched over so her lips were level with his cheek. She gently pressed a kiss to the skin, holding it there for a few seconds to make sure Daisy got the picture. Bob’s face was hot, obviously flustered by the contact but he managed to keep it together. Y/n was in the same boat, heart pumping at tad faster than usual. She pulled away, falling back onto her heels as Bob stood back straight.

“U-uh well thank you,” he laughed, adjusting the collar of his shirt with loopy grin. “That’s definitely the highlight of my year.”

Y/n giggled, stepping away and picking her backpack up. “Be sure to tag me if you post it,” her wink had Bob’s heart skip. His attraction to the Olympian was growing by the second, but Bob knew deep down nothing would come out of it. They were on two opposite spectrums. Y/n was a world class athlete about to compete on the worlds greatest sporting stage for the second time in just two months, while Bob was about to attend the prestigious Navy Fighter Weapon’s school. The thought of them possibly ever getting together, let alone a date, was a fantasy.

Bob snapped out of his thoughts, giving Y/n a nod, “I’ll make sure to.” He then looks to his sister briefly before back at Y/n. “Sorry for holding you up, but thank you so much for the photos and signing her program.”

“It’s a pleasure, really,” Y/n told him and Daisy when the girl thanked her after Bob, “Thank you both for coming out today again. I hope you have safe travels back home wherever you’re going. I’m so happy, Daisy, you had a wonderful time—good luck with your gymnastics. Maybe the roles will one day reverse, and I’ll be the one cheering you on from the stands,” It was evident Y/n’s words meant a lot to Daisy. The girl’s expression read a fire was beginning to ignite in her eyes. “ Oh and on that note…” Y/n removed one of the two armbands wrapped around each wrist. She’d had them since joining the Junior national team and wore them before and every meet. Almost like a good luck charm.

“This is for you, consider it my birthday gift to you. These armbands have served as a good luck charm for me, I’d like you to have one.” Daisy gasped, eyes wide as she took the band in her hand.

“But…if this is your good luck charm, shouldn’t you have it for the Olympics?”

Y/n raised her wrist with the matching band, “I still have this one to do the job.”

“What do you say, Daiz?” Bob said to his sister, who still appeared awestruck. He mouthed to the Olympian, ‘Thank you.’ Y/n gave a smile with a sly wink.

“Thank you,” Daisy finally breathed. “Thank you so so much. I’ll cherish it forever.” Y/n gave one last hug to Daisy before shaking Bob’s hand and waving goodbye to them as they went separate ways. “Good luck in Rio!” Daisy shouted after her, “Win the gold again for us!” Y/n gave the girl her word, feeling a slight sadness when she got to the parking lot where her parents were waiting for her.

“What took you so long, honey?”

“Oh I was talking with some supporters. They were really sweet and we just got carried away,” she explained before switching the conversation.

Though Y/n pushed aside her thoughts of the cute blue-eyed Bob as the days to Rio got closer, she sometimes thought of him and his sister. Y/n never wanted to let her supporters down. Some had been with her since her debut on the national team. Others were residents of her hometown, who’d known Y/n as a baby. Lots came after the London Games. Making the team for Rio was not just her dream, but the dream of the people who admired her. Wanting her to accomplish the impossible when it almost seems too good to be true. Letting them down would be something Y/n couldn’t forgive herself for. Y/n vowed to never let that happen.

And after the night of the trials, she felt that more than ever.

Read Part 2!

………………

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2024: #06 & #05

06. SWEDEN Loreen - "Tattoo" 1st place

Decade Ranking: 19/116 [above Halo, below Adrenalina]

Alright, fine, we've arrived at Loreen. There are plenty of conflicting emotions swirling around in my head, but overall, yeah, you know how I feel about her. It hasn't changed. She's very good, but I'm not obsessed with her. This is where those entries rank.

Let's tackle the elephant in the room: Tattoo is a good song and a boring, uninspiring winner. The two aren't mutually exclusive. Loreen's victory was determined the second she won Melfest, by default. It was unsatisfactory for two reasons:

(1) The moment Loreen was picked the casuals that remembered "Euphoria" immediately started praising her while ignoring everyone else, and this of course snowballed into the biggest jury coronation since Salvador. Lol that the same casuals that were obsessed with Tattoo preshow became upset when she beat Käärijä. What else did you think was going to happen? it was YOU who kept touting her as the best without giving as much as dismissive look at her competition, of course the Eye of Sauron was fixated on her and no one else.

(2) Käärijä. For better or for worse, this year will be remembered as the year Cha Cha Cha was robbed by the juries for the sake of Sweden. Käärijä was not without his own set of problems which directly led to his demise (which we'll tackle when we get to him because this post is about Loreen), but he WAS the year and it was his loss specifically that left a bad aftertaste in many mouths. It's always better when the underdog beats the overdog, and not the other way around.

Once the dust settled, everyone pledged fealty to the crazyparty Fin while "Tattoo" was quickly replaced as the basic gay anthem by "Padam Padam".

However, neither of those things are particularly Loreen's fault?

What I can ascertain is that Tattoo is not Euphoria, obviously. A lot of the love for Tattoo was spillover Euphoria nostalgia. That's fine, but I meant their thematic differences went understated - Euphoria was an ode to the eternity of love, while Tattoo specifically is about the love fracturing apart and Loreen's inabilty to move on - in other words "Euphoria" was a victory, while "Tattoo" always felt like more of a defeat. It's a subtle difference, but one that should always lead to Euphoria being ranked AHEAD of Tattoo, jesus christ ESC250 voters.

However, this is still Loreen, and a lesser Loreen is still lowkey epic. Eventhough "Tattoo" is probably the least good Loreen song, (technically because it's a Cazzi Opeia song with a Loreen sound - "You're stuck on me like a tatoo-oo-oo that is a Cazzi hook if ever there was), it is still a good song. Loreen proved although she's now at an age where her memory is starting to fail her, forgetting essentials such as clipping her fingernails and paying her taxes, she still has the attitude and flat stomach of a cougar ready to pounce. All credits for Tattoo's successes belong to her, SJB and no one else.

And, not unimportantly in a audio-visual medium such as Eurovision, Tattoo also looked really good on the stage. It had A Vision, which is what every winner needs nowadays. Again, the staging is great but also... not that grat lol - it's not the best staging ever. It's not better than Euphoria's or even Vesna's that we'll talk about later. Nevertheless, the song was beautifully framed under the confined space of that impromptu photocopier and Loreen's choreography. The staging was dynamic, artistic and gave the impression real stakes were involved. It Understood The Assignment. It made the song *pop*.

I specifically really LOVE the wide shot during the bridge that really anchors the devastation and desolation she sings about.

It's one of those money shots linger in your mind after the song has ended.

So overall, yeah, Loreen is not my winner or even a top fiver for me, but oh well, whatever? She was a dull winner compared to Käärijä but not an undeserving one. She's still a solid eight-and-a-half out of ten. She alone provided the triple threat of Good composition, Stunning Act and Killer Execution, so ofc juries flocked to her if they're instructed to assess the overal package. If you still think they robbed Käärijä (they did not.) remember that Loreen was solidly second in nearly every televote behind him. If he were destined to always lose Eurovision 2023 like I now believe he was, it's definitely only Loreen who should have taken the W here.

-------------------------------

05. AUSTRALIA Voyager - "Promise" 9th place

Decade Ranking: 17/116 [Above Adrenalina, below Manizha]

Sometimes the reason is "I like music." Many were surprised Voyager came top 10, but not I. To repeat a common question one final time:

HAVE YOU HEARD THE SONG?!?

Well-executed ProgMetal, at Eurovision! By a charismatic lead! Of course it was going to get a good chunk of jury votes from a group of people that know more music beyond what gets radio airplay. As Danny sings, if you haven't done anything like this before, you haven't been alive, sillies!

Going into the contest though, I wasn't fully sure Australia would grab the top 10 I envisioned for them. Like sure, I saw the vision. But my predictions come from Antwerp, not Delphi and the visions I see don't always come to pass. Voyager were hit the hardest by the fandom's latent misandry for daring to be men (+ Simone). Then again, if the fandom got their way, "Padam Padam" would win every year (lol can you imagine what a nightmare that meta would be? especially because "Padam Padam" isn't even that good to begin with) and not songs that are effectively Synthwave with Metal instrumentation. This is a combo that leads to immersive moodpieces, and not the high energy spikes you might expect from metal.

But what this blog if not for its appreciation for moodpieces and what was "Promise" if not A Mood immortalized by Voyager into An Experience. Danny playing the keytar on the bonnet of his delorean, or nearly choking on a chicken sandwich while getting 12 Portuguese points, THOSE are MY little joys in life.

Everything on stage suits a wholesome song about ~promising your loved ones you're in this life's adventure together, ride or die~, which as a message hits home even harder since Danny's cancer diagonosis (not like this affected their placement here - Australia were coming 5th on this ranking since the beginning).

And let's be honest, "Promise" is a just really good song that doesn't need frills or embellishments, but it got those anyway with everyone's fun adlibs.

It's like S10 or MARO, not the flashiest entry nor the most iconic staging, but never the less, the personality came through well enough to merit revisitations when I have a craving for it. Besides, we need a diverse array of genres at Eurovision, to ensure the bar remains high and we don't get a year full of Liars and Firefighters. "Promise" defo fit that bill well. It was good to have A Real Song into the mix, and one that was very deservedly was rewarded with a top ten placement.

If you think that a bad result, then that's fine. I agree with you, but mostly because I think Australia should have come top five and were robbed by the televote. 🙂

THE RANKING

[demifiendrsa]

Star Wars: Visions volume 2 will stream on Disney+ on May 4, 2023.

Volume 2 shorts:

Title: “Sith”

Studio: El Guiri

Writer-director: Rodrigo Blaas

Rodrigo Blaas is an Emmy Award®-winning director who has spent more than 20 years in animation. After co-founding Stromboli Animation in 1997, Blaas joined Blue Sky Studios in 2000, working on the feature film Ice Age, before transitioning to Pixar Animation Studios. There, he worked on such projects as Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007), and Wall-E (2008) and on the Oscar®-nominated short film La Luna (2011). More recently, Blaas partnered with Guillermo del Toro to develop the award-winning series Trollhunters, served as creative director for Mikros Animation Paris and, in 2021, created El Guiri Studios in Madrid with his partner, Cecile Hokes. He also wrote and directed 2009’s award-winning short film Alma.

Title: “Screecher’s Reach”

Studio: Cartoon Saloon

Director: Paul Young

Paul Young is a co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, an IFTA winner and Oscar®, Emmy® and BAFTA nominee. He produced the animated features My Father’s Dragon, WolfWalkers, The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and The Breadwinner as well as award-winning TV series including Puffin Rock, Dorg Van Dango, and Viking Skool.

Title: “In the Stars”

Studio: Punkrobot

Writer-director: Gabriel Osorio

Gabriel Osorio majored in Fine Arts at Universidad de Chile, later specializing in 3D animation. After working in commercials, movies and television series, he founded Punkrobot Studio. Since 2008, he has directed projects for children’s television including Flipos, Muelin y Perlita, Soccer Girls, and television spots. In 2016, his short film Bear Story became the first Latin American project to win an Oscar® in the animated short category.

Title: “I Am Your Mother”

Studio: Aardman

Director: Magdalena Osinska

Magdalena Osinska is an award-winning director who has been with Aardman for eight years. She has directed stop-motion, CGI, 2D and live-action commercials including Wallace & Gromit’s “The Great Sofa Caper” and “Share the Orange.” Osinska directed development of the children’s series Joyets and has also directed films including Spirits of the Piano and Zbigniev’s Cupboard. A graduate of the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, UK, as well as the Polish Film School in Lodz and Art College in Warsaw, Osinska is currently developing the feature film Jasia, based on her grandmother’s memories of WWII Poland.

Title: “Journey to the Dark Head”

Studio: Studio Mir

Director: Hyeong Geun Park

Rising star Hyeong Geun Park had already made a name for himself when he entered the Korean animation industry in 2017, thanks to his strong drawing and animation sensibilities. He has directed animation for dozens of cinematic game trailers and has since expanded into animated series, working on projects including Dota: Dragon’s Blood: Book 3 (2022) and Lookism (2022). Journey to the Dark Head is the first title he has executive produced from start to finish.

Title: “The Spy Dancer”

Studio: Studio La Cachette

Writer-director: Julien Chheng

Julien Chheng is CEO of Studio La Cachette, an Emmy Award®-winning French animation studio he co-founded in 2014 with fellow Gobelins school’s alumni Oussama Bouacheria and Ulysse Malassagne. Chheng was trained in visual development at Disney and has worked as a character animator on acclaimed 2D animated features The Rabbi’s Cat, Mune, and the Academy Award®-nominated Ernest and Celestine. In 2021, he won an Emmy Award® as animation executive producer of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, for which he also served as animation supervisor. In 2022, Chheng directed with Jean-Christophe Roger the Cesar-nominated feature Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia.

Title: “The Bandits of Golak”

Studio: 88 Pictures

Director: Ishan Shukla

Ishan Shukla started his career as a CG artist in Singapore. For more than a decade, he spearheaded projects ranging from TV commercials to series and music videos. His 2016 animated short, "Schirkoa," was long listed for the Academy Awards® after receiving dozens of awards and playing at 120 international festivals, including SIGGRAPH Asia where it was named Best in Show. He then set up his own animation studio to work on adult-oriented animated feature films including a feature-length version of Schirkoa, set to hit festivals in summer 2023.

Title: “The Pit”

Studios: D’art Shtajio and Lucasfilm Ltd.

Writer-director-executive producer: LeAndre Thomas

Co-director: Justin Ridge

LeAndre Thomas is an award-winning writer and director from Oakland, Calif., whose most recent film won Best Director at the Pasadena International Film Festival. In addition to his independent films, Thomas is a part of the franchise studio team at Lucasfilm Ltd. where he has worked for more than 11 years being credited on recent titles such as Light & Magic, The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, and many more.

Justin Ridge executive produced the Emmy®-nominated series Star Wars Resistance. His credits also include Star Wars Rebels, Storks, The Cleveland Show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Title: “Aau’s Song”

Studio: Triggerfish

Writer-directors: Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke

Nadia Darries is a director, animator and co-founder of Goon Valley Animation, with an avocation for songwriting. Born in the Cape Flats in South Africa, Darries has worked on high-end animated film and motion design as an animator, project manager, creative director and director since 2015. Her experience includes animating at Triggerfish Animation Studios on the award-winning BBC films Stick Man, Revolting Rhymes, and Highway Rat.

Daniel Clarke is a Cape Town-based director and artist working in animation, film and illustration. He started his career in animation in 2008 at Triggerfish Animation Studios, where he has served as production designer, art director and director on projects such as the feature film Khumba, BBC’s Stick Man, and The Snail and the Whale. In 2018, along with James Clarke and Daniel Snaddon, he completed the graphic novel Kariba.

[littlefankingdom]

Gege's writing of Gojo Satoru is lazy and bad

Here, I said it.

And I'm of the opinion that "lazy" is an ableist and classicist term thrown around to shame people of their situation, so if I'm using it, I mean it and I'm pissed.

I have been angry since chapter 236 and I fell on an Instagram post, by a fan page, full of the normies fan (aka allocishet boys/men) earlier, which just made me lose it. So, I'm finally going full rant.

I'm using they/them pronouns for Gege, as they use non-gendered pronouns in Japanese. They didn't want their gender to influence the publication (which is a huge problem in the art world, in manga but also in comics and bd (the French-Belgium comics), and I can salute that.

"The Strongest" is not a bad character trait

It is totally possible to tell an interesting story with a character describes as "the strongest in the world", and the idea that Gojo is immediately boring and needed to die for the story to progress is wrong. Superman is an example of this "strongest in the world" character, and he has been thriving for decades. And in manga/anime, we have the great One, who has given us One Punch Man and Mob Psycho. In those two, TWO, stories, One tell us the tale of "the strongest in the world", and One is known to be far from the best artist. So, to sell and have people publish (One Punch Man was originally a webcomic, and the manga isn't drawn by One, but still) and read those manga, it means that One's writing is fucking good. If you have never seen/read Mob Psycho, go do it immediately, it's, imo, the best anime ever. I am still certain that if Reigen was in the jjk's world, everything would be fine, and yes, he still would be a con. One was able to write not one, but two stories about a strongest where you are still sitting at the hedge of your seat during the fights and are so invested, where the other characters still shine and develop their capacities. How? Well, one might be the strongest in a fight, but what about mentally? Emotionally? One explores his characters' flaws and feelings. And the thing is, Gojo has a LOT of flaws that could be exploited to make the story more thrilling. How about how careless he is when fighting, which lead him to be super destructive or letting someone WAY weaker than him get away (Gojo never won a fight perfectly if you look at it)? How he barely shows emotions to others or let himself affected? How he is lonely because of the pedestal the jujutsu society has put him on, and if he got off of it and opened up, he would be way less? A lot of flaws, of "weaknesses", that could be exploited to work on Gojo. That's literally what they did when Gojo got pokeballed, exploited how Gojo does not know how to deal with his emotions because of his upbringing and status, and so, is so deeply affected by the ghost of his one best friend. But it was only to get rid of Gojo, instead of dissecting him. Because, no, we can have that, because it would make him interesting, and Gege hates Gojo.

Hating your characters is an issue

Gege hating on Gojo is funny, until it impacts the writing. And it does, A LOT. Just like loving your character too much can lead you to fail to see the issue in your writings (Catra in She-Ra), hating a character as the same effect. Gege's hate for Gojo led them to be unable to develop him, and to contradict their own writing. For example: Gojo is said to not care about anyone multiple times, Gege even mentioned, outside the manga, that he didn't care about Yuuta or Yuji's lives, he just saw the potential. However, they also wrote Gojo being annoyed at the fact that a teenager was on the death row in jjk 0, Gojo mad that they killed Yuji, Gojo getting angry that civilians are getting killed, Gojo being shaken STILL 10 YEARS LATER by his best friend's betrayal (He cares sooooo much about a man that betrayed him 10 years ago, it's borderline impossible. Like, it's been 10 years, time to stop being soft about this genocidal man, dude. I'm pretty certain that people, after 10 years, either don't care anymore or are pissed at their traitor ex-friend). There's a part of Gege, who is writing an interesting story, that started to develop Gojo, and then, there's the part of Gege that hates Gojo and need to go against this development. When Gojo dies, his dead classmates affirmed he never really cared and was only doing all of this for fun, and it's the final nail in the coffin for me. Gege has a constant need to diminish Gojo's character, that was the issue with Gojo's writing. Gojo couldn't become an interesting "strongest in the world" character because Gege couldn't let him shine. Gege sees Gojo has this uncaring asshole that people only like for his looks (they said that Gojo won the popularity vote only because female readers voted for him, which is so sexist, like women and girls only like a character's looks and cannot appreciate a character's personality and values, but also really diminishing toward his own character, as it would imply nobody could see something interesting in Gojo apart from his looks, but boy, if your character is that popular, it's not just for his looks.) but they could have made it different, a part of them clearly wanted it to be different and knew it was the way to do it. But no! Gege always comes back to hating Gojo and must make him emotionless suddenly. He is never shown to care about the two children HE RAISED for more than 10 years, while still being attached to the man that was is bestie for 3 years more than 10 years ago. That doesn't make sense at all. And he lost the two children he raised while he was pokeballed, after he got distracted. Being distrated by his ex bestie ghost cost him his surrogate family, and we are supposed to believe he is heartless enough to not care??? Gege hates Gojo, and so they keep taking away anything that could make him more interesting. Damn, Gojo wanted to make his students as strong as himself and to change the jujutsu society for the better, and he FAILED. His students are dead (Megumi was at least gone when he was alive) and he never build the new society, so him being fine with his death is so annoying. The strongest actually didn't get what he wanted, he just had "fun" and that was enough, apparently. Yeah, no, fuck you.

YOU WROTE HIM

I'm scared for the futur of jjk

Gege is the creator, the writer, the artist, the mangaka behind Jujutsu Kaisen and so, Gojo Satoru. They are their god. They had the power to make Gojo's interesting, to develop him more, to make him more weak in other aspect, to use his flaws against him, but they didn't. And that's why Gege is lazy to me. Because they refused to do the work to make things better, they chose the easy way to deal with a strong character: killing them. They kept on complaining about Gojo, like they had no power over the writing. And look, they hated Gojo for being "too strong" so they killed him, but now Sukuna and Kenjiro are too strong. Gege just keeps shooting themself in the foot.

This is my personal opinion, and you can disagree completely (don't try to change my mind, tho)

Gege has also mentioned not liking my son, my sun, my boy, Yuji, so what now? Will he also hurt his character because of that? And he has already killed like half of the characters we have been following since the beginning, which is disappointing. Like, I was invested in them, and now I'm supposed to watch some new guys, I have no interested in, fight the big bad? I'm not saying they're bad characters or boring, but it's not the fucking same. It feels like it has just become a "Who is the strongest?! Fight! Fight! Fight!" story, and sorry, but I can watch sports for that little connections or interests in the personal stories or goals (fr, I feel more connection to Teddy Riner, French Judoka, and the strongest in the world. Damn, another strongest interesting guy. He actually lost at the last Olympic Games, we were shocked). I love One Piece (and this is why it is a success) because the characters are following their dreams. They have been going into fights for more than 1000 chapters, and I read them all MULTIPLE TIMES because there's a deep connection to the characters. I love watching Luffy fights because I want him to be the King of the Pirates, because I want the people who have been wronged to get justice, because I want the pos in front of him to get their ass beat. And, as he fights to become King of the Pirates, it has a butterfly effect on the whole world and the oppressive system is crumbling. It's not just a fight. And Jujutsu Kaisen is becoming "just a fight", which seem to be enough to most male reader, but I personally find it boring.

[wespirallin]

feather in your cap (a sweet tooth fanfic)

Okay so some of you've probably seen the first chapter/prologue I've posted in the st community and I want to continue posting the new chapters in both ao2 and wattpad, and also here, in my blog. (there's a slight problem with ao3 for now but I'll update you when I have access to my account lol).

here you go people, the second chapter.

Chapter 2 // conform

Before Benji even unlocked the front door, he could hear the dampened voice of Adele filling up their house. A rare smile graced his lips as he hummed along to "Rolling in the Deep". 

Conversations of Adele had made up the first date between the two very drunk young adults. Benji could still remember it like yesterday, how a 20-year-old Pemma had forced him to dance rock-and-roll (they were very drunk okay??) to the very same song in a crowded bar. From that moment on, he knew he wanted a future with that woman. She had made Benji feel free, for what might’ve been the first time ever. Of course, drunk thoughts and decisions never ended well, but this one seemed to be an exception for Benjamin Crane. 

Benji found his wife seated where she spent most of her time nowadays. The wooden table they had built together, whose sole purpose was to serve as a puzzle table. She stuck her tongue out in concentration as she frantically checked almost every remaining piece.

Putting jigsaw puzzles together had always been a stable and favored pastime activity for the pair. They spent most of their free time seated in front of a thousand-piece puzzle for days in comfortable silence, accompanied by a cup of tea. Sometimes they even each got a puzzle with fewer pieces just to race each other. Pemma almost always won. 

This puzzle was an artistically drawn piece of the "Gaang" as Pemma liked to call the team of four teenagers from their comfort TV show. It was a fan-made piece from Emma (Sam's wife) that she'd made for them before she passed away. Benji already knew that his kids would grow up watching the records of the show.

The piece had survived most of Pemma's mood swings (Benji had stayed up all night once to renew the two weeks of progress after a particularly bad one), and it was more than halfway done. They really wanted to be over with it and hang it up on the wall before the twins arrived. Benji was sure that the piece could not handle  a pregnant lady and two newborns.

“Hey love”, greeted Benji, walking over and pressing a kiss on Pemma’s forehead. “How have you been? Any pain or discomfort?”

Pemma smiled up at him with those bright blue eyes he had fallen for over a decade ago.

“You know how it goes by now. Mood swings and some nausea. Went for a walk in the park at one point. It was a calmer day than usual. One of the little rascals did keep kicking me all day though, and it tickled for some reason this time. I’m telling you, Benji, we’re going to have twins with two very different personalities.”

Benji beamed at her. 

“Looks like one of them shares their mom’s hyperactivity”, he joked.

Pemma swatted at his arm. “You’ll realize it’s more of a curse than a gift if it turns out you’re right.”

“That’s okay, we’ll love them either way”, Benji said warmly.

Pemma’s smile fell ever so slightly and she faced her husband with a hesitant look.

“But what if…what if they turn out to be hybrids Ben?”, her voice getting weaker towards the end. “I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Benji's expression hardened. He couldn’t stand how scared his wife looked. He wanted to promise her that everything would be fine, but how could he when even he didn’t believe that? 

Yeah, what if the kids turned out to be hybrids? Benji didn’t know how he could love and raise something so…non-human and unnatural as his own. He just couldn’t imagine himself holding something half-animal, half-human, and thinking, “Yes, this is my kid. Mine to protect, to parent, and to love forever.”

Plus, he was well aware of the new organization that called themselves ‘The Last Men’ (what a stupid ass name that was). He knew how they snatched up the hybrid kids to do god knows what to them. He also knew what happened to the parents who tried to resist. He couldn’t have Pemma going through that. He wouldn't risk losing what he had because of a freaky hybrid kid.

Pemma looked her husband up and down as she tried to gauge his thought proccest. She knew he never looked warmly to hybrids, let alone them having to parent one. Shamefully, she couldn’t say that she disagreed with him. The idea itself scared her so much sometimes that she forgot how to breathe. At the same time, she couldn’t imagine herself not loving any of her babies. How could she look at any of their faces and deny them of the motherly love she was so ready to share?

When Benji finally pulled a chair and sat down across her, she saw the telltale sign of him coming to a decision. One he knew she wouldn't like. 

She took his clammy hands in hers and tried to catch his warm brown eyes.

When he finally did look up, Pemma saw a slightly unnerving shine in his eyes. A shine that make her gut churn uncomfortably.

“Penny for your thoughts, Ben?”

Ben caught the scared edge on Pemma’s voice and it made him want to rip his hair out in frustration. He ignored it for both of their sakes.

“I won’t let anyone, anything destroy what we have…what we’ve built for us okay? If…” he took a deep breath, “If it comes to that, then I’ll do anything in my power to make them normal, what they’re meant to be”, he promised with a set jaw. It was more of a promise to himself than to his wife.

Pemma’s worry lines deepened as her face scrunched up in disbelief. Before she could say anything though, a wave of excruciating pain ripped through her and she couldn’t help the scream she let out. All the previous tension was forgotten as Benji shot up from his chair, steadying Pemma as she doubled over in pain.

“Pems!? What- what is it? Is it the kids? Contractions? Are they-”

“No, I’m just constipated- YES Benji it’s the kids. Now get me to the kiddie pool before I pass out.”

“B-But what? They’re early -you -we, I-I thought we had at least-”

Pemma shot him a murderous look.

“Benji I swear to god-”

“Okay okay, sorry! I got this! I got this.”

Benji took a few deep breaths to steady himself as he hauled Pemma to her feet and gently dragged her to the kiddie pool. He thanked his past self a hundred times for already setting the pool up -just in case. 

. . . 

It’s crazy how quickly life can change up on you sometimes. 

One moment you’re stacking puzzle pieces next to each other, the next you’ve given birth to two beautiful newborns.

One moment you’re shedding tears of joy, the next you realize the baby in your arms has feathers. Brown and white feathers that make up two very mesmerizing wings. Two beautiful wings that are bunched up behind a small body that’s wriggling and crying obnoxiously. He’s beautiful, you think. You have to tear your eyes away from the unique pattern of discoloration on his face as you realize his father falling apart next to you, holding your other baby in his arms. In contrast to his sibling, this one isn’t crying.

One moment you’re ready to celebrate the birth of your two baby boys, the next, you’re sure you’re going to die from the pain of losing one.

A wail rips out from you, a wail that matches the baby's cries in your arms. 

“Benji! Benji what? What’s wrong? What’s wrong with him?? Why is my baby not crying? Benji let me see him!”

Benjamin pleads his tears and sobs away. He pleads the ugly, ugly disappointment and the heartwrenching pain in his gut away as he forces himself not to look at that…thing. That thing that killed his son. He faces his wife instead and pleads the tears away because he has to be strong. He has to be strong, for his wife needs him now. His wife needs him by her side, just as much as Benji needs her.

So he gently wraps up the dead newborn in his arms with a blanket. A blanket that was identical to the that was wrapped around the hybrid kid. A blanket that was chosen by the couple exactly nine months ago. A blanket that was supposed to have had the chance to be washed and used over and over again.

With whatever strength he had left, Benj dragged himself towards his wife in the kiddie pool and wrapped his arms around the sobbing woman. He gently cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears away with shaky hands. The man's own cheeks were drenched with the tears that kept on spilling, almost in stubborn defiance against his pleas. 

It’s crazy how merciless life can be sometimes.

Because one moment you’re mourning the loss of a child, the next you’re trying to keep your wife alive.

One moment you’re the husband, the next you're need to be the doctor.

Thousands of thoughts raced through Doctor Crane’s mind as he tried to identify what may have caused the postpartum hemorrhage. 

Blood clotting condition? Thrombin maybe? Not likely, Pemma’s scratches always healed fast. 

Uterine atony? No, no he would’ve realized if there had been a steady loss of blood after the delivery…right? He would’ve realized. He would've.

Uterine trauma? Yeah,  yeah that was most likely it…but from what? Benji’s eyes hardened as he looked at the hybrid baby with accusing eyes. The kid had wings, but no way were feathers sharp enough to cause any damage to the uterine. The baby was half a bird, right? So talons maybe? 

Benji’s eyes frantically darted from side to side and his breathing picked up as he tried to pinpoint what had caused the excessive bleeding. He was no expert in childborth. He remembered taking a general education about it in med school but he had little knowledge of complications. He racked his brain for anything that could help Pemma.

All his thoughts came to a halt when he felt a weak hand squeeze his shanking one. Pemma.

“Ben…just be with me for a moment.”

And it’s crazy how life could be so merciless because here she was, bleeding out, but still having to be the strong one for Benji.

She looked into his eyes with a sense of serenity, because she knew. She knew that she wouldn’t make it. And Benji saw no sign of anger nor fear in her bright blue eyes. He saw no trace of blame in them and he just knew she didn’t blame him for what was happening. She didn’t blame him for being the doctor and not being able to save her, because of course she didn’t. 

Pemma could barely think straight because of the shock her brain was going through. The shock that left her airless and unable to collect her breath. 

Call her delusional but it reminded her of the way she forgot how to breathe when she saw the same pair of warm brown eyes for the first time. That was a decade ago. Those brown eyes that had her offered so much comfort throughout the years, but now held so much pain inside. The same brown eyes that looked at her with so much love whenever she met them. The same love she was sure that he would show their kid after she was gone.

And life was so merciless to Benjamin Crane that day, for not only had he buried a child and a soulmate, but he was also left alone with the hybrid baby that had caused it all.

[unicornmachine]

Unicornmachine AO3 Masterlist

Okay I've wanted to make this post forever so here we go~

For starters, absolutely none of these are safe for work, they are all so very explicit, I'm sorry.

Fiolee

OMG did this pairing possess me (and continues to...) there are so many stories I’ve written for them I’m making a read more break here.

Love in the Moonlight

Summary: Fionna the Human drops by the Candy Palace for the Biennial Gumball Ball, but she doesn't get much dancing done as she's approached by Marshall Lee the Vampire King. She hasn't seen him in years, since she's gone off on rumors searching for a new Enchiridion in Aaa and he's been spending his time in the Nightosphere, and wow. He's just as she remembered, down to the incessant flirting. Let's see if he can make good on any of these promises.

First off, okay, let me just say this was my OG Fiolee fic and the first fanfic I had written in well over a decade. I started out like many authors writing fanfics as a teenager but stopped when I started working on original works. I published three OC books IRL and really enjoyed writing them but there's something about writing fanfics that is just... so much more fun to me. I rewatched Adventure Time and remembered how much I always loved the Fiolee pairing, so I tried to look them up on AO3 to read about them... AND THERE WAS HARDLY ANYTHING!

Oh no, I told myself, I will just write one little fanfic for fun, for old times sake! WHAT A LIE THAT TURNED OUT TO BE.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I wrote Love in the Moonlight, but I'm so happy I did.

The Deal

Summary: In a moment of desperation Fionna makes a deal with Marshall Lee the Vampire King.

Oh man... The concept of this fic was so undoing to me, a human making a deal with a vampire? A little of their blood in exchange for some necessary help? UGH!!!

A Challenge Between Friends

Summary: In an attempt to win a challenge to scare Fionna, Marshall Lee accidentally takes things too far while exploring a dungeon and loses his grip on himself.

My friend and I were literally feral coming up with the concept of this. I mean... sexy vampire? Dungeon sex? Marshall sucking the red coloring out of Fionna's bra? WHO SITS AROUND AND DISCUSSES THIS STUFF WITH THEIR FRIENDS?! Me, apparently!

Fionna Campbell: Vampire Hunter

Summary: After 1000 years of peace vampire attacks are popping up and it seems a new vampire is preying on the land. Who better to cleanse the land of this new evil than the original vampire hunter, Marshall Lee the Vampire King. He’ll just need some human bait.

This fic... OMG this fic, this fic, this fic... This is probably my favorite story I've ever written. It is so self-indulgent to me and I honestly had so much fun writing it.

The Star

Summary: Fionna travels through the multiverse, to the universe where the vampires won on a mission to retrieve Simone a new crown. While traveling through the wreckage of this strange, new Aaa she meets The Star.

All I could think while watching the Fionna and Cake episode about Marceline becoming The Star was... WHAT IF WE FLIPPED THIS? AND MARSHALL WAS THE STAR? AND HE CAPTURES FIONNA?! hahahahahaha!!!

There are also multiple one-shots and smaller stories on my AO3 featuring this pairing. Love in the Moonlight has a follow up that is still in progress that is linked to the original fic. One may argue this is simply too much Fiolee porn for one person to write. The only thing I can think is... it's never enough.

Huntbunny

Ahhh! This pairing is so cute! I love the idea of Fionna and Hunter Wizard. I haven't written NEARLY enough of these two, but I have more stories in progress.

The Magic Flower

Summary: Fionna runs into trouble deep in a forest on a mission to retrieve a magic flower. Thankfully, someone finds her and helps her out...

So, this story came from a friend sending me some very explicit Huntbunny fanart from the X artist Yakza_draw. I wrote a story to go with the art and sent it to the artist as a thank you for her making such a wonderful work. She ended up becoming a very dear friend of mine, so this fic will always have a special place in my heart.

The Traveling Fountain

Summary: A string of misfortunes leads to Fionna being knocked unconscious and Cake trapped in a moving cave inside an enchanted forest. Hopefully her new friend can help her find a way to rescue her sister and get to the bottom of where all this rotten luck is coming from.