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phoebe-delia · 3 years

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Has anyone asked for song #1 yet? I'm very curious which song you're listening to most.

I really enjoy your writing in combination with the song prompts! Thank you for sharing it with the world!

Hello darling! Thank you for this ask. As a matter of fact, no one has requested 1!

My number 1 song is the explicit version of "Potential Breakup Song" by Aly and AJ.

I know, I thought it would be a Taylor Swift song, too! I will say, this playlist was from Apple Music and I recently started using Spotify more so idk if this is still accurate for my current No. 1 song, but it's still a bop.

This is a bit of a challenge, but I figure if I can write a fic based on "Yeah!" by Usher, I can give this a try. This fic will be *mostly* funny and fluffy but there's some angst with a happy ending.

5 Times Draco Almost Broke Up With Harry

"Tell me something," Draco said shyly, tracing patterns into Harry's bare arm. Sunlight streamed into the living room, dust motes dancing in the rays.

"What do you mean?"

"Something I don't already know about you."

"Like what?"

Draco's expression turned exasperated. "I don't know, Harry, that's rather the point."

"Right...er, okay, here's something you don't know about me. I don't like whipped cream."

Draco looked at him, startled. "You don't?"

"Er, no. I also don't like marshmallows or--"

"What?"

"Or avocado, or eggs."

Draco sputtered. "What is wrong with you?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Merlin, here we go."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Every time I tell people the foods I don't like, they get all indignant and huffy," Harry waved a hand. "It's so weird. Like I've offended them by disliking meringue."

"You don't like meringue?! That's it, I'm breaking up with you."

Harry groaned. "I regret this. I regret everything. Just--forget it."

Draco sighed. "No, no I'm sorry. In my exaggerated teasing, I see how I might've struck a nerve."

"It's fine--I'm just tired of people taking my food preferences as a personal insult."

"I take everything you do as a personal insult."

Harry just chuckled. "That you do, Draco, that you do."

"POTTER!!"

"WHAT?"

"GET IN HERE!"

"WHERE'S 'HERE'?"

"TAKE A WILD GUESS, AUROR POTTER!"

....

"Ah, good to see that your tracking skills aren't too hopeless. Now, care to tell me what's wrong with this picture?"

"Er...you're angry?"

"Yes, I am angry--and the reason for that is obvious if you merely look around the room and see if you can identify what might be bothering me."

"You get really formal when you're upset."

"Potter--"

"And you call me Potter."

"If only you would use your powers of observation for discovering the cause and not the symptoms of my frustration, this conversation would be over."

...

"Is it my socks?"

"Your socks, your pants, your shirt, your trousers--all in a heap in the closet."

"So? I haven't done laundry in a while."

"Potter, you do realize there are laundry spells, don't you? So that dirty clothes don't stink up one's closet?"

"...No?"

Sigh. "Alright, I suppose I won't move out this time."

"Oh, what a relief."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"Never. Especially not toward you, baby."

"I should hope not. Now, c'mere and let me teach you the spell."

"I can't believe you'd betray me like this." Draco shook his head mournfully, bits of snow falling from the top of his warm hat. "I trusted you."

Harry scoffed. His breath fogged in the air. "I told you this was happening today. It's not my fault you weren't listening."

"Asking me post-coital if I'd like to attend the Weasley Family Brunch is Slytherin-level manipulation."

"Did I ever tell you the Sorting Hat almost put me in Slytherin?"

"What?" Draco stopped walking, turning to Harry in shock.

"Yeah. Told me I'd do well. But you'd been such an arse to Ron that I begged it to sort me anywhere else."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Of course. Honestly, I did you a favor. You were practically made for Gryffindor."

"Who knows? Maybe we'd have been friends back then."

Draco glared and Harry snickered.

"You know, Potter, between your little jokes and this stunt you pulled, I'm one insult away from Apparating on the spot and leaving you here."

Harry smiled fondly. Taking Draco's hand, he led them toward the Burrow, its warm light a welcome destination in the icy weather.

"Nah, you won't, you know why?"

"Why?"

Harry smirked. "Because then we won't get to be post-coital together."

Draco scowled. Harry laughed.

"Don't say a word."

"Can I just--"

"Harry."

"But I--"

"Potter. Shut up.

...

"Draco I'm sorry--"

"Harry, what is the one thing I asked you to do when you became an Auror?"

"...Don't be stupid."

"Yes. I asked you not to do anything stupid. I asked you not to impulsively put yourself in harm's way."

"Draco it's my job to protect my partner, and--"

"You don't think I understand that? Of course I do! I can't fault you for being a loyal partner, Harry, but running into a hostage situation without calling for backup is the absolute dumbest thing you could've done! You nearly died!"

"But I didn't! And the case is over now."

"You were in St. Mungos for nearly a week! Do you know how agonizing it was to see you like that? Do you--" Draco's voice cracked and he cut himself off, turning away from Harry.

Harry's heart clenched. He walked up to Draco and wrapped strong arms around him from behind, expecting to be pushed away. Instead, Draco leaned into the touch.

"I know your job has its risks, Harry, but the least you can do is not create them for yourself. You said the Sorting Hat nearly put you in Slytherin; some self-preservation would be good for you."

Harry sighed, nuzzling Draco's neck. "Okay. I'll try."

Draco turned in his arms, looking at Harry with wet eyes. "Good. The last thing I want to do is break up with you, but I couldn't handle it if I lost you any other way, I--" The tears spilled at that. Draco's face flushed in embarrassment, in anguish.

Harry's chest constricted. He pulled Draco close to himself and stroked his hair, letting the other man cry his fears into his shirt.

"I won't let it happen, Draco. I promise."

Draco nodded, his cheek brushing Harry's shirt.

Harry smiled. They'd be okay.

Draco was going to kill Harry.

He was going to break up with him, and then kill him, and then revive him just to break up with him once more.

He cast a Tempus. 8:20.

Over an hour. Over an hour he'd been waiting for Harry to return home. He was beginning to get hot in his tailored suit, despite the cooling charms.

He hadn't heard anything. No Owl, no Floo, no nothing. Either Harry had no respect for decorum or...

Nope. Draco couldn't go there, wouldn't. Harry promised and he always kept his promises.

Suddenly, the Floo roared to life, making Draco jump. Harry stumbled through with a panicked expression on his face, dusting the Floo powder from his formal robes.

"Draco! Merlin, I'm so sorry, I thought I had time and then everything got all screwed up and I got here as fast as I could."

Draco sighed. "It's fine, Harry, let's just order takeaway."

"Why?"

"Well, we missed our reservation. Cerise won't wait for more than thirty minutes."

Harry pursed his lips. "What if I had something else in mind?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

With a smirk, Harry tossed him a hairbrush, which Draco caught with Seeker instinct.

"Harry wh--" His eyes widened as he felt the pull of a portkey, the sound of Harry's amused laughter echoing behind him.

He landed with a thud on a balcony. After a crack, Harry appeared next to him, gasping to catch his breath for a moment.

"Potter, what the fuck?"

Harry chuckled. "Surprise! Look around, Draco."

Draco's breath caught as he finally took in his surroundings. They were standing on a balcony in Paris, confirmed by the sight of La Tour Eiffel in the distance. The lights of the city twinkled like stars below them. On the balcony were two chairs and a small table with hot food under a stasis charm. A bottle of wine and two glasses sat ready for them. Draco checked the label and confirmed with a gasp that it was a 1989 Chateau Lafleur.

"Harry, I--" Draco turned around but was startled into silence at the sight of Harry on his knee, a hopeful smile on his face and a small black box in his hand.

Draco's eyes went wide. "What?" He breathed.

Harry bit his lip. "Draco, I'm sorry I don't like whipped cream. I'm sorry I forget to do laundry, and that I dragged you to Sunday dinner. I'm sorry that I worry you sometimes because my job is dangerous. I'm sorry I run late to our dates sometimes.

But I promise to give you the avocado from my sandwich. I promise to try to remember the spells you taught me, and to use my manipulative powers for good and not evil. I promise I'll use better judgment in the field. And I promise I'll try to be on time for our dates.

And I promise to do all of this for as long as I can, as long as you let me. And if you do--if you promise to love me for the rest of our lives--I promise to do the same. Draco Malfoy, will you marry me?"

Draco let out a delighted, euphoric laugh. "Yes, yes of course I'll marry you!"

Harry grinned and rose from his knee to pull Draco into a nearly bruising kiss. When they pulled apart, they pressed their foreheads together and looked as Harry slid the ring, a simple silver band with tiny emeralds, onto Draco's finger.

As they ate dinner, looking out over the city, Harry gave him a cheeky grin. "So, tell me, how'd I do?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. "With tonight? The proposal?"

"Yeah, what'd you think? I hope it made up for me being late. I'm sure you were about ten minutes from breaking up with me," Harry said with a chuckle.

Draco shook his head and smirked. "No, Harry," he raised the glass of wine to his lips. "I'd never do that."

Send me an ask about Harry Potter, broadway/musicals, The West Wing, and/or Taylor Swift! Or just about life in general :).

Also, I have a playlist of my 99 most listened-to songs of the year so far. Pick a number 1--99 and send me an ask and I'll write you a fic based on it!

#drarry #draco malfoy #harry potter #drarry fanfic #fanfiction #harry potter fanfic #drarry squad #kinda flangsty #potential breakup song #5 things #5 things fic

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hopeshoodie · 2 years

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why dont you like Harry?

Lmao I JUST had this rant at Aly, and I feel like I’ve made this list before but can’t find the post.

So I’ll preface by saying I think Harry is the third most attractive boy in S3 (Tai and then Nicky taking the first and second spots respectively), and I originally paired with him before leaving for AJ then Yasmin then Lily. So I didn’t come in a hater. But he sure made me one.

So here are the reasons I Hate Harry More Than Any Other LITG Character (and I’ll exclude headcanons and only address his canon storylines)

From the jump, Harry makes a poorly executed sex joke as his very first exchange with MC. If she doesn’t laugh, he bristles as if MC’s the one who made it awkward. I totally would’ve forgiven him for it if he’d blushed and been like ‘that did not land as well as I thought it would’ or ‘oof, sounded better in my head’ (tbh that’s why I don’t hold any of Miles’ bad jokes against him, because he recognizes they’re bad). But he didn’t, and that gave me the immediate ick.

He talks about college like it’s an inconvenience, which makes me so mad because it’s such a PRIVILEGE to be able to attend university. This is coming from someone who nearly dropped out and HATED uni, but I still recognize the important of it and respect the hell out of other students. Harry instead uses it as an excuse, the thing stopping him from making money right now, but like… If that’s what it is for you then drop out and make your money. Lily’s a student too, and you can see the passion and respect she talks about her studies with. I just think it’s a shitty perspective to have, and super tone deaf of Harry to voice when he’s surrounded by some people who couldn’t/didn’t go to school.

My BIGGEST issue with Harry is that at multiple points, he talks about different business ideas he has, but he makes it very clear that he’s not 100% into any specific business and isn’t passionate about the thing itself. I hate that so much, the type of Business Boy grifter who just latches onto whatever industry he thinks can make him money. Like he has no passion for the underlying product or service, he just wants to be in charge of it. I think it’s a dumb business move because it always ends in overselling and not representing the product well, and I think it’s an annoying personality trait because I want to hear about THINGS not the ‘big picture strategy’. Like if Harry had been like ‘I’m into marketing psychology, it doesn’t really matter what I’m selling’ I would’ve respected that, but he’s not. It just sounds like he has no skills and no plans other than step 1 ???? step 2 profit.

He's the most vocal about the prize money of all the LIs. I thought this was setting him up for a player!bobby esque storyline, but honestly the fact that it wasn’t makes it more irritating. If he was going to steal the money I’d respect it, but instead he just brings it up multiples times in earnest and then is genuinely upset if MC also says the prize money is important to her. He does that at multiple points, like if MC pretends to sell him to the *gagging sound* shiny demon. He’s super capitalist, but if MC is too he thinks she’s a gold digger. Why are broke men always concerned about gold diggers.

Similar to Miles/Jasper, Bill and Harry get into dumb arguments about irrelevant things. This is minor, but still a knock against Harry because he SEES that Bill thrives off of 'debates' and has clearly researched topics ahead of time, but still has the arrogance to think that he knows better and takes the bait to argue.

The shirt he gives to MC, his favorite T-shirt, says ‘comfort is the enemy of progress’. Which a) is such a hustle culture thing to say, which I am personally diametrically opposed to b) is LAUGHABLE considering Harry constantly talks about being rich and partying and gaming, like bro you think you’re not leading a comfortable life? It’s just such a privileged position to be like ‘you have to be UNCOMFORTABLE to be innovative’ as if all the people in poverty and struggling are able to innovate instead of just trying to survive. Very Of Walden for Harry to say. And c) is his FAVORITE?! TSHIRT?!!! Like I could get a shirt that he likes, but he could’ve picked a shirt with sentimental value, or one with a logo with a backstory, but no his FAVORITE SHIRT is one you can get from any mall kiosk. Granted the other boys (I’ll give Camilo and AJ a pass because at least theirs are sweet/goofy) did the same, but mixed with points A and B I can’t forgive Harry for this.

In Boat Party, all of the other Lis have pretty legitimate arguments with MC that center around personality or communication conflicts. Harry’s conflict, and I’m not exaggerating, is literally this: MC says she feels like he’s not spending enough time with her. He says he’s busy with school and networking. She points out that’s not true because he spend all his free time gaming (which, relatable, but I don’t have a significant other to answer to like he does). He retorts that the online gaming he’s playing is ranked online with friends, so it’s a priority. And that’s it. He’s willing to completely ignore his girlfriend’s emotional needs because the game he’s playing is ranked. That’s just… So incredibly selfish and not at all self-aware. Granted I didn’t play the rest of Boat Party with him, so maybe there’s a moment when he says ‘I’m sorry, gaming just is an escape for me and I didn’t realize how much it took over my life’, but anything short of that is Shitty.

#final trash dump

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baekwin · 3 years

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interview tag

tagged by @sehunlyone @j-pping thank u frens! sorry i took so long to get around to this aaaah i miss u guys but work has taken over my life kjdhfjkd

rules: answer the questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better!

name/nickname: shaye

pronouns: she/her

star sign: aries

height: about 158cm, i am Small

time currently: around noon

nationality: indian

when is your birthday: in the month of march

favourite band/groups: exo + all subgroups, nct, snsd + all subgroups, superm, i’ve said it once i’ll say it a million times i’m certified sm trash (also i luv aly&aj)

favourite solo artist: kpop - taeyeon, iu, lee hi, all exos. other - tiffany (? i think she goes here in recent years), kacey musgraves, billie eilish

song stuck in your head: listen by aly&aj

last movie you watched: i think hercules a couple weeks ago!

last show you binged: his dark materials season 2!!!! i’m so hyped that this series exists, i loved the books as a kid but somehow i can’t seem to find any other person who’s read them omg

when you created your blog: 2010ish, but went inactive around 2015 and came back in may 2020

last thing you googled: whether or not you can use wood stain indoors, bc i live in a v tall apartment building and am getting the quarantine urge to redo my room furniture

other blogs: none!

why I chose my url: because i love baekhyun and i love winwin!

do you get asks: not very often, but they’re all usually very nice! ^^ i have a request sitting in there right now which i literally asKED FOR and then immediately got too busy to do it ahksdfhkj but anon if you’re reading this i will get around to it, i didn’t forget!!!

how many people are you following: 200, a lot of them are old inactive blogs though so I should clear it out soon

how many followers do you have: a number that i can’t believe 🥺 i’m still debating whether or not to do a ff/celebration soon bc i am very close to a milestone, but i don’t wanna get wrapped up in numbers so i might not. tbd

average hours of sleep: most days usually 6-7, trying to sleep earlier and get to 8!! i am a tired gal

lucky numbers: hmmm i don’t think i have one in the usual sense, but every time something good happens in my life i’m surrounded by the number 11 (idk if y’all believe in angel numbers or anything, but this has happened to me toooooo many times for me to not)

instruments: i used to play the piano, french horn, and flute, and one day i wanna play the guitar and learn how to sing but those require time which i don’t currently have

what i’m currently wearing: a lightning mcqueen sweatshirt and constellation-print sweatpants and blue fuzzy socks. yes it is as comfortable as it sounds

dream job: not quite sure, and i’m honestly happy not knowing! as recently as two years ago i thought my dream job was an entirely different thing than it is today, so as i get further in my career and learn more about my industry i assume that’ll keep happening

dream trip: i have always wanted to visit spain and greece!!! i’ve been to japan (tokyo) once but it was for an extracurricular i did in high school, so i didn’t have much time to explore. i would love to go again and stay for a week or so. also singapore

favorite food: i’m an absolute mac and cheese hoe

favorite song: in general, oasis!!! right now according to spotify it’s fermata by oh!gg which......yeah i fkn love that song

top three fictional universes you’d like to live in: pokémon, harry potter, or atla! also gonna cheat and add his dark materials bc i just finished watching s2 and i always thought the concept of a daemon was so cool

tagging: uhh i dont think i can tag 20 lol but @delhyun @nctsworld @kangseulqi @leemarkies @tten @taeminnomuyeppeo @dokyunqsoo @ciaozhan no obligation to do it/ignore if you already did, i’m just thinking of youuuuu ❤️

#tags #there was like a partial ver and a full ver so i just did the full one

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monicalorandavis · 4 years

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So, ’AJ and The Queen’ is...interesting?

I want to be careful here because I made a stance in favor of Rupaul mere months ago. To turn on him now feels a little...trendy. Dare I say tacky?

*gasp*

I can admit when I’m wrong. But I refuse to be tacky. No, no, no. It simply will not stand. I need to say this now, I am nothing if I’m not my own person. I ignore trends like Jenny McCarthy ignores science. Public opinion of Rupaul has no influence on my decision. I don’t even pay attention to the public. It’s sort of my thing! I resisted consuming anything Harry Potter until last year...and as it turns out, those movies are very entertaining! So, no, my opinion of the disastrous comedic turn in ‘AJ and The Queen’ has nothing to do with the political conversation surrounding Rupaul.

But, girl. This would’ve been time to show the naysayers your artistry. Instead you present the worst defense of your case. Netflix’s ‘AJ and The Queen’ stars Rupaul as a drag queen by another name, Ruby Red, and performing at a quality that she would eliminate someone for on her very own ‘Drag Race’. I’m utterly confused. In every area the show could disappoint, it does!

How? How?! HOW?!?!!?

I don’t know what this is but you need to take it on back to where it came from. This is not a show. This is not entertainment. This is shlock...with terrible lighting! You know good lighting. You know how important good lighting is. You are a visual artist. Drag is painting. You quite literally “paint your face”.

I would’ve allowed the terrible acting, writing, casting, set design, editing, music...but lighting??? Girl, that is where I draw the line. This show provides the people no sense of fantasy. The lighting is all overhead, fluorescent, harsh and cheap. I can’t believe I’m even using those words in relation to you. You are a god damn professional. Rupaul is a legend! Did you forget that somehow? Did the pressure of stepping out of the box force you to completely dissociate from the principles you hold true? Drag Race season 1 had better lighting! And you know that’s hard to do!!!!

And don’t for one second tell me this is what you and Michael Patrick King genuinely thought served you best! I will not stand idly by while this show carries on. Point me to the person I need to blame because the creator of ‘Sex and The City’ would never!

Or would he...

Oh dear. Those ‘SATC’ movies were bad. Come to think of it, I can’t even bring myself to rewatch the second one. The writing was goofy and hokey and cheesy and well...we’ve arrived at ‘AJ and The Queen’.

Perhaps a MPK/Rupaul pairing was not the right match. What are these storylines? What are these stereotypes? Does Rupaul genuinely only know Asian people as manicurists and Chinese restaurant workers? Tia Carrere is, for whatever reason and for no payoff, playing a one-eyed villain named Madame Danger. (A show for grown-ups and you’re calling people “Madame Danger”? Really?) Carrere goes in and out of a terrible pigeon English that jumped around as much as the protagonists hop around the country in that beat up RV! Any good director would’ve nipped that in the bud. But, you, I assume, thought that was funny or a choice that enhanced the character? Why? Couldn’t she have been just as villainous in her normal speaking voice? She’s already wearing that stupid eye patch, she’s disappeared into this cartoon of a character. And that brings me to another point, it all feels cartoonish. Childish. Dreamed up in a childhood fantasy of what Rupaul wanted this show to look like when he was 8 years old. This is not the work of a man with his success and his accolades. This exists in a space that Rupaul could’ve kept private.

The show makes no sense! The acting makes no sense! The story makes no sense! And what bothers me the most is the whole premise. Ruby Red is taken advantage of by a hunky straight man (maybe) who preys on older drag queens. That doesn’t sound awful. But from there, Ruby Red goes on a cross-country tour with this stow-away child, AJ, and he’s determined to make his money back. Still on board.

But this is where the show loses me: Ruby holds onto a spark of hope between himself and his con-artist ex-boyfriend/business partner who is majorly abusive, violent, scary and cruel. Does Rupaul really struggle that much with the boundaries of decency in a romantic partnership for him to present that storyline to the public? Is it that hard to cut a deceitful man from your life after he’s stolen your life savings and then chases you, trying to murder you? And then does she expect us to root for him when he has a change of heart? I am offended!!!! This is the kind of b.s. tragic gay storyline that I thought we were all done with. We’ve moved past this. Gay men, and questioning men, don’t need to be abused by their lovers! Do not for one second suggest they should!

The show fails to make interesting points about sexual identity nor does it offer anything interesting about gender identity. And you’d think that Ru would take it upon himself to straighten that out since he’s been so under fire regarding his language surrounding transgender people! But no.

I am outraged. I want a refund. Netflix make it stop. No season 2. Take season 1 off.

Color me disappointed. ‘AJ and The Queen’ gets 0 stars.

#rupaul #aj and the queen #drag race #drag race uk #netflix #television review #tv review #rupaul review #bad tv #bad tv shows

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lopez-richter-fangirl · 5 years

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So. Homecoming. Holy fuck. It’s taken me this long to even start to get my thoughts together. Very spoilery post under the cut. Like, as much as I can possibly remember of the show spoilery. Also rambly. And long. Ridiculously long. So you’ve been warned.

Also disclaimer, this is just homecoming to the best of my recollection and it might not be 100% accurate. So first of all the setlist (this was everything they sang but the order of songs in act 2 is a bit hazy, I think it’s about half right. Also I don’t think hardly anyone at the show could tell you exactly because it was just so overwhelming). They did medleys for all the non-Potter shows in act 1 in reverse chronological order, act 2 they did full songs from all the Potter musicals.

Act 1 TGWDLM, Join Us And Die, Show Stoppin Number We Got Work To Do, Make The Most Of It Ani, With My Own Eyes, Back On Top Gone To Oregon, Naked In A Lake, Speedrun No One Remembers Achmed, A Thousand And One Nights, Happy Ending Holy Musical B@man, Rogues Are We, Superfriends Status Quo, Kick It Up A Notch, I Wanna Be Me And My Dick, Listen To Your Heart, Ready To Go Act 2 Going Back To Hogwarts Harry Freaking Potter To Have A Home Different As Can Be (and reprise) Coolest Girl Cho’s Song Hey Dragon Granger Danger Guys Like Potter Wizard Of The Year To Dance Again Sidekick Voldemort Is Going Down Everything Ends Not Alone Days Of Summer Not Alone (reprise)

Thursday 25th The more I think about it the more I realise I really had no idea what I was expecting from the show. We’d been planning before they even announced what it was to fly out for it, but we had very few details. I didn’t even know they had an orchestra until like two hours before. I’d barely been able to watch any of their rehearsal stories. But I don’t think I’d ever been more excited for anything in my life. I was super excited for AVPW but also, it was my first time seeing any of them, the whole thing felt like a dream, and I had no idea how much it was gonna mean to me so it didn’t even hit me properly until the last night. Whereas I already knew exactly how special this would be, it was entirely once in a lifetime and I was nearly shaking.

Outside the theatre I’ve said it before but genuinely my favourite place in the world to be is surrounded by Starkid fans. Seeing people in cosplay, in merch, talking about the same shows and people I love, I just get such a sense of ‘this is home’. There was the classic waiting-in-line going back to hogwarts singalong. And some la dee da da day thrown in for good measure. Liam was walking along the line filming and doing interviews for the bts. Tessa got out of a car right next to us, we saw Jade and Traci and their friend Bella. They’re all gorgeous it’s insane and unfair.

Inside the theatre Spent over $100 on merch but honestly could have spent so much more, really I showed a lot of self restraint. They didn’t have the programmes though which I’m still heartbroken over. Saw Denise Richter which I was maybe too excited about. Didn’t speak to her or anything but even just to see her she exudes kindness she’s the best. Then we were hanging out in the lobby and Tessa was talking to everyone and hugging them and taking selfies and jumping in people’s group pics and I love her. Like she made my night even without me talking to her because she was SO sweet to everyone she spoke to and I was stood there falling in love with her by the second. Also, let’s talk about how cool the venue was? It looked unbelievable and they had a bunch of posters up with AVPM quotes. And the stage? Y’all have seen by now but they made it look like an actual homecoming dance and it was amazing. Considering how far back our seats were it was actually a very good view, it helped that I had an aisle seat so had a clear view of the entire stage. I’ve posted the pre-show playlist here, it was perfect, especially the JATP like, hell yeah to celebrating all their various projects. At this point I literally thought I was gonna die of excitement. AJ and Clark came on stage and as much as I was having great fun freaking out with the groupchat about how soon the show was I couldn’t wait to put my phone away cause that meant the show was starting. And then the lights went down.

Darren Very pleased to say it was not the Darren show, even though he did give the opening and closing speech. And as much as I have opinions about him, when he walked out for the first time it was a pretty special moment because it’s like, this is it this is really happening. The amount of energy in that room when he came on stage my god. You would not have believed there were only 1600 people there. The whole show people could barely get a sentence out without cheering, which in hindsight was probably annoying but it just shows how incredibly loved they are, and we were as grateful to them as they were to us. I loved the atmosphere in both shows, it was completely different both times and I’ll obviously get to the Friday night show, but there was something special about being in a room of majority backers, all of us seeing these show for the very first time, it was totally new. Again, literally no idea what to expect and it was the most exhilarating feeling. Darren did a little ‘look for your exits pretend we’re at Disney’ which was cute after being at Disney for two days beforehand. Classic starkid fashion, he told us they had no idea how long the show would run for. He made a G.L.E.E. joke so it’s nice to know he’s still on our side at the end of the day. I don’t know if it was him that talked about Starkid performing with a 13 piece orchestra for the first time, but I’m gonna bring it up here anyway. I’m so grateful they were overfunded and that they were able to have the orchestra, because it’s probably something they really wanted and it’s also something they 100% deserve. I’d sell my soul to hear every starkid song with that orchestra, it was magnificent. I really hope we do get an album because it all sounded SO GOOD. Unsurprisingly don’t remember much else of what Darren said because I was just so excited for the show to start.

TGWDLM medley So as soon as the opening started playing even as Darren was still introducing people went insane, literally within two seconds I knew undoubtedly that this was gonna be the best two hours of my life (also the fastest. Often watching theatre shows I lose attention a little bit but there wasn’t a single second of this show that I wasn’t 100% in the moment they’re completely captivating, and it went by way too fast). Oh wow this is where we got to see Joey and Lauren for the first time. Fuck. I cannot describe to you how good they looked. Pictures do not do it justice. Thank god the mustache was gone. Thank god Lauren didn’t wear the boots. She was wearing my favourite hairstyle. Joey’s hair looked great. Their outfits were incredible. They literally could not have been more perfect looks for me and I’m so grateful. I could have cried happy tears at seeing them. This in itself could go on for five pages so I’ll leave it there. They all did the whole iconic zombie pose entrance. Corey sang Joey’s astronomical line which was kinda a shame cause I love the way he sings that line however I’m glad they did it like that cause Joey got to sing a lot in the show (still not enough for my liking but then again my liking is Joey and Lauren singing the whole show so I’m good). Wish they did Lauren’s ‘pines after a cute lil barista’ bit. Also kinda wish they did inevitable so Jon could sing because I love him and he deserves better @ starkid when are you going to hire me. However they made up for that when Jaime went ‘it is time’ and the room was absolutely electric because everyone knew exactly what was coming. That note had me shook from the moment I heard it on the digital ticket and I feel honoured to have heard it in person. Jeff was still her hype man. Jaime’s voice is honestly out of this world, she’s the person I’d most heard sing live but it was still mind blowing. She’s incredible I love her so much. Then Robert came on stage so like, room exploded again. Joey and Lauren should have been on stage doing their bit for show stopping number but again, what do I know? This song was 100% pandering but as much as it’s overhyped it is a good song and Robert fucking killed it, he actually impresses me so much. His voice? He did the hip wiggles, maybe even more than were in the show, and people went absolutely wild for it. He did the working boys bit and of course everyone lost their minds. And I loved it, I loved that atmosphere of everyone being entirely obsessed with every tiny thing these people do because that’s what connects us all. Jon did get to be a working boy (as did Mariah) and sounded great. They actually sang so much of this song holy shit definitely pandering. But they really were giving Hamilton some competition.

Firebringer medley Lauren Walker introduced this one, do I remember what she said? No, I was too busy wondering if they were going to sing Climate Change. They didn’t. You sang three songs from every other show but two from firebringer and one of them wasn’t climate change? Okay sure. This sounds like I’m complaining I’m not this section was still gorgeous and I loved every second of it. Hearing music from firebringer was amazing because it has some of my favourite music from all the starkid shows, and also because apart from TGWDLM which was so recent it’s the only show we hadn’t heard anything from since. They sang we got work to do which again, pandering and not even to what most people actually wanted if we’re being honest. But I’m happy about it because hearing Lauren sing that first line was a spiritual experience. Her voice? No words. So good. Can’t believe I got to hear it live? Properly?!? Also Joey got to be in this bless his heart and I couldn’t stop watching him doing the choreography. Lauren’s little expressions throughout the whole thing are adorable god I love her. Meredith sounded so good. Rachael got so much of a cheer when she sang her bit. Joey comforted Joe after the shadow bit. Then they sang from the proposal bit of the finale. Brian was pretending to be jealous when Meredith was singing to Lauren which made my life, p.s. Joey step up your game. The first time hearing Lauren sing ‘this is the dawn’ literally took my breath away. And with that orchestra!? (Will I ever shut up about the orchestra? The answer is no). The CHEERS for ‘we are womankind’. Hell yeah. And then Lauren did the arm thing like way to literally flex on us Lo. Not okay. They did the little Molag dialogue bit and Denise did the being-blessed-with-knowledge face. Watching Denise off to the side was honestly one of the highlights of the whole show.

TTO medley

Now I’m questioning my memory but I think Jaime went offstage after Firebringer when she wasn’t supposed to because I’m sure I remember her not being on stage for this at first. Like everyone else was there and there was a moment where I was like ‘I feel like someone’s missing...’ and then Jaime walked on late. She did mention Julia having to remind her of her cues. Anyway. Gone to oregon was first and I was reminded what an actually good performer Jeff is. He’s great in that show. Corey got the cheers he deserved at his ‘wisconsin’ bit. Lauren singing Naked in a lake was beautiful. Even if not enough people sang with her when she asked for help (spoiler, we stepped up Friday). She was definitely trying to get us to sing the high bits cause her voice was tired and she didn’t want to but that’s fine. This was one of the songs from that show I really wanted them to sing and I’m glad they did, it’s so much fun. Also Lauren does kinda steal the show but watching everyone else in this song is great. Shoutout to the sax guy, I’m glad we as a fandom always appreciate the band/orchestra. I still can’t believe everyone just lets Lauren sing a whole song about skinny dipping but I’m here for it. Then they did speedrun which was. An experience. Still think Joey should have sung wagon on fire but would I have passed out most likely yes so maybe it was better off this way. I’m glad Rachael got a moment. The ‘faster’ bit was fucking insane I don’t know how they had the breath for it. Everyone clapped pace and I’m pretty sure we clapped faster than the song ever goes so, sorry guys that you had to go through that? I think I have a newfound appreciation for this song. It was either in this or possibly in Naked in a lake that Joey did something stupid and Lo looked at him and shook her head. There were a lot of little looks throughout the show and trying to catch each other’s eye across the stage and it was very cute and probably won’t make the cut even though it should it’s the best part of the show.

Ani medley Moses introduced it and he was wearing like the jacket that’s one of his costumes and he wore in the final SK10 livestream idk you guys I’ve seen that show twice. The Ani band is fucking great, they had Mark, Nick Gage (?? idk there was definitely a fourth person I was mostly watching Meredith let’s be real here), Clark and Meredith all sing. Meredith had the biggest smile on her face at all times it was a joy. Ani is such a fun song so many starkid songs are so fun. Also they added a key change (was it even a key change? I’ve never studied music whatever they did it sounded good.) Actually the whole arrangement of this medley I loved, I hope it makes the people who don’t appreciate the music in this show appreciate it. With my own eyes is my favourite song in that show and I’m very happy they did it. They should have had Denise do her choreo when they did Back on top tbh. I love Meredith in this song though.

Twisted medley Joe came out to introduce it but kept hyping everyone up about Ani first. I really miss Joe he has so much onstage energy. I knew they were doing No one remembers achmed but I was still so excited about it. It’s such a good song. And the whole ‘you ooze sex’ bit in the flesh? That’s all. Obviously the best part was everyone yelling tigerfucker. Experiencing that in person is unbeatable. Then they had Britney and Carlos sing their version of 1001 nights and it was beautiful, I very rarely listen to that version of the song but I should, Britney is unbelievable and I love her so much. I can’t believe she’d just flown in and had such a rough time right before the show, you wouldn’t have known it. Dylan walked out and I kinda thought they were gonna have him and Meredith do a quartet (starkid when are you gonna hire me??) but then he sang ‘and with my wife beside me’ and I was like :’) this is good. That part of the song always gets me and Dylan’s voice is a goddamn gift. I love the overlapping parts at the end of Happy ending too so it’s always a good choice. But why they didn’t sing dream a little harder when Alex was right there I do not know.

HMB medley Pretty sure they had Julia introduce it? Guys it’s been a week gimme a break. Either way she definitely introduced something at some point and I’m glad everyone cheered so much for her because she was the glue of Starkid for a while. Nick Gage sang HMB and they had a reverb (again, is that the right term? not a clue) and he looked so pleased with himself every time we laughed. Then they sang rogues are we (rogues medley would have been better but in fairness that would have ruined the whole thing they had going). I do love Lauren singing we are the harlots and the hussies. A lot. But Denise does it so well. And Jaime’s ‘we’re rising up from the underground’?? I don’t think I have a single thing to say about any of the men in this song and I’m not sorry. Superfriends sounded very cool. It doesn’t matter how many times I see it, I always love the matching tattoos bit, and seeing Meredith’s story afterwards about how she was directing hers at Jade made it even better. I don’t even remember who sang Robin’s lines because I was too busy watching Lauren do the dance, she’s adorable. It was funny watching like five of them doing it cause they were the only ones who had learned it before and the rest not knowing it. Also, I don’t know which makes me happier, when they point into the audience for ‘I wanna be your friend forever’, or when they point at each other. Both are good.

Starship medley Denise introduced the show and um hi I love Denise she’s so cute. She said the thing about her mom calling Starship a show for dreamers and I still think that’s the most adorable thing. I will say for the rest of time that having Alex and Mariah sing Status quo was a weird choice. Also made me pissed that basically no one cheered for Alex but of course everyone went fucking crazy for Mariah. Not even that Mariah didn’t deserve it, but she didn’t deserve it more than Alex. Just saying. It did sound very good with the orchestra and they both have good voices, but I still think we deserved it sounding good with JOEY and the orchestra. I would have died to hear Joey sing that song. Moving on though. Kick it up a notch is always better in rogues medley but I do adore the Jim Brian and Jaime trio anyway. And it’s SUCH a good song. Then they sang I wanna be which I was psyched about I love that song (it was straight from Brant’s verse though like hello what happened to Joey rights). Hearing the older songs makes me wish so much they’d remount them because they all sound so good now it would be amazing. Joey’s voice is legitimately a blessing from the gods.

MAMD medley Brian introduced the show and walked away from the mic before he said dick, which was funny but also reminded me of how they said this would be the most PG show starkid had done which is laughable. Joey did a whole bit in the beginning that reminded me a lot of his jekyll and hyde performance in shitty broadway. I love that man. Again, we deserve a remount of this show if only for Joey’s voice. Then we have maybe the most iconic moment of the thursday show which is when Joe had way too much excitement for his entrance, fucking sprinted on stage, knocked over the mic stand and had to rescue it, spraining his ankle in the process. And recovered BADLY, he was trying to figure out what to say to pull it back and Joey basically had to tell him to just sing already. I feel a little guilty now because it looked pretty bad, but it was really fucking funny. And then the cheer at the head tilt, why do we all love it so much??!? Then Joey sang Listen to your heart with AJ (him and Brian are a better duo fight me). I loved their little added dialogue, with Joey being like ‘do I smell?’ and AJ being like ‘so bad’. I always always love the little dance break Joey is the sweetest boy. I think I remember something like ‘am I doing it?’ ‘not even close Joey’. Then Alle Faye and Ali came out for ready to go and it went from their bit. It was really nice seeing them back together again. It wasn’t like nearly ten years had gone by at all. God it’s weird how nostalgic I was/am for something I wasn’t even there for. The ‘we’re finally ready’ bit sounded so gorgeous with the orchestra, I had it stuck in my head for days. They slowed it down, and we had everyone on stage, and it was just beautiful. The perfect way to end the act, which was over way too soon, and I was already feeling sad about the show nearly being over even though there was so much good to come. Wait how could I forget to mention the ‘my hormones are freaking out’ bit. Fuck all of them for that. Even if I pretty much just watched Lauren with a quick glance at Joey, which is an accurate description of what I did for a lot of the show.

Intermission First quick thing to say, as much as I wish we’d heard some more full songs from the non-Potter shows, I think I like that they kept it separate. The first half was celebrating everything they achieved since where it all started for them, and the second half was pure nostalgia. And even though I wish it wasn’t the case, more people know the potter shows so it was kinda nice that everyone was even more united than they had been for the first half. Secondly, what I should have done during intermission was used the time to recover, because the show was a whole lot of excitement and emotions and I knew it was only going to get worse in the second half. But instead I yelled to the groupchat and met @starkidmelly. More JATP was played, everyone was buzzing, I couldn’t believe I was there. I think it was a long intermission but it did not feel it, Nick came out on stage and it’s like oh shit here we go again.

Nick’s speech He worried me because he said he wanted to take a minute to get sentimental, and I’d already cried a couple of times it was too early in the show to do it again. But then he just talked about the movie Starkid and how it was a bad movie and made us all laugh which I appreciated. What I really did love was how much people cheered for him when he came out, and also for Matt in the audience when Nick shouted him out. Especially on that first night the happiness on Nick’s face at everyone cheering made me want to cry it was so special and he deserves every bit of it and you could tell it still comes as a surprise even now. Also I’ll tag it on now because I don’t remember exactly at what point it was, but at some point in the second act Corey was telling people to stop filming, which kinda made me mad cause they’d asked people not to film and he looked so mad, but was also kinda funny because like, it’s one thing being stopped from filming by an usher but it’s a whole other thing being stopped by Corey Lubowich himself. I probably would have volunteered to leave the theatre if I disappointed Corey like that tbh. But anyway back to Nick, he introduced GBTH with the original cast of AVPM and everyone fucking lost it.

GBTH So you already know what you’re about to be blessed with and then you hear that opening note and people are impossibly screaming even louder and Darren comes onstage and crouches down and it’s like nothing has really changed at all. I’ve been in a room of people singing this song before and it was magical, but this was even more people and even more special. This is where it all started, and there we were ten years later. And it was so surreal actually hearing them sing this in person. Darren put the glasses on and people went insane. The amount of anticipation I felt for Joey’s entrance was ridiculous, and he got the cheers he deserved (almost. he always deserves more). And no matter how many times we see it or how long it’s been it always makes me feel a lot of feelings seeing Darren and Joey on stage singing this together. Joey messed up the floo powder a bit and it was cute. Still iconic. It was deafening when Bonnie came out, which I guess was to be expected we haven’t seen her in nine years. I will say that she did look genuinely happy to be there, and they looked genuinely happy to have her there. Plus the line ‘why do you have to be such a buzzkill’ was so much more funny with the irony of her pretty much bringing the house down. The nostalgia factor ramped up even more here and it was pretty awesome to have that original trio back on stage after so long. Again, so much but simultaneously so little had changed in ten years and trying to articulate those feelings would require a hundred page essay. I didn’t expect them to change the original but I still think they should have kept Lauren’s altered ‘that would be cool’ line. It’s better. But I digress. Jaime got to do her bit and it was a masterpiece. But rest in peace to the whole Cho Chang and Cedric bit, you were deeply missed. Lauren’s entrance, do I even need to say more? Fucking iconic as ever. One of the best moments in all of history. I’m glad they kept in most of the dialogue-y bits although I do not remember what her accent was like. People delivered on ‘whatever I say’ and I love how that’s become our thing. The train bit always makes me emotional, even more so this time with so many people old and new onstage. I always think of Lauren saying she hates the train move but she should have told her face that. Dylan did his entrance from the back of the theatre aka right by us and it was magnificent, he held the note all the way down to the front. They added in the lines about sorting here so Tyler got to do ‘hufflepuffs are particularly good finders’ which was a good choice they did good on that one, Dylan’s ‘what the hell is a hufflepuff’ was drowned out by people still cheering for Tyler, it was a pretty great moment. I may have cried a bit at ‘it’s all that I love and it’s all that I need’. Just a bit. I loved so much that they got everyone to be a part of this song.

Harry Freaking Potter Have I lost all my memories of this song? Maybe. I remember it being amazing. Predictably I watched Lauren a lot, it’s very hard not to she’s so cute when she’s dancing. It’s funny to me how they hold out the mics for the last ‘harry freaking potter’ but most people are already cheering so they get nothing. They should have learned by now.

To Have A Home Was possibly next? I know I got teary again pretty early on in the act (saved the full crying at this song for Friday though stay tuned). I know I’m very far from being the only person who felt the most at home I’ve ever felt. How can you not, surrounded by so much support and mutual love for these incredible people who’ve done so much for us. Starkid is a huge family and it’s tangible in moments like that. And ‘to know this is real’ hits hard. Especially because you can really feel it from Darren, as famous as he is now being on stage with his friends is truly home.

Different As Can Be There’s just something about this song that brings so much energy and Joe and Brian are an iconic duo. And they brought the Quirrelmort vibes strong. Loved everyone shouting ‘prevails’. I’m super glad they did the reprise too. The reaction when they go back to back is incredible. Also, Joe’s ‘Quirrell’ was impeccable.

Coolest Girl I will say to Bonnie’s credit that she did a very good job opening this song, considering how many people were there and how much pressure there must have been seeing as she’s suddenly making a reappearance after so many years. And she did get a lot of love for it. But Meredith coming out to duet with her actually made me cry, she looked so happy and they did a cute little ‘hi’ and I really truly consider this Meredith’s song, even if she didn’t originally sing it, so I’m glad she got to do it. It was a special moment having them sing it together with no resentment or jealousy. And then Meredith confirmed that Bonnie was pregnant again at the end of the song.

Cho Chang Of course Darren sang this. Of course. What would a starkid show be without Darren playing his dumb songs on guitar. But nothing beats a room full of people shout-singing ‘that’s in canada’ (side note, why did this stick so much? every time I saw it on the map when I flew to Canada it’s all I could think of). But also, idk why Darren introduced this song by saying he wanted to test if we knew the words like buddy pretty sure we know the words to your songs better than you do but sure.

Hey Dragon More of Darren playing dumb songs on guitar but this is also a pretty fun song so we’re letting it slide. Also he did say that he didn’t want to do this song and said they should cut it to make time for better songs but that everyone else made him do it, which does not surprise me. He obviously had to call out his own songwriting abilities from ten years ago, it makes me laugh every time he does it but this time he really came for himself with how bad the rhyming was and how the lyrics are dumb. I love that he can’t get through the song without laughing because it is pretty stupid but we love it anyway. They trusted us on the ‘la la la’s and I think we came through.

Granger Danger Okay. OKAY. So after all that Darren was like ‘let’s take it to a school dance’ which did not register for me at all because that song has gone way beyond that and now it’s just Joey and Lauren’s song. But then Darren’s playing it (which I found ??? sweet?? for some reason? idk it was good) and Joey and Lauren are on stage and I’m like here we fucking go. This is what I’m here for. Cannot begin to describe how happy I was to hear this song. I literally had said I refused to die before I heard them sing this live and now it will forever be one of the highlights of my life. The amount of power on that stage. Also the amount of attractiveness. They honestly are a power couple. The most iconic duo singing one of the most iconic songs. Their stage presence just blows me away. And it always makes me feel things too because they’ve done this song so many times and when they were first performing it they had no idea where they’d end up and now they’re fucking living the dream together and I can’t believe how far they’ve come. This is a hole we don’t need to go down though. It absolutely is a crime that they haven’t had more songs together but it does make this one particularly special because it’s fucking THEIR song and there’s no doubt they love performing together and their chemistry is so good anyway anyway I swear I’ll get back on track. This song with the orchestra??!? Holy shit you guys it sounded so good. They managed to take a song I love with every inch of me and make me love it even more. They came out and did a handshake because they’re fucking dorks. My heart genuinely felt like it was about to pump out of my chest, the adrenaline rush from seeing this live was crazy it’s a fucking experience. Joey was remarkably in character when it got to Lauren’s bit but she could not be in character for the life of her when he was singing my god she just did not give a fuck. Her heart eyes were off the charts I swear to god I couldn’t believe that dumb girl. Also Lauren was practically making love to her mic stand half the song which was honestly unnecessary but I love her. And her looking at her crotch murdered me. And then Joey was looking at her for most of the ending and she didn’t look at him once so she sucks. As always the last note was heavenly. When do we get a two hour concert version of this song??

Guys Like Potter Maybe came next? I love the apocalyptour arrangement of this song but it was nice to throw it back to the original and Tyler’s great. Joe tried? We’ll leave it at that.

Wizard Of The Year I think this followed after purely because of AJ saying something like ‘that’s enough about that Potter boy’?? And then he only went and did the whole fucking mouse monologue. And the entire time I was sat there having an internal conflict between ‘this is one of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed’ and ‘they could have used this time to do climate change’. Honestly hearing him pull that out was wild. But then he sang the song and some of the girls came out to do the ‘gilderoy’ bit (which was the best part duh).

To Dance Again The beginning of this song is always iconic. Most important thing to say here is how I’m even more impressed now with Joe’s dancing after seeing what his ankle looked like. Also, hearing all the tapping (thudding) from the audience brings me inexplicable joy. Lauren ran on stage before her cue when Darren came off and had to book it back off and I feel a bit bad immortalising it because I’m sure she’s glad they weren’t filming that night. While we’re on the subject, the Thursday show was a little messy but like, there were no HUGE fuck ups apart from maybe Joe’s in MAMD and it was all surprisingly well rehearsed considering they’d had barely two days of rehearsal and they’re all so so impressive. Still think they should have had a 40 person kickline but the three person Joe Darren and Brosenthal kickline was still pretty good. Also, I remember someone doing a very cool harmony? It maybe sounded like Holden? His voice is underrated.

Sidekick I cannot remember for the life of me if this is actually where this song goes?? I don’t remember if Joey went offstage or not. I just know that he ended up alone on stage and I damn near lost my mind. I know I’ve said it before but Joey’s performance of sidekick genuinely is a show stealer and I never in a million years thought I’d get to see it live so I feel extremely privileged that I did. God bless whoever included this in the setlist you have my eternal thanks. It’s what Joey deserves (and what I deserve). His voice!?! The high notes?!? Still love the irony of Joey singing this song. Classic cheering at ‘am I the hottest’ because yes you fucking are. He messed up a bit and sang ‘am I the one who takes you home’ twice but we love him. He absolutely killed it and being reminded that they’d not long got back from SDCC and finding out he had a fever made me even more impressed because you literally wouldn’t have known it.

Voldemort Is Going Down More on Joey continuing to kill it (but maybe not in this order). It was good to hear this song again, it slaps. And they all sounded so good too. And there was a super cool little piano riff at one point. This song makes everyone so hype I love it so much.

Everything Ends Haha tear time (jk just about managed to save them for Friday). But it is very much when things get sad because you can feel that the show’s coming to a close. This was Robert’s duet with a person he’d never sung with before and it sounded beautiful. We got the return of Joe’s snape voice or am I imagining that? I don’t remember what he said but I’m sure he said something and it probably made me sad. Literally the whole end of the show is just a blur because I couldn’t believe it was almost over so quickly.

Not Alone Jaime. Just, Jaime. Incredible every time she sings this song. Also, so many AVPW feelings because this is what they came out and sang and this song has been extra special to me since. So I was in tears from the get go tbh. God I’m really really really missing AVPW today so this is a lot just thinking about it. And personal feelings about Bonnie and also how much I love newer arrangements of not alone aside, it was unimaginably special to see the original four singing this together again.

Days Of Summer We knew they’d save this to the end (or at least so we thought) but it was still a bit of an asshole move ngl. Like, do you enjoy our suffering? Seeing everyone on stage together singing this song that’s at the heart of starkid, if there was anyone who didn’t cry I applaud them. Darren gave a closing speech where he didn’t thank half the people he needed to because he hadn’t rehearsed. I wish I remembered more of what he said because it wasn’t exactly the same as Friday, it also didn’t make me cry half as much which I guess was a bonus. They did the little going back to hogwarts reprise probably partly to make us all feel a bit better and got everyone on their feet for it and as much as I never know which house to say I still love that moment of everyone yelling their house. Then they had “curtain call”, except they faked us out because Brian stayed on stage with his fist in the air and I’m like okay what are these idiots up to now. And Nick came out to tell him they sang all the songs and Voldemort’s dead, which of course meant ‘dead?! *skips stone*’ and we all needed that laugh. And then Joe came out and they did the ‘okay is good’ bit so I was sad again and god they really messed with our emotions. And everyone came back out and did the not alone reprise and literally stomped all over my heart because ten years ago they did the exact same thing, except now they were on a bigger stage with a bigger audience and a bigger family and they’ve all grown so much and achieved so many amazing things in their careers and their personal lives and they’ve grown up a lot but they’re still these college kids at heart who love performing with their friends and making people laugh and I didn’t want to leave my seat after they all walked offstage because it really felt like my soul had left my body and I was just completely emotionally drained. And unbelievably happy that I was getting to experience it all again the next day.

Friday 26th The one thing I have to say about the line this time round is shoutout to the kid handing out red vines, I don’t know how many people actually wanted one but it made me smile. As we were waiting in the lobby we saw Denise x2 (Joey’s mom still looked like the embodiment of kindness and Denise always seems so happy to be there I love them both).

Anyway when we got to our seats I just sat down and was internally screaming because we were So Close to the stage and I was like how on earth am I going to survive seeing this much beauty. Also I knew that some people had different outfits and I was trying to figure out if Lauren and Joey were wearing the same thing cause that was the most important thing so it was an anxious wait. Then when they came out being that close to the crop top nearly killed me and Joey looked even hotter in that red shirt than he did on Thursday so like, I want that image tattooed on my eyelids.

Oh and we saw MK, Sean, Sarah and Whitney up in the balcony before the show started. This is how the conversation went down... Sophie: is that MK up there? Me: I think so, that looks like Sean Sophie: it doesn’t look like Sean? (spoiler alert, it was Sean)

Also to quickly go back to the live atmosphere, Friday night was INSANE oh my god. Whether it was that it was the last show or whether it was being closer to the stage but the room was absolutely electric, it seemed like so many more people - including me this time - were singing and fucking reciting all the lines like it makes me so happy that we’re all fucking nerds who love these other nerds to death and memorise all their shows. As was my plan, the first night I took everything in and then the second night I just got to enjoy it and make the most of it. So the Thursday show it was kind of like I was observing everything but Friday I was LIVING it, and I really was living. It was a fucking party. And I could anticipate what was coming and it somehow made it even more exciting than witnessing everything fresh for the first time. I was literally sat there having the time of my life for two hours and I hope they all saw it, they would have just seen me with a huge fucking grin the whole time (apart from when I was crying we’re not talking about that rn). Maybe the most fun I’ve ever had. It made all the money I’d spent to get there 10000% worth it because as amazing as the DVD is going to be and you bet I’m getting it (well the digital download shipping’s an outrage), you can’t buy the atmosphere in the room and it was incredible to be there.

Okay y’all know the drill now so this is gonna be quickfire:

Act 1

Seeing everyone doing their crazy eyes in TGWDLM up close was an EXPERIENCE. Jon was a stand out. Also Jaime. Being so much closer the energy was so much higher for Join us and die. I think that was really my main thing about Friday, aside from how emotions were even higher, was how crazy the energy was it was SO MUCH FUN. And Robert is pretty great.

Have I mentioned Lauren’s look nearly killing me? Yes? Good. The gay came out full force in Firebringer. Lo’s talent is out of this world and I feel so lucky to have witnessed it live.

So many more people sang for Lauren in Naked in a lake and she looked so happy my baby. I made eye contact with her at one of the points she was holding the out mic for the audience to sing so I’m glad she saw me (quietly but extremely enthusiastically) singing my heart out for her. Joey made Lauren laugh when they were dancing during speedrun and it’s the most adorable shit I’ve ever seen. Those two are genuinely in their own world half the time they’re on stage together and I live for it.

Carlos wasn’t there this night so I think Dylan should have filled in for his verse of 1001 nights but my ideas are worthless right? Oh have I mentioned how much I live for over a thousand people yelling tigerfucker? And Robert smashed ‘he fucked a tiger’. Also I’m sure they did it the first night too but I noticed even more Denise and Meredith encouraging everyone to cheer when Joe was doing the dialogue bit I adore them.

Brant got so out of time on I wanna be my god Joey looked like he was trying to telepathically tell him to slow down but he never really recovered. But the chaotic energy felt appropriate? It’s not a starkid show without a mess up.

Joe’s MAMD entrance was more controlled this time but honestly it’s a shame the fuck up won’t be on the filmed version because it was definitely a highlight (I hope you’re okay Joe). Mere and Brian had their arms round each other when they were singing ready to go and I was hit with the ‘oh my god they’re getting MARRIED’ feels. Look how far they’ve come. They were also making faces at each other during one song, I don’t remember which one, and giving Joey and Lauren a run for their money for being in their own world. Still not nearly as bad though.

Intermission

I remember even less of this intermission than the first one. I was just in total shock. Also when we came back from the intermission Nick went ‘two people just got engaged’ and almost literally stopped my heart like I KNOW that’s not how it’s gonna happen but where did he expect me to go with it. And then he wanted to be reminded of their names but someone shouted ‘Joe and Traci’ so he had to be like ‘no I’m not talking about them’ which made me laugh a lot.

Act 2

GBTH was somehow even better this time round. It’s actually a spiritual experience. 100% my happy place. Also Joey didn’t have the headband the first night and I didn’t know I needed it until he came out wearing one on Friday, it was weirdly emotional.

To have a home was worse this time around because I had to come to the realisation that I was gonna leave this home behind. That’s always the worst part, it was the same with AVPW, it’s not just that I miss it it’s also that it’s this happy, safe little bubble where everything feels okay and it’s so sad to lose that. So yeah, cried a lot this time. Also Darren went offstage on Thursday too in the instrumental but this time he went offstage and ran round to the other side to come back on which was so much better good job Darren.

When Lo and Joey shook hands for granger danger they both had such cute smiles my HEART. Lauren still had heart eyes for Joey singing, she was just stood there grinning at him the whole time she loves him so much jesus christ. Also she was staring at him when they were both singing the ‘falling in love’ bit just saying. And they got super close to each other for the end but kept alternating looking at the other person and the audience so they were never actually looking at each other and it KILLED me I hate them. I also didn’t even think twice about singing Lauren’s part during granger danger until halfway through oops and now I kind of want to apologise, Mr Joey Richter I love you.

You could tell there were a fair few people in the audience who’d seen one or both of the other shows and knew what was coming so actually shouted out ‘what’s your fantasy’ when AJ was working up to the mouse monologue which made it even better. It was just as insane and funny the second time, but I still couldn’t believe they actually put it in there.

Back to Mr Joey Richter, he brought the house down with sidekick even more than on Thursday. He’s so talented y’all. You’d expect more cheering for ‘am I the one who takes you home’ but the urge for everyone to yell ‘definitely not’ is too much and it cracks me up. And he pointed at the very least in my direction when he sang the last ‘I love being at your side’ so I’ll take it for SURE.

They got everyone standing even earlier on in the show (during voldemort is going down) and I just felt a sense of elation, the whole show but at this point in particular, because everyone was there having a fucking amazing time and pouring out so much love, from our direction and from theirs, and I feel like that song really does do what it’s supposed to and make us feel united.

Everything ends made me cry a lot because it actually was the end this time, and starkid have some fucking heart wrenching goodbye songs that are supposed to make you feel better but really don’t at all. Not alone made me cry more, obviously. Days of summer was so much worse because it really was goodbye, me having to say goodbye to seeing them and one of the best experiences of my life, them having to say goodbye to each other. SO. MANY. TEARS.

Random point, Lauren looked so fucking cute when she came out in her varsity jacket with the sleeves pushed up because it was too big for her I just wanted to hug her.

Joey and Lauren kept looking at each other during Darren’s speech, Joey in particular kept trying to catch Lo’s eye which killed me he’s too soft. And Lauren pulled a face at the mention of a twenty year reunion like she felt way too old for that and he was smiling at her I hate them.

There were a lot of tears, Joey and Tiffany especially and Lauren pulled her trying not to cry face. In the speech Darren said something about starkid bringing about this group of friends and Joey’s wide eyed already-crying-but-trying-not-to-cry-even-more-face was both heartbreaking and funny and I hope it makes it onto the DVD. I don’t remember much else of the speech other than that it was incredibly emotional and it very well summed up a lot of what we were all feeling about the show and how special starkid was. Also I made eye contact with Joey when we were both crying and we smiled at each other (tried to) and honestly that was a bonding moment for us.

And we saw Bob and Denise on our way out which caused a whole lot more feelings because those are their kids up there performing with all their other honorary kids and yep we’re done here.

I don’t really know how to bring this all to a neat end. I don’t really think there is one. It’s an experience that can’t fully be put into words, the emotions it brought up aren’t ones that I can properly label, and it’s going to stick with me forever. But it was a reminder of how special starkid is. Watching their shows at home, scrolling through their social media, of course it brings me so much joy it’s my reason for living. But getting to see them live and feel the impact they’ve had on so many people? Getting to do it with a friend I made because of them? I just wish I had the words or the time to give them the thanks I wish I could. I really hope they felt the sheer, deep love we all feel for them over those two days.

Anyway, I know this was way too long and half of it wasn’t information people care about but I’m done now. And I’m so excited for the DVD and (hopefully) album so I can experience it all again!

#homecoming spoilers

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emotionally-imbruised · 5 years

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Mutuals as fave bands? 🤔

Alright, so you sent this to a gal who has a BIG appreciation for classic rock bands (mainly because my parents were huge stoners when they were younger and it was all they ever played as I was growing up) so not only am I gonna struggle with choosing any bands that aren’t classic rock... ok or pop punk, but MAKING ME NARROW THEM DOWN AND CHOOSE A MUTUAL I LOVE V MUCH FOR IT TO GO WITH AND WHY IS JUST PLAIN MEAN. I absolutely adore all of my mutuals, but here are some I was easily able to choose a band for, and in no particular order. (I tried ok and I'll attempt to spice it up with the bands)

Eagles; A band I can listen to and be completely unfazed by just how much I listen to them (which is a lot). There is a certain easygoing vibe that surrounds their music that you can easily get lost in, and it’s honestly the best feeling. So I’m giving them to my bug @smokeinherperfume. As someone I've very often freaked out with over music (we still gotta make our Spotify playlist of songs we think Harry should cover), Nora just get’s it. She has a similar easy going, laid back vibe about her in the best possible way, and is one of the best people to talk to about literally anything. She’s very mellow and calming, just like Eagles sound and she’s just pretty freaking great in all aspects. A song for her would be Hotel California.

Fleetwood Mac; One of my all time favourites ever. Some of my fondest memories include my dad blaring them when I was a kid at the most random of times and that’s always just stuck with me. Whether it be during a car ride, or in the kitchen as he attempted to get me and my brother ready for the day when all we wanted to do was dance around to the music, I’ve always associated Fleetwood Mac’s music as this source of happiness and positiveness even in the darkest of times, and for that I'm gonna have to say they’re my love, @always-jackedup. Sarah is that feeling of happiness and positiveness combined into a person. The warmth and genuineness that radiates from her is contagious and just makes this world a better place as she continuously rooting for you and cheering you on, and I know my life would be so much duller without her in it as it would be without this band. Her song would be Go Your Own Way.

Coldplay; For any of you that know me really well, you know how I hold Coldplay very near and dear to my heart. You're lying if you say Chris Martin isn't a man who can work literal magic, ok? Don’t fight me on this. There’s just something I feel when listening to this band that is so inexplicably amazing, and I know Coldplay isn’t a band for everyone... but they’re a band that’s always been there. I can be in any mood and there’s always a Coldplay song I can connect with that in some way makes me feel better. I mean, there’s a reason I have one of their song titles tattooed onto my arm, alright. So this one is going to my bby @theasstour. One of the most easy going people I know, but also one who has that fun and calming vibe to them that isn't meant to be taken seriously. For that, I think Nora fits Coldplay perfectly. She’s someone who can effortlessly brighten up anyones day and is just all around amazing. Her song is Charlie Brown.

Blink-182; Woo boy, where do I even start with them. Legen freaking dary that’s for damn sure. Blink is fun, upbeat and just one of those bands I always want to be able to listen to despite them reminding me greatly of my awkward teenage angst faze even though they were popular when I was definitely not a teenager. If I'm able to DJ during a car ride or a party, you best believe I'm throwing on some Blink because I forever get an amped up mood from them and it’s just the best. They’re timeless and for that, I'm gonna say the amazing @writingsfromlee is a good choice from them. Lee is one of the funnest, sweetest, hilarious people I have met with her amazing clap-backs, genuine excitement, and just all around greatness. She get’s excited with me over the little things, but a lot of the time those small things seem to have huge impacts and she helps me realize that and just how significant they are. Her song is First Date.

Portugal. The Man; A very underrated band in my opinion. They’re different, unique and have this distinctive sound that is so appealing and so easy to listen to. I can listen to Portugal. The Man for hours on end because it doesn't sound like I'm listening to the same thing over and over again. They spice things up and do it so well, I can only see them to fit my babe @foreverhlessed. Heli is someone who's picture will show up under the definition of unique. She's always doing her own thing, and always looks fantastic while doing it. Someone who definitely stands out of the crowd in the best way. Her song is Modern Jesus.

Led Zeppelin; Hands down, another all time favourite. Another band that I also hold very near and dear to my heart, and just so happen to be getting a tattoo for as well (lmaoooo). This band was my parents band and just happened to get passed down to me. One of Zeppelin’s songs was their wedding song, and lyrics from that same song are engraved onto my mom’s grave. (THIS ISN’T MEANT TO MAKE ANYONE SAD PLS BARE WITH ME) It’s easy to say this band was very significant to them, and it has also become the same for me. I listen to Zeppelin when I need to mellow out. I don't know why but listening to them calms me down, and just allows me to chill tf out (yes I'm usually baked when I listen to them on repeat but whatever, leave me alone). But for them, I’m gonna say the lovely @harryonstage. AJ is literally one of the coolest people I have ever met. An extraordinary being she is and just so happens to give off the same chill vibe I get by listening to this band. Also being the woman who wrote my soulmate Plugrry, how could I not give her my favourite band to listen to when I'm stoned as hell? Her song is D’yer Mak’er.

Queen; I can pretty well guarantee you already know who’s getting this one. It’s nearly impossible to listen to Queen and not want to belt out every freaking word. Queen is fun, upbeat, timeless, and just so amazingly iconic there are just no words. The person who embodies Queen perfectly to me is @isitstraightvodka. Liv gives off the same positive feeling, light and fun that Freddie, Brian, Roger and John put into every song. I’m always put in a good when I’m listening to them, and it’s the exact same thing that happens whenever I talk to Liv. Her song is Somebody To Love.

One Direction; I couldn’t not put them ok. We all know and love One Direction in this house, there’s no doubt about that. I love the boys solo more than anything, but I'd be lying if One Direction’s music wasn't something I used to and still listen to on pretty well a daily basis. One Direction was my favourite band all through high school (aka the worst years of my life) and although I wasn’t entirely invested in the fandom then, I'd be lying if I said they didn't mean a lot to me. The lucky person getting them is none other than @trulymadlysydney. Syd is truly someone who lights up my world like nobody else (hehe) and no I’m not just saying that. One of the nicest, and funniest people I’ve ever met and one of my favourite Scorpio’s ever (it’s literally her and one other). My day always gets better whenever I’m talking to her about literally anything, and it’s just so similar to the happiness I feel whenever I listen to 1D. Her song is Drag Me Down.

Hi ILY all very much, god this took me forever and I'm stopping here because it’s 3am and although I have many other bands and mutuals I could go OFF about... I work in the morning so here she is

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agirlinhell-a · 5 years

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munday meme: what's a plot/plots you wanna write that you've never written? what are your favorite hobbies? what are you favorite/least favorite foods? what's a plot that you will never touch? if you had to rp as a different character/characters, who would they be? what would be your irl fc as clem you would pick? if you could visit anywhere in the world for your birthday, where would it be?

what’s a plot/plots you wanna write that you’ve never written?

I have an entire wishlist tag for this!! If I were to pick the ones I really crave for, it’d have to be:

Clementine’s travels with Omid and Christa in the two year timeskip after Lee’s death. I feel as if this transition is extremely important to Clementine’s character, as Omid and Christa took care of her far longer than Lee, Kenny or Jane - and arguably better - than any of them ever did. The moment Omid died, Clementine lost hope in the world again and her mentality becomes a lot more depressing.

The aftermath of Clementine’s exile from The New Frontier and being separated from AJ - from her last talk with Ava to her time alone and then in Prescott, and her dark time spent there. It’s all very much headcanon based, but this is where Clementine truly becomes her own person, this is where she truly grows fiercer, this is where she learns to fight back and become harder and stronger. This is her time when there is no one looking out for her, no one is there to watch her back, and all she has is herself. During her time in The New Frontier, she was a medic and supply runner, but then she steadily grows into one of the group’s fiercest fighters, with help from Ava, who teaches her how to fight and archery, morse code, parkour and survival tactics - Ava is a woman trained in the army, and Clementine took her teachings to heart. During her time in Prescott, Clementine descends into a much darker mentality and it’s possibly the darkest place where she’s ever been and she starts doing many morally questionable things. This is her transition from Season Two to A New Frontier. For a year, Prescott would be her home and it would shape her into someone much darker and demented beyond recognition. That sweet little girl that her parents had raised and Lee had protected was gone in that city, almost like she’d never existed. Whenever she walked into a bar, she could hear the hushed whispers of “it’s THAT girl,” “poor thing”, “didn’t she shoot a walker point blank in the face?”. No one knew her real name, as she never gave it out, so they resorted to naming her “Hellgirl” and Clementine relished in her new identity. She quickly found herself being a mythical figure - and even a bit of a celebrity - a girl of her stature having survived this far into the apocalypse.She learns how to ride a horse and ride a motorcycle in Prescott. She stole, murdered, drank, smoked, got high and gambled… in fact, she made a living out of it as a child mercenary. She was living in sin all at age twelve. She had managed to become quite the thief, as well, as she was light and quick on her feet. At one point, she even owned a bar and had hired wayward men and women to guard her.That girl is gone now, faded with time, yet her wildness is only barely concealed by a stonewalled composure.

Clementine and her time spent at Wellington - I feel as if this would be really sweet to see, something for her to look forward to, somewhere it’s safe for her and AJ… until it’s destroyed, at least.

Clementine finally arriving at the McCaroll Ranch and reuniting with AJ... and the possible events that might’ve occurred there.

Clem learning flower language from a book in Ericson’s greenhouse and giving flowers with their own respective meanings to people.

-Clementine dealing with her own mental health issues.

-Clementine becoming a pagan witch and a beginner in witchcraft.

-Ericson’s being haunted by the deaths of Marlon, Brody and Mitch… and who knows whoever… or whatever else lingers through the campus?

-GROUP THREADS!! MORE THAN TWO MUNS IN A THREAD!! PLEASE GIVE THEM BAC K I MISS THEM!

Card games with the Ericson’s squad!!

-Clementine experimenting with her sexual orientation.

-Clementine experimenting with her gender identity.

-Clementine discovering and learning more about her African heritage.

-threads where muses talk about things that confuse them.

-threads where muses talk about things that have hurt them in the past.

-threads where muses talk about their deepest fears.

-threads where muses talk about sexual and romantic orientation and relationships (past and present !!)

-THREADS WHERE MUSES HAVE DEEP CONVERSATIONS AND ARE VULNERABLE WITH EACH OTHER.

-Clem as a babysitter to Tenn, Willy and AJ.

-CLEMENTINE AS A MOTHER AND ACTUALLY SETTLING DOWN WITH SOMEONE AND BEING HAPPY.

-CLEM LIVING UNTIL SHE’S AN OLD LADY AND DYING PEACEFULLY IN HER BED SURROUNDED BY HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND FRIENDS.

-AU where the original concepts that were planned for Season Two and Season Three: A New Frontier happen to Clementine… and make her a much darker character. However, I must warn you that this AU would not be for the faint of heart and contains heavy, mature themes. It is arguably a lot worse than what she endures in canon, and that’s saying a lot. Clementine’s mind slowly becomes darker and demented the more she ages, she begins to look at the world in a nepotistic way, and she will do whatever it takes to survive, and she will brutally murder whoever stands in her way. Basically, this is a much darker version of Clementine and a lot of things in her canon change, i.e AJ is dead, Kenny is more or less Clementine’s enemy, etc.. This verse begins in Season Two and will continue onward from there. HERE IS THE LINK. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

-AU where Clementine is taken in and trained as a soldier of the Delta against her own will or otherwise.

-Modern AU scenarios!! Youtube Channels, vines, memes, shenanigans!!

-ROADTRIP AU!! BASED OFF OF THIS POST!! I JUST NEED THE SQUAD TO BE NORMAL KIDS FOR ONCE AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BEING KIDNAPPED OR BEING DEVOURED BY WALKERS???? I WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY AND CAREFREE?? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK????

-Interactions between Clementine, AJ, CJ and Clem’s pet tigress, Rani, based off of THIS POST. Honestly, Clementine and AJ are one hella awesome duo, but add that in with Omid and Christa’s child and oh, I dunno, A FUCKING GIANT TIGER is even BETTER. Also, CJ and AJ are a lot like brothers and their bond is just so wholesome. CJ’s witty and lighthearted and is one of the only people capable of calming AJ down - CJ is also more analytical and calmer than AJ is. I just want Rani to be feral, scary but also soft and sweet - she has an appetite for walkers and the living alike, and she’s not completely tamed, but she’s mostly cool with most humans, but harm Clementine or the two kids and she will rip you apart and eat you. Clementine found her in an abandoned zoo back in Season Two and has been taking care of her ever since... and now, Rani is HUGE. God forbid you trespass on her eating, that’s not a good time. Also, I just wanna see other muses’ reactions to this huge tiger that Clem easily pets and cuddles with.

-Clem becoming a Whisperer, perhaps with James and Charlie? I haven’t read the comics yet, but I know a bit of what happens and what the Whisperers are really like. It’d be really cool to see Clementine in this kind of scenario - but I don’t think she’d be the same girl we see in canon.

-Clem joining settlements from the comics (i.e Hilltop, Alexandria, the Commonwealth, etc.)

-CLEMENTINE IN HER PRIME AND BECOMING HEADMISTRESS OF ERICSON’S WHILE REBUILDING IT AND MAKING IT AN ACTUAL SCHOOL FOR SURVIVORS AND ALL THE WHILE DREAMING OF A BETTER WORLD - AN AGE WITHOUT WALKERS.

-Harry Potter AU!!

-Naruto AU!!

-ASOIAF/GOT AU's!!

...and a lot more, but those are the ones I really, really want!

what are your favorite hobbies?

Hmmm.. reading, writing, making aesthetics and moodboards, daydreaming, listening to music and cuddling with my cats!

what are you favorite/least favorite foods?

MMMMMM PIZZA ICECREAM APPLES PURPLE GRAPES AND COOKIES!! As for foods I don’t like, uhhhhhh… veggies???? Idk I’m not a fan, SOMEONE BEAT MY ASS

what’s a plot that you will never touch?

Hmmm… honestly, I don’t think there’s any plots I will never refuse? I’m roleplaying a girl growing up in the apocalypse, after all, so I’m very willing to roleplay morally questionable topics and threads with dark themes? In fact, I encourage it! Please don’t ever hesitate to plot with me no matter how dark it is!!

if you had to rp as a different character/characters, who would they be?

Uhhhh… hmmm, I have a lot of ideas from many different fandoms! If I were to pick a few muses, it’d be Daenerys Targaryen from ASOIAF, Nymeria, the Princess of Ny Sar who ended up ruling Dorne from ASOIAF, Lyanna Stark from ASOIAF, Uchiha Madara from the Naruto series, Terumi Mei from the Naruto series, and maybe Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series.

what would be your irl fc as clem you would pick?

At the moment, Amandla Stenberg, especially with her Modern AU’s! A lot of people pick Zendaya and I just… why??? She looks NOTHING like Clem??? I’m very picky with my IRL FC’s but it took a long while to pick an IRL fc. Thanks to all of Amandla’s pics with her hair in braids, cornrows and the likes, I just really want Clem with traditional African hairstyles?????? GIVE THAT BLACK SCORPIO QUEEN SOME COOL HAIRSTYLES!!

if you could visit anywhere in the world for your birthday, where would it be?

God… ANYWHERE? Preferably somewhere in Eastern Asia, Europe or in the Caribbean, because those places just sound so amazing and fantastic to me? Canada doesn’t have a lot of cool things in comparison to those countries imho so it’d be nice to be somewhere else. If we want to be REALLY specific, possibly Kyoto, Japan, Shanghai, China, West Palm Beach, Florida or Jaipur, India.

#( ANONYMOUS. )#HELLA LATE BUT!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE MUNDAY ASKS NONNIE!!#I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!#outoftheapocalypse { ANGIE SPEAKS. }

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tkmedia · 3 years

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Richie Rivera Set To Return on August 14 in Worcester, Massachusetts

One of New England’s most promising prospects, as well as arguably the region’s most charismatic boxer, undefeated Richie “Popeye The Sailor Man” Rivera, returns August 14th to where it all started for him in Worcester, Massachusetts. Rivera (19-0, 14 KOs) will take on his Mexican opponent, Ernesto “Gatti” Berrospe Rivas (11-17, 6 KOs), in the 8-round co-featured event on the “New England’s Future VII card, presented by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE) in association with Shearns Boxing Promotions, in one of three slated title fights at the famed Worcester Palladium. Rivera vs. Rivas will fight for the vacant NBA Americas cruiserweight title. The Star Boxing-promoted Rivera made his pro debut on an RPE event at the Worcester Palladium on January 19, 2017, returns to fight New England for the first time since December 13, 2019. This will be his fourth fight in Worcester, third at The Palladium. “Rivera Promotions and the fans in Worcester have always treated me like family,” Rivera said. “They adopted me. I’m dying to fight again in the ring again in Worcester; it’s fairly close to my home (Hartford, CT). I love fighting there! I’m so happy to be fighting there again, surrounded by my fans who all want me to be the best I can. I’ve received so much love in Worcester, my home away from home. The crowd goes crazy when I enter the ring. It’s crazy!” During the pandemic, Rivera moved to Orlando, Florida and stayed busy fighting in the Sunshine state and Mexico. “Popeye” has returned home to Hartford with a new head trainer in his corner, John “Iceman” Scully. “I loved the weather in Florida but, career-wise, I’m on the cusp of a breakthrough,” the 30-year-old Rivera explained. “I’m back in Connecticut to get to the next level. I feel strong, physically, and mentally, and age doesn’t cross my mind, because my soul is good. “I’ve been doing yoga, stretching more, and training hard in the gym. I’m really a light heavyweight going up to cruiserweight. I’ll fight there until a good payday comes at light heavyweight. I don’t mind dropping back down or fighting as a cruiserweight. I’m a fighter. Just give me a can of spinach and I’m good to the finish.” Rivera has a solid relationship with RPE matchmaker AJ Rivera (no relations), who has gotten three title fights (including the NBA Americas on Aug. 14) for ‘Popeye,” who is a former UBF Light heavyweight and ABF Continental Americas cruiserweight champion. “It is an honor for RPE to have ‘Popeye’ back on our ‘New England’s Future 7’ boxing event,” promoter Jose Antonio Rivera commented. “It was just a few years ago when he made his pro debut on our first show and now, he’s at 19-0 and getting ready for his 20th pro fight. Richie is a great person and boxer, and we are very proud of his hard work and dedication to his craft. We visualize ‘Popeye’ fighting for a World title shortly, because of his hard work, dedication, and talent. ‘Popeye’ has given us some great fights through the years and fans have seen some sensational wins and knockouts. We wish him nothing but the best and we are glad to give him the opportunity to flourish in front of the fans. You cannot say this about every boxer, but he is really great for the sport of boxing.” “Richard Rivera is an entertaining fighter both in and out of the ring,” Rivera’s promoter Joe DeGuardia added. “His ‘Popeye’ persona is endearing. We have big plans for him in the light heavyweight division and welcome his Northeast homecoming on August 14.” Former University of New Haven basketball star, New London’s (CT) undefeated heavyweight Cassius “C.O.G.” Chaney (20-0, 14 KOs), who is promoted by Main Events, will fight in the 10-round main event versus former NABA Heavyweight Champion Shawdell Terell Winters (13-5, 12 KOs). 2012 Puerto Rico Olympian Enrique Collazo (15-1-1, 10 KOs) will fight for the vacant NBA Americas Super Middleweight Championship against TBA in an 8-round bout. Southbridge’s (MA) Wilfredo “Sucra” Pagan (6-1, 3 KOs) faces Carlos Marrero III (2-6-1), of Connecticut, in a 6-round fight for the vacant New England junior welterweight title. Also scheduled to fight in 4-round bouts include Worcester heavyweight Bryan Daniels (5-1, 3 KOs), a 2-time New England Golden Gloves champion, vs. Corey Morey (1-4); Hartford bantamweight and 3-time New England Golden Gloves and 2-time Ringside Nationals champion Angel “Set It Off” Gonzalez (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. TBA, Worcester junior middleweight Eslih Owuso (4-0, 2 KOs) vs. Eean Chappell (0-1-1), Boca Raton, Florida junior middleweight Josniel “TG” Castro (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Anthony Everett (1-8), Worcester cruiserweight and 3-time New England Golden Gloves champion Demek “Hightower” Edmonds (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. TBA, and former Team USA Boxing member Bobby “BH3” Harris III (2-0-1, 1 KO) vs. super middleweight Juan Celin Zapata (6-18-2, 4 KOs).. Read the full article

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friendsoftheharris · 6 years

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Best-selling @authorajhartley on his roots in #Preston and being inspired by @harrispreston’s historic photographs

Author AJ (Andrew) Hartley has been delving into the Harris’ fabulous historic photograph collection to find inspiration for his novels. Here he writes about how he has his own memories of the city and photographs from the Harris to create his Steeplejack series and a brand new book set in 1970s Preston.

“I was born in Ribbleton, Preston, in 1964 and lived there untiI I went away to university, after which life took me to Japan and eventually to the United States where I have lived ever since. I am, among other things, a novelist. I was a writer in my early years too, I suppose, but it took decades for what was once a hobby to start paying the mortgage, and in the interim I have only made it back to Preston once or twice a year at most, so my sense of the town is still largely stamped not so much by the way it is now but how it was when I was a kid.

Fishergate, c. 1900 Copyright Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library

Lately I’ve been working on a couple of projects which encouraged me to look back at that place, not just to how I knew it, but how it was before I was born. I’ve been writing an adventure series set in a world inspired by the way Victorian South Africa might have been had a city like Durban become a major industrial centre. Though I’ve spent time in that part of the world, much of the steam-driven town I invented grew out of my sense of Preston, albeit transferred to a land surrounded by bush populated by lion and elephant. The first novel of the series was called Steeplejack, that being the profession of the protagonist. In the US, the word is largely unknown and many people think I made it up, though as people my age will recall, steeplejacks who followed the old ways were still just about a part of Lancashire life back in the seventies, when Fred Dibnah became, for a little while, a minor TV celebrity. It was my memory of Preston’s nineteenth century factory chimneys (and those later and still more impressive stacks such as those at Courtaulds, Red Scar) which shaped the beginnings of this novel. Thanks to the Harris Library’s photograph collection, I was able to revisit some of those places and learn more about the town as it was, and the people who lived and worked there. As an expat, it’s satisfying to write what most of my readers will see as fantasy, knowing that it is in fact grounded in real and personal things. That is, after all, the only way to write.

Factory chimneys, Preston. Copyright Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library

Next year I have a new book coming out from the University of Central Lancashire, one which literalizes that idea since it is set in Preston in 1978, and draws heavily not just on the architecture and ambience of the town, but on its ghost stories and folklore. It’s called Cold Bath Street, and is also closely connected to the Harris, a place I explored a lot when I was young. It even features an uncanny encounter with one of the gallery’s best known paintings, Pauline in the Yellow Dress, by James Gunn, an image whose eyes always seemed to follow me round the building!

Sir James Gunn RA, Pauline in the Yellow Dress. Copyright Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library

We think of museums as place that you visit to look back into a past you didn’t, couldn’t know, but they are also places that show you yourself, or parts of yourself, as you once were long ago, and that can be a useful way of determining who you are now.”

Andrew Hartley

We can’t wait to read Cold Bath Street when it comes out next year! See more of the photos from the Harris that have inspired Andrew, and find out about his books at http://ajhartley.net/steeplejack/industrial-architecture/

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neoraven · 5 years

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NWA TNA Episode 1, June 19th 2002

17 years ago NWA TNA started the weekly PPV experiment. I went to every single one. Now I'm going to watch them for the first time since I was there.

(this review brought courtesy of Toby Keith and the red white and blue)

In 2002, I was a teenager set adrift by 9/11 and the alienation from starting high school. For better or worse, every week I started going to National Wrestling Alliance - Total Nonstop Action shows on Wednesday night. I loved WCW and was bitter about the botched invasion going on, and here was a new WCW in my backyard. It looks like there were 111 weekly PPVs, I'm not sure exactly how many taped ones / clip shows ended up happening, but I never missed one for injury, illness, or even vacation for the better part of two years. It was basically my ECW, for someone who was too young to follow ECW when it first aired.

I'm not really sure what the format of these is going to be. It's kind of a recap + live blog + review, I'll give matches the standard 0-5 star ratings with 1/4*'s possible, so it's really a 20 point scale. I'm going to hopefully figure out a better way to get screen captures going forward. Also, these first couple were taped in Alabama, not at the TNA Asylum in Nashville. Hopefully if my memory holds up, I'll be able to give some live notes and memories from being there for some of these. I have an old hard drive of pictures taken that I hope I can recover. I won the "Best Fan of the Night" and "Best Sign" contests a couple times to get to go backstage, and I also generally hung out before the shows and after the shows to talk to the wrestlers coming and going like a groupie. Later on, I was even on the TNA "Street Team" helping to market TNA and hand out flyers/ads during Smackdown tapings. I was also the moderator for the brief TNA Online Message Board, which I truly wish I had screencaps/archives somehow of all the…wildness there.

NWA TNA #1 June 19th 2002

Don West is the first person out of the gate, introducing Ed Ferrara after pyro and a brief introduction. Ed's all about TNA and introducing the girls dancing in cage as some sleazy music plays. Appropriately, he throws it to Mike Tenay, all business at ringside. TNA chants kick us off. Don West's hawaiian shirt is a thing of legend, and it's distracting me from Tenay's long explanation of the "Gauntlet For The Gold".

Jeremy Borash eventually is in ring announcing a parade of legends. Harley Race, Dory Funk, Jr, Jackie Fargo, Bullet Bob Armstrong, Corsica Joe & Sarah Lee, Bill Behrens, Ricky Steamboat. "All Our Base Are Belong To Us" shirt spotted in the stands. The Dragon compares the belt to every major championship in pro sports, the Stanley Cup, etc. He will special referee the finals of the match, and that brings out the one and only - Jeff Jarrett. His TNA theme "My World" is a lowkey banger that nevertheless completely haunted my life for 2 years. His big mouth earns him the first spot in the match. Ken Shamrock is here after that, and he joins Jarrett in burying the Battle Royal match. Finally, Scott Hall saunters through the crowd in a strip club(!!!) t-shirt as his awesome theme "Marvelous Me" plays. To round up, Ken Shamrock's theme wasn't great. "Hey Yo" sign spotted.

Goldylocks is backstage with Total Nonstop Action and the original midget killer "Puppet the Psycho Dwarf". Oh no. He's gonna spill some midget blood. Jeff Jarrett angrily kicks over a tiny music stand in the background hilariously. Then we go to the girls in cages and honest to goodness our first wrestling match -

6 Man Tag Team X Division Showcase AJ Styles, Low Ki, and Jerry Lynn vs The Flying Elvii (Sonny Siaki, Jimmy Yang, and Jorge Estrada)

An X Division showcase awaits. The legends surround a tiny monitor backstage. The generic faces' intro music is bland. The flying Elvii have a nice little knockoff theme at least. Siaki has Big The Rock Energy while the other two mug. The Elvii refuse handshakes and all hell breaks loose. Triple dropkicks and flying splashes to the outside. Styles reverses a back suplex into a phenomenal forearm, and I'm not going to attempt to catch every move. As an aside - Total Nonstop Action has taken a full 18 minutes on air before someone punched someone. Siaki and LowKi is a pretty appealing matchup. The former does a crisp Samoan Drop. Styles and Yang get in and have a very crisp, quick flurry of moves together. Jerry Lynn crushes a cradle Piledriver, and Siaki runs in and hits his neckbreaker finisher. LowKi accidentally brains AJ, and Yang capitalizes with the Yang Time for the pin. Considering who went on to hold the X Title, this is an odd result, but commentary was generally putting over how the mismatched team was going to compete in the X Title Round Robin coming up.

The Flying Elvii in 7 minutes, Yang Time pins AJ Styles **3/4

Midget Showcase Teo vs Hollywood

Hollywood starts it before the bell. From the promo, I thought this was a triple threat with Puppet. Hollywood kicks out of the "Tadpole Splash" from the top rope. Ed Ferrara says in response to Teo's claims to be a ladies' man - "He's the right height". Teo finishes Hollywood with an ugly swanton.

Teo in 3 minutes, Swanton?, 1/2*

Now West and Ferrara are in the ring hyping the Lingerie Battle Royal next week. The New Francine, Miss Joanie, Shannon (Daffney?), Alexis Laree (Mickie James!), The Incredible Sasha, Erin (Baltimore Cheerleader?), Elektra from ECW, Miss Taylor Vaughn, Darisa Da?? I didn't catch her name as Ed starts rambling about a kid in a candy store. Maybe I'll catch all the names if they're introduced with title cards next week. Francine grabs a mic and calls Ed "pudgy" and says none of the women compare to her. Elektra stands up to Francine and starts a catfight.

Goldylocks is in the back with Mortimer Plumtree. His character peaks with his name. He manages a tag team that bullied him in high school for reasons that are never explained. He leaves to walk "The Johnsons", Richard and Rod, to the ring.

Tag Team Match The Johnsons w/ Mortimer Plumtree vs Psychosis and James Storm

The latter is an odd pairing for a few reasons. I honestly didn't remember James Storm started off without Chris Harris and America' Most Wanted. He even has the prop guns firing blanks in the ring, which was always a nice touch. I feel like this is where I mention that the Johnsons are in full body suits and masks that make them look like walking penises. In other news, Psychosis is going without his trademark horned mask. Alicia from WCW is on the stage scouting the match. There's a fella in an XFL jersey in the stands. What year is it? "Buff your(sic) still the stuff" sign spotted. Ferrara "These Johnsons just look good". They hit simultaneous clutching suplexes to take control of the good guys, but Mortimer interferes to let one of the Johnsons hit their finisher on Cowboy. Post match, the ref pays off the lady watching the action.

The Johnsons in 4 minutes, Samoan Drop into Neckbreaker, *

Stan and Bo Dupp harass Goldylocks in the back until they run into the brothers' shared girlfriend in a quick nothing segment.

Borash introduces 1993 Rookie of the Year and Winston (yes, cigarettes) Cup Points Leader Sterling Martin. K-Krush is out to save us from the race car drivers. He's getting booed, but this would be a face promo anywhere other than Huntsville Alabama. K Krush "Damn you, and Damn Alabama" Brian Lawler is out to save the NASCAR dopes from the angry black man. He cuts an angry promo about "your kind" while the crowd howls in racist jeer. It's a pretty ugly segment considering "Grandmaster Sexay" Lawler is still clad in his Too Cool black rapper cosplay outfit.

Backstage, Jeff Jarrett is choking Jackie Fargo.

Tag Team Match Christian York & Joey Matthews vs The Dupps w/ Fluff Dupp

For better or worse, now I know their girlfriend/cousin's name now. After the crowd roared for the pasty white NASCAR duo, commentary is really going in on how these two wrestlers are completely fucking stupid and southern. The Dupps' intro is very boring twangy banjo crap, and they're not much better in the ring. Matthews hits a move called the Virginia Necktie that looks pretty nice. I think the non-Dupp team is working face, but it's hard to tell who the crowd is popping for. The Dupps win with some cheating and Fluff interference.

The Dupps in 4 minutes, Crotch shot, 1/2*

Before the Gauntlet For The Gold, we get a Toby Keith music video. He is singing "Angry American". Jeff Jarrett walks out and pushes Toby Keith off his little stupid stool and the crowd goes wild and honestly, I screamed in joy and Jeff Jarrett turned face for my money when he says "Nobody wants to hear that damn song, and take your Angry American Ass OUTTA HERE".

The Gauntlet For The Gold 20 Man Battle Royal for the NWA Heavyweight Championship Of The World

Buff Bagwell runs down for number 2 and the bell rings. Maybe it was for the main event finally starting but honestly the crowd goes pretty wild for Buff Bagwell laying hands on Double J. Buff hits a couple signature moves, but gets tossed before the next entrant. Ragin' Cajun Lash Laroux Is 3. He falls victim to The Stroke and is eliminated fast. "Somebody pissed in Jeff's Cheerio-s this morning!" Here comes Screamin' Norman Smiley at 4. The second largest pop of the night so far comes for the Big Wiggle. Jarrett tosses him anyways. Apolo comes down at 5, getting more offense than the previous entrants combined. K-Krush is 6. His signature axe kick gets tremendous boos, they hate him. Slash w/ James Mitchell is 7. Del Rios is 8. He is some kind of bodybuilder and it shows. Slash bites his way out of a belly to belly suplex as the announcers stress everything is legal. Justice is 9, I think this Is the future Abyss, but I can't swear to it. He hits a Black Hole Slam and now I'm 99% sure. Konnan is 10, yelling "Arriba La Raza" on his way to the ring. Abyss sells Konnan's facebuster a la HBK vs Hogan and I love it. 11 brings out Joel Gertner "I'm gonna be with 5 girls in Huntsville because I don't settle for less" He gives an X-rated introduction for the man they call Bruce of the Rainbow Express, led out by Lenny Lane. I'm not gonna bother listing all of the homophobic euphemisms the announce team runs through explaining who the Rainbow Express are. Rick Steiner is 12. He dumps Slash and Abyss with a couple impressive shows of strength. Malice is 13, dealing out chokeslams. Bruce, K-Krush, Del Rios, Konnan, and Steiner go out quickly thereafter. Scott Hall is 14. Toby Keith? is 15. He suplexes and tosses Jarrett. Not that anyone cares, but Toby Keith leaves through the middle rope to chase Jarrett and is never officially eliminated. 16 brings Wildcat Chris Harris. Vampire Warrior, former Gangrel, runs down seemingly early as an entrant with no music? The on screen countdown timer disappeared during the Toby Keith situation. Dangerous Devin Storm, aka Crowbar, is probably 18. Steve Corino comes in at 19, the only former NWA Champ. Ken Shamrock is out at 20. "Hall was framed" sign spotted. Brian Christopher/Lawler is number 20 and I realize now that Toby Keith was not an official entrant. Brian clears out Chris Harris, Vampire Warrior, and Crowbar mostly by holding the top rope down when they ran by. He dumps Corino shortly after. Christopher and Apolo get dumped by Malice next. Then the cameraman somehow misses Malice back body dropping Scott Hall over the top, leaving Malice vs Ken Shamrock to go to a pinfall or submission.

Malice vs Ken Shamrock, Special Referee Ricky The Dragon Steamboat

Malice gets some advice from Father James Mitchell at ringside. After going back and forth, Shamrock gets an awesome cross arm breaker reversal of a choke slam. After a long tease of tapping, he gets the rope, maybe with James Mitchell pushing it a little toward his client. A big boot leads into the Ankle Lock and Shamrock refuses to break it on the ropes, after even a 7 count, leading to heated words with Steamboat. Shamrock wins with a Belly to Belly to a big pop despite his heel tactics. Cue pyro, and hoisting the tiny gold belt.

Ken Shamrock wins a 5 minute match following a 33 minute battle royal, Belly to Belly. **

The match was a little too long, even with Jarrett speeding up the beginning by tossing the opening entrants as fast as possible. Speaking of Double J, he fights with legends and security backstage before emerging with a microphone. He punches the legends after moaning about the battle royal until Toby Keith and Jackie Fargo come back out to book Scott Hall vs Jeff Jarrett next week, the show ends with them brawling up the ramp.

That wraps up episode 1! They have some marquee singles matches next week in addition to crowning the first X Division champ, I'll see you then to wrap up the two first Alabama shows before settling into The Asylum.

#nwatna impact tnaasylum

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theattainer · 5 years

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THE 50 MUST-READ BOOKS FOR REINVENTING YOURSELF

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-3e61878fe828ad0df5736f1e2f0e0b1c

http://theattainer.com/the-50-must-read-books-for-reinventing-yourself/

THE 50 MUST-READ BOOKS FOR REINVENTING YOURSELF

Judy Blume told me, “I defined your childhood, correct?”

“Yes Judy Blume,” I said.

“So listen to me.” And I did. I did. And I still do.

Judy Blume has sold 150 million copies of her books. Books I read as a kid. Books I grew up on. Books that helped me survive the agony of growing from a child into an adult.

Books make my life better. Every day. That’s why I love the authors. And I live to read. And I read to live.

It’s taken me a long time to learn to surround myself with the best possible people. The people that inspire me. The people that I love. The people that change me for the better.

So I’m grateful for them. These people are my family. Family are constantly changing. Even family can turn toxic. But these people who I love and help and who love and help me are my family.

The authors of books become my virtual family. I surround myself with my virtual family.

—

I try not to think of the past. People who have done me wrong and don’t think of what I have done for them.

When I think of that, I get upset. I get filled with regret.

Another second wasted! Now a Minute! Now a Day!

The days add up.

What does this have to do with books?

Everything.

Books have saved my life. Since I was a little kid. Since I read Judy Blume’s “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”. Or Roger Zelazny’s “The Chronicles of Amber”.

Or Lao Tzu’s “The Tao Te Ching”. A tattered version my grandfather gave my dad who gave me and I started reading it when I was around ten. Every day.

I dive into a book and it breathes life into me. I’m a vampire who sucks the words out of the author until I have absorbed his or her life.

Now I have lived my life and the author’s life.

I live more and more lives. I absorb them and become them, even for a moment. But that moment turns into a memory, turns into knowledge, turns into tools I can use to make my life better.

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Do NOT…

I repeat… Do NOT buy Bitcoin before you see what I’m revealing here.

This could be your only chance of turning $100 into a retirement fortune.

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Or you’ll miss out on the best opportunity of your lifetime. Click here for details.

I’m so grateful to have many of my favorite authors on my podcast: Judy Blume, Nassim Taleb, Tim Ferriss, Jordan Peterson, Amy Morin, Cheryl Strayed, James Frey, Steven Pressfield, Brad Melzer, and on and on. Grateful grateful grateful.

Here are reasons I read:

To be inspired. Sometimes I forget that the key to life is to revolve your days and moments around MEANING. That meaning is the fuel of myth and story. Meaning creates The Hero. Meaning is the call to action that drives the hero from a normal person to one who surpasses all his/her prior abilities and achieves immortality.

(From “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz)

To learn facts. I never argue with people. Most people learn their opinions from their culture, from their parents or friends, from the location they grew up in. I like to learn facts from books. If I want to understand the effect of tariffs on the economy, I read the history of economies. If I want to understand how my favorite comedians succeeded against all odds, I read their biographies. If I want to learn about the effect sugar has on the body I read books about sugar. If I want to learn that radiation leaves a black hole when even gravity can’t leave a black hole I read books about physics.

(Michio Kaku, author of the beautiful book, “The Future of Humanity”)

To get better at something I love. If I love chess, I read books about chess. If I love investing, I read books about the best investors and the best investment strategies. If I love psychology I read books by the best psychologists.

To get smarter. After EVERY single book I read in the below list, I felt as if my intelligence was higher, if even for a day.

To be a better person. What is the role of habits in success? What are the common qualities of people who are happier than others? How have my favorite authors dealt with sorrow and loss and fear?

(Author of “Sick in the Head” and producer of all my favorite movies and shows)

I want to close a book at the end and immediately want to re-read it. I want to close a book at the end and say, “I am a better person because I have read this book.”

Not “better” than anyone else. Better than the person I was yesterday.

And finally, I want to escape. Sometimes I just simply want to escape.

The journey to the center of the Universe is a long one. The journey to other dimensions is filled with perilous adventure.

The journey to a new me happens every day and without books I’d be very afraid.

Instead, I grow. It’s such a great thing to read a book and grow.

“Man’s Search for Meaning” by Victor Frankl

“Antifragile” by Nassim Taleb (and “The Black Swan” and “Fooled by Randomness” and “Skin in the Game” by him)

“Tiny Beautiful Things” by Cheryl Strayed

“Master of Love” by Don Miguel Ruiz (and, of course, “The Four Agreements”)

“Anything You Want” by Derek Sivers

“Sapiens” by Yuval Harari

“Jesus’ Son” by Denis Johnson (not fiction, not nonfiction, but the best written book ever. You will improve as a writer if you read this book)

“The Rational Optimist” by Matt Ridley (and “The Evolution of Everything” by him)

“Bold” by Peter D. and Steven Kotler

“Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell

“Peak” by Anders Ericsson

“The Surrender Experiment” by Michael Singer (along with “The Untethered Soul” by him)

��Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist” by Stephen Batchelor

“Mastery” by Robert Greene (and the new release, “Laws of Human Nature”)

“Zero to One” by Peter Thiel

“War of Art” by Stephen Pressfield (and “Turning Pro“)

“Post Office” by Charles Bukowski (supposedly fiction, but actually nonfiction)

“Purple Cow” by Seth Godin (and all of his books)

“Maus” by Art Spiegelman

“On Writing” by Stephen King

“How We Got to Now” by Stephen Johnson (and his book on ideas)

“Ready. Fire. Aim” by Michael Masterson

“Sick in the Head” by Judd Apatow

“Born Standing Up” by Steve Martin

“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle (and “Practicing the Power of Now” by him)

“A Thousand Thanks” by AJ Jacobs (and all his books)

“Freakonomics” by Stephen Dubner

“I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” by Tucker Max

“Perennial Seller” by Ryan Holiday

“Meditation is for Fidgety Skeptics” by Dan Harris

“Tools of the Titans” by Tim Ferriss

“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson

“I Am That” by Nisargadatta Maharaj

“Influence” by Robert Cialdini (and “Pre-suasion”)

“Love Yourself…” by Kamal Ravikant

“Mastering Fear” by Brandon Webb

“Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke

“5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman

“How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World” by Harry Browne

“A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey

“What We Talk About When We talk about Running” by Haruki Murakami

“The Blue Zones” by Dan Buettner

“The New Evolution Diet” by Art Devaney

“Poking the Dead Frog” by Mike Sacks

“The Tools” by Barry Michels

“Small Victories” by Anne Lamott

“Meet Your Happy Chemicals” by Loretta Breuning

“12 Rules for Life” by Jordan Peterson

“Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink

“Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins

And of course, “The Tao Te Ching” by little-known author, master pastry chef, and cross-country skier, Lao Tzu.

This is NOT a complete list. I’ve left out books that should be #1. This is not in any order. These are just books off the top of my head on a pre-coffee morning.

These are not even my top 200 books. Or 400. I’ve left out too many great writers, books, knowledge.

But each one of these books I’ve read at least twice. At least five of these books I’ve read over 100 times. One book I’ve read over 300 times.

Note: I’ve left out 1,000 books. I’ve left out so many that when I look at this list I feel horrible.

This is not in any order. But I love these books. And 1,000 more. I’ll list more on future lists. I’ll add to this one.

Forgive me. But read these books.

(From my comic book, “The Altucher Confidential”. I want to be the Hero of my story)

The worst thing about this list is the number of books I’m leaving off.

The best thing about this list is that every single one of these books has changed my life.

These books changed me from a victim to a hero.

And so has therapy.

What do you think?

#All #Happiness

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deadcactuswalking · 3 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 28/11/2020

Huh... I expected a busier week this week but I probably got what was ahead of me just a bit earlier this week instead of anything that feels contemporary or currently relevant. I mean, yes, we do have three top 10 debuts but that’s as far as our stories go in terms of the big singles and albums I expected to have some kind of less muted impact on the chart. The big issue here is that I didn’t consider how much of a chaotic mess 2020 has been, so people really want to get straight to the festivities, if you catch my drift. Hence, with four weeks until Christmas, and a Christmas that for a lot of people will be a lot different thanks to you-know-what, we have a lot more of the holiday stuff crashing in earlier and harder than I or anyone expected. It’s still November, guys, calm down. Anyway, Ariana Grande’s “positions” spends a fifth week at #1 and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

As always, here’s a brief rundown of what’s going on. Most of this rundown for the UK Top 75 will be holiday music, so I might as well run through the returning entries and climbers first. We have “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis at #72, “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade at #69, “I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday” by WIzzard at #61, “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea at #55, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee at #52, “Step into Christmas” by Elton John at #49, “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson at #46, “HOLIDAY” by Lil Nas X up to #42 off of the debut, the horribly racist and despicably awful “Do they Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid at #38, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #35, “Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin’ Stevens at #33 and then some big gains for the Christmas songs that were already here, like “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues featuring the late Kirsty MacColl at #26 having the biggest rise of the week (there’s always controversy surrounding that song each year so it tends to surge high – also it’s an incredible song), “Last Christmas” by WHAM! at #20 and “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey already up to #14. That doesn’t mean there weren’t other gains and returning entries of course, in fact, we have some big ones, those being “Plugged in Freestyle” by Fumez the Engineer and A92 inexplicably making its way up to #39 because Irish drill is always good for the holidays I suppose. Speaking of drill, “Whoopty” by CJ is at #12 and “Loading” by Central Cee is at #34. “Get Out My Head” by Shane Codd also enjoyed continued gains up to #24. Thanks to BTS releasing their umpteenth album Be, the lead single “Dynamite” is back at #37 – more on them later. Oddly, thanks to the PlayStation 5 of all things, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” by Post Malone and Swae Lee returns to #30. I mean, okay, sure, it could be a worse song at that spot. Naturally, however, we have some big fallers and drop-outs because of this, so I’ll list them off starting with the fallers. Nothing survives Christmas music, and especially with UK chart rules, streaming cuts and a BTS album, everyone suffers, but especially hip-hop and R&B. In no particular categories, here’s our mish-mash of fallers: “Lemonade” by Internet Money featuring Don Toliver, Gunna and NAV at #22, “Giants” by Dermot Kennedy at #28, “What You Know Bout Love” by Pop Smoke at #29, “i miss u” by Jax Jones and Au/Ra at #31, “UFO” by D-Block Europe featuring Aitch at #32. “Holy” by Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper at #40, “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion at #41, “Princess Cuts” by Headie One featuring Young T & Bugsey at #43, “Looking for Me” by Paul Woodford, Diplo and Kareen Lomax at #45, “Lasting Lover” by Sigala and James Arthur at #47, “Come Over” by Rudimental featuring Anne-Marie and Tion Wayne at #50, “Ain’t it Different” by Headie One featuring AJ Tracey and Stormzy at #51, “Holiday” by Little Mix at #53 (Wrong type of holiday), “Chingy (It’s Whatever)” by Digga D at #54, “Come Over” by Jorja Smith featuring Popcaan at #56, “Tick Tock” by Clean Bandit featuring Mabel and 24kGoldn at #57, “SO DONE” by The Kid LAROI at #58, “One Too Many” by Keith Urban and P!nk at #59, Jason Derulo’s “Take You Dancing” and “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” with Jawsh 685 at #60 and #62 respectively, “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles at #64, “Mood Swings” by the late Pop Smoke featuring Lil Tjay at #67, “Deluded” by Tion Wayne and MIST at #68, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #70, “Lighter” by Nathan Dawe and KSI at #71, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals at #73, “Papi Chulo” by Octavian and Skepta at #74, and “Confetti” by Little Mix at #75. Honestly, I can’t find much to complain about here, other than maybe “Lemonade” or “Princess Cuts”, but a lot of these were either some of the biggest hits of the year or just songs hurt prematurely by the festive season. Oh, and there’s also drop-outs from the UK Top 75 ranging in degrees of importance. Here’s just the notable ones: “Straight Murder (Giggs & David)” by Giggs featuring Dave, “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” by BBC Children in Need off the top 10 debut last week and some over major hits from the Autumn-Winter season in 2020, like “Put Your Records On” by Ritt Momney, “Daisy” by Ashnikko, “For the Night” by the late Pop Smoke featuring Lil Baby and DaBaby, “Laugh Now Cry Later” by Drake featuring Lil Durk and three genuinely massive #1 hits and songs that will represent 2020 on a wider historical scale: “ROCKSTAR” by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch after 31 weeks, “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi after 52 weeks and finally, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I after 67 weeks. Okay, so “ROCKSTAR” is the only good song there but I’ll talk about these tracks in my end-of-year lists, if those happen. Now we’ve gotten through all of that, let’s discuss our new arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#66 – “Blue & Grey” – BTS

Produced by Ji Soo Park, Levi, V and Hiss Noise

No, I haven’t listened to that new BTS record, even if it’s just six new songs, “Dynamite” and a skit. I don’t mind BTS or K-pop as a whole but I do like my pop music with a bit of personality that I find a lot of these idol groups kind of lack. That doesn’t mean they can’t have infectious and good songs, however, and that also doesn’t mean that they can’t display actual emotion because this song is directly about anxiety, depression and especially artist burn-out, which is a topic of all bands BTS should know well. Reading the English-translated lyrics, despite a clear language barrier, some of these lyrics are pretty poetic and I do like the use of colour imagery. Some of the lyrics seem odd, probably because if I were a Korean speaker I’d pick it up more naturally, but SUGA’s first verse is pretty concise and effective, using this metaphor of a blue question mark over his head, and J-Hope gets into some unexpected biblical territory and goes on this admittedly emo-pop trajectory that I kind of vibe with. The song itself is actually less sonically interesting than I expected, being a mostly melancholic acoustic guitar-based ballad that sure, has some pretty nice acoustic pick-ups, but doesn’t really lay an interesting enough foundation in the verses for them to flow over, especially with the awkward 808 bass and strings that are honestly a lot prettier than any of the instruments further to the front of mix. The boys sound mostly fine, and the chorus is really nicely sung, but J-Hope’s aggressive delivery and charismatic inflections, as well as some clever mixing, make his verse the clear stand-out here, at least in my opinion. For what it is, this is a damn good attempt at tackling these subjects to a young audience and I respect it, even if its meaning gets lost in imagery and could be a bit skewed thanks to how the song’s written. Otherwise, yeah, this is nice.

#65 – “Move On” – Lil Tjay

Produced by Avery on the Beat

You know, it’s odd that we have such scattered new arrivals this week and they all seem to be concentrated in little bubbles at opposite extremes of the chart. These first three are damn near consecutive and in the top 10... Well, you’ll see. For now, we have Lil Tjay of all people debuting on the chart with what seems to be the biggest single from that upcoming second record. I’m not a big fan of the guy, in fact I think he kind of ruined Polo G’s “Pop Out”, but the lead single, “Losses” was pretty okay, and I haven’t looked far enough into his work to really make a judgement. Also, despite being a typical New York Auto-Tune crooner kind of on the same level as A Boogie wit da Hoodie, he has a connection with the drill side of New York, and has collaborations with people like Fivio Foreign and the late Pop Smoke. This doesn’t really show any of that, however, rather going for a break-up track where Tjay feels like he’s going against his deeper instinct to move on from his ex-partner, even if he admits the relationship was toxic. It doesn’t help Tjay’s narrative that the song is borderline unlistenable, though. He decides to sing the ad-libs and some parts of the chorus in this tedious and nasal cadence even worse than his usual whiny voice, which is mixed way too high and he’s still somehow completely unintelligible under the layers of ugly Auto-Tune and reverb on the echoed background vocals. Also, this beat is based on a cheap acoustic guitar loop with a stiff trap skitter planted on top and bass mastering so terrible Lil Baby would be jealous of it. By the time the beat brings in some interesting electric guitar riffs, it’s fading out, and it is absolutely a sensory overload in the verses. I don’t mind the content here at all, but yeah, this sounds awful in almost every regard. Also, since this is our only “rap” song here, where’s Megan Thee Stallion’s album on the chart? Not even “Body”? Huh, I guess that’s why you shouldn’t release in the holiday season.

#63 – “This Christmas” – Jess Glynne

Produced by ???

Jess Glynne produced a cover of the Donny Hathaway classic and uploaded it as an exclusive to Amazon Music for no reason other than potentially driving up sales for that Christmas #1. It worked with Ellie Goulding’s “River” last year (which wasn’t even a Christmas song, just a Joni Mitchell cover), so let’s hope she doesn’t succeed this time. It is on YouTube, so I won’t protest that much, but honestly, why would you want to hear Jess Glynne’s cover over the Hathaway classic, with his smooth, buttery voice, soaring strings and lest we forget the pianos, bongos and that gorgeous horn section that make the relaxed single an absolute classic and one of the best options for Christmas pop, especially in the more R&B sector. With her recognisable but generic smoky-indie-girl voice, plastic-ass production on the horns, strings and especially the digital production, Jess Glynne’s cover isn’t modernised or revived, it just feels gentrified. It tries to go for a guitar solo but it’s in the back of the mix and lasts for like five seconds so what’s even the point? Lil Tjay’s song may have been terrible but this offends me more on a personal level for whatever reason, probably because I am opposed to how commercialised and cultural Christmas is nowadays, which makes the best, more grounded and down-to-Earth Christmas songs the best written and those with the most longevity... at least I think so. This won’t last, though, it’s “I Love Sausage Rolls”-tier Christmas track, and I hope it fades away soon enough.

#48 – “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Justin Bieber

Produced by honestly, who cares?

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and (censored)ing end me. At least Jess Glynne can convincingly sell a Christmas track with her smoky, warm and powerful voice, and, you know, at least the woman can SING! Justin Bieber making a Christmas song is completely expected after his born-again-Christian ass got married and settled down with his new family, and this is pretty obvious in his songs. I mean, “Holy” is practically already a Christmas song, and even with that, it takes a more interesting Christian angle and is mostly about marriage and relationships. Bieber has made Christmas music before, yes, but as a Disney-like child star just to sell records for his big conglomerate... and wow, how Bieber hasn’t changed, since THIS is a soulless cover of the Brenda Lee classic exclusive to Amazon bloody Music. It’s not even on YouTube in full so what’s the point of listening to this all? What is the use of this? It’s not going to charity, it’s less widely-available than the original and as far as we know, it’s not connected to a wider Bieber Christmas release. When Katy Perry pulled this schtick last year, at least she had an original song – and a good one at that – to back it up. If you’re going to sell your soul to the industry devil to attempt to get a sappy Christmas song out to the public so your name creeps back into the household, at least be upfront about it, and not hiding behind your Amazon Music subscriptions. The worst part is how this is actually charting higher than Brenda Lee’s rendition. Bieber, you soulless industry puppet, put your Goddamned song on Spotify or Apple, or just don’t make it at all. You already have a Christmas standard in the form of “Mistletoe”, and that one actually kind of bumps in the sleigh, so why are you doing this? God, I’m praying for an actually good song on this chart any moment now.

#10 – “Life Goes On” – BTS

Produced by Pdogg

You could describe BTS in a lot of ways, but “alternative hip hop” isn’t what I would have expected. Thanks for that, Rolling Stone India. Anyway, this is the big album-release single from the record, and it’s about you-know-what, but more specifically finding comfort, safety and happiness during chaotic world events. They made a speech at the 75th United Nations General Assembly, because of course they did, and this was their main message: “Life goes on, let’s live on”. Honestly, it’s not a bad message and something that people do need to hear right now, even if it is more of a blanket statement than anything too specific or meaningful, and, you know what, that will definitely help this song’s longevity. I mean, that vaccine’s on its way... right? Either way, this song is pretty good. I do like that chipmunk vocal sample playing against the slick acoustic strumming – I understand this sound is all over the album – and both the falsettos from members like Jungkook and RM’s deep rap cadences work pretty well over a beat that, whilst lacking the punch you’d want for a song like this, does a good job at expressing that wish to find serenity and be calm when... you know, 2020 is happening. SUGA’s verse is short, pointless and kind of just there to get all the boys on one track, especially since he’s not really flowing that well here. It reminds me kind of how they want all of the Backstreet Boys to get on the big single to appeal to each and every fan, even if the clear stand-outs of personality will have the most success. For BTS though, I don’t see that, and I think they pretty clearly work best together when they compile all of their ideas into a mellow albeit pretty motivational track like this. I absolutely love those harmonies from Jimin and V in the outro, and whilst I don’t see this sticking around on the charts, I’ll stick around in my playlist, which is more than I can usually say for whenever the Korean lads pop up on the chart. This is our first of three consecutive top 10 entries this week though, so let’s keep going.

#9 – “Monster” – Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber

Produced by Frank Dukes, Kaan Gunesberk and Matthew Tavares

Oh... he’s back. Well, okay, Shawn Mendes sounds pretty nice over this trip-hop-adjacent steady drum beat and the really pretty, cloudy guitars, as well as some of the harmonies they end up having and the distorted guitar by the end and... man, I know “Wonder” flopped but I don’t see this sticking around either. It’s just a nothingness track and while I do like the more specific content about the uncertainties of fame and the music industry, even from the Biebs, Sure, this is pleasant but it’s clearly just radio filler and since radio doesn’t factor into the UK’s charts, I see this as a pretty profound refusal of wanting an actual hit from both Shawn and whoever that guy is next to him on the cover art. I was wondering on how to actually write this segment since I really have nothing to say about this song at all other than that. I was thinking of ignoring Bieber’s presence but that would actually give me less to talk about, so... “Monster” by Kanye West is one of his most hard-hitting tracks and definitely one of his best brag-rap bangers, with an iconic verse from Nicki Minaj and admittedly middling input from JAY-Z and Rick Ross, all stuck together by the minimal, tribal percussion that lets everyone go off and be a bit more unorthodox, as well as Bon Iver’s eerie voice caressing this beat in the intro and outro. Let’s get even newer for a song from this year, like King Princess’ beautiful piano ballad “Monster” that does a damn great job at representing the characters it was made for, those being Marceline and Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time. I’ve yet to watch Distant Lands because I want to re-watch at least the essential episodes from the original series before, but I am excited to see these characters again and in a different light. 21 Savage’s “monster” featuring Childish Gambino is a pretty damn good trap track, with an unexpected rap verse from Gambino, Paramore making a song called “Monster” for the Transformers soundtrack is the most late-2000s thing that has ever occurred – in 2011, no less, uh, I like the “Monster Mash”. I think there’s an Eminem song in there somewhere, I don’t know. Look, you get the point, I hope that’s enough stalling. Let’s get to that final song.

#8 – “Prisoner” – Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa

Produced by the Monsters & Strangerz and watt

So, Miley Cyrus was a Disney teen pop star and has since been trying to carve out her musical identity to varying degrees of success, but most transitions to styles have been largely unsuccessful in terms of creating a long-term sound. You have the dance-pop, club and hip-hop-adjacent party tracks on Bangerz, the psychedelic “avant-garde” era of Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz, the soft country-pop ballads on Younger Now, the ugly alternative R&B-trap-RuPaul-featuring garbage on She is Coming and finally her new, new wave sound, which can be seen in his most polished form on Plastic Hearts and its two singles, “Midnight Sky” and “Prisoner”. Miley is getting a whole bunch of sounds from a lot of different genres and styles going around in the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as the hard rock, pop rock and even punk rock styles all gaining a lot of popularity at the time, and has fused them with disco and modern production to make what is basically a Blondie album if they still had their stuff together in 2020. She has got legends on this album though, like Joan Jett, Billy Idol and even Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, and honestly I really like how she’s making a female-fronted rock album that is written and performed really well and honestly should probably be her style going forward if she wants to stick with the longevity. I mean, look at “Midnight Sky”, it’s literally still at #7 staring in the face of its successor, “Prisoner”. Much like Lipa’s own “Physical”, this track interpolates Olivia Newton-John’s classic of the same name (that kind of sucks in retrospect), and does a better job than “Physical”, where Dua Lipa has much more of a presence over the drum machines and that minimal bassline that runs through the chorus really well alongside the strings and swells of guitar. This is dance-able, sure, but it’s more of a showcase of Lipa’s swagger and Cyrus’ raspy tone that really works on this album. That pre-chorus is great, especially the second time where Lipa goes solo for that last line. Honestly, my only complaint is the bridge / outro, which feels pretty under-cooked, and that there should be more inter-play between the characters on display here. Other than that, yeah, this kicks ass, and I’m just grateful this song is here and as high as it is, especially on a week like this.

Conclusion

Now, is it completely fair to give Worst of the Week to a song I can only legally listen to 15 seconds of? Yes. Absolutely. It’s going to Justin Bieber’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” on pure cynicism alone. Dishonourable Mention goes to Lil Tjay for “Move On” being an earache, with the Honourable Mention going to “Life Goes On” by BTS for just being solid all around. It’s pretty obvious where Best of the Week lies, though, so yes, it is going to “Prisoner” by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa, and it really wasn’t even close. Here’s our top 10 for this week:

Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank if you want to give me more undeserved clout and I’ll see you next week.

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