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murfpersonalblog · 2 months ago

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@usuallydeepalpaca-blog LET ME HUG YOU! 🫂

Since LouClaudia arrive in Paris with Venus de Milo, it’s in the early days of Dec, after 5 months (from July, not June) of following them around, that Armand confronts Louis and invites him to a play. Maybe Claudia has met Madeleine a few weeks earlier, or maybe it happens on the same night. Either way, by the night Loumand meet in early Dec., she already has her altered dress. Thus, it’s a month later, in January 2, 1946, that they go hunting at the Mansion (likely breaking up a New Year's party, not Christmas).

Ok, my line of thinking was like: it was announced on July 2nd that the Venus de Milo was back in the Louvre--so I assumed that the museum would've had to officially acquisition it into their collection--unbox it, clean it, verify that it's not a forgery, give it an acquisition number in their catalogue, and announce to the press that it was back in the Louvre. So I was giving the museum a grace period, that the statue was probably already in the Louvre before July 2nd before the official announcement--esp. since July 2, 1945 was a Monday, and IDK what weekends are like for museum staff in the 1940s France, LOL. Meaning, Louis & Claudia would've been in Paris with it before July 2nd, too--and June only has 30 days. So my 5 months was starting in June.

Esp. since Claudia's dress seems a bit too warm for December? And I was hinging her good mood in her Nov. 14th diary entry coinciding with Madeleine giving her the pink dress & them going to the Theatre. But yes--they've definitely met the coven by December 1945. I can revise the Pt1 Timeline and just give a date range of Nov/Dec for them going to the Theatre, and then moving the Chateau de la Croix from somewhere b/t Christmas & New Years--either way it's still hilarious that the coven's crashing a holiday party, it's so on brand of them. XD

Louis says he was an armoured thing as he walks around the park the night he and Armand meet. Armand went to look for him in the park because he knew from following him around between June and Nov. that this is where Louis hung out. So, Louis was referring to the spring of 1945 because they met in November. I think it's a mistake on the show’s part for Louis to say spring instead of summer or fall.'

Agreed--it's a weird line that just doesn't fit with Hitler dying in Spring of 1945 while they were still in Romania, LOL. AMC should've said Summer or Fall, yup.

I think it's early 1946 when Claudia first gives Louis some details about Bruce. She says she'd just started working backstage and that it'd been weeks since the coven had asked her and Louis about their maker. Some time later, during hay season, so presumably May 1946, we see Claudia take over Rat Room duties. At the same time, Louis and Armand take walks around the Seine.

Ah, OK, May-ish 1946 is Estelle & Hay Season, thanks!

It’s a bit later when Armand admits he's known about Lestat for months and Louis tells him about what happened in NOLA. That same night, Claudia tells Louis that she was being admitted into the coven by the end of the week. So I'm thinking Claudia was ‘puce’ for around 6 months and joined the coven/moved out of the Paris apartment in June 1946. It’s the same night Armand grants Louis dispensation from joining (and Loumand first kiss and have sex), something Santiago mentions 1.5yrs later, on the night of Baby Loulou's 500th showing, which happened in Dec 1947 or very early in 1948. On the same night, Claudia is forced to always wear the dress off the stage and Loumand have a discussion about companionship.

June 1946 sounds right. Dec 1947 definitely works with Louis reading Boris Vian sometime after September 1947--but June 1946 + 16 months is October 1947, not December 1947 (June + 6 = Dec; Jan + 10 = Oct). So it's still Fall 1947 of Baby LouLou's 500th showing. I HATE MATH AND CANNOT COUNT, 500 nights = 18 months, yes, omg. Which means December. WOW I'm stupid. 😅 (Which allows everything pre-Roget to take place in Fall/Winter 1947.)

A few nights later, the art dealer tells Louis he doesn’t have an artist’s eye. In the same night: Madeleine attends Claudia’s show. Louis chastises Armand for using Lestat's tactics (show of power one day, grand apology the next). Armand bares his soul to Louis. Armand goes to fetch Claudia from Madeleine's shop. Claudia yells at Louis. Armand admits he can’t keep obedience and tells Louis to leave Paris. Louis and Armand become companions. Santiago goes to the apartment and finds Claudia’s diaries.

Just a nitpick! Going by Louis' clothes, IDK if Louis visited the art dealer the same night he went to the museum with Armand.

But the museum night is definitely the same night Armand chokes Claudia & Claudia yells at Louis, yes.

But museum night is the same night Loumand become companions/Santiago steals the diaries, yes.

I agree that the coup started in late 1947/very early 1948. I think that, while most coven members were dissatisfied with Armand’s rule (as seen by the arguments right after the 500th show), before finding Claudia’s diaries, only Santiago, Celeste, and Father Tuan were in on the plan. The rest came in once they knew for sure that the Great Laws had been broken.

Definitely by the time the diaries were passed around, yes. I'll add a node to make that distinction clearer, that Luchenbaum & co. read the diaries AFTER Santiago's coup & AFTER Sam wrote Waiting for Godot/Enduring For Guido, since they were hiding her diaries b/t Sam's script pages.

(And this is one of those infamous AMC POVs that can't be Louis', cuz if it's Armand's, that means he knew they were reading the diaries. 😬) I should start keeping track of them, actually, cuz ARE we supposed to consider these extra perspectives as the objective truth?

I think this happened a few months into 1948, not 1947. They learn about LouClaudia’s involvement with Lestat through the diaries, and they establish Lestat's approximate location through the lawyer. By then, the theatre had closed its doors for a few weeks and the coven was keeping Armand distracted by making him direct the play with the line about god’s light. I don’t think Louis was the painting’s first buyer. Maybe, like before, he’d bought a painting through a dealer. Or maybe Wols didn’t sell the painting immediately after painting it in 1947. In any case, I think Louis acquired it in 1948. Mostly because he meets Madeleine on the night he buys it.

I also feel more comfortable putting everything after Roget in 1948 (Louis buying the Wols, meeting Madz, Sam's Godot, etc.); cuz that's the most confusing year for me; like WTF happened during that time???? Good point about the Theatre being closed for a few weeks while Sam was busy with Godot! Tuan didn't even have any projections ready for it anyway--hence Santiago's cussing & fussing, LOL.

The play Armand was reading then wasn’t Waiting for Guido. That same night, Armand refuses to turn Madeleine.

I think it was revisions for Godot. (I suspect that AMC's meta is that Vampire Sam Barclay initially wrote AMC!Enduring for Guido first in Oct 1948, and then as it was revised it became IRL!Waiting for Godot by Jan 1949, published by Sam's IRL "alias" Sam Barclay Beckett.) In the beginning of 2x6 we get this:

ARMAND: A flaccid full-length play based on nothing other than the superficial observations of the vampire Sam, his meditation on vampiric existence and enduring. LOUIS: Strange, I remember you racing back from rehearsals to tell me how ambitious the conceit was. ARMAND: Well, I was following your advice, wasn't I? I didn't want to bring the work's anxieties into our home. LOUIS: Or you're recalling the events with bias because of the machinations surrounding it. ARMAND: Lead with a velvet glove instead of an iron gauntlet was the advice. LOUIS: Indulge the buffoon were my words. Feed Santiago his own ego back to him, and smother mutiny with praise.

And the coven's reading Claudia's diaries b/t Godot's pages:

As Santiago gives the God's Light line (& Celeste & Estelle interrogate Roget), and "the buffoon was in the audience."

Right after, we get the scenes of Madz almost raped, then Loumand are face-down in the coffin:

So it's just a few new pages, not a brand new script/project.

Once she reveals her nature to Madeleine, I think a few days, likely weeks, pass (enough time for her to tell Madeleine all about vampirism, for Madeleine to read well into her diaries, for Madeleine to decide she wants to be her immortal companion), before she asks Louis to convince Armand to turn her.

One would hope so! AMC just blitzed thru Claudeleine's content in 2x6--we're not told how long Madz knew Claud was a vamp b4 Lou busted them, and we're not told how long they wandered after Madz Turned. It robs Claudia of good times, and really makes her seem more tragic, if really it was just a matter of days/weeks they were together. U_U Which I guess would be THE point, tbh, that she was robbed at every turn.

It makes sense that Armand was told of the planned trial after the coven managed to contact Lestat and he agreed to come to Paris. Armand says he was told about everything when he went to guard the coven on the night of Madeleine’s turning. I think this could be true because by then, the coven’s plan was complete and he could either join them or not. And I think he joined them because he felt that if Lestat came to Paris, then Louis was going to pick him, and then who'd he be left with? And so he went along with the plan to kill Louis rather than let him leave Paris with Lestat, and he agreed to a lessened position within the coven.

Which is a WILD decision to make, when Claudeleine was leaving anyway, and Loustat could've just left with them! Armand would be left with HIS CHOICE: THE COVEN. So why resort to MURDER? IMO, that logic only works if Les was weak/injured when he arrived in Paris, and couldn't just fly away (Santiago is the only coven member other than Armand with the Cloud Gift, who could've tried to stop Les from leaving).

Lestat is the elephant in the room, cuz we really need to know if Les was injured or not--would he have even been in any condition to leave Paris with Louis? Cuz if he's weak, then Les is the coven's captive, and Louis & Claudeleine are doomed, cuz no one except Armand would be in a position to warn/help them. But if Les is healthy & strong, then Armand & the coven must've jumped/hurt him somehow. Then it wouldn't be possible for Les to heal enough to get anyone out in time b4 the coven kidnapped Lou & co.

*SIGH.*

Thank you for all of this, truly. If you & @alleyskywalker hadn't responded to me, I'd've just shrugged & given up & waited for S3. 😅

IWTV S2 Musings - Tentative Timeline (Pt1: 1940 - 1948)

I've been struggling with this for a while, cuz this ish just don't make sense, AMC. (I fully expect S3 to gotcha/retcon/fix stuff, esp. since who knows what Armand's tinkered around with in Louis' head.) I split this timeline in 2 parts: Pt1 has everything from 2x1 - 2x6ish; and then ofc Pt2 will cover as much as I can understand from the Trial's shenanigans.

(I'm just one person tryna figure out wtf is going on, so if y'all have any insights, please share!)

1940 - 1945

Claudia & Louis cross Eastern Europe (2x1)

pre-February 6, 1940: Mardi Gras, NOLA.

1x7 diary entry (x x): "Dear Diary, I've been planning the trip out in my head. When we get to Europe, we aren't going to look at any of the touristy sights. We are instead going straight to the Black Sea and then on to the Carpathian Mountains. Those are the places I've been reading about in the books I've brought with me. We had to learn so much…." (Carpathian countries inc. Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, and Ukraine.)

Roget (2x2): "We have not heard from Monsieur de Lioncourt since February 1940, when we processed several wires for him, for a party he was throwing."

September 8, 1941: 1x4 diary entry, Ploiesti, Romania: "The POWs are malnourished, nothing but bone and sinew. Their blood is bitter. It almost makes you feel sick to drink it. Catch 'em as they trudge from their work in the oil fields every night. They don't have much strength to fight..." (Ploiesti bombed for its oil from 1941-1944.)

1944: Madeleine's head is shaved during Paris' épuration légale along with the other Nazi collaborators. (An IRL photo from June 21, 1944.) France's Nazi occupied Vichy regime: July 10, 1940 - August 9, 1944. [see De Gaulle below]

Pre-1945: Cross from Ukraine into Nazi Romania (again). Claudia is speaking German to the Nazi at the checkpoint, who says "Black Ukranian? Waffen-SS, Checkpoint 30317."

DREAMSTAT: "Four years of grim wayfaring, and still no sight of the benevolent vampire."

April 30, 1945: "In Germany, Herr Hitler had popped a pill in his bunker, and Europe celebrated."

1944 / 1945: "But in Romania, the champagne fizzled and went flat. Soviets replaced Nazis.... War became occupation." (Soviet occupation of Romania lasted from 1944 - 1958.) Stopped by the racist Soviets in Emilia's town.

Post-April 30, 1945: 2x1 radio announcement: "The triumph over Hitler's evil can be felt throughout France, and in no more fantastic an example than the priceless works of art being bundled up in the countryside, lifted on to trucks and returned to their rightful place in Paris. And we of the BBC World Service, speaking for the rest of the western world, send a most grateful thank you to our allies in France with one of your very own. ['Y'a Pas D'Printemps' by Edith Piaf plays]."

1944 / 1945: "There is No Spring” by Edith Piaf is recorded July 4, 1944.

Late June, 1945: Louis & Claudia leave Romania (after Emilia & Daciana died); near the 1-year anniversary of There is No Spring; right before Venus de Milo was about to head to Paris along with the rest of the "priceless works of art being bundled up."

July 2, 1945: Venus de Milo officially returns to the Louvre. Louis & Claudia arrived in Paris with it. (August 1945: Louvre reopened.) "Claudia was entirely broken. She had left a part of herself in Romania. I knew I had to steer her far away from it. I chose the city that called to us on the radio. To the mother of New Orleans.... The war had turned off the lights, stripped its streets of their beauty, sent its avant-garde into exile. But now, the whole world was ready to return, to remake their lives. Pilgrims on their hopeful way."

1945

Claudia & Louis in Post-War Paris (2x2)

1944 - 1946: Charles De Gaulle chairs the Provisional Government of the French Republic June 3, 1944 - January 26, 1946. "De Gaulle's Paris had me etherized. If Claudia and I were looking over our shoulder at all, it was in astonishment our skin did not attract the same attention it did in America."

May 8, 1945: France's Sétif and Guelma Massacre of Algierian citizens (Franco-Algerian relations evaporated). DANIEL: "Right, because there wasn't any racism in mid-20th century France. I think your Algerian inferiors of the time might disagree." LOUIS: "But I wasn't an Algerian. I was an American, and if there was an assumption that I'd arrived to blow a trumpet or sing for my supper, it did not register as a slight in those days. I was just grateful knowing no one wanted to lynch me, or direct me to the far end of the café counter!"

1944 - 1949: Black markets & rationing chokehold over Paris.

LOUIS: "We hid ourselves away in an inconspicuous apartment in Le Neuvieme, passing ourselves off as moneyed Americans, over-spending for black market baguettes. It was the perfect cover."

ARMAND: "The estate of the family De LaCroix. Whilst their countrymen clutch ration cards, they've made quite a killing manipulating the black markets."

1945 - 1950: Paris' economy impoverished. "No salt, no butter. Can't have milk unless you got a newborn. And read here, 'Hospitals running low on Plaster-of-Paris for a record number of broken bones due to decalcification and undernourishment.' You want francs in pockets? These people are broke! I saw a woman tonight in a patchy five-year-old dress putting on a brand new lipstick.... Paris is on her way back. Give her a little time, is all."

LOUIS: "Five months of anxiety-producing choices, and not one 'bonjour,' or 'prépare-toi à mourir'?!"

ARMAND: "Five months removed from their velvet-heeled arrival, the Americans were finally coming to Pigalle."

SANTIAGO: "Five months of nights. Five insolent months of nights, waiting for you to humble us with your appearance. I ask you, Maitre, was it worth the wait?"

November 1945: Armand confronts Louis; invites Louis & Claudia to the Theatre des Vampires. (June to November is 5 months.) (ARMAND: "I had lost patience. I was convinced we were being toyed with and I could hold back the coven only so long. I knew the park well myself, knew what went on in the rambles there, so I was not surprised to find him without the girl. I would confront the elder, and make him aware of the ways rogue vampires were dealt with in Paris.")

LOUIS: Armand knows all about Lestat. CLAUDIA: How long's he known?! LOUIS: The whole time. Read our minds, first night at the theater.

November 14, 1945: 1x4 diary entry: "We've arrived in Paris, what a relief! My whole dead self feels revitalized head to toe. We might be outsiders to both human and Parisian life, but I do appreciate both now with such fervor! Granted, I've never hated my body [more]...." This also matches with Claudia meeting Madeleine and wanting clothes tailored to her size. And also with Louis remarking that it was only at the Theatre that "Claudia absolutely loved them. And it was the first time in Paris I had seen a smile or a laugh come out of her that wasn't for my benefit." By mid-November, Claudia's unhappy mood had vastly improved.

mid-December 1945: The coven hunt at Chateau de la Croix. "Claudia had attended a month of performances and the coven felt she had proven herself sincere." (Mid-December means this was likely a Christmas party the coven crashed! ��🤣) Armand warns Louis to stop visiting Roget, and stop lying to the coven about Lestat/"Bruce."

1946

Claudia's coven initiation period; Loumand's courtship

Spring 1946:

Estelle sneezes during No Pain: "It's hay season!" This makes no effing sense for vampires to have allergies, but whatever, it was funny.

Louis keeps cruising gay parks. "There was a park I'd heard about. I would go to this park often. I was an armored thing that spring, someone steady on his feet, but… With a history of chasing the wrong kind of love." It is impossible for Louis to mean Spring of 1945, cuz that's when Hitler died, and that's before Venus de Milo arrived in Paris. This also makes no sense, if we accept that Armand met Louis in Nov. 1945, five months after their arrival.

Loumand starts courting. (LOUIS: "I walk a new part of the city every night. I try to get lost. Somehow I always end up back by the river [Seine]." ARMAND: "I started spending less time at the theater and more nights strolling the boulevards with Louis.")

Claudia is initiated in the coven; she doesn't sleep in the apartment anymore. (2x4, "What the f**k's gone on without me here?!")

Spring - Summer 1946: Baby LouLou starts performing [See Sept. '47 below.]

1946: Jean-Paul Sartre: "Evil is the product of the ability of humans to make abstract what is concrete," (2x3). A wildly popular quote, which no one ever cites. I can only assume it's an English translation of something Sartre originally said in French. All I could find that came remotely close is his Oct 1945 - Dec 1946 speech(es) L'existentialisme est un humanisme: "If values are uncertain, if they are still too abstract to determine the particular, concrete case under consideration, nothing remains but to trust in our instincts." IDFK, I'm not into all that confusing philosophical blahblah.

1946 - 1949: Loumand's sexcapades, Louis' photography. (RASHID: "The Paris Albums, 1946-1949." LOUIS: "Those were our young friends. Humans. Guys." ARMAND: "Some are very old now, most are dead. And some we simply drained for sport. Well… generally me! Louis has his ways.")

1947

Spring - Summer 1947: Louis starts art dealing.

LOUIS: I bought a Fougeron from you early in the year. I was a little short of asking, so I threw in that watch I was wearing. ALOIS: Ah, yes, yes, a good watch. Where did you hang the Fougeron? LOUIS: Over my bed all spring. Then I sold it to Germain Seligman in summer.

Fall 1947: Claudia's sick & tired of Baby LouLou

LOUIS: "By the 500th performance, Claudia was beyond bored."

ARMAND: "So explain to the company why the 500th performance of 'My Baby Loves Windows' felt more like a slog than a celebration?"

500 nights = 16 months, or 1.3 years, assuming Claudia did 1 performance every single night. In 2x4 Armand said: "Fifteen minutes a night to pretend."

CELESTE: Maitre might not have noticed as he has been nomadically attending the Theatre Des Vampires. SANTIAGO: And the infection spread what, year and a half ago? CELESTE: When a certain vampire was granted dispensation from coven membership.

September 1947: Boris Vian/Vernon Sullivan's Les morts ont tous la meme peau published. If we take Louis reading Vian's book the month it came out, in September, and 16 months of Baby LouLou performances, Claudia would've had to have started performing around June/Summer of 1946, give/take a few months, depending on when Louis got the book, and how regularly Claudia performed.

Fall 1947: Louis discusses R-26, where he's been visiting in 2x4.

ALOIS: So, you've been showing your work at the Perriers' salon? LOUIS: Always something interesting happening there. ALOIS: Maybe before the war more than now. But then I'm rarely out of my gallery.

Late 1947 - Early 1948

(There's A LOT that happens from 2x4 - 2x6 that I'm really unsure of. The ONLY diehard dates I have are for Louis' Wols painting, and Sam's Godot play. So I have to assume everything below happens within that timeframe.)

Celeste, Estelle & Santiago investigate Lestat at Roget's.

Armand lies about the Maitre coup: "In retrospect, the buffoon was in the audience, oblivious to the conspiracy uniting around him."

Madeleine almost gang-raped; Claudia reveals her vampirism

Claudia's final diary entry "Diaries are friends of last resort. I have found one not made of paper and glue. F**k these vampires."

Louis buys the Wols / Let's Go Sunning plays on the radio(?)

Louis meets Madeleine; Armand meets Madeleine

Sam's Godot play

Late 1947 - Early 1948: Santiago's Maitre coup starts; steals Claudia's diaries. Louis dumps DreamStat; Loumand's Arun/Maitre roleplay starts. (Because of the rain & lack of snow, I wonder if this is Fall 1987 / Spring 1948?)

Late 1947 - Early 1948: Sam starts writing several scripts:

Whatever play Santiago was rehearsing for, in 2x6's title "Like the light by which God made the world, before He made light." Meanwhile, the coven is passing around Claudia's diaries.

Waiting for Godot

The Trial script(?)

Late 1947 - Early 1948: Celeste, Estelle & Santiago investigate Lestat at Roget's.

Late 1947 - Early 1948: Louis buys a Wols (Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze), It's All Over The City (1947).

(Question: Is Jack Shaindlin's Let's Go Sunning (which plays as Santiago eavesdrops on Loumand banging) anachronistic, or does AMC know something I don't--more than likely--cuz Google keeps telling me it was first used in 1954 in the film Garden of Eden?)

Late 1947 - Early 1948: Louis meets Madeleine; Armand meets Madeleine (the same night, since they're all in the same clothes).

1948

HUGE timeskip. The ONLY definite timeframe I have is Godot.

October 9 1948 - January 29 1949: Waiting for Godot, by The Vampire Samuel Barclay / IRL Samuel Barclay Beckett.

Right after this scene, they cut to Dubai!Louis describing IRL events from 1949. So I'm cutting this post off here, to put all of that in context wrt the Trial, that also happened in 1949.

#interview with the vampire #iwtv tvc metas #loumand #louis de pointe du lac #the vampire armand #justice for claudia #i hate math

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jellybellyblimp · 2 years ago

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I’ve see a lot of “Anne Rice would hate the AMC adaptation” “Anne Rice is rolling in her grave” type comments so I wanna clarify a timeline:

May 13, 2020 AMC acquired the rights to the Vampire Chronicles and the Mayfair Witches series. Anne Rice is very vocally supportive of this acquisition and expresses excitement at what AMC plans for her stories.

June 24, 2021 the series is given an 8 episode order and Rolin Jones, Mark Johnson, and Alan Taylor are attached as showrunner, executive producer, and director.

August 2021 Casting has been finalized and announced

Filming begins in December of 2021 and runs till April 2022

December 11, 2021 Anne Rice dies

Up until her death Anne Rice stayed on as an executive producer, and remained very vocally supportive of the project. After her death her son Christopher Rice remained as an executive producer.

I can’t find evidence of her involvement in the creative process, however, she remained supportive well past the point of script finalization and casting.

Meaning people bitching about Louis being a black man, or the vampires having sex, or Claudia being 14 and a black girl. I hate to tell you this, but those decisions are all Anne Rice approved™️

Or at least Anne Rice wasn’t so upset about them she pulled support from the project. Hell, she remained actively supportive well past the point of all these decisions being finalized.

So maybe she wasn’t ecstatic about them, maybe she was. We’ll never know. She was a weird weird woman. But we do know she wouldn’t hate this adaption of it and she certainly isn’t rolling in her grave over it.

#interview with the vampire #anne rice #iwtv #iwtv claudia #iwtv louis #iwtv lestat #claudia de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt

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ladyaj-13 · 3 years ago

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January 2022 Appreciation

Welcome to my first fic appreciation post of 2022! (That's weird to type. 2022. And I just mistyped it as 2002 which is even weirder. In the words of the esteemed Anne-Marie 🎵take me backkkkk to 2002🎵).

Anyway, I hope you're all well. This month I read some wonderful Lilo, Tomlinshaw, a Narry, Nouis, quite a lot of Ziam, a Zouiam, a Zouis (evidently, it was the month of Zayn - I really need to check out some Ziall next month too) and, as ever, Larry. If I missed any tumblr people tags just let me know.

Lilo

Searching for a Language (That the Two of us Can Speak) - la_faerie - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 23k, T – canon, side Ziall, fluff and angst. Ahh, fluff and angst, my kryptonite. Loved it.

We Stood Face to Face, Bartering Gaze for Gaze - la_faerie - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 38k, M – film rewrite (Leap Year), proposals, strangers to lovers, background Lirry. Loved the nuanced portrayal of these versions of Liam and Louis, and a really interesting build-up of their relationship.

if you said goodbye (would that be a lie?) - mrsenjolras - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @foliealou – 4k, G – Christmas, post-break up, fake relationship. This is so sweet, just lovely.

better together (it brings new things) - radiantbeams - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @radiantbeams – 12k, G – fake relationship, uni AU. The details in this are just wonderful, and the set-up is Nouis and Niam friendships, so there's plenty of Niall which is always a good thing.

A Secret Chord - blackwayfarers - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 41k, E – canon, songwriting. This is so poetic, beautifully written, with music and creation weaved the whole way through it. And a wonderful developing Lilo relationship.

Tomlinshaw

Holding Out For A Hero (I Feel Like Chicken Tonight) - sunsetmog - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @magicalrocketships – 11k, E – AU, wooing, secret relationship. The DIALOGUE, I can't handle it. I love the characterisation too.

The Sky At Night - sunsetmog - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @magicalrocketships – 10k, M – insomnia, AU. I'm not sure why I hadn't read this before, but a 'new' (to me) fic from this author and Tomlinshaw to boot? Perfection. There's a level of vulnerability here, like there is in most of their fics, and it just... it just gets me. Every time.

Let's Not Fight in Vegas - YesIsAWorld - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @louandhazaf – 10k, E – Vegas weddings, AU. A bit of a different take on the usual set up for this trope, and I loved it!

Narry

does it almost feel like nothing changed at all - estrella30 - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 19k, M – canon, kidfic, Niall gets a baby dropped on his doorstep. I LOVE accidental baby acquisition, which seems to be a term which hasn't really made it's way into this fandom, but it needs to. I haven't read much Narry yet but this was so wonderful.

Nouis

can't imagine there's a way to get closer than this - geewhizmo - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @sleepymouses – 6k, G – platonic life partners, asexuality and aromanticism, married in Vegas. The friendship, guys. The safety. The 'have found where they belong'. The ease of how they slot together. Yes.

something good can work - thebelljarlife - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @alwaysstyles – 14k, G – asexuality, aromanticism, canon, hurt/comfort. I loved this one. It just felt very natural and true.

Ziam

Wrong Side of Love - scottmcniceass - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 37k, E – canon, bodyswap. I love this trope, there's not enough of it, this one is amazingly written, funny, angsty and ZIAM and I will not apologise that this was my fourth reading. In a year.

Forget Me Not - loveandbeloved - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own]– 14k, M – AU, amnesia! Absolutely loved this fic. It's so sweet and lovely.

Tunnel Vision - scottmcniceass - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own]– 90k, E – bodyguard!Liam and solo!Zayn, background Larry. This was also a re-read, it's an AU but still within familiar settings and I love it. There's so much in this fic. Fluff, friendship, hurt/comfort, pining. It's just great.

The Way It Is - scottmcniceass - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 35k, E – canon, bed-sharing, idiots to lovers. The start of the month was just me indulging by re-reading all of this author's fantastic Ziam stories, okay? It was 100% worth it, I suggest you follow in my footsteps.

Sanity Not Included - scottmcniceass - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 84k, WIP, E – university AU, the Larry is not so much background as equal billing. I don't often read WIPs, and given the time elapsed this is unlikely to ever be finished, but it was so much fun. Great character work.

Copy of a Copy of a Copy - FallingLikeThis - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @fallinglikethis – 3k, T – AU, science experiments gone wrong, clones. This is such a little gem! Weird and wonderful and somehow so heartfelt too.

and you take me the way i am - orphan_account - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 54k, E – fake relationship, canon. This is beautifully written. The description is masterful, I got full body pangs reading this (multiple times. The hesitancy! The denial! Gahhh).

Zouiam

Written In My Memory - samandbucky - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 7k, T – amnesia, hurt/comfort, canon. This deserves some more love. It's Zouiam amnesia fic (with the angst of a Louis/Liam combo thrown back to early X factor days) – I mean, come on. Who doesn't want that.

Zouis

Until I Found You - reminiscingintherain - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @reminiscingintherain – 4k, T – fake relationship, canon, near future. I don't often read Zouis as a romantic duo, but this was just everything I didn't know I wanted! So sweet.

Larry

Swim In The Smoke - whoknows - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @crazyupsetter – 101k, E – pirate/royal/omegaverse AU. Really engaging, I got swept away by this one. Also I read this in the first few days of the year and that now feels like a lifetime ago. Like, I could reread this fic! Because it was great and I read it ages ago! No AJ, you read it three and a half weeks ago.

Not Another Lonely Christmas - haztobegood - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @haztobegood – 8k, E – Christmas fluff, fake relationship. I loved this. It's so freaking cute! And there's an extra dimension/tension added by Louis being Gemma's best friend which is perfect. I love that dynamic.

Best Butt Ever - Throwthemflowers - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] – 1k, M – birthday party, two halves of a whole idiot unicorn. This is legitimately hilarious.

Fugue - iwillpaintasongforlou - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own]@canonlarry – 16k, E – amnesia, married Larry, famous/non-famous. '17-year-old' Harry wakes up in the bed of his popstar crush. What's not to love?

May You Enjoy Your New Life - aimmyarrowshigh - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] - 264k, E – kidfic, canon divergent, X-factor era onwards. I just. Don't quite know what to say. I basically dived into this for 4? 5? days and didn't look up. It's excellent. So much wonderful domesticity, some excellent pining – just read it. When you have some spare time, that is. The word count is not a typo.

Ground Control to Major Tomlinson - absolutehly - One Direction (Band) [Archive of Our Own] @thestylinsons – 3k, T – space, astronaut Louis and alien Harry. Full disclosure, space travel freaks me out a bit (it's the being so far from help), but this was so good. Packed with interesting details, and Liam and Zayn as ground control – perfect.

#fic recs!#one direction fanfiction #28th appreciation

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extinctionatlas · 4 years ago

Photo

800-1000 Jaguar head from urn

800–1200 CE, pendand jaguar effigy, ancient art of central america

900-1250 Mayan sculpture Posclásico Temprano

1220_1521 Codex Zouche-Nuttall

1500_1550 Landscape with a fight scene between a jaguar and a deer, wood choir stall, painting by Giovanni Francesco Caroto, in the Church of Santa Maria in Organo, Verona

1830s (late), cast probably before 1847 Jaguar Sleeping by Antoine-Louis Barye - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1834 Engraving of a jaguar or american panther (Felis onca) from THE NATURALIST's LIBRARY MAMMALIA VOL. II THE FELINAE.

1837 Jaguar Hunt, from ''Bresil, Columbie et Guyanes'' Ferdinand Denis and Cesar Famin

1840 or after, Antoine-Louis Barye A Jaguar Devouring a Deer - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1850–1900 Textile (USA), cotton; 61 x 61 cm (24 x 24 in.) Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment; 1975-60-15

1850, Jaguar Devouring a Hare by Antoine-Louis Barye

1855 Rider Attacked by a Jaguar Eugene Delacroix

1866 - 1939, Jaguar by Bernard Willem Wierink

1868-1906 Paul Cézanne after Antoine-Louis Barye

1874-1910, John Macallan Swan, Study of a Jaguar

1881-1894 photograph by Alfred Percival Maudslay, Jaguar's head on top of stairway; Eastern Court, Copan, Honduras

1890 Jaguar, from the Quadrupeds series (N41) for Allen&Ginter Cigarettes - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1900-1920 Alfred Percival Maudslayc. Photo of 2 women sitting on jaguar pelt blankets

1910, Henri Rousseau, jaguar attacking a horse

1910, Negro attacked by a jaguar, Henri Rousseau

1915, Colonel Roosevelt's first South American jaguar killed

1938 Octavio Medellin's photo of Large Stone Jaguar. Temple of the Jaguar. Chichen Itza, Yucatan

1947, Orovida Pisarro

Life Magazine 1959

1968, 3-year old female jaguar standing amidst plaster she pawed off wall in frustration at close confinement, Boston ZOO

1990 The jaguar’s speech by J. Borges

2011

Tomb Raider

Lucas Lorenzo, Old Men and Jaguar Dance (Danza de los Viejitos y del Tigre)

weird deepfakes?

2019 Dentist is accused of illegally killing more than a THOUSAND jaguars as part of illegal poaching gang that has been operating in Brazil

2020

Jaguar amerykański (Panthera onca) – gatunek ssaka z podrodziny panter (Pantherinae) w rodzinie kotowatych (Felidae), zaliczany do wielkich kotów i jedyny przedstawiciel rodzaju Panthera spotykany w Amerykach. Trzeci co do wielkości przedstawiciel swej rodziny po tygrysie i lwie, największy zaś na półkuli zachodniej. Jego zasięg występowania rozciąga się od południowego zachodu USA i Meksyku przez Amerykę Środkową na południe do Paragwaju i północnej Argentyny.

Należy do gatunków bliskich zagrożenia wyginięciem. Jego liczebność obniża się. Zagraża mu fragmentacja środowiska jego życia.

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ourplaceinthecosmosphff · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 1. The Case Against Fairytales

'his eyes across a room tangled up in her imagination they had spent a lifetime together by the time he said hello' atticus

My brother died the same way he came into the world: silent, eyes closed, changing my life as I knew it.

We spent our whole lives trying to convince anyone we could that we were as regular as they were, but here's the first fundamentally different thing when you are royal: the meaning of the word ‘everyone’.

In our case, we usually mean anyone in the country, most of the international media, and at least a sizeable majority of the world's population. It's not that everyone knew us... it's just that enough people did. Enough for it to be easier to call them 'everyone'.

When my brother Louis was born, mom had been rushed to the hospital in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. The press was notified, they promptly set up camp at the hospital entrance, and the people started prayer campaigns to the safe arrival of their new prince and heir. Everyone rejoiced at his arrival. I remember, I was there.

At three years-old, it felt like everyone was every single person in the planet. It was mostly just the people in our country; to everyone else, his birth was a quick, short line of announcement, maybe some notice to the fact that the newborn baby boy was taking his older sister's place as heir, and not much else.

When he died, everyone was every single person in the planet. The second thing fundamentally different when you are a royal: from a very early age you must learn that tragedy sells more than joy. And in any constitutional monarchy country, a royal family is merely another commodity.

A few people talked about my early graduation from University. A lot more people talked about my boyfriend breaking up with me. There were a few articles about my little sister's victory at the ice-skating junior final. When she fell on her face in front of the cameras while attempting a risky move, she went viral. When my brother came into our lives, a few people took notice.

When he left us, everyone did.

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

I, too, am a victim of culture appropriation. Since the dawn of time, from the moment humankind developed communication skills, there has been storytelling. And for the past few thousands of years most stories that parents tell their young as they tuck them into their blankets every night, have been about my culture. As far as that goes, it is not the most damaging kind of culture appropriation. But I have a duty today, and I will not shy away from it. I am sorry to say I must, and will, shatter the beautiful image of fairytales that kids have been fed for so many years now.

I know what you are thinking – oh, boo-hoo, the poor little princess girl; is life too difficult in your beautiful palace with all the money a person could ever need? And yes, I know. I am not a victim. The same colonialism that placed my ancestors, and therefore, me, in the position of privilege and power I am in today has created many more actual victims around the world. But that is also why I must tell this story the way it was always meant to be told: truthfully. With all the weird, awkward, awful, bits and pieces that fairytales tend to skip.

Fairytales would, for instance, skip straight to the grand, majestic welcome ceremony between the Queen of the United Kingdom and the King of Savoy in a sun floored courtyard with guards on tall, furry black hats strutting around, standing in a red-carpeted dais, with a handsome prince making eyes at me. But in my story, we will start with the train.

That’s right, in modern fairytales you don’t take a lovely carriage ride to a neighboring kingdom. You take a train there – a commercial train, if you can, because modern times beg for demonstrating to the masses that the Monarch isn’t throwing money around. We were trying to highlight the easy routes of access to our neighbors to the northeast, and so we took the ferry across the Celtic Sea to Hugh Town Island and from there, Eurostar number 2 train that made a quick stop in Penzance, UK, and then went straight to London.

The train ride isn’t comfortable – even if you have a first class private car. It’s bumpy and crowded and a terrible place to spend three straight hours. On that particular morning, I was in our car with my father, his household secretary Auguste, my private aide, Cadie, and a few other staff members.

In fairytale world, when a princess does not look the part, there is usually the appearance of a fairy godmother who sings a nice song and magically transforms her into a Proper Princess™. There is no fairy godmothers when you are a real princess- real ones, sure, but they are not magical-, but you do learn from an early age what a Proper Princess™ should look like, act like, and sound like, and god forbid you don't.

In the train that day, I heard all that was keeping me from being Proper™ from Auguste, who was in many ways the exact opposite of a fairy godmother. He had all the menacing authority of one, with none of the charm. He also didn’t have wings or a sparkly wand; he had greying short hair, and thin, small, reading glasses that he always pushed down to the tip of his nose to look above, which made me wonder what was the point of the glasses at all.

Before our arrival, I had to change my lipstick, which was too dark, my dress, which was too short at the daring height of above my knees, my shoes, which were open toed and therefore wrong, and finally, make sure to brush my hair once more.

My parents never subscribed to the idea that we were forbidden to do anything. They were raised on stern rules and heavily traditional costumes and wanted their kids to live more freely. So, growing up, they revolutionarily told us that we were free to be whoever we wanted to be – in private. In public, we had an obligation to be Proper™. After all, as I heard repeatedly growing up: royals don’t make mistakes, we make history; and history remembers.

So, yes. I, a grown, 25 years-old, law-school graduate, bar-approved acquisitions lawyer, changed out of my dress into a more proper one because my dad asked. Because as a princess, you’re never just yourself; you’re the country. And if your country comes from a Roman Catholic tradition, your hemlines must reflect that, no matter what century it is.

The country in question was just to the south of the United Kingdom, west of France, a large island named Savoie. The English call it Savoy, which is how it was pronounced anyway. It was originally populated by the Irish, but over the years it was conquered by the English, the Spanish, and the Portuguese until finally, in the 13th Century, it was conquered by France. It was bigger than Ireland, but smaller than England, and one of the biggest GDPs in the world, with a population of 49 million. Under the reign of Louis XV, however, France lost most of its possessions after its defeat in the Seven Years' War, and to secure Savoy, the king sent part of the court to live there and to reign in his stead as his emissaries. Louis XV's reign grew weak, including his ill-advised financial, political and military decisions, which discredited the monarchy and arguably led to the French Revolution 15 years after his death. France dealt with its dissatisfaction by revolting, Savoy however, secluded away at sea, decided to declare independence before the Revolution had even taken steam. The political leaders of the Island reached an agreement with the king's emissary, Prince Louis, the highest ranking monarch on the island; in exchange for support for the severance of all connection to France, he was then made King Louis I of Savoy. The Royal House of Savoy grew steady and strong by protecting its people and assuring them a freer, better life than the one they'd known under French reign.

A few years later, I sat on that train in front of the current King of Savoy. My father.

“You look beautiful, Maggie.”

“Thank you.”

“The other dress was beautiful as well. Just not for today.”

“Mm-hm.”

A moment of silence went by. I picked up my phone and checked my emails. There was one from Sophie with the subject ‘urgent!’ so I clicked in it feeling my heart race.

It read,

‘Marie, I’m sorry to bother you on your days off, but the depositions got moved up to Monday and we can’t find the notes on the manager deposition, you were the one who did them. Is there any chance you have a copy and if so can you send them to me? Enjoy England! XO Soph’

Sighing, I put down my phone and quickly found my laptop on my suitcase. I turned it on as I replied to Sophie’s email to tell her to expect my deposition notes shortly.

“You know if we could I’d let you wear whatever you wanted.” Dad added as I logged into my computer.

“I do.”

I moved quickly through my folders realizing the most recent update on my notes hadn’t been uploaded to the cloud. Sighing, I logged on to the train WiFi and checked the storage service online. It didn’t connect.

“Honestly, darling, you look even prettier with this dress.”

I looked up, mentally wondering if the previous versions of the notes would be useful.

“This isn’t about the dress.”

I realized, then, that it wouldn’t matter anyway because I wouldn’t be able to send them to Sophie without internet. I looked out the window, realizing perhaps too late that we were in the tunnel, underwater. Of course there wasn’t internet.

“Well, what is it about?” Dad asked, putting his book marker back inside the page he was on and laying down the book to give me his full attention.

“Work, papa. I have a job.”

“Yes, and it’s your day off. Maybe you should try and turn off from work for the next few days?”

I smiled down to my computer, “maybe this is a conversation for another time.”

Dad adjusted his posture, looking a little taller, and looked around the room to Cadie and Auguste sitting in a booth nearby with our private hair and make-up artist, and dad’s footman, and personal aide.

“Excuse me, everyone, would you be so kind as to give us the room? Or, uh, the car? There is a little lounge outside, isn’t there?”

“Of course, sir.” Auguste said, jumping up immediately with the aide, and Cadie and Cass, the make-up artist, followed.

After they had left and closed the door behind them, I looked at my father. He lurched back in his seat and smiled at me.

“Go on,” he said. “If you don’t scream I don’t think they’ll hear us.”

“Why would I scream?”

“I don’t know, Maggie. But I don’t know why you would be so passive aggressive, either. Can you tell me?”

“What do you want, dad?”

In truth, I added the ‘dad’ at the end of the sentence to make it sound less aggressive, but as he stared at me, I felt uncomfortable not explaining myself.

“I’m here, aren’t I?”, I asked, tiredly. “I’m here, wearing a proper, long, not-slutty dress-“

“No one here used that word-“

“My toes will be perfectly hidden away when we arrive, I have hidden my ugly, evil legs under some stockings-“

“Really, Maggie, no one said your legs were-“

“My make-up is light and my hair is simple and non-threatening. I know not to smile too much or too little and to let the adults lead the conversation”, I said, the word ‘adults’ dangling bitterly from me lips. “And not to walk ahead of you, but always behind, taking your lead.”

“You make it sound so stiff and calculated.”

“And I have taken time off of work to be here.” I said. “All other Junior Associates are working overtime and through weekends to cash in as many billable hours as possible to be promoted to Full-time Associates, and instead I took off four days to travel with my dad.”

“Work, for work!”

“So, again, what do you want? How else am I not meeting your expectations?”

I spoke calmly, gently, and as low a volume as I could just to confront his joke not a minute before about how if I didn’t scream the others wouldn’t hear us. I made sure to be as poised and contained as I could. He heaved a sigh.

“I’m sorry you had to take time off work.”

I waited, as he stared in his usual lovingly, patient way. I smiled, more as a peace offering than genuinely.

“You know very well they won’t fire you.”

Still, I was quiet, smiling as sincerely as I could.

“And I know that isn’t fair, but there’s nothing I can do about it. So tell me something I can do and I will.”

“Okay.” I said, nodding. “I want your honesty. Don’t treat me like a child you need to protect, don’t patronize me. All I want is an honest answer.”

He adjusted himself in his seat and cleared his throat. “Alright. Go on.”

“Why am I here, papa?”

He blinked, seemingly confused. I could tell he expected a harder question.

“Your- Because your mother sprained her ankle?” he answered, still unsure. “What- do you mean philosophically? Why are any of us here, really? I don’t understand.”

I tried not to smile. “I mean I have a life. I am not your heir. Louis is your heir, it is his job to help you when mom has emergencies.”

He sighed deeply, finally arriving at the same page where I was.

“Your brother is in school.” He said. “And you are our oldest child. So, I’m sorry if it disrupts your life, Maggie. But you are needed.”

“And after school?” I asked “His graduation is in 6 months. Are you telling me that after he graduates university and moves back home, when he is starting his career, maybe moving to the capital, when you and mom have an emergency, you will call him up instead of me?”

He gave the table a sad smile. “If that is your wish, yes.”

“So that’s all, then?” I confirmed, suspiciously. “He moves back after graduation and you will give me the space I need?”

He smiled. “Is that what you want, then?” it wasn’t a confirmation. It was a tone of accomplishment. Of finally realizing what was it that I wanted, as if this entire conversation that’s what he had been trying to find out.

“I went to school for years. I interned for a year. I studied hard for the bar exams in America and Savoy. Yes, dad, I want to use the degree I worked hard for.”

“Okay, then. We will give you space.” He said. “Space from us, to be who you want to be. To be normal.”

I rolled my eyes, smiling, slightly amused at his dramatics. “That is not what I meant.”

“But it is accurate.”

“Papa...” I sighed.

“I’m just saying, sweetheart, I understand.” He insisted. “It’s why you went to America for University, it’s why you are based on the capital now. As long as you’re too close to us, you can’t live a normal life.”

“I can never live a normal life. We are not normal.”

“But you wish to try.”

I chuckled. “How?! You said it yourself, they will never fire me. My firm, I mean. Wherever I am, I am never just me and my degree and my career. People look at me and see you, as if I am you. I am their King. I am the Royal Family of Savoy. They’ll never take me seriously or afford me the same opportunities as everyone, because I am not everyone.”

He nodded, slowly, then sighed. “Yikes. You’re right. That sounds tough.”

“And I’m the passive aggressive one?”

“Job security and the attention of your bosses. That sounds awful.”

“Papa...”

“You want the space to dedicate yourself to your career without us pulling you away for royal work. Is that it? Okay. You got it. As soon as your brother is back from University, I will make sure you’re only needed for official events, and only if you’re not working.”

He sounded serious now. Sincere as when he delivered the End of Year address every Christmas, which was meaningful. Getting dad to afford me the same seriousness he afforded his subjects was as much seriousness as I could get from him. Still, there was no mistaking the sadness in his eyes.

“Even before his affirmation ceremony?” I asked, trying to sniff around for a trick.

The affirmation ceremony was meant to make clear to the country that an heir to throne had the seal of approval of the Monarch, and it usually happened when the heir was 21 years of age, to signify the Monarch believed in the event of a tragedy, the heir was ready to rule. In modern times, it meant an heir was ready to start working as a full-time royal. Though my brother was 22, the family had decided to wait until he had graduated university to do his ceremony.

Dad took longer than I wished, but finally, he nodded. “Yes. I promise.”

If you’re paying attention, then you might have noticed the math doesn’t add up. How come my 22 years-old brother is the heir when I said I am 25, the oldest child? Well, as with most fairytales, as well as with most of life, the problem is the patriarchy. For the thing is, though I was older than Louis by three years, because I was born a girl, he became the heir when he was born. So, at three, I went from future-Queen to lower ranking older sister.

It wasn’t unusual, my father himself had two older sisters who were lower than him and his brothers in the line of succession. As a result we had older cousins who we outranked. I cared about all this at 25 the same as when I was 3: not at all.

Absolute primogeniture law was passed in Savoy when I was 5, propelled by my birth and the new times. It was, however, not retroactive. This meant the law was changed for future births, not past ones, so all girls born after the law came into effect would be heirs in their own right, no matter how many brothers they got after, and all girls born before would go into history as having missed it by ‘just a bit’.

Louis and I, though, didn’t sit around having long discussions about who would be a better ruler. There has never been an instance in which we were arguing and I yelled something like, “first you stole my throne and now you stole my cookies! I hate you!”. For us this was just a little footnote in the family tree. A little fun fact to tell our future kids one day. And although I couldn’t remember what it felt like, I always knew it was much better not having to be the Crown Princess of Savoy.

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

When we finally reached Penzance, the small town in the tip of the isle of England where sat the second Eurostar station, I was able to finally connect to the internet. My father left our train car to walk about with his security because he wanted to witness the new English policy of installing a check-point at the entry due to the immigrant crisis – a huge part of why we were there. While he did that, I sent Sophie my notes on the deposition, and answered some messages.

There was one from Louis, my aforementioned brother:

‘are you close?’

And one from our baby sister, Lourdes:

‘what do you think??!!!!!!!!’, with an attachment of two videos.

And, lastly, one from my mother, Her Majesty Queen Amelie-Elyse, back home with a sprained ankle.

‘Hope all is well! Let me know when you’re with your brother. Don’t forget to let your hair down before leaving the train!’

She didn’t mean it in a philosophical, have fun kind of way. She literally meant let my hair down, apparently it softened my features.

I replied to her with a selfie, with my hair properly brushed and down, in preparation for the arrival in London, which was close now. Let Louis know we were almost there. And sent a quick, uncommitted ‘woah!’ to my sister, without opening her attachments. They were always the same: videos of her practicing. There was only so much ice skating I could watch in a lifetime.

My mom answered my text with, “why did you change your dress?!”

I sighed, getting ready to justify this decision as well, already anticipating she would argue that the fascinator wouldn’t go with this one dress, so I told her I already had another fascinator standing by.

Growing up with fairytales they don’t tell you about the little annoying details. Characters who are annoying usually are the villains, the ones the Princess escapes from, usually saved by the prince. They don’t tell you sometimes, actually a lot of the times, the people you love can be equally as annoying.

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

When we arrived at the station in London, I was already wearing my disc fascinator in a light shade of blue matching both my lace dress, this time reaching all the way to my ankles, and eyes. We were quickly greeted by the Savoyen Ambassador to England in front of the press, and escorted into government cars towards Whitehall.

The large parade ground was a traditional courtyard in central London that usually housed ceremonies related to the military and the royal family. When we arrived, the day finally was washed in a feeling of ceremony.

The place was lined neatly with military guards, security barricades and the Scotland Yard Police kept watchers and paparazzi at bay, the press lined up inside to have the best view of all involved. As we arrived, the traditional 41 gun salute was already sounding on. A military band was playing. People waved and yelled hello as we drove inside. I suddenly knew what to do, as if my body had the gene for it. This was one thing that was definitely genetic.

I stepped out of the car delicately, smoothly, knees together like a proper lady, polite smile on my lips in thanks to the guard who saluted as I left. My father greeted a handler who escorted us to the front of all the lined guards, where three structures had been set up: one large one in the middle, with a red-carpeted stage and a large roof, the British Royal Coat of Arms in the center with the British flag to its right and the Savoy flag to its left. Decorative flowers and elegant plants here and there. Two smaller, simpler structures to both of its sides. Inside all of them, men and women in formal suits and ties and knee-length, appropriate dresses and hats.

We walked the grovel path to the larger structure as the band played and the press, lined up in front of this platform, took their photographs. My father climbed the steps first, quickly being received by the small, elder, lady in a lavender overcoat and matching hat, impressive set of pearls dangling from her neck. She smiled as he lowered himself down to kiss both her cheeks warmly.

The queen then looked at me and I approached, just as our handler told Her Majesty:

“And may I present, Her Royal Highness, Princess Marie-Margueritte of Savoy.”

I lowered myself in a curtsy, and as she extended her hands to hold mine, I also kissed her cheeks, trying to avoid knocking her hat with mine.

“Welcome.” She smiled. “I hope the ride was forgiving.”

“Very comfortable.” My father told her. “Always surprising how fast it is.”

“Yes. You’ll remember, I’m sure, the Prince of Wales.” She said, walking us to the center of the platform where another two men awaited.

My father and the Prince of Wales greeted each other warmly, they were more used to running in the same circles – royal weddings here and there, international summits and meetings, or whatever it is they do.

“We’re so glad to have you.” He told my father.

“I don’t know if you’ve met my daughter, Princess Marie-Margueritte.”

Smiling, I curtsied to the Prince of Wales as he held my hand, before kissing my cheeks.

“You brighten this day, Your Royal Highness.” He told me, before stepping closer to add, in a whisper. “Sorry you have been dragged to this.”

I giggled, “I’m happy to be here, sir.”

Straightening up, he noticed my father was already greeting the man behind him. “Hopefully we won’t bore you too much. I have tried to bring someone else closer to your age. Have you met my son?”

The handler didn’t know it, but there were no introductions necessary. And yet, all I could do was smile politely as we were introduced to:

“His Royal Highness, Prince Harry of Wales.”

I wondered, for a moment, if he would acknowledge that we already knew each other.

“It’s a pleasure, Your Royal Highness.” Holding my hand in his, he brought my knuckles to his lips.

The answer was, obviously, no. So I lowered myself again in a curtsy as an excuse to avert my eyes from his.

I couldn’t understand why, but I had been unprepared for him. With all of Auguste’s preparation, all the briefings, with all the preachings about my appearance, no one had prepared me for him. I don’t know if it was that, like me, he was one of the youngest there, or how absurdly, almost ridiculously tall he was, or maybe how the blue in his eyes contrasted with the red of his hair, but he just… stunned me. When he kissed my hand, his eyes traveled down my legs all the way back to pierce mine, igniting a wave of electricity down my spine I was unable to control.

He leaned back, and there we stood, hand in hand, wordlessly.

“You can follow the King, ma’am.” Auguste whispered behind me, his voice making me jump slightly, as I quickly pulled my hand from Harry’s, not before realizing he had something scribbled on his palm.

My father and the Queen were deep in conversation, with Charles besides them, as they reached the center of the platform to watch the guards. The Queen in the middle, my father to her right, and the Prince of Wales to her left, I walked forward to stand beside my father, while Prince Harry walked to his.

We waited just a moment, and then the band started playing the Savoy National Anthem, and the British Anthem after it. A few words said, more ceremony here and there, and the Prince Wales formally invited my father to inspect the Guards, so they left together, accompanied by one of the military leaders to walk among the rolls of guards, as the three of us stood behind to watch.

“I was sorry to hear about your mother, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I said, looking regretful, walking towards her, closing the gap left behind by the others. “She was sorry she couldn’t be here.”

“I hope it’s nothing serious.” Prince Harry interjected.

“A sprained ankle.” I explained, looking ahead.

“Harry is also here after a small hiccup with the Duchess of Cornwall, my daughter-in-law.” His grandmother told me. “An illness in her family, nothing serious.”

“Hopefully I’ll have time to meet her before we leave.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” She nodded. “How did you mother hurt herself?”

“Horse fall. She was never very fond of Polo, I’m afraid this will drive her further away from it.”

“Oh, that is regretful.” The Queen said.

Harry looked at me. “Do you play?”

“I do, sir.”

“Harry is very good,” his grandmother told me, “he will be the one playing with you in the charity match in the coming days.”

“I look forward to-“, I started, but Harry had started the exact same sentence. We locked eyes, and chuckled.

“You first.” I said.

“Please, I insist.” He responded, cheeks reddening.

His grandmother looked between us, and then back to the uniformed men in front. She then said, in a low tone, something I would spend a large part of the upcoming months thinking obsessively about:

“Be careful with him... He will charm you, but he is a heartbreaker.”

The words astonished me so much I looked at her, unsure she had actually said them. But she had, clearly, because Harry was also looking at her, quite shocked.

“Granny!” he complained, in such a whiny tone I broke into laughter.

“Do I lie?” She asked him, grinning. It only made him look more shocked.

“Don’t ruin my reputation in front of foreign royals!” he said, in a low tone, before looking at me. “Specially such pretty ones.”

My giggle froze in my throat under his intense glare, and I could feel my cheeks reddening.

The Queen looked at me. “Oh, you’re blushing. It’s too late, I see.”

It was.

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

Margueritte’s outfit

The ask box is open! Let me know your thoughts? And if at all possible, like this page so I know you liked it? Thank you so much!

[A/N: Attention: by continuing to read you are accepting that some sad stuff is coming. You been warned. Thanks for checking this out! Let me know your thoughts?? thanks!!!!]

[A/N2: Hey! Nat here. I wanted to talk a little more about the story we are about to go on together.

In the upcoming chapters you will be introduced to the Royal Family of Savoy, a fictitious European country right below the UK, to left of France. When I first posted a fanfiction, FIUYMI, I made the main character latina, since that’s what I am, and I had previously felt that I couldn’t relate to other characters I had read. In this one, however, I decided I wanted to write about a fictitious monarchy, and I knew I wanted to make it as realistic as possible.

As much as I wanted at many points in the story to make the character look more like me, the idea felt like cheating: Margueritte is a blood royal, born to a life of specific privileges and hardships, and pretending she could look like the type of people who don’t have white privilege would be trying to ignore a very real issue: all monarchies - past and present - existed, lasted and gathered riches on the back of people of color. Most of their descendants still carry white and wealth privilege because these royal families, however many years ago, supported and perpetuated colonialism and white supremacy that left countless countries and their populations still recovering today.

That is a legacy Margueritte didn’t chose, and which she also doesn’t have to face, but in this story she will chose too. As you’ll see, she finds herself in a much more influential position she thought she would have, and as such she realizes she has two options: she can stick to the message her family - and other royal families - have perpetuated for generations and keep her head high, mouth and ears shut, so their legacy can survive; or she can chose to be a modern Queen who will make the institution relevant again. I want to write about this because this issue is important for the times we live in, particularly after the way the Duchess of Sussex was treated in the United Kingdom.

What that will look like will depend on who Margueritte is as a person and whose advice she takes, and that is a journey I hope you’ll take with us =) ]

#prince harry fanfic #prince harry fanfiction #princeharryff #royalfanficcollection #princeharryfanfiction #princeharryfanfic #brf #fanfic #fanfiction #modern royalty fanfic #chapters #modern royalty au #im so excited about this story #but also like #really nervous #i missed this

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plushieinsurgents · 4 years ago

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They're also gonna have this really strong sense of duty towards their parents, which comes in pretty well considering Combeferre's mother? :3

It'd also be pretty likely that East Asian!Joly or Ferre are lactose intolerant. Another weird fact is that Asian McDonalds (or any fast food chain in general) normally serve a lot less food (A lot less) than stores in the USA. Cue Joly trying to shovel down a Happy Meal and getting impossibly stuffed before he even finishes a third of it.

Only speaking for China, but apart from the more official Putonghua there's a bucketful of dialects sprinkled around the country. Chances are that an East Asian!Joly or Ferre would probably grow up speaking a particular dialect, and oop if you're doing accidental baby acquisition it could really drive someone to tears.

A rite of passage for almost every literate teenager (in Hong Kong, at least) was to read one of Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha)'s martial art novels. The Condor trilogy is a classic, and failing the books, adaptations are everywhere.

Speaking of martial arts, the art of acupressure as a form of self-defense strikes me as very Combeferre because it requires absolute focus and precision, could be non-lethal without causing damage at all and doubles as a healing method. Okay, most of its effects as a martial art form are fictional, but every East Asian!Combeferre must've dreamed of poking somebody into immobility at some point of his life.

Of course it's not just the doctors who get to be East Asian... = ,=

If it helps, I've imagined Bahorel as East Asian for some time now, and sometimes Enjolras.

East Asian! Joly & Ferre headcanons (From an actual East Asian)

As I am frustrated by the lack of authentic representation in les mis fics featuring East Asian amis (they’re either stereotypically Asian™ or really westernized ), I decided to compile some stuff that… idk… les mis writers could draw from maybe There’s Joly because he’s the one most commonly depicted as East Asian, and also Ferre because that’s my personal headcanon lol, if I ever do a part 2 in the future I’ll throw in some other characters

Note: I am a first gen Chinese immigrant living in Canada, so these headcanons are highly influenced by my specific experience. I’m obviously not speaking for every East Asian ever.

Everything is under the cut because it got absurdly long, I was having too much fun with this lol (also things got increasingly random and specific sorry not sorry)…

Seguir leyendo

#les mis #les miserables #combeferre #joly #jolllly #east asian #headcanons #bahorel #enjolras

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johnboothus · 5 years ago

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We Asked 15 Beer Pros: How Will the Year in Beer Be Remembered? (2019)

In the beer world, the last 12 months held celebration, controversy, and success. Some stories made us smile, and others made us shake our heads. This year was one of brewery openings, closings, mergers, and acquisitions. Thousands of new beers were brewed; some contained no alcohol; some contained more pastries than a small bakery; some weren’t beer at all, but hard seltzer.

We recently asked a group of brewers to play prognosticator about the new year, and they offered predictions on pale ales, hard seltzers, smoked beers, and more. But before the book on 2019 closes, why not take a look back at the industry’s happenings over the last year?

Below, an opinionated bunch of brewers and beer industry pros from across the U.S. (and one guest brewer in England) sum up the year in beer.

“We hit peak lactose. Pastry stouts, gloopy haze bombs, breakfast juice sours — all seem to be in an arms race to be the sweetest and least beer-flavored drink possible. I hope 2020 is the turning point in that trend.” — Nick Weber, Head Brewer, Fortnight Brewing, Cary, NC

“The 12-ounce bottle officially died this year. The 16-ounce can is like the virtue signal for hype beer, and every major brewery, big and small, has started switching over to cans to signal to consumers that they’re cool kids, too. Now you can’t even give away a used bottling line.” — Ethan Buckman, Co-owner and Head Brewer, Stickman Brews, Royersford, PA

“Adjunct beers continued to get weirder and just downright absurd. I’m talkin’ Fruit Gushers, macaroni and cheese, even Lucky Charms. Whether it was out of creativity or a need to stand out, I believe the industry is starting to remind itself of the value of some of the more traditional beer styles. With that, I think we’ll start to see a resurgence of those beer styles in the coming years, or at least I hope we do.” — Kyle Gonzales, NYC Field Marketing, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

“Brewers finally embraced the traditional ingredients of kölsch: lactose, three fruit varieties, Tahitian vanilla beans, and Sabro hops. OK Boomer.” — Trevor Williams, Co-owner and Brewmaster, Hoof Hearted Brewing, Marengo, OH

“As the craft-beer scene is evolving, we’re seeing breweries near us devoting time, energy, and finances toward personal interests, and in doing so putting out less New England-style IPAs and more lagers and wild-fermented beers. Brewers were more willing to grow their sour programs by adding foeders, or invest in lagering tanks rather than chase what might sell the fastest and easiest.” — Morgan Clark Snyder, Owner and Head Brewer, Buttonwoods Brewery, Cranston, RI

“I think 2019 was a year of collaboration — both between breweries and with the combination of experimentation and refinement in the beer industry. We saw a return and resurgence of traditional styles, while continuing the expansion of new creative combinations and techniques.” — Rachel Nalley, Head Brewer, TT’s Brewery & BBQ, Spokane Valley, WA

“There was a start of breweries seeking ways to reach new and more diverse audiences, focusing efforts on bringing more folks into the fold and having greater ethnic diversity represented at beer events and within breweries themselves. I hope it continues in 2020. Following the success and reach of events like Fresh Fest Beer Fest and the work of groups like Beer Kulture, I’d like to see craft beer become a crowded table full of faces that represent a wide variety of races, genders, and backgrounds.” — Jeremy Danner, On-Premise Specialist and Brand Ambassador, 4 Hands Brewing Company, St. Louis, MO

“Every year has its throwaway trend, but this year it is apparently extra special. 2019 will be remembered as the year of hard seltzer. You should give it a try. Really. However, if you’re the highly suggestible type, you already have. Because you saw some buff dude or cute girl doing it on Instagram. You go tiger. Avoid posting any pics yourself. … You won’t be proud of them in a couple years. Or in one year. Admittedly, it’s likely the perfect drink for people whose best night of their lives was prom.” — Greg Koch, Co-founder, Stone Brewing; “The Arrogant Bastard” & “Chief Executive Omnipotent,” Arrogant Consortia, Escondido, CA

“The mortality of what we’ve known as ‘craft beer,’ and the beginning of something entirely new. Watching brewers jump into the hard seltzer game and beyond is a sign that the contingent known as craft beer has now become just another alcoholic commodity representing popular culture.” — Brian Strumke, Founder and Brewer, Stillwater Artisanal (Contract Brand)

“Brewers started truly noticing and trying to focus on health and its different aspects. Whether it be the trend of hard seltzers and low-calorie and nonalcoholic offerings, talking about making mental health and self-care a priority for their staff and the beer community as a whole, and making a bigger push toward social responsibility and inclusion, and to stand up against hate and bullies.” — Libby Crider, Co-owner, 2nd Shift Brewing, St. Louis, MO

“As a means of differentiation in an increasingly crowded market, more brewers broadened and blurred the lines in how they’re defining their operations, and what it means to be a brewery.” — David Gonzales, Director of Brewing Operations, Lost Worlds Brewing Company, Cornelius, NC

“Craft’s growth slowdown, the introduction of other beer-adjacent products (you didn’t think I wouldn’t mention seltzer, did ya?), and shifting consumer preferences have cemented that this year was the end of [an] era, and that the next star breweries’ values will be derived by how they deliver beer, and their experience, to their drinkers. We’ll see a lot of surprising M&A (both companies involved and valuations) in the next five years, and we’ll realize the paradigm shift that happened this year directly caused those surprises.” — John Dantzler, Co-founder, Torch & Crown Brewing Company, New York, NY

“I’ve never seen, or perhaps it just wasn’t publicized as much, as many restructures, downsizes, or layoffs as I’ve seen this year. Beer companies have to look at being lean in the right way to manage risk, and it appears restructuring the company is the preferred method.” — Tim Matthews, VP of Global Brewing, CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective, Longmont, CO

“Craft malt finally arrived in the national beer conversation, shedding some of the (unfounded, mostly) reputation for inconsistency. In Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, we have an abundance of craft maltsters to work with, all of whom make terrific malt and are built to scale up. In the last couple weeks alone, two different farmers/aspiring maltsters came in looking to make connections. More brewers opting in helped the maltsters compete on price; industry and academic gatherings of said experts filled up across the country; and consumers started finally paying more attention to the freshness, locality, and pleasing sense of variety that craft malt can deliver (which is the point, remember?). It’s about time. If a brewery is willing to plunk down $26 a pound for imported aroma hops but not part with a red cent more for locally grown, locally malted heirloom barley — the backbone of beer — to quote Gene Ween, ‘somethin’ ain’t right.’” — Christian DeBenedetti, Founder and Head Brewer, Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery, Newberg, OR

“From scandals to lawsuits and crazy buyouts — all of it blasted across rapidly growing beer gossip accounts — this was the year of drama. Maybe beer has always been insane, but social media is here to make sure every single person knows everything everyone has done wrong. A short recap of 2019: the stupid ‘corntroversy’ between MillerCoors and [ABI]; an absurd amount of sexist, racist, and homophobic labels, posts, and emails (what year is it again?); the settlement of the Tracy Evans and Founders lawsuit; the Brewbound podcast with Chris Furnari taking aim at female beer influencers; BrewDog’s stolen marketing ideas scandal; Reckless Brewing and its really cringy black lager post; that weird IPA bowl. Dogfish Head merging with Sam Adams; the acquisition of New Belgium; Ballast Point is craft again — just kidding! — is sold again to some random investors; blah blah blah, something about Golden Road. Can everyone just calm down in 2020?” — Megan Stone, Guest Brewer, Laine Brew Co, Brighton, England

The article We Asked 15 Beer Pros: How Will the Year in Beer Be Remembered? (2019) appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/15-best-worst-2019-beer-trends/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/we-asked-15-beer-pros-how-will-the-year-in-beer-be-remembered-2019

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isaiahrippinus · 5 years ago

Text

We Asked 15 Beer Pros: How Will the Year in Beer Be Remembered? (2019)

Below, an opinionated bunch of brewers and beer industry pros from across the U.S. (and one guest brewer in England) sum up the year in beer.

The article We Asked 15 Beer Pros: How Will the Year in Beer Be Remembered? (2019) appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/15-best-worst-2019-beer-trends/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/189957968044

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dingus-the-mingus · 8 years ago

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To all who follow me with the reason of good content ignore this. Also this is a tag game

of course as always this was brought upon me by none other then the mighty @het-lelijke-eendje, thanks yet again for making my evening less boring and more filled with personal and emotionally charged questions which is way better then just browsing dead dark souls memes

Last

1. Drink: cold mint tea

2. Phone call: i think my dad

3. Text message: “yo can you bring me my jacket tomorrow and drop it off later at my place?”

4. Song you listened to: Macdemarco “baby you’re out”

5. Time you cried: i’m not sharing that but what i can say is that i mostly cry because of my amnesia.

HAVE YOU

6. Dated someone twice: can’t say i have

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: every kiss is the beginning of regrets

8. Been cheated on: nope

9. Lost someone special: every dog i ever owned, who cares about humans

10. Been depressed: yes severely, but it’s in the past and i moved on like everyone who got rid of their depression.

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: of course, Cactus liquor of any kind tastes like nuclear waste now thanks to that one “drunk souls” evening with some friends.

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS

12-14: i’m colourblind and i like blue hues and maybe some purple

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU

15. Made new friends: a few

16. Fallen out of love: well it’s more of a “stopped loving” but yes and it sux.

17. Laughed until you cried: my friends make that happen on a daily basis. but mostly when we play DnD or when we’re super high.

18. Found out someone was talking about you: why should they? i’m a bland animator shut-in with no redeeming values except my undying love for the souls series, they should be ashamed if they were talking about me.

19. Met someone who changed you: yes, although i still can’t tell if it was for the better or not. i’m really reflecting on that part right now.

20. Found out who your friends are: I already know who my friends are and they know i’m theirs.

21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: yes,

GENERAL

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: all of them but i have circle of about 30 where i keep constant contact with.

23. Do you have any pets: Yes, a boston terrier he’s my silent animation buddy

24. Do you want to change your name: do i look like a guy with identity issues? i’m fine with my name.

25. What did you do for your last Birthday: got extremely high with my closest friends and dungeonmastered a game.

26. What time did you wake up: god idk i don’t keep track of time in the summer vacation.

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: listening to some podcasts (just started harmontown and i’m halfway through acquisitions incorporated) and drawing some new homebrew enemies for my DnD campaign.

28. Name something you can’t wait for: this is gonna sound sad but to be loved.

29. When was the last time you saw your mom: a few minutes ago when she said she was gonna go to bed.

30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: Everyone wants to change things, but no one is ever happy with the ways things are. it’s funny how we always yearn for anything we can’t have or didn’t do in our lives. but if i could i would change the way i handled things with my ex.

31. What are you listening to right now: Biig Piig “Vice city”

32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: probably,

33. Something that is getting on your nerves: my always increasing solitude and hermit lifestyle which is at the same time very relaxing. it’s really conflicting

34. Most visited website: Tumblr, reddit, youtube, 4chan in that order

RANDOM INFO ABOUT YOURSELF

35. Mole/s: hidden on my back

36. Mark/s: the upper part of my right ringfinger doesn’t have any feeling anymore because it got stuck between a car door when i was child. that and an eyebrow scar that was created during a weird collision between me and the radiator in kindergarden.

37. Childhood dream: as child i didn’t know. right now i’m aiming to become an art school teacher and to follow in the footsteps of the art teacher who taught me how to draw and find meaning in life. Jeff if you’re reading this i’m coming for you!

38. Hair color: Black, just black

39. Long or short hair: can i say medium/short for the sake of being difficult?

40. Do you have a crush on someone: Yes,

41. What do you like about yourself: that i quit drinking and that i like to help people who struggle with personal problems. i also am quite a good Dungeonmaster but that’s just plain out bragging.

42. Piercings: None

43. Blood type: O positive so that means i can donate to all you suckers!

44. Nickname: Lewis, Jewie (i’m not jewish) but generally just Louis

45. Relationship status: single

46. Zodiac: Pisces

47. Pronouns: call me whichever i’m not a sensitive person on the issue

48. Favourite TV Shows: none, any belgian TV show is complete garbage.

49. Tattoos: one day each of my closest friends including me is gonna make a tattoo design (we’re all artists so we know it’s gonna look ok) then we’re gonna put it in a hat and then we all take one randomly from the hat and put it wherever we want. but that’s all high concept stuff.

50. Right or left hand: Right

51. Surgery: i don’t wanna talk about that, it wasn’t fun and neither is having a neurological issue.

52. Hair dyed in different color: I’m fine with my black,

53. Sport: swimming

55. Vacation: this year it’s Japan and afterwards italy

56. Pair of trainers: no clue

MORE GENERAL

57. Eating: a small cookie

58. Drinking: yup still burning on that cold mint tea

59. I’m about to: finish this of and go for some dark souls pvp

61. Waiting for: some person to live for.

62. Want: to achieve new heights in my animation and drawing and to have an awesome DnD campaign this vacation.

63. Get married: god no, do you know how many people divorce these days? Nobody can withstand another person to the end of their lives. nothing lasts forever just go live together and have your own ceremony without all the paperwork and promises.

64. Career: again being an art teacher at my old middle school.

WHICH IS BETTER

65. Hugs or kisses: hugs definitely

66. Lips or eyes: i can’t really see eye colours so i’m gonna have to go with lips even though it’s not a feature i necesarily look for.

67. Shorter or taller: neither every size is fine.

68. Older or younger: again it doesn’t matter!

70. Nice arms or nice stomach: who caaaaares

71. Sensitive or loud: again i’m not a guy who looks for these parameters in people. everyone is sensitive and loud in some way.

72. Hook up or relationship: Relationship

73. Troublemaker or hesitant: troublemaker.

HAVE YOU EVER

74. Kissed a Stranger: Nope

75. Drank hard liquor: i’m a belgian who got over his alcoholism a year ago...

76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: no lenses no glasses no problems

77. Turned someone down: yes, it never feels good tho

78. Sex on the first date: haha what do you take me for? no not in the slightest.

79. Broken someone’s heart: yeah...i’m a dork

80. Had your heart broken: yes, Not so long ago actually. it’ll heal with time i suppose...

81. Been arrested: can’t say i have but i have been warned not to smoke pot outside once by a cop.

82. Cried when someone died: i’m human you know of course.

83. Fallen for a friend: yah

DO YOU BELIEVE IN…

84. Yourself: despite every action i make i would say yes. willpower is something immensely strong and is necesary for dealing with the hardships of life. but i’m not perfect i’m still trying to find such strong willpower.

85. Miracles: nope

86. Love at first sight: i believe in love at first sentence.

87. Santa Claus: krampus is the only santa i believe in.

88. Kiss on the first date: if it were to actually happen for once then yes.

OTHER:

90. Current best friend name: i’ve got several and no i won’t name them

91. Eye colour: dark green

92. Favorite movie: District 9, the usual suspect.

HOLY MOLY THAT WAS A LONG LIST

i’m not gonna tag anyone further sadly. unless any of those lurking schmucks wants to follow up on this then feel free to reply.

#personal ignore it

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andrewuttaro · 5 years ago

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New Look Sabres: GM 6 - DAL - bDe

Why did this game start at 3 in the afternoon? You’re telling me because children often get Columbus Day off? What if their parents aren’t out of work in time to drive them to the game? I digress. Games against the Stars the last couple years have felt super chippy and I don’t know why. Don’t say its 1999 because not only was nobody on either team’s coaching staff or roster on those teams but there are a handful of players who played this game who were not even alive in Spring 1999. In all fairness, I had not started Kindergarten when No Goal happened so I can only make fun of the Post-Millennials so much here. The Horse-Shit comments from Stars’ Jim Light hadn’t occurred yet when Buffalo played their last game against Dallas last season; or maybe our season was just so down the pooper I didn’t want to bother with it. It’s amazing that master class in how to be an out-of-touch executive didn’t hurt the team more than it did last season. After all, they made it all the way to the second round and lost against the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. If Horse-Shit never happens are the Blues Stanley Cup Champions today? We may never know. What we do know pretty comfortably is that Rasmus Dahlin is a better defenseman than Miro Heiskanen but if you follow any of the aforementioned Post-Millennial Sabres fans on twitter you’d think it’s the most contentious debate in Hockey right now. It’s neither here nor there of course, especially since these two teams meet only twice a season, but if this going to be a fan-first blog I better bring it up. It’s trolling on trolling on trolling but that’s part of the fun of being a sports fan, eh? It’s not fun being a Sharks fan right now because Joe Pavelski is a Star. That was the weirdest thing to see this game. Before we roll into it though I want to thank everyone who made it out to Riverworks on Saturday night for the Pod-a-thon! You helped raise money for a good cause and I think it was a great time! I certainly had fun with all of you! Now let’s do that hockey.

You would be forgiven thinking Buffalo had a good chance in this game. Unfortunately Stars goalie Ben Bishop has historically been very good against the Sabres. He WAS on a twelve game winning streak against the Sabres. Last season’s game against the Stars were both ugly, low-scoring affairs. They stick out as miserable games in a season that was often miserable. Today’s game went a bit differently. Any given afternoon… uh… right? The Buffalo Sabres were the better team throughout this game. Not only that: they had what the kids call BIG DICK ENERGY or BDE. This isn’t Sabres After Dark quite yet and this is Dallas we’re talking about so I’m going to emphasize that D in bDe: beat Dallas... uh... EXTRA! The first period was a low-shooting period as both teams did their best trap-systems defensively. Shot share and 5 on 5 scoring chances were about even and though the Sabres seemed to have better chances the Stars managed to hold them at bay. I have a job, so I was listening to this first period on the radio. Rob Ray said the Stars have the worst powerplay in the league so far while Buffalo has… well the best. When there is such a lopsided stat like that it makes you drool to see it leveraged. Let me be clear: the Sabres dominated this game with a complete effort but nothing incredible happened in the first period other then it is becoming apparent that Henri Jokiharju might be really helping Marco Scandella’s game. Strange world we live in, I know!

The bDe was clear in the second period. Rasmus Ristolainen, probably not long for this club, reminded me of something I’ll miss about him: the incredible butt checks. At least twice in this game Jamie Benn took a go at a hard check by the boards on Ristolainen. In both situations Risto just sticks out that badonk and put Benn on his ass. Risto’s butt checks are only this good when the Sabres are feeling good. While we’re talking about defenseman how about Rasmus Dahlin being brilliant again? At one point he almost scored after skating all by himself through four opposing defenseman. Unreal. The Stars got called for a weird delay of game penalty and Mr. Powerplay Victor Olofsson made NHL history. Assisted by fellow future Hall-of-Famers Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin Olofsson became the first rookie in this league to score his first seven goals on the powerplay! If Olofsson becomes our powerplay mercenary we have a very fun, meme-able young Sabre in front of us. Olofsson also happens to get an assist on Sam Reinhart’s goal later in the period which made this game 2-0. Olofsson is keeping near to the league lead in points and it’s a gitty feeling isn’t it? His parents were in attendance and they got to see what became his first game-winning goal by virtue of the rout this game became. Before we move on from the Olofsson goal let’s all just take a moment to enjoy a game where a weird call went in favor of the Sabres against the Stars. That’s a novel feeling isn’t it? The Sabres continued to skate all over the Stars and the only person in blue and gold who looked any worse for the wear was equipment guy George Babcock who took a stray puck off the forehead behind the home bench. Babcock has been with the organization since the late 1980s apparently and he walked it off like a hockey player though there was blood. Meanwhile that Olofsson assist stabbed over to Sam Reinhart who got it in five hole on Bishop. Call me masochist but I enjoyed shelling Ben Bishop quite a bit.

So here comes the third period. The Sabres have a two-goal lead and… certainly they won’t be able to hold it for the third straight game? The skepticism was well founded and the day off on Saturday must have helped because there was no sitting back in the third period this afternoon. They were going for the jugular so hard Vlad Sobotka got the assist on Jeff Skinner’s goal with 15:41 left to make it 3-0. The nine-million-dollar man roofed it on Bishop who just didn’t look six-five on that goal. Certainly the counterattack was coming… wait what: Marcus Johansson shot from the blue line and it dinged right in! 4-0 Buffalo! That puck had eyes and suddenly this game looked an awful lot like a rout. I don’t what the Sabres record is on afternoon games, but it has to be good. Wow. The only player on this team who looked truly bad was Jimmy Greasy Vesey who skated like he didn’t know what net he was shooting on and on a couple plays actually got in the way of his own team. I started calling him greasy Vesey to make light of the drama his almost-acquisition was three summers ago. Now I wish he was actually a bit greasy because he was not getting pucks moving very well. In a win this lopsided it can be forgiven. The Stars actually outshot the Sabres 12-3 in the third and that can also be forgiven considering after that fourth goal six minutes in this result never really seemed at risk. The bDe was strong tonight and the Stars didn’t do a good job defending the D as they say. Carter Hutton faced a total of 25 shots and also never really looked in doubt. It will be interesting to see how the friendly competition between him and Linus Ullmark shapes up going forward. Brian Duff made sure to note Ullmark’s good performance against Florida Friday night could’ve made Hutton feel like he needed a big game. Either way Hutton said from his angle this looked like the most complete effort yet this season for the blue and gold. This one ended comfortably. Ahh, a comfortable Sabres win 4-0 in regulation. Rasmus Dahlin is now officially better than Miro Heiskanen kids, stop flooding my timeline with it.

And so the Sabres ace their first home stand of the season going 3-0 since Wednesday’s game against Montreal. Now they’re off to California for the Sabres After Dark tour. They’ll play all three teams from the Golden State in four nights with start times all 10pm or later for us East Coast folks. This used to be the road trip of doom but now its more like the road trip of gloom as only one of said teams made the playoffs last year. That team, the San Jose Sharks, have not had a great start to their season but will certainly be the biggest test to wrap up the road trip before they come back here to Buffalo a week from tomorrow. The Sabres are 5-0-1 and there is a universe where they return home next Tuesday 7-1-1 or even 8-0-1 if some pucks bounce their way. Savor the late start time with Sabres twitter as we get weird and actually have a fun team to get weird about. I am going to talk all kinds of adult topics myself; like favorite Canadian beer and how many Y’s need to come in a text “heyyy” to make you think someone wants you for the dirty. You’re going to want to like, share and comment to get in on this fun by Wednesday night. Let’s hope this team we love can keep doing teams dirty in the City of Fame and excess this week.

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. Anaheim is just the part of LA with Disneyworld. Mighty Ducks is a mediocre film. Fight me.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #NHL

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torentialtribute · 6 years ago

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MLB hall of famer Piazza came to Reggiana a hero but left it in ruins

Mike Piazza was used to more than he ever was expected of him.

After a game

After playing a game of tennis. career that saw him as a star for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers,

The answer came during the 2014 World Cup. Piazza, a man who is a third-generation Italian immigrant with a background in sport and money to play with his life.

I would buy a football team,

Mike Piazza played Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and LA Dodgers in the US "

York Mets and LA Dodgers in the US "

Mike Piazza played Major League Baseball for New York Mets and LA Dodgers in the US

] He was initiated into the Gallery of Honor in 2016 and is considered one of the greatest catchers.

He was initiated into the Gallery of Honor in 2016 and is considered one of the greatest catchers

Options were explored. Everton was being watched before they realized the numbers were too large. Reading and Leeds – & I've always liked Leeds, it's weird & # 39; – emerged as an option.

Then I returned to the land of his grandparents. Parma, that historic outpost that has fallen during difficult times, was named.

Reggiana, a third-tier side with aspirations of something more, was the place where Piazza would make up its heritage. But unlike his own career, this is not an underdog success story. Instead, it's the story of how a man from Pennsylvania came over his head and killed the 100-year-old institution across the sea.

<img id = "i-6b2cd531d82d80e0" src = "https://dailym.ai/2F9EdRT -0-image-m-46_1560334641805.jpg "height =" 634 "width =" 634 "alt =" After his retirement, Piazza decided to buy a football club, take over the C-series Reggiana "class =" blkBorder img-share "

When he retired, Piazza turned to buy a football club and took Series C to Reggiana.

Reggiana has traditionally roamed around the lower levels of Italian football. They are located in Reggio Emilia, the city with less than 200,000 inhabitants in northern Italy.

Their peak came in the 1990s, when they spent three seasons in Series A and were managed by Carlo Ancelotti. At that time, they finished 13th in the top flight and counted Claudio Taffarel – the Brazilian international goalkeeper – among their players.

The part of their run in Serie A, they were planning to build a new stadium. That eventually became a financial pit and financial misery.

Instead of going to work locally and setting up an MLS franchise, Piazza went back to the land of his ancestors. He told the New York Times : & I'd rather be poor in Italy than in St. Louis. You can't get a good meal there! & # 39;

Their fans dared to dream when Ancelotti was in charge. When Piazza arrived, they held a meeting in one of the most important squares in the city to show their support for the new regime, they thought they could imagine a better future again

Carlo Ancelotti was the coach of Reggiana during their Series A days in the 1990s "class =" blkBorder img-share "coach of Reggiana during their Series A days in the 1990s "

Carlo Ancelotti coached Reggiana during their Series A Days in the 1990s

<img id = "i-ea77184b51d026a1" src = "https://dailym.ai/2ZoG9Og -0-image-a-21_1560333377876.jpg "height =" 634 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-ea77184b51d026a1" src = "https://dailym.ai/2CYdfvj 2019/06/12/10 / 14686224-0-image-a-21_1560333377876.jpg " height = "634" width = "634" alt = "<img id =" i-ea77184b51d026a1 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2F7vFe9 -image-a-21_1560333377876.jpg "height =" 634 "width =" 634 "alt =" Fans held a meeting in one of the city's main squares to welcome Piazza as its owner in 2016 "class =" blkBorder img- share "

<img id =" i-ff7935f6c712f6a5 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2ZiFUUG -a-22_1560333380842.jpg "height =" 634 "width =" 634 "alt =" Smoke and wave after wave of red shirts greet Piazz "

<img id =" i-ff7935f6c712f6a5 "src =" https : //i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/06/12/10/14686214-0-image-a-22_1560333380842.jpg "height =" 634 "width =" 634 "alt =" Smoke torches and wave after wave of red shirts greeted Piazza upon his arrival in northern Italy "class =" blkBorder img

The beginning of 2016 should be filled with fond herin for Piazza. He was eventually incorporated into the Baseball Hall of Fame and completed the acquisition of Reggiana.

His seeds and the eventual demise of the club were sewn into that spell. of around € 500,000 a year before Piazza bought them. Between his purchase and his arrival in Reggio, these costs went up.

Regarding The Athletic midfielder Gael Genevier said: & it's a jungle. And if you have money, it's even worse. Mike had a large wallet, he was American and he didn't know football in Italy. And I think that's why I had a lot of problems. "

Wages were closer to the levels of Series B.

Towards the end of the season, they spent closer to € 6 million to finish fifth in the third layer. In a speech to Calcio E Finanza at the end of 2018, Piazza explained: & # 39; Many involved from professionals up to & # 39; trustworthy & # 39; advisers and partners constantly provided false information, half-truths and outright lies.

Series B was the only possible rescue, and even the first possible rating of the club, for cash flow issues, for shifting the deal, negotiating contracts, including stadium rental, with absolutely no permission to to do so, it would have been just a temporary delay.

Reggiana midfielder Gael Genevier (right) explained why Piazza was experiencing problems in Italy (19459007 ) [1 9459008] Reggiana midfielder Gael Genevier (right) explained why Piazza had problems in Italy

Gael Genevier (right) explained why Gael Genevier (right)

After his first year, Piazza knew I had to do things change.

& # 39; When that ball went into the net, it felt like I was playing again, I felt like playing again, & he told The Athletic. I have never done cocaine, I have never done crystal meth, I have never used any hard drugs or medication except aspirin. But let me tell you, that was intoxicating. & # 39;

He needed someone with a stronger prospect to run Reggiana and bring it into line. Someone had to win promotion and with a lower budget.

Alicia Piazza had appeared in Playboy and Baywatch in the 1990s. They loved her in Italy, especially in a traditionally male-dominated sport. She was suddenly put in a role as vice president of an Italian football club.

Piazza turned to his wife Alicia to run the club and take a stronger stance in 2017 Alicia leads the club and in 2017 takes a stronger position in

Alicia leads the club and in 2017 takes a stronger position in Los Angeles Dodgers

Oakland Athletics

& # 39; It's not like he's a kitty or needs his wife. It's the way he feels comfortable. He has always been that way. "

She immediately started looking for cost savings. The team coach no longer stopped at players' homes to drop them off.

Alicia eventually described herself as & # 39; the bitch & # 39 ;. She sent a text message to the former sports director who ended with the words & # 39; f *** off & # 39; no one avoided her wrath.

Eventually the stadium became the main problem and they rented their grounds from the owner of Sassuolo, during the period between the purchase and the acquisition, the costs of renting it had doubled.

This was not good as far as the squares were concerned.

& # 39 "We've reorganized this company, we've invested in this community. I've brought my family here, my kids here to be part of this community, and we deserve respect," Mike began.

Toward the end, he slapped his fist on the table, gestured wildly, and said : & # 39; We have received nothing … nothing! And I'm tired of it.

& I'm tired of Reggiana being pushed around. I'm frustrated, and I'm scared off *****. & # 39;

The rent did not fall. The seeds that had been planted years before began to bear fruit.

Alicia spoke with her husband about giving a press conference about the situation of the stadium of the club

[DeclarationofReggianaCalcio

Amid the stadium problems and the debacle of the washing machine, happened something good on the field.

After attempting to hire a Greek coach fell apart because Alicia changed the terms of the deal after he arrived in Reggiana, a few youth team coaches seized everything except

without the proper permit ]

Reggiana started beating and was fourth at the end of the regular season. That qualified them for the playoffs.

It seemed like a good start. They faced Siena in the quarterfinals and won the home game 2-1.

While Siena went 1-0 higher in Tuscany, they were reconnected at the start of the added time. That would mean that Reggiana would go to the semi-final on aggregate.

Then fate struck. Deep in the added time, a cross came in Reggiana's box. The suspect went to the ground with a push and fell on the ball while handling it during the trial. The referee pointed to the place.

Siena scored. Reggiana went outside. The mayor of Reggio Emilia called it & # 39; unjust & & # 39 ;. Mike wrote on the official website of the club: & I regret that they have witnessed such corruption and incompetence. I am deeply outraged and angry. I am very sorry for our fans, they don't deserve this.

& # 39; It is really a sad day for Italy and for Italian football. I will never understand how dirty and corrupt individuals have been able to make something beautiful and repulsive and ugly. I am ill. & # 39;

<img id = "i-7f4112cde7480bcb" src = "https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/06/13/14/14686208-7132413 -This_was_the_incident_that_saw_Reggiana_concede_an_extra_time_pe-a-6_1560431361584.jpg "height =" 274 "width =" 633 "alt =" This was the incident when Reggiana saw an extra time penalty in the Series C Play-offs "class =" blkBorderg "/

This was the incident that Reggiana deserved an extra time penalty in the Play-offs of the Series C was the incident that Reggiana saw an extra time penalty admitting in the Play-offs of the Series C

Reggiana players keep their heads full of disbelief after the decision ends their promotion hopes Reggae players keep their heads full of disbelief after the decision has made their promotion hopes terminated "

[1 9459010]

youtube

Ernesto Melauri stood at the gates of the Reggiana stadium, shirtless and crying.

The 71-year-old was the social media manifestation of what had happened, the viral video that showed the damage done last summer

Melauri & # 39; s flag had traveled with him to every match I had attended.

The squares apparently committed when they had a thank you shortly after the loss of the play-off.

On June 8, Alicia said goodbye to the staff while telling them to enjoy their summer. The offices were closed and chained the following Monday. The gates were closed.

<img id = "i-eaae21e74b41bd6b" src = "https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/06/12/ 11 / 14686218-0-image-m-45_1560333743097.jpg "height =" 793 "width =" 634 "alt =" Reggiana superfan Ernesto Melauri was at the gate and cried when the club stopped

Reggiana supervisor Ernesto Melauri stood at the gate and cried when the club stopped Alicia made it clear that they were reducing their losses: & # 39; Unfortunately Reggiana has been attacked by negative forces since Mike & # 39; s arrival …. The suspected loss in Siena was the final blow. are generous, but we are not crazy. "

When they returned to vacate the offices, Ultras marched on the floor.

They had, according to some estimates, lost around € 10 million in the club and were done with it.

When the deadline for teams to register for Series C came, the squares let this pass without paying the costs. A post on Alicia's Instagram, subtitled & # 39; time to say goodbye & # 39 ;, was the extent of their communication with the fans.

So Ernesto cried.

Alicia posted this page of local paper along with her & # 39; Time to say goodbye & # 39; post "class =" blkBorder img-share "

Alicia posted this front page of the local newspaper along with her & # 39; this page of the local newspaper along with her & # 39; Time to say goodbye & # 39; Time to say goodbye & # 39;

Local businessmen would quickly unite and buy the existing club from the squares, and the mayor's blessing, they founded a new team, Reggio Audace.

They played in the Serie D last season. It is a semi-professional level, a serious drop-down compared to the layer above, there are nine different divisions. within the competition and each of them has only one automatic promotion slot and four teams compete in playoffs.

To put it another way, it will take some time for Reggio to have a third. Tier team again.

They closed last season, but play-off wee again beaten.

The old institution was declared bankrupt in December of last year. The squares came, saw and left nothing behind.

Mike Piazza arrived in the city as a hero.

Yet he has been told that he is open about having another club, nobody will like him as the man in charge. Even as a favor.

Despite the problems at Reggiana, Piazza is still open for investment in other clubs Reggiana, Piazza is still open to invest in other clubs "

Despite the problems Reggiana has encountered, Piazza is still open to investment in other clubs

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#MLB hall of famer Piazza came to Reggiana a hero but left it in ruins"

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jodyedgarus · 6 years ago

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The Rams And Patriots Have Reversed Roles Since Their First Super Bowl Meeting

One of the most wonderfully ironic moments in Super Bowl history happened just before kickoff in February 2002, when St. Louis Rams wide receiver Ricky Proehl turned to NFL Films’ cameras during warmups and declared: “Tonight, a dynasty is born!”

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Proehl was right, of course. A dynasty was born that night — just not the one he was imagining. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots ended up toppling the heavily favored Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, using it as a springboard for the greatest run of sustained success any NFL team has ever known.

The Patriots were the up-and-coming team back then, while the Rams were the established champions with the veteran, future Hall of Fame quarterback. This time around, though, the roles will be reversed for the two franchises — with the Patriots serving as the elder statesmen, while the Rams are the team on the rise. It’s a fitting turnabout, one featuring what the Elias Sports Bureau determined was the largest gap in age between both starting quarterbacks (Tom Brady is 17 years and 72 days older than Jared Goff) and head coaches (Bill Belichick is 33 years and 283 days older than Sean McVay) in Super Bowl history.

The Rams opened the betting Sunday night as slight favorites with some sportsbooks (so yes, you can say you were an underdog, Tom), though that didn’t last long. A flood of bets for the Patriots pushed the line to favor New England by 2½ points, according to the current consensus in Vegas. Here’s what our Elo ratings think about the matchup, using both the classic version from our interactive and one with the experimental quarterback adjustments we’ve been tinkering with:

OK, Elo — who ya got in the Super Bowl?

Win probabilities for Week 21 games according to two methods: standard Elo and adjusting for starting quarterbacks

Standard Elo QB-Adjusted Elo Team Rating Win Prob. Base Rtg Starting QB QB Adj. Win Prob. LAR 1667 47% 1656 Jared Goff +4 46% NE 1686 53 1645 Tom Brady +42 54

Elo quarterback adjustments are relative to average, based on a rolling average of defense-adjusted QB stats (including rushing).

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

The Patriots still somehow have two very important components from that original Super Bowl against the Rams: Brady and Belichick. At age 41, Brady had his worst passing numbers in several years, yet he also was still a top-10 QB (at worst), a Pro Bowler and — it bears emphasizing — impossibly productive for his age. All of that came despite throwing to a revolving-door cast of receivers and a less-dominant version of longtime security blanket Rob Gronkowski. All told, Brady led an offense that still ranked fourth in scoring and eighth in expected points added, albeit with a lower per-game EPA average than any Pats team with Brady as starter since 2013.

For Belichick’s part, this season saw his Patriots improve significantly on defense, jumping from 24th in EPA in 2017 to seventh in 2018. Although New England tied for the second-fewest sacks in the league, it generated the third-most pressure (according to ESPN’s Stats & Information Group), forced the second-lowest completion percentage and generally was the best Patriots pass defense in a while. And this team was also a celebration of Belichick the (de facto) general manager: In addition to shrewd veteran acquisitions such as CB Stephon Gilmore and LB Kyle Van Noy, a large share of the Pats’ production came from draft picks made over the past few years, including DLs Trey Flowers and Malcom Brown, OLs Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney, and rookie RB Sony Michel.1 All of those pickups helped fuel a Pats roster that still relied heavily on Brady to work his magic but also blocked well and played sound defense.

The Patriots’ run wasn’t always easy, of course. The 2018 edition had the second-worst points per game differential and lowest Elo rating of the franchise’s Super Bowl-bound squads since … you guessed it, the 2001 team. But maybe that’s just further proof that everything truly has come full circle in New England. They’re certainly hoping the story ends the same way this time around.

As for these current Rams, they are not too dissimilar from their Greatest Show on Turf forebears, either. Los Angeles outscored opponents by 143 total points in the regular season (third-best in football) and got high marks in every power ranking out there, including Elo (which ranks them No. 2), Football Outsiders’ Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (No. 2), ProFootballFocus’s rankings (No. 2), Jeff Sagarin’s ratings (No. 2), Andy Dolphin’s predictive rating (No. 3) and Pro-Football-Reference.com’s Simple Rating System (No. 3). Though they never actually ranked first in Elo at any point during the season, the Rams were consistently one of the game’s top contenders all year long.

And they got that way just about as quickly as those fabled 1999 Rams, who went 4-12 the year before Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk changed the franchise’s fortunes forever. The 2018 season culminated a remarkable two-year turnaround arc under soon-to-be-33-year-old coach Sean McVay, who took L.A. from a 4-12 disaster in 2016 under former coach Jeff Fisher to an 11-5 record last year, and now a Super Bowl. Over that span, the Rams went from an Elo rating of 1346 to 1667, a gain of 321 Elo points. Only four other Super Bowl teams in history have gained more rating points from the end of two seasons prior to the start of the big game itself — the 1998 Atlanta Falcons (+368), 1981 San Francisco 49ers (+360), 1992 Dallas Cowboys (+357) and 1971 Miami Dolphins (+339). Even the ’99 Rams had “only” gained 246 points of Elo from the end of 1997, though they do own the largest single-season gain ever for a Super Bowl team.

How did L.A. do it? The cornerstones of the 2018 team — Goff, DT Aaron Donald and RB Todd Gurley2 — were all drafted by the club from 2014 to 2016. But general manager Les Snead did his best work over the 2017 and 2018 offseasons, snagging the majority of the current team’s other starters either via the draft or in a flurry of win-now moves that mostly look smart in hindsight. The other key ingredient was coaching, where (with a few weird exceptions on Sunday) McVay has shown a fantastic knack for incorporating analytical thinking into his play-calling, and he remains the master of keeping defenses off-balance by running almost all of his plays out of the same personnel package. While there are very legitimate questions as to whether Goff or Gurley could be as successful in a different system, the pair has powered a Super Bowl run under McVay’s scheme.

Each team needed luck to get here, too. The Rams likely wouldn’t be headed to Atlanta without a blown pass-interference call that kept New Orleans from running down most of the clock in regulation, instead giving L.A. the chance to force overtime and eventually win the game. The Patriots benefited from a phantom roughing-the-passer penalty and a (legitimate) offside call that negated what would have been a game-ending interception, then rattled off what felt like a million straight third-and-long conversions in overtime. But there isn’t a single Super Bowl team in history that didn’t have big moments when fortune smiled on it. You have to be lucky and good to win a championship, and these teams fit both criteria.

Now, they’ll get a chance to battle on the game’s biggest stage. Will a new dynasty be born? Or will an old one keep rolling? Will the new Greatest Show on Turf avenge the old one? Or will Belichick draw up another brilliant game plan to shut down this latest version? Either way, it should be a fitting way to end one of the most entertaining NFL seasons in a while.

FiveThirtyEight vs. the readers

As you prepare for the Super Bowl, be sure to check out FiveThirtyEight’s NFL predictions page, which uses our Elo ratings to simulate the game 100,000 times, tracking how likely each team is to win. You can also make your Super Bowl pick against the Elo algorithm in our prediction game and make one last bid to climb up our giant leaderboard.

According to data from the game, here’s how readers did against the computer last weekend:

Elo’s smartest conference championship picks

Average difference between points won by readers and by Elo in Week 20 matchups in FiveThirtyEight’s NFL prediction game

OUR PREDICTION (ELO) READERS’ PREDICTION PICK WIN PROB. PICK WIN PROB. Result READERS’ NET PTS NO 64% NO 62% LAR 26, NO 23 -4.6

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KC 61 KC 59 NE 37, KC 31 -7.1

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Home teams are in bold.

The scoring system is nonlinear, so readers’ average points don’t necessarily match the number of points that would be given to the average reader prediction.

After a divisional weekend in which all the home teams won, both home squads lost their conference championship games for just the fifth time in the Super Bowl era. Elo tends to love home teams, especially in the playoffs, so you might think that would be bad news for its picks. (Indeed, the average probability set by the reader was closer to picking the road team than Elo’s default probabilities.) However, Elo still came out ahead on net points because more individual readers made extreme picks in favor of the Saints and Chiefs, costing the field points on average. It’s an instructive example of something we discussed back in Week 9 — that, because of the nonlinear scoring system in our contest, overly confident picks can really wreak havoc on your point totals. When in doubt, set a conservative probability! (Unless, say, you are in 59th place going into the Super Bowl and need a Hail Mary to move up the rankings. Know anybody like that?)

Congratulations are in order to reader Deryl Mundell, who leapfrogged long-standing leaderboard-toppers Neil Mehta and Greg Chili Van Hollebeke to claim first place on the season, checking in with 1,202.5 points. Deryl is also our No. 1 (identified) player on the postseason, with 294.2 points since the playoffs started. Thanks to everyone who has been playing — and the game isn’t over yet! You now have one last chance to make your Super Bowl pick. Make it count!

Check out our latest NFL predictions.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-rams-and-patriots-have-reversed-roles-since-their-first-super-bowl-meeting/

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