#Best online business 2016

[batshit-auspol]

So a bit of background first for our international followers: Clive Palmer is one of Australia's many mining billionaires who like to meddle in our country's politics, and as such he is utterly despised by all of Australia.

Picture for context:

He is most commonly known online by the title "Fatty McFuckhead", (problematic as it may be) because he tried to sue a youtuber for $500,000 for calling him that - and he lost. So the name stuck.

Up until his most recent foray into parliament, the legally certified Fuckhead was best known for his batshit business ventures, such as attempting to build "The Titanic 2" (failed) and trying to build a dinosaur theme park (also failed, but at least nobody got eaten by a T-Rex in this one).

For a very long time Clive played the role of sugar daddy to Australia's largest conservative party, the ironically named Liberal Party, until they had a falling out in 2012 after Clive claimed there was too much money influencing politics (lol), at which point he started his own party, days after saying he totally quit and wasn't fired and he only left because he didn't want to be a distraction.

His initial run at parliament was actually kinda successful, with Palmer's group winning 4 seats, plus a member from the "Motoring Enthusiasts Party" joined them too after accidentally getting elected and not knowing what the fuck to do.

Despite this initial success however, Palmer's party (which ran on basically no platform other than "I'm rich") hit an iceberg (titanic 2 achieved) and seven elected state and federal politicians quit within the first year.

By the time the next federal election rolled around, only one Palmer party candidate was still running for re-election. The most successful of this group - Jaquie Lambie - quit to sit as an independant and is still in parliament today.

Here she is with a painting of herself strangling Clive (she sells signed copies of this)

And here the senator is posting about liking sausage:

Anyway, we're getting to the point: which is the yellow posters. By the 2016 election, just two years after forming, the party was in complete freefall. It won just 0.01% of the vote at their second election, and it was announced shortly after that Clive was quitting politics and the party was being shut down. Australia breathed a sigh of relief.

It was, of course, short lived.

Clive, in desperate need of attention, restarted the party for the 2019 election, fielding candidates in every seat and spending $60 million in advertising in an attempt to win votes.

Every single candidate lost.

It was in this campaign however that Australia really started to fall out of love with Palmer, because most of that $60 million went towards putting up the world's least compelling marketing billboards on almost every single free space in the country.

For a good six months this was basically the only thing you would see in Australia if you went outside:

Clearly Graphic design is his passion. And yes, the genius did just straight up try and copy Trump's homework while changing a few words, hoping nobody would notice.

Very quickly these all got vandalised and it seemed the ad companies didn't care enough to replace them.

We could go on posting examples, there are thousands, but the best is definitely the one Ikea put up shortly after Clive lost the election:

In 2022, Clive's party contested the election AGAIN, this time also opting to send millions on spam text messages to every person in Australia begging for people to vote for him, as well as buying almost every youtube ad for a year, at the cost of $100 million.

He won a whopping one seat.

During this election Clive ran on an anti-lockdown, anti-vax platform with the slogan "freedom, freedom, freedom". That message, however, was slightly undermined when his goons, dressed in 'Freedom!' shirts, made national news for trying to beat up a protester who turned up at a rally dressed as an annoying text message, shouting "pay your workers" at Clive.

As if that wasn't bad enough, at another rally Clive knocked himself unconscious while trying to jump up on stage, and then a few weeks later was rushed to hospital with covid, while his anti-vax ads were still in regular rotation on TV, at which point it was also leaked to the press that Palmer had been alledgedly trying to buy Hitler's car.

Utterly humiliated, the party deregistered again shortly after the election.

Can't wait until he runs again in 2025.

Anyway, on the other "Clive tweeting Miss Kobayashi's Dragon" thing, we have no idea what that means but here's a screencap:

[itsnevercasual]

RISK PART III

pairing: mafia!harry styles x singer!reader

summary: Harry is in town for some.. less than legal business, and you're a local singer trying to get your foot in the door, and also planning your wedding. And maybe Harry is a little too interested in you.

warnings: mentions of death & blood, mentions of abuse, cursing, that should be it!!

-

Almost immediately, his browser was flooded.

Y/N L/N and Mason L/N: The Internets Favorite Siblings

Y/N L/N - Youtube

Mason L/N - Youtube

Mason & Y/N - Youtube

#prayfory/n on Twitter

Y/N and Mason L/N’s Incredible Work with Band ‘The Diamonds’

Well, you two certainly had an online presence. He sighed and clicked on the first article.

Mason L/N (20) and little sister, Y/N L/N (15) have quickly become the internet’s favorite dynamic sibling duo! The duo rose to fame in 2012 when Mason began vlogging their adventures living alone in Miami.

After a near-death incident with her mother read article here, Y/N was put into her brother’s care. The two grew up in Wimberley, Texas, on a farm. Mason’s earliest videos on YouTube were in 2010, when he posted videos of 11-year-old Y/N singing onstage somewhere.

Since moving to Miami, Florida in 2012, at age 13 and 18, they formed a band called The Diamonds and started a successful YouTube career. Most of the videos, now posted on a shared account entitled Mason & Y/N, they show their day-to-day lives, backstage previews, clips of the songwriting process, and more.

Mason is the producer of his sister’s band— in which she is both the songwriter and lead singer. The band, though not as successful as their YouTube, has a decent following on both Instagram and YouTube.

Also featured on their accounts is Y/N’s childhood best friend— Jodie. There is nothing of Jodie online, so we aren’t sure of her last name. We only know the story of how Jodie moved right before Y/N’s near-death experience, and the siblings moved to Miami to see her again.

We look forward to seeing more of the iconic duo! Best of luck, L/N siblings!

Well, that gave him next to nothing.

Read More:

Smalltown Tragedy: Violet L/N attempts to murder daughter, Y/N L/N.

Jesus fucking Christ, Niall wasn’t joking about shitty.

He skimmed through the article.

Coming home from school—

Walked through the door—

Stabbed—

Authorities were quickly contacted by brother—

Violet pleads innocent in court case—

Y/N and Mason attest to their mother’s innocence—

Guilty verdict—

Sentenced to life in prison without bail or parole—

Added charges of child abuse after bruises found on both children—

Siblings go on news after the verdict was given—

Claim it was their father—

Well. He was starting to regret looking you up.

He sighed, running a hand over his face. After how nice you were tonight, he felt incredibly bad knowing this is what the result of invading your privacy was.

Yet, he didn’t shut the laptop.

He clicked back to the original search tab.

Mason & Y/N - Youtube

He pulled up the page, and his eyes widened.

925.4K Thousand Subscribers. 493 Videos.

Holy shit.

He scrolled to the last updated video—

BACKSTAGE AT THE DIAMONDS: LIVE AT DAYTONA BEACH BANDSHELL. June 1, 2016.

He didn’t want to watch it. He didn’t want to intrude anymore than he already had. That’d be wrong.

But Harry also never claimed to be a good person.

As he tapped on the video, your brother’s face filled the screen. Or.. he assumed, it was your brother. He looked similar to the articles of the two of you, only older.

“Hello, lovely people! We’re back! We are currently backstage at the biggest show yet of the best band ever—“

“Oh, my God, you’re so stupid,” a voice laughed. It was slightly familiar.

The camera turned, and he realized why. It was you.

“Y/N tries to be rude, but we all know I’m her favorite here.”

“Uh, no, bitch. I’m her favorite. Back off.”

Jodie.

“Dude, you have a boyfriend. You back off!”

“Yeah, but Ni’s not here yet, so… I win.”

“How does that even— okay. Anyway, my lovely sister is currently shoving food down her face—“

“Mason! Shut up, oh, my God! I’m literally curling my hair, you ass!”

“Hey, language!”

“Oh, boo-hoo. You taught me how to cuss when I was, like… seven.”

“.. Yeah, I did do that. Alright. Whatever. We’re gonna give the camera to Y/N so she can give y’all a sneak peak at the set list!”

The camera was now sitting in front of you. Younger you.

“Hello! It’s the better sibling—“

“Hey!”

You grinned at him, “And this is the setlist for tonight, which is super-duper top secret. So… shh! Okay! We’re opening with my personal favorite, Girl I’ve Always Been! And then we’re gonna transition that… somehow… into Vicious. And then.. I Should Hate You, little break to introduce the other Diamonds, Should’ve Said No, Picture to Burn, All-American Bitch, Stranger, another little.. break thingy.. Florida, Happier Than Ever, and then we close with.. Better than Revenge! But we have an encore, so we come back for one song, which is Nothing You Can Take!”

He skipped ahead in the video.

“Jodie, where are we?”

“Backstage!”

“Ni, what are we about to do?”

“You’re about to kill it onstage!”

He skipped a bit.

It was a circle of you and a bunch of girls, and one of two guys, that he recognized. The same people who’d played with you tonight.

“We worked our asses of for this, and we’re gonna make it count, right?”

“Fuck yeah!”

“Okay, Diamonds on three. On.. two.. three.. Diamonds!”

Skip.

“Y/N, how you feelin’?”

Harry could hear the crowd and music in the background, and he assumed that you were about to run onstage.

“I’m gonna puke!” You laughed.

“Ew. Don’t.”

“Gee, thanks. Real supportive.”

“I’m being honest—“

“Y/N, you got ten seconds.”

You screamed.

He skimmed the rest of the video. Some of it was clips of the show, some of it was after.

Well, that didn’t do anything except make him feel shitty. One, because he knew he shouldn’t be watching, and two… because you and your brother seemed close, and he, obviously, was dead.

He went back and clicked on the Twitter link.

#prayfory/n on Twitter.

Daytona News: Internet Star Mason L/N Fatally Shot in Robbery.

thediamondsupdates: OMG. GUYS IM ACTUALLY SOBBING WTF I FEEL SO BAD FOR Y/N. SHE WAS THERE😭😭 #prayfory/n

Bingo.

He clicked on the article.

Late last night, after The Diamond’s Only Night Only on Main Street, the internet star siblings Y/N and Mason went to a gas station for celebratory snacks. Unfortunately, while they were checking out, the gas station got robbed.

Y/N told Daytona Police that the robber had aimed for her when he shot, but her brother shoved her at the last second. Both Mason L/N and the store clerk, who is yet to be identified, died. Y/N came out with only a few scratches. Witnesses say she tried to keep her brother alive while waiting for police.

The siblings were swarmed by paparazzi as they got hauled into the ambulance, where Mason unfortunately died on the way.

Harry clicked back to the hashtag.

user001: omfg guys someone got a video of the store after the robbery where mason l/n died. ONE VIDEO LINKED.

He clicked play, knowing he’d regret it.

“Oh, my fucking God,” the person recording spoke.

You and Mason were covered in blood. You were in hysterics, holding your brother on your lap.

“Mason! Mason!” you were shouting. “Someone call an ambulance! Oh, my God! There’s so much blood— why is there so much blood? Mason, answer me! Are you okay? You have to be okay—“

The video panned away from you as you screamed, showing the store that’d been ransacked.

It ended.

Harry shut the computer and went to bed, feeling sick to his stomach.

-

When you woke up the next morning, it was to a weight on your chest.

“What the— Jodie, get the fuck off of me. I’m gonna die,” you grumble, shoving her.

She falls off the bed with a thud. She gasps, “Are you calling me fat?”

“No, you called yourself fat.”

“You’re so mean in the mornings,” she pouts.

“I’m only mean when you wake me up at ungodly hours by sitting on me.”

She shrugs, “Oh. Yeah. Well… come on, get up.”

You whine. The bed was comfy.

“Up!”

“No, I’m tired.”

She stands up and yanks your arm. You, too, fall off the bed.

“Ow! What the fuck?”

“I didn’t really think that one through,” she admits.

“Clearly. Alright, I’m up now, I guess. What did you want?”

“We’re going to brunch with Harry and Ni. Get ready.”

“Brunch? Harry doesn’t seem like a brunch guy.”

“What do you mean?” her brows furrow.

“He just.. is very intimidating—“

“He was nice to you, though, right? He better have been, or I swear—“

“No, he was,” you quickly cut her off. “He just… seems like he’d rather gouge his own eyes out before her went to brunch.”

She sighs in relief, “Thank God. I like him, so I didn’t wanna kill him for being rude to you. But, yeah.. probably. But he basically does whatever I say because, as he admitted once and only once, I’m like his little sister and he feels bad saying no. That, and I’m annoying when I don’t get my way.”

You snort, “That’s… yeah, that seems more likely.”

“But.. Niall also said he likes you, too. Maybe not in the, y’know, little sister way, but you’re right. He is usually an asshole, but he was extremely friendly yesterday. Kinda threw me off, to be honest.”

“Dude, I thought he was gonna bite my head off.”

She laughs, “Yeah.. oh, well. Get dressed and dress slutty!”

“Why slutty?”

“Because we invited Asshole of the Year, and if he shows up, he’s gonna wish he was Angel of the Year.”

“Jodie..” you sigh.

“I know. You don’t wanna piss him off. But.. if you just happened to grab a slutty dress… what’s the harm?”

“Get out,” you laugh.

-

You don't wear the slutty outfit Jodie wanted you to wear, mainly because the brunch spot was a nice restaurant and you don't want the looks from grandmas.

Instead, you wear a white dress with small, green leaves. You throw on heels that were slightly dressy, but comfortable and also barely make you any taller. You put a green ribbon in your hair after tying half of it back.

You haphazardly do your makeup once Jodie began spamming your phone, urging you to hurry up.

You rush out of the room, sighing once you saw the other three sitting at the kitchen island.

"Sorry I took so long. We can go, now, though!"

“Took you long enough,” Niall teases.

“Shut up. This is why you don’t have any friends.”

“I have friends!” he protests quickly. “You! And— Harry!”

“Mhm. Got any more?” you laugh. “I don’t count because I’m friends because of association. You get one point for Harry, though. I guess.”

“No point from me,” Harry spoke up. “We’re work friends.”

“I knew I liked you.”

Harry smirks at you.

Niall glares at the two of you. “I hate you both.”

You grin, “Aw. Love you, too.”

“Aright, children. We’re gonna be late,” Jodie reminds you.

The three of you chorus agreements and head to the car. Niall drove, Jodie sat in the passenger seat, and you and Harry got into the back.

“You know, you look crazy familiar.”

“Who, me?”

“No, the ghost sitting in between us. Yes, you.”

He pauses before shrugging, “Probably just got one of those faces. I don’t remember meeting you before.”

“Yeah, that’s what’s weird. I swear I know you, but I’d remember if I met you.”

He smirks, and you regret phrasing it like that. “Oh, really? What’s that supposed to mean, lovie?”

Lovie? What the hell? Is he a psycho? Are you a psycho?

Connor. Engaged to Connor. Can’t break up with him.

“Nothing. I just meant I have, like, a good memory,” you huff. “You’re right. You’ve probably just got one of those faces.”

One of those faces.

One of those faces.

One of those faces you know you recognize.

-

Brunch was short, but sweet. The food was good, and it was fun. Connor didn’t show.

You and Jodie made Niall and Harry wait in the car while the two of you ran into Sephora to restock your respective makeup collections.

“I kinda wanna try a new perfume..”

“I thought you always got that.. whatever one it is, because it’s Connor’s favorite?”

“I do. But.. the smell has been giving me migraines. Plus, he’ll get over it. He can hardly stand to be around me for longer than, like, twenty seconds, so… I doubt he’ll even notice.”

“Seriously, I still don’t get why you’re getting married. To him, of all people.”

“Because. I do love him, even if he’s an ass. And it’s.. safe. He’s safe.”

“Safe from what?”

You huff, “If music doesn’t take off. He has a good, stable job.”

“The band will never take off if you get married, babe. He hates the band. He’ll make you quit, and you know it.”

“Then maybe it wasn’t mean to be,” you shrug.

Jodie stops in her tracks. “How can you— no. Absolutely not. I do not care if you love him or if you wanna marry him. You are not throwing away your dream for some guy! Any guy! If it was— fuckin’, I dunno, Harry, who was like this—“

“Harry? Ew! I just met him—“

“He was the first person that came to mind! The point is, if anyone you dated pulled that, I’d say the same thing. It isn’t just because I don’t particularly like Connor.”

“Jodie—“ you sigh.

“No,” she cut you off. “You’ve been singing and writing songs since as long as I can remember. That was all you wanted. Since we were six, you’d tell people you’d be a singer when you’re older! You and Mason planned this for years! You can’t just quit because some stupid, no-good, ugly guy tells you to! Music is who you are. If not for yourself, then for me. For Mason. The band was meant to be, but maybe you and Connor weren’t.”

“Jodie.”

“I know. I know. But I’m serious. If Niall treated me like this, you would’ve roundhouse kicked him by now.”

“It’s complicated—“

“But it doesn’t have to be,” she argues.

“.. I don’t wanna talk about it. I don’t, okay? I won’t quit music whenever we get married, okay? He’ll get over it eventually.”

-

When the four of you return home, Connor is on the couch. He's fuming.

You roll your eyes as you walk through the door, ignoring him. The others seem to follow your lead, both not acknowledging his presence.

“Where the hell have you been?” he asks, storming over to you as you set the Sephora bag on the kitchen counter.

“You’d know where I was if you bothered to show up.”

“I wasn’t invited.”

You gave him a deadpan look, turning to Jodie, Harry, and Niall.

“I did invite you, dumbass,” Jodie scoffs.

“Yep. Invited,” Niall nods.

“.. Invited,” Harry echoes, visibly confused but still going along.

“Well, excuse me if I didn’t feel welcome after my own girlfriend told me to leave my own house when she was gone—“

“Not your own house. Your name isn’t on the lease. And why is that? Oh, right. Because you don’t pay fucking rent like a grown adult.”

“I don’t got a job right now, babe. I’m not stable—“

“Oh, and I am? I sing for a living. You think that’s stable? No. But I do it because I want to, and when I’m not making enough there, I have another job. Jesus, you act like you can’t problem solve.”

“That isn’t the point.”

“Then what is your point, Connor?” you sigh, crossing your arms and leaning against the kitchen island.

“My point is that you care more about your career than me!"

"Connor, babe, that isn't true, I just-"

"It sure seems like it."

"I just.. I really love it, and it's-- it's what I wanna do with my life, y'know? I don't mean to make you feel that way. I invite you to every show, you just.. don't show up, and-- and that's fine, but I try to include you."

"Yeah, whatever. I guess I forgive you."

You smile, "I love you."

"Love you, too."

The two of you retreat to the bedroom, and it was silent for a moment.

"What the fuck?"

"Welcome to a normal day for us, Harry. Havin' fun yet?" Jodie sighs, patting his shoulder as she walks past him.

-

The next day, you and Jodie went out to look at wedding and bridesmaids dresses.

"So, what are we looking for here,?" Jodie asks you as the two of you stop for coffee in between hitting dress stores. You'd been aimlessly trying on dresses for the better half of the day, and none of them felt right. "I feel like you were just trying on everything, but you weren't happy with a lot of them. So, when you envision your wedding, what is the exact dress you want?"

"I want.. like.. flowery lace with a decent neckline. I want it tight, but kind of flowy once it hits my legs. And.. bell bottom sleeves. The rest I could adjust, but bell bottom sleeves are a must."

"Flower lace, tight top flowy bottom, halter neckline. Got it," Jodie grins. The barista calls your name and you run to go grab the drinks and snacks. The two of you began walking down the street.

"So.. how does Ni know Harry, anyhow?"

"Uh... work, I think? I can't even remember, it's been so long! I think they met before Ni moved here, and then reconnected through work. I could be wrong, though. Ni only told me once when I first met Harry, and that was years ago," she laughs. "But I think it's work, mostly. You don't mind him staying, right? Because, he's sweet, don't get me wrong, but he's also kind of... promiscuous, I guess? Not that he's.. pushy about it! He just is extremely flirty and doesn't really have boundaries sometimes."

"No! No, God, no, he's perfectly fine. I like him. I was just wondering, because I can't remember either of you mentioning him ever," you explained.

"I'm sure we have once or twice, you've just got the memory of a goldfish."

"Shut up! I do not!" you giggle as the two of you walk into the next dress shop of the day.

"Hello! How may I help you?" a woman greets the two of you.

"Hi! My friend here is getting married, and she has a very specific dress in mind! She wants flowery lace, halter top neckline... kind of tight at the top and slightly flowy at the legs? Oh, and bell bottom sleeves. That's the only ones that are non-negotiable."

The woman nods and glances at you.

"I'm pretty sure we've got something exactly like that in your size. I'll bring you a few options."

"Thank you so much!" you tell her and Jodie and you set your things down and sit on the couches by the changing rooms. The two of you talk idly about plans for the band until the woman reappears.

"Alright, love, here's a few similar to what you want. But I think this one is closest to what you want," she smiles kindly as she hands you a stack of dresses, and then one singular one.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" you gush.

"Try it on!" Jodie tells you. You laugh and walk into one of the changing rooms. Obviously, the first dress you try on is the one closest to what you'd envisioned. You couldn't help the smile on your face as you looked at yourself in the mirror.

"Hurry up!" Jodie urges.

"Calm down, woman, I'm coming!" you huff as you push the curtain aside and step onto the pedestal.

"Oh, Y/N/N... I think this one might be the one. It's gorgeous!"

"It fits you like a glove," the woman grins.

"I love it!" you squeal. "Here, get a video of me in it. I wanna show Ni whenever we get home."

"Okay. And.. recording!" Jodie tells you.

You spin around in the dress, and it has just enough train to spin with you a tiny bit. You squeal in excitement and jump up and down. "I love it! Bury me in it, honestly."

"I won't send it now just in case he's with Connor, so we'll show him when we get home. But.. and this isn't me saying don't get the dress, I think you should, but I thought Connor didn't want you to get a... revealing dress, I guess is the words?"

You pause and your smile fades, "Yeah, he doesn't. He likes the ballgown ones more, but.. it's my wedding, too, right? I should be able to get my own dress. Besides, he won't see until the day of, and then it'll be too late to be mad. And he can't be mad on our wedding day," you shrug.

"Fair enough. How much is this dress, again?"

"Oh, I forget. Turn and let me check that tag, dear."

You turn so your back is to the store owner.

"It is... three thousand dollars."

You and Jodie both pause. Three thousand? You weren't sure you had that type of money. Not yet, anyway.

"Y/N, I can-"

"Jodie, absolutely not. You can't pay for my wedding dress."

The woman looks between the two of you awkwardly.

"Um.. is it possible to put the dress on hold?" you ask after a beat. "It's just.. I wanna make sure that price is good with my fiancé."

"Oh, of course, love. What's your name?"

"Y/N L/N."

She grabs a sticky note and scribbles it down.

"It'll be on hold for about.. two weeks, does that sound good?"

"Yes, please. Thank you so much."

-

"'Eyyyy, they're back!" Niall cheers as you and Jodie walk in through the door. He and Harry were both on the couch drinking beers, watching something on the TV. "C'mon, I wanna see the dress!"

You and Jodie both laugh and move to the couch. Jodie sits between Harry and Niall while you perch on the armrest as she pulls the video of you in the dress up on her phone.

"Awwe, Y/N/N, you look gorgeous," Niall grins.

"Thank you! Took us forever, but we finally found one that is exactly what I wanted."

"Where is it? I wanna see it in person!"

You and Jodie both hesitate. "Uh.. we.. didn't get it."

"What?" Niall furrows his brows in confusion.

Harry finally chimes into the conversation, "Why the hell not?"

"It was.. um... three thousand dollars. We put it on hold, but.."

"Y/N, how many times do I have to tell you to just use our card? You know I have enough money-"

"I know. Jodie offered, but I feel bad using your money. I don't even know if Connor would like the dress, so maybe-"

"Fuck Connor. Sorry," Harry suddenly says, "excuse me if this isn't my place, but you're the one wearing the dress. If you like the dress, get the fuckin' dress, Y/N. You look great in it."

".. Thank you. I just- I don't really have three thousand dollars," you sigh.

-

At damn near four in the morning, Jodie and Niall prefer to be asleep. However, Harry didn't really seem to care all that much when he came barging in.

"What's the name of the shop?"

"What?" Jodie asks harshly.

"The dress shop. The one Y/N found that dress she likes. What's it called?"

"It's... fuck, it's, like, Wedding Dreams or some stupid shit like that."

"Why are you even asking, Harry? It's fucking four in the morning, go to sleep," Niall grumbles.

"I have to buy a three thousand dollar fucking dress."

"What?"

-

a/n: when he buys ur wedding dress cause ur broke how cute

taglist: @angeldavis777

[theflowergothic]

Kelly Piquet Master Timeline - Introduction

Hey guys, it's Flowergothic

So there's been a lull in the Max/Kelly drama recently. Sure, yeah, it's a bit boring... but I want to take this time to post the timeline I've spent a lot of time on here.

I've been meaning to post it on Tumblr for a bit. I've just been busy with IRL stuff and, well, a bit lazy :p

Anyway, let's start off strong with the introduction! Meet the people involved, learn the sources I used multiple times, et cetera.

Let's go!

Full timeline can be found here.

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

NAMES OF NOTE: 

THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Kelly Piquet: Kelly Piquet is a Brazilian self-proclaimed model, columnist, and public relations professional, known for her relationship with Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen: Max Verstappen is a Belgian-Dutch Formula 1 driver, recognized for his talent and competitive performance on the track.

FORMER PARTNERS/RELATIONSHIPS OF KELLY

Antonio Pedro Marcondes Ferraz: Kelly Piquet's first public relationship was with Antonio Pedro Marcondes Ferraz. They started dating in 2011, and a year later, they got engaged. However, their engagement was short-lived, and the couple broke up in 2013.

Beto Pacheco: Following her breakup with Ferraz, Kelly dated Beto Pacheco, a Brazilian influencer and entrepreneur, from 2014 to 2016. Their relationship was notable in the Brazilian social scene due to Pacheco's significant online presence.

Jérôme d’Ambrosio: In 2015 and 2016, Kelly was linked to Belgian Formula E (and former Formula 1) driver Jérôme d’Ambrosio. However, this alleged relationship became controversial when d'Ambrosio's marriage ended. Rumors circulated that Kelly played a role in the breakup. To this day they have not been confirmed by either party.

Daniil Kvyat: Kelly began dating Russian Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat in 2017. They had a daughter in July 2019, but separated by the end of the year. 

Kelly has also been linked to Alexandre Negrão. But because little information is available about that relationship, he will be excluded from this timeline.

FORMER PARTNERS/RELATIONSHIPS OF MAX

Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky: Max Verstappen's first known relationship was with Swedish racing driver Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky. They were together around 2015, and Mikaela is a prominent figure in motorsport herself, racing in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.

Roos van der Aa: In 2016, Max was reportedly in a relationship with Roos van der Aa, a Dutch model. Their relationship was short-lived.

Dilara Sanlik: A notable relationship was with Dilara Sanlik, a German student, which lasted for a couple of years until 2020. They kept their relationship mostly private, with limited social media presence and public appearances together.

Max has also been linked to Sabre Cook, Joyce Godefridi, and Maxime Pourquie. But because little information is available about those relationships, they will be excluded from this timeline.

OTHER PEOPLE OF NOTE

Nelson Piquet Sr.: Nelson Piquet Sr. is Kelly Piquet’s father and a former Formula 1 driver with three world championships. He has been involved in controversies, including making racially insensitive remarks about Lewis Hamilton, which led to public criticism​ and a ban from the F1 paddock.

Nelson Piquet Jr.: Nelson Piquet Jr. is Kelly Piquet’s older brother. He has competed in Formula 1 and Formula E, where he became the inaugural champion in 2015. His career includes the "Crashgate" incident during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which drew significant attention and controversy.

Jos Verstappen: Jos Verstappen is Max Verstappen’s father and a former Formula 1 driver. He raced from 1994 to 2003, with his best results being two podium finishes. Jos has been involved in Max’s career from a young age. However, he has been criticized for his aggressive and demanding behavior towards Max, which some describe as abusive. 

Sophie Kumpen: Sophie Kumpen is Max Verstappen’s mother and a former kart racer who competed at a high level in Europe.

Victoria Verstappen: Victoria Verstappen is Max Verstappen’s sister. She is known for her presence on social media and her work in the fashion industry.

Lewis Hamilton: Lewis Hamilton is a British seven-time Formula 1 World Champion known for his activism against racism and efforts to increase diversity in motorsport. The Piquet family, particularly Nelson Piquet Sr., has had several controversial moments involving Hamilton, including the use of racially insensitive language to describe him.

Lando Norris: Lando Norris is a British-Belgian Formula 1 driver known for his charismatic personality and performance on the track. He is friendly with Max, but has an unusual connection with Kelly that dates back to his debut year of 2019.

Natalie "Natty" Sifferman: Natty Sifferman is an actress and abstract artist. She gained recognition for her role in the 2017 film Rebirth. She was married to Jérôme d'Ambrosio from 2013 to 2015​, and has accused Kelly of having an affair with Jérôme while they were married.

Sara (aka Kellypiquetsource): Sara is a longtime fan of Kelly’s who used to run a Kelly-themed Instagram page titled “Kellypiquetsource”. She would end up being criticized for standing by Kelly after her controversial political views came to light in 2022.

Frequently-used sources

https://www.tumblr.com/maxverstepponme/713099451104935936/kelly-list-of-events-complete-for-now?source=share (Used with permission! Thank you, @maxverstepponme)

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/17871420 (Archive)

[heliads]

i've got my eye on you

Nico Rosberg has moved on from 2016; the silver war; all of it. So he thought, at least. Lewis is still here, though, and that makes the forgetting so much more difficult.

masterlist

Nico Rosberg is not lonely, most of the time. He’s a busy man; he meets a lot of people, takes them out to drinks or dinner parties, and exchanges LinkedIns as often as phone numbers. It’s a good life. Keeps him sane. 

Sometimes, though. Sometimes, Nico finds himself waiting for something else, something better, something real. That’s when he crosses the line he swears he’ll never touch again and thinks about someone specific. There is a man living in his very same complex, someone who knows Nico better than the scores of environmental activists and Sky Sports reporters, and Nico doubts they’ll ever be the same again. 

They were good in the beginning. Better than good, they were the best and everyone knew it. The silver arrows, finest of the fine. They had identical white race suits and the same exact drive to win. That’s where they ran into problems, of course, because the podium only has space for one king to have a crown. The other has to be left in the shadow, the cursed second place. No one could live like that forever. They certainly didn’t.

Still, they were the same in almost every aspect. Nico swapped up their hats once, towards the end. He had wanted to throttle whoever had the idea to make their merch so similar. They may be on the same damn team, but that doesn’t mean they have to match in everything else as well. Same logo, same colors, and then Nico had taken off his cap to fidget with it and saw Lewis’ name there instead of his own, embroidered into the black fabric with the precision of a machine stitch. 

Funny how Nico can literally walk around wearing Lewis’ name against his skull, and they still have no more claim to each other than complete strangers. Worse than strangers, actually. They had once been everything.

Some days, he thinks about it all the time. Other days, he forces it out of his mind until he can almost delude himself into thinking it’ll never show up again. And, on other, worse days, such as this one, Nico walks into the lobby of his home building in Monaco, both of his daughters holding his hands, and he spots Lewis across the room, pulling a suitcase behind him. Must have been a race weekend. Nico knows it is, of course, fixates over every score like he’s still in it, but. It’s easier to pretend that he could forget.

Usually, Nico’s good at brushing off encounters like this, but they’re just too close for that tactic to work. Nico wasn’t expecting it; last night ended up being late, plus he’s been out with the girls all morning. That’s why he doesn’t just keep walking, why he actually stops and stares. Lewis comes to a standstill around the same time. Must be the jetlag getting to him. That, and the fact that they haven’t been face to face outside of a race or work setting in months.

Nico should keep moving. He doesn’t, even as his girls tug at his hands in confusion. They know of Lewis, certainly, they’ve seen pictures up on the fridge and online, but they didn’t know Lewis like Nico did. No one could.

“It’s good to see you,” Nico says uncertainly. Pleasantries never fail.

Lewis shudders slightly and nods. “Yeah, you too. Hope the girls are doing well,” he adds, as if he can’t see both blonde daughters right by Nico’s side. They’re still holding onto his hands, one apiece, and eyeing Lewis with wide, curious stares. They’ve inherited that from him already, it seems, the inability to look away.

“Do you two want some sweets?” Lewis asks suddenly. “I keep a bag in my luggage.”

Nico frowns, asks something asinine about drivers and nutritionists and fitness goals. Lewis just chuckles and says that he never actually opens the thing, just keeps it in the bag so he can practice self discipline or something else insane like that. God, he always tried to be the best of them.

His girls don’t know any of that sort of life, though, and won’t so long as Nico can help it, so they just clap their hands and plead for a treat or two. Nico gives the appropriate nod when it’s clear that Lewis is serious.

Lewis kneels down to the ground, unzips the top of his suitcase and pulls out a bag. Crisp, unopened, just as promised. Lewis’ resolve held all this time, then broken just now. The plastic tears easily. It doesn’t take much.

Lewis considers the bag. “I’ve always been fond of those. They remind me of some stuff I used to love a while back. They were from some small town, I don’t remember where.”

“Hoddesdon,” Nico says. He states the place aloud like he’s rattling off one of a thousand countries or capital cities, some bright child with a knack for memory games who will grow up into a man who knows too many languages but not enough people with whom to practice. “You’re talking about the candy from Hoddesdon.” Town near the place they used to kart together. Close enough to walk or bike from any hotel or flat. Two boys could do it easily if they were inclined to stay out all day and night, and they usually were.

Lewis’ head snaps up, and the brief look of shock and wonder reminds Nico of when they were kids. It’s the exact same expression Lewis would wear when Nico agreed to buy him some sweets. Even though Lewis would beg and plead with him all day long, the moment Nico said yes Lewis always looked surprised, as if he never truly expected that Nico would go along with it. That Nico would go along with him. Maybe that’s why Nico always caved. It meant he got to see that look again. 

Painfully, it also reminds Nico of how Lewis had looked when he found out Nico was retiring in 2016. They were in the midst of a massive crowd with too many overlapping voices and faces, but somehow Nico had still been able to look out across the crowded room and sight Lewis the moment Nico opened his mouth and announced his retirement. 

It had been the same expression then as now. The brief drop of his stomach like a roller coaster, the smooth spread of a poker face to cover up any emotional slips or wide eyes. All of it. Lewis had never told Nico any of this, of course, but Nico has known Lewis long enough to read his body, his mind, his entire life. It’s why he likes pointing out Lewis’ flaws on Sky Sports; just another way of proving that he’s still got it, that no matter how much Lewis changes, Nico Rosberg still knows exactly what makes him tick. 

More often than not back then, it was Nico. It’s still Nico now whenever they awkwardly run into each other in their complex or Nico analyzes him a little too well on live TV. 

Right now, though, Lewis is not angry at him, just caught off guard. Something in the back of Nico’s brain says that he likes that more. Nico scowls to himself and wonders why he hadn’t shut that voice up years ago. 

“Yeah,” Lewis says at last, after a weighty pause that Nico isn’t entirely sure doesn’t solely happen in the confines of his own head, “Yeah, it was.”

To distract himself, Lewis remembers what he’s promised and hands some individually wrapped candies to the two blonde girls clustering in front of him. Nico remains where he is, watching as Lewis replaces the bag in his luggage again, closes the top, stands up and mumbles something about how he’d better get going. Crazy travel like always. You know how it is.

Nico does know. He nods, giving Lewis the reprieve he needs to head to the lift. Nico thinks that he might actually lose his mind if he was in the same small box rattling up to their floor, looking anywhere but at Lewis, so he diverts his girls to throw their trash away first and Lewis gets away. Another lift comes in a short time. Everything is just as it was before, but– not at all.

His daughters cheer over their new sweets, giggling down the hallway about how they were able to convince Mr. Hamilton to give up his secret stash. Nico is plagued by the sudden thought that if he had married Lewis like he’d wondered about all those years ago, if they had adopted these girls instead of them being Nico’s by bloodline, that he might laugh about their reaction being inherited from Lewis instead of, you know, from him. It makes Nico think about just how much of Lewis is left in him. It makes him question if any of Nico is trapped inside Lewis, waiting to be let free. 

Even after he gets back to his place and locks the door carefully to guard against any unwholesome influences, Nico’s entire train of thought is rattled for the rest of the day. Nico has been trying his damndest to avoid Lewis every time they catch the lift or leave the building around the same time, and he knows full well Lewis has been doing the same. He’s all but admitted to it a few instances before.

This is why they play this elaborate game of hide and never seek, then. Nico lies awake at night, remembering paths he hasn’t gone over in a long time. The start. The glorious first act. How it had all broken to pieces. Nico had said before that he doesn’t regret the rivalry, that it only pushed them to greater heights, and he stands by that now. Still. That doesn’t mean his blood doesn’t run dark with grief to think of everything they once had that is gone forever now.

Nico can remember talking with his communications handler about it one time. He and Lewis had been fracturing for a while by then, but they’d only started showing it publicly for a few weeks. The guy had told Nico that this was good, actually, that people liked the slow burn death of it all. It was like watching a railway crash in slow motion, the guy had said. You know it’ll hurt and you know it’ll end badly but you just can’t look away for the life of you. 

It had made Nico’s veins thrum with the unhappy sickness of needing to prove the truth to be a lie. He’d wanted to spit in the guy’s face; swear at him until he ran out of breath; go drag Lewis in front of a live camera and make out with him until their gums bled, just to prove that they were still totally fine. 

Look where all that pent up self-justification got him, though. Nico and Lewis are hiding from each other in the same complex, too convinced that the other needs to change to ever leave. The comms handler must be laughing at them still, gleeful and victorious after Nico made him rich. 

There was a lot that even the viewers didn’t see. It’s not like either of them really tried to hide it, how they broke apart, but even so. People only saw the same few photos of sun bleached hair and gap toothed grins and unicycles, they didn’t know all of it. Nico thinks that’s for the best. The thought that anyone could know even half of what they had is intrusive and wrong.

When he closes his eyes, he can see all of it at once, overlapped like a thousand magazine clippings. Sleeping over and staying out late and making the same stupid jokes every time. Trying each other’s food and loudly arguing irrelevant details and racing and racing and racing. Small nothings that only serve to make him smile. More important stuff. Secrets Nico has only kept to himself.

Nico has only kissed Lewis once. That’s not counting stupid things like kisses on cheeks, everyone knows those don’t actually matter. That’s why you can get away with doing them in the background of televised interviews, in large crowds, even next to your father. People wouldn’t care, anyway. They’d laugh and say that he and Lewis were European, that’s what they did. It wasn’t real. It could never be real. When you count up how many times Nico wanted to kiss Lewis and didn’t, though— well, that would be like damn near every day. 

The one kiss was different. That was on purpose. He’s thinking about it now. It was late at night. 2015. Abu Dhabi. Nico had wanted to win that championship more than he’d wanted anything in his life. Maybe he’d fucked himself over in Austin, maybe even earlier, but it was still Lewis with the security of that title once the final race was over. He’d driven beneath the waving flag, he’d smiled and cheered in all the photographs, and Nico had felt this terrible sort of rage simmering beneath his bones.

The kiss had been later, at one in a successive chain of afterparties for both Mercedes drivers, technically, but mainly for Lewis. Lewis was the one who got it done. Lewis was the one who made them all proud. Lewis was also the one who pulled Nico aside when everyone else was busy getting shitfaced or screaming their heads off.

It had been dark. No one had seen. Lewis had grinned at him, asked Nico if he was really going to sulk the whole night. Nico had said something stupid like why shouldn’t I and give me a reason to stop and, well, Lewis had. Nico can still feel that night burned into him, taste it like all those times he drank champagne on a podium straight from Lewis’ hands. Salt and sweet and shameless. 

Lewis had pulled away just a little, enough to smell the alcohol on his breath, and asked if he was better. Nico lied, said yes, and swore to himself that he would win the next championship just so the next time this happened, he would not be the one to suffer. Betrayed with a kiss. Nico had made a proper Judas after all. He can still see the faces of everyone at Mercedes after he walked out of that contract, how even Vivian had cautiously asked him if he was really sure this was what he wanted. No one knew Nico Rosberg at all, and that was exactly how he wanted it.

Still, though. Thinking about the past makes him think about the kiss. They may have been somewhere between tipsy and wasted when it happened, but Nico swears that it had been a long time coming since before the fights even started. It just took the ache of resentment to let them cross that bridge and leave it burning.

He shouldn’t think about it anymore. He definitely shouldn’t think about how he’s still in the same building as Lewis, so close. Viv is out with the girls at the moment. No one would know. If Lewis rejects him here and now, well, Nico can always go back to his green energy fanboys and YouTube subscribers to soothe his ego.

This is a bad idea, and Nico can’t help it. He paces back and forth on the hallway he thinks might be Lewis’, dragging his heels like Lewis might be able to sense his hesitation somewhere, wherever he is, and come out at last. At the start of it, Nico has about a thousand different things he wants to say, accusations and apologies and mundane pleasantries all.

At the end, when Lewis does come out of his room, Nico doesn’t say anything. Can’t say anything. Instead, he just sort of nods, raises a hand halfway like he’s doing that weird half-jog at the start of a crosswalk. 

Lewis waits, silhouetted against the threshold of his door, and when it’s clear that Nico won’t be doing or saying a whole lot at the moment, smiles and asks, “What, come here often?”

It’s a stupid joke. Nico laughs anyway. “We both live here,” he says somewhat impetuously.

Lewis tilts his head to the side, considering this. “Not right here, I think.”

Nico narrows his eyes, debating whether he truly has to explain the abstractions of flat rooms versus buildings, but Lewis breaks into that light chuckle of his and Nico lets go of his irritation, he lets go.

“I’m kidding, man,” Lewis tells him, still unable to hide a laugh, “Just trying to mess with you. Can I ask why you’re here, though?”

It’s a fair question. Nico is, in fact, loitering outside of his former friend turned rival turned something’s door like he’s got nowhere better to be. He doesn’t, but that’s beside the point. Truth be told, Nico himself doesn’t entirely know why he’s here. It just seemed like the place he needed to be.

“I was thinking,” he begins, “About a lot, actually. It’s been a while.”

Lewis stares at him for a moment, eyes wide, and then all of a sudden his entire being relaxes and he opens the door a little more. Good of him for finally recognizing an olive branch when Nico offers it. God knows he’s been practically screaming it every interview they’ve shared, every time they’ve met each other’s eyes in the paddock when he was there with Sky Sports.

“Wow,” Lewis mumbles, “Yeah. That sounds– that sounds good.”

This time Nico can’t hide his derisive snort. “That’s terrible. We’ve been avoiding this for ages. I run into you, we act nice, then run off. We have to face this.”

A brief spark of anger flashes through Lewis’ eyes– good, that’s something Nico can handle, something familiar that they can both feel better about than this strange nothingness– but even that’s gone soon enough. Lewis doesn’t have to put up with him like a teammate, Nico supposes. Whatever they do from here on out is their own undoing, the red purely on their ledgers. He wants to drown in it.

Lewis knows this too, Nico can taste it like blood on a bitten tongue. They stand there for a moment longer, daring each other to take it further. It’s a familiar game, one they’ve played since kids. I’ll go faster if you do. You’ll jump off the bridge so long as I go first.

The heavy pause ends with the gasp of a caught breath. Lewis hesitates a bit, wobbling on the heels of his feet, then rocks back down to earth at last. “You can come in, you know. If you want to.”

The sentence sort of makes Nico sick. There was a time when he wouldn’t have had to offer such a thing at all. The invitation would have gone without question. Nico thinks he lived half of his childhood at Lewis’ place instead of his, in hotel rooms and bedrooms and streets behind houses. The other half Lewis was at Nico’s. The thought that at some point they would be grown and staring at each other, having to wait for a formal question to share each other’s space, is nothing short of horrific.

Still, it’s better than they’ve been for a long time. Nico can still feel Lewis’ gaze washing over him again and again, taking in the details. They’re older, both of them, but not beyond the urge to stare. He can feel the weight of it on his throat, heavy like a chain, and it robs him a little of his faux confidence.

 Nico nods once, the movement jerky and unsteady. “Alright,” he says, smiles, loosens his collar, and follows Lewis in.

f1 tag list: @j-brielmalfoy

[amazable01]

As a fellow person who is upset with Democrats rn, I need all the liberals thinking of not voting because of 'principle' to look around you.

You probably have some plants, maybe a cat or dog statistically. Books you love, people you visit on weekends. LGBTQ+ spaces you frequent IRL and online. Libraries, disabled/neurodivergent friends, women you admire, college classes and small businesses you adore.

Think of every wonderful thing in your life, from coffee runs at midnight to bar crawls to late nights in with a good book. Think of the games you enjoy, video or tabletop or otherwise, or your hobbies that you love. Think of your summer camp experiences, your one night stands, your college explorations. Think of your home, your safe spaces, your local park or mall or cafe. Think of your favorite travel hesitations, concerts and conventions and national parks and route 66 and museums. Think of every little thing that makes you happy to live in the US.

Are you ready to lose that?

Is telling your government that your pissed off at them not doing what you want in the moment worth possibly losing everything?

This is not a matter of what you want personally. This is no longer a matter of who is the perfect candidate. This is not a matter of what makes you happiest and fulfilled and morally justified.

This is about the military being one of the only jobs left, and those who don't join are killed. This is the destruction of rights and the constitution as we know it. This is the revisioned history that deletes internet and destroys priceless artifacts. This is the extinction of minorities and simple pleasures alike.

This is no longer a principal. This is no longer a what-if. We saw what happened in 2016 when people didn't take this seriously. We've seen what Project 2025 is promising. We know time and time again in history that the worst people can cause so much damage because their country let them do what they want.

There is no excuse. This is the Hunger Games; this is Divergent; this is Percy Jackson; this is everything our literature warned us against. This time is life and death.

Vote, or risk losing your favorite Starbucks coffee or McDonalds sandwich or local slushie or alcoholic drink.

Vote, or risk never get to go to DND or knitting circle or book club or a sports game again.

Vote, or risk watching as fandom and books and shows and art is sanitized or nuked.

Vote, or risk losing your cousin's or sibling's or best friend's or even your own life.

Vote, or risk everything you love on 'principle'.

Vote.

[gofixxx2]

the victorias secret fashion show: thoughts and opinions(feel free to share what you thought:) much love)

As a VSFS superfan, you may be wondefing what i thought of the show. ( please read that last sentence with as much emphasis on the MAY as possible, lol) I saw a lot of discussion about it online, mostly negative. i may be the odd one out but i quite liked it, obviously it doesnt live up to the old greats but i really didnt expect it to. victorias secret is a fledgling company and it has been for a long time. in all honesty i don’t know how they burned through so much money in such a short time. they began last decade with an overall evaluation of over 35 billion. now they are valued at 4 million. And like okay. i get it. companys flop. But just from observing my surroundings (the racks at thrift stores), and my memories (every girl at my middle school owning fourty PINK sweaters in 2016), it seems incomprehensible how they have lost so much. I dont know much about their internal team but my best guess is a lot of bad desicions in rapid succession. Although, hot take: it was a good descion to stop doing the fashion shows for a few years. I dont belive for a second that they werent planning this all along. It really makes sense if you think about it; imagine they went on business as usual with the shows, they would happen every year with diminishing returns in viewership and budget until they filed for bankruptcy. That would be a sad and slow fall. They’ve masterfully placed the VSFS back in the public’s concise by making us all miss it. its the same reason the kardasians are radio silent. If you become too overexposed you become common, there is no intruige or desire. But by leaving long enough to make people want you back you regain control of the public’s consciousness. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. And i know that its true, because even when i saw the pitiful wings, poor stage dressing, bad walks, and awful hair and makeup, i was still overjoyed that the VSFS was back at all. When i talk about the manipulation of the public consciousness i dont think im better than the public, because i am the public! the trick worked on me! And honestly, i liked it! if im right and this is all calculated, next year will be great. they’ve piqued our interest, but established low standards, which puts them in the perfect position to really wow us next season. only time will tell, but i think the VSFS is here to stay:)

[black-arcana]

EPICA's SIMONE SIMONS To Release Debut Solo Album

EPICA singer Simone Simons has announced plans to release her debut solo album. The LP's first single, "Aeterna", which was co-written by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Lucassen (AYREON),will make its online debut on Tuesday, May 7 at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 12:00 p.m. (noon) EDT.

Earlier today, Simone took to her social media to share a teaser for the "Aeterna" music video, and she wrote in an accompanying message: "May 7th everything will turn RED. At 18.00 CEST my first single AETERNA will go live.

"@ayreon_official and I created some masterful melodies for you! We will go live on Instagram tomorrow at 18.30 to hang with you all and let you in on all the details of my solo album."

This past March, Simone told Mexico's Summa Inferno that EPICA's follow-up to 2021's "Omega" album will likely be released in 2025.

"I love the songs so far that we've written," Simone said. "There's more [songs that have been written] than fit on the album. So it's gonna be cool. And we won't tour that much this year. So we are focusing on the EPICA album and the 'Symphonic Synergy' shows [where EPICA will play alongside an orchestra], which is a lot of work."

In November 2022, EPICA released "The Alchemy Project" through Atomic Fire Records. The EP was co-written and performed with diverse guests ranging from extremists like FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, Niilo Sevänen (INSOMNIUM) and Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) along with melodic masters like Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT),keyboard legend Phil Lanzon (URIAH HEEP) and Roel Van Helden (POWERWOLF) to a once-in-a-lifetime song with Simons, Charlotte Wessels and Myrkur.

Just one day after the release of its anniversary reissues "We Still Take You With Us" and "Live At Paradiso", EPICA celebrated 20 years of existence live in September 2022 at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands, the same place where they played their first show (supporting ANATHEMA) back in 2002.

EPICA was formed by guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen after leaving AFTER FOREVER in 2002, and the band quickly gained attention outside their home country, taking big steps towards becoming the leading symphonic metal superpower they have long proven to be. After their ambitious debut "The Phantom Agony" (2002) and the surprisingly eclectic sophomore work "Consign To Oblivion" (2005),the road took them to new heights via their first concept masterpiece "The Divine Conspiracy" (2007) and their global breakthrough "Design Your Universe" (2009). 2012's opus "Requiem For The Indifferent", 2014's bedazzling "The Quantum Enigma" and "The Holographic Principle" (2016),cemented their reputation as not only one of the hardest-working metal bands in the business but also as one of the best. With "Omega", the final part of the metaphysical trilogy they began with "The Quantum Enigma", they reclaimed the throne without so much as the blink of an eye, amassing three million-plus streams during the first week of the album's release.

[droughtofapathy]

The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Aurora Fane (Kelli O'Hara)

Beloved by all, Aurora Fane enjoys a powerful position in Mrs. Astor's New York. Having suitably recovered from impending financial ruin last season, this season, Aurora has done some ill-fated matchmaking, worn some fantastic hats, and provided beautiful window dressing to scenes where she just sits there and looks pretty.

One of Broadway's (few) leading sopranos, Kelli O'Hara is a dying breed. As trends shift towards a more pop/rock sound, and classical musical theatre becomes a thing of the past, Kelli nevertheless finds her niche. A seven-time Tony nominee, Kelli has won Best Leading Actress in a Musical for the 2015 revival of The King and I. You'll recall another Gilded Age Diva who won for that same role some years prior. A proshot of the NT Live production can be found online. It is a gorgeous shoot, even if I take issue with that show as a whole.

She has also been nominated for Kiss Me, Kate (2019), The Bridges of Madison County (2014), and The Light in the Piazza (2005). Ironically, though Aurora Fane supports The Academy, Kelli is a classically trained opera singer who has appeared on the Met Opera stage three times, and will play Laura Brown in an encore run of The Hours this spring. (See my breakdown post over costumes here.)

However, prior to her opera appearance, Kelli will be starring in the new Broadway musical Days of Wine and Roses for a limited 16-week run, opening on January 28th. Kelli has been nominated for every role she has played since 2005, and this will almost certainly be no different. Booked and busy.

#1: "Shall We Dance?" The King and I (2015)

Kelli's voice is otherworldly angelic. That much we already know very well. The King and I opened in 2015 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center, the third musical Kelli has starred in at that venue. The Beaumont is, of course, right next to The Met Opera, and the only Broadway theater outside the theatre district in Midtown.

As Anna Leonowens, Kelli travels to Siam to teach the children and wives of the king how to speak English. Orientalism aside, the show is a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the score is divine in Kelli's mouth. Fun fact: Kelli's replacement was Marin Mazzie in one of her last onstage roles. Marin was the Passion co-star and dear friend to Donna Murphy, our Mrs. Astor.

This video is from the 2015 Tony performance and showcases the incredible quick change Kelli makes between singing "Getting to Know You" and "Shall We Dance?" aided by a team of unbelievable dressers. It is a marvel to witness. As is Ruthie Ann Miles, Kelli's co-star who recently performed in the Encores! production of Light in the Piazza.

#2: "What More Do I Need?" Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration (2020)

In 2020, despite a global pandemic, the theatre community still found a way to honor Stephen Sondheim's milestone 90th birthday with an online concert. Kelli performed a song from Saturday Night, Sondheim's first professional musical that was slated for Broadway in 1955, but was scrapped. It only got its New York premiere in 2000. This particular number is a cabaret favorite, and Kelli is an absolute delight with just a camera and digital accompaniment.

Fun fact: it wasn't until this particular performance that I truly started to appreciate the wonder that is Kelli O'Hara. I had previously seen her in concert just that March, and loved her, of course, but I have a complex relationships with sopranos. I now recognize that I love mature sopranos, but it's the ingenues I can't listen to without wincing.

#3: "They Don't Let You In the Opera" (2016)

Lest we think Kelli is limited in her range and style, this song was written especially for her to showcase her vast talent and comedic timing. Kelli, an Oklahoma farmgirl, isn't the sort of person you'd expect to be both classically trained and country literate.

Kelli, who has been typecast as refined and often repressed characters who go through harrowing emotional experiences, much like Aurora Fane, is more than capable of bringing a rollicking comedy to the mix.

This number is a favorite in Kelli's concert repertoire. There isn't much more to say, except that you need to witness its hilarity for yourself.

#4: “Heaven? Somebody else’s heaven?” The Hours (2023)

Speaking of opera, here is an excerpt from a scene in Act II where Laura Brown has fled to a hotel room to contemplate some very serious courses of action. Kelli, alongside soprano Renee Fleming and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, makes up a trio of phenomenal women in Kevin Putts' adaptation of the book and movie.

The Met Opera theatre seats nearly 4,000 people across six levels. The performers do not use body mics or amplification of any kind, but rather rely on intense vocal training to be heard across the theater. For this reason, alongside the vastly different vocal techniques and styles, musical theatre actors rarely cross over into opera, and vice versa. Notable exceptions include Renee Fleming, Kelli's Light in the Piazza co-star Victoria Clark, and Mary Beth Peil, who made her musical theatre debut in The King and I as yet another Miss Anna, hers in 1985.

#5: "So in Love," Kiss Me, Kate (2019)

Starring in yet another Golden Age musical revival, Kelli brings a different take on Lilli Vanessi, a glamorous movie star in a turbulent relationship. Kelli's vocal talent, of course, speaks for itself. For Kelli, this role was a tribute to her dear friend, the late Marin Mazzie, who had passed away some months before the show opened. Marin, who replaced Kelli in The King and I, had played this same role in the 1999 Broadway revival to great acclaim. In her first entrance of the show, Kelli wore a costume that featured the very same hat Marin wore in her show.

Though this video is beloved, my personal favorite rendition can be heard below. It was taken at a concert Kelli put on at the 92Y in New York last February. In it, Kelli sings for and to Marin, and the entire theatre wept.

Bonus: "Back to Before," Ragtime Reunion Concert (2023)

The role of Mother was originally workshopped by Donna Murphy in Toronto in the early 90s, but she left to do King and I, which worked out well for her. In came dear friend Marin Mazzie, who originated the role on Broadway, and established a precedent no other has been able to top. Also in that cast? Audra McDonald as Sarah, for which she won a Tony, of course.

In 2023, after years of pandemic-related delays, they staged a one-night reunion concert of this special show. And who better to take on Marin's iconic role than Kelli O'Hara? Listen to her "Back to Before" here, and then do yourself a favor and run, don't walk, to listen to Marin's.

[qqueenofhades]

Leftists are genuinely so transparent with their misogyny, it baffles me. Someone made a point about how Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi are very close in age but only one of them constantly gets hounded about their competency and ability to be a politician, and these people are like "hm but Bernie Sanders thinks everyone deserves healthcare and Nancy Pelosi doesn't" what??? Where does that information even exist beyond the smear campaigns the leftists have made up in their heads to insist the Dems (Pelosi, in particular) suck and justify hating them? It's like... even when the Dems do something good, and take the right position on an issue, these people are just waiting to find some way to rearrange it to fit their narrative that they actually hate them and it's only people like Bernie Sanders who genuinely give a shit.

not to mention thinking everyone deserves healthcare and actually working to make that happen are two different things. Bernie can have all the "correct" ideological positions in the world, but it doesn't seem like he's done much to advance most of them lol

Well, yeah. That's why they are useless dickweeds at best and and unrepentant enablers of fascism at the worst. They gleefully latch onto any lie, mischaracterization, exaggeration, or other bit of propaganda that makes the Democrats look bad and themselves feel Exaltedly Special and justified in not sullying their hands with a flawed democratic process. They don't give a shit if the actual world goes to hell, as long as they still have the Bestest and Most Special Ideas. Which serves the aims of both the actual right wing machine that feeds it to them and the organized Russian troll farms that feed it to THEM. And yet.

Give me a hundred Nancy Pelosis, arguably the most effective Democratic politician in living memory, over Bernie Sanders, he of the blindingly obvious once-a-month Guardian op ed and literally nothing else in the way of substantial policy, while tacitly or openly encouraging his supporters to withhold their vote as "punishment" for any candidate not him. I will say in Bernie's favor that he has changed his tune ahead of 2024, but it is the least of what he owes everyone for contributing to the clusterfuck of 2016 as substantially as he did. So.

And lol yes, the Online Leftists, known for their radical compassion and empathy to all people! They're too busy policing fellow leftists for Thoughtcrime or any other impulse to actually take a tangible action (which might therefore be Morally Problematic) to ever actually once apply compassion to a real person, let alone those who don't agree with them in some part already. In fact, they are perfectly happy to let the people they are supposed to be caring about suffer the increasing effects of nationalized, racialized, homophobic, misogynist, xenophobic white supremacist fascism, as the proper punishment for not being Leftist enough and voting for the Democrats, who they (as noted) eagerly sabotage and undercut far more than the Republicans. So yeah.

[dailyp1anet]

CITY

EYESORE: LEXCORP TOWER RUINS THE SKYLINE

By Lois Lane, Senior Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: 15:47, 4th April 2014 | UPDATED: 12:48, 5th April 2014

EYESORE OR NEW HEIGHTS? An artist conception of the proposed plans for the LexCorp Tower.

SEVERAL leading architectural critics are speaking out against the new LexCorp Tower that is currently close to finishing. Situated in the middle of New Troy, Luthor has his sights on the sky. Previously known as LuthorCorp, Lex Luthor took over his father's business after Lionel Luthor suddenly died. He has since made a name for himself, rebranding his father's company into his own.

Once completed, the LexCorp tower will have 188 floors and will be the tallest attraction in North America. Following the Black Zero Event, the original LexCorp headquarters was destroyed. Speaking to Georgia Elstrom, she said "it's like the 1930s and the 1980s have slammed together in a match up that doesn't bring out the best of either style." Elstrom is one of America's leading architects and has designed many building in New York, Metropolis and Seattle.

Luthor has dismissed the critics, calling them "... out of touch with the modern world. I can take Metropolis to new heights." He spoke at a conference earlier this week after unveiling an observation platform that will open in late 2016, situated on the 180th floor. More critics have since spoken out since Elstrom's comments. Calling it an "eyesore" of the city, citizens have seemingly agreed with these comments as numerous petitions have gained traction online with thousands of signatures.

Releasing a press release, Lex Luthor has stated: "This was supposed to be my crowning achievement. A perfect marriage of architecture and technology. The biggest, grandest, most highly advanced structure in Metropolis." The LexCorp Tower is the international headquarters of LexCorp Industries, located in downtown New Troy, Metropolis. It is the tallest building in the city, pending completion.

Interestingly, analysts are swquaked at LexCorp's proposed budget for 2016. Data suggests that the company is heading for a seismic foray into defence innovation, expecting to make $2 billion over the coming years. Wayne Enterprises has declined several defense contracts.

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[eljackinton]

Elegy for a Dying Industry

By the time I'd hit my third year of university I was certain I wanted to be a comic book writer.

It's hard to put into words just how vibrant that land of opportunity looked back then, in 2007. Marvel and DC had bounced back from their near death in the 1990s, with DC's spin off Vertigo leading the way with a tidal wave of adult focussed titles, while Image comics was quickly rising to become an ascendant third party in the previous binary landscape.

Walk into any comic book shop at that time and you'd see shelves filled with literary mainstays. Preacher and Sandman were always in stock. Recent series like Fables and Y: The Last Man would be seeing new volumes every six months. Older titles and obscure series that hadn't been seen in years were getting new print runs. Image itself was willing to take a punt at putting out any number of odd and offbeat titles. Girls. Savage Dragon. Army @ Love. Works like Jack Staff and Strangehaven that had struggled in obscurity for years were finally finding an audience.

Outside the printed page, others were thriving too. Webcomics had become big business, growing fandoms such that they could rival their printed competitors, and it wouldn't be long until Penny Arcade and Gunnerkrigg Court would find themselves sharing shelf space with Superman and Dick Tracy. On the big screen, Sin City had captivated audiences and brought the comic that inspired it a whole new readership, while a big screen adaption of Watchmen was purported to be right around the corner.

The way I saw it, I'd spend my twenties working the small press, making connections before breaking in some time in my thirties, giving me the rest of my life to put together my magnum opus.

What actually happened was I spent a decade dealing with depression, unemployment, a pandemic and an environment of constantly unstable social media sites that scuppered my ability to build a following. Even with that aside though, I discovered that I had severely underestimated how much work it would actually take to get my foot in the door. Now, on the eve of my first time exhibiting at the prestigious Though Bubble convention, I look at the comic book industry and see what looks like an unscaleable wall.

In the run up to Thought Bubble, I messaged Joe Glass, writer and creator of The Pride, to find out if he'd be exhibiting at his usual table there this year. What he told me was that he was basically ready to throw in the towel. Sales were down. Interest was down. He figured he'd have a better chance in the world of literature, and who can blame him to come to that conclusion?

To me, Joe Glass was a known guy. Someone who had been around in comics for a long time. The Pride was constantly praised, as well as considered a landmark in the history of LGBTQ comics. Damn, I thought, if he's struggling to make it, what chance on Earth do I have?

Another anecdote. I was at New York Comic Con in 2011. I sat in on the Image Comics panel where they announced a rebooted run of comics starring characters from Rob Liefeld's Extreme Comics line. (Rob actually got boos from the audience when he came out, which, however you feel about the man, was pretty disrespectful, and now looks like a grim foreshadowing to the state that online comics discourse was heading towards.)

One of the titles announced was Prophet, written by Brandon Graham and illustrated by Simon Roy. The series was met with great acclaim, and praised as one of the best comics coming out at the time. It was Roy's art in particular that was singled out as one of the comic's greatest strengths. There was a sense that Roy had really made a name for himself with Prophet, and that he would ride the wave to mainstream success.

After several years of his work showing up in places as varied as 2000ad and the Halo comics, Roy would go on to create Habitat in 2016 and First Knife in 2020, which should have gotten a bigger readership than they did. The comics were very clearly passion projects, yet didn't really get the promotion, coverage, or widespread release they deserved. It was very clear that there was more to these fictional worlds that Roy wanted to explore, but in the end, it took self publishing to do it. He started a follow up, Griz Grobus, as a webcomic, crowdfunding the physical release, before it was eventually picked up by Image again for a retail market.

It's not that I think Roy feels he got the short end of the stick. He's gone on record about how satisfied he is with the stories he gets to tell, but I look at what the world was like back in 2007 and I think about how by all rights his "Grobusverse," should be a household name, with an animated series and several video games by now.

Just like Joe Glass, whose recent The Miracles I believe could have been this generation's Invincible, I can't help but feel like modern comics, far from cultivating new and exciting talent, is doing nothing but stifling it.

How did it come to this?

It happened in multiple fronts, but the most critical blow came from corporate consolidation of the internet. At the turn of the decade, comic book journalism was bright eyed, popular and vibrant. Comic Book Resources and Comics Alliance both were constantly shining a light on new talent, new stories, as well as branching out towards exploration and analysis of the medium as a whole. I remember Comics Alliance once doing a special "Sex Week" where they released seven days worth of articles exploring the subgenre of erotic comic books.

Such an idea seems unthinkable now, in an age where sites are forbidden from straying from safe, corporate sanitisation. Indeed, both CBR and CA would find themselves stripped of identity and ground to the bone as they were bought out, sold, and bought out again by larger and larger conglomerates. Now CBR is little more than a platform for big industry press releases, while CA has been repurposed as a news aggregate site, the cruellest of fates. Just visiting the site feels like you're looking at a killer wearing the skin of it's victim.

The second blow to comics came from, and I hate to say it, Hollywood. With the booming, relentless success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many assumed that the comic book industry's ascent to becoming a dominant cultural force was assured. However, in this instance, the rising tide did not lift all boats. As surprising as it is to hear, sales of Marvel comics have not significantly increased since the MCU came onto the scene in 2008. Despite becoming one of the most profitable franchises in history, audiences have not been particularly motivated when it comes to exploring the source material that their favourite films originated from.

And yet, even though the comic book industry has gotten little from Hollywood's success, more and more of their territory and space has been ceded to it. While comic book conventions have always involved partial coverage of film and TV, they have, at their heart, always been COMIC BOOK conventions. You'd get a ticket, head down, meet some writers, watch some announcements of what the next big events comics were going to be, check out some shoe boxes of back issues, sit in the Batmobile and maybe go get Lou Ferrigno's signature.

Now, so much of the floor space at the big conventions have been given over to Hollywood, and only Hollywood. News coverage out of SDCC or NYCC is almost always "Here's what film is coming next. Here's there cast of xyz. Here's some stuff about video games." The heart of the cons, what made them what they are in the first place, is getting pushed further and further aside. Now visitors get their ticket and shove their way though to Hall H to find out that RTD is back to play Doctor Doom, before they put on VR goggles to play the next Call of Duty game and then spend the rest of the money they have on Funkos or ten foot tall Pokémon plushies. If the mood arises, they might consider taking a glance at a self published comic book while they queue for an hour for Lou Ferrigno's signature.

Finally, the coup de grace was delivered by the deadening of online spaces. As we spent a decade migrating from our enthusiast forums over to the shared spaces of Twitter and Instagram we were forced to tailor our output to the broadest audience possible. We were forced to become our own marketers. Our own brand managers. The work could no longer speak for itself, because how on Earth was it possible for people to even find the work?

Yet despite all that, the algorithm crushed us anyway. Flighty and unknowable, as though some kind of special combination of words and images will chart the path to success, writers and artists were left like passengers on a sinking ship, drowning and desperate, stepping on top of each other in just the hopes of staying above water for one more moment.

When I was in a newly opened comic book shop in Chester I picked up a copy of Local Man by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley, on a whim. I had frankly never heard of it. I was astounded at how good it was when I had read it, but what stood out to me more was how it needn't have been this way. This is the kind of comic where once upon a time talk of it would have been everywhere. It's the kind of thing Comics Alliance would have been writing think pieces on for like a month. Now, however, it passed completely under the radar.

Where do we even start to solve a problem like this? Corporate media is now more powerful than ever, and social media dominates. If we are to start anywhere, it's got to be with each other. Writers, artists, colourists and letterers are going to have to come together and rebuild things wholesale. Personally, I honestly think we need to see a comics media landscape that's run by creators for creators. An independent, co-owned media that isn't going to sell out to conglomerates or Hollywood. We need a resurgence in sites like Comics Alliance, we need podcasts that garner a strong audience, we need video sites like Nebula that can stand in contrast to YouTube's dominance.

In the end though I'm just some guy, who has yet to even get his foot in the door. Best I can do is speak it, and try and will it into being. Casting out a message in a bottle in the hopes that somebody will find it. There are people like me all over the world with art to create and stories to tell. The next Hellboy, Invincible or Gunnerkrigg Court is out there right now and it's drowning on that sinking ship. If all I can do is shout the alarm in people's face, like Diogenes screaming from his barrel, then hell, that's what I'll keep doing.

Though if you are at Thought Bubble next weekend please consider buying some of my comics, books or artworks. That would be appreciated.

Addendum

Some comics you should check out:

The Miracles by Joe Glass and Vince Underwood

Habitat by Simon Roy (and then read the rest of his Grobusverse comics)

Local Man by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley

Strangehaven by Gary Spencer Millidge

O Sarilho by Shizamura

Prism Stalker by Sloane Leong

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

Jack Harvey 2024

[beardedmrbean]

NPR defended embattled chief executive Katherine Maher against "online actors with explicit agendas" on Wednesday as her old social media posts continue to go viral for exposing her personal left-wing ideology. 

What seems like a never-ending supply of social media messages Maher posted before running NPR have been unearthed in recent days by critics of NPR, including Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo. 

Maher, who served as the CEO for Web Summit and Wikimedia Foundation prior to taking over NPR last month, showed her support for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020 while regularly sharing liberal talking points and criticizing Donald Trump. Many feel that someone with such blunt partisan views running NPR on the heels of veteran editor Uri Berliner penning a scathing takedown that detailed the "absence of viewpoint diversity" at the organization could be troublesome, but the organization chalked up the resurfaced tweets as "bad faith" attacks. 

"This is a bad faith attack that follows an established playbook, as online actors with explicit agendas work to discredit independent news organizations," an NPR spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

"In this case, they resorted to digging up old tweets and making conjectures based on our new CEO’s resume," the spokesperson continued. "Spending time on these accusations is intended to detract from NPR’s mission of informing the American public and providing local information in communities around the country is more important than ever."

Rufo has also unearthed old video of Maher saying the First Amendment makes it too difficult to censor "bad information." But much of the controversy surrounding her is the result of posts on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. 

Before taking over NPR, Maher tweeted essentially whatever was on her mind. For example, she once shared details of a dream where her and Kamala Harris were on a road trip together "comparing nuts and baklava from roadside stands" before she "woke up very hungry." 

Others were more political. 

Maher wrote on X in May 2020 that while "looting is counterproductive," it was "hard to be mad about protests not prioritizing the private property of a system of oppression founded on treating people's ancestors as private property." In another post on the thread, Maher said that property damage was "not the thing" Americans should be upset over. 

In another 2020 post, Maher is seen donning a Biden for president hat and said it was the "best part" of her efforts to get out the vote.

"I can’t stop crying with relief," she wrote after Biden won. 

Maher also took issue with the infamous New York Times Tom Cotton op-ed in 2020, saying it was "full of racist dog whistles." She argued it was based on the "false premise that the country is in a state of ‘disorder.'"

Several of her old posts that have resurfaced reference concern over White privilege and "White silence."

In June 2020, Maher declared "White silence is complicity." 

"If you are White, today is the day to start a conversation in your community," she continued. 

Maher identified herself as an "unalloyed progressive" supporting Clinton in the 2016 election. However, Maher had some criticism for Clinton at the time, saying she wished the then-Democratic presidential nominee "wouldn't use the language of ‘boy and girl,'" because it was "erasing language for non-binary people."

In 2018, she wrote, "I’m angry. Hot angry, slow angry, relentless angry. This anger is going to fuel and burn for a long time, and it will deliver back exponentially," during Christine Blasey Ford's testimony accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

Rufo joined Fox News on Tuesday to explain why he’s been busy circulating Maher’s old tweets. 

"I spent the last day or two digging through her tweets to show people exactly what she believes. It’s actually incredible. It is the most vapid, left-wing propaganda imaginable," Rufo said on "Jesse Watters Primetime."

"She’s been at it for year. She’s a supporter of BLM, she believes in the pseudo-science of White privilege, White fragility, she criticized her own Whiteness," he continued. "It’s like Mad Libs for left-wing women." 

In addition to the deluge of old social media messages being resurfaced, NewBusters reported on Wednesday that Maher has donated to Democratic candidates such as Stacey Abrams. NPR did not immediately respond to a request for comment about her donations.  

Berliner, who resigned after blowing the whistle on NPR’s liberal bias, doesn’t think Maher is fit for the job. 

"We're looking for a leader right now who's going to be unifying and bring more people into the tent and have a broader perspective on, sort of, what America is all about," Berliner told NPR media reporter David Folkenflik prior to quitting. "And this seems to be the opposite of that."

Berliner also scolded Maher when he stepped down. 

"I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years. I don’t support calls to defund NPR," Berliner wrote in a statement published on X. "I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism."

"But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cited in my Free Press essay," Berliner continued.

[coochiequeens]

If your so desperate for a baby you arrange for one to be born in a country where surrogacy is illegal, you don't have the best interests of the children in mind and should question why you want a baby so eagerly in the first place.

This new case making headlines in Cambodia demonstrates that, despite the 2016 ban, surrogacy continues to thrive in this impoverished Southeast Asian nation through underground networks.

By Antoine d’Abbundo January 2nd, 2025 

Although surrogacy has been banned in Cambodia since 2016, the lucrative business of “baby factories” persists in this poor Southeast Asian country. Evidence of this is the recent dismantling of a network that led to the arrest of 24 foreign women—20 Filipinos and 4 Vietnamese—recruited to serve as surrogate mothers for foreign clients.

This trafficking operation was uncovered during a police raid in late September at a villa in the Prek Anchanh commune, Kandal province, south of the capital Phnom Penh, where the women were housed. Eleven of them, who were not yet pregnant, were immediately deported to their home countries. The other 13—three of whom had already given birth—were sentenced in late November to four years in prison, two of which were suspended under Cambodian laws that penalize human trafficking.

Particularly attractive prices

Pardoned by a decree from King Norodom Sihamoni, the 13 Filipinos returned to their country December 29 without any clarity on the fate of the children already born or yet to be born. “If we conclude that they are unable to care for the children, then the babies could temporarily become wards of the state, and we must consider options such as adoption,” explained Nicholas Felix Ty, Philippine Undersecretary of Justice.

The traffickers, however, remain at large. According to Cambodian authorities, the agency responsible for the recruitment is based in Thailand and primarily caters to Chinese clients, driven by the relaxation of the one-child policy, as well as Australian and American clients. These childless couples are drawn by the highly competitive prices: in the United States, surrogacy costs can exceed $100,000, while hiring a surrogate in Cambodia is reportedly ten times cheaper.

Laos: The new surrogacy haven

This explains why, despite the 2016 ban, Cambodia remained a hub for this trade, as evidenced by several high-profile cases in recent years.

In 2017, an Australian nurse and her two Cambodian accomplices were sentenced to one and a half years in prison for running an illegal clinic. The following year, Cambodian police announced the dismantling of a trafficking ring in Phnom Penh involving 33 surrogate mothers. These women were eventually released on the condition that they agreed to keep their babies. In 2019, authorities again reported the release of 11 women under the same promise not to sell their children.

“The surrogacy market is expanding in Asia, as it is in all countries where many women live below the poverty line,” lamented a representative of CoRP, a feminist collective advocating for the global abolition of surrogacy, to La Croix. This is particularly true in Laos, Cambodia's even poorer neighbor, which is emerging as the new surrogacy haven. There, open clinics boldly advertise “substitute maternity packages at the lowest prices” online with slogans like, “Let us help you achieve your dream of having a child.”

[yokulao]

Blood Diary: A terrible cooperation between the DPP and Safeguard Defenders

 Safeguard Defenders, a so-called non-governmental human rights organization, has a secret collusion with the DPP authorities Lai Qingde and others. Could it be that the DPP authorities invited them to participate in the supervision and development of human rights in Taiwan? The truth is far less so simple as we think, under the calm water, the turbulent waves, a sinister and terrible cooperation has already been launched.

 Conservation Guard (Safeguard Defenders) NGOs was established in 2016, A a commitment to conducting and supporting local field activities in some of Asia's worst human rights environments, effectively, Back in 2009, Peter, together with Wang Quanzhang of Feng Rui Law Firm, Registered in Hong Kong as "Joint Development Institute" (JDI), On the mainland under the name of the "China Rights Protection Emergency Assistance Group", Until, in 2016, The leader, Peter Darling, was deported for a crime. Year 2016 is a special point in time, Because shortly after the deportation, Peter Darling founded the Conservation Guard, A trans-regional human rights organization is established and running in just a few months, This forced one to admire Peter Darling's financial strength and organizational skills, Dinah Gardner, head of research at the Conservation Guard, was crucial to his help, Dina has long been in Taiwan, Is a freelance journalist in Chinese Taipei, At the same time, the DPP anti-China, She has close relations with the "1450" cyber army raised by the Taiwan DPP, Often take the opportunity to hype the mainland, With the influence of her foreign identity, With the trust of these people, The "1450" online military organization also financed her activities, But the money was actually secretly funded by the Taiwan DPP. Peter and her, both "human rights" people, have long been together for common interests, and their deportation has prompted them to step forward from behind the scenes under the guise of the Guardian.

 In 2017, Li Mingzhe, a former DPP worker, was investigated on the mainland for endangering national security, The DPP authorities said they would try their best to get Lee back to Taiwan as soon as possible, at the same time, Many NGO organizations in Taiwan have also spoken out, In support of Li Mingzhe, With no exception, Dinah Gardner, head of research at the Conservation Guard, has publicly endorsed Lee in her article, Said Mr.Lee is a democracy activist, Is an NGO activist, The mainland should release it as soon as possible, yet, Mr Lee's real identity is a former DPP party worker, When did he join the NGO? Why did so many NGOs, including Dinah Gardner, research director of Conservation Guard, stand up with the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party authorities is only a "profit".

Dinah Gardner wrote in Taiwan Business TOPICS (Business Magazine) in 2021 that the international media and NGOs between Taiwan and the world are growing, and analyzed in detail Taiwan's appeal to international organizations and media, and what needs to be improved. All mentioned in the article are the benefits brought by the DPP authorities' opening and convenience to these organizations. In the article, they even proposed the so-called improvement, which means that the kneeling behavior of the Taiwan authorities is not enough, and it is better to put them above the people of Taiwan and become others in Taiwan. These so-called NGOs and foreign media are moving in Taiwan under various banners, Such as Safeguard Defenders, Taking Taiwan as at the forefront of human rights in Asia, Based in Taiwan, Looking at Asia, To speak out for the so-called human rights, But what he did was merely acting as an anti-China pawn for the DPP authorities, opposite, The DPP authorities used more than 23 million tax dollars from Taiwan as a tool to fulfill their political intentions, launch out, These act as donors such as the NGO, Be generous and generous, Let these "human rights people" make a lot of money, Many foreigners hear that with such banners as "human rights", There will be a steady stream of money to send them, Are always happy to join the organization, Come to Taiwan to enjoy a superior life. They only need to use their foreign status as a facade for the DPP authorities. The hard-earned money of the Taiwanese people becomes a source of extravagant life, rather than improving the current employment downturn and situation of young people in Taiwan, and improving social welfare.

 During 2009 to 2015, the Swede Peter  to "human rights guard emergency association" (former), in the so-called human rights relief activities, the DPP authorities provided him with a lot of money, in 2015, Peter was arrested by mainland police, according to Peter confessed, less than seven years, the DPP authorities provided him with more than 1000 million RMB, which is, Peter darling to help the DPP authorities anti-China, while also in the black DPP authorities money. In terms of financial operation, Peter Darlin withheld more than 45 million NT dollars he received by means of inflated projects and false wages, and nearly half of the project funds were used for personal daily expenses or profits to enrich himself. Peter  said in investigation: "(budget) forms are used to ask money when applying for projects, but ultimately the money does not have to be paid... because if I really follow the form, I have no profit..." in his eyes, "human rights" is just the cloak of its profit, "Safeguard Defenders" is really concerned about human rights is not his concern, and he only care about whether to continue to get money from the DPP authorities to maintain their extravagant life.

 Peter  was deported to create a "protect guard" mood is very urgent, because he just lost everything in the mainland, and the DPP authorities don't want to lose the foreigners act as a facade of anti-China "bridgehead", then, in the DPP authorities with the help of the "Safeguard Defenders" organization is not is not quickly, site, personnel, equipment under the DPP authorities huge funding, quickly built up in months, since then, Peter and his such as Dinah   "human rights partners" can capture the Taiwan authorities DPP operation funds, Living the upper class that they pursued. In order to achieve their own political purposes, the Taiwan DPP authorities squandered the tax money that should be used to improve the life and social welfare of the Taiwan people, which is not shameful for the Taiwan people. In recent years, snowflakes like NGOs organization in Taiwan, they also want to "Safeguard Defenders" funding for the Taiwan authorities, and also as they think, as long as the Taiwan authorities DPP anti-china flag, in they seemed astronomical funding now easy, Taiwan DPP authorities generous in "Safeguard Defenders" organization.

Taiwan authorities, the DPP and "Safeguard Defenders" organization interests collusion, exchange behavior, to Taiwan's social and economic development and the well-being of the people's livelihood, Taiwan people and other parties should speak together, called for Taiwan society to boycott the DPP, to resist the illegal NGOs organizations in Taiwan people blood, let the DPP step down, let such as "Safeguard Defenders" organization research director Dinah golna people out of Taiwan, "Safeguard Defenders" organization don't want to absorb the sweat of Taiwan people.

[tiimagazine]

Lessons from Failed Startup 

Starting a business is an exciting venture, but it also comes with its fair share of risks. Despite the countless success stories, the startup world is filled with many who didn’t make it. Learning from these failures can be invaluable for aspiring entrepreneurs. In this blog, we’ll explore the top reasons why startups fail, share examples of failed startups in India, and provide essential lessons to help others avoid similar pitfalls.

Top Reasons Why Startups Fail

Every year, thousands of startups shut down, and the reasons for their failures are often surprisingly common. Here are some of the primary reasons why startups fail:

1. Lack of Market Demand: A significant number of startups fail because they create a product or service that doesn’t meet market needs. Without sufficient demand, even the most innovative ideas can struggle to gain traction.

2. Poor Business Model: Some startups lack a clear or sustainable business model. Without a solid plan for generating revenue and managing expenses, financial problems quickly arise.

3. Insufficient Funding: Startups often require continuous funding to develop and scale their products. A lack of capital can halt growth, making it impossible to stay competitive.

4. Inadequate Team: A strong, cohesive team is essential for any startup’s success. When startups lack the right talent, face internal conflicts, or experience high turnover, they often struggle to execute their vision.

5. Unsuccessful Marketing: Without effective marketing strategies, even the best products may go unnoticed. Many startups fail to reach their target audience or don’t communicate their value effectively, resulting in limited growth.

Failed Startups in India

India has witnessed both successful and unsuccessful startups. Below are some well-known startups that failed to survive in the competitive landscape:

– AskMe: Once a popular online classifieds portal, AskMe struggled with cash flow issues and eventually shut down in 2016 due to its inability to secure additional funding.

– Stayzilla: Initially a leader in the budget accommodation segment, Stayzilla closed in 2017. The company faced challenges with customer demand and a lack of financial sustainability.

– Doodhwala: This milk delivery startup failed due to operational and funding issues, unable to compete with larger players in the food delivery space.

Important Lessons from Failed Startups

Learning from others’ mistakes can provide a roadmap for success. Here are key lessons from failed startups that every entrepreneur should consider:

1. Conduct Thorough Market Research: Understanding market demand and customer needs is crucial. Make sure your product or service has a clear value proposition and a defined target audience.

2. Develop a Scalable Business Model: Ensure that your business model can grow and adapt over time. Plan for scalability from the start to avoid future complications.

3. Secure Sufficient Funding: Keep track of your cash flow and understand your financial needs. Securing funding from reliable sources and planning for contingencies can help keep your startup afloat.

4. Prioritize Team Building and Culture: A strong team and positive workplace culture are essential for long-term success. Hire team members who align with your vision and bring diverse skills to the table.

5. Adapt to Market Changes: The startup environment is highly dynamic. Be ready to pivot if necessary, whether that means adjusting your product or altering your business strategy.

Tips to Overcome Startup Failure

Experiencing setbacks or failure doesn’t mean the end of the journey. Here are a few strategies to help startups overcome challenges and avoid failure:

1. Embrace a Growth Mindset: Accepting failures as learning opportunities helps you stay resilient and motivated to improve.

2. Network and Seek Mentorship: Connecting with industry mentors and other entrepreneurs can provide valuable guidance and support through challenging times.

3. Focus on Financial Management: Proper financial planning is essential. Control expenses and invest in areas that yield the best returns.

4. Stay Customer-Centric: Continuously listen to your customers’ feedback and improve your offerings. Building a loyal customer base can sustain your business during difficult periods.

FAQs

Why do Indian startups fail?

Indian startups often fail due to reasons like a lack of product-market fit, poor financial management, competition, and inadequate funding. Additionally, many startups struggle with navigating regulatory hurdles and an evolving market landscape.

How do you overcome startup failure?

To overcome startup failure, it’s essential to learn from past mistakes, refine your business strategy, and focus on improving weak areas. Seek advice from mentors, control expenses, and remain adaptable to market changes.

How do I exit a failing startup?

Exiting a failing startup can be challenging. Start by exploring options like selling assets, merging with another company, or pivoting to a new model. Additionally, work with investors and stakeholders to find a resolution that minimizes losses.

Conclusion

While startup failure rates are high, they also provide valuable lessons for entrepreneurs who wish to build resilient businesses. By understanding why startups fail and implementing strategies to avoid common mistakes, founders can increase their chances of success. Remember, resilience and adaptability are key in the challenging yet rewarding world of entrepreneurship.

[whatiwillsay]

I'm both a longtime Beyhive and a longtime Swiftie, so I'll chime in about the Billboard list

*very long*

Honestly, comparing Beyoncé to Taylor is a disservice to Bey. This woman has not only been highly relevant but has been thriving in the vinyl, CD, and digital eras, and she is still highly relevant in the streaming era. Sure, Bey doesn't pull as many streaming numbers as Taylor does, but she still is a streaming force. Chart positions and sales aren't even the metrics by which Billboard compiled this list. Here's what they've said in their article:

And we must also issue our obligatory reminder that unlike with our Year-End Charts, these Greatest Pop Stars are NOT mathematically determined by stats like chart position, streams or sales numbers. Those play a big part in our final rankings, of course — you can’t be one of the greatest pop stars of the century without great pop hits and great pop albums — but so do things like music videos, live performances and social media presence, and more intangible factors like cultural importance, industry influence and overall omnipresence. (And we’re measuring this over all 25 years of this century so far, so if you were only heard from at the beginning or the end of that period — or only had one or two big songs, albums or eras — that’s gonna significantly hinder your ranking here as well.)

She is the blueprint for most, if not all, pop stars of the mid- to late 00s, '10s, and '20s, and they've said so themselves. Not only that, several athletes, business owners, fashion designers, architects, producers, and even professional chefs have said that her work ethic, artistry, drive, and attention to details inspire them to do better. She's transformed the industry forever. She's the first artist (correct me if I'm wrong) who's done a visual album in the form of a music video for each song (B'Day in 2006) and one of the few artists who's done a concept film for an album (Lemonade in 2016 and Black Is King in 2020). In terms of music videos, Beyoncé is far ahead of Taylor, and since it's a criteria for Billboard's list, she's got an advantage. 

Beyoncé's the real trendsetter in music, while Taylor chases what's popular at the moment and makes it a theme for each album both in terms of music and visuals. Beyoncé's also THE most versatile music artist in the industry: her range goes from gospel to rap, from disco to rock, from pop to bluegrass, from R&B to Americana, from opera to reggae. She is an exceptional artist with a unique™ vocal talent that continues to improve with age. There are such things as prime Whitney, prime Celine, and prime Mariah, but there are no such things as prime Beyoncé. Besides that, Beyoncé's also credited as the inventor of "talk-singing," which all of the modern singers and rappers use as their primary technique in music. Even Kanye has said so.

Live performances are also a criteria, and I think it doesn't even need to be discussed. Beyoncé's regarded as one of the best performers of all time. I personally would even say that she is THE best performer of all time, but it's irrelevant to this discussion. She's the first female performer to ever do an all-stadium tour (Formation Tour in 2016); her Super Bowl HT show is widely regarded as the Top-3 of all time, along with Prince and MJ. She's popularized feminine dancing in the industry; before that, the girls were basically cheerleading and jumping around the stage.

In terms of social media presence, I think it could be quite debatable. There are several viral Tik Tok Beyoncé trends going on at the moment. There's a "Lose My Breath" trend (the song came out 20 years ago), there's a "Diva" trend (the song came out 16 years ago), there's a "16 Carriages" trend, and a trend for Trump's "Dance Party with Beyoncé," to name a few. Also, everything she does or doesn't do makes headlines or is heavily discussed in online spaces. For example, her wearing a silver dress with 613 color hair, making her "look white," made rounds for weeks online. Her playing her film in Is**** made a ton of online discussion, while Taylor has also played hers there, and I've barely seen mentions of it online (both of them had nothing to do with it and couldn't stop it, imo; they signed their contract with the distributor months before Oct. 7 happened). People called Beyoncé "genocide Barbie" for being present at the Kamala rally and said that she "made" Kelly Rowland wear an oversized suit so she'd look better even though Kelly has worn those suits for a long time AND she always looks incredible in them. Don't get me started on the whole Tik Tok conspiracies and "she knows" thing. Even the false rumors of her making an appearance at the DNC have made it to mainstream news channels. There's also a phrase "The Beyoncé of..." that exists. Undoubtedly, Taylor has an immense media presence, but unfortunately, it's mostly her being at Trav's games, pap walks, or someone making up baseless rumors about her that no one outside of the Swiftie circles and pop culture nerds care about. I don't think anything outside of her excessive jet usage or new album variants makes noise outside of those circles except when the new material comes out and then it's 2 weeks of deciphering the songs. I think Taylor needs this kind of media presence to thrive, while Beyoncé does not. Taylor is a very talented writer, which has gotten her such a big following, but at the same time, it's her marketing that has gotten us to this Taylormania point. She's actively cultivated a quite parasocial relationship between herself and the Swifties by inviting them to her house, saying that she needs them to feel good about herself (I'm paraphrasing), and leaving easter eggs about her relationships and personal life in her music and music videos. She hasn't established any boundaries with her own fanbase, and that's why it's starting to feel cult-like at times. While Beyhives were and still can be quite insufferable at times, she knew when to pull back and cut the majority of the toxicity from her fandom so it doesn't impact her own life. Also, it's worth noting that the main drive of Taylor's popularity is her relatability. Beyoncé's brand has never been about relatability; in fact, it's always been the opposite, and I don't know why people are complaining about it: she's always said that she comes from an affluent family and went to private school. Because of the current state of Taylor's fame, I'm going 50/50 on this one.

Then there's the cultural importance part. I think Beyoncé's also ahead of Taylor here. Beyoncé's music has always been political, and she's made a pivot into teaching her listeners about Black history. There are multiple college courses about her artistry and image. She's also the reason why music is now being released on Fridays. She's created that silver craze last year with her tour; this year it has been cowboy attire. Black country artists are finally getting a platform: Shaboozey's song is now the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 solo #1 song of all time, and Linda Martell (a Black country artist from the 60s) just got her first Grammy nomination, and it's in a rap category (I mean, c'mon). She's at a point in her career where she is honoring her heritage and giving platforms to Black artists in predominantly white spaces (house, country, and I'm assuming Act III is going to be some sort of rock fusion). Also, to put things into perspective, at 34 years old, Beyoncé gave us Lemonade while Taylor gave us TTPD. Both of them have been recording artists since they were 15-16, so I think this comparison is valid. Bey also has way more universally recognized hits than Taylor does. Although Beyoncé doesn't write her songs alone as Taylor sometimes does, she is a prolific songwriter in her own right (the topics of discussion in their music are also incredibly different). She's also an incredible producer. I've seen multiple songwriters and producers talk about her process and praise her for having an incredible ear. Listen to the instrumental version of some of her songs (I'd say that Single Ladies is one of the best and clearest examples) and compare it to the album version. Not only does she have an incredible ear for melodies, she's also been the vocal producer for every single one of her albums, including the first Destiny's Child album. Her music, music videos, live performances, presentation, vocals, musical production, fashion, incorporation of Black culture, hair and make-up choices, and live performance arrangements (Homecoming had like 20-30 samples) are what her cultural importance is. There are generations of pop stars that took notes from her, and there will be generations of pop stars that will reference those who were inspired by Beyoncé after she retires, and that's what makes her a truly important and impactful icon that she already is.

If Billboard has any integrity left, Beyoncé should be an indisputable #1 pick. Taylor being at #2 is also higher than I would expect. I'd place her in the Top 5 for sure, but #2 seems very generous.

thank you for writing this up!