#Possible New DT Role?

[consanguinitatum]

Innnnnteresting......

My friend @TearsOf10th_ on Twitter found this interesting tidbit about a reboot of the 80s television show, Bergerac:

This is interesting indeed, since rumor on Twitter says DT was spotted in Paris over the last couple days. According to another article, "At the end of 2020, French TV production firm Banijay sealed its $2.2 billion acquisition of Endemol Shine from Disney and Apollo Global Management, which meant that the previous Bergerac project team was split up. Westward Studios, Banijay – and its company BlackLight – eventually decided to buy back the script from the owners of Paramount and start again, with the rights to develop the series being renewed last year." So the production company is French, Jersey is in the heavily Franco-British cultural landscape, and more than likely the production company's HQ is in Paris. Also, "Executive producers Phil Trethowan, Ben Bickerton and writer Toby Whithouse were recently able to visit Jersey for a familiarisation and scouting exercise that resulted in numerous changes being made to the initial draft script." Whithouse, as you all know, wrote Being Human (in which Turner starred.) And he's also done Doctor Who as well. This looks VERY promising indeed! Now let's all manifest David speaking French..... --- Here's the first ep of the original Bergerac (keep in mind this was made in the 1980s, so do be aware of how television has changed from then until now before watching it......you've been warned!)

[gentlemanjuniper]

If I could inject just a little positivity to the news...

Season 2 has a lot of filler and stretches out a pretty simple mystery to six episodes. That's the appeal to some, I get it. But tightness and focus was not its strong suit. I remember feeling like it wasted a ton of time on side characters and it's possible shaving the story down to 90 minutes will skim things down to its most essential beats and be stronger for it. Basically, S2 got a lot of time given to it, and this is obviously my personal opinion but I don't think it used all of it well. I think S2 itself could have been half the length simply by employing more efficient storytelling and we'd not mourn too much.

A lot of S2's weaker plotlines feel built around people that Neil wanted to work with again, with so many recurring actors (I'm thinking of the zombies specifically, when that minisode could have easily been tighter without them). A lot of s2 to me feels like Neil just making work for the people he likes and wants to work with and a movie has to be more accountable to things like that.

Lots of entire fandoms exist around single movies. 90 minutes is not nothing. It's enough for many, many films to tell a complete story with cute character interactions and satisfying emotional arcs, especially when A&C are the only real significant connecting threads between both seasons thus far.

I don't think there are as many loose threads that absolutely need resolving as people may be thinking. Would I like to know why Aziraphale did the '40s apology dance? Would I like to see his bookshop gun? Sure. Are either of those necessarily essential to closing out the story? I don't think so. Really, what needs resolving is the second coming and, directly connected to that, Aziraphale and Crowley's rift. To me, not knowing the story obviously, that seems super reasonable to do in 90 minutes?

I don't think anyone involved in the final season can possibly be blind to the appeal of the show being Aziraphale and Crowley over anything else. That's certainly the reason why their roles were expanded to begin with from the book and why the second season was, nominally, all about them. They also now have to pay MS and DT for appearing in a movie rather than an ensemble show, there's no way they won't be front and center. Amazon wants a show that will make money and market itself; there's a reason why all the promo material for S2 was of Crowley and Aziraphale, because people engage with that stuff, reblog it, make art that promotes the show, etc. It makes no artistic or financial sense to make a movie that sidelines them.

GO is at its best when it has Terry's voice most strongly in it. That's why to me, S2 was a weaker, more meandering season overall (that, and I think the minisodes, while fun, just make the season feel comprised of different voices not always working in tandem towards a common goal). If I was a writer hired to condense a season into a film, and one of the authors had been rightfully disgraced, I would go out of my way to ensure the clearly Terry stuff is most significantly emphasized. It's telling to me that the Pratchett estate is producing and it's possible that the end result will result in more Terry, less Neil.

Think of it this way: everything we've gotten after S1 has always been extra. Imagine telling a fan of the book in the 90s that not only will you get a six episode adaptation, you also get a totally new second season, AND a movie?

Basically: I know this is disappointing but I think a lot of the pleasure of the Good Omens fandom was ALWAYS people picking up on and expanding on details, and y'all managed to do that just fine when A&C were only ensemble members in S1. You can and will do that with a movie too. And this solution both a) ensures first and foremost that Neil won't be involved or the allegations swept under the rug, and b) gives an opportunity for the heart of the story to be emphasized with greater focus, clarity and less filler.

Will we lose good stuff? Probably. But it's also possible we will get a tighter, more condensed, focused version of the best bits, the Terry Pratchett-est bits. I can easily see a 90 minute movie that, knowing they HAVE to focus on the important stuff now, is more Crowley and Aziraphale centric than ever.

[azulasarcana]

hii, could you do a reading on the current energy around NJZ? I saw they're on vacation in australia, are they having a good time? Also, is there any music coming soon or plans about that? I got into kpop thanks to them and I really really miss their music, especially this summer 🥺

|| NJZ/NewJeans Energy check dt. 52925

⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ

⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ

The girls trip to Australia may appear to be a vacation, but it also carries undertones of being work motivated. It feels like a strategic move, an attempt to quietly operate outside of Korea, where they can work with more privacy and less pressure. They’ve likely met up with family, close friends, or trusted collaborators to regroup and talk about their next steps. There’s also a good chance they spent time with someone who’s played a guiding role in their careers. Someone who’s helped them reflect on their options and future moves. This person doesn’t necessarily have to be someone in the industry, it could be as simple as a close friend or relative.

They seem to be actively writing their own songs and figuring out how to get back into action as soon as possible. They have the production resources to do so. Right now, they seem envious of other idols. They may be watching social media closely, seeing others attend award shows and events, having fun, and winning while they feel stuck behind. There’s a growing frustration, a sense that time is being wasted and their ideas and plans for the future aren’t being fulfilled the way they envisioned.

As for anything happening soon, no. They appear to be in a space of stillness and contemplation. It’s like a chess game, they’re carefully planning their next move, waiting patiently, and making sure it’s the one that wins the whole tournament.

Note : I miss them tooooooooooooo 💔💔💔 this might be the first year since their debut they aren’t my top streamed artist on Spotify. Got so desperate for new music I started listening to the remixes

—

Date of reading 5/29/25

[ashybooy]

Connor Reynolds is the reason the whole AGGGTM trilogy happens.

So I just recently bought KillJoy and The Reappearance of Rachel Price with every bit of excitement and dread to read them. it took me 3 days (reading like a chapter or 3 a day) to finish KillJoy. Through that I realised something that hurt my soul.

!! Spoilers below for KillJoy, AGGGTM, GGBB, and AGAD !!

I'm gonna start off with a statement. I love Connor, he's great, love him to pieces and I can't wait to see Jude play a more main role in season 2. That being said, he is the cause of the entire trilogy. Hear me out.

KillJoy is the prequel to the trilogy, it happens like a month or two before the events it seems as Pip is yet to choose her EPQ project topic.

The story in that book is really sweet and I hope after we get season 3, we get this book in like a mini movie or a mini thing because it would just be fun for the actors I think.

This story is Connor's birthday, he chooses the have a 1920s murder mystery themed party where everyone dresses up and plays the part in a clue style who done it. Pip is Celia Bourne, Zach is Ralph Remy, Ant is Bobby Remy, Lauren is Lizzie Remy, Cara is cook Dora Key and Connor is butler Humphrey Todd. Spooky shit happens, Pip at first isn't interested but gets so invested by the end, everyone is sus and having fun. By the end of it, we find out the killer was Ant, Bobby Remy after Pip went on a whole spiel about the murder being premeditated and planned by the person killed, how the police man was in on it and how Ralph was the killer... she's salty and seething.

On the way home from that party, Pip is in Elliot's car with Zach and Cara, driving home when Elliot slams the breaks after seeing someone but playing it off and keeps driving. Pip sees who it was though, it was Ravi but Elliot must have thought it was Sal for a second. The last line of the book is 'i think I know what i'm going to do my project on', which we know is the Andie Bell case. Seeing Ravi that day after a murder mystery where Ant kept joking about Sal being the killer, sparked Pip's interest on the case - possibly for the first time since she was a kid - and sent her into the rabbit hole that becomes her life. Without that party, she might not have thought of doing the Andie case.

That's just Connor being the start, my boy furthers her torture later too!

Obviously Connor is there for the first book, supporting and being a good friend, book two comes around tho... and he's still being a good friend, Connor has done no wrong.

Book two. Good Girl, Bad Blood. The book where Pip's trauma gets turned to 100. The whole plot is Connor asking for Pip's help finding his older brother, Jamie, who went missing one day without notice. This one simple ask leads down the rabbit hole of Layla mead, Luke Eaton, their English teacher Adam Clark and Stanley Forbes. Through that she also found the Child Brunswick case and all normalcy Pip thought she had went down the drain. She found out Stanley was Child Brunswick, that her new neighbour was related to a victim of Stanley's father, that Jamie had sent money and planned to murder for Layla and got kidnapped by Stanley to keep them both safe.

Pip did a lot for this case and all she got at the end? A guy she grew to care about dying in her arms in a burning building, getting covered in his blood and dragging him from the flames. Pip lost all semblance normalcy from watching a guy die from 6 bullets to the chest (this scene will break me in the show... I am interested in how they deal with Stella being used as a catfish for this... they casted a black women and I really hope they photo shop her braids or whatever to be badly done blonde and that's it... it'd be funny, and canon)

All of that caused by Connor worrying for his brother and asking Pip and her podcast to help find him.

Those events lead into Jason hearing how much of a genius detective Pip is and targeting her, bringing back his DT killer days for his 6th victim. Stick figures, 'Dead girl walking' (if they don't use even a cover or something of the heathers song I will be mad), the headless pigeons, the spam calls. Pip thinks that the way to get past the trauma she has is - not to go to therapy and get professional help - to get on drugs and try to solve her own possible murder before it happens...

Clearly Pip is great with decision making... the traumatised fuck decides to try and hunt for her own stalker as if it will help her and ends up being kidnapped and almost killed! Then she becomes a murderer by choice - she ran away and came back there for it was no longer technically self defence... maybe? - and roped her boyfriend into microwaving a dead body to keep herself from being a suspect!

After literally murdering a man - for good reason - goes home and sets up a bleach bath for everything, then to Luke for drugs then to her friends places, gets Jamie Connor and Nat to help her, drugging and stealing from max, and then to McDonalds with Cara and Naomi to get a fuckin alibi! She then sets up the scene of the supposed murder max committed with Ravi's help.

And then after all of this, she thinks the smartest idea is to leave! To leave Little Kilton and ghost everyone! If only the police were actually useful in this town and Pip went to therapy after Stanley died.

I still fully want a scene, at the end of a season 3 if and when we get it, of Pip returning to Little Kilton after the case ends and the text from Ravi. Pip used to not being noticed, going around and looking for where her friends lived and knocking on their doors, saying hi and hugging and being able to be with those she loves again. then just like the end of Season 1, Ravi and Pip kiss and its super cute!

That being said... All that shit happened because Connor hosted a 1920s murder themed party for his birthday and Pip got interested in the Andie case... Connor is best boy but he is the catalyst for everything bad in Pips life, she'd never blame him though, not ever because she cares for her friend too much.

R.I.P Stanley Forbes | June 7th 1988 - May 4th 2018 | You were Better

R.I.H Jason Bell | IDGAF - Somewhere in 2019 probs | You deserved it bitch

[shakespeare-big-bang]

How does this Shakespeare Big Bang work?

A Big Bang is a fandom creation event where writers and artists collaborate to create new fanworks. Classic Big Bangs often require a minimum word count of around 50.000 words for writers, with artists claiming writing projects once first drafts or outlines exist - our Big (or Mini) Bang is going to work a little bit differently.

We want to center fun, lower the barrier for participation and spark collaboration more than anything, so:

*  no minimum word count or minimum anything

*  no drafts/outlines needed for the “claiming” process

*  both artists and writers will put themselves out there (personal ad style) with as little or as many ideas or wishes as they have.

They can approach each other in the matching period. We might suggest matches and help where we can to make sure everyone ends up with a match.

We haven’t done this before and this setup is a bit experimental, but given that we’re a relatively small group of people, we trust that it will work out somehow and be fun.

Timeline

(subject to change as we go)

Sign-Ups Open:   NOW - February 22nd 

Matching Period: February 23rd - March 8th 

Creation Period:  March 8th - May 1st (not a hard deadline) + Regular Check-Ins

Posting: First week(s) of May

The Stages

SIGN-UP

Fill out the Google Form and let us know what you want to work on and how many projects you have time and capacity for as an artist and/or writer. All this information will be channeled into an overview over everyone who has signed up and made available to the other participants. It doesn’t matter if you’re an artist or a writer - matching will be possible in both directions. Maybe you have a concrete idea for a great image you want to draw and it inspires a writer who didn’t have a prompt so far?

Don’t worry about making your responses perfect - if you want to edit them at a later point, because you got a great new idea or you have less time than you originally thought, you can always message us and we’ll adjust!

MATCHING PERIOD

We make the “personal ads” of everyone available to all participants. Message each other on tumblr and see if you want to work together - as soon as a match is formed, let us know and we’ll lower your number of available matches or mark your “personal ad” as taken entirely and log your match. Congratulations! You’re welcome to start working on your projects whenever you’d like to!

Towards the end of the matching period we might start to talk to people individually, suggest matches or (with your consent) shout out your ideas and wishes to see if additional people want to get involved or existing participants want to take on another project. Maybe an unconventional artist-artist match makes two people happy? The world is (y)our oyster.

CREATION PERIOD 

Time to write, draw, paint, collage, embroider… We’ll check in with everyone frequently on Discord and Tumblr.

If you need to drop out or lower the amount of matches you’ve committed to, let us know as early as possible so we can find new matches for people or get pinch hitters involved. Or let us know that it will simply take you a bit longer. The deadlines are supposed to help all of us have something to work towards, they’re not supposed to be an obstacle or source of stress!

POSTING

The results of our hard work will be posted on ao3 and added to a Big Bang specific collection. You’re obviously welcome to post fic links and art on tumblr as well so we can share and promote each others’ work! 

We’re currently planning a posting schedule spread out over 1-3 weeks, depending on how many works we’ll end up with, but this is still subject to change.

What can I write/make art about?

Any Shakespeare play is game! Closely related stuff (like Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Motive and the Cue) is allowed as well. It doesn’t have to be directly related to a role DT has played, but keep in mind the more obscure it gets the harder it might be to find a match! 

If you’re unsure feel free to shoot us an ask or DM one of the admins (see end of post) before signing up and if you don’t have any concrete ideas yet, don’t worry! You might just find the idea you want to work on in the “personal ads” during the matching period, or you can brainstorm from scratch with your match once you’ve found each other!

We’re also hoping to get a bit of a prompt and idea economy going on this blog… Stay tuned!

How do I get on the discord server?

Once you’ve signed up via the form, send us an ask with your discord name on tumblr or DM one of the admins (see end of post) with the same account you’ve put into the sign up sheet and we’ll send you a link! 

Please change your server specific name to your tumblr handle as soon as possible, so we can all find each other!

Who is behind this?

@tinysartorius, @elsinore-and-inverness, @thedemonraym @halfaninchofwater, @ancient-lesbian and @geese-villain at your service!!

[junipers-insects]

@lemonadesys here is the short 1,400+ summary for the Mostly alphys and kinda sans sci centered au lmao

Also I drew something for it back in January I forgot about

So basically I just really love alphys lmao

I called this au Labswitch because sans and alphys technically “switch” labs

in this au sans is the next royal scientist, by accident. After Gaster and his followers disappearance, Sans ended up as the royal scientist instead of disappearing with the followers. That’s because he was just an intern at the laboratory at the time and wasn’t a part of the group of Gasters followers.

After their disappearance Sans, and every one else, forgot about the previous scientists, Sans becomes the royal scientist because, well, because there were no one else left. Luckily he is quite capable and smart and took on the role of the R scientist with little to no hardships.

Until Asgore asked him to continue to work on human souls, and since he didn’t do the initial research on the souls that took a while for him to master and in the end resulted in him overworking himself down to the bone. After seeing Sans fall asleep at work numerous times Asgore suggested they hire an assistant for Sans, which Sans (begrudgingly) accepted.

Here comes Alphys with her robot with a monster soul, impressing both Sans and Asgore and meeting all of the criteria and beyond. She is immediately hired and becomes Sans’ assistant, helper, advisor and close friend.

Sans, now with Alphys, continue their work on the human souls, and soon they have a breakthrough.

Alphys extracts Determination from the human souls. The power that their whole research was based on.

They start experimenting with flowers first. One of the flowers disappears. Over all the flowers were a half success.

At this part in undertale asgore asks monster families for fallen down monster in the brink of dusting for Alphys to inject determination to them for soul research. But since Alphys isn’t the Royal scientist she can’t make these kinds of requests from the King, only Sans has that kind of authority, and Sans doesn’t agree with this just yet.

Alphys thinks they should conduct this experiment as quickly as possible, the flower was proof that Determination works. Sans wants to wait and try to conduct more experiments even though the next logical step would be to experiment on monsters, but the potential for the experiment to become unethical kept him from proceeding with it like Alphys wanted.

So Alphys has no choice but to comply with what Sans thinks is right and they continue to experiment on more plant life, even if the results always ended up inconclusive.

Alphys, frustrated by the lack of progress, goes behind Sans’ back and requests Asgore for fallen down monsters, even though she technically doesn’t have the power to make this request Asgore trusts her and does as requested in the name of progress and their freedom.

Sans, before becoming the Royal scientist, used to live with his younger brother Papyrus in the capital city “New Home”. After becoming the R scientist, he had to move to the laboratory and started living there instead, leaving his brother behind to live alone. He often visited Papyrus, having lunches together and sending letters to each other. But after his soul research started he visited less and less, so with Alphys’ arrival he finally had more free time to visit Paps again. Sans being on his Asgore mandated break was the perfect condition for Alphys to smuggle in some corpses.

She injects the bodies with determination, nothing happens. She keeps injecting them with DT. This has to work or she’s astronomically fucked, in other words, fired.

Sans comes back early catching Alphys in the middle of her experiment, but before he could scold her the bodies start waking up. Instead of scolding her, he apologized for stalling so long and that he should have trusted her to be right.

Of course it couldn’t have been this easy. The monsters bodies started melting into each others, amalgamating and creating unholy forms, disappearing and appearing in the dark halls and rooms of the laboratory.

Alphys was devastated. Going behind her superiors, her friends, back, and doing that to those poor monsters...she can’t live with herself with that.

Sans tries to comfort her, saying that one way or another this would have happened eventually, they would have done the experiment soon enough together. But Alphys wouldn’t listen or believe his words, she’s the one that should be blamed for all of this and she...she can’t show her face here anymore. She has to leave and she can’ go back to Waterfall, everyone knows her there.

Sans, feeling bad for her, has a suggestion for her.

The reason for his visit to his brother was that Papyrus is moving to Snowdin, and he was looking for a roommate, specifically Sans. But Sans can’t go with him, he is the R scientist he can’t leave even if he wanted to at the moment.

He suggests Alphys move in with Papyrus. They know each other and Sans trusts Alphys enough to let her live with his brother, and to look after him. Plus no one in Snowdin knows her, all the letters from the families of the fallen down monsters would be addressed to the lab in Hotland.

Alphys accepted his offer and quickly moved in with Papyrus. Paps was happy to have a roommate again.

Sci was once again alone in the laboratory, with more work than ever. He ended up shutting himself in the lab, put all of his soul research aside, trying to find a solution to help the Amalgamates. He ends up neglecting his brother, no more visits, since Papyrus lives so far away now, and he can’t find the time to read his letters to him anymore, let alone send his own.

Meanwhile Alphys, shuts herself inside her own room, rarely coming out. Until Papyrus encouraging her, pushing her to go out as much as possible, encouraging her to interact with the locals etc.

She’s often annoyed with his persistence, but also grateful for it, because if not for him she would have… She’s grateful to have the brothers as her friends. Soon she discovers the basement of their house, and being a scientist at heart she starts her own independent research… (BOOM labswitch)

Mettaton barges into the laboratory looking for Alphys. Instead he finds Sans, alone, and surrounded by nightmarish creatures.

Both Sans and Alphys within this whole mess have forgotten about Mettaton and his checkups and upgrades. But Sans didn’t build Mettaton so he had no clue how to help him. The skeleton suggested looking for Mettatons blueprints, but the robot refuses for anyone to touch him besides Alphys, so Sans has no choice but to direct Mettaton towards Alphys.

The robot finds the former scientist and soon he starts having his checkups at her new secret laboratory.

After everything , everyone settles down into the new normal. Until Papyrus decides to join the Royal guard. Undyne, the captain of the guard, eventually takes him under her wing (fin?) and starts his private training (cooking lessons). Soon Paps and Undyne become best friends and she often comes over to Snowdin to hang out with him. There Alphys and Undyne first meet and develop feelings for each other. But Alphys full of guilt didn’t want to get too close to her in case she finds out what she’d been lying about this whole time =, so she starts avoiding Undyne as much as possible by hiding deep in the Snowdin forest. One day she wanders in too far and finds a dead end with the giant door to The Ruins. She starts spending more time there and starts using the door as a confession booth almost. One day someone beyond the door answered (Toriel). They become friends and converse a lot. And The Promise also etc. etc.

A human comes through the door .

Here the au diverges into neutral, pacifist and genocide timelines.

In neutral everything is the same as in undertale: toriel stays in the ruins, you fight asgore then omega flowey happens etc. we all know that. But there is an addition of Alphys never opening up and either going back to the lab to help sans with his research leaving paps alone again. Depending on who you kill she has different reactions but there is literally so many neutral routes in ut I’m not writing down all of the scenarios

in pacifist you help alphys confess to undyne and also tell everyone bout her mistakes and also help sans reconnect with his brother besides that everything is the same not counting the more minor details.

In geno you fight Alphys who has sans’ help. He shares his meta knowledge with her besides that everything is the same not counting the more minor details.

[avtorsola]

To which place does your OC most yearn to return? Would this be possible, even for a short time? Or is the way back closed forever?

For Corrain (or any)

:D Thank you for the ask, ehehe! I think I'll answer for two of them-

Corrain (DT-era): I think more than anything, he wishes he could return to a time, not a place. With that being said, the *place* he most wishes he could go back to are the remnants of the worlds Meteion killed. He's- not sure, really, if those remnants in Ultima Thule are actually the shards of stars that once were, or if they were just recreations - but he wants to watch them live again, if he could. After Endwalker, he struggles quite a lot with the way Azem handled the first Final Days and the role he had played in the way the history of the star had unfolded, and knowing that there's still life finding reasons to live beyond Etheirys- helps, a little bit.

It's not that the way back is closed, of course- the Ragnarok is still there, and there are aetherytes somehow, but it's not easy to get there by any means.

Syewell: Prior to Stormblood, they most want to return to Rhalgr's Reach. They haven't been there since they were an initiate monk and a teenager, and the Reach was attacked by Theodoric. And then after Stormblood, when they DO get to return - they most wish to go back to Garlemald (after going there for a first time, ofc). And- yeah. That's an admittedly *weird* choice for someone who'd been an active member of the Ala Mhigan Resistance while in Ul'dah, and who had spent all twenty years of the Garlean occupation as a practicing monk of the Fist of Rhalgr - but Syewell is a very deliberate person. And they'd most want to return to Garlemald because they don't want to see it return to the force that tore apart their home.

Rhalgr already visited destruction on Ala Mhigo, Doma and Garlemald, in their eyes, and now it's time for something new to grow from the ash. Like how a forest fire clears out undergrowth to allow new plants to grow, or how volcanic eruptions leave behind fertile soil so many years later. And they want to be there when the planting of new seeds starts, so hopefully it can grow into something better.

Thanks for the ask!! this was fun :3

[just-an-assbutt]

Fred Vasseur: The possible Champion-maker?

Okay, this is an analysis I did, it’s kinda crazy, but I don’t know, maybe anyone else agrees. It basically hypotheses how a series of conversations and decisions could lead to a Ferrari Championship soon and how Fred Vasseur has a pivotal role on everything.

Hang on, it’s a long road.

Where did this come from?

In 2022, Charles was close to win the championship. He started off the season amazingly, pressuring the new world champion and earning Ferrari valuable points. But the second half of the season was a disaster masterclass: between Charles’ mistakes and Ferrari’s terrible decisions, the championship slipped away. There was a breaking point that I believe gave Charles the last push:

This was terrible. Ferrari had screw up and after that Mattia had the audacity to scold him like a child on international television. He knew he wasn’t Nepo Boy, but he probably never expected to be disrespected like this so lightly. To give more depth to this analysis, let’s talk a little bit about who appears to be Charles Leclerc.

A kid with a dream

Charles Leclerc was born on October 16, 1997 in Monte Carlo, Monaco, to a hairdresser mother and cars enthusiast father. His mother, Pascale and his father Hervé got together when her oldest son, Lorenzo, was around 2 years old. From this union came Charles and younger brother Arthur. Hervé was not only a fan of racing, he got as far as driving in F3, but he had to drop that dream. Living in Monaco without being as wealthy as the top of the food chain, Hervé relied on Charles’ grandparents to sponsor Charles’ racing career. The grandparents were wealthy and while Charles and Arthur were little, they were able to support both of their grand kids.

Time passed, Charles ended up being great, and the wealthy grandparents weren’t wealthy enough for the next step. So Hervé decided to get his son a sponsorship, he contacted his friend Bianchi, who had his son Jules in a great position with Ferrari Academy at the moment. Jules was a star in the making, so when he approached Ferrari to take a look at Charles, they said yes. Like that, one of the Leclercs got the money and support needed, the other had to wait. Arthur ended up having to quit karting for some time because the money they had wasn’t enough. His background marked something, he would never be one of them, so will have to work hard to be someone.

At this stage of life, Charles learned something: The only way up is surrendering yourself with the right people.

The teammates

Charles made it to Ferrari in 2019, to take the still warm seat that the last champion of Ferrari left, Kimi Räikkönen. But the big shoes weren’t the difficult part, Sebastian Vettel, four times World Champion with Red Bull Racing, became his teammate. Even though DTS made it look worse than it was, it’s still true that the two drivers pushed each other a lot, which was great to bring better results. The car was not the greatest, but it still delivered and the drivers got the chance to do their jobs. And they did it great, compared to what the standard could be next to the Mercedes-Hamilton dominance. In the two seasons they raced together, Charles proved Sebastian that he was different, that he had that something that made him special. Even though Charles out performed him, Sebastian really grew fond of him.

In 2021, Sebastian moved to Aston Martin and Charles got a new teammate: Carlos Sainz Jr. Things got complicated for Charles here. With Sebastian, Charles had something important which was pull. Even if the other had been with Ferrari for years, Charles was the little prince in the making. He may didn’t have many sponsors, he may have come from a less privileged background than Sebastian, he may not be a World Champion, but he had made contacts inside Ferrari with his hard work. Once he’s father got him Jules, Charles made a lot of friends thanks to his raw talent, dedication, discipline and determination. But he didn’t actively searched for contacts that could make his career better.

When Carlos Sainz Jr. son of Rally World Champion Carlos Sainz Sr. came in the picture, Charles learned the hard way that he was not playing at the same level. Carlos had a lot more sponsors, experience and better friends. Carlos grew up filthy rich and privileged, he was friends with the best there is in motorsport, he was the incredibly talented son of a Champion and he was given the best opportunities since he was in the womb. Charles didn’t have that and when the time came, it made a difference. The sponsors that gave Ferrari the money weren’t interested in him, they were looking at Carlos, and the fact that the Spaniard was not a bad driver didn’t help. When Charles started leading the championship in 2022, Carlos was way behind him, and the money weighed heavily compared to Charles’ talent. Mattia Binotto made the decision of developing the upgrades of the car towards Carlos’ preferences on the second half of the season, breaking up the relationship he had with Charles.

The right man

Even though second place is not bad, Charles couldn’t help but see Max Verstappen, long time rival, become World Champion twice, being the same age than him. When things got bad in 2022, Charles decided to listen to his father’s teachings, because the only way up is with the right people. He spoke to Fred Vasseur, who used to be his Team Principal in Alfa Romeo when he first started. If we look at it from outside, Fred was essential in Charles pass to Ferrari, helping him look good with a car that wasn’t the best. They were a good team together, so if we can see that from outside, he surely noticed that himself. Fred was the start of a change that would make Charles worthy of his Ill Predestinato title. Fred had half a year to pull all of his strings and get things done, starting by convincing Ferrari to let go of Binotto and hire him. Charles only had to be a good soldier and do what he was told.

The trifecta of a Champion

I. The person:

Charles had a persona outside the driver and something important is to understand that that persona along the racing driver is what gets you the best sponsors and connections. But your personal life can also be distracting, so sometimes you need to let go of people you may don’t want to, but have to. Charles broke up with a girlfriend he had for 3 years, whom he shared an apartment with and who seemed to be the one. People liked her and his cute ‘normal boy’ life was good to attract fans, but a girlfriends consumes time and attention which doesn’t translate in money. Probably, one of the first things that Fred told him was “loose the girlfriend”. Why? Because he was a 24 years old and he had to focus on his career, he didn’t need a personal life, at least not a real one until he got things done. Here is where Charles public persona started to grow. In December of 2022, Charles dumped his girlfriend, who he may have loved, but not as much as his (and his family’s) career. He became more popular thanks to being single and since the sport was raising in popularity too, he benefited from that.

He started to get assisted in everything that meant PR, he got a better stylist, made better investments with his money and got a girl that wouldn’t take up time. I really like Alex, but you’ll understand with this analysis why I think they might be PR. Regarding the clothing, he started showing off great labels on his instagram page and that gave him engagement. This helped his overall popularity even more and raised his value outside the track and the motorsport world. His millions came to good use when he decided to invest in a good PR team, but not only that, he created his own ice cream brand, why do that? Easy, he needs the money and the contacts that come with enterprises. This deal gives him a secure income outside the motorsport industry and the chance of becoming the business man that can interact with the others (that put their money on drivers and teams) it gives him the status in the business world.

But all of this falls off with the wrong girlfriend. Charles made a bond with his fans through his ‘normal boy’ image, the boy who played games, dated a hometown girl and had a hairdresser mom. Along with his loyalty to Ferrari, this type of image is something difficult to drop out from. People associate humbleness with core traits of a person, dropping that would mean becoming a sell out or worse, a traitor to his working-class fellow fanbase. He can’t date a model, he can’t date a famous girl, because it’ll look bad, but he can’t also date for real because he was told not to. So his PR agency got him the perfect one: Alexandra. She’s an elegant hometown girl, who has her own family money and career, and manages a low profile. She’s everything he needs, she can enjoy the lifestyle, make good money, keep up her career and he doesn’t need to worry about her and their relationship. She’s not dependent on him and she knows the upper class world and how to handle it. She doesn’t need maintenance or training and she knows how to play her part. She also seems very friendly and they probably get along well, which makes things easier. It’s a win-win situation, he keeps his image and she can enjoy the lifestyle while still doing her things.

Leo was the latest winning move, Charles is old enough for kids and people expect that from him (it works with Max’s image) but he’s not going to have a kid with Alex, so a puppy is the best next move. It gives him the chance to shine on a better light and he likes dogs, so it all works out well. His fatherly ways towards younger drivers, like Ollie or Aurelia, also help a lot to sell this image of maturity and leadership. He’s the driver number one, the loyal boy to Ferrari. This added to the ‘Lestappen Gate’ from 2023 only reinforce the idea of Charles being Ill Predestinato. He fights for the championship, he’s a team player, he takes the youngsters under his wing and when the chance to a seat on Red Bull’s rocket ship arose he still stayed loyal to Ferrari. He started to become an icon.

He has it all: the popularity outside motorsport, the contact with the business world, the love from his fans and the loyalty from the Tifosi.

II. The team:

Fred got Charles on the right path to freshen up his public image and raise his value, now he had to give him the team to pull off a championship. 2023 was still a season of change, but the first win in a long time came in Singapore, ruining a perfect season from Red Bull and giving a little peek of what they were on to. But the win came with the wrong driver, for Fred’s whole project at least, and it made the rest of the steps a little bit messy. For everything to work, Fred needed Charles and a legend. Why? Because he needed to be able to have a win-win situation at hand. Making Charles the first world champion since 2007 would be great, but making a legend in motorsport do it instead also works. The main point is to win again, and do it with a ground breaking gameplay, so either the Golden Boy wins or a legend retires in greatness. Carlos Sainz Jr. has to go.

Fred talks with Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal and Lewis Hamilton. Toto needs the seat for a younger talent (probably Kimi Antonelli) and Lewis is ready for the last bit of his career as a driver. Fred’s proposal is perfect, Toto gets his young lineup and Lewis gets the chance to pull a Schumacher. The news gets leaked very early on, probably by the Sainzs who lost in all of this scheme and need to better up Carlos’ image to get a new seat, and the whole deal backfired a bit. They solved it, Carlos understood that playing the cards he was playing wasn’t good for his career and Ferrari’s PR team worked hard to solve the problem. Now Fred has the legend and the kid, he needs to work inside the garage. He did a literal purge of incompetence, better mechanics, better engineers, better staff, better everything. He got the sponsorship from HP, that gives Ferrari everything it needs to never have to look at a price twice. It pays Lewis and it can pay a posible Adrian Newey. He took out Xavi and brought Bryan, a guy that was already on the team and that could be the thing Charles needed to perform better. The pitstops became faster and cleaner. The strategies got more efficient.

He started building a new, better team. One that can bring Charles to the top or Lewis to a path of redemption before retirement.

III. The car:

There’s just one thing missing in all of this, which is a championship winning car. The SF-24 is not a bad car, that’s among the many reasons why Carlos won in Australia and Charles in Monaco. Also why they been getting a lot of podiums and Ollie could pull off such a great race. But for it to be the best car, Fred needs two things: 2026 regulations and Red Bull to fail. Here comes the last part of the project that Fred still hasn’t accomplished yet and where this analysis shifts to a more speculative approach. 2026 regulations assure Ferrari a new opportunity to build a better car, their remarkable quality is the engine, which is what makes a difference in Qualifying for both Ferrari and Hass. But the car has some issues with aerodynamics, they solved that a bit, making the SF-24 a lot less of a tyre eater than the SF-23, but it still can get better. Solving this issue could guarantee a great qualifying pace and great race pace, converting that into wins with the right strategy.

But the regulations aren’t the only thing that could help, they also need get someone that can make that ideal car a reality. Adrian Newey is the man for that, not only because he’s the best, but also because taking him to Ferrari would mean that Red Bull loses one of his biggest assets, naturally leading to a drop in performance. This closes the gap and can even mean surpassing Red Bull, which is the dominant team at the moment. McLaren kind of hick-hacked this part of the project, bringing a great car this year, but Fred still has the chance to come out victorious by the end of 2025. If he gets Newey by the end of 2024, he can assure the downfall of Red Bull and the championship-winning car for 2026.

A man with a plan

If everything plays out as I stipulated, Ferrari could win a championship in 2026, even maybe 2025. This win can’t only be seen as simple success, it’d be a historic achievement in Ferrari’s lifespan and a game changer for everyone involved, specially Fred. Whether the championship is won by Lewis or Charles, the man that brought it home would be Fred. As Schumacher-Todt did before, F1 would never forget this moment, Ferrari winning again after almost 20 years.

All of it thanks to a man with a plan.

Let me know what you guys think!

[cringywhitedragon]

Random rambles but based on an AU thingy: But what if Chujin had been brought back to life as a vessel thanks to Alphys’ expirments alongside Flowey

Kinda a strange idea but just a thought on what would happen if Chujin had been brought back in a means similarly to Flowey (and also because it’s a background element for another Undertale AU I have that has like no story role other than an Easter egg.)

Note: This isn’t canon (Save for like the AU) so things may be wrong or off but just an idea I had. And also feel free to expand upon it if you like. I don’t really expect this post to gain much traction anyways.

Pretty much the idea was that Alphys found a mask that had been stolen and decided to take it back to the lab to test it as a control for the whole “injecting DT into an inanimate object”. Nothing seemingly happens and it’s returned to its owner (Ceroba).

Cue the events of UTY and Alphys eventually finds a seemingly broken mask that by some unknown means is holding itself together. Gets paranoid about it since it seems to keep reappearing and disappearing, which leads to her locking it away in a side room where Kanako was placed so that she didn’t fuse with the other Amalgamates (The latter part about Kanako being a thing from the unmentioned AU so ignore that if you want since I have an idea like some people that her body reacted a bit different to the DT and she didn’t melt fully/is somewhat stable) and forgetting about it.

It somehow escapes and soon becomes an urban legend of the underground about a mask that possesses any and all that dares to put it on.

I call this creature Masky (Yeah a “totally original” name, though I also like the name Kumiho (Korean Nine tailed fox) with what I have in mind for his abilities (Namely the soul stealing aspect) and partially because that’s what I based the concept on). He’s pretty much Flowey but really cannot do much on his own other than really move around and possibly trick people into wearing him.

When some poor unfortunate soul does end up donning the mask, Masky will then be able to essentially “take over” his new host and use them essentially like a puppet (A bit different from the standard Kumiho/Kitsune but works with the concept of a Fox spirit stealing/eating someone’s soul). The two bodies would essentially share a mind with the original host not being able to do much other then to obey as the vessel pretty much has full control over the host’s body as well as granting them some stronger powers, though a strong willed person or a host that the vessel deems “useless” may be able to break free. Though if anyone gets suspicious, Masky could simply use his new puppet to mask his intentions.

As for this entity’s motivations/personality, I would say Masky would embody mainly Chujin’s more negative traits to a tenfold. Masky despises humans and in a way may even become some sort of twisted “protector” for Monsterkind. Though I could also see there being some motivation for Masky/Chujin looking for a way to be able to see Ceroba and Kanako again (No doubt Masky wouldn’t be too happy with knowing what happened to Kanako), leading to his motivation of seeking out a host alongside 7 Human Souls (Six if the host itself turns out be a human, though I feel more likely I’d make it another monster. I’ll explain in a moment.)

As for when Masky does gain enough souls to transform back to normal. The host will be forced to absorb the Human Souls (The main reason it would likely be a Monster) as Masky also absorbs them and is reborn as Chujin.

And one last thing, like Asriel no doubt in mind that Chujin would be able to take on a Hyperdeath/God form. My idea for this form would be something akin to that of Ceroba’s TP bossfight but perhaps more on the mystical side. First off, Chujin would not have a mask but his face in this form would have markings on it that resemble that of his previous form as Masky. Another detail and to go along with the Kumiho theme I have in mind would be an orb-like object Chujin would hold in his hands and likely use as part of his attacks (This is a reference to the yeowoo guseul or knowledge beads is an orb that is said to give a Kumiho its wisdom as well as allow it to steal the souls of humans)

Also Masky lacks Flowey’s abilities to manipulate SAVES/the world but does retain memories if a reset is pulled.

Well that was a ramble but if you guys like the idea I don’t really mind if you expand upon this, go crazy UTY Fandom! I love you all!!

[thealogie]

In a way I kind of respect DT for his ‘turn up for anything” slay because without a doubt he gives his all to every project. Also looking from his pov that has actually led him to doing wildly different things

But yeah, he probably needs a new agent because all his most iconic roles are things that people have just given him. Take Jessica jones, doctor who, broadchurch, good omens (to name a few) - he got cast in because the creators of those shows specifically wanted him.

Actually I think he should just schmooze around some Hollywood/indie director types so that they’ll be just charmed into casting him (that’s the way it’s worked for him best)

exposing the 2-3 producer friends I have here in LA (who are too low level to be making casting decisions right now but have a very bright future) to as much David Tennant as possible so they cast him in some Oscar bait movie in 10 years.

[ishgard]

Rambly first impressions but I'll probably be turning DT around in my head for a while still. Spoilers obviously touched on but I try to be vague about it as much as possible X'D

Overall I enjoyed it! imo it was far from their strongest expac and is admittedly pretty low on my mental expac tierlist (fittingly, about equal with ARR, which isn't a bad thing per se), but it did a decent enough job at what it did, especially so in the first half. I'm in love with Tural and the people, the cast of characters, the lore - it was all delightful!

I absolutely understand peoples complaints about their presence feeling kind of pointless at times, but I also didn't mind taking a side/mentor role either (I've had potential plot/headcanons for Ahru doing as much for a long time now, so it works for me). I don't think they always balanced it well at all, though.

I also would have loved to see more interactions between, say, the Scions and Lamaty'i, but it was nice taking things at a slow steady pace and just enjoying the world building. They had a lot on their plate to show us, and they did it well.

The second half... played with some themes I enjoyed well enough, but suffered from some questionable writing that often gave me whiplash.

I love!! the aesthetics of Solution 9, it was another one of the few things that piqued my interest for DT initially. The overall lore and story was enjoyable, just kind of an echo of things we've dealt with before which isn't a criticism exactly.

I'm typically pretty good at immersing myself and smoothing over rough edges in my mind as I go, filling in blanks and grounding myself in my characters' reactions, but there were a number of times I felt kicked in the teeth and taken out by some of the choices. There were definitely more than a few scenes I immediately had to be like "well Ahru is just not here for this because that just would not have happened" lmao I'd be groaning and rolling my eyes one minute, only to be balling my eyes out the next, so just a lot of whiplash 😂

I kept feeling like the second half would have benefited from more time building some of that stuff up, but instead we got a lot of things repeated to us multiple times and obvious things drawn out for us.

Also though they got their moments in some of the very final quests, I had really hoped to see more of Erenville and Krile's stories throughout the overall MSQ. (THAT scene with Erenville got me ugly crying though omfg.)

I feel like I'm mostly complaining but this is probably one of my most 'mixed feelings' expansions in the ten+ years I've been playing. Like, that's fine though, SHB and EW were ALL up my alley and delicious, this can be a little less 'for me', and it was enjoyable enough I don't feel entirely disconnected from the game I love. The high notes it hit really well, I'm in love with Tural and the lore, and I'm super excited and interested to see where they take us next - and what we do with Azem's key. 👀

I was utterly blind-sided by a certain two-headed mamool ja so now I guess I'm a Bakool Ja Ja fucker. 🤷‍♀️ Also I have a new son and if anything happens to him I'll kill everyone and myself. (p.s. trial 2's boss was the worst villain I've ever suffered and this is coming from a lifelong villain fucker, they were a big detractor from my enjoyment at times tbh)

I am begging for another adventure with Erenville because that snippet was hands-down one of the highlights for me for purely biased reasons. Admittedly, there were a number of times I was the 'do it for him' meme with Erenville's face plastered all over it. I'll probably need to do a whole other rant about him tbh

My slightly joking prediction is chemist for 8.0 just on account of his whole two times mentioning he had potions on him to help the wounded.

[warriorofyapping]

✩ Introduction ✩

Main WoL: Takara Kasanui on Malboro

Current Expansion: Dawntrail

Alts

Fel Husanir on Seraph

Ayymeric Deborel on Seraph

Foulques Misttrail on Golem

There will be spoilers for the current expansion I'm on! I will be talking about it! That is your warning and why it it listed up above! The tag for it will be " 'expansion' spoilers "!

This is a side-blog, main is @ajaxskingdom, so any follows will come from there. I honestly just made this blog so I can yap about ffxiv and only ffxiv here. I might post stuff about my other WoLs every now and then, but I will mainly talk about Takara and ??? here.

(Info about Takara is down below) (Info about Fel is here)

Takara Kasanui

(I did not take many ARR pictures of Takara woops)

✩ Raen Au'ra ✩ Nameday -> 17th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon ✩ Arr 》32 , Hw 》32-33 , Stb 》33 , Shb-Ew 》34 , Dt 》35 ✩ Born in Doma, moved to Limsa Lominsa ✩ Main Classes: Gunbreaker & Viper ✩ Side Classes: Dragoon & Ninja ✩ Main Ship: Thancred & Urianger ✩ Takara's Backstory

He's accepted his role as a Warrior of Light relatively easily, though he has his doubts now and then on whether or not he's good enough to be looked to the way the others do. He's missed having others rely on him to an extent, but being looked to for guidance is something new that he still isn't quite used to.

Takara is a relatively quiet man, though he has been doing his best to be better about it. He was closed off during the first month with the Scions, but as time passed, they slowly managed to worm their ways past the wall he had put up after the incident in Doma. Behind his seemingly cold exterior, they found a warm man with a gentle smile and an even gentler touch. He did his best to avoid accidentally hurting those close to him and tried everything in his power to be someone they could depend on.

After his first fight with Zenos, he became a bit obsessed with growing stronger and that obsession never went away, even after he defeated Zenos. The need to be as strong as he possibly can be buzzes beneath his skin and he trains constantly so that he can protect those around him.

His eyes and scales never really went back to normal after the Light Corruption, even when he tried to find ways to fix it. The limbal rings stayed that blinding white, his scales forever paper white, and despite his best to pretend like it didn't bother him, it clearly did, especially whenever someone asked about it. He refuses to explain the cause and the Scions don't tell anyone either, knowing how much it would upset him if they did.

[consanguinitatum]

Trivia Night: the Takin' Over The Asylum Edition

So after finishing up with my previous post on a never-before revealed DT project during his drama school years, I went back through some of my old Twitter threads to see if there were any I missed posting here. I found quite a few of them, so I figured over the course of the next few weeks I ought to go ahead and post the rest of them here, too! Tonight we'll talk about a fan favorite -- Takin' Over The Asylum.

A month or so back, I was collating some theatre reviews and other tidbits about years which don't fit into my podcast years of c1987-c1992, and I ran across a few things of interest.

The first thing of interest was that Takin' Over The Asylum was rebroadcast on BBC2 in the summer of 1996. I'd always been under the impression it had only run in its entirety in 1994.

See?

from the Sutton Coldfield Observer · Friday, July 12, 1996

Did you know the series also ran in Canada in March of 1997, and in the US in October 2000 on BBC America?

That's cool enough, but it was the other thing which really piqued my interest. It was something really weird.

Did you know there were once plans to remake Takin' Over The Asylum into a major Hollywood movie? Well, I sure didn't! But it certainly appears to be true. By late October 1997, MGM Studios announced they had purchased the rights to make the film. They renamed it Fool On The Hill and plans were made for filming to begin in April of 1998. In this interesting interview in early 1998, David talked about the possible film. He said he would have played Campbell again "like a shot" if they'd offered it to him, and he thought if they did it right, it "could be a fantastic movie." But he wasn't considered.

So who WAS rumored to be cast? Oh, boy. Jim Carrey as Ready Eddie. Julia Ormond was being considered as Francine. .......and, um....Kevin Spacey as....um....who knows?

I say "who knows" because - in true Hollywood style - they started messing with the script. They rewrote it and rewrote it, moving it to an American setting. In this version, the main character remained fairly true to the original, as he was a window and aluminum siding salesman. However, in this rewrite, he isn't our familiar has-been radio DJ, but merely has a passion for radio. This fellow somehow discovers a defunct radio station in a small town mental institution and starts his own broadcasts, in the process "transforming the lives of the institution’s patients as well as those of the town’s more ordinary residents."

These rewrites apparently took so much time they caused delays in the filming schedule, so they ended up unable to start filming in April 1998. And by the time it was ready, Carrey wasn't available. So it sat on a desk.

Now if you'll recall, I mentioned David had been interviewed about the possible movie project in 1998. At that time, David said Campbell had been rewritten as a "black kid from the ghetto" (THEIR words, not mine). And - of course - David said he was not that character.

In 2001 - when they announced Spacey's possible casting - it appears the script must have been rewritten even more. Because here's the thing. In the 2001 version of the script, Spacey was supposed to be "a hospital administration officer who befriends the new 'inmate' in a bid to bring laughter to his patients." Which isn't at all what David has said in the 1998 interview.

To be fair, all of these descriptions are a bit unclear to me. They don't name the character who Spacey was supposed to play. So if Spacey was supposed to be hospital administration, was he a new character in addition to whoever played Campbell, or was Spacey supposed to replace Campbell? If the former, so be it....but if it was the latter I give out a hearty WTF and a double helping of ewwwww. That means Campbell's character had either been written out of the script or had been relegated to a less important role. And can you imagine any version of Takin' Over The Asylum without Campbell? Luckily all of this became a moot point because due to a myriad of issues the the film never got made. My personal opinion is THANK THE HEAVENS. It would've been a disaster, right? An absolute stinker. Because the only proper Takin' Over The Asylum is our Takin' Over The Asylum. With Campbell! Also, you all do know that Takin' Over The Asylum's original working title was Making Waves, right? It sure was! When I interviewed David Blair, the director of Takin' Over The Asylum, he told me so. Here's more proof:

I should point out the filming dates listed in the first blurb aren't completely correct. While I've no idea when filming started, Mr. Blair's given me a photo of the clapperboard for the last day of filming (which I won't publish, as he hasn't given his permission.) The clapperboard reads 29 October 1993.

Anyway, it's really cool that - even after years of doing research, it's fun and ridiculous and remarkable to learn things that are news to me. It's one of the most exciting things about doing this research!

[pumpkinpartynoelle]

Update. Update! UPDATE!

I figure as long as Toby is putting out another newsletter, I might as well give a more thorough update of my own.

I've done a quick read of the newsletter, and skimmed through the Sans and Papyrus dialogue. Nothing seems all that revealing as far as Variable Angel Theory and its branch theories go, so it shouldn't affect all that much on my end, other than making it clear that I do, in fact, have plenty of time to finish this theory at my own pace.

That pace has recently picked up. I think I'm about 70% done with what I want to include now, though the sections I still have to work on, most especially Spamton and the Spamton Sweepstakes, might be some of my longest. Then again, given how many sections have spawned from my stumbling into random lore bits that recontextualize other parts of the theory, it's possible I'm overestimating my progress and I'll end up with a few entirely new sections of content that are too relevant to skip out on. Much like Deltarune itself, I've no idea what will come up, so I'm not going to promise any sort of release date, not that I imagine there are huge swaths of people waiting with bated breath or anything.

Good news though, the vast majority of VAT part 1 continues to hold up. There are a few bits that make things seem shaky, but there's not a single one that can't be very plausibly explained away by either more thought given to the information we have, or simply missing a piece or two given how small a proportion of the game I'm working with. As far as actual major contradictions go, I've found absolutely none, and I have been looking. I've no intention of presenting a theory I don't believe in, even if part 2 will admittedly involve a fair bit more guesswork and assumptions than part 1 did.

I may push some of the deeper Gaster stuff into its own theory post, if I decide to look into it. So far, I'm much more familiar with the in-game content than anything outside of it. That's why I didn't really reference the newsletters much in the first part of VAT, nor the Spamton Sweepstakes, and, to be totally honest, tracking down all the Gaster stuff that isn't in-game in some capacity sounds like a nightmare, which is a shame because it seems like there's a fair amount of out-of-game Gaster content, maybe even more than in-game.

As such, the Gaster content I'll be including in Part 2 of VAT is almost entirely the stuff that's in Deltarune itself (and in Undertale, of course, to whatever extent I see relevance), plus occasional bits and pieces from elsewhere if I happen to know about them. Don't expect an extremely thorough analysis of everything Gaster-related, that's well out of my purview, at least for now.

To be clear though, the section on Gaster is still fairly long, and there are, of course, bits of his involvement that are very relevant to Variable Angel Theory, like the DT extractor, and I think Gaster may even be at least partially responsible for The Roaring. However, if you're looking for something truly Gaster-centric, VAT2 isn't going to give that to you. The best person for that job that I know of, theorizing closest to my style, is of course Jaru, whenever he finishes putting his Gaster theory together.

VAT1, as I'm sure many people noticed, wasn't particularly focused and streamlined on specifically the bits most relevant to the theory's namesake, i.e. the Angel's identity, abilities, most significant roles, and creation processes. That was intentional. Everything in Deltarune is so interconnected, it'd be hard to isolate everything, and to be honest, I don't want to. Lots of things are useful context for lots of other things. As such, VAT2, while its primary focus will still be on Variable Angel Theory, will include even more branch theories and bonus bits. Directly related or not, the pictures you can paint with enough thousands of words can be a lot more revealing if you expand your canvas.

Here's what's (probably) done so far in broad strokes:

All instances of "Holy"

All instances of "Sin"

More info on Soul Power

How Kris’s soul works

The vessel's purpose

Nearly all of the Gaster stuff

Rouxls Kaard analysis

Miscellaneous branch theories and bonus bits

Here's what I have left to finish up:

About half of the Jevil section

One or two Gaster subsections

The Spamton and Spamton Sweepstakes sections

Analysis of "Heaven" and "Hell" (part of which will already be touched on in the Jevil and Spamton sections)

Brief reevaluations of VAT1's main 4 angel candidates with the new info in mind

That's about all I have left, and I think it'll be less work than it sounds. Well, not the Spamton section, there's a good chance that'll take a while, but the other parts I expect to be fairly straightforward. None of these important keywords that I'm giving full analysis to are nearly as strict and precise in their use as "angel", and to a lesser extent, "demon", were.

I've also reposted, and slightly reformatted, VAT1 on our system's AO3, so hopefully that gets more of a discussion going on all this. Once VAT2 is done, it'll go up on AO3 as well as on Tumblr.

That's about it!

[female-buckets]

How is it trashing Megan to point out that her early journey in the W was rough? That’s how it goes with bigs, unfortunately. They’re often undersized. And yes she played more when BG was out this year but Phoenix was very bad, and it’s been years since her college hype

Anyone who’s a basketball nerd loves Caitlin because not only is she elite at the game, she also has an elite basketball mind, so the way she talks and sees the fame is very appealing to basketball nerds. So if that’s your strategy, she’s great for that too. Especially since she’ll be in Indiana which is such a basketball state. It’s not like she’s this sparkling personality, people very much like her for her play on the court

I also think Caitlin and the new stars have an advantage over players like CP and DT because the league is growing at the same time they are. The W’s gotten more popularity every year, especially this year with the best teams in big markets, so the fanbase is already growing - and the obsessive Paige/Caitlin/Angel/etc fans can grow with it

I’m not super worried about them having smaller roles on their W teams, because as long as they’re playing, people will be excited. Every Lynx player was a god in Minnesota even if they weren’t all the star. New York fans love Han and Marine and they barely play. Even DT herself said a player like Caitlin is gonna be her team’s point guard playing 40 minutes a game. And in terms of not winning, well, this is where it helps to not be a blue blood. The underdog teams are more familiar with losing, lol

The Iowa fanbase has two pro-level players. But they do not follow Meg's games. Every WNBA player your school produces should get eternal princess treatment. That's the rule. Hawkeye fans should have a whole Meg monologue prepared for whenever anyone says anything slightly critical of her. That's the bare minimum that other schools' fanbases do for their pros. A hoop nerd can make any role player sound like god's gift to basketball. If Iowa fans are real hoop nerds, they should start there.

I'm not doubting that Caitlin will be a WNBA star. I'm just letting you know that 2024 will be the most famous year of her life. The growth of the WNBA parallels WCBB growth. It's two parallel lines like this:

📈

📈

And the WCBB line is above the WNBA line. The WNBA line will never cross or catch up to the WCBB line. Not unless there's a massive shift in American culture.

The big sports media will cover Caitlin's rookie year. They'll have her at the 2024 ESPYs. And then at the end of 2024, the big media train will end. And the train will go back to the station and pick up the next college star and start again. For Caitlin, everything after 2024 is up to her and her agent. If she wants to maintain college fame, only one player has ever done that. BG.

Do you know how famous BG was in high school and college? In high school, she was the first viral amateur basketball star. The video she uploaded of high school dunking highlights was the first amateur basketball video to get 1 million views. And that was only the beginning. She kept growing. Every single thing she did and said between 2008 and 2015 made headlines. She was famous in high school and college. And she stayed exactly as famous through her first three WNBA seasons. Then she grew up a bit and settled down. And then Putin forced her back into the spotlight in 2022. That had to do with a lot of stuff outside her control. But the 2008-2015 fame was in her control.

BG is proof that it is possible to keep America's attention after your rookie WNBA season. Young BG did something no one in women's basketball had tried before. She grabbed American culture by the horns and started wrestling the whole beast. I don't think Caitlin is planning on doing that. But maybe she'll surprise me.

[doubletaleau]

Been meaning to say this for awhile, so I found out the DoubleTale and DoubleTale Sprite comics through the DoubleTale and DoubleScramble fics, as well as this other good fic called DoubleTime. And while I do like and/or love DoubleTale (some parts/stuff I don't fully like, but I do overall still like it and think it is good), I find myself liking DoubleScramble even more once I finished the fic, even though that and/or maybe even because that fic ended super darkly (and DS part of the reason why I really like DoubleTime too. Though there are other reasons too), so I was so excited to see this a DoubleScramble Sprite comic too (the DoubleTale sprite comic is cool too though). And I like DS even more now! (also, I just love sprite comics and/or sprite ones. So it is cool to see more ones for UT/DR).

I think huge reasons why I think I might like it more, is because I really like the more tighter focus (imo) on characters (I like/love DT, and like the characters and focus characters do get, but DT can have/has gotten quite a lot of characters at this point. Which isn't a bad thing ofc! But yeah) and the role swap of characters; with some of the being very unique and/or very fitting role swaps. Like Undyne being the Queen/in Asgore's role and Alphys I think in Toriel's. But in these role swaps, the characters keep more so their original personality, while also being affected by the differences of their world. I also really like how the role changes can really affect stuff too.

Besides Undyne and Alphys, I also really REALLY love Sans as Chara (idk, I just love Sans and Chara stuff, because I find them similar in a lot of ways, and I just like their dynamic and stuff, and I find Sans in Chara's role to be really interesting and quite fitting for him honestly) and Paps as Flowey/Asriel (which is honestly just fitting too, and even more so with Sans as Chara. Though, Sans as Chara and Paps as Flowey/Asriel is also just tragic and dark considering Asriel and Chara's whole thing and if you have read the DS fic. Things don't really end well sadly between Sans and Paps in that).

And I still really like Cter as Sans and Chara as Paps basically, and their relationship. Sans and Frisk's relationship is also just as interesting and cool/"cool" to me. And in DoubleTale, the DoubleScramble fic, and DoubleTime; quite a messed up relationship. And I am betting might become so in this comic too. Anyways, one of my favorite relationships, up there with like, Cter and Chara's, and the relationships between Undyne and Alphys and their (dead, kind of/mostly) kids. To name some. I also like Gaster and Grillby's new roles (esp. love Grillby as Gaster) and Mettaton in Alphy's role is just amazing. He brings so much life and drama to it. To name some more.

Like, I really like the take on role swaps in this, as much, if not, maybe more, even though I like/love them too, as StoryShift, and some takes on Underswaps (more so the takes on Underswap, that have the characters more closer to their original personality or have characters being a mix of their original personality and the character the swapped with. Because I find the comparison more apt in this case, and because I tend to like those kind of role swaps more. Even though I can like, even love, other kinds of swaps and role swaps too). Basically, I really love DoubleScramble, excited to see the rest of the Pacifist route (which, I don't think is that much more now?), and to see the other route(s) possibly. Spoilers:

I am both excited and scared for the genocide route (like, I am interested to see it, but I also don't want Frisk to ruin their happy ending basically; which is something Sans wasn't happy about either. And Sans to break. Cter ofc wasn't happy either). Also, as someone who read the DS fic, and remembers the final fight between Frisk and Cter in that, and how Sans had gotten so corrupted and broken by that point, that he wouldn't even let Frisk give up to Cter anymore as a kind of "punishment" for Frisk (seriously, that part/those parts were jusut chilling. Both Cter and Sans were so scary at that point. Then they stuff that came after the JH fight. Oh man), I am both looking forward to and nervous to see what your take on the Geno route will be (I know it won't be exactly the same as the fic though). No rush though; I am just excited for more.

I've had this in my inbox for ages bc it's so long but aaa!! Thank you!! More to come!!