#but that is not a problem more jordin more fun

[artycomicfangirl]

Couple Songs Playlist Headcanons - Mareach and Luaisy Edition

When I was more active in the JoJo’s Bizarre adventure community on Instagram around 2019-2022, I was part of the art and ocs community.

Many people started doing stuff like making Spotify playlists of songs that describe their Oc and other oc relationship aspects. I remember finding this SUPER fun to do. And I miss it. So, I decided to try it out with Mario and Peach first! (Just a teeny break from my much-loved Luaisy fixation!)

So without further ado, here’s a list of songs based on what I can find in my (Many) Spotify playlists. A bit challenging to find good ones!

This will have labels indicating indicating who’s mostly singing about who. Either one person referring to the other, or a Duet that includes both at the same time.

❤️MarioxPeach🍑

- Mario to Peach -

On one side, Mario would have the thought that Peach is simply so amazing. Someone so elegant, pure and beautiful. Someone just way out of his league. These thoughts would often show through hints of resistance at first. He and the Princess are just friends…right?

But the moment he fully accepts his feelings, he becomes so outspoken of his love. So some songs I’ve decided to choose from my playlist, tend to be about wondering if Peach feels for him, like he feels for her. A bit of doubt. But other than that, he shows protectiveness, Being her shield to danger. Also A bit more impulsive, energetic and upbeat in some parts. But with no matter what, he will always give her words of reassurance to make sure everything is okay.

• Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows

• Dance - Tim Halperin

• Aquaman - Walk The Moon

• I’ll Always Return - Bryan Adams (Rock Version)

• Nintendo - Todd Carrey (This is more of a comedic tone to it haha)

- Peach to Mario -

Very sweet, reflective and thoughtful. The type of love that whenever she thinks of her hero, she gets so fluttery and bashful on the inside. She is more reserved her feelings though, so some songs may reflect her denying a bit. But ultimately, they all lead to just wholeheartedly accepting her feelings.

• Fallin’ for you - Colbie Callait

• Tightrope - Michelle Williams

• Lover - Taylor Swift

• Next to You - Jordin Sparks

• I feel the Earth Move - Olivia Ong

- Duets -

• The Fighter - Kieth Urban Ft Carrie Underwood

• Waiting for a Star to Fall - Boy Meets Girl

• Am I Feeling Love? - Steve Lively and Bobbi Page ( The Thief and The Cobbler unfinished film, titled ‘Arabian Knight’ for the Miramax version where this song is made.

———————————————————

💚LuigyXDaisy🌼

- Luigi to Daisy -

Luigi is the more sentimental type. One who thinks about the deeper meaning of his feelings. The one who’s able to find sweet comparisons and words when describing love with Daisy. He knows how timid he is. How easily scared he could be. Which is why He holds such admiration of how much of a free-spirited character she is. So some of his songs will reflect almost awe in her character. How much her presence alone just brings his feelings to life.

• Crush - David Archuleta

• Nothing I’ve ever known - Bryan Adams

• So Close - John Mclaughlin

• All That you are - Goo Goo Dolls

• Into the Night - Santana Ft Chad Kroger

- Daisy to Luigi -

The theme I tried to go with Daisy is of a supportive figure, or one that drives Luigi to improve and be the best of himself. Her words may seem to be a bit more forward with some songs. But mostly, she’s the one who has more of her feelings on her sleeve, and will have no problem expressing them more. She reflects more of the intense passion.

• Better When i’m Dancing - Meghan Trainor

• I’m Feeling You - Michelle Branch

• Brave - Sarah Bareilles

• My Superstar - Jessie J

• Kiss me Crazy - Kaci Battaglia

- Duets -

• Wild - Troy Sivan Ft Alesia Cara (A bit more of an intimate song?)

• At the Beginning - Richard Marx and Donna Lewis

• Don’t Let Go - Bryan Adams and Sarah Mclachlan

#super mario #the super mario bros movie #nintendo #princess daisy #Luigi #luaisy #luigi x daisy #mario #mario x peach #mareach #headcanons #headcanon

[always-rolling-my-eyes]

My thoughts / opinions on the DWTS cast

Super excited for:

-Charli D’Amelo (But really Mark Ballas) - The creative master is back and it is the greatest surprise ever and I can’t remember the last time DWTS has gotten me this excited. And also, I have no problem admitting that I am a complete hypocrite. I was ready to roll my eyes at this tik tok girl every week. But now that Charli is with Mark? I’m her biggest fan. She has all my votes, every week, no matter what 😂 I want Mark to have a successful season so he’ll come back and I’m not even sorry about it 🤷🏻‍♀️

-Selma Blair - The second biggest shock of the cast reveal. I am so excited to watch her and support her through what I know is going to be an amazingly emotional and inspirational journey. Hopefully Sasha doesn’t Sasha too hard 😭

-Wayne Brady - Probably one of the most perfect casting decisions this show has ever made. He seems like he was born to be on this show and it’s actually quite surprising he hasn’t done it yet. Very much looking forward to what Witney comes up with for him, I know she’s going to kill it 😊

-Jordin Sparks - Soooo excited for her and Brandon. I think she’s going to be great and I have all the faith in Brandon to give her great choreography and make sure she reaches her full potential 🥰

-Teresa Giudice - My favorite Real Housewife of all time. The Queen of New Jersey, the Tom Brady of Real Housewives, I will ride with her until the wheels fall off. That being said, I have seen her move throughout the years and she’s definitely going to be the first eliminated but I am going to enjoy it while it lasts 😂

Intrigued by:

-Shangela - I am actually super excited for this and I love that DWTS casting is going in this direction, but I have zero faith in Gleb, so I am trying to not get my hopes up or too invested at first just because Gleb sucks so much 😫

-Daniel Durant - Know of him in passing. I think this is going to be another great journey to watch and I think Britt is really going to have a standout season as a pro with him 😌

-Jospeh Baena - I’m looking forward to seeing Daniella because she proved last season she can do anything 🤣

-Sam Champion - IDK, I get good vibes from him. I think he’ll be fun and I think him and Cheryl will be a good team 🙂

-Vinny Guadagnino- He’s going to be the comic relief this show needs and I’m interested to see Koko as a pro and what she can do 😃

-Jason Lewis - Samantha and Smith’s breakup was more devastating than Big’s death for me, so I’m happy to see him 😝 Also, Peta’s been through a lot recently and I hope being on the show again brings a few more smiles to her life 🙏🏻

Don’t really know / care about:

-Heidi D’Amelio - Literally know nothing about her, I hate when DWTS pulls these kind of casting gimmicks, and I think they’ll try to keep her around a couple weeks, but I think vote splitting with Charli will make her an early exit. Sorry Artem, but congrats on the wedding ❤️

-Trevor Donovan - I don’t know who this is (Twilight?) and I’m sure Emma will work her magic to pull a somewhat decent dancer out of him, but I’m not really feeling it 😕

-Gabby Windey - Everything I know about the Bachelor / Bachelorette is by force via DWTS. I’m sure she’s nice, but I am so over Bachelor Nation and ABC pushing these contestants far. And Val’s her partner so…enough said 🙄

-Cheryl Ladd - Nice lady but doesn’t really peak my interest. Plus, I’ve never really been a fan of Louis so…😐

-Jessie James Decker - Saw a thread about her on twitter and all I can say is YIKES 😬

#dwts 31 #dancing with the stars 31 #dwts #dancing with the stars #mark ballas #charli d'amelio #selma blair #wayne brady #jordin sparks #teresa giudice #shangela #daniel durant #joseph baena #sam champion #vinny guadagnino #jason lewis #heidi d’amelio #trevor donovan #gabby windey #cheryl ladd #jessie james decker

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 31 Week 7: *cracks knuckles* Let's Get Started

So before I say anything, I'm gonna get into the viewers (cuz I saw some bs on twitter all last night), the judges (all four of them are gonna get it) and the show itself (some of the music decisions were incredibly silly and felt like sabotage and the team dance...oh the team dance). Tyra and Alfonso were cool for me. I'm still trying to figure out how Tyra found time to make an outfit change with no commercial break. Where did she go??? How did she do it so fast? I need to know her secrets.

Jordin and Brandon- Tango (Score=36)- So since we're starting out with Jordin, let's go. Let's get into the problems. This dance was good. Jordin's technique was the best I've seen from her. Her feet and legs especially stood out. Brandon's choreo was actually quite good and I loved the skeleton quirks that were thrown in there. It really made for a super fun dance and a great way to start the night. Now, the music problem was clearly an issue here. Of every Halloween-esque song in the world that could've been given to these two for this dance, why give them a song that was THAT far from a tango song? If it had been used for a foxtrot or a jazz, it would've made so much sense and made for a much better routine. But here we are. A song that was actually detrimental to the quality of the dance. Jordin almost looked lost trying to get the right tango feel to this song because it was way too smooth. It's silly that they were given this song to dance to. And it honestly felt like sabotage. I also wanna get into the discourse calling Brandon's status as a pro into question. It's anti-black racism. Full stop. It's a variation of what we saw Keo deal with when he was on. But this is a little different. Women of color, specifically Black women, have it way more difficult on this show. Black pros have had a very difficult time on this show. We all seem to understand this. But for some reason, the fandom doesn't seem to be able to connect that a Black pro being paired with WOC (four of them being Black women), means that they are going to have an extremely hard time getting the general audience to vote for them in droves. That should stop anyone from using his placements as a way to discredit his work as a pro. But, let's say you still want to make that argument, cuz you're bored and you wanna be an agent of white supremacy. Okay, then why are you not using the same logic for Artem? Or Pasha? Or Gleb (some have used it for him)? And don't get me started on how many times Val and his partner would've been eliminated early, had production not stepped in to him them out. The first three have had worse records than Brandon and all of them have had worse output than Brandon (Val has only had moments of greatness, contrary to popular belief. Most of his work has been pretty ho hum). Brandon is doing a great job. Placement is not the end all be all. Using that as the reason to say Brandon needs to lose his job is racist and ridiculous. Moving on.

Charli and Mark- Argentine Tango (Score=39)- So y'all may hate what I'm about to say, but I actually agreed with CAI about Charli. What I think CAI was saying is that Charli needs to really throw caution to the wind and just go for these dances. I felt like she did that for her foxtrot and contemporary. But other than those two, it feels like she is slightly holding back for fear of messing up. And to me, it hinders her performances in a way. Of course she still hits everything perfectly and it always looks great. But her dancing is missing that extra "oomph". It's kinda safe at the moment. I think that's what CAI was getting at and she's said it before. Idk why it was so hard for her to spit it out last night. It's also similar to the critique she's given Heidi. That doesn't mean that Charli isn't working hard. She is. You can tell. But I need Mark to push her to breakthrough that, whatever it is. SN: I love when traditional tango music is used on this show.

Daniel and Britt- Paso Doble (Score=34)- Here is another case of the music working against the couple. I think the song was too quiet and one note for a full on paso doble. Britt did the best that she could with it and it was a nice dance. Daniel stayed on time (mostly). But it just lacked some of the attack and character that it needed to really sell the dance. Besides that, Daniel still needs to work on his shaping. This dance showed that he still has issues getting his arms and his hands right.

Shangela and Gleb- Jazz (Score=40)- I cannot believe I'm saying this, but this might be my favorite dance of the season. And I'm saying that because it came from Gleb. I cannot believe how well he has been doing this season. I mean it took years. So it was long overdue for him to give us a dance like this. But he has been Shangela dances worth a damn week after week and I am so happy that he isn't letting her down for once. And Shangela killed it. There were no mistakes and she got that character down so well, I was a little rattled myself.

Vinny and Koko- Paso Doble (Score=30)- Vinny improves a lot from week to week. He is still the weakest dancer left and he will always be the weakest dancer left. But I don't care about that. He is listening to the actual critiques that he gets (though you can tell the nasty comments from Len are starting to really tear him up) and he makes improvements based on that. His feet were much improved. The section that Derek was talking about was the best dancing I've seen from Vinny all season and was actually quite shocking coming from him. It takes a lot of artistry to be able to give that section so much life. It was so simple, but so impactful. And that's what I was getting from CAI's critique. I do think it was communicated to Koko clumsily. Koko should include more of that in Vinny's dances. He's getting the steps down. Now it's time to build on that and go to the next level. It doesn't have to be the whole dance, as I'm not sure Vinny can handle it. But pieces here and there would show so much more depth to his dancing. I hope she doesn't take offense to it because she is doing a great job with a partner that is super unnaturally gifted. And I think the majority of us see it. Also, some of you all still don't understand how this show works after all of these years and it is ANNOYING at this point. This has never been just a dance contest. It has been a popularity contest with dance elements added. It always has been. It always will be. Vinny is popular with the general audience and it makes sense for him to be. He's nice. He's fun. He's having a good time. He's improving week to week. And he's relatable for a lot of people. Vinny still being here makes more sense than anything else this season tbh. So please chill out on him. This isn't Skeleton or the countless other white men who can't dance and have been sucky people that we're talking about.

Heidi and Artem- Tango (Score=37)- Wtf Derek. How was this a 10 in any sense? What is wrong with him? Derek has been on one all season and been super dumb and I just can't deal with it. If he keeps this up, I'm gonna start a petition to bring Julianne back as his replacement. I'm over these childish games. That tango was extremely weak up until the last 5 seconds. She dances with no impact, no attack, no passion, no nothing. This isn't something that is unique to Heidi though. This has been a problem with every single one of Artem's partners except for Miss Patti. I do not understand why he cannot get them to fully attack the dance. They just lightly tap it and it is the most frustrating thing to have to see it season after season after season. CAI and Len seemed to be very frustrated with it. And let's just bring up Len saying that Heidi had plateaued. I hope you all remember that. Because in all of the discussion about Jordin being eliminated, I think that is being lost. And that is the most important part that makes that elimination that much more frustrating. They should be lucky that CAI and Len didn't give them an 8. Tbh, that's all it really deserved.

Gabby and Alan- Argentine Tango (Score=38)- That was my favorite dance from Gabby by far. I didn't see any of the issues that I usually have with her dancing. Unfortunately, she did have a mistake right in the middle where her legs got tied up. But otherwise, it was great.

Wayne and Witney- Contemporary (Score=37)- I loved this dance. I thought it was fantastic. Now, was it a contemporary? No. But that's not their fault. WTF was the show doing when they gave them a dubstep remix of the Halloween theme for a damn contemporary routine? Just give them hip-hop and call it a day. Why sabotage them like that? STUPID! I mean what else were they supposed to do for this dance? Seriously. Witney created an amazing dance, but it's not getting the appreciation it deserves because it was labeled as a contemporary. I hope she submits that piece to the Emmys next year and they nominate her for it.

Trevor and Emma- Contemporary (Score=39)- Now why did they get an acoustic song for their dance? You see that. I see through your bs, Conrad. You ain't slick. I see what you're doing. You can absolutely give the couples the right music for the dance they're assigned. He just is playing around. Now for this dance, it was good. It was Trevor's best dance. But it was not 10 worthy. Derek, Bruno and CAI were big tripping with the scores and the over the top comments. I'm so frustrated by them. Ugh. Give it 9s. That would be perfect.

Thoughts on the Team Dances

They both sucked. I don't know why they didn't give the couples a costume change so that they would be a cohesive unit. That was mistake number 1. It was a grave one at that. The second mistake. Why did the couples stay on the floor for the whole routine? Both teams' idle couples weren't doing anything for at least part of the time. Third, these seemed like an afterthought. And while they've never had more than two practices, it was very obvious that the team dance is not valued anymore. So here is where I sit. If this is how these dances are gonna be conducted from now on, then we don't need to have them ever again. Just replace it with the relay and be done with it. It was a waste of the viewers' and the couples' times. Also, I am not understanding how they gave Team Scream 10s. It was better than Team Wicked, but not a 10 team dance at all. It should've been 8s for the first and 9s for the second.

Now the elimination. I already expressed some of my issues. But I have a few more thoughts. As we all know, it was Jordin and Heidi in the bottom 2. First of all, in my mind Jordin being there was a fluke. Team dances tend to mess the leaderboard up and cause a couple to fall into the bottom 2 that usually would not end up there. The difference now is that we have the judges that can save that can be strategic with their save and rescue that couple from an off night. So here was my thought. Based on how the night went, I fully expected it to be a 50/50 split, but with CAI and Len saving Jordin and the other two being stupid and saving Heidi. But like everything else on this show, that was too much like right and Derek and Bruno surprised me while CAI and Len made the dumbest decision I think they have ever made on this show. How do you drag a woman for plateauing and not giving you enough while simultaneously praising the other one for growing and taking risks and even state that she had a breakthrough on that very night, just to save the one that's not giving. What sense does that make? It's stupid. They are dumb. They don't understand strategy. Heidi is just gonna end up back in the bottom 2 next week with Trevor. And I'm sure they'll save her again, just for her to end up back there (or flat out eliminated in a double) in the following week. Why do that instead of saving someone that still has a legit shot at making the finale? The writing is on the wall for Heidi and has been for weeks. The fact that they refuse to see this and will keep saving people that are clearly not getting the votes week after week is not smart. They did a similar thing with Ally and James back in whatever season that was. It makes no sense at all. I'm just so sick of the judges being stupid. Also, I'm sick of people dragging CAI for being a mess when the mess last night was Bruno (and Derek to a lesser extent). Carrie Ann was the one trying to give each celeb very pointed advice that she felt would help them. And if people took the time to try and hear what she was saying instead of writing her off immediately, people would understand as well. Maybe you might not agree, but she wasn't just spewing out hot air and nothing else. That's it. This was longer than I wanted it to be and definitely should've been two posts so I could've really gone into the detail about race (and other things regarding how the judges are viewed and valued) that I really wanted to. But that's what I have. I still might do a separate post when the season ends. But everyone was on one last night and I was sick of it. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon.

#dancing with the stars #dwts #jordin sparks #charli d'amelio #daniel durant #shangela #vinny guadagnino #heidi d’amelio #gabby windey #wayne brady #trevor donovan #emma slater #witney carson #alan bersten #artem chigvintsev #koko iwasaki #gleb savchenko #britt stewart #mark ballas #brandon armstrong #contemporary #jazz #argentine tango #tango #paso doble #season 31

[allinmycorner]

Ghosts! Vampires! Skeletons! Things that go bump in the night! They were all here as Dancing With the Stars celebrated Halloween!

This week also marked the return of the team dances, even though there weren't an even amount of contestants remaining. Team Wicked faced off against Team Scream. We'll recap those a bit later.

We're getting closer to the end of the season now. And so we're facing painful eliminations. This one was certainly painful, especially as there is someone left who is not at the same level as the others and probably should be gone.

Who had got some treats and who got some tricks? Let's check it out!

Jordin and Brandon: I'm sad to see Jordin and Brandon go. She's been so fun to watch during this show. While she wasn't the strongest of the women technically, she was a great performer. And that can go a long way. Just not this time. I wish she had been given at least one more week but she gets to go out on her tango to the "Oogie Boogie" and should be proud of it.

Charli and Mark: Mark had some back problems during rehearsals so Pasha had to dance with Charli during them. She struggled adjusting to a new partner, no matter how good or kind Pasha is. But Mark was able to dance their spooky Argentine tango that paid homage to several horror films, including a moment where Charli did a crab walk like in The Exorcist. It was both spooky and sexy, a perfect Halloween dance.

Trevor and Emma: Trevor has finally had his breakthrough! His ghostly contemporary with Emma was both haunting and heartbreaking. It's clear he allowed himself to be open and vulnerable during it which allowed their routine to be elevated. And it was clear that he recently lost someone important to him as he was crying in the skybox. That was all he got out as Alfonso tried to interview him. Hopefully he can keep this up and possibly make it all the way.

Wayne and Witney: Wayne bounced back after last weed, delivering an interesting contemporary where he and Witney were cyborgs. The judges want to see more from Wayne and I think he can deliver. I hope to see another contemporary from him because I was hoping for something more like Trevor did than cyborgs running around before the system took over again. I think he could knock the emotional aspect out of the park.

Daniel and Britt: Daniel did pretty well with the paso doble. It was probably one of his best dances and he seems to be picking up his momentum again. But with Wayne still holding firm and Trevor surging, Daniel will need to pull out all the stops in order to make it to the finals.

Shangela and Gleb: Shangela really has hit her stride. Her creepy jazz with Gleb was worthy of Broadway and will likely be a routine that's emulated in future seasons. Hopefully with different music - the slowed down version of Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" was just awful.

Gabby and Alan: Gabby is only this far down because her team dance got a lower score than the other. Otherwise, she would've been at the top with her vampire-themed Argentine tango. She gets additional kudos from me for being able to adjust to a new dance partner - Val tested positive for COVID so Alan trained and danced with Gabby this week. And on top of that, it seems she also ended her engagement to fiancé Erich and still kept it together. I'm sure she'll be back on top next week.  

Heidi and Artem: Heidi and Artem had a traditional tango, which Derek described as "dancing with your wife" (while Argentine tango is "dancing with your girlfriend"). But Heidi and Artem managed to add some heat and spice to their tango. She likely would've been higher as well if not for the score of their team dance. Like Trevor, she's now survived two trips to the bottom two but it's unknown if she'll survive a third trip. Upping scores will always help but it's going to come down to votes and her base may not be strong enough to get her across the finish line.

Vinny and Koko: Vinny tries. And he did his best with the paso doble. But as we get closer and closer to the semi-finals and the finals, does it justify him staying when it could come at the cost of someone who is doing far better than him? Someone who has shown growth as well? As I said, I get it - Vinny is very likeable and I even rooted for him in the beginning. But now I cringe whenever he is declared safe and I think it's time for him to go home.

Now let's go over the team dances! Each team was captained by the lowest scoring contestants, which meant that Vinny and Trevor were the team captains. How did they do? Let's check it out...

Team Wicked: Team Wicked danced to "The Witches Are Back" from Hocus Pocus II and consisted of Vinny and Koko, Gabby and Alan, Shangela and Gleb, Jordin and Brandon and Heidi and Artem. Vinny did regret filling his team with all male pros but he managed. They had a pretty good routine but I have to agree with the judges - it didn't really feel cohesive. Each couple got their solos while the others stood around clapping. They could've done so much more and really elevated this routine.

Team Scream: Team Scream danced to "Heads Will Roll" and was comprised of Trevor and Emma, Charli and Mark, Wayne and Witney and Daniel and Britt. Having one less couple than Team Wicked certainly didn't hurt Team Scream. They had a good storyline for their routine that Team Wicked really didn't have - there's been a murder and everyone is a suspect. Like the judges suggested for Team Wicked, Team Scream did have everyone keep dancing in the background as each couple took their turn in the spotlight and it really heightened the routine as well as conveyed the suspicious nature of the group. It really was an amazing routine that helped push all its members to the top of the leaderboard.

Next time we head back to the 90s! See you then!

#dancing with the stars #season 31 #jordin sparks #brandon armstrong

[lindsaymendzs]

MUSICAL APPRECIATION WEEK

Day 1: Favorite Stage Production

WAITRESS (2016-2022)

Dear Baby, I want to begin by saying I'm sorry. Don't take it personally, baby, if I'm not like these other mamas jumping all over themselves with joy. I wish that I could feel excitement that you're with me now, or faith that I'll be a good mama. But I frankly don't know what I've got to give you, baby. What kind of a mama is that?

#mine #mywaitress #waitress #broadwayedit #broadwaydaily #musicaltheatreedit #theatreedit #waitressedit #musicalweek #musicalgifs #mt! #yes....obviously #i wanted a little more variety in the shots instead of just Close Ups Of Jenna but this video only has closeups of jenna lmao #the group numbers aren't really giffable #but that is not a problem more jordin more fun

[kittyanonymity]

Song List!! :D Some of these are super sad, ngl guys. I put warnings next to a couple songs just cause I know some of the lyrics or subject matter could be alarming, so watch out for that! I’ve been listening to this playlist non stop for like 2 weeks, just using it to get inspired for my daminette fic I started lol 

Maybe you guys’ll like it too! <3 The genres are pretty mixed, so be ready for a bit of everything lmao

Gonna want a read more, I think lol 

Stay - The Score

Natural - Imagine Dragons

Hero - Skillet 

Black and Blue - Long Hawke 

Monster - Starset

I Walk the Line - Halsey

Me Against The World - Superchick

Blue Eyes - Within Temptation

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Walking on Air - Kerli

Decode - Paramore

Red Stars - The Birthday Massacre

Love Goes On and On (feat. Amy Lee) - Lindsey Stirling

Dance With the Devil - Breaking Benjamin 

I Don’t Wanna Die - Hollywood Undead

Devour - Disturbed

Lips Like Morphine - Kill Hannah

Death of Me - PVRIS

Not Strong Enough (feat. Brent Smith) - Apocalyptica

Warriors - Imagine Dragons

Rise - Katy Perry

Welcome Home - Cohered and Cambria

Wicked World - Cold

You’re Mine - Disturbed

Cold (But I’m Still Here) - Evans Blue 

Think Twice - Eve 6

Cirice - Ghost

Gasoline - Halsey

Angel - Theory of a Deadman

A Thousand Years - Christina Perri

Champion - Fall Out Boy

Rock What You Got (Fight Underdog Fight! Mix) - Superchick

All I Ever Wanted - Basshunter

Summertime Sadness - Within Temptation

Take a Bow - Rihanna

Undisclosed Desires - Muse

you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish

Set Me on Fire - Flyleaf

Satisfy - Nero

Running Up That Hill - Meg Myers

Phoenix - League of Legends (Song slaps, don’t judge me)

Strange Boy - Kerli

Roar - Katy Perry 

The Mystic - Adam Jensen

S.C.A.V.A. - Hollywood undead

Misery Business - Paramore

Wanna Be Missed - Hayley Kiyoko 

Bound to You - Christina Aguilera

Anthem for the Broken - MISSIO

Taking Over Me - Evanescence 

Memories - Within Temptation 

Funhouse - P!nk

Mirror - Barlow Girl

The Last Night - Skillet 

Unfamiliar - The Birthday Massacre

Hey Hey (Vampires vs. Cheerleaders Mix) - Superchick

I Bet My Life - Imagine Dragons

Your Betrayal - Bullet for My Valentine 

New Day - Hollywood undead

Broken Pieces (feat. Lacey) - Apocalyptica 

I Don’t Care (feat. Adam Gontier) - Apocalyptica

Already Over - Red

Together Again - Evanescence

Mad Hatter - Melanie Martinez

Shatter Me (feat Lzzy Hale) - Lindsey Stirling

Miss Murder - AFI 

Forevermore (feat. Broken Iris) - Aroth

Passion - AWOLNATION

You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing - Halestorm

Shapeshifter (feat. Styles of Beyond) - Celldweller

Whatever It Takes - Hollywood undead

I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie

It’s the Fear - Within Temptation

Can I Exist - MISSIO

I Can’t Do This - Plumb

One Step at a Time - Jordin Sparks

Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna

That’s What You Get - Paramore

Never Say Die - CHVRCHES

Devil’s Backbone - The Civil Wars

Kill the Lights - The Birthday Massacre

Still Here - Digital Daggers

Immortals - Fall Out Boy

No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine

Castle - Halsey

Hearts a Mess - Gotye

Where Did the Beat Go? - P!nk

NFWMB - Hozier (it’s the pitched lesbian version though)

Next to Me - Imagine Dragons

Blood in the Cut - K.Flay 

Love is Dead - Kerli 

Crazy Angel - Kill Hannah

Dark Paradise - Lana Del Rey

How to be a Heartbreaker - Marina and The Diamonds

You Don’t Belong - Daughtry

What You Want - Evanescence

Tag, You’re It - Melanie Martinez (potential TW for this song)

Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea - MISSIO 

Had Enough - Breaking Benjamin

Ricochet - Starset

Young - Hollywood Undead

Stockholm Syndrome - Muse

High Hopes - Panic! At the Disco

Crushcrushcrush - Paramore

What’s Wrong - PVRIS

Rock This World - Hilary Duff

In the Dark - The Birthday Massacre

My Girl’s Ex-Boyfriend - Relient k

Pretty Girl (The Way) - Sugarcult

Heathens - twenty one pilots

The Bird and The Worm - The Used

Only One - Yellowcard

Now You’re Gone - Basshunter

Bad Boy - Cascada

Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

Live For The Night - Krewella

I Am Woman - Jordin Sparks

Secret Door - Evanescence

Defeated - Breaking Benjamin

U Don’t Know (feat. Wayne Coyne) - Alison Wonderland 

Black Dahlia - Hollywood Undead

Someone Who Cares - Three Days Grace

Bewitched (feat. Lady Nogrady) - Blood on the Dance Floor (don’t judge me, it’s a fun song)

Hold On (feat. Brave) - Arman Cekin

Sever The Ties (feat. Esther Sparkles) - Arman Cekin

Memories of a Girl I Haven’t Met - Celldweller

Paris - M.O.O.N.

Guilt - Nero

Love Me (feat. Jacob Banks) - Wide Awake

Daughters of Darkness - Halestorm

Never Alone - Barlow Girl

Anthem - Superchick

Burn Away - The Birthday Massacre

God is a woman - Arian Grande

I Did It for Love (feat Sean Garrett) - BoA

Beautiful Liar - Beyonce & Shakira

Angel With a Shotgun - The Cab

Anthem of the Angels - Breaking Benjamin

Everytime - Britney Spears

Haters - Hilary Duff

I Look So Good (Without You) - Jessie James

Battlefield - Jordin Sparks

Weight of the World - Evanescence

Wide Awake - Katy Perry

Cannonball - Kiesza

I Need to Know - Marc Anthony

Problem - Natalia Kills

Rude Boy - Rihanna

Counting Stars - OneRepublic

According to You - Orianthi

The Truth About Love - P!nk

I Hate This Part - The Pussycat Dolls

Eternity - Rachel Taylor

Towards the Sun - Rihanna

Ready to Fight - Roby Fayer & Tom Gefen

Brave - Sara Bareilles

Good For You (feat. A$AP Rocky) - Selena Gomez

Invisible - Skylar Grey (potential TW here) 

This Love - The Veronicas 

Beautiful - Akon

Too Little, Too Late - JoJo

Knock You Down - Keri Hilson

Bang - Armchair Cynics

Shut Your Mouth - Attack Attack!

Leaving Tonight - The Birthday Massacre

Breaking the Silence - Breaking Benjamin

Beautiful Girl - Broken Iris 

All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me) - Bullet for My Valentine

Stupid Girl - Cold

Traitor - Daughtry

Love and Tragedy - Digital Summer

Haunted - Evanescence

Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

Beautiful With You - Halestorm

My Name is Human - Highly Suspect

Can’t Love Me - It’s Alive

Gone - My Darkest Days

How Did You Love - Shinedown

It’s Not Me It’s You - Skillet 

Halo - Starset

Until the Day I Die - Story of the Year

Bitter Taste - Three Days Grace

Always Find Me Here - Transit 

Liar Liar (Burn in Hell) - The Used

The Heart of Everything - Within Temptation

I Want Out - Young Guns

World So Cold - 12 Stones

#song list #maribat #daminette #mlb x dc #A Ladybug in Gotham #that's the name of the fic I'm gonna post #once I'm done proofreading and editing lmao

[my-cat-is-my-only-friend]

What to do

Tumblr, 

I’m sorry that you have become my dumping ground of emotion. I lost my paper journal that got me through my last heartbreak and my google drive doesn’t have that much storage. 

I went on a date tonight. A proper date. With CJ. I went out with CJ once, last summer I think. All I know is I met him a while before Sam. CJ was even talking to me in CA. He called me when I was heading to a hotel in San Antonio because I was falling asleep.

I like CJ, a lot. Always have. Honestly I always thought there could be something there. I would wonder if I had given up on something that could’ve been... 

Anyways, we went on a date tonight. It was fun. He kissed me. He’s an ok kisser. Thin lips, but that’s ok. He wants me to move to Hawaii. He wants to find a 2 bedroom apartment on a small island and move there. This summer. I’m considering it. We literally talked about it for over an hour at dinner.

I thought getting out there would help. I’m not really hurt over the relationship ending with Sam. That wasn’t what hurt. It was how he chose to end it. How careless he was in everything. I was worried and scared. He didn’t care at all. That’s what hurt. And I thought because I didn’t care as much that the relationship ended it was a great time for me to start mingling. Nothing serious, just casual dates.

I don’t think I want to. I spent so much time with Sam that I stopped doing things I enjoy. I started a new book today. I got it at BAM with Jordin (friend since 6th grade). It’s called Freud’s Mistress. I like it so far. I missed reading. 

The more I think about it, the more I’m happy that the relationship ended. I was talking to Winchester today, because I know he can’t tell me I'm stupid or crazy, and I realized something else. I’m not a very dependent person, which is why it made no sense that I got so attached to Sam. I was scared. Earlier today I wrote about getting gut feelings that something bad was gonna happen in the relationship. I liked what we had, so I got scared. Which makes SO much more sense now. I felt something was going to go wrong, so I wanted to cling on for dear life. That’s why things got so bad. That’s why I got so defensive and even lashed out. Because I was terrified things were going to go wrong.

For the life of me I couldn’t pinpoint it. I couldn’t figure out what had caused me, a well-known independent individual, to become so attached, and, in turn, the worst version of myself. I was scared. I was scared because something early on had told me something was going to go wrong.

Honestly, I don’t know what it was. Maybe I got scared because I gave him my virginity. Maybe it was just a random gut feeling. Maybe it was God trying to warn me that I shouldn’t have done those things with Sam. I don’t know. But I can say with complete confidence that fear is what drove everything into the ground.

I did love Sam. I think his personality was a little weak and got over powered by mine. That happens quite often and people don’t even realize it. I was thinking on my drive home from dinner about how I tend to attract a wide array of people. And I can get along with all of them. I think it’s because my personality is so diverse that anyone can find a piece of their own personality in me. The problem is, I am yet to meet anyone other than Sami who hasn’t got thrown off by it. I have a lot of friends who I keep at a reasonable distance, and treat like normal, average friends. They’re fine. They get to pick the part of me that they like and that’s what they get. With Sam, I got so comfortable that every part of me came out. I genuinely think he didn’t know how to handle it all. I hope he finds someone a little more manageable in the future.

I’m going to be transparent with all 0 of you who read my posts. I don’t know if I’ll find lasting love. I honestly see myself more as a stepping stone in people’s lives. I’m the person who helps you find the one you’re supposed to be with forever. It’s sad, and hurts a little to think about. I want to find lasting love. I want to have a family and grow old with someone. I don’t know if I ever will. Maybe I’ve fucked up so much in my 18 years of life that I just don’t deserve it. Maybe I was never supposed to find that love everyone always talks about. I thought I found it with Sam. I think that’s part of the reason why I got scared. For the first time in my life, I saw myself as someone more than just a stepping stone. 

I will never know what the future holds for me. I pray that I will find true love, lasting love, someday. Maybe I never will, and I’ll have to be ok with that.

All I know is that whatever I do, I need to be happy. 

Tumblr, thank you for being my scratch paper.

[allsystemsarenotgo]

I had this article written out mentally. I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to say.

Then a paragraph came flying in through messenger like a brick and knocked me to the ground in pain. It made me re-think some of what I was going to say.

Now I have to start over.

I am only writing these so that I can try to shed some guilt and at least make an attempt at explaining myself and closing some doors. These may not be very appeasing, but I honestly have nothing to lose, and would rather be embarrassingly honest.

The other day I did something wrong, and the first thing my dad said was "I don't know where your mother and I went wrong in raising you....."

Do you know how much that hurts to hear? Do you? I get yelled at alot for doing things wrong or the hard way or just understanding instructions wrong.

I am already hard on myself. I say it. Others say it. Most of the people on this list have probably said it at some point or another.

But hearing that? That fucked me up inside.

I am the problem. I am always the problem. I'm a pathetic piece of shit that doesn't do shit right, doesn't understand, doesn't know, and gets yelled at for everything.

The recurring theme here is going to be jealousy, controlling my surroundings, shutting things out, and overall selfishness...

JP-

I don't remember ever doing what I was accused of. It's just not something I would do, but if I did, I did. I've always thought it was the other person involved that did it. Sharing others' secrets isn't something I'm about. I wouldn't want mine shared, so I don't share others. But if I did, I did. Taylor told me some years later how things affected you. I wish none of that shit had ever gone down. It's been nothing but a thorn in my backside.

Taryn-

I don't know if ^^that^^ is part of why you hate me, or if there's something else entirely. For almost the entire time that we've known each other, you've had me blocked on FB and never so much as complained or thrown/given statement as to why. I've successfully-ish avoided you, your family, and your clique in general for the last 6,7,8 years or however long it has been. I've felt extremely uncomfortable when your dad has asked for computer help, but I only do it because it's the right and nice thing to do. I've avoided the winter bowling league because you are there, I've gone the long way around many times because you are there. Now that you are married, that has added a whole new realm of people for me to generally avoid. Not because I have to, but because I don't want to get close enough for you to maim me like the muscular lionesse that you are. I don't know what else to do or say, other than I'm sorry for whatever it is that I did to scorn you. I know I'm a dumb ass and we'll probably never be anything close to friends...it would just be nice if I didn't have to awkwardly avoid you out of fear and if we could at least say hi to eachother in passing every once and a while.

And yes, you (and your parents too) legitimately scare the ever-living shit out of me.

Mackenzie-

We have known eachother for a long time. We had our ups and downs, but you've been an important friend to me over the years. I haven't looked forward to moving on, but you have your own family and busy, busy life to deal with now and I know that there is no room for a high school friend anywhere in that puzzle. As much as it hurt to be at the receiving end of the thing you did, it also showed how much you cared. I appreciated that, and the rare serious talks that we would have at night. You could explain things in ways others couldn't and answer the questions I didn't want to ask and ones I didn't even have. We also shared alot of laughing moments and learning moments together. You're responsible for alot of what I did and didn't do in high school. I've also worried about you from time to time, hoping that your condition wouldn't reflare.

Mallorey-

I've had a crush on you ever since we worked together in high school. You have alot of drive and motivation. You could be a great inspiration to others, if you came out of your shell a little more often. But like me, I know that is a difficult thing for you to do. That's one of the several things we have in common. I appreciate that over the years, you have told me things and we have had our deep talks. We have gone years without talking much less seeing eachother in the past, but this time feels different. As though you are not there at all. Or is it myself who does not exist anymore?

Destiny-

I had a crush the moment I laid eyes on you, before I even knew your name or knew who you were. The next time I saw you with Keith, the feeling I had was some sort of pain, but over time I got over it since I didn't have to see you. Then I got you the job working with me....and all it did was cause me more problems to deal with. I enjoyed your company and compassion and being able to easily talk...but it was still taking a toll on me. I abandoned ship to get away from you, and started the temporary downturn of my career, until I quit completely. Now I don't get to see you at all, and we hardly talk, but it makes my life easier not having to see you on a regular basis. I miss that company and compassion at times...I feel like you are a knife-edge to my feet.

Rebecca-

You are fun but serious. Working for your mum was extremely difficult in alot of ways. Some things made me stronger and better as a person, but others had be feeling like a worthless peon. I always enjoyed when you were around because you helped balance situations, even when you became the 'fall guy'. I don't agree with alot of how you were treated or how things were done with your name on them and how you got pushed so far beyond your limits in a multitude of ways. You are smart, skilled, and tested...but had the volatility of any other person under those stresses. You were a good friend to have. Sometimes too good of a friend.

Jett-

I have known your dad for several years now. Early on, he told me about the troubles in your upbringing. I always asked him how you were doing when we talked, because I was concerned and didn't want you to have the problems and issues that I have. There were alot of things that he never understood and I had to explain to him about being atypical and diverse. I never wanted to talk to you, but when he asked me to, I didn't want to tell him no. I know I hurt your feelings along the way. I tried to use your preferred name instead of your birthname, even when it just didn't feel comfortable to do so. Knowing you as one name and one personality for so long at a distance, then finding out you went by a new name and new personality was tough for me to accept. I wanted to (and still do)support you along the way, I just wasn't a very good friend at all. I'm sorry.

Jordin-

You're cute. There is no denying that. I also thought you were much older when we met (don't take that the wrong way). Once I learned your real age, I had to wipe my brain and just watch from afar. The day that you posted a photo of yourself in bed with Philpot (then alluded to it over and over again tagging your hotel stays with him and all that stuff), I slowly lost respect for you. I'm a stupid dumb ass by most regards, and I still know better than to do that. I kept an open mind about the things I read and was told when you broke up after that. But then seeing you latch to Kilgore rather quickly after the breakup, that didn't sit well with me. I'm old-school when it comes to time tables. Seeing you leap like a frog from one lillypad to another rubbed me the wrong way. And the level that ya'll shared every. single. moment. involving or around eachother...it kept rubbing me the wrong way. When you up and moved across the state chasing a boy after (was it even 6 or 8 months?). Ugh. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to let go. I couldn't keep watching this real-life movie play out in either "Perfect Love" or "The Lie Before The Blowup". Just just because I was jealous that you found eachother and Kilgore got a good score, yea those orntrue too. But I just couldn't stand seeing all this lovey dovey blah blah blah gushing hearts.

I HAD to cut loose to save my own sanity. I'm old school. I keep bedroom/hotelroom shit to myself (give or take my rants and vents on this blog) or at least out if public eye. I believe in dating for a year or two or three before getting engaged. Waiting a year after that. Moving in together....somewhere along the way.

Honestly, when I found out you were engaged after not even a year....I thought for sure somewhere there were going to be ultrasound photos. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. It's just not something that alot of people are used to.

I don't have anything against you or your dad or Austin. I just can't take having all that love and shit shoved through my eyeballs.

Not that my or most anyone else's opinion should ever matter in what you do.

I'm just saying what I'm thinking.

"Jenny"-

I have already said everything there is to say.

I'll miss you.

Yea, I'll miss you.

But I won't wish you were there.

[junker-town]

Jordin Canada is the best playmaker in the WNBA Draft

Get ready to watch Canada cross defenders up all season.

Jordin Canada is the best floor general the 2018 WNBA Draft has to offer. The 5’6 point guard may be a bit undersized, but she’s quick, crafty and an elite passer. She may have been the most exciting player to watch in college basketball last year, and she’s going to grow a fanbase on her lightning quick dribble moves alone.

If there’s one rookie to bet your money on crossing someone up in her first season, it’s Canada.

Her future as a starting point guard in the “W” is why our mock draft has her going No. 5 overall to the Seattle Storm, where she could eventually replace Sue Bird.

Why should fans be excited about Canada?

Canada averaged 16 points, seven assists and four rebounds on 2.6 turnovers in her senior season at UCLA as the team’s primary ball-handler. She’s great in transition, and poised to make the right play. Her low turnover rate despite her high usage is proof that she’s among the top guard talents in this draft.

She finished school as the all-time leader in assists at UCLA, and was the first woman in Pac-12 history to finish with 1,800 points and 700 assists, according to the Orange County Register. She also logged three steals per game last season, and thrives pressing into opposing guards on the defensive end.

How ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson sees Canada’s fit:

Is there a player more fun to watch than Canada?

She can lose a defender off the bounce no problem. She’s very crafty, can penetrate the defense and find the seams. She’s just got that next-level quickness. She’s not a pure shooter, meaning I don’t think she’s thinking about shooting the three every time she touches it, which makes her different from Lexie [Brown]. But you have to respect the fact that she’s worked on that three. She has an extremely high motor. The only question mark is her durability, because she’s kind of small and you can move her around the floor, but that’s fixable.

Should fans be worried about Canada?

Canada’s size is a bit worrisome, at just 5’6 and 134 pounds, according to UCLA. She’s going to go against 6-footers like Diana Taurasi on any given night, and that could be a problem for her defensively. She’s known to poke the ball away and run in transition, and that’s still going to be a part of her professional game. But if guards opt to body her to the bucket, she may struggle until she gets accustomed to the toughness of the pro level.

Still, Canada projects to be a fantastic lead guard who can facilitate for others, and score when needed.

[born-to-be-his-baby88]

Battlefield

Pairing: Mechanic!Dean x Reader

Summary: The Reader and Dean have a tough time in their relationship. Will their status tear them apart or bring them closer together? 

Word Count: 3kish 

Warnings: Angst, Light Fluff, Smut

Author’s Note: Hey my dearies!!! So this is my entry for @sdavid09‘s TaleTeller’s Winter Writing Days 2016 (I’m a bit late but that’s okay, right? *hides face*). My prompt was MechanicAU with “Battlefield” by Jordin Sparks. I hope you guys like it!!! I had fun writing it!!!

**Gifs used not mine**

The sun beamed down on him as he worked non stop. Sweat dripped down his face as he reached for another tool and he wiped it away with the back of his hand, a concentrated look on his face.

That was Dean Winchester for you. He was always one hundred percent into his work. There was never a half-assed job done by him. If there was one thing that the whole town knew about him, it was that he was the best mechanic around. Everyone knew his name.

Dean worked at his father’s shop, becoming the manager right after high school. His little brother Sam managed to get into Stanford and was now studying to become a lawyer. Dean would have gone to college if he had set his mind to it, but even at a young age, he knew that the college life wasn’t his “scene”.

That’s how he ended up at the mechanic shop right after graduation.

And that’s where he was at this moment. It had been three days since we last saw each other after the argument we had. It was a stupid, meaningless argument, but when Dean got riled up, there was no stopping his word vomit. No matter how hurtful his words became.

I licked my lips nervously before swinging the screen door open and slowly making my way across the dirt lot, my footsteps soft and quiet. I loved Dean more than life itself and I sure as hell made it clear to him the night of the argument, but it was like it fell on deaf ears. Either he didn’t believe me, or he didn’t think he deserved someone like me. I hoped it wasn’t either or. I wouldn’t be able to take any of this anymore.

Dean must’ve sensed me coming because he dropped the wrench into the toolbox before grabbing the old red rag in his back jeans pocket and turning around to face me. His piercing green eyes stopped me in my tracks. I held my breath as he wiped his hands clean, his chest flexing as he did so, before tossing the rag into the toolbox and he leaned against the open hood of the car he was working on.

The sun literally did wonders on his skin. Nice and tan, making the tiny freckles stand out more and making my fingers itch with want. Even the freckles on his nose and across his cheeks were begging to be kissed. I supressed my feelings though and waited with baited breath as Dean continued his staredown.

“Hey,” he finally said, his voice velvety soft and deep at the same time, making my body spark up with life.

I sucked in a breath. “Hey,” I murmured back.

Dean sighed and pushed himself off the car, slowly walking over to me. “Did you just get here?” he asked once he stopped in front of me. I shrugged. He licked his lips and closed the distance between us, his hand coming up to caress my cheek. “You okay?”

My heart fluttered. “Yeah,” I leaned into his touch. “Are you?”

He scoffed lightly. “I am now,” he murmured before wrapping his other hand around the back of my neck and pulling me to him, his lips claiming mine in a soft kiss. He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. “I missed you.”

I sighed in content at finally having his skin on me. Even the slightest touch sent jolts of electricity throughout my body, bringing it back to life somehow. That’s how it had always been with him. Right from the start. “I missed you, too.”

He pulled back, his face fully relaxed now. “You want to have dinner with me?” he asked, his voice full of hope. “I’ll take you to your favorite restaurant.”

I shook my head and smiled. “No, we don’t have to go there, Dean. Randy’s burgers sounds good right now. Besides, it’s cheaper and-”

Dean’s smile faded almost instantly. “Are you serious?” he asked, cutting me off. He scoffed. “I think I can afford to take my own girlfriend to her favorite restaurant.”

I sighed. “It’s not that, Dean. It’s-”

“Are you ashamed of me or somethin’?”

I stepped back at that. “What? Of course I’m not ashamed of you.”

Dean stuck his tongue to his cheek. “Every time I offer to take you there, you always come up with some lame ass excuse. Either you’re not feeling it or you already had it that week. Or,” he added, turning back around to walk to the car. “My favorite: Randy’s burgers are cheaper.”

My eyes closed with regret at that. It wasn’t that Dean couldn’t afford it. I’m most positive he could, he was a working man, for the love of god. And I sure as hell wasn’t ashamed of him.

I crossed my arms over my chest and took a deep breath. “I’m sick of this, Dean,” I finally stated. “I’m tired of fighting over the same goddamn thing all the time.”

Dean turned around to face me again.

I dropped my hands and shrugged helplessly, my eyes slowly brimming with tears. “When you asked me to be yours, I never thought we’d ever have a problem. We were perfect. Everything was perfect.”

His jaw clenched and he turned back around to face the car, reaching for the tools in the toolbox. “I don’t know if I’m gonna get out soon. You should head on home, have a nice dinner with your folks, you know, on that silver platter you were raised on.”

I clicked my tongue impatiently. “Dammit, Dean, stop this already.”

Dean slammed the hood of the car shut and fung his tool back into the toolbox, the tools clinking noisily. He whipped around to face me, his jaw flexing angrily. His hands were balled up into fists and to be quite honest, it hurt my heart. I couldn’t take this anymore.

I took a sharp intake of breath and gave him a slight nod. “Alright then. Goodbye, Dean.”

I didn’t know what shattered my heart first; the anger in his eyes or the fact that he didn’t go after me when I ran out of there.

Maybe we had finally hit the end of the road.

Two months.

I couldn’t believe it had been two months since we last spoke to each other. I tried convincing myself that maybe it was over. But my poor heart couldn’t take it. Dean had complete control over it, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to give it to someone else.

But then again, I wasn’t sure I was ready to go back to him. Dean wasn’t like any other guy. As a matter of fact, he was the first boy I fell in love with. Since we were in middle school and those school crushes began, he was my first one. And apparently I had been his. But of course, like any other shy teenager, we never acted on our feelings. So, we let time slip by. And when we entered high school, Dean had earned the reputation of a Ladies’ Man and I had earned zero.

I was the school nerd, always on the honor roll and getting straight A’s. I never really had a boyfriend, well, I wouldn’t actually count being Cole’s girlfriend for literally half a day before he tried making a move on me under the bleachers.

So imagine my surprise when Dean made his way across the hallway one day in junior year and asked me out. That first date, he took me out to Randy’s burgers. We talked almost all night, danced to the music playing on the jukebox and even shared a strawberry milkshake. That was the best night of my life.

He had also been my first real kiss.

After that night, we were inseparable.

But as time went by, things went from good to bad. And then worse. Fights ensued in the middle of our dates, cutting them short. I couldn’t talk to one of my closest friends, Oscar, who happened to have a good career in the medical field as a cardiologist without Dean assuming I wanted to run along with him because of his career.

That’s how bad it got. It was why we had started that argument all those weeks ago.

And now, here I sat, inside my car on the side of the road, staring out into the very field Dean took me to and I gave myself to him. What a night it had been.

And you want to know what sucked about this whole situation? That during these last two months, I had not seen Dean, despite the small little town we lived in.

Laylani, one of my dear friends had told me that she spoke to him one night when he was drinking at the local bar. She said he had said something about me wanting a better life and not wanting to settle down with someone like him. I cried so much that night.

To have him think that of me really tore me apart. I had never loved anyone as much as I loved Dean. Hell, he had been the only man I’ve ever been with. To have him think those things about me, hurt my very soul. Where had this insecurity come from? When did he start feeling so little about himself?

I sniffed and looked down at my phone. Dean’s face and number glared up at me. I wanted to call him. After two months without a word, I wanted to have at least some sort of closure, if that’s what he was hinting at. I needed to hear it from his lips.

But just as I was about press the call button, the familiar sound of an engine, made me look up from my phone, my heart beating erratically fast.

The black Impala stood a couple feet in front of me.

It was Baby.

Dean.

I watched with baited breath as he slowly got out of his car, his eyes furrowed in slight confusion at seeing my car there.

I let out a soft gasp and almost reached for the handle of my door when I saw the passenger door of his car open. A pretty brunette stepped out, also staring at me with confusion.

My heart dropped. So much for clarification, right?

My eyes slowly drifted from the brunette to Dean. He looked from the brunette to me before quickly stuffing his keys into the back pocket of his jeans and starting to make his way over to me.

“Y/N, wait. I can-”

My keys were in the ignition faster than ever before. I turned on the car and was out of there before Dean made it to my window. Tears of hurt and betrayal streamed down my face and this time, I didn’t bother wiping them away.

Hell, I didn’t even care if my car deviated from this goddamn road into some ditch somewhere. I was through.

Somehow, in my messed up mind, I ended up in my parents’ old cabin in the woods. The main road had a small detour and the cabin was just beyond the trees, a private property with gates and all.

I slammed the door shut and threw the keys onto the table before stripping myself from my leather jacket  and dragging my feet toward the back where the main bedroom was. I opened the door and flopped down onto the bed, face first.

My chest and head hurt from so much crying. I was surprised I was even able to drive at all. But there I was, cold and alone, just as the first rain of November started to fall.

My mind immediately drifted to the events from earlier. Of course Dean would have moved on. We weren’t really permanent. At least, not the way he saw it. Sure we were together, but there was really no promise of it ever lasting at all. So, it made sense for him to have someone else. Someone that was prettier and someone who probably made him happier than I did, if I ever did at all, that is.

It still hurt, though. And I cried. I cried until my head felt like it was going to burst and the sound of the rain lulled me to sleep.

I don’t know how long I had been asleep, or if I had fallen asleep to begin with, but next thing I knew, I was being jolted awake into a sitting position by another presence in the room. I was about to scream bloody murder when my eyes zeroed in on a familiar silhouette standing by the doorway.

“Dean?” I asked, my voice hoarse from crying and sleep. “What are you doing here?”

He stood in the doorway for a moment before stuffing his hands into his pocket and stepping fully into the bedroom. His shoulders were hunched over and he was trembling slightly. I frowned and reached over, turning on the lamp by the bed.

Dean was completely drenched, from head to foot. I gasped and jumped out of the bed and ran over to him. “Are you insane?” I hissed. “You’re gonna get sick.”

Dean chuckled dryly and let me remove his flannel shirt from his wet body. I threw it onto the floor and went to remove his black t-shirt when he stopped me, putting his hands over mine. “Forget about me,” he said, his teeth chattering slightly.

“Like hell,” I murmured and proceeded to lift his shirt up. I held my breath when my hands came in contact with his cool skin, but I continued removing the wet clothes from his body.

I grabbed a towel from the dresser next to the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders, rubbing my hands in circles, trying to create some sort of friction.

“Alright, alright,” he said, grabbing my hands and forcing me to stop. “I’m fine now.”

I bit my lip and stepped back, taking my hands from his and crossing my arms over my chest protectively. “How did you find me here?”

Dean sniffed and shrugged his shoulders. “Are you kidding me? I know everything about you, sweetheart.”

I felt myself blush at that.

“Why did you leave?” he asked, catching me off guard.

I looked up. “What?”

He stepped closer to me. “Why did you leave?” he repeated, his lips so full and red and mesmerizing as he licked them.

I shrugged. “I felt like I was interrupting a moment. Didn’t want to ruin it for you.”

Dean scoffed.

“Shouldn’t you be with her?”

“Stop that,” he said, shaking his head. “Stop that right now.”

I looked up at him. “You stopped this a long time ago, Dean.”

There was silence after that. Dean stared down at me, his jaw clenching. I stared up at him, my heart beating hard and fast against my ribcage.

It happened in a flash of a second. Dean’s mouth crashed against mine, taking my breath away. He dropped the towel from his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. His tongue slide across my bottom lip and I opened up to him, moaning when his tongue grazed mine.

Oh, how I missed that. Two months without this was far too damn long. Two months without feeling Dean’s mouth, hands and body one mine were complete torture. And by the look of things, Dean was going through the same thing.

His actions were desperate, his hands nearly ripping my blouse open as he tried removing it from my body. With expert fingers, he had my panties and jeans off of me in a matter of seconds. His mouth never left mine as he pushed me back onto the bed with his body.

He nudged my legs apart, settling in between my thighs as he finally left my lips and started leaving open mouth kisses across my jaw and down my throat. His mouth left a burning trail behind, making my body go up in flames at his touch. Every single thing he did sparked up a fire inside of me, making me arch my back against the bed as he unclasped my bra with his fingers before sliding it off my body and throwing it to the ground.

He moved his lips to my sensitive nipple and took it into his mouth, his tongue drawing small circles around it, making me moan his name out loud. He let go with a tiny pop before focusing his attention on the other breast while one of his hands descended downward toward my heated core.

“Oh fuck,” I gasped when his fingers dipped inside my wet folds.

Dean moaned and let go of my breast before going back up and claiming my mouth with his. “I can’t wait any longer,” he breathed against my lips. “You feel so fucking good right now. So nice and wet for me, sweetheart.”

He climbed off the bed but only to remove his boxers before crawling back on, settling in between my legs again. His cock teased my entrance and with one hard kiss, he pushed inside, stretching my walls, just like the old times.

Moans escaped both of our mouths as we felt the tug and pull from both our cores at the sensation of being this close together again. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and with one single nod, Dean pulled out before pushing back in, his hips snapping against mine.

We built a rhythm almost instantly, the slapping of skin against skin as our hips connected every time. The breathless gasps leaving my lips as he hit my g-spot, the low grunts Dean made every time my pussy would squeeze his cock, echoed around the empty cabin walls, intensifying our lovemaking.

I felt the familiar fire starting from inside my core as Dean’s thrusts became more erratic. Felt the tingling start at the tip of my toes and I arched my back against him, exposing my neck to him. HIs lips found my pulse point and he sucked on it, making sure to leave a mark there for later.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he breathed. “I’m gonna…I’m…”

“Me too,” I moaned. “Oh god, Dean. Me too…”

I coil snapped and white hot fire spread through my entire body as I had the most intense orgasm I’ve ever had. My walls fluttered and clamped down on his pulsating cock, squeezing it nice and tight. Dean stiffened above me after two more thrusts, and came hard, thick ropes of come coating my walls.

My body trembled with the aftermath and Dean collapsed on top of me, burying his face in the crook of my neck. I felt his lips graze my skin and I closed my eyes, content and tired.

“I love you,” he murmured, his voice hoarse. “I fucking love you so much, Y/N.”

I felt my heart tug at his words. “I love you, too, Dean,” I whispered. “I don’t want anyone else but you. Always you.”

He raised his head at that. Even in the moonlight, his green eyes shone nice and bright. He licked his kiss-swollen lips. “I don’t want to fight anymore,” he said softly. “I’m tired of fighting. I want you and I want to be with you forever. I know I don’t make enough as Oscar but I promise you I’ll give you everything you want and-”

I pressed my hand over his mouth to silence him. A small smile appeared on my lips as I watched my fingers slide down his lips. “I don’t care about the money, Dean,” I mumbled. “All I want is you. Nothing else matters. I just want you.”

Dean blinked. “But I’m just a mechanic. What can I offer you other than-”

“You,” I said, cutting him off. “I just want you. You are what makes me happy. Not the money. Not the career. You.”

Dean stared at me for a while before leaning over and kissing me passionately on the lips. “As you wish, Princess. I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy.”

Things were bound to be difficult, but that’s what love was. It was never easy. Love was a battlefield, you just had to make sure you had your armor at all times. Because as nasty as it was, it was just as beautiful.

And I had Dean. That was all I needed.

Dean/Jensen Tag List:

@torn-and-frayed @fangirl-of-the-lord @jojo-nz @ellen-reincarnated1967 @thereisnolumos @autopistaaningunaparte @charred-angelwings @iwriteaboutdean @end-lessnights @paulis0499 @xxwinchester-22x @gbuttry @anokhi07 @perpetualabsurdity @yellowtheremarvelfan @deansbaekaz2y5 @betterlattethennever @poukothenerd @valerieshubin

Forever Tag List:

@motleymoose @impalapossible @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @lucifer-in-leather @bringmesomepie56 @fandommaniacx @impala-dreamer @percywinchester27 @blacktithe7 @roxy-davenport @deanscherrypie @bellastellaluna @girl-next-door-writes @kalliravenne @neversatisfiedgirl @kcsavege4134 @xxturningsaintsintotheseaxx @docharleythegeekqueen @sis-tafics @frenchybell @imaginespnr5er @supernaturallymarvellous @vivirosexvx @loveitsallineed @obsessedwithmisha@jaycc7983 @charliebradbury1104 @deansleather @fandommaniacx @grace-for-sale @i-dont-know-how-to-write @sam-reidzugzwang @peachthatdrinkslemonade @its-my-perky-nipples @chelsea072498 @kristaparadowski @dracsgirl @mamaredd123 @jensen-jarpad @spirallingdownfandoms @the-mrs-deanwinchester @readingissupernatural @d-s-winchester @just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms @waywardimpalawriter @flowermisha @demonic-meatball @milligan-writes @kittenofdoomage @holahellohialoha @smoothdogsgirl @supernaturalyobessed @fangirl1802 @mysteriouslyme81 @your-mooooooom @charliebradbury1104 @buckysmetallicstump @kas-not-cas @dorky-and-i-know-it @padackles2010

#taleteller's winter writing days #supernatural #dean winchester #mechanicAU #mechanic!dean x reader #supernatural one shot #writing challenge #spn writing challenge #chaos-and-the-calm67

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 31 Week 6: The Night to Right a Wrong

Hey everyone. We are back and I'm just gonna get into it. I think the show is really clicking and working in all aspects and I am so pleased. Tyra seems to have found out how she should navigate hosting in a way that works for her. She does what she needs to but will allow Alfonso to take over at parts where she knows he's better than her. Michael Buble Night was a lot better than I expected. I also enjoyed how much like classic DWTS this particular night felt. Derek and Michael's performance of his new song was *chef's kiss* so good. I'll get more into that a little later. Also, I will explain this title when we get to the elimination. Having Michael give scores was a little much, but it was fine I guess. He wasn't the worst guest judge we've ever had. So we move!

Shangela and Gleb- Tango (Score=45)- I thought this was Shangela's best dance to date. Her feet are a lot more improved. Her frame has also gotten a lot better. Of course, we all know she can perform. She still has a few smaller things to work out with her frame and her feet kinda get stuck every now and then. But I see so much improvement in her and Gleb has been so much fun to watch this season. She brings out the best in him personality wise and pro wise.

Trevor and Emma- Foxtrot (Score=42)- I think this was Trevor's best dance to date. The 9s were kind, but I see definite improvement. A lot of that has to do with his level of comfortability with dancing increasing as well as his confidence in general being better. His frame still needs work. He tends to stick his butt out. And he was kinda skippy throughout the dance when the foxtrot should be very smooth, almost like they're skating on ice.

Gabby and Val- Rumba (Score=46)- Idk where the 10 for this came from. It was fine and I'm glad that she has finally become more stable on her legs (there are still issues every now and then). But I think her arm placement was weird and not super fluid at times. And her hip action, while there, wasn't grounded. So it made the dance look forced. It was a good dance and I see improvement from her, but yeah. It wasn't my favorite.

Vinny and Koko- Cha-cha (Score=36)- So Vinny absolutely struggled the first half of the dance. I guess he made a mistake that I missed very early on. You could visibly see him start to panic and count out the steps to try and get himself back on track. He ended up doing it and the second half was much better. I'm surprised we didn't see at least a 6 from Len. I was fully expecting it and think that the dance deserved it. And I love Vinny, but I gotta be real. I felt bad though because he got so down on himself. He clearly had performed that much better in the past. That being said, I want Koko to bring in someone from the outside to really look at Vinny's feet (and legs) to see if they can maybe get him to better understand how to keep his energy all the way through his toes. He is very flat footed and his legs just lack the crispness that I want. His upper body is fine for the most part (it could use work but his lower body needs to be the focus). It's not a knock on Koko at all. She's been fantastic. But another set of eyes could definitely help pinpoint and try to fix that problem.

Jordin and Brandon- Foxtrot (Score=43)- To me, this was very clearly Jordin's best dance to date. The way she started, I saw all the confidence just beaming from her. Her technique was the best I've ever seen. She didn't go wrong at all. And I have to shoutout Brandon because I feel like this has been his best season as a teacher. I think they should've gotten straight 9s. There needs to be a little more work on the frame, but it was a bit of a showstopper, I must say.

Charli and Mark- Foxtrot (Score=50)- So to get the obvious out the way, this was the best dance of the season and the best dance I've seen in a long time. Now, let me get into what I really enjoyed about this dance. It really took me back to DWTS, before season 18. I really felt like the dances were able to speak for themselves. It felt like an old school DWTS perfect. And imo, it was much more difficult to get a perfect score back then (even to get straight 9s) than it is during current DWTS times. So it is nice to see a dance of that quality without so much of the overly produced dances with the bells, whistles, props and other things that tend to really bog down the dances in my opinion.

Heidi and Artem- Samba (Score=46)- I don't think this was as good as the judges made it seem. While she did everything mostly well, Heidi is missing a very big thing when she dances that all of the other women have. This is a problem I seem to point out every season with at least one woman, but she lacks impact when she dances. It almost feels like she's just going through the motions. It works in lyrical dances. But in the ones where you need more attack, it just does not fly. That was the biggest issue here. I'm not sure what Artem's style of teaching is, because like Tony, this tends to be a problem with his partners. They dance on top of the floor and I want them to dance through the floor. I was fully expecting to see some 8s because her rumba was quite a bit better than this.

Wayne and Witney- Quickstep (Score=44)- With the week these two had, I'm happy they were even able to put together any sort of coherent routine. Now, it was under rehearsed and there were a lot of mistakes. But we all knew that was gonna happen because they did not start rehearsal until Friday. Things happen. He still performed well and didn't let the fact that he got lost affect what he was doing.

Jessie and Alan- Salsa (Score=41)- While this was her best dance, it wasn't clean at all. Her arms were kinda flailing. The lifts were a bit of a struggle. She just has a roughness about her when she dances. I do think there should've been 7s thrown in. But whatever, they were eliminated.

Daniel and Britt- Foxtrot (Score=43)- I really loved the approach Britt took to teaching this dance. I think it helped Daniel connect some of his moves in ways that he hadn't before. There was huge improvement in that aspect. And I felt like he was more confident in where his feet were. I always get the feeling that he questions if his feet are in the right place at the right time, which gives his dances an unsteady feeling. That wasn't as big of an issue with this one. Now his arms are still slightly off and his shoulder crept up from time to time when they were in hold. But it was their best dance.

Now the bottom 2 were Trevor and Jessie. And I have to say that had that sham of a marathon not happened, this would've absolutely been the bottom 2 last Tuesday. So the judges can save their "last week was so hard, now we have another hard one" thing, because they literally put themselves in that position last week. Like that saying goes, "play stupid games, win stupid prizes". Anyway, Jessie was eliminated this week that was definitely the right decision. Derek, idk what's happening to you. You're clicking, but you're clicking down.

#dancing with the stars #dwts #shangela #trevor donovan #gabby windey #vinny guadagnino #jordin sparks #charli d'amelio #heidi d’amelio #wayne brady #jessie james decker #daniel durant #britt stewart #alan bersten #witney carson #artem chigvintsev #mark ballas #brandon armstrong #koko iwasaki #val chmerkovskiy #emma slater #gleb savchenko #foxtrot #rumba #samba #cha cha cha #salsa #quickstep #tango #season 31

[kelanscyclingplaylists]

Sunday, March 31 - 8 AM

Warm Up

Jordin Sparks - I Am Woman

Beyonce - Diva

Beyonce - Run The World (Girls)

Ride

Ke$ha - We R Who We R Fred Falke Remix (3 on interval)

Destiny’s Child - Bootylicious (flat road)

Ariana Grande - bloodline (2 alternates)

Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (seated climb)

Karmin - Too Many Fish (3 alternates)

Sylvia Yacoub - Fighter (flat road with two sprints)

Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj - Side to Side (3 and 2 alternates)

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (seated climb)

Aly & AJ - Potential Break Up Song (3 on interval)

Ariana Grande - God is a woman (seated climb)

Selena Gomez & The Scene - That’s More Like It (3 on interval)

Demi Lovato - Confident (3 on interval)

JoJo - Vibe. (flat road)

Qveen Herby - That Bih (2 alternates)

Ariana Grande - Problem (flat road with three sprints)

Cool Down

Ariana Grande - R.E.M

Ariana Grande - goodnight n go

JoJo - Like That

#women's empowerment

[theworstbob]

yellin’ at songs, week forty

oops

brief considerations of the songs which debuted on billboard on 10.11.1997, 10.13.2007, and 10.14.2017

10.11.1997

1) "Candle in the Wind 1997/Something in the Way You Look Tonight," by Elton John

princess diana seemed like a nice person and i don't agree that it is good that she passed on. i think she should have continued to live, and finally, i found a song that agrees with my worldview.

44) "Too Gone, Too Long," by En Vogue

So real talk this is late because one week I saw two Post Malone songs and I said fuck it because, like, it's, and I just, I don't think it's fair when older generations yell at younger generations? But the average '90s R&B track was infinitely better than the average '10s anything. You could drive down the street bumping the radio and a song like this, with that small miracle that happens around the 3:00 mark, and this would be like the seventh-best song you'd hear. Kids these days are just listening to songs that don't make any stabs at greatness, they just exist in a way that doesn't motivate you to change the station. The problem is with the children. I'm not actually talking about this song, I'm talking about the way people consume music. This song is heckin' great and everyone should listen to it 20 times and then try to get through a Post Malone song.

58) "Heaven," by Nu Flavor

In this overly intense '90s R&B slo jamz, the R&B boys plead to God to convince this woman to fuck them. That sentence is the last thing I wrote for YAS before taking a weeks-long sabbatical and I'm glad I found it.

63) "Love Gets Me Every Time," by Shania Twain

Where do we rank Shania Twain in the diva pantheon? Like, this is a song with a hook I recognized when I heard it, after 20 years of just not thinking about this song I heard "dolgurn gone and done it" and was like "oh yeah! This jam!" and not all singers can dig that deep into your memory, but in terms of historical import, where does she rank? You can't really argue that "country needs a rep in the pantheon" because um hello? Dolly? but there's at least four Shania songs that are absolutely legendary. Does that merit inclusion among the greats? Or is Shania just on that second tier with a Kelly Clarkson or a Carrie Underwood, reliable but not as powerful as the women we'll tell our grandkids about?

65) "Electric Barbarella," by Duran Duran

One of the things that struck me as odd about the film Sing Street was the reverence with which the film treated Duran Duran. I always sort of thought Duran Duran was a boy band, but there was a film set in the heyday of Duran Duran's popularity, with a scene where an older brother extols the virtues of Duran Duran's musicianship to a younger brother, and I'm just like, "I never would have guessed this band was at the vanguard of new wave?" But I guess maybe they were a less dark Depeche Mode and I should check this out because this song from 1997 probably isn't indicative of peak Duran Duran? Hello welcome back to YAS I'm already asking questions to no one instead of offering criticism, it's like I never left.

70) "They Like it Slow," by H-Town

Sometimes, when you abandon a project for a while and come back, you notice things about the thing you're doing that you never would have noticed if you had worked on it in the last two months. To that end: I just realized all the 1997 and prolly most of the 2007 music videos were shot in 4:3. Like, when they filmed these music videos, they were composing shots with the idea they would be on TVs. That's kind of interesting! Like, when you go to film school, you probably have the idea you're gonna direct films, so having to compose shots for a smaller aspect ratio probably fucks you up a little bit. Anyway, I can't tell if this '90s R&B slo jamz is a parody or not.

87) "A Smile Like Yours," by Natalie Cole

"I have seen the bluest skies/Rainbows that would make you cry." It's absolutely amazing which lines in these songs gain significance from 20 years of events. Like, that line about rainbows takes on a whole new meaning now that we've all enjoyed and then forgot about the Double Rainbow video.

91) "Alright," by Jamiroquai

groovy! i’m okay with this! this is like what all the calvin harris songs would sound like if they were good.

92) "Spin Spin Sugar," by Sneaker Pimps

there's so much cool stuff happening in this song and i really just wanna sit down and get to know this band a lot more because they've always seemed like something i was supposed to like and now i realize that i do actually like them, unfortunately WE'RE LISTENING TO 100 SONGS TONIGHT GOODBYE GOOD SONG I WILL KEEP THIS MEMORY WARM IN MY HEART UNTIL THE END OF TIME

10.13.2007

58) "Tattoo," Jordin Sparks

This is a song that just barely missed the lyric video trend. If any song needed to have words appearing on random actors' skin, it was this one, it would have been such a no-brainer decision. Like, you do it right, hire some calligraphers and tell them to take it up a thousand notches, you have a classic lyric video. Wasn't e'er to be, though. Just a standard music video, and I guess a nice song? It's very2007. It's very the sort of song you'd give to the winner of a forgettable Idol season. "Oh, that? Uh, yeah, keep it. It's either going on this album or in that trash can, might as well use every part of the buffalo that is my brain."

80) "The Way I Am," Ingrid Michaelson

this is the sonic version of a scarf worn indoors in june

86) "Our Song," Tay Tay

"Our song is a slammin' screen door." Did you know Tay Tay's dad was an investment banker? I have reason to believe Tay Tay's only seen a screen door in movies. I dunno. Do rich people have screen doors? I've never been in a mansion, but I don't think screen doors would be appropriate for mansions.

91) "Shoulda Let You Go," Keyshia Cole intro./Amina

I like how Billboard gave Amina an "introducing" credit. You don't see that in music nowadays. Now it's just "hey this 17-year-old has a million plays on Soundcloud, what do you mean you 'haven't heard of him,' he's already been responsible for thirteen memes and they're all dead, we're actually over him already, he's lame now." It is now known that Amina was actually a woman who was okay at rapping. The point still stands, I'd at least like to know that the randos on these songs are people no one but the people who made this song know.

96) "Hypnotized," Piles ft./Akon

"I know she wet 'cuz she told me." I don't know why, but this line tickles me! "Piles, you got me so wet." "YO, SHE'S WET! I MADE HER WET, GUYS!" "You touch mine and I touch yours." Piles must be hypnotized because in my (admittedly limited) experience with his work he doesn't seem like a man who gives head. He seems like a man who needs to be coerced into reciprocating pleasure.

97) "Nothin' Better to Do," LeAnn Rimes

OK so real talk, while I was listening to this song I got distracted because I realized I hadn't updated my Poke Bank subscription in like a year and I have so many precious little babies I need to keep forever, and you know what? This is a fun song. I didn't really need to pay attention to it! It's a song about being naughty that keeps it PG enough to play on country radio, and I wouldn't mind bumping into it again!

100) "Fake It," Seether

So Amy Lee and the dude from Seether broke up. After the break-up, Evanescence hit first with "Call Me When You're Sober," which isn't a particularly devastating song, but the title is incredibly unsubtle, and, like, Seether's a shitty post-grunge band, of course he's an alcoholic, and Amy Lee is right to say "yo I'm kinda done with this, I don't like dealing with the drunk you." Seether strikes back by saying Amy Lee is a liar and that he "feels so raped," and Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm gonna go ahead and say that's #problematic! Amy Lee made a dumb but fair song about how she was out of patience, and here comes Donald Trump by way of Creed to say "YOU ARE RAPING ME WITH THIS BREAK-UP." Like, I'm gonna go ahead and say that the part using rape metaphors to describe their feelings is the one in the wrong in this mediation.

10.14.2017

65) "I Fall Apart," by Post Malone 100) "Go Flex," by Post Malone

i could have spent eight minutes sitting perfectly still listening to ambient noise and have had the same emotional reaction. "never caught a feeling this hard/harder than the liquor i pour." oh fuck off already.

70) "Good Old Days," by Macklemore ft./Kesha

FINALLY. The pop music gods have heard my prayers: Macklemore rapping about nostalgia. Everything I love, in one delightful package! ...He shouts out Minnesota and this is probably gonna end up being the best song from this week because of that and also because this week is lookin' pretty horrible.

94) "Losing Sleep," by Chris Young

OK so real talk during this bro country joint I got distracted because I was looking at new music releases and APPARENTLY THERE'S AN ANIMATED MOVIE BASED ON "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU?" IT WAS MADE THIS YEAR? THIS YEAR. YOU CAN BUY IT ON DVD TODAY AND OWN IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR FUCKING LIFE. I'm sorry. I'm not going to bother processing whatever bullshit this song is about, sex I guess, because THIS WORLD IS CAPABLE OF SO MUCH MORE. This is a movie. This is also a movie which presupposes that this entire time "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is about a puppy that Mariah Carey needed for a... charity fashion show? "Great! We're short one girl with a dog!" "Oh..." This is a cinematic masterpiece and my life is better for having stumbled across it. This and Pokemon Christmas Bash.

95) "Like I Loved You," by Brett Young

So the writer of Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You is one Temple Mathews, who has also written The Little Mermaid II, Peter Pan II, and 101 Dalmatians 2. That is a fucking nuts credit roll, Temple. Dude also goes multiple years between projects, which suggests to me he's like someone at Disney's cousin, and every couple years that person at Disney goes "hey, Temple, wanna make $100,000?" and Temple says "fuck yeah bro" and Temple just lives off that. He makes smart investments and lives in a cabin in Montana and has never actually seen a movie because why would you look at pictures when you've got mountains in your backyard? Temple is living the best life. Dude's my hero. He has someone describe a cartoon to him and writes something based off that and never has to write a second draft.

97) "Round Here Buzz," by Eric Church

Listen, if Eric Church is gonna give us repeats of songs he's done before, at least he's giving us repeats of "Give Me Back My Hometown." It's a slower, sadder version of that song, one that can't be misconstrued as an "I'm poor AND PROUD OF IT!" anthem, this is a song that can only be about a dude thinking about a girl living a life without him while he lives a life with her ghost, but also "Give Me Back My Hometown" is more fun? I dunno, this still prolly gets 2017 SOTY, I've just heard it before. Also, Eric Church? Welcome to the Decade Dance Club. You are the 36th member, and the tenth white male country artist.

98) "Plain Jane," by A$AP Ferg

ok nvm this is song of the week, simply because in the first verse Ferg raised and lowered the volume of his voice. this song went somewhere! this song actually did something! it didn't just bleep and bloop for three minutes or be about how it's nice when things are good, Ferg had things he wanted to say and delivered his lines with actual emotions! he did the bare goddamn minimum, and by 2017 standards, that's pretty good! i'm actually going to remember this song a little bit!

Who won the week?

1997. Like, of course 1997 won. It had Sneaker Pimps and Shania, if 1997 lost to these other wack-ass years it would’ve been stunning.

Standings: 1997: 15 2007: 12 2017: 13 oh god all the songs for the next edition look awful, welp

[awindowamirror]

Meet Me There!

11/22/17

Hello again! This post is from a bit ago, but I haven’t had WiFi.

Last week was our very last week of classes in Ghana. Actually, two of my classes even ended the previous week. It’s really weird to me to be done with classes, mostly because I don’t feel like I’ve learned a lot academically this semester. I’ve learned a ton outside the classroom, but it’s a little frustrating (ok, a lot) to look back on your semester and wish you had taken different classes or that professors had cared more about teaching. Exams start at the end of this week on Friday, and it’s hard to imagine what on earth will be on them—what did we learn?? I’m sure it will be fine, but it’s definitely a weird feeling and very different from what I expected, since usually British academic systems are supposed to be very straight-forward.

We have revision week until Friday, which is so nice—I really wish the U did this so that you aren’t trying to finish classes and finals all at once, I think people would really do better and be healthier. So, Charlotte and I decided to take a mini vacation. We looked online to check out cheap and quiet places on the beach, hoping we wouldn’t have to go all the way to Cape Coast on a trotro. We found a cool-looking place called Meet Me There in Ada, which is a beach town in the Volta Region of Ghana (towards Togo). They had beds for as cheap as 40 cedis, but we decided to get our own room for 100 cedis a night (about $25)—not bad at all once you split it between two people. And best of all, we were told it would take only about 3 hours to travel there—much better than the 6 hour ride to Busua we did a couple weekends ago.

We took off early on Saturday morning. Charlotte is living in a homestay, so we met at Spanner, a trotro stop just 10 minutes off campus. At Spanner, we had to walk for a while and ask a couple people where we could get a trotro to Tema Circle, but it’s never too hard to find where you’re going; people always help, especially when they see clearly foreign people with their backpacks and confused faces. Charlotte and I were already drenched with sweat when we got on our second trotro—it was about 8:30 in the morning, and the sun was already impossibly hot.

We rode for about 45 minutes, and then the trotro mate told the driver to stop, and gestured to us to get out. We said, “Oh? Here?” and trusted him—I mean, we had no idea what the Tema Circle stop looked like. We got out and gathered our things and looked around us. It appeared that we were in the middle of nowhere—we couldn’t see anything but a gas station on the other  side of the  roundabout. We cracked up because we must have looked ridiculous—two white girls in the middle of nowhere with nothing but our backpacks and no sense of direction.

We saw a bunch of people walking near the gas station, so we headed there and asked where the trotro station was. It turned out to be just across another street, hidden from view from where we first got off. Trotro stations are a little intimidating because they are essentially a huge parking lot filled with trotros going anywhere and everywhere in Ghana. All the mates and drivers yell, “Where are you going?” when you walk by, which used to really overwhelm me, but now we know to just pick one person to talk to and tell them where you’re going, and they almost always will physically walk you to the trotro you need to get on. Sometimes they’ll even tell you the price you should pay so that you don’t get ripped off, which is extra nice.

So that’s what we did—we asked, and we got put into an empty trotro that apparently was going where we were going. Because we were the first ones on, we got to ride in the very front with the driver, which is usually the most comfortable spot on a trotro. We waited about 30 minutes or so for the whole bus to fill up, getting a little nervous because the driver kept yelling “Keta! Keta!” to passerby, which was not where we were going. Again, we trusted, and eventually were able to confirm that Keta was simply the final destination of that particular trotro, and we would be getting off a few stops before that at Savietula Junction. (Quick note: Remember how I had so much trouble communicating to people that I was going to SDA Junction when I was trying to get to my internship, and I was surprised it was so hard considering there are only three letters to say? Well, I thought we’d have so many problems saying Savietula, because to me that could have so many more nuances in pronunciation, but guess what? It was so easy. The driver immediately understood us. Savietula is easier to say correctly than SDA. I don’t know, words are funny.)

We were on our Keta trotro for about 2.5 hours, which wasn’t so bad. I slept for most of it, I think. It started pouring rain at one point, which was a bummer because we had to roll the windows up, and with about 20 people in a trotro, it gets stuffy and hot real quick (cue Jordin Spark’s “No Air”). Other than that, it was a smooth trip. We got dropped off at Savietula, which again looked like the middle of nowhere, but soon a taxi driver collected us and said, “Meet Me There?” because where else would two foreigners be going, I suppose. It was a shared taxi, which was really nice because it’s so much cheaper—like a trotro, you wait for the car to fill up with people going the same direction as you.

Meet Me There turned out to be sooo nice. It’s a non-profit hostel/hotel, so all of their proceeds go to a community center that is right next to the hotel. Because we were there on a weekend, we didn’t see the center in action, but we were told kids come to play games and do homework and grab a snack, which is so cool, especially because it can be hard for small towns anywhere to have such a great resource available. They have a wonderful restaurant and bar, all outdoors of course, so you can feel the wonderful breeze from the ocean coming in. The ocean is really dangerous to swim in in this area, but there is a lagoon that the hotel sits right on—they even have part of the restaurant eating area sitting on stilts over the lagoon. At night, they lit tiki lights on the tables and across the lagoon so that we were surrounded by light. So peaceful.

The food was insanely good—of course, it’s much more expensive than what I’m used to eating at the market on campus, but it was SO SO SO nice and necessary to have a break from eating just rice and fried chicken. When I get home, I’m not going to eat rice and chicken for at least a month to cleans myself—it’s delicious but OH MY GOODNESS 4 months of it is a lot. And Ghanaian food is SO wonderful, we just don’t have access to a lot of it on campus. At Meet Me There, we got to try morenga stew and palava sauce, which I think are now two of my favorite things I’ve had here. They actually have a morenga tree right on their property, and apparently it’s a superfood—all the rage in the U.S. now, though Ghanaians have been eating it forever. Classic. Palava sauce is made of a leaf kind of like spinach (I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called right now, but I’m pretty sure it’s the leaf of cassava). You eat them with rice or boiled yam and oh my oh my, yum. I’m going to try to cook some up when I get home.

We arrived at about noon on Saturday and settled in and grabbed lunch, and then met the current managers. They’re from New Zealand, and are running the place for a year. They invited us  to go on a boat ride with the rest of the guests at 2:30pm—how good is that timing? The ride was really cool—they know a lot of people in the community because they’ve been here so long, so they asked a group of drummers to come along with us. It was so cool—we were in little nooks and crannies of the ocean in a big fishing style wooden boat with at least 30 people on board, including the musicians. We were on the boat for about 3 hours and the drummers played and sand the entire time, which is so impressive to me. It was really fun when we passes close to shore, because anyone on shore would stop what they were doing to dance to the drumming, as if they could not possibly resist. It was a good reminder of just how important music is here.

We stopped at an island nicknamed Rum Island because…well…they make rum there. We were told it is as good as real Caribbean rum. Charlotte and I split a shot, and it was pretty good! Some people really liked it so they bought whole bottles. We got back in the boat and stopped at a different island to watch the sunset and grab a drink. It was beautiful, and so peaceful. We headed back, a few more people dancing now after our stop at Rum Island, and had dinner and then passed out. At 9 pm. Yep. And then woke up at 9 am. That’s so many hours of sleep!!! Clearly we needed it.

We spent all day Sunday lounging around in the hammocks, the restaurant, and the lagoon. I caught up on some of my podcasts, which reminded me so much of being at school in Minneapolis—chilling in my hammock and listening to NPR. Some things never change no matter where you are, eh? We even got a little wild and ordered banana daquiris and sipped them over the lagoon. Life is hard. Charlotte actually was doing homework this entire time (those chemistry majors, am I right?), but don’t worry, I relaxed enough for both of us. We ended the day by playing some wholesome card games and listening to Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. There was a movie night at the hotel that night, which sounded fun, but once again, we were out by 9 pm.

The next morning, after a solid 12 hour sleep (that means we slept for the equivalent of an entire day that weekend!!!! Woah!!!!), we had breakfast and packed, and then went swimming for one last time. We grabbed lunch right before leaving because it’s so hard to find food on Sundays, especially when you’re travelling, and then made the trek home.

It was a pretty smooth trip back to Accra, but one of our trotros got stopped by the police. I’ve been in taxis that have been stopped several times—a couple times, we were even asked to get out and had our bags searched—but never in a trotro, though I’m sure it happens just as often. They asked to see our passports, which was scary because why on earth would we be carrying our passports travelling within Ghana? The man next to me said, “How about any other ID card?” and so we gave the officer our Non-Citizen ID cards, which of course worked. It was scary for a moment though because I just wasn’t thinking that oh yeah, duh, the card that we’re legally required to carry will probably work. We’ve been told several times that the police in Ghana often try to stop foreigners and catch them for tiny infractions, like not having their ID cards, because then we’d have to pay a sort of unofficial fine to stay out of trouble (a bribe). Like in many places, including the U.S., Ghana’s police force has many issues with corruption, especially with bribes. People literally know that they won’t go to prison as long as they have enough money to pay off the police, which is wild to me, but then again, so is the brutality of our police force in the U.S.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which is an awesome day to remember one of the many times that white people wrote a fictional narrative of peace with Native Americans. It’s also an awesome day to be genuinely thankful for what we have, of course, but isn’t every day? It’s my fourth Thanksgiving away from home, so it doesn’t seem so weird to me, especially because Thanksgiving obviously isn’t a thing here. Our program actually is putting on a dinner for us, a combination of Thanksgiving and a Farewell Dinner, which is really nice. I’ll miss being at home with my family though, and eating bread roll after bread roll and pumpkin pie for dessert (and breakfast and lunch the next day). I hope everyone has a wonderful day with love and peace surrounding you.

Now it’s time to start studying—I have my first final on Friday morning in Twi. Good luck to everyone else who is starting their final stretches of school, I know there’s lots of projects and final papers this time of year, so remember to respect your mental health and take breaks and walks and naps!!! @LindaPeng @BlakeDowning @RoohiKatarya

[flauntpage]

This is What the NHL Looks Like in Las Vegas

The energy outside T-Mobile Arena for the Vegas Golden Knights' home opener was palpable, a strange mix of anticipation and excitement for a historic sporting event with a tinge of somberness. For every three Marc-Andre Fleury jerseys in the plaza outside the arena there was one "VEGAS STRONG" jersey to remind everyone that the Golden Knights' first home game wouldn't be the big party the city was known for.

The sea of dark Knights jerseys—based on two games' worth of anecdotal evidence, the light road jerseys are about as popular in Vegas as going to bed at a reasonable hour—were lightly peppered with Arizona Coyotes jerseys. There was even an oddly placed Jordan Martinook jersey, which was being worn by the player's dad, if you believe what someone said on Twitter.

With no laws against open containers, it was a tailgate atmosphere in a downtown setting. Instead of fans holding cans of light beers and sitting in patio chairs next to cars in a parking lot, they were on city benches holding half-priced margaritas and towers of frozen alcohol. If you followed the path of a beanbag being tossed during a game of cornhole, your eye would catch an advertisement for a Lady Gaga show.

If the mood struck, you could walk into a nearby casino and place a bet on the game you were about to attend or just kill time at a blackjack table—an option chosen by many—until it was time to enter the arena.

It was a level of overall giddiness for hockey that's rarely found outside of a Stanley Cup Final. If heaven is a real and it has a sports team, this is what the pregame scene would look like—cheap drinks, music, perfect weather, and games of chance within walking distance of a beautifully designed arena.

It could be said that much of that giddiness was an active attempt to distract from the tragic mass shooting that occurred in Vegas two weeks earlier. It could no longer be avoided once inside the arena, as the Knights offered one of the more complete, touching and thoughtful memorials by a sports team after a terrorist attack. There were literal tears in the stands as first responders and players took the ice together, a situation everyone wished they could avoid but embraced in a show of solidarity with a wounded community.

Four goals and about 15 minutes of real time later, the Knights gave everyone a reason to resume the party. The Coyotes were overwhelmed and the Knights won the franchise's first regular-season game inside the city limits on a night that will lay a foundation for the future of the organization.

The Knights' in-arena entertainment had its good quirks—instead of a 50/50 raffle like all arenas hold, they went with a 51/49 raffle, because "your odds are always better in Vegas," even though that's not true but it's cute—and its bad quirks, like an in-arena sing-along where the dude-bro with the microphone asked fans to change the "Sweet Caroline" words to "Sweet Golden Knights." The look of horror on the faces of the two women shown on the scoreboard as the song began will live with me forever.

But there was a playoff feel in what was the third game of the season, and that's a testament to the fans who packed the building, and man, they packed it. The arena PA announcer occasionally let the everyone know a whistle blew for an icing or offside, but there wasn't a sense of confusion in the air during those stoppages. You could close your eyes and think you were in Montreal or Chicago (since the Blackhawks got good and fans started showing up, of course).

Three nights later, things were a little different.

Instead of a team that should have either been contracted or relocated four years ago coming to town in the middle of the week, the Detroit Red Wings, as crummy as they are in their current form, arrived for the start of the weekend with a large fan base in tow. It's one of those unexplainable things—Red Wings fans don't attend home games but they show up on the road in big numbers.

A plaza packed with Fleury jerseys earlier in the week was now Henrik Zetterberg Central. Suddenly, the Fleury jerseys were operating at Martinook levels. There were probably more Red Wings fans in the plaza an hour before puck drop than there were at the new arena in Detroit on Monday night this week.

An arena that was 90 percent Knights fans for the opener was down to 60 percent, at best, for the second game. Wasn't the mascot reveal enough to pull fans back for another game? What about the Medieval Times sword fight at center ice? Isn't this team undefeated? Didn't the Knights say they received 16,000 season-ticket deposits for the 18,000-seat arena last year?

Herein lies the problem for the Knights in a non-traditional hockey market—sustaining and growing a local fan base and not relying on visiting fans. While few events will ever match what occurred in the Knights' first home game, rarely will you find such a loud building when the road team scores as you would have during the second home game. You could close your eyes and think you were in Detroit (if Red Wings fans actually packed their building, of course). If the passion for hockey in Vegas doesn't carry to a second game, what will things be like in January and February when the team most likely sinks in the standings?

If you walked from the arena to the strip during the game, there were very few signs a hockey game was taking place. The Monte Carlo sportsbook had six people in it—four watching Yankees-Astros and two sleeping. Walk a little further to the better, bigger MGM sportsbook and only two of the two-dozen televisions were showing the Wings-Knights game. And once Yankees-Astros ended, the giant TV in the book was changed to... Washington State-California football.

Once you got beyond Beerhaus, a bar near the plaza, it felt like just another Friday night in Vegas. Maybe the Knights could consider asking the dudes who hand out the hooker fliers to hand out Knights tickets? Or Knights coupons? Even in Beerhaus, there were only a handful of Knights fans, although the bartenders there have said business has greatly improved since the preseason.

There's also something to be said for the fact that that after a Knights goal, four guys at a nearby table began singing, "Sweet Golden Knights." That's not a joke. It really happened. And it happened again after another goal. If I weren't there to see it, I wouldn't have believed it. That's both a good and bad sign for an organization that wants to embed itself in the area.

After the game, it didn't take long for Beerhaus to become flooded with mostly happy Red Wings fans. There was a line three-deep around the bar, but the influx wasn't as strong Tuesday, as the Coyotes and their 12 fans at the game couldn't provide the same level of revenue as the thousands of Wings fans.

The other thing to consider is that Vegas fans don't necessarily live in Vegas and instead reside 25-30 minutes away. So if the building is only Knights fans on nights they host teams like the Devils, Islanders, Hurricanes or any other team with a limp fan base, the post-game effect won't be the same. Especially on a weeknight, because local residents can't stay out and revel until the wee hours because they have these things called jobs they have to attend the next day.

When Carolina and Tampa Bay come to Vegas on successive Tuesdays in December, it will be interesting to see what the atmosphere is like in the arena during the game and outside the building afterward. But on nights like this when the Red Wings are in town, it's an invasion.

New York, New York is the closest casino to the plaza—the Monte Carlo is open and nearby but it's currently undergoing renovations primarily because the Knights' existence means thousands of people will be spilling past the building 41 nights a year.

And because of all the Red Wings fans, the casino was a sight to behold.

Gordie Howe rolling craps. Jordin Tootoo arguing with a waitress that he ordered a Jack and Coke and this tastes like Bacardi. The Grind Line sitting side-by-side-by-side at a blackjack table. Enough Zetterberg jerseys that it looked like the final scene with all the amigos in the Three Amigos.

A drunk woman in a Knights jersey was sort of clapping with a small plastic cup of booze in one hand and dancing around four guys in Red Wings jerseys chanting "Go Knights Go." It wasn't confrontational—it was all in good fun—but that scene juxtaposed with the usual Friday night scene of people in their early 20s heading to clubs in their finest attire a few feet away was a sight to behold.

Everybody seemed to have identical, "What are you people doing here?" gazes.

It will be an adjustment for everyone in the first year of the Knights. If the team truly has sold most of its season tickets, how does it get more of its people in the building? How do you create more buzz outside of the immediate area of the arena? How can you dance and clap with a drink in your hand without spilling any of it? Those tiny plastic cups are easy to squeeze and spray the drink everywhere. Maybe she does magic in Vegas?

No matter the question, the answer will involve time and patience. The business model of visiting fan bases of popular teams filling seats isn't a viable long-term model but it's a great built-in fallback for now.

Make no mistake—even with the Golden Knights' great start (which included back-to-back home wins after the loss to Detroit), growing the team's popularity in Vegas will be a challenge. But the party that will be happening around it should make it easier to tolerate for the fans who are on the ground floor with the new franchise.

This is What the NHL Looks Like in Las Vegas published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[junker-town]

WNBA mock draft: A’ja Wilson will go No. 1. After that, anything can happen

A new crop of stars are about to enter the WNBA. We know who Las Vegas will pick first, but it’s up in the air after that.

The 2018 WNBA Draft will be held at the Nike Headquarters in New York City on Thursday, April 12. ESPN2 will begin coverage with the first round at 7 p.m. ET, while the second and third rounds will take place at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

This year’s draft comes after one of the most exciting Final Fours ever, which saw two of three games go to overtime and Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale hit game-winners in consecutive games to win the tournament. The women’s hoops momentum is reaching a peak.

This season’s draft is deep with potential All-Stars at every position. The No. 1 pick is a lock, but after that, this draft is wide open. No team is sitting nicer than the Chicago Sky, who hold the No. 3 and 4 pick.

Last year’s champion Minnesota Lynx do not have a first-round pick, but the runner-up Los Angeles Sparks do. They’re looking for a piece to help bring them back on top for the second time in three years, and other playoff teams are hoping to snag an undervalued star.

Below is SB Nation’s mock draft, which includes our own observations and analysis from WNBA coaches and analysts.

Mock Draft

1. Las Vegas Aces - A’ja Wilson, F/C, South Carolina

Wilson is a future All-Star whose 6’5 height and size will help make her one of the best bigs in the league in time. She can shoot in the mid-range, has tremendous post moves and protects the rim well. She’ll make the perfect co-star with Kelsey Plum, last season’s No. 1 pick, who left the NCAA as the all-time Division I women’s scoring leader.

Las Vegas’ first professional basketball team has a ways to go, but will have two franchise pieces to build off of.

Las Vegas Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer’s scouting report:

You don’t get many players that can drive like she can. She can attack the basket with one dribble and cover a tremendous amount of ground. It says something when you have a player who’s relied on to take the ball out of bounds all the time. The trust factor is there to make the right pass. She’s also the player who comes back to get the ball and is the outlet pass to start a press-break because she’s going to make the right decisions. Those are the intangibles you look at for a player.

She shoots from an elevated position above her head so you don’t have to worry about shot-blocking. Overall, those are the intangibles that may set her apart from a lot of the other big players out there. I think in our league, she’s going to scare a lot of people guarding her because she’s able to take the ball to the basket off the drive.

2. Indiana Fever - Kelsey Mitchell, PG, Ohio State

The Fever have needs across the board. They’re in full rebuild mode, having traded their best player, Briann January one year after Tamika Catching’s retirement.

They can go one of two ways with this pick: Kelsey Mitchell, one of the most dynamic scoring guards in NCAA history, or Azura Stevens, UConn’s polished big.

With Mitchell’s incredible three-point range (she shoots 40 percent from the field on nine attempts per game), handles and court awareness, she seems too good to pass up here. The Fever can build around her and whoever they select at No. 8, a pick they received in the January trade.

How ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson sees Mitchell’s fit:

I kind of feel like Indiana will go with Mitchell [at No. 2]. Remember they don’t have Briann January anymore, and from what I understand Shenise Johnson won’t be ready to start this season. In my opinion, they need a player who can play that 1-2 combo. I think Pokey’s excited to see what Kelsey Mitchell can be as a passer. She took a lot of shots and scored a lot of baskets. That was her role and what she was expected to do. But they’ve seen some other dimensions of her game as she’s been asked to move into the 1-spot in some situations. But that’s just a guess of mine.

3. Chicago Sky - Azura Stevens, F, UConn

Stevens surprised many by entering the draft a year early, but she’s clearly ready to go pro. With her talents, Stevens is in consideration at No. 2, though it’s impossible to go wrong between her and Mitchell.

Stevens played a traditional big position for Connecticut because of the Huskies’ lack of size, but she showed in her first two seasons at Duke that can stretch out to the wing and play on the perimeter, too.

She’s versatile, a talented defender, and has a long frame you can’t find anywhere else in the draft. She’s a steal at No. 3.

How ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson sees Stevens’ fit:

Obviously the conversation around the first round of the draft has changed dramatically with Azura Stevens declaring for the WNBA. She’s a unique player and it starts with her physical dimensions more than anything. Her length... her skill not only around the basket, but she’s shown the potential to make plays with her face-up game.

4. Chicago Sky - Gabby Williams, G/F, UConn

The Sky get back-to-back lottery picks, and with needs everywhere and no rush to contend for a title right away, Gabby Williams makes a lot of sense. UConn’s star struggles to shoot the ball from range and is a bit undersized, but she was the best athlete in college hoops and is an all-around contributor. She was the heart and soul of the Huskies, and controls the tempo of every game she plays in.

Williams is an elite defender who can fill the stat sheet up with points, assists, or rebounds. With the right development, she can be a star.

Las Vegas Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer’s scouting report:

All you have to do is look at Alyssa Thomas from Connecticut and how she’s improved her game over the years. I think Gabby Williams fits that mold. She’ll teach herself some perimeter shooting. You watched her in the playoffs, she made some really big foul line jump shots. She’ll get better and better especially if they get a coach and an individual to work with her. I think she’ll be a solid player for a long time in the WNBA.

Indiana Fever head coach Pokey Chatman’s scouting report:

We’ve taken into account how important heart is on the court. Half the game is also played on the defensive end. Those are two valuable assets that she brings regardless of her ability to hit a three or nail a free-throw line jumper.

5. Seattle Storm - Jordin Canada, PG, UCLA

The Storm have to start thinking about Sue Bird’s inevitable replacement, and with talented point guards left on the board, this is probably the year to find one. The Storm could go with Duke’s Lexie Brown here, but Canada feels like the right choice.

Canada can run the floor, shoot from deep, and weave around anybody off the dribble. She won’t be a team’s primary scoring option, but she’ll get her buckets in the “W” while also creating attempts for Breanna Stewart, Jewell Lloyd and others. She’s an elite passer.

How ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson sees Canada’s fit:

Is there a player more fun to watch than Canada? She can lose a defend off the bounce no problem. She’s very crafty, can penetrate the defense and find the seams. She’s just got that next-level quickness. She’s not a pure shooter, meaning I don’t think she’s thinking about shooting the three every time she touches it, which makes her different from Lexie [Brown]. But you have to respect the fact that she’s worked on that three. She has an extremely high motor. The only question mark is her durability, because she’s kind of small and you can move her around the floor, but that’s fixable.

6. Dallas Wings - Diamond DeShields, G/F, Turkey

DeShields is undoubtedly a talented athlete who can play guard or forward with great 6’1 size and length. She isn’t a true three-point threat, but she’s phenomenal off the dribble, and at changing directions. She could be a star scorer.

What’s pushing her down in the draft is the uncertainty that surrounds her. She’s moved places three times, from North Carolina her freshman season to Tennessee. She then went pro overseas after skipping her senior season of college eligibility.

That’s something coaches and analysts agreed is a huge question mark.

Chicago Sky head coach Amber Stocks’ scouting report:

Skill is a broad term we often use to just identify talent on the court. But competitive character, managing through the mental and emotional burns of the season is a skill. Some players are able to do it at a different level. Looking at the intangibles is good not just when you’re looking at the 40 minutes of a game, but everything that goes into being a talented player and having a high character team... the locker room... the practices... the intangibles there are just as important.

How ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo sees DeShields’ stock:

Diamond is really interesting because she’s so talented, everyone knows the potential she brought at North Carolina and Tennessee. I think the positives are that she has a year of playing professionally under her belt. She’s playing in a good league, having the chance to play with good teammates against good competition can only help her.

I think a negative could just be the uncertainty with Diamond. I think because she started at one school, transferred to another and seemed like she was coming back... and then I think most people were surprised that she decided not to play... there’s an uncertainty about her. It’s not as easy to watch her play in person, although some coaches have gone overseas to do that in terms of their scouting, but I think there’s a bit of ‘What exactly are we getting with Diamond DeShields?’

7. Washington Mystics - Victoria Vivians, F, Mississippi State

Vivians is a versatile wing who makes perfect sense for Elena Delle Donne’s Mystics. A 6’1 wing, Vivians is a flamethrower from deep who can also defend multiple positions. She will fill a real role wherever she lands, but she’d be a hero in Washington, which has struggled to defend opposing backcourts.

How ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo sees Vivians’ fit:

A lot of people really like Victoria because of her size... Big guards are at a premium in the WNBA... and her ability to score. Not only did her efficiency increase this year, but the dramatic increase in her three-point shot, shooting from 20-something to the 40s. She’s shown that she’s a player who can continue to improve, and adjust her role even if that means fewer field goal attempts. I think people really liked her a year ago, and becoming more efficient has only helped her. She’s a very appealing big guard in this draft.

8. Indiana Fever - Monique Billings, F, UCLA

Billings definitely has some muscle to build as a post player, but she has a great sense of where to be to grab boards. She led the Pac-12 in rebounds this year, and also broke her own blocks record at UCLA. Billings can score in the interior, and may be the perfect match to run the break next to Kelsey Mitchell.

This is a huge draft for the Fever.

Indiana Fever head coach Pokey Chatman’s scouting report:

When you look at Mo, you can tell she’s trying to work on her range a bit. She’s trying to shoot it from about 10-14 feet. She’s always been high motor, runs the floor like a guard. She can defend multiple positions because she can move laterally. She’s great on the boards, but you can see she’s trying to get herself a little more solid and under control offensively.

Las Vegas Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer’s scouting report:

If she had 15 to 20 more pounds on her, she’d be a better player for our league.

9. Connecticut Sun - Kia Nurse, G, UConn

The Sun need help in the backcourt to match Jonquel Jones’ and Alyssa Thomas’ production on the inside, and Kia Nurse is the perfect piece. A knockdown shooter, Nurse can serve a vital role as a scorer, and can also defend quick guards.

Nurse may not be a star, but she’s a necessary glue piece who can help tie any team together.

10. New York Liberty - Lexie Brown, PG, Duke

With no striking need, the Liberty are likely to go with the best available player regardless of position. They’d be lucky to steal Brown at No. 10. Brown is one of the best defenders in the draft who averaged four steals per game this season, and also shoots better than 38 percent from range.

Brown is destined to be a starting point guard in time.

How ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson sees Brown’s fit:

The thing that sets Brown apart is her size. She’s got a couple inches on most of the point guards. Her three-point range is something intriguing to me because you stretch the line more in the WNBA than in college.. She’s a great leader, she was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Another part of her game that impressed me was her strength on the ball. She has a high basketball IQ, sees the floor well and comes from a basketball pedigree. I think what’s different about Lexie is that she can play the 1 and 2. She’s got enough size that she can move to the 2 and become a shooter as well.

11. Los Angeles Sparks - Maria Vadeeva, F/C, Russia

Vadeeva is one of the unknowns in the draft as a 19-year-old playing in Russia. She could have been a lottery pick had she played college basketball, but since she’s been difficult to scout and nobody knows for sure when (or if) she’d come to the U.S., it’s hard to take her with a top overall pick.

Since the Sparks have a championship-caliber team together, whoever they draft isn’t likely to see a whole ton of playing time. That means they can afford to wait for Vadeeva to move to America. The 6’3 low-post scorer who already plays with Nneka Ogwumike and Angel McCoughtry overseas should be worth the wait, if necessary.

How Las Vegas Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer sees Vadeeva’s stock:

I don’t think she’ll fall to 13, and I’m definitely not taking her at 1. So, it’s a crapshoot where’s she’s gonna go depending on needs and if someone makes a surprise pick. I think she’s going to be a first-round pick.

How Indiana Fever head coach Pokey Chatman sees Vadeeva’s stock:

She’s surrounded by talent abroad and is playing well. We always have to take in regard to a player with such a high pick because of the commitment, if they’ll pass from a national team commitment being a top player. It’s one of those things, there’s too many question marks there that we still have to work through.

How ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson sees Vadeeva’s fit:

I’ve seen very little of her, but from what I’ve seen, she’s 6’3... lefty... very physical... she can rebound outside of her area... nice passer... nice touch. Really, more than anything, going back to the physical aspects of her game, a lot of times when it comes to post players it takes them a while to develop that strength and physicality, so I think that’s an advantage for her.

And then the passing ability for a big as the game evolves, the ability for a post player to pass and find open teammates is a premium. She’s kind of one of the unknowns in this. Because we haven’t seen a ton of footage on her or seen her live, I’m interested to see. I’ve talked to some WNBA GMs and they feel that if she were a college player, she could be a lottery pick. That just speaks to the level of skill and versatility she has and will hopefully bring to the WNBA.

12. Phoenix Mercury - Marie Gulich, C, Oregon State

A 6’5 center who nearly doubled her points production in her senior season (from 10 to 17 per game), Gulich has been a high riser in draft projections. She’s an efficient scorer down low (66 percent), and on the defensive end, she swatted three shots per game this season. She’s a great late-first talent who could form an unstoppable frontcourt with Brittney Griner in time.

How ESPN analyst Rebeccca Lobo sees Gulich’s stock:

Just talking to coaches it seems like she’s the prospect whose stock rose more than anyone throughout the latter part of the NCAA Tournament. Coaches were aware of her, but she played so well in the tournament especially in the later matchups and in the Tennessee pulling up against Mercedes Russell.

I think before the NCAA Tournament run, the conversation was that she was mid-to-late second-round, but her play may have moved her up to late first-round or early second-round. People are really interested in how hard she works, great size, her ability to face the basket, her fadeaway on her shot and her ability to score on like-sized players.