Taylor Momsen, 2021

A fic rec of One Direction fics with a pairing of a famous musician with a not famous character as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!

- Louis/Harry -

🌟 Your Mess Is Mine by amory

(E, 176k, musician Harry) Louis is the father to the most brilliant little boy in the world who is all Louis really needs, or at least that's what he tells himself. Harry is a gorgeous boybander fresh off a two year break and a massive scandal that's left him a little broken and more than ready to move on.

🌟  California Sold by @isthatyoularry

(M, 123k, musician Harry) A fake-relationship AU between two lifelong best friends.

🌟  Heading For Limbo by @kingsofeverything

(E, 100k, musician Louis) The pieces of their twice broken hearts are scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

🌟  Emperor’s New Clothes by sunsetmog / @magicalrocketships

(E, 92k, musician Harry) Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship.

🌟  Cameras Flashing by @juliusschmidt

(E, 81k, musician Louis) As the album’s release date approaches, will Tomlinson and Styles be able to pull off the most risky PR scheme of the millennium and beat Zayn in sales or will the heat of their feelings for each other compromise everything?

🌟 My Sweetest Downfall by kiwikero / @icanhazzalou

(E, 42k, musician Harry) Louis is a retired guardian angel. After the death of his last charge, he became jaded. Humans die—what use is prolonging the inevitable?

🌟 Something Great by @infinitelymint

(E, 31k, musician Harry) Louis is a student and Harry is the mega-famous singer that happens to post a photo with Louis in the background. Together they kind of break the internet.

🌟 Bitter Ends Turn Sweet by @allwaswell16

(E, 30k, musician Louis) It had been four years since Harry first heard the song his ex wrote about him and far longer since they broke up. He forgave Louis long ago, and now his life was focused on his career, his family, and especially his son, Max.

🌟  led by your beating heart by @missandrogyny

(E, 29k, musician Harry) AU where Harry's in One Direction, Louis isn't, and they reconnect over a game of 'Call or Delete'

🌟 A Hungry Heart by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom

(E, 27k, musician Louis) the one where the Bake Off tent has never been so hot, and it’s got nothing to do with what’s in the ovens.

🌟 When It's Late At Night by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings

(M, 25k, musician Harry) Louis has zero interest in an ex-boybander turned solo artist when his appearance on the show gets announced, but that's exactly who he gets stuck with when Harry Styles shows up at the Late Late show to promote the release of his debut album. For an entire fucking week.

🌟 It's the Climb by @lululawrence

(NR, 25k, musician Louis) The Hannah Montana AU where Louis is a world famous punk rock singer with a stage name of William and Jay drags him back to Tennessee for the summer. 

🌟 i'll be your new favourite tune by lsforever��/ @kingonafiftymetreroad

(E, 22k, musician Louis)  Louis is the Pop Punk King of our dreams, and Harry is the cute associate at the rescue who helps him adopt a cat.

🌟 With These Arms Folded by @taggiecb

(NR, 21k, musician Louis) He has his lake house, and his cat, and his small town existence. That is until he receives a curious email one sunny summer morning, and his life almost immediately gets turned upside down buy a force that's bigger than any storm he's seen outside his window.

🌟 Then We Talk Slow by @letsjustsee

(E, 20k, musician Louis) A famous/non-famous AU in which Louis banters back and forth with his new record company on Twitter, only to find out that Harry is the man behind the tweets.

🌟 In Shining Armour of Trackie and Trainers by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(T, 9k, musician Louis) Online dating isn't exactly working for Harry. In fact, it couldn't really be going much worse. But then the door of the bar opens, and the pack of friends walking in parts and - that’s Louis Tomlinson. Louis fucking Tomlinson.

🌟 More Than a Mic Drop by @haztobegood

(E, 7k, musician Louis) Harry levels him a serious look and suddenly the room feels too hot. “You could have broken the mic and we don’t have a lot of spares.”

🌟 Porn To Be Wild by @fallinglikethis

(E, 5k, musician Harry) As Louis Tomlinson writes his One Direction fanfiction in a quiet, isolated corner of the local library, the last thing he expects is for the subject of his story to interrupt him in the middle of a sex scene. But that’s exactly what happens.

🌟 (your smile is) on every face by @justanothershadeofblue

(T, 5k, musician Louis) Harry streams the whole thing, too overwhelmed to sing along, clutching his phone above his head as Louis whips the fans into a frenzy, playing both sides of the stage before staking a claim to the middle.

🌟 We’ll Paint the Town by @kotabear-24

(G, 4k, musician Louis) In which Louis can't flirt, Lottie does all the work, Harry just wants to get her in a damn dress, and Niall is an aggressive affirmer. It ends well for everyone.

- Rare Pairs -

🌟 Future Starts Slow by abovetheserpentine

(E, 50k, Liam/Harry) the year is 2018; Liam is turning 25, and Harry is a rockstar. They share a history.

🌟 Hearts Catch Fire by ziamandbeyond

(T, 23k, Zayn/Liam) Liam works at a theme park where he meets the world famous Zayn Malik while he's on holiday there and the two start talking daily on twitter.

🌟 bet on it by @nouies

(E, 3k, Louis/OMC) a fic inspired by Louis at the barricade during AFHF.

Bridgerton: A romantic poem about Indian culture.

As an Indian, Desi representation in the media can be difficult. It dances precariously between romanticism and downright insulting. It stands to change the world’s view on those with an ethnic background, often pushing the “white saviour” agenda forward. Speaking from personal experience, I can attest that it creates an internal battle. Growing up, I watched shows like Phineas and Ferb, where characters like Balgeet or Ravi from Jessie were portrayed as kooky, with exaggerated accents and quirks. While I agree stereotypes can often aid the comedy in a show, repeatedly watching the Desi characters be used as comic punching bags created an air of displeasure within me. I found myself wanting more and more to be like Hannah Montana, with her blue eyes and blonde hair, rather than one of the Patil Twins from Harry Potter. It took years to unlearn the racism I had internalised and finally see the beauty in my culture. 

It is possible to argue that the growing number of comedies starring racial minorities has facilitated racial tolerance. Take, for instance, the second season of the popular Netflix show Bridgerton, which centres around the romance between a viscount and a character of Indian descent, Kate Sharma. I liked the show's appreciation of my culture through romanticism. Three unique scenes stand out to me in particular—the hair oiling, tea brewing, and Haldi.

In the hair-oiling scene, Kate comforts her younger sister by running oil through her dark tresses. Sitting at your mother/grandmother’s feet while she oils your hair is a canon event in every Indian girl’s life. It is an intimate act of devotion and love in Desi culture, as the person takes great pains to massage the oil into every crevice of your scalp as it stimulates hair growth. In Western culture, oily hair is often looked down upon. While I grew up in India and thus had no first-hand experience of the same, I’ve read multiple stories about how brown girls were bullied and belittled for having oil in their hair. Therefore, seeing something as trivial as oiling a loved one's hair being romanticised in a popular show could change people’s perspective on Indian culture, enabling the rest of the world to see it as we do. 

A quintessential experience in a desi household is watching the chai (tea) being brewed as the aromas of its spices fill the air. Desi tea is more than just milky dishwater. It's a delicate blend of floral notes and spice that warms the back of your throat, only to be soothed by the creaminess of the milk. Making it is an art you’re forced to pick up as you watch your family members painstakingly observe the handi (pot) to ensure it doesn’t boil over. Like the hair-oiling scene, Bridgerton brings out this tradition quaintly. In an episode, Kate removes a few spices from a richly decorated pouch and adds them to a strainer suspended above a teacup, along with a handful of tea leaves. She then pours hot water over the mixture before adding milk to it. It is a scene shot in solidarity with close-ups of Kate’s actions to create an almost Wordsworthian romanticism of an activity nearly second nature to my people. Indian food is often criticised for being too smelly or having a flavour profile that’s too strong. Like the hair oil, Desi children are frequently belittled or bullied for bringing cultural dishes to school. Therefore, watching the precision and complexity that goes into making something as simple as masala chai (spiced tea) can change people’s opinions on the cuisine. 

As Indians, Haldi, or turmeric, is a spice that’s ever-present in our lives. It’s used in our dishes and is an answer to almost every disease and injury. As children, we’re urged to drink Haldi Doodh, or, as it’s better known by its gentrified name, golden latte. For centuries, it’s been used to treat injuries. When we get injured, the yellow powder is usually pressed to the wound as it is believed to hold natural healing powers. Thus, it comes as no surprise that we’ve even found a way to include the marvellous spice in our marriage ceremonies. The Haldi Ceremony is performed a day before the wedding. It takes place in the couple’s parental home, where a mixture of Haldi, oil and water is usually rubbed onto the face and upper body by the couple’s close friends and family. In Bridgerton, we see a similar practice carried out by Kate and their mother the night before Edwina’s wedding. The scene is portrayed in an intimate manner compared to the grandiose version you might see in a traditional Indian wedding. Nonetheless, seeing a critical Desi tradition integrated so well into a mainstream show was quite a surprise and a good one at that. I loved that they paid such close attention to detail, going so far as to drape the characters in yellow clothes, which are considered auspicious during a Haldi. 

I watched a beautiful Indian woman cast as the main character in a Netflix show instead of some caricature, and it healed something inside me. I loved that my culture was finally getting the appreciation and exposure it deserves. The way the show’s creators integrated age-old traditions into the storyline instead of repeating harmful stereotypes like with Apu from The Simpsons, made me appreciate the show and its gradual shift to accurate inclusivity.

The entire point of the Romanticism movement was to take seemingly mundane things and describe them in such a way that makes them seem extraordinary. It aims to change the person’s view on the subject by painting it in a remarkable light. Take, for example, the poem “The Orange” by Wendy Cope. It describes the simple joys in life, like sharing a fruit that graces almost every fruit bowl. It changes the way you look at things, and that’s why the romanticism of the Indian culture in something as mainstream as Bridgerton is so essential. It has the power to change how people view Indians and how we view ourselves. 

it's so hard to say goodbye - luke hughes

word count: 1.1k words

note: not sure how i feel about this but it’s too upsetting to keep trying to rewrite it. obviously, lyrics from i'll always remember you by hannah montana

The game ended, Michigan's season is over, some of the guys will never play another college hockey game again, and Luke's signing his contract to join the NHL. What a fucking night.

I always knew this day would come We'd be standing one by one With our future in our hands So many dreams, so many plans

"Flight's at 9" Luke said quietly, his arm tightening around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer to him.

"You wanna go to your room?" After the game, the guys gathered in Mackie and Dylan's room and slowly had been retreating back to their own rooms for the night, saving their goodbyes for the morning. It was just the sophomores now and you could tell Luke didn't want to leave but it was getting pretty late and he had a big day tomorrow.

"I... yeah we should" Luke hesitated but you nodded, sending Mackie a look which he understood immediately.

"We should all get to bed, early morning tomorrow" Looking around, the boys all had sad smiles on their faces and your heart broke for them all. They were all best friends, they came into this together and now Luke's the only one leaving, breaking up the group forever.

"We'll see you in the morning?" Dylan asked Luke and you could feel your boyfriend tense beside you.

"Yeah, I'll stop by before..." Luke trailed off but everyone knew what he meant. Mark and Eddy patted him on the shoulder as they passed by on their way out and after a quick goodnight to Mackie and Dylan, you and Luke were on your way out as well.

It was a silent walk back to his room, you had your own down the hall but there was no way Luke was letting go of you for the night. He let you into his room first, following close behind and letting the door fall closed as he crawled right into bed with you, laying as close as possible.

"I don't want to go" He said it so quietly you almost couldn't hear him.

"Luke..."

"No, Y/n seriously how am I supposed to wake up tomorrow and say goodbye to my best friends? How do I walk away from Michigan? I'm losing everything I love" You felt his breathing accelerate and you knew that he was getting himself worked up but you didn't know how to stop it, you could only say so much.

"You're not losing anything Luke, you're gaining so much. I'm not going anywhere and I know the boys aren't either. I know its hard right now but just think about all the great guys in Jersey, Jack's gonna make sure they're all nice to you, you're going to be okay Lukey"

"College was just the step before the NHL, it didn't seem like that big of a deal. I never thought it would be so hard to walk away from. I should be used to it by now though, it's what we do. Hockey's business" His voice sounded so broken and you wished you could do something to help.

"Just because you've done it before doesn't mean its going to be easy" You say gently. The room was quiet for a moment and you're almost sure Luke was asleep until he speaks up again.

"I love you, I'm gonna miss you" He whispered and you squeeze your eyes shut, not allowing any tears to fall.

"I'll miss you too Lukey"

I always knew after all these years There'd be laughter, there'd be tears But never thought I'd walk away With so much joy, but so much pain And it's so hard to say "goodbye"

The morning came faster than expected and before you knew it, you were standing in the lobby with Ellen, waiting for the boys to say their goodbyes. Luke had been standing with Dylan and Mackie for a few minutes and you didn't want to be the one who broke them apart.

"You're not going to forget about us?" Dylan grinned and Luke rolled his eyes.

"I could never, Duker" Luke pulled his best friend into a hug, messing up his hair just like he always does. He'd already said his goodbyes to everyone and he knew it was time to go but he couldn't bring himself to step away from his friends.

Nolan walked up from where he had been talking to Rutger and Adam, dropping a hand onto Luke's shoulder. "Yesterday sucked but you've got things to do today kid, big contracts to sign. You better get going before your mom loses her mind" Nolan nods back to where Ellen has been stressing over Jack not having everything organized in their apartment like he promised he did. She was trying to figure out how to rush-order a mattress for Luke to sleep on tonight.

"Thanks Moyle. You're a good captain, even if we doubted you in the beginning" Luke chuckled and pulled Nolan into a quick bro-hug before finally pulling himself away from the boys. He pulled his suitcase out of the hotel, not letting himself look back. Maybe he was being dramatic but if he waited any longer, he wasn't sure he'd actually go.

One day, we'll look back We'll smile and we'll laugh But right now we just cry 'Cause it's so hard to say "goodbye"

Luke signed his contract and was on the plane to Boston in the next hour. Ellen and Jim were going straight to New Jersey to get things ready for Luke while he was going to meet the team for their game Saturday night. You said your goodbyes before they all got on their flights, being the only one headed back to Michigan, at least for a couple days.

You headed back to the hotel and attended the Hobey Baker ceremony with the guys. You sat with the families as they announced Adam as the winner and you watched as the whole team went up for a picture.

Luke was sitting in his new hotel in Boston, looking at the picture on Instagram. It was crazy how just last night, that was his team, his best friends and now he's in another city while they continue on together. He reposts it on his story before shoving his phone into his pocket.

"Ready bud?" Jack poked his head into the room and Luke nodded, grabbing his stuff and following his big brother out the door. "First team dinner, you excited?"

"Yeah" Luke choked out, ignoring his phone buzzing in his back pocket, notifying him of all the things he's left behind. "Let's do it"

Yesterday's gone We gotta keep moving on I'm so thankful for the moments So glad I got to know you

Never gonna happen

Rocker AU

pairing: Radio-host!Gyu x femalerocker!reader

warnings: fluff, smut, angst, swearing minors din!

Synopsis: She's your modern day hannah montana. a goody too shoes to everyone who knows her, the perfect golden girl during the day. but when she's alone she's anything but allowing herself to let go of her perfect reputation. Then theirs beomgyu who's proudly part of the band txt and radio host of the schools most popular station. He hates her, but shes utterly enamored by him.

Taehyun rolled his eyes as he watched his bestfriend practically glare down the class president currently talking to their teacher about today activities. The bell was close to ringing for lunch.

"come on man she's not even paying attention to you. for someone who claims to hate her so much you sure do spend a lot of your time admiring her." Taehyun stated smugly earning a laugh from Kai who was on his side drumming on his desk with his drumsticks.

"i'm not admiring her. i'm praying she goes mute. i swear she never stops talking." Beomgyu huffed crossing his arms and turning towards his friends.

"i don't know gyu she's actually really nice." Kai shrugged looking at the girl. She wore a pair of dark skinny jeans and checkered vans. A long white sleeve shirt with a dainty gold necklace and a pink cardigan over it. Her dark brown hair tied into a bun showing off her gold and pearl earrings. finally a white face mask covering the bottom of her face. She was very health conscious.

"She's a priss."

"by definition that is not true." taehyun commented and beomgyu only groaned.

"whatever i don't want to talk about her anymore. let's talk about the track list for tonight's show."

"i can't believe they cut our set in half for open mic." Kai sighed disappointed but their conversation was cut short but the lunch bell ringing.

the three boys stood slinging the bags over their shoulders to leave and meet up with their hyungs almost out the door when a soft voice spoke up.

"Beomgyu!"

said boy froze and rolled his eyes holding his annoyed groan in.

"Yes class pres." he said with a sarcastic smile. If she caught it she definitely didn't have any reaction to it as her eyes creased from a smile.

"a song request! for toxdo tomorrow!" she said handing him a pink sticky note that was folded in a small heart.

"Cool thanks." he said taking it from her and she hummed before moving to her desk to eat lunch. Alone, as usual.

beomgyu shook his head and stifled a laugh before tossing the pink heart into the trash can and walking out the class.

"harsh much." Taehyun said to the long haired boy and beomgyu shrugged.

"it was probably some piano soundtrack that would put us to sleep and all our listeners."

Y/n sighed as she put a dash onto her notebook.

yet another song request in the trash if anyone ever finds them they'd make a killer playlist.

The five boys stood at their table in the corner of the small 18 and over club, the table was reserved for them since they were regular performers.

"So does anyone know any of any of the people playing tonight?" Yeonjun asked looking at his bandmates and they all shrugged all extremely drained from the bands that have previously played. Their was only one left.

The Love Abusers

"okay everyone today we have a girl group of three here to perform for the first time in front of a crowd! give it up to The Love Abusers!" The girl on stage spoke before rushing off and three girls walked onto the stage. One of drums, one on bass, and one at the guitar and mic.

they all wore black leather ankle boots except the singer she wore a pair of beat up converse ripped tights and a large distressed sex pistols shirt. Her arms littered in brackets and her dark messy hair cover a lot of her face since her bangs seemed to be overgrown. Her bandmates hand their hair slicked back and they wore sheer shirts and wine red bras underneath with black ripped skinny jeans.

"how's everyone night going so far?" the girl spoke into the mic her voice was smooth a low almost quiet to where the mic couldn't pick it up.

Beomgyu quirked an eyebrow at this. As the crowd answered to her voice extremely enthusiastic. This earned a chuckle from her and taehyun sucked air through his teeth at the sound.

"I wrote this song last night. I've been getting a bit tired of people expecting me to reach their standards... i'm sure you'll understand right guys." she spoke strummed her guitar gently.

she started her riff on her guitar as her bandmates clapped their hands gently behind her.

"this is Bad Day."

"i had a no good, really bad. messed up day and i'm stressed out super sad not okay. i'm never gettin better no it's not a phase."

The boys mouths dropped and the revelation of the bands talent and how quickly they got the audiences attention. Beomgyu seemingly in a trance at the lead singers way of delivering their lyrics and change of pace through out the song.

His eyes glancing down to her hands strumming her guitar as she completely took all his attention. Soobin looked at the younger and chuckled tapping their friends too look at the sight of their guitarist.

"i mean he always did say a girl who can play guitar better than him is hot." Taehyun teased earning a small laugh.

"shut up dude." beomgyu grumbled.

"and i like it that way." The girl finished. "thank you guys, you were great." she spoke warning a course of claps and cheers from the crowd as her and her bandmates left the stage.

"Wow! what an entrance! that was love abusers performing their original song Bad Days they'll be back on thursday if your interested in watching another set." The announcer spoke.

"Next up, a Crowd Favorite! TXT! welcome back to our favorite boys!"

a/n: their will be a playlist for this series! both with the songs of "Love Abusers" and y/ns Requests to the toxdo radio show if your interested it will be located on the series master-list!

song of the chapter- Bad Days by Charlotte Sands

AP Test Season

Platonic!Shuri x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Marvel

Day 24 Prompt: "Is it over? Is it really over?"

Summary: Shuri's in Santa Monica to help her best friend through quite an ordeal.

Word Count: 1,071

Category: Fluff

A/N: @bandshirts-andbooks this is for you, I don't know if you remember but literally forever ago you sent me a request for platonic!Shuri and reader and because I can't read I didn't see the word platonic so I said I wasn't comfortable writing for her. Ngl it's 100% haunted me since I was going through old requests and realized that I'd completely missed the word platonic lmao, so here is a fun and sweet fic that I hope you like! Sorry for my terrible reading comprehension lmao

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I staggered out of the building, head throbbing, sunlight burning my eyes. I almost tripped on the first of the stairs and did a header down the whole set, but thankfully, someone else reached out to steady me before I could.

"Y/N! Are you alright?"

I turned, blinking blearily at Princess Shuri, one of my best friends in the whole world. She stared at me, concern written across her face as I took a deep breath in and out.

"Is it over? Is it really over?" I asked, my voice croaky from lack of use. Shuri nodded.

"Yes. It is really, truly, completely over."

"Oh thank God," I sighed, flopping back dramatically. Shuri laughed, guiding me over to a retaining wall outside the school where we could sit together shoulder to shoulder while I recovered.

I'd just finished my last AP test of my last year of high school, after a grueling two weeks filled with four-hour tests. It had been literal hell, and had almost killed me, hence the current brain fog. But I'd made it. And now, I never had to take another one of those stupid things as long as I lived.

"Come on," Shuri said, standing and holding out a hand to me after giving me a few minutes to recover. "You cannot sit on this wall in a stupor all day."

I scoffed. "Watch me."

"No! We have fun things to do! You survived your last round of testing, we should be celebrating!"

That peaked my interest enough to get me to sit up straighter. Shuri grinned, and I sighed, giving all the way in with an eye roll. I slid off the retaining wall, landing on the sidewalk next to Shuri and trying to muster as much energy as I could.

"Alright, Your Highness, you're in charge, because I don't have the brainpower left to contribute. Where to first?"

"Just follow me!"

Shuri took off down the sidewalk, smiling and laughing under the sunny Southern California sun, and her energy was infectious. A smile spread across my own face as I followed her, and with every step in the opposite direction of my school, I felt my strength returning.

Shuri led me to the Santa Monica pier, site of a scene from one of our favorite movies, Hannah Montana: The Movie. We wandered up and down the pier, grabbing snacks and taking ridiculous pictures together, then made our way into Pacific Park. We rode the rollercoaster, the Ferris wheel, and did every single other thing that looked remotely interesting until the sun started to set.

"Shuri, you are a literal lifesaver," I said as we strolled towards the end of the pier together. "Seriously, I think I would've just been catatonic for the rest of the day if you hadn't been here to pull me out of my funk."

She laughed. "I am glad I could help! It's been fun to be in California with you."

"Agreed. Couldn't imagine a better start to the summer."

We shared a smile, clinking our bubble teas together as we turned to watch the sun sink slowly into the ocean. Finally, once it got dark to the point that the lights of Pacific Park glowed as bright as the stars behind us, we turned and headed for home.

Shuri was staying with me and my family while she was in town, and as soon as we walked through the door, I felt a wave of exhaustion crash over me. My shoulders slumped, and I let Shuri take the lead as we wandered through the kitchen.

"Okay! So I thought we could make some popcorn and have a movie marathon to finish the night-"

She stopped mid-sentence as she turned around to smile at me and found a zombie smiling back. She huffed a laugh, a small smile coming to her face.

"...Or maybe we could do facemasks and watch something shorter, then go to bed."

"The second one," I said, nodding. "But let's keep the snacks part."

"Deal!"

Shuri and I loaded up on all our favorite foods, then headed upstairs. Thankfully, it was a Friday, so we could stay up late without me having to worry about going to school tomorrow.

We picked out facemasks, then decided on watching Wizards of Waverly Place from my queen sized bed with her laptop. The Wakandan tech got a higher quality image than even our TV downstairs, and we never had to wait for it to buffer.

My phone timer went off a little ways into the episode, telling us it was time to take off the facemasks. We took even more dumb pictures together of our faces in the mask before removing them, rubbing in the remaining serum as we flopped back into bed. We snacked for the rest of the episode, and I made it through without falling asleep. Once it ended, Shuri closed her laptop and shut off the lights as I sank down underneath the covers.

"Goodnight, Y/N!" she said as she climbed in on her side. I sighed and muttered a goodnight back. Then, even though I was quickly losing the battle to stay awake a second longer, I spoke up again, holding true to the sleepover tradition of continuing to talk after saying goodnight and shutting off the lights.

"Shuri?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for today," I said. "Seriously, AP test season sucks, and knowing we'd get to celebrate and have fun on the other side of it is the only reason I didn't just draw a cat on the DBQ page of my AP History test and call it a day."

Shuri laughed. "I won't lie, I would have liked to see your cat drawing. But I'm glad I could help you get through this. I had a lot of fun, too."

"Wakanda's next, alright?" I said. "Now that I'm done with classes, there's nothing stopping me from coming for a visit this summer."

"Deal! There are so many things I want to show you in person. T'Challa will not know peace as long as we're in the palace together."

I laughed, opening my eyes enough to share a smile with my best friend. We did our handshake, and then I rolled over and closed my eyes again, ready to go to sleep for real.

"I'll see you in the morning, Shuri," I sighed. She huffed a laugh.

"I don't expect to see you before one in the afternoon. But I will see you tomorrow."

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @luv-ghostie @songbirdcannabe @infinetlyforgotten

Midnight album cover is her sparking a lighter - getting ready to burn it down…she gave us a heads up for what’s to come.

The breakup was obvious from the album and timing, Joe the Beard did his work and can be let go now as she moves into the next phase.

I see this PR strategy with Matty as the next step in this era. It almost feels to me like when Miley went wild to shatter her association with Hannah Montana.

Is Taylor stepping out with Matty akin to this…a clear message to the fans that she’s not concerned about their opinions as she once was, by “dating” someone as controversial as Matty?? Is Taylor stunting with Matty the equivalent of Miley’s beige clad ass disaster of a twerk??

After all - Midnight is the technical end of the day, or - the end of the era. Al the clock imagery…time’s up on the former TS brand???

I say, this is just the beginning.

I’m somewhat surprised Matty’s involved, but leads me to believe they are scheming something BIG.

They’ve been baiting us. There are parallels in their work for years (Paris and Paris, Happiness and Happiness). Recently, Being Funny in a Foreign Language and Midnight came out SAME month. Both have seventies motifs - I noticed the similarities instantly. And then of course, the 02 performance in London.

What’s going on here?? Secret best friends with vigilante plans?? Or, are they truly in love? I’ve wondered for years if they’ve secretly been together, that the bearding was for them and not actually Karlie.

What are the two genius pop stars up to?

Let’s wait and watch and look for the clues. My Tatty instincts say things are about to get fun.

And my guess - this stunt lasts a few months at best. Taylor is knowingly tarnishing her reputation by letting herself be seen with Matty. Let the public slander her for that, and when there’s a messy breakup around the end of summer…

Maybe she’s setting the stage for an undoing of the brand she’s built in the last 20 years 🤔🤔

Who really knows, probably not even our girl. 🤡

I do hope Tay’s team is looking after Joe rn

Never a dull moment and I’m here for it 🤗❤️

“So, King Ren, huh?”

Ren dropped the squeaky bone he’d been holding contemplatively and yelped as Etho dropped from the rafters, crumpling rather unceremoniously on the floor in front of Ren’s throne.

“Etho! My dude! Two questions: are you okay, and what on earth are you doing chilling in my rafters? You scared the life out of me!” Ren put a hand to his heart, watching Etho stand up.

“It was supposed to be a cool landing!” Etho whined in that way only Etho can. “Pretend like it was. I’m okay. Owwww. Dang it!”

“Very impressive landing.” Ren nodded, smiling. “Now, my slabby dude, what was it you were saying?”

Etho seemed to remember he has been attempting to do something, and he straightened up again. “Yeah, uh, so King Ren, huh?”

“Crowned by our lovely bdouble0 himself.” Ren nodded, straightening the little crown on his head.

Etho looked at the crown and cocked an eyebrow. “Compensating for something, Ren?”

Ren was about to be offended, then did the mental math and grinned. “I mean, my dude, flattery will get you far with the king…”

Etho stared at him for a second- Ren could almost hear the computing sounds in his brain. “Oh nooo wait no that was supposed to be an insult! I-” Etho buried his face in his hands, but Ren had already seen the blush all over his face.

Ren chuckled. “It’s okay Etho my slab, everyone stumbles over their words in the presence of royalty! I mean I don’t know why you were trying to insult me when I am your king, but it’s very fun to watch you try!”

Etho let out the worlds most dramatic sigh. “You know what? I just remembered a meeting I gotta run to, super important, uh, yeah, bye!” Etho waved and went to the big open archway that lead to open air. He turned, looked at Ren for a moment. Despite the pink blush on his face, Ren was taken aback for a moment at the intense, studying look Etho gave him. “Long live the king… i suppose.” Etho whispered, but it still carried uncomfortably to Ren’s ears.

And then Etho jumped from the tower.

“WAIT I DON’T HAVE MY ELYTRA ON!”

<ethoslab fell from a high place>

Ren howled with laughter. It was so good to have Etho back.

——

“And then I said this badass line and fell from the castle but I was actually falling because I forgot to put my wings on!” Etho wailed, flopping dramatically over a beanbag chair in the corner of the room.

“That sucks.” Doc muttered, attempting to straighten a single wire in his mechanical arm. “Did you like forget how to be dark and mysterious in your absence?”

“I’m like the court jester roommate at this point!” Etho sighed. “I can’t believe it. I had this whole thing where I was gonna be like ‘oh Ren you really think you can be king’ and stuff because like it’s fun to psychologically torture Ren, but noooo I cringe-failed my way into a comical death!”

“It’s okay. I have a quote for days like this.” Doc said, pointing with his pliers at a glossy poster in the corner of his work station. “Everybody makes mistakes. The great philosopher Hannah Montana said that, and I think it’s words to live by.”

“You’re right. Hannah’s right.” Etho sighed, looking at the smiling girl with a guitar and funky outfit on the poster. “Oh but it’s still so embarrassing. Can we like start a revolution or something?”

Childhood TV shows? (cartoons, disney/nick sitcoms, etc.)

THAT WILL LIKE GIANT POST BECAUSE I WATCHED THOUSENDS OF CARTOONS, SITCOMS AND MUCH MORE XDDD

Long story short, I didn't have any friends in my childhood and usually I was bullied physically and mentally at elementary school so yeee- That is why I spend 50% of the time in my home looking non stop at the TV screen and watching whatever i found (rest of the time i was playing with my littlest pet shops and monster high dolls making cults, apocalypse, and cities. I LOVED making city for my pet shops and rule them all >:D)

So I will tell about the most important ones for me, because this post would never end if I start talking about EVERYTHING (and won't talk about movies, because it's about what children channels was showing.)

In my kindergarten era my favorite cartoons was mainly on one channel BBC for kids. It was my gold, everything i needed after long day in kindergarten where children were beating shit out of me. And lately I rewatched Numberjacks, Charlie and Lola (funfact my 20y/o dog is named after her older bro XDD), Big coock and Little cook, Teletubbies, The Koala Brothers, etc. (i watched everything what was showned at that time on BBC) This shithead from Numberjack still makes me scared.

He is a demon from my past.

But my parents because they doesn't gave a shit what i was watching my top 1 kindergarden cartoon was original Ben 10 and Lady Gaga music videos (And I'm not even fucking kidding, my family has videos that i could sit for an hours and just watch poker face over and over again.)

And i also rewatched it lately and found out that most of the talking roles are shared between Ratchet and Optimus polish VAs (Jarosław Boberek and Dariusz Odija)

Later we got more channels on our old TV so I started watching channels like Nick, Disney channel and Disney XD (we had cartoon network, etc. before so yeah). And for that time Hannah Montana was perfect for me i truly love it. I loved this show. The same with ICarly (fuck Dan Schneider, fuck paramount and nick that was hiding him and other p3does for years, they are acting like disney but worse) BUT there were also sitcoms for boys, and if you know me I LOVE MEDIA FOR TEEN BOYS. After Hannah Montana stopped showing up, I really felt in love in I’m in the Band, Zeke and Luther, Kickin’ It, ESPACIALLY Crash & Bernstein, because it was mupped show but cooler for me at the time XD

More ppl should know about it XD

And after it my golden era begin, because we got even more channels and I could watch for first time show that will change my life forever, thanks to this show I'm with you guys rn and start to draw:

My first ever episode of lego ninjago was the episode where 1ep of 3 season, and it got me so hard XDD and at the time I cried me when I was 10 I cried like little baby when Zane died and was this show-don't-tell ending with Pixal. It was everything I needed... and it made me nerd also XDDD At the time i start to watching Teletoon+ like crazy!!! I watched MLP there and LPS too! And I'm so pissed of on myself, because TFP was shown there to but I didin't want to watched, because since i was youngling I hated Bayverse and was scared of their faces, so fuck you Micheal Bay, I almost missed the best TF show ever because of you :))

But also worth to talk about is The Amazing world of Gumball, oh boy I love it the same as Lego Ninjago and Nexo Knights!!! It was spiderman universum for me, when i was young, I watched since it premiered to the very end and even as a young teen I appreciated the animation and creativity that Gumball was showing us. Since today I think that animation and ideas are just pure genius and I can not even tell one thing bad about it like about Total Drama (1-3 season lives rent free in my head still, that is why I'm danganronpa fan) XDD

And now we are getting to second most necessary canon even in my life. The March 16th of 2015 first episode of polish Transformers robots in disguise was showed and it was fun for me! Fun enough that I recommended it to my friend that I created this au with, and she told me that it was cool too! And then years has passed and in 2022 she rewatched because she was bored and discovered Transformers Prime, she was so amazed of it that she begged me for MOUNTH to watch it! And guess how she convinced me to watch it??? XD she showed me that one ep that Starscream was running with KO, because zombie Silas was hunting them XDD (I'm spoiler proof, so I wasn't angry that she showed me ep from 3 season). AAAAnd that is how it started and that is why I'm with you rn and drawing transformers stuff for more than 2 years

So Rid15 literally get me into this awesome fandom!!!

And then I started using internet to the state, that I stopped watching TV at all so yeah... (i mean i was using internet since 2010 when I was 6, and using school computer to play dress up games, but yk what i mean) AND ofc there was much much much more cartoons and shows i watched BUT like I told you there is too much of it XDD

As a funfact my sister forced me to watch naruto and sailor moon in very young age, so I never watched fully and to the age of 13, because of her I HATED anime XDDD

Hello! I’m here to tell you that my brother and Brian the cat are officially back home! I have to tell you some stuff tho! I was asked (nicely) to send you a message and i almost died when i got texts from my dad yesterday, so i knew i had to let you know. Anyway just a little thing for you to read because i thought you should see it as well.

I got a text from my dad that my brother befriended the old lady that sat next to him on the plane and they discussed Desperate Housewives because he is still watching it (he isnt at Gales season yet) and the lady really liked it back when it aired. He originally mentioned Gale and was about to tell her about qaf and my dad smacked him on the head and went ‘don’t even think about it. I’m not (my name)’ (he mentioned Gale and went ‘he was on this show Queer as OW’ according to my dad. You can take a guess when my dad smacked him) So he definitely has different ways of dealing with him than I do..I wouldve let it happen and then watch in amusement for 5 hours while he has an old lady trapped with him on a plane while he talks about two dudes in love.

ALSO! They had a surprise party planned for him. And i got a video sent to me of my brother’s girls (aka the queens) and his best friends that came to wait for him at the airport. They even made him a sign (the sign said ‘welcome back Mr Wannabe Kinney’) and he was so happy. And then they all surprised him at that bar they all go to! Turns out my mom, grandma, grandpa and the queens planned a surprise welcome home party. They decorated it all with signs that based on some photos had qaf topics written on them and balloons and when he sent me a photo this morning of all of them in a group, i swear it’s the cutest shit ever. I wish you could’ve seen it but just imagine a shit ton of people where 98% are queer, a few drag queens and then in the middle a dude with a Britin shirt on that looks like he doesn’t even belong there. It’s adorable how happy they all are to have him back and I can’t wait to find out how long that lasted until he unloaded all of his qaf/gale/randy/britin knowledge on them.

And secondly, I’m a little late with this but he did text me before he boarded the plane, asking me to relay a message to you: ‘yooo tell them that I just read that last chapter while we were waiting on our flight. What a fucking ending. I actually loved it, felt good, felt nice, felt like the right time. Wish that the real show ended in a similar way. For real (my name), you’re gonna love it when you read it.’

After that I texted him your replies to my message and he immediately texted me back ‘DRAG QUEEN STORY IS NEXT?! FUCK YEAH! I CANT FUCKING WAIT!’ And then in the middle of the night (so for him around 3 am) a very lovely text followed up: ‘can you nicely ask them to tell their Hannah Montana friend that I fucking love the new story. I have so many guesses and theories how it’s gonna go and I can’t wait to be wrong cause I know it’s gonna be better. And this shit is based on how the other person’s friends met?! I have so many questions, I feel like they’re right up my ally.’ After that he spammed my phone to ask me if I’ve read both of the fics yet (i have and they’re absolutely brilliant. You guys are talented as fuck)

Today he actually called me to talk to me about your epilogue and about your friends fic. This is really how we will bond from now on, isn’t it? I did send him your little teaser of the drag queen fic and he completely lost his shit. He’s so excited and if you were nervous about writing this fic, just so you know, you got a random straight dude in your corner because he is so excited for it, it’s kinda ridiculous (not really, its actually really sweet)

Btw, about the podcast Ron and Dan were on, I’ve also never listened to their podcasts even though I knew about it. But curiosity did get the best of me so I went and checked it out. It was a pretty decent interview. I don’t think it made me hate them more or less, kinda just the same. They didn’t say anything that I would clock as bad. I did see that they might do a part 2 where they’ll answer fan’s questions so i guess we’ll see then how i feel about them.

Dear sweet anon! Thank you so much for sending this update.

Queer as OW I'm dying! I would have let him trap that lady too. Maybe gotten another viewer of the show!

Welcome Back Mr. Wannabe Kinney! Oh I love that. I'm going to guess that since they're his friends, they're used to him info-dumping on them and they signed up for this. Otherwise, they wouldn't have encouraged it with their care packages. They know who he is.

I'm so glad he (and you!) enjoyed the final chapter of Fireflies. It was a short chapter given how long it took me to write it. I'm just terrible at ending fics.

This is my friend's story (as I texted it to the fic author):

"We were at a sex party and after fucking, I asked for his number and he actually gave me his real number instead of what he usually did which was give out the number of the last guy who had 'exchanged' numbers with him."

I'm excited that he's excited for the drag queen AU. It's going to be a long time coming though. I mapped it out yesterday and it's going to be about 20 chapters because I want a chapter devoted to each of the drag race all-stars challenges. And I'm going to include actual queens from the show. I want to have a good amount written before I start posting to make sure I'm up to the challenge. It's hard to capture everyone's voices and balance that many moving parts. My fics tend to focus on relationships and mental health, I don't write super plotty fics so this is new for me. I'm really excited for it though.

I'm going to check out the podcast! After I finish listening to my library book. WHILE WE WAIT FOR ANOTHER RANDY PODCAST EPISODE.

Recently I have been yearning to return to my childhood in the 2000s. Perhaps it is because I was not yet aware of capitalism, or maybe it is simply because I miss being a child. I have been wanting my light pink radio with lavender colored flowers, which could play both CDs and cassettes. I would play Hannah Montana in the afternoon and Magic Tree House audiobooks in the evening. When leaving my room, my parents and I would go through our DVDs and pick out a movie to watch. It almost always took forever in my mind, but the exasperation is something I miss now that I'm supposed to be grown. 15 years ago I didn't know that as an adult I'd miss those nights with my family. Back then I didn't know that I'd now have practically every movie, book, album and piece of art in my pocket and that it would be hell. I miss my pink radio.

ok i have listened to sntv one and a half times! initial thoughts!

overall i think the instrumentation is better (more interesting, more emotive, fuller) on almost every song

she does sound less emotional on this version overall, but i think she does do some new fun inflections i will grow to love.

song by song analysis under the read more so as to not make this a "do you love the color of the sky" level post

"mine": this felt like a woman reflecting on her past love rather than feeling intense young love in the moment, and i like that

"sparks fly": this one felt a little less intense on first listen, but i founds things i liked better about it on second listen. more data needed.

"back to december": betterrrrrr!!!!!! the music is better, mostly, and her voice is better on it.

"speak now": i think it's a little less fun on the parts i liked before, but it's fun in other places so i think it'll be ok.

"dear john": SHE WENT HARDER ON THE JOHN MAYER GUITAR AND I LOVE THAT otherwise i'm still pretty meh for this song. it's a masterpiece, but it is long and sad and i don't have the patience for it most of the time.

"mean": god i love that banjoooooo

"the story of us": i wasn't a big fan of this song before before, mostly because i think it sounds like a hannah montana song (which i do not mean in a good way sorryyy) but also because i think the spoken bits on the original version are cheesy. somehow these new spoken bits are better for me, more camp. and it still sounds kinda like a hannah montana song, but a little less so. so overall... i think i'm gonna like this version better.

"never grow up": DEVASTATING. perfect.

"enchanted": i didn't much like this song to start with, and this version does not make me like it any better. i know a lot of people hold this song in high regard so i'll leave it there.

"better than revenge": i think the lyric change was a dumb decision that is going to cause people to listen to the original version but i have decided i don't think it's going to break the song for me. i think she put a lot of effort into making the rest of the song go harder and just be better, and i think it evens out.

"innocent": i thought i might like this version better, but i don't. i still don't like it much.

"last kiss": i'm glad she didn't try to recreate the shaky breaths. i think she sounds absolutely wrecked on the new version and it still hurts as much as i needed it to. i am pleased.

"long live": [no initial thoughts, my friends and i were distracted]

"ours": i'm glad she dropped the fake accent. i love the original, but i felt that there was something fake sweet in the way she sung that version, which i attributed to this song being about john mayer and her being a bit bitter about her own lyrics. i think she sounds nicer here.

"superman": i think i might dislike it a little less? still not a fan, and i have a lot of questions about how taylor swift feels about this song.

"electric touch": i am very disappointed. i think it's a bad use of your patrick stump and i don't think he sounds particularly good on it. i had high hopes for the lyrics because taylor swift and pete wentz are both very strong lyricists but the lyrics did not strike me as being particularly good taylor swift lyrics nor particularly good fall out boy lyrics. i also think think that it does not do the title electric touch justice. i hope i can come around on this opinion with future listens.

"when emma falls in love": based on the title, i did not expect to like this song. and i didn't. thought it was cheesy. i did have the thought that different music might help it for me, but alas, this is a taylor's version to start with so that won't happen.

"i can see you": I CAN SEE YOU KICKS ASS. IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT I WANTED ELECTRIC TOUCH TO SOUND LIKE. in fact i think patrick stump would have sounded great on this. i wish patrick stump was singing on this one instead.

"castles crumbling": i think it's about the kanye west thing. i need to give this song a better listen. i have mixed feelings about taylor swift songs that deal with her own celebrity, and this is one of those sooooo. i don't know. just didn't connect with it. hayley williams sounds good on it though.

"foolish one": oof. Taylor Swift wrote this to personally hurt me. she stalked me and wrote a song telling me all the things i don't want to hear. thanks. fucking ouch. (it's probably my second-favorite vault track.)

"timeless": no strong memories. when i was listening to it with a friend, i said that it felt like a better "starlight" to me.

beech grove

When Rosemary gets her first iTunes gift card in the fall of ‘06, Sadie sits with her at the computer. She has fifteen dollars for fifteen songs, and Sadie wants to see what she’ll do. She’s eleven, twelve in February, and she’s just beginning to develop a taste in music. Sadie’s happy for her. Excited. There’s something special about the first music you choose on your own. More special than buying your first movie ticket or reading your first book outside of school. Music’s different. She’s always known that.

Right now, Rose’s taste in music seems almost entirely dictated by what she’s heard on television. The radio just doesn’t work the same way for kids today as it did for kids then (And has Sadie ever really stopped being a kid?). When the family goes on long road trips, Sadie mandates at least one hour of radio surfing (“And you must pay attention,” she always says, and the kids abide. They know why they’re doing it.). Sometimes, they catch a few gems across the airwaves. Rose just seems to prefer the cable. Sadie knows she should be glad her daughter listens to any music at all (so many of her friends’ parents drive in wretched silence, like they prefer the sound of tires rolling across the road and hockey sticks knocking into each other in their trunks). Still, when Rosemary hits the purchase button on Hannah Montana’s “Best of Both Worlds,” Sadie can’t help but cringe a little inside.

Come on, now, she hears from a voice inside herself (that does not belong to herself, except for all the ways that it does). You remember. Pop stars are always TV stars. You used to love The Monkees. Mutual symbiosis, baby!

Sadie laughs to herself. Thankfully, Rosemary doesn’t notice.

“Are you sure you want to spend that money on Hannah Montana, babe?” she asks. “I mean … a dollar’s not cheap.”

“I like Hannah Montana, Mom,” Rosemary insists. “Ooh, I have to get ‘Suddenly I See.’”

“What’s that?”

“The song they played when the girls got voted off on So You Think You Can Dance.”

Sadie sighs. At least that’s a real song.

A real song? the voice returns to ask. Oh, Sadie Lou, I thought you were better than that. All songs are real songs. Next you’re gonna say that the only real music is Mozart.

Sadie chuckles again, a little louder this time. Rosemary still doesn’t notice. She’s just playing around on the computer, buying up TV soundtracks.

“Oh, and I wanna get ‘Boston,’” she says.

“You want to buy an entire city?” Sadie asks. “I didn’t know iTunes could do that.”

“Very funny, Mom. No, it’s a song by Augustana.”

“You say that like anyone knows who Augustana is.”

“It’s just a song. It’s good. They played it on the season finale of One Tree Hill this past year. When Brooke and Lucas dance at the wedding.”

“They played Led Zeppelin in that episode – the first time I think I’ve ever heard Led Zeppelin on a TV show, by the way – and you want some other song?”

“It’s a good song, Mom. Hear, listen to the clip.”

Rosemary types in the name and hits the little play button. Sadie sits back and tries to hear what an eleven-year-old might hear.

She said I think I’ll go to Boston / I think I’ll start a new life / I think I’ll start it over / Where no one knows my name …

Sadie sighs again. Only this time, she’s not disappointed. She also doesn’t hear what an eleven-year-old might hear. She hears what she would have heard when she was about fifteen.

“Mom?” Rosemary asks. “Are you OK?”

“What?” Sadie asks. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m great. This just … this reminds me of how I felt about Beech Grove.”

“What’s Beech Grove?”

“Not what we thought it was going to be. So, when Lucy and I were a little older than you … all our lives, really, but especially around freshman year … we wanted to run away in the wintertime. We’d always lived in cold places, but we could just never get used to it. And I was looking for places with sunshine or warmth or just the word beach in them … and I found Beech Grove. I thought it sounded marvelous.”

“So, what was wrong with it?”

“It turned out to be a small town in Indiana. Hot summers, cold winters. Same as the place we dreamt we’d be escaping.”

Rosemary laughs. Goodness, her laugh. Sadie wonders if she knows who she sounds like … who she looks like when she smiles.

“I think it was about more than the weather, though,” Sadie says. “Lucy and I … we felt like we were different. Like St. Catherine’s wasn’t the right place for us. For any of us, really. That’s why Daddy and I didn’t send you and your brothers there. I think we wanted to go some place that felt magical … because we felt magical.”

Rosemary grins, and her eyes are just like glitter. Beautiful.

“So, do you like the song?” she asks.

Sadie laughs for real this time. Rosemary notices. She laughs, too.

“Yeah,” Sadie says. “Yeah, I like the song.”

Good choice.

(part of @nosebleedclub november challenge -- day xxi!)

My downfall is how I try to keep memories alive. I get scared I’ll forget them forever so I replay random memories from years and years ago to keep it alive in my brain so they don’t go down the abyss —the memory dump— like bing bong from inside out. Like a random Cartoon Network commercial of the scooby doo fruit snacks (or was it a cereal commercial?) from a pre recorded episode of justice league unlimited. Or me being on my sister’s computer in her room (during her teen years/my childhood) whether it was playing the Sims, Disney Magic Artist Studio game, being on iTunes or YouTube, right under her top bunk bed that you had to climb the ladder to get onto and we would sleep together in her bed sometimes bc we were besties. And the metal from the bed would constantly shake as if it would break on you any minute even if you moved an inch. Or when she gave me my first bratz doll that was hers, Cameron, and it started my little journey playing with bratz. Or when I had my hot pink razr flip phone 💁‍♀️ and would watch music on demand and put the phone close to the tv speaker to record the chorus of J Holidays Bed as my ringtone (I was not even double digits bro😭). Or being in this after school program in middle school for that one year and it being some of the best times of my life. Or that one time we got to text Disney channel which Hannah Montana episode we wanted to air before the others (it was out of 3 episodes… or 2? Idk if anyone knows what I’m talking about). Or my three way phone calls (after 8? Or 9pm? So it wouldn’t take from my minutes) I had with my two friends from that middle school at the time late at night and the one always having to hang up and being unreachable by phone half the time lol. Or listening to Alicia keys try sleeping with a broken heart on my sisters old iPod mini she gave me and had her songs still on it, and I sat on the floor heartbroken (like I knew what love was) for my 6th grade crush that had no idea I was obsessed with her😭 but all my friends did bc I’d alwaysss talk about how cute she was. Or my little big planet days being friends with people from the UK and building and playing levels. Or the first time I got my period and I was playing that game and texting that same crush at the time (I think I told her about it). It was summer, and my family and I were going somewhere In New York later that day, and my parents were in a weird period in their divorce where they were still together. Or going to see my cousins in the Bronx when I was younger almost every weekend at one point, with my one guy cousin who’s a year older and I thought he was the coolest person ever and I wanted to be him. Or being on vacation with my fam every year to Orlando til I was 11, and being in the car on the highway to Seaworld (we’d go to universal mostly tho) and Dolphin and Gold by Prince playing and it just feeling magical. We always listened to Prince. Or a random memory after an away softball game? Basketball game? From sophomore year of hs and thinking to myself, staring out the bus window on the ride back to our school, about why I think so deeply and feeling so alone in that and in my thoughts.

I like to keep random memories alive. I actively search for them to keep them in my consciousness and retrieve them like archives. I’m scared of forgetting. I’ve always been like that. Yearning for the past ever since I reached my teens. Escaping my reality. My dads like that too 🤣 But then it’s like… you miss what’s right in front of you right now that is gonna be something you’re nostalgic for in a couple years from now. It’s definitely my biggest setback. I just feel so connected to my past and my roots. My family, old tv shows, old connections, old video games. It’s what keeps me here today. But my life path is about letting go. I hold on with a death grip lol. What does it feel like to live in the present?

Bullfrog Joy

February 8, 2024

Good Morning! Early spring or the calm before the next winter storm? Pretty nice weather, and my daffodils and tulips are up and have buds on them. I suppose I will have to cover them up if it really turns cold again. Spring flowers – joy!

Did you watch the Grammy Awards last Sunday? For some reason I did. Well, maybe it’s because there was nothing else on, and they promised a Billy Joel appearance. However the one I enjoyed most was Fantasia (whom I have never heard of –sorry!) singing “Proud Mary” in a tribute to Tina Turner. That’s one of the first guitar songs I ever learned.

My second favorite was “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell. I just looked up her story. So heartbreaking and so powerful. When she was little she had polio and had to learn to walk all over again. When she was 20 she got pregnant and felt she had to give the baby up for adoption. She wrote the song shortly after that. She really had seen both sides of life and love. Then in 2015 she had a brain aneurysm and had to learn to walk and talk all over for the second time. Her performance at the Grammy’s was amazing.

As for the rest of the evening …. I hadn’t heard of many of the nominees, Taylor Swift of course breaking a record for best album Grammys and Miley Cyrus. Man, has she changed since she was Hannah Montana! I don’t know if I would call watching this show joyful, but it was interesting. (I have to admit I read a book through a lot of it.)

What about you? What was your favorite part of the Grammy’s? Are you a Swifty? Lots of people were pretty excited when she announced her new album. WOW, like 1000’s of likes in the first few minutes, surpassing 12 million likes within hours. I’m a little behind!

What I am excited about is the Super Bowl on Sunday. I love the Chiefs and my Mahommes and Travis Kelce. Isiah Pacheco is another player I like. I read his story. When he was in high school his brother was shot. A year later his sister was murdered. He was very angry, and he played football to help him get through life. He brings some “angry running” and a story of overcoming to the field.

In case you are not a football fan, turn your thoughts to your friends. Who have you been friends with the longest? One of my friends is two weeks older than I am. We were in the church nursery together, and we are still friends. That is almost 73 years of joy, my friends!!!

Two of my friends and I were moms of young children at the same time. We did a lot of things together, a lot of supporting one another, a lot of babysitting for one another. Funny story, two of us went grocery shopping with our daughters. We bought lots of bulk food at a store where we had to mark our own prices on things so the checkout girl would know how much things cost. No scanning available. When we got everything in the car, we turned around and looked at our two girls and the packed car. There was no place for them to ride. We had to start all over. We did make space, but barely. Still brings a smile to my face.

Then there are the new friends. It is amazing to find a new friend whose life parallels your own. We talk about our families and our lives and football and we have had so many of the same experiences. Now we can talk about our grandkids, and we laugh and say, “Yep, I understand!” (and she likes McDonalds. We had to eat in the car because the lobby was closed!)

Oh my friends, it is so important to find joy in the things you like and the people you know. I hope you get to watch the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, or at least find some funny or poignant commercials that make you smile, and next week new NCIS shows are coming! Joy to you this week. Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea. Joy to you and me.

Hair Theory: Unlocking Your Inner Persona | HereSpa

Hair Theory has gained considerable attention, providing a fascinating lens through which to explore self-expression and personal transformation. Hairstyles are more than just a way to look good; they can profoundly impact how we feel about ourselves and how the world perceives us. Just as you would select different outfits for different occasions, the way you style your hair can unlock various personas and emotions.

This shows the connection between your hair and your identity. It's not just about following the latest trends; it's about understanding how your hair can be a tool for personal expression. Let's explore some key aspects of Hair Theory and how it can empower you to embrace different personas:

The Power of Change: Your hair can be a dynamic medium for transformation. A sleek and polished updo might convey professionalism and confidence, while flowing, natural waves can radiate a relaxed and carefree vibe. Changing your hairstyle can be a simple yet potent way to adapt to different situations and moods.

Self-Perception: How you style your hair can significantly influence how you feel about yourself. For instance, a bold and vibrant hair color may boost your self-confidence, while a more conservative style might make you feel reserved. Your hair can serve as a mirror to your inner emotions and self-esteem.

First Impressions: People often form snap judgments based on appearances, including your hairstyle. A chic, structured bob might convey professionalism, while funky, colorful hair can evoke a sense of creativity. Harnessing Hair Theory allows you to take control of these first impressions and use your hair as a tool to convey your intended image.

The Power of Hair

Hair isn't just a collection of strands on your head; it's a canvas for self-expression. Whether you're consciously crafting a look or simply going with the flow, your choice of hairstyle can influence how you feel about yourself and how others see you. It's almost like having a real-life Hannah Montana moment, where different hairstyles can unlock various personas within you, and HereSpa can help you with that!

Unlocking Your Inner Persona

The Empowered Executive : A sleek, professional updo exudes confidence and authority. It's the hairstyle you choose when you want to take charge and make a lasting impression at work or a formal event.

The Free Spirit : Loose, beachy waves or a carefree messy bun send a message of laid-back, spontaneous, and adventurous spirit. This hairstyle embodies the essence of the free-spirited wanderer.

The Playful Rebel : Bold and vibrant hair colors, unconventional cuts, or quirky hairstyles can instantly convey a sense of rebellion and a love for pushing boundaries.

The Timeless Elegance : Classic hairstyles like the chignon, elegant curls, or a simple, well-maintained bob signify timeless grace and sophistication. These are the styles for moments when you want to radiate pure elegance.

The Confident Innovator : Experiment with unique, artistic styles that defy convention. They reflect a sense of self-confidence and a willingness to stand out from the crowd.

By understanding how your hair can reflect your different personas, you can unlock a world of creativity and authenticity. At HereSpa, we appreciate the power of Hair Theory and are committed to helping you bring your inner personas to life. Whether you're looking to embrace your professional side, unleash your inner rebel, or embody any other facet of your personality, we're here to make it happen, one hairstyle at a time. 

Your hair is your canvas, and with Hair Theory, the possibilities are limitless. Visit our website at www.herespa.com to book your appointment, or reach out via call or text at +1-234-437-3772, where we can help you uncover the potential that lies within your locks. Dont's just style your hair, express your personality. At HereSpa, we bring your hair stories to life. Your hair deserve a narrative as unique as you are!