#yes i'm thinking about noel's post again

[panelshowsource]

I'm from Australia and grew up with BBC and British TV, but there are still references that take me by surprise. For example, you would believe the "Mitchell Brothers" were real celebrities and ran the entire UK with how many references are made to them, especially across panel shows. Do you experience this? I often /understand/ why certain references, like popular soaps, are, indeed, popular, but I'm still surprised by just how much they're talked about!

omg this is HILARIOUS and YES!!!

i think this will be very funny for any of my uk & ireland followers to read? hahaha

i get asked all the time whether i understand the cultural references on panel shows and in standup (i do!) — but no one has ever asked me if i'm surprised by them! but YES. the best example i can think of is i swear to gawd there was a period of the late 2000s/early 2010s (?) when it felt like you couldn't watch a single episode of any panel show and not hear a noel edmonds joke. noel edmonds. noel edmonds. do you understand how absolutely meaningless that name is to an american like me? but omg i've heard 10000000000000 noel edmonds jokes/references in my day — and it DID surprise me just how much he was on people's minds! and, like you, i get it: he's super famous and he's a good punchline. but still! him and omg fuckin mick hucknall. why. why. why. why is the british light entertainment industry so obsessed with mick hucknall and making jokes about mick hucknall and references to mick hucknall. again, a name that means nothing to americans. so yes very funny to me, as a foreigner, how of all the very very famous people to reference and joke about these are some of the ones that get it the most!

so without further ado i tried to list the british cultural references that i hear the most + that also have a tinge of that "every comedian in britain thinking about pat sharp at all times and has a joke about him at the ready" feeling hahaha

series: coronation street, eastenders, springwatch, crimewatch, doctor who, blue peter, only fools and horses, mrs brown's boys

music: mick hucknall/simply red, the pretenders (it's always "you look like both of the pretenders"), noddy holder/slade, ronan keating, robbie williams/take that, blue, JLS, (there are obv groups like five and s club 7 but they’re not referenced nearly as much,) chesney hawkes

people: the chuckle brothers, eamonn holmes, terry wogan, janet street-porter, moira stuart, jeremy clarkson, noel edmonds, pat sharp (i thought pat sharp was a character on eastenders for about 10 years but that's pat butcher, who is also referenced constantly), john leslie, parky

there are obvious plenty more culturally specific people, places, and things that are referenced and discussed, and it's worth mentioning a lot of this is coming from middle-aged white people, but sheeeeesh... noel edmonds!!! maybe i just notice them now? bc i'm still kinda surprised i'm hearing janet street-porter jokes in 2023?

but i love it! i hope this post makes sense hahaha

#a

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Bonus review: Migration! The episode where Luka knowing the identities is finally acknowledged in the most disappointing way possible.

We start the episode with my SO being shocked that Luka knows. In his defense, Wishmaker aired over a year ago and Luka's knowledge has been ignored since then, so I can't exactly blame a casual viewer for forgetting. So it's seriously a good thing that the episode spends so much time reminding us that he knows.

SO was excited to see where this went and then very unexcited when it led to Luka being voted off the island and nothing else. But, hey, at least someone knowing the identities actually led to consequences! It won't happen again, but this was a brief moment of narrative competence where they gave real weight to the "identities have to stay secret" BS that they've been undermining since Queen Bee and straight up butchering since Gang of Secrets.

If people kept having to leave Paris like this, then the lack of a Love Square reveal would feel logical. Especially because, in theory, Marinette is right about it being risky. Doubly so since they don't know that they know each other, so they think that they'll have to make up a story about how they met and such.

SO called bullshit on Anarka letting Kitty Section sign Bob Roth's contract and, yeah, did anyone buy that she'd allow that? Come on, let there be at least one competent parent on this show! Also, Luka's a bit of a pushover, but he's not stupid. I don't buy him telling the gang to sign those papers. (Also, can minors even sign a contract like that in France? I'd assume parents would need to be involved.)

It was at this point that Bob Roth' name registered with my SO. He paused the episode to go: "Wait, isn't that the painting guy?" Which, yes, the names are super similar and hard to differentiate when you hear them. Bob Ross is who most people would think of. Not sure if that's as true in France, but we changed Noel to Chris for localization! Why not this one, too?

(I know he's named after someone on the production team, but still. I would have chosen another name.)

The real standout moment of the episode? The duck getting hit with Bob Roth's magical golden record. Not because it was a particularly funny moment, but because it meant that I got to introduce the SO to Disco Duck! Yes, this is a real, serious song. It hit the top 10 in multiple countries. The 70's were a wild time.

SO countered with this thing, which pales in comparison to the glory of disco duck, imo, but feel free to tell me if you disagree

(I'm not going to post reviews for every episode, only the ones where I have something funny to say or a criticism that I haven't seen before. Originally, I skipped Migration, but someone asked about it and I realized that I did have some funny stuff to add in retrospect. Everyone deserves to experience Disco Duck at least once)

#suffering through a rewatch of season 5 for love of my so #ml writing salt #ml writing critical #ml season 5 salt #ml migration #Youtube

[jklovesfandoms]

Now, it's time for the intro songs!

Order of posts (bc this got very long, very quickly) : Fall Fair Suite, Uranium Suite/Tragic Fact, Waiting For The Drop, and finally Uranium Suite/Minor Turn!

Okay, Fall Fair Suite! This is a very common thing in these intro songs, but I love the performance from the choir at the start! It's so common, that the only song that doesn't have it is Waiting For The Drop, which is really cool how it's so consistent! I love the movements that you'd see in a smaller choir, such as the Saint Cassian Chamber Choir, as someone who was in a smaller choir. Also, it should be noted, that I'm not exactly sure if Mischa's phone is real or not? But if it is, huge shout-out to the mic crew! Y'all are awesome, bc phones massive interrupt and disrupt mic signals. Also, yes I love Mischa messaging Talia on his phone, even if the audience doesn't know about Talia yet. I love the various levels of excitement in the choir members! For example, Noel and Ocean have the most energy and excitement, with Constance quickly following them up. Mischa doesn't want to be there, and poor Ricky is in the back. But it is a very fun detail! I also love how it feels as if it's a flashback, due to the lighting! Also because it's behind a mesh curtain! It could also possibly be from Jane's perspective? She wouldn't have known the songs, so she wouldn't be allowed to perform, but she could've been backstage watching them, and this is her view of it? Idk, I just think that'd be neat. Now, one thing about me, is that I love a rotating stage, so I adored the rotation when I first saw it. Also, how they're now in a rollercoaster set up, with arms and everything! Plus then they're being tossed around? Literally amazing. Going from that, to the very precise, backwards movement? That had to take so much time to get down, and I can't imagine how many times the actors just rammed into each other during rehearsal, lol.

Now, the solos to duets! It's so cool! First of all, Tiffany's (Ocean's actress) and Lillian's (Constance's actress) voices go so well together! It's actually amazing. Another note here, it's going in order, based off the row and seat in the coaster they were in. Ocean (front, stage right), Constance (front, stage left), Mischa (middle, stage right), Noel (middle stage left), and then Jane, who in that moment, is the only one who CAN talk in the back row. I think it's neat. Then it's the classic wlw mlm hostility duo, Ocean and Noel. Once again, where they are almost arguing with each other about what they want to happen because of their deaths. Then the group lamenting about their regrets, and how they wasted their lives in classes for the future they'll never even have.

I also both love and hate how the entire choir (minus Jane who obvi isn't on stage, and Ricky, who hasn't discovered he can speak yet) have their own little moment of what they discovered or how to describe their feelings, except for Constance, even if her realization comes later in Jawbreaker.

Then they move back to their choir/coaster position, and it's very cool, to have that constant position that they continue to go back to. And ofc, Mischa and Noel helping Ricky do the movement was very cute. That just has to be mentioned.

I know that EVERYONE has talked about the two little duo spins after that, and yes it's very cute, but like... Let's put more focus on the fact that Ocean felt like something was wrong. That Ocean had a gut feeling. Ik it's been talked about, but like. It's such a cool thing to know, throughout the entire show that Ocean almost knew this before the rest of the choir. Can you imagine the guilt she's feeling for the rest of the show? The guilt she has KNOWING that something was wrong, but still letting everyone get on it? Like bro. *Sobs*

And then, obviously going back to the choir/coaster position AGAIN! Just proving my point. And then the wind and whiplash in the choreo, showing how they looked as they were sailing through the air? Literally amazing. And then obviously that chord beat into the proper choir hand positions? Very funny.

Also, another note, Alex Wyse is a freaking God, how did he resist singing along to this song? Like you can see him fighting himself to not sing, and it fits in very well with Ricky's character and backstory, but man it's so funny to me that you can see him physically restraining himself from singing along.

Anyways, I have a lunch to make and eat, and then we might be back to your regularly scheduled plan, folks. Maybe after a nap too, lol

#ride the cyclone #rtc #ride the cyclone musical #ricky potts #ricky rtc #jane doe ride the cyclone #constance blackwood #constance rtc #jane doe rtc #mischa rtc #ocean rtc #ocean o'connell rosenberg #ocean oconnell rosenberg #ocean ride the cyclone #noel gruber rtc #noel gruber #noel rtc #mischa bachinski rtc #mischa bachinski #yes this is a rant at this point #I'm so sorry #but also y'all signed up for this #this is what you get for giving me encouragement

[martini-time]

As you know, i agree with your opinion that Noel is just a boring guy, who doesn't knows what to post and that they most likely still be together in his house, doing nothing and watching how the wallpaper slowly peels off from the wall...like two old rotting people just sitting there and doing nothing...sad, because he was so active back then, even had his own blog and wrote long ass texts like i do and even longer. He has the potential to be like that, but when you are with the wrong person for years, your passion can die, if you don't protect it...as i said, i don't necessarily think, that N was ever head over heels in love with L. She just happened to be his first and she was obviously interested..i guarantee you, that she made the first steps, not Noel..even when they tell different to make him look like a "real man" conquering his lady, i bet she flirted her ass off to gain his attention. I mean she knows how to attract the boys...i don't understand how, but he was not her first young men at that time and now that she caught him, he is simply rotting with her...he is a passive person + an introvert and he rarely makes big changes in his life and the older he gets, the worse it becomes. He can't even unpack his boxes, how long did Cam said he lives in his house? 4-5 years and still so many unpacked boxes? And Layla is the same. Not unpacking too. Unfortunately they seem to be very similar. No one lifts a finger at home, if it's not urgent. Two passive people in a relationship is not good. They don't lift each other up, they both drag each other down like two sinking ships. Their personalities don't match each other. Usually or lets say ideally there is one passive and one active person in a relationship and the goal is to balance each other out. They don't balance each other, they simply just rot together and do nothing about it. He made his peace with wanking off with Cams wet pool pictures and some gay porn and that's it. Here and there when they meet, he remembers how good it was to kiss Cam and he melts under Cams touch visibly and the same night he wanks off again and Cam is serving him with those pool pictures, because he knows that N will like them. Maybe, when no one is watching and they say goodbye before everyone is getting in their own car to head home, maybe Cam kisses Noel quick on the cheek and Noels heart makes a little jump. Cam, a true hero. End of the story 😂

Other than that i'm still surprised, that he had the guts to leash out at her on the livestream. Seeing things like that make me still hope...my flame of hope for him is small, but i protect that flame like the beast protected the rose lol 🥀

Who said that he was conquering her like a real man? This is the first time I've heard of this, lol

Yes, I've always said that she takes him down with her, so we have what we have.

But if you think about it, Noel and Cam would never have been able to be together. Cam loves to travel and he likes to meet new people almost every day and Noel loves privacy and friends who he doesn't have to see every day to stay friends lol

#time to tea

[dawningfairytale]

since my rtc superhero au post reached 100 notes this morning (and bc @luckynature wanted more and her aus inspire me!!), here's more detail of my rtc superhero au that i plan on writing One Day!! i'm going to be scheduling some posts over the course of me being asleep :)

as i mentioned in the tags of the first post, spacedolls is chaotic witnesses and a pre-established relationship, blackrose is friends to enemies to lovers, and nischa is enemies and lovers

here they're uni-college age, it starts in september-ish (yes around the time of the cyclone accident how could you tell), and all of them are 19 (second year if they're in uni)

so the age hcs in here are constance being the oldest and mischa being the youngest bc... Vibes

i have no idea where this is going to be set bc canon is canada, but most superhero stuff is in the us, but i live in australia and i can only talk to Experiences there (esp since most media is high school focussed not college/uni focussed)

noel and ocean went to the same school since they were 12 (i have no idea if it's middle or high school it depends on the country) and when they walked into university they immediately saw each other and went "oh. it's this bitch again."

noel has had his powers of spontaneous plant creation and plant control since he was five (think perfuma from she-ra, perhaps poison ivy but idk dc that well??). he grew a rose out of his hand for mothers' day and she went "OH OKAY. GREAT. THANKS SWEETIE. NEVER SHOW ANYONE EVER."

a couple of times he'd accidentally grow plants and panic before exploding them into spores. when he was 13 he accidentally grew cactus spikes all over his body. ocean saw him. she brought it up to him in private the next day and noel said "please don't tell anyone. i don't know the consequences and i don't want to." and she respected him, but partially out of fear, which he was thankful for.

ocean can stop time (and like she doesn't age in this time, she can drag other people out of how time has stopped and like have conversations with them while time has stopped, even if they don't have powers or know of ocean's etc.).

ocean realised she had powers in a maths exam in year 11/junior year, she accidentally stopped time and (when time continued) noel could Tell. she wanted to ask for a re-do so the exam was fair, but noel told her that he also has powers and you just... don't tell people about it, plus he really didn't want to do the exam

through the rest of high school they would check up on each other every so-often, but they weren't close.

then when they re-met in college/uni they go "okay clearly we need to stick with each other" so they join the choir (eyyyy) and agree to hang out for lunch twice a week (at first, but over the course of their first year they start hanging out more and more, taking a latin elective in their second semester bc i am a classical latin noel and ocean truther)

let's go to our "be gay do crime" friends

idk if constance or mischa are in college bc i want to clarify that's not the only life pathway, but it enables them to interact more so idkkkkkk

the two of them met when mischa came to [wherever this is set] from ukraine, he went to the cafe where constance worked and since she was so friendly, she invited him to stay until the end of her shift so she could so him around.

since she was the first person he met and the two get on like a house on fire, mischa sticks around at her cafe and they chat when traffic is slow + after her shift

but boyboss needs to get a job (perhaps this is the equivalent of the blackwood cafe, perhaps constance's been working there for 3 years) so constance hires him and mischa is like *weirdly* good at being a barista/waiter???

all this is backstory for when they're like 18, all this is happening right in the year before the fic is taking place, that's why it's relevant!!! i haven't decided yet on if she's just taking a gap year or what other intentions she may have but yeah!!

sO one night they're closing up and Vibing, and mischa cuts his hand on a piece of glass, constance asks if he's fine and he's like yeah but internally he's like no so constance says "i can tell you're injured, do you need a bandage or a free pastry?". mischa replies "hey bestie what the fuck are you some mind reader" then she's like "oh yeah!! sorry i really try not to, but when i get too tired i can't block other people's thoughts". "wait do you never use it on customers" "...it does depend on if they're a bitch"

once they finish up and go out, mischa goes "oh! i have powers too! check this out :)" then he lifts up the rubbish and fucking yeets it into a bin that they can barely see in the daytime. and he's really proud of it too!!! sweet man 10/10 golden retriver

#rtc superhero au #rtc #ride the cyclone #noel gruber #ocean o'connell rosenberg #constance blackwood #mischa bachinski #noel and ocean #constance and mischa #as in friendships not at all romantic ships!!! #hope y'all like this :) #long post #remember when i thought this was a long post #⚔ when all else is lost the future still remains our own ⚔

[lonely-soul-02]

Noel has always slagged Liam off and kind of put him down. (you can see it in many interviews and this book "Oasis Talking" by Harry Shaw.) It has started from early Oasis days till now. I think it was mainly for publicity. But it has had a destructive effect on Liam. I read an interview of Liam (can't remember his exact words) where he said that at first he thought Noel was only joking but now he is realizing that Noel means it and doesn't like him. At some point Noel also stopped being a friend to Liam and didn't hang out with him (different buses, dressing rooms etc.) Hence Liam wrote "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel." In the "Lord Don't Slow Me Down" documentary, he slags Liam off a lot, while Liam doesn't really make any comments. In this 2005 interview: https://www.nme.com/news/music/oasis-657-1353393

Noel claims that Liam is frightened to death of him which shows that his approach towards Liam apparently has been toxic; and maybe Liam's anger is a result of his hurt.

(I'm not saying that Noel was a monster to Liam or that his claims were true. But he uses dark humour a lot (especially about Liam) which could have hurt Liam a lot.)

Thanks for being polite and reasonable about it. Not all anons have been. Not that you've said this, but by way of addressing other anons, I'll preface this by saying it's not anti-Liam to point out the feud is not one-sided. It's not anti-Liam to show him saying shitty things. He’s human. He’s prone to hurting people when in pain, exactly like Noel. I think the two have more in common than most are willing to admit. It's just about getting to the bottom of things, showing some balance, some context.

I hope you don't mind that I address yours point-by-point as it'll make for easier reading.

"Noel has always slagged Liam off and kind of put him down..."

He hasn't always. He took a break. lol He did. I think some people have not appreciated the full meaning of the phrase 'exception rather than the rule' from my original post. Quoting myself: 'any Noel negativity during this time would be the exception rather than the rule.' Noel tried to break the pattern of put-downs. After the press conference of 2011 through to mid 2016, you won't find a pattern of Noel putting Liam down.

"it started in early Oasis days'

I made clear in my post that I wasn't including Oasis days. I'm focusing on post Oasis.

"it has had a destructive effect on Liam."

Yes. It has. Without a doubt. Liam's words have also had a destructive effect on Noel and his family at the time. Noel himself has said that Liam's words have been harmful to him. Why won't fans believe Noel when he says this?

"I read an interview of Liam (can't remember his exact words) where he said that at first he thought Noel was only joking but now he is realizing that Noel means it and doesn't like him."

And Noel believed that Liam's words came from 'a place of hate.' In fact, Noel has said for years that he believes that Liam doesn't like him. So Liam thinks Noel didn't like him. Noel thinks Liam didn't like him. What does that tell us? It tells us that the feud isn't one-sided.

All your other points are to do with Oasis days not post Oasis. Noel doesn't slag off Liam in Lord Don't Slow Me Down commentary (he's actually in fine form being really cute about Liam's dancing, Liam is good humoured as well) and again, six of one half a dozen of the other in the doc itself.

"his approach towards Liam apparently has been toxic; and maybe Liam's anger is a result of his hurt."

Same applies to Noel. Maybe Noel's bitterness is a result of Liam hurting him. Safe to say they've both hurt each other.

Yes, Noel has been toxic towards Liam. Liam has also been toxic towards Noel. We can understand it directly after the break up. But as the years went by, rather than lessening, the toxicity worsened particularly in 2016 which marked the beginning of Liam's comeback. Why? I'd like to know.

No, it wasn't Noel provoking him, not then. In 2015 you had Noel offering to write Liam songs (!! imagine if that had happened?? also was this Noel's way of reaching out?). March 2016, Noel acknowledges the tough time Liam had gone through with his divorce. In May, Liam inexplicably lashes out at David Holmes, calling him a 'yes man' and a 'ginge' because David said that Noel's new album wold be 'fun' [see articles]. This is accompanied by the series of potato tweets and fuck Oasis tweet. In June, Noel hits back criticising Liam's singing and saying that he tweets to stay relevant [2nd article]. In July Liam hits back.

THIS is what really ignites the post Oasis feud. Because after this year you've got both of them going for each other with vicious intent. By the time we get to 2019 it's as ugly as can be. I just hope that they've managed to put all this behind them during Liam's twitter break.

#noel gallagher ask #liam gallagher ask #oasis split #oasis ask

[saltysunflowersugar]

Ride The Tumbler patch notes/random little details I'm gonna put in the AU

• everyone's pupils become slit with yellow-ish scleras during the songs, as if Bill is possessing them to dance, I'm thinking the backup singers will have two Bill eyes while the lead singer for each song only has one Bill eye because they still have enough free will to sing what they really think.

• Cecil Gershwin Palmer is gonna get replaced by Tony The Talking Clock as Virgil, his whole thing I time which is obviously a big theme in Ride The Cyclone, plus he's a clock so his face would be made of glass, I think this version of chewing through the wires would be Tony shooting Bill with the memory gun and then the recoil just hits him in the face. Sorry Cecil, I just know a little more about Tony than I do about you

• the Onceler swears exclusively in made-up Dr. Suess words

• IDK if I still want Alastor as Noel, I don't want to have to rewrite all of Noel's Lament to take out the hooker stuff since Alastor is canonically AroAce. Honestly, I don't really like my human Alastor design I made for this AU that much anymore.

• for The New Birthday Song, I think it would be cute if all of the choir members gave John something. Like, Wally could use one of his apples as a substitute for the Hello Kitty cupcake, Dabi could light the candle, Luigi could put a fire flower behind his ear or something, IDK what Alastor/Alastor's possible replacement would contribute, and The Onceler could give John his thneed to substitute for Jane's birthday cape

• during What The World (Th)needs (yes, I do believe he would make his song title a pun) The onceler changes into his Greedler outfit because of course he would

• I already posted art of this, but I really like the idea of Dabi creating an illusion of his lover out of flames during this AU's equivalent to Talia

• I've also been slightly toying around with the idea of replacing Jack Frost with Sans as the John Doe, since Undertale Monsters turn to dust when they die, but I still think Jack Frost works really well in this role, maybe I'll put this on a poll

• speaking of Jack Frost, I remembered that all of the guardians used to be normal humans but they got chosen upon death by the man in the moon to gain powers, so I'm just imagining he wakes up in the hospital with his head re-attached and the Man In The Moon is just like "DAMNIT! I GOTTA WAIT FOR HIM TO DIE AGAIN!"

• Bill and Tony are just shit-talking the Onceler under their breath the whole time during What The World (Th)needs

• The whole warehouse freezes over during TBOJD

#Long post #Ride the Tumbler #Tumblr sexymen #RTC AU #Ride the cyclone au #Bill cipher #tony the talking clock #Tony DHMIS #The onceler #Alastor Hazbin Hotel #Mha Dabi #Touya Todoroki #Wally Darling #jack frost rise of the gaurdians #Luigi Mario #Mega crossover

[thetimecrystal]

the concert report to end all concert reports

and i am back!!! without thinking, back in like... december and january, i got thursday passes for øya festivalen (the 10th) because blur was headlining and tickets for depeche mode at telenor arena (the 11th)

so noel and i got a hotel room and made a trip�� out of it! but read on as i try to make sense of what has just happened to me (i probably slept a combined 10 hours over the nights and just took a nap. bear with me lmfao)

so øya first! we headed in about midday because we're probably seeing someone who went on super early back here, but the first artist we saw was ARY, a norwegian singer who noel quite likes! and y'all... she was SO GOOD. we're quite used to seeing bands, so seeing someone with choreo and hairography had my jaw on the floor. 100% recommend to check her out, the bass on her set probably shook the anxiety out of my body.

after that, we got some food and went exploring. øya is fucking massive, i'd assume one of norway's biggest festivals next to tons of rock, and there were so many artists to see and so many booths to go to.

as we were exploring, we headed towards the amphitheater where blur was gonna perform. there we heard pusha t really clearly and y'all, this man was not playing around. i was so fucking amazed at him and kept just bopping around. i'm definitely gonna check out some of his music after this because wow...

then it was waiting! i did post a photo quite close to the stage, but ended up sitting in the disabled section with noel because i had a panic attack standing in the crowd alone (and that was before EVERYONE decided to come stand by the stage).

but fucking hell. blur was incredible!!! i had so, so, so much fun dancing in my seat and yelling along to the lyrics for songs like beetlebum or girls and boys (for the first time ever, i actually managed to sing the chorus to that song KSJHJGKJG) but also have a great time hearing songs like the narcissist or the universial live. they played a varied, energetic set of songs and just. wow. the amount of energy damon has on stage is so fucking infectious.

he did actually kind of call us out lmfao, by saying "you and we both have been quite mellow" and then announcing that he was taking his jacket off twice, because he didn't get enough of a cheer. and like. the way he was jumping around stage and screaming and going all the fucking way, while still sounding great... god i almost want to see gorillaz more now.... also, i know i am cold and was sitting so of course i was gonna freeze, but alex was in shorts and a t-shirt? dude??? w h a t.

my first festival experience went really well! we didn't get to see the most artists, but there was people everywhere so like. it happens. (shrug) i still had a great time!!!

day two!!! i got to sleep a bit more after hotel breakie, plus i shotgunned a monster, so i was quite awake for the depeche mode show. i am not entirely sure it sold out, but the arena was really full.

now. telenor arena is not known for its sound, and we heard that really well. both the warmup, hope, and depeche mode sounded really sharp and loud in an unflattering way, even with fancy earplugs... but!! both were fucking great!

we checked out hope beforehand, to know what was up, and they're this cool post-rock group with an incredible vocalist. incredible show as well!

and once again. wow. depeche mode was also SO GOOD. dave gahan sung and spun himself to be one of my favourite front people because the charisma... the stage presence... the VOICE. incredible, talented, wonderful, amazing, great, lovely, sounds exactly like the records.

plus their setlist was also stacked. getting to hear i feel you, precious, ghosts again, STRIPPED?? and enjoy the silence live... besties i was LIVINGGGG. even tho we went before the encore, because i don't have the best experiences leaving a big arena like that, the setlist was still so good (yes, we missed out on just can't get enough and personal jesus but c'est la vie)

now, if you were at either place and saw someone with bright red hair and a ginger, about the same height and both wearing all black, that was probably us! i hope you had a good time as well!!

because yeah, it was exhausting and not always the most fun of times, but i have had two great days and i am ready to sleep for a week...

photos (although they're not the best) incoming when i have more brain!

#mica speak #øya festivalen #blur #blur band #depeche mode #sorry for rambling i am just so !!!!!!! #plus i got merch! i got the blur tour t-shirt and a depeche mode tote bag!! #that tote bag is so big and hefty i am in love #i have basically run on caffeine and pure adrenaline this entire trip #also i managed to scrape my knee at telenor arena bc their stairs system on the seats are non-sensical and i tripped into a railing when #going to pee #curious if i am gonna have the weirdest memory of this concert in form of a scar (silly)

[askwitchsheart]

Sirius! You'll free Ashe soon, right?

ah yes, right, i forgot about that

i suppose i could do it right now hmm

claire, wilardo, you will accompany me with this, yes?

yeah, of course, he's been trapped in there long enough

sure

but i do think, we should also have someone to make sure noel does not come anywhere near, this whole fiasco

well i could, if necessary

no, i need you to be with us, in the event he tries anything

nyahahaha sorry to be so rude and interrupt your conversation, but i heard you need someone to watch noel, i wou-

lime, get out of here, you insufferable slime

nyaaaaaaaaaaaa you don't need to be so mean about it, i just thought i'd offer, because it seems like a win-win situation for both of us

win-win situation, for both of us?

claire you dummy head, isn't it obvious? you get someone to watch noel, and i get to torment him at the same time

torment him?!?!

yes yes yes, it is a very common occurrence, but a most fun one

gahhh, i mean, sure, the help would be appreciated, but i don't like the idea of leaving noel in lime's hands

if it makes you feel any better claire, i can watch her to make sure she doesn't try anything too extreme

ah! zizel!

well you know, if it's not too much trouble, could you please?

of course, that's why i offered in the first place

claire, are you sure that she'll make sure lime doesn't do anything?

well, it's zizel, why wouldn't i? i trust her

you truly throw out trust so willy-nilly, don't you?

eh? what's that supposed to mean?!

it means your a numskull claire! or should i use small terms, so you understand?!

heh, as much as i love watching you two pointlessly bickering, which is the sibling like thing ever, i'm going with zizel

have fun storming the castle, you three

so it's settled then, come on lime

ehhhhhhh?!?! stop pulling me by the ears!!!!!!!

...............shall we go then?

mod note: you'll have to forgive me, this is going to be a three-parter

this is already long enough as is, and besides i'm pretty sure hit the image limit

part 2 and 3 will be posted momentarily after this one

once again terribly sorry about this

#ashe released from bottle arc #answered ask #witch's heart #ensemble posting #claire elford #sirius gibson #zizel #zizel witch's heart #lime witch's heart #lime #wilardo adler #anon asking

[archangelmacaron]

NTMF College AU Chapter 1

I was thinking about posting this in drafts in AO3 and then I realized the horror... I need to name it first ;-; I have absolutely no idea what to name it. Not even a little tiny one. I'm open to suggestions and solutions. I'll start posting there when I have one!

Anyways, inspired by @femmascthing s suggestion for a HS or college scenario, I began this. I have about four chapters mostly down which is generally the time when I think, yes, I can definitely finish this without getting blocked!

Hope you all enjoy, I don't think I've done many AUs before!

“I would recognize my own playing anywhere! That was my recording, Jillian, I'm absolutely certain of it!”

“I know, and I believe you, Noel, but... I don't really know what can be done about it.”

The young woman's voice lost its edge. Noel Cerquetti grimaced at her friend. “I'm sorry, Jillian, I'm—I suppose I am just venting, rather than looking for solutions. I know you can't do anything about it. Simply validating me that I am not insane after being gaslit by Professor Becker for half an hour is enough.”

Her shy friend gave her a nervous smile—really, all of Jillian's smiles were nervous, but this one was specifically her 'I'm worried you're going to do something foolish and I won't be able to stop you' smile, one that Noel had become all too familiar with over their years of friendship—escalating once they became roommates in college. Noel wasn't trying to traumatize her dearest friend, but she did wish Jillian would take a few more risks instead of desperately trying to get her to take less.

“I'm sure she's already told Dean Burrows that I'm complaining, in a way that makes me out to be totally mad, of course.” She imitated the woman's deadpan expression and voice. “Dean Burrows, Noel Cerquetti is causing problems again. No, she's not wrecking the curve by being so advanced beyond her classmates, she's suddenly forgotten how to play piano entirely and is blaming me for it. How absurd, Dean Burrows. Let's discuss it over coffee, Dean Burrows. Come back to my place, Dean Burrows. Into the bedroom, Dean—“

Noel pouted, feeling irritated at the childish expression on her face. “I know she's always disliked me, but for Professor Becker to switch our finals audition recordings—I cannot imagine what her end goal is here. If she wants Ribellio to be the ceremonial pianist, she must be aware he'll do a terrible job. Why embarrass the poor man like that?”

“S-stop!” Jillian squealed, laughing as she covered her face. Noel stuck out her tongue playfully.

“You cannot tell me that she does not sound that way in your head as well?”

“Well, m-maybe a little. Still—!” Jillian's face fell as she brought the topic back around. “I don't really understand what grudge she could have against you, other than maybe jealous that you're so good, maybe? It's not your fault everyone has to pass the basics course instead of letting them test out.”

Jillian nodded with a small frown. “I mean... he does his best but he can't keep up with us. He started so much later than we did, and he's really amazing, considering that! It's kind of unfair that he's in the same class as us now just because of his age, though... He must feel like he'll never catch up.”

“Yeah...” Noel frowned again, staring down at her cardboard coffee cup. It was a bit irritating that her family had decided to pay only her essentials, but also refused to let her take on any part time work, so she had to allow Jillian to treat her if she wanted things like this. She tried to pay her back by doing extra chores, but Jillian was already so neat, it wasn't like there was much to be done.

Her phone trilled, interrupting her thoughts. “Oh, I have an email—eh? It's from the Dean? Already?”

She skimmed over the email, then stood up. “I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. That's not a lot of warning... they might be hoping I won't be able to get a hold of my parents to bring our lawyer to it.”

She brushed off her skirt, frowning. “I don't want to tell my parents anything unless absolutely necessary, anyways, but... this does make me a bit nervous.”

“Um, they probably won't let me in, but I'll go with you anyways. I can wait outside!” Jillian hurried to stand up as well.

Noel smiled. “Thank you. Jillian, you are such a wonderful friend.”

Jillian's brow wrinkled awkwardly. “Ah... yeah. I try.”

Noel winced internally as she gathered her bags. Jillian had finally acknowledged the elephant in the room between them and asked her out just two months earlier. They'd had a long night discussing things—unfortunately boiling down to the fact that Noel simply wasn't interested in any women romantically. If she had been, her devoted and kind best friend would have been her first choice.

Her nose wrinkled. She wasn't particularly interested in any men, either, although she suspected their friend Fugo was flirting with her lately, it irritated her more than flattered her. Maybe she simply wasn't cut out for romance. She shook off the thoughts as she straightened.

-

“It's the office in the main hall, right?” Jillian asked. Noel nodded.

“Let's go.”

Noel was stony faced as she left the office. She nodded at Jillian as she walked past, heading towards the exit. Jillian hurried to stuff the notebook she'd been writing in back into her bag before following her. As she stood up, she noticed Dean Burrows and Professors Becker and Lorenzi leaving the office, the latter with a smug smile.

Noel had been power walking, so Jillian had to run to keep up. She met her as Noel exited the building.

“What?? Can they even do that—“

“Noel! What happened—“

Noel's shoulders were heaving. “I'm—I'm being forcibly removed from the music program entirely.”

“Apparently, I threatened Professor Becker, and she no longer feels safe teaching me. Professor Lorenzi backed up her entire story, down to saying he heard me claim I'd accuse her of getting favors from Ribellio, if she didn't make me the winner.” Noel let out an angry breath. “I could never even conceive of such a plan!”

“That's horrid, you would never—“

“And I'm apparently lucky, and should be grateful, that I'm not simply being expelled from college entirely, but if I don't voluntarily withdraw by Monday, they will do it for me, putting it on the record as expulsion from the program as an unsuitable pupil, and of course that will inform my parents, who will certainly pull my tuition money, if not outright disown me.”

Jillian was utterly lost for words. “What... what can we do, Noel?”

Noel let out a deep sigh. “For now, I believe I will go to the liquor store, buy as much cheap alcohol as I can, and drown myself in it for the weekend.”

“Noel!” Jillian gave her a stern look.

She gave a weak smile. “Of course I'm only partially serious, Jillian. I do plan on getting extremely drunk tonight at least, and I shall deal with my problems tomorrow after this pity party. Will you join me?”

“Ah, it's fine—I just wanted to be sure you got out of your meeting okay...”

Jillian winced. “Ah, actually... tonight's no good for me...”

“Oh—ah, sorry. I forgot. Um, Carole, was it? She seemed really nice.” Noel made a small face as the realization struck her. “Wait—you're meeting her at five, aren't you? You're going to be late if you don't hurry!”

“Don't let me make you late for your first date, Jillian! Go! I can handle picking up some alcohol on my own, and I will be waiting up to hear all about it when you get back.”

Jillian still looked worried. “Noel, are you sure you'll—“

Noel made a shooing motion. “I'm positive. Go, or I will be quite upset with you!”

#fanfic #how do i name a fanfic #noel the mortal fate

[riverstardis]

series 32 episode 25:

ooh that transition was cool, with the kid going from young to a teenager, but how did they keep his facial features the same? maybe they used siblings? or just cgi?

oh this ep was written by jon sen!

"them days aren't behind me yet, samantha" "oh they will be if you call me samantha again" damn, sam's so fit, especially when she's threatening iain

ahh alicia's off to her dad's 60th after her shift, or she's planning to be

aww ethan thanking alicia for last night and also saying how he doesn't want it to be awkward at work because now he's her boss and she's like "boss? okay yeah, strictly professional within these four walls, but outside you're all mine"🥺🥺🥺 ethan doesn't look completely hopeless for the first time in a while

glen doesn't like that charlotte's surname is miller not thomas? well maybe if you were around and hadn't left robyn at the alter mate

elle asks ethan why her patients are being moved out of cdu but he didn't know about it but he does know that connie's in for chemo so he goes to speak to her and yep management asked her opinion and she gave the order🙃

"the problem with you, ethan, is that the job requires tough decisions and you're petrified of upsetting anyone" real

"i try to respect my colleagues" "no, you just want to make friends, don't you? a little pat on the back at the end of the shift, you're in the wrong job" HUH???? connie are you not the one who put him in the job in the first place??????? is she directing anger at him because she's still embarrassed about The Kiss in london? cause he was there for her for so long and now she's just turned on him??? it's now that she doesn't need his help anymore i guess

ethan looks like he's about to cry :(

glen's signing charlotte up to nursery or something under the name 'charlotte thomas'??? bro you can't just change her name like that???

alicia asks noel and louise what they're looking at and they say there's a load of comments on rage in resus begging for another post and alicia's like "it's a hard gig running this place" and noel says sarcastically "yeah, and he makes it look so easy doesn't he" and laughs right as ethan comes up behind him😭 poor ethan :( at least alicia's trying to stick up for him

elle's patient has a swastika tattoo :/

the hospital's finance managers paying ethan a visit to say the ed's overspent on their budget :/

ethan telling alicia to hold off on ordering blood for a patient because if they can get her to theatre fast enough they can get keller to pay for the blood. alicia asks what if she crashes but he says he HAS to make savings and she's his patient so it's his decision and she gives in like "you're the boss" and he's like "yes, i am, so why does everyone keep questioning my decisions!" :( and alicia goes and orders the blood anyway😭

wait wasn't saving on blood the topic of his cost-cutting proposal in s28?? the one that cal stole? huh that's funny i wonder if they remembered that when they wrote this

"it's gonna cost this department thousands!" "who cares?!" "i do! alicia, that is my job!"😭😭😭

"i have to make this budget work, okay? because if i don't, the board are gonna get rid of me *clicks* like that. i'm not a failure. every other part of my life might be a car crash but i am not gonna fail at this."😥😥😥😥 aw alicia's face when he says that😭 and he looks like he's gonna cry again :(( you see!! why would they not address his mental health after this???????? alicia goes "nobody thinks that" and he gives her a disbelieving 'really?' look and she goes "well at least, nobody that matters. you are amazing at what you do."🥺

ethan's eyes are back to looking depressed again :( the tiny glimpse of possible happiness at the beginning was incredibly short lived

"the situation's a lot worse than i thought. all my ideas to save money, it's not enough. mrs beauchamp said i couldn't handle this" "well then prove her wrong! do what you need to do, ethan, and no matter what that is, i will be right behind you" lies! ethan believes her and goes to speak to serena campbell. i assume she was the ceo at the time?

robyn and glen are engaged. again.

ethan's closing down the cdu and also cancelling all the staff's leave

alicia had leave booked for her dad's party and tries to talk to him and he's like "you said you would back me whatever i did" and she's like "well yeah but..." and she tries to take his hand but he pulls away and reminds her that he's her boss and "when we're here, i tell you what to do and you do it" and she's like "ethan, this isn't you talking" and he goes "it is now." ... yup. that about sums it up🙃 oh he carries on "it has to be." while looking about to cry again :(

noel going "yknow i would love to know what rage in resus thinks about all this then" and alicia goes "so would i" under her breath😭😭

i wonder if she would've actually stopped the blog on her own accord if not for this new development?

#classic casualty #S32E25

[besidesitstoowarm]

"Boom Town" thoughts

so remember how i said in the last post that it's easier to talk about middling episodes than great ones. well i have a lot to say about this one

this is actually one of my favorite stories of the season (i originally had it in second place, i think it's probably third now). i'm enchanted by it, i think there's so much potential and so many great lines

i didn't really notice before but i assume her name is margaret blaine has a reference to both thatcher and tony blair, both of whom are scum. is blair the one who fucked the pig? i don't think so but there's no proof he didn't, so

i have to say that i think the running explanation of "no one notices the tardis bc humans are fundamentally incurious" really doesn't check out for me. i mean, the whole point of "long game" was that it was UNUSUAL for those people to not ask any questions or care about what was going on! canonically, human beings spread out across millions of worlds (fuckin and suckin along the way), being too curious is actually one of the catalysts for the human companions getting into trouble. other explanations like "millions of people saw a spaceship land in london and have now all decided it was a hoax" track for me (i mean, look at covid), but "incurious" is just not a problem people in general have, not in the whoniverse

honestly the dinner scene between the doctor and margaret is one of my favorite scenes of the entire season. we've gotten the doctor as lonely outcast, forgotten child, reluctant survivor, proud coward. now we get the doctor as murderer, executioner. i mean, that's what he did to gallifrey, right? no matter the reason, he killed all those people. he kills people, or lets them die, or can't save them. it's a huge running theme throughout the davies era, and we see ten overcorrect and try too hard to be the hero and martyr before he finally snaps and accepts being "the time lord victorious"

"i bet you're always the first to leave....at last you have consequences" yes! force him to watch what he's doing! "day of the doctor" has the climax revolve around that exact idea, watching gallifrey fall, counting all those dead children. he's the rebel, the runner, on to the next adventure, don't stick around to clean up and rebuild. a lot of his companions eventually decide to do just that, stick around to clean up and rebuild, settle down. can he look her in the eye and sentence her to death? can he dine with her before he sends her to the gallows? "you're pleading for mercy out of a dead woman's lips"

i think the ending is a copout tbh. oh she was playing him, she didn't really change or even want to. no! make him decide! make him face that choice! make it ambiguous even, bc it already was– she didn't kill the pregnant, engaged reporter, she let her go. that was true. she remembered how it felt to have a family that loved her– abused her– protected her. i like the "starting over" bit with the egg, let nurture have a chance to change nature, but c'mon man, let us sit with the weight of the Points she made

this was such a good mickey episode, speaking of points made. noel clarke crushed it when he broke down with "at least i know where she is" bc yes! jackie is her mother, she would wait for rose forever, but what is mickey supposed to do? she's gone for months at a time, she's always at risk for death and danger, she's clearly formed an incredibly intimate (if not explicitly romantic) relationship with the doctor, who is and does things mickey never could, and that's not even to mention jack (who was much more tolerable and fun this time around). rose's bubbly conversation dying when mickey mentions he has a new girlfriend, him clearly still in love with rose but feeling helpless. poor mickey. i liked rose acknowledging that he didn't have other choices, really, even though it upset her. it's hard to have ties like that back home. we basically have this storyline play out again with amy and rory, although that resolves differently

so yeah this episode gets my brain snapping off

#Doctor Who #DW s1 #Boom Town #besides its too rewatch

[martini-time]

I'm sure you've heard about Noel's new project by now... I'm so excited! Yes, it looks to be a small independent film but it's new Noel work for me to support, so I'm happy about it!

That's right, I have, but I don't share the excitement about his new small gig.

I mean, to support him, I'd like to get something back. But it seems Noel didn't care about the fans, he didn't want to keep in touch with us so that later when he gets a job and promotes it, he would have the right to ask for support, because he was with us and didn't forget about the fans. I think he was even more active during the quarantine.

Maybe he's ashamed that he can't give us something interesting and new, he can't get a big project, so he doesn't post anything, but if he really wants to continue his acting career, I don't think he should abandon sm, given that no one is promoting him in any other way.

Right now I feel like he's telling us that he doesn't want to be followed, to be expected back or something. I'm sorry that his fans have to check all the websites every day to find out something new about him or his new project. If filming has already started, as I understand it, it's disrespectful to me that he didn't post anything, but again, maybe he's ashamed, but then when he later promotes it and asks for support after several months of disappearing, it will be kind of rude.

Well, that's my opinion. Anyway, I'm glad that you're happy and that Noel makes at least someone happy.

#time to tea #noel

[blue-weekends]

music tag game + questions + phone photo meme game

i was tagged a while ago by the lovely @adrianne-lenker. thanks! here we go.

rules: we’re snooping in your playlist. put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then choose 10 victims.

Dance Dance by Cage the Elephant

The Game by Echo & The Bunnymen

Southern Rain by Jake Bugg

The Headmaster Ritual by The Smiths

The Death of You and Me by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

I Don't Need Your Love by Brody Dalle

Na Na Na Na Naa by Kaiser Chiefs (i miss this band!)

If We Never Meet Again This Side of Heaven by Johnny Cash

Metal Postcard (Mittageisen) by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Pathetic by blink-182

why did you choose your url?

i decided to finally change it yesterday and had no idea what to put on... so i just went with Wolf Alice's third album, that i've been listening non stop since it came out. plus, the name sounds good and remakes me think about having the blues, which i always do.

any side-blogs? if you have them, name them and why you have them

i do have one and it's @vanessa-ives. a long time ago i decided to organize this blog with just music and musicians, so a created another one to post about movies, tv shows, art... AND EVA GREEN.

how long have you been on tumblr?

i feel ancient... since 2010.

do you have a queue tag?

nope.

why did you start your blog in the first place?

to obsess over music and musicians.

why did you choose your icon/pfp and header?

well... i've been listening to Wolf Alice a lot and i really adore Ellie Rowsell. i think she's amazing. and her looks just keeps getting better and better. i don't know if i want to be her or date her.

whats your post with the most notes?

a really ugly gif of Noel and Liam Gallagher from an interview in 1994 that i made a LONG TIME AGO. i was never good with ps, but i always tried (still do sometimes!)

how many people do you follow?

1068 - i'd say 80% of them are not even active anymore.

have you ever made a shitpost?

no, don't even know what that means.

how often do you use tumblr?

dailysh...? from time to time, i stay a while out of it. usually because i'm too busy with work and study.

did you ever have a fight/argument with a blog once? who won?

no, i rarely even talk to people.

how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this post’?

i look at it and don't give a fuck. :)

do you like tag games?

yes! to me, it's a nice way o interact with mutuals and get to know people.

which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

i have no idea.

do you have a crush on a mutual?

no... not at the moment.

Phone Photo Meme Game: choose one picture from your camera roll without downloading to sum up your personality

i can't choose between these two:

ok. tag 10 people? i don't think i have any contact with that amount of people in here...

tagging: @ginnythegoat @bluevveekend @candromeda @elena-ferrante @holdoncallfailed @rule-britannia @glowinginahuddle @sonicyouth1990 @funeral-wave @hausderluge to the tagged ones that will propably wonder "who the fuck is this": hello! we're mutuals and i like your blog. :) to all the tagged ones: do it if you feel like it, of course. X

#tag game #tag #personal

[wondereads]

Personal Recommendation (04/25/21)

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

Why am I recommending this book?

I've had my eye on this book for so long. I love when characters that are typically thought of as villains rise up and take hold of their fate (yes I read all those villainess mangas).

Want something quick and short? Check out my tiktok

Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Everly and her twin, Hartly, were raised in our world, but their mother hails from another dimension known as Enchantia, a deceptively pleasant name. Everly, Hartly, and the people around them are prophesized to eventually take part in the fairy tale of Snow White and the Evil Queen, and everyone seems to think Everly is the Evil Queen. It especially does not help that her magic involves her speaking to mirrors. Everly enters Enchantia in order to discover the truth behind her mother's escape and what the prophecy really means.

The plot was mostly character-driven. There was no big goal the characters were working towards; they made their decisions based on their emotions and in reaction to the other characters. Because of that, I could never really predict where the book was going to go next. Unfortunately, I was a little spoiled because one of the last chapters is at the beginning of the book. I get why it's there–it removes any expectations that Everly will come out of this untouched–but I still recommend that you skip it. There's just a bit too much there, so it's a major spoiler.

Showalter does a really good job of evoking outrage in the reader. At a lot of points in the book I was genuinely mad at what the characters decided to do, but it only made me want to keep reading so I could see what Everly would decide to do in response.

Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Everly is so great. It's so nice to have a YA female protagonist that is completely unapologetic. She's not the nicest person, and she knows it. She gets her revenge and takes pleasure in it. It was very cathartic to read from her point of view, especially after all the horrible things that happened to her. It was really great because she was 100% justified in doing so many horrible things to the people who wronged her, but she chose to have mercy not because it was the right thing to do but because she knew she was better than them. At times, I felt like she sort of fell into the trap of brash, over-sharing girl from another world, but she moved past that in the second half of the book.

Roth. My opinion on Roth went from one extreme to the other in the book. His general personality was good, especially for a traumatized and somewhat entitled prince. He was a good example of what happens to good people when they're taught to hate, and he really did love Everly. I really did enjoy their relationship for the most part. It was some weird balance between enemies to lovers and friends to lovers which doesn't sound real, but it is. There were some points that threw up some red flags for me (you'll know it when you read it), but I think he's on the way to redeeming himself by the end of the book. I did appreciate that Everly didn't just immediately accept him at the end; it'll take some time for them to work things out and set boundaries before even considering running off together.

God, I was so ready to end up hating Hartly. I was just bracing myself for that inevitable moment, but I loved that she turned out to be perfect throughout. Also, she made me cry. As for Truly, she swapped sides so often during this book, but I did end up liking her. Her conflicting relationships with Farrah and Everly were pretty interesting.

Below here are characters that will spoiler the book! Skip this part if you haven't read it yet!

I'll keep it short. Ophelia and Noel were awful; I can't believe Everly ever trusted them again after what they did to her. I loved to hate Farrah. I thought her punishment was fitting although I wouldn't have been mad if Everly killed her. Nicolas was definitely a wild card; I'm still not entirely sure what side he's on, and I finished the book.

Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The book is from the perspective of Everly, a modern teenage girl, so I felt it was mostly fitting. I did really like how the way Everly and Hartly talked contrasted with the fairytale world inhabitants like Roth and Truly. However, there were some points where it felt like Everly was trying too hard to be a ~relatable teenager~, which is a pitfall a lot of adult YA authors fall into.

I loved the map, I always love the maps. The poem that was written line by line at the beginning of each chapter was a nice touch too. I also really liked how Everly, Hartly, Truly, and Farrah were all based on fairytale-ish words (ever, heart, true, and fair), but Farrah's was still a little different because she distinguished herself as the protagonist and therefore didn't have the lasting bonds like the other girls did.

Meaning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I wouldn't say there was a big, glaring, over-arching message in this one, but it did have some really poignant commentary on hypocrisy, stereotyping, and hating for the sake of hate.

To start with, everyone dislikes Everly because her powers involve taking it from others, but everyone is also 100% ready to use her powers for themselves. Also, Everly is pretty much constantly railed on for the sake of the fairytale in the middle of the book. Even though she's done absolutely nothing to warrant it, she's forced into these horrible situations because people have pegged her as the Evil Queen, not realizing that they are why she will eventually become the antagonist. God, I love shit like that. When she retaliates to protect herself, she's all of a sudden this unforgiving, violent witch (which might also be a jab at how society shits on women and then villainizes them when they fight back). The best thing is that Everly doesn't stop standing up for herself and the ones she loves, and, while she isn't actively cruel to those against her, she certainly doesn't let them get away with it.

Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I loved this book. I have always loved twisted fairytales, and now I also love stereotypically evil women taking back power for themselves. I genuinely liked the main character, the romance was pretty good, and the side characters were all well-developed. The social commentary wasn't subtle, but, like Everly, sometimes being unapologetic isn't bad. This book was kind of cathartic to read. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fairytales, romance with a lot of sexual tension, and those villainess mangas.

The Author

Gena Showalter—46, America, also wrote Alice in Zombieland, Firstlife, and The Glass Queen

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every two weeks, and I take recommendations. Check out my about me post for more!

#books #recommendations #reviews #the evil queen #gena showalter #fantasy #ya #fairytale retelling