#also he said cheese and it was australian

[faunandfloraas]

Seungmin can run, and he can hide from the influence of felix and chan's accents but words that end in "er" will always reveal the truth

[forzalando]

Seeing Someone

Lando Norris x friend!reader (female reader)

summary: Lando is finally ready to tell you how he feels when he overhears you say that you've started seeing someone - but overheard conversations aren't always what they seem. wc: 5.5k author's note: a few disclaimers: 1. let's all pretend that everyone has to spend a few weeks at MTC before the start of the season and they commute to/from London. 2. therapy and mental health help are so important - i purposefully left some things vague because people go to therapy for a variety of reasons and it should be normalized! i also didn't want things to get too heavy or potentially upset anyone by choosing to elaborate on something they relate to/hits a little too close to home. 3. this was inspired by a post i saw on my dash that said "when you said you were seeing someone i was hoping you meant a therapist". this originally started out more light-hearted, but the angst came out and i couldn't stop. feeling a little insecure about this one - thoughts and feelings in the comments/reblogs/my inbox would be so cherished and appreciated :) once again, special shoutout to @sof1shticated for being my beta reader. couldn't do this without you, Mel! warnings: mentions of reader going to therapy, mentions of reader drinking, a few curse words (i think), and angst! but there is a happy ending (even if it's a little open-ended)

Lando had searched the entirety of McLaren HQ at this point and started to worry – you were quite literally nowhere to be found. Usually, this wouldn’t phase him, since you were notorious for getting distracted or caught up in conversation with everyone you came across. You especially found ways to delay leaving MTC when you had to be there physically – the commute from HQ back to London each day was objectively the worst part of everyone coming together in the weeks leading up to each new season.

Today, however, the two of you had plans to get dinner at your favorite restaurant in London and you would never miss a chance to devour your favorite scallop risotto, cheese garlic bread, several glasses of wine, and a heaping mound of tiramisu for dessert.

He stopped speed-walking abruptly when he saw a familiar head of brown hair out of the corner of his eye.

“OSCAR,” Lando shouted, his speed-walk turning into a run. “Oscar, have you seen Y/N? She told me to meet at her office at 5:00pm but it’s 5:30pm and she is literally missing. She better have a good excuse, I hate being late.”

“Missing? Are you sure she’s not just caught up in a meeting? I saw her heading to Zak’s office around 4:45pm, did you check there?”

“Zak’s office, of course! The one place I didn’t check. Thanks, Osc, you’re the man.”

Oscar rolled his eyes – “Anytime, Lan. What are you running late for? Hot date?”

Lando didn’t miss the wiggle of Oscar’s eyebrows and slight smirk. It wasn’t a secret to the Australian that Lando had a crush on Y/N – although Lando had never confirmed or denied it, it was pretty obvious to anyone who spent more than 30 seconds around them.

“Ah, something like that,” Lando said nonchalantly, a bashful blush making its way to his cheeks.

“Good luck, mate!” Oscar threw a wave over his shoulder as he heard the retreating sound of Lando’s trainers smacking against the floor.

In truth, although you and Lando were just friends and Lando was terrified he may ruin that, he had plans to tell you about his feelings for you that night at dinner. It had been almost a year since you started working for McLaren, and almost a year of Lando pining after you in secret. He spent most days trying to convince himself he was content just being your friend, but he was determined to make 2024 his year. His first win, hopefully of many, maybe even WDC contender material, and finally plucking up the courage to be honest with you.

As Lando hurriedly approached Zak’s office, he could see that the door was slightly ajar and heard your voice trailing through the opening.

“I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me, Zak. And a massive thank you for approving the time off on such late notice.”

“Anytime, Y/N, you know you’re like family to me and everyone here. You sure you’re ok?”

“Yes, I’m seeing someone. It’s still new so I’m not set on him yet but I have a really good feeling about it, I’m really starting to wish I had called him sooner. He actually suggested the days off, I’m seeing him on Tuesday and hopefully things continue to go well.”

Lando’s heart dropped to his stomach – all week he had been thinking about tonight. How to tell you, how you might react, how nervous he was, and each day he grew even more anxious. He was panicking – what was he supposed to do? How could he sit across from you all night knowing that he’d missed his chance?

“That’s so good to hear,” Zak said earnestly. “Keep me updated and enjoy your days off.”

Lando could hear chairs scraping and scrambled to leave the scene before you walked out of Zak’s office to find him eavesdropping. He got about 50 feet down the hallway before he heard your voice from behind.

“Lan,” you shouted. “I’m so sorry, I’m totally late but I had to meet with Zak about something and his last meeting went way over.”

You jogged a little to catch up to him – a bright smile on your face that made his heart rate skyrocket and his palms grow sweaty. He couldn’t see you feeling like this. Not tonight, not when he could barely keep himself from telling you that he would be a much better boyfriend than whoever you were dating.

“We still on for dinner? I grabbed everything I needed from my office before I met with Zak so if we leave right this second and ignore the speed limit, they may seat us,” you bumped his shoulder as you joked.

Unable to help himself, only thinking about how hurt he was even though you’d done nothing wrong, Lando blurted out an excuse. “Actually, I was trying to find you to tell you I can’t make it.”

He tried not to react when he saw your face fall a little, but he told himself it was because you were disappointed about the last-minute change in plans and not that he wasn’t going.

“You should still go though,” he offered quickly. “I’m sure you have someone you could take with you!”

Your eyes spotted Oscar across the hallway and you smiled slightly – it had been a while since you had spent time with him and you knew he was having a rough week.

“Yeah, I have someone in mind,” you mused, focusing your eyes back on Lando. “Is everything ok? Are you not feeling well?”

“No, I’m fine, I just forgot I have plans.”

“Well, we had plans. You scheduled over me?”

“It’s a last-minute thing. Date thing. Last-minute date thing.”

“Oh,” you gasped. “Oh, that’s great!” You plastered a fake smile on your face – hoping that he was just as oblivious now as he apparently is to your feelings. “I hope you have a great time, she’s a lucky girl! I’ll see you on Wednesday, I’m taking a couple days off!”

Before he had a chance to say anything else, you sped off in search of Oscar to bribe him to accompany you to dinner. While you set off across the room, Lando smacked himself in the forehead and groaned.

“Why did you tell her it was a date, you idiot,” he mumbled to himself. Now, it was his turn to speed walk through McLaren HQ, but if he had turned around just for a moment, he would have caught you stopped in your tracks staring at him longingly as he walked away.

You shook your head and sighed, continuing your quest to find the younger McLaren driver and rope him into an evening filled with good food and, if you were being honest with yourself, probably a few tears.

A few moments later, you spotted floppy brown hair bouncing as Oscar walked toward the employee parking lot.

“Oscar!” You yelled after him, increasing your pace to catch up to him.

“Hey,” he said, confusion evident on his face, “I thought you were going out with Lando?”

“He’s got a date,” you blurted. “He has a date and he canceled on me and it’s fine. I am fine. But I want my scallop risotto and tiramisu so you’re coming with me.”

“Sure, Y/N, lead the way.”

Oscar was, to put it extremely lightly, confused. Lando was completely enamored by you – anyone with eyes could see it. Oscar was wholly convinced that Lando was going to officially ask you out at dinner tonight, especially after the brief conversation they had while you were late to meet up with him.

Yet, here he was, sat across from you in a dimly lit room as you sipped on your third glass of wine and, with all the subtlety of a neon sign, wiped a tear from your lower lash line.

“It’s not that I’m not happy for him, I’m so happy for him. But canceling last minute is a dick move, right? It’s a dick move. I know I’m just his friend, sometimes I feel like just a colleague, but I’m not being dramatic, right?”

Oscar stared at you blankly – his eyes wide and a look of pure fear on his face. He considered himself good at most things, great at quite a few, but comforting a crying woman was bottom of the list of Oscar Piastri’s skills.

“It’s totally a dick move,” he nodded his head eagerly in agreement. “I just don’t get it – when I saw him earlier he was frantic trying to find you. I think he’d scoured the entirety of MTC, he was out of breath when I found him.”

“Well, at least he had the decency to find me and tell me in person that he planned on ditching me.”

“Yeah, but that’s just it, it didn’t seem like he was trying to find you to tell you that. He complained about being late and when I asked him if he had a hot date, he blushed.”

“He is literally on a hot date.”

“Ok, well, when I asked him I meant did he have a hot date specifically with you.”

You scoffed and set your glass down – as much as you loved Oscar and you knew he’d never judge you, if you had any more wine you’d end up sobbing and not just wiping stray tears away.

“As if! Lando has never once made a move on me even though I flirt, or at least try to flirt, with him any chance I get.”

“You flirt with Lando?”

“I made him a personalized Spotify playlist, had Stroopwafels overnighted to him from The Netherlands after Vegas, bought him a sweater for his birthday with a card that said ‘to match your eyes’, and I compliment him every time I see him.”

“That’s your idea of flirting?”

“Well, yes.”

“Y/N, that’s just being nice to people. You’re nice to everyone. Lando is not going to understand that you’re a little extra nice to him and that means you’re trying to woo him.”

You huffed and slumped in your seat, crossing your arms over your chest. “Ok, well, how would you flirt with Lando?”

“Did you seriously just ask me that question?”

“Yes because apparently you know all about flirting! And by the way, Logan thought I was coming onto him when I was just being nice so some people would consider my actions flirtatious.”

“That doesn’t count, Logan thinks Uber drivers are flirting with him when they say ‘have a nice day’.”

You and Oscar shared a laugh at the mention of your mutual friend – somehow an even more hopeless case than you in the world of romance.

Your laughs turned to giggles and eventually died down completely. A sigh climbed its way out of your throat, the sudden change in your mood evident to Oscar.

“It doesn’t matter anyway – he’s seeing someone so no more trying, and according to you failing, to flirt.”

“You don’t know how serious it is, maybe this was a first date and it’ll go horribly. He definitely doesn’t have a girlfriend if that’s what you’re worried about, he was just saying the other day that Lily and I make him feel painfully single. We can ask him about it on Monday!”

You frowned a bit and tried to recover, but Oscar noticed the way your face fell slightly. “I’m actually taking a few days off, I need some personal time. I won’t be back at MTC until Wednesday.”

“Is everything ok? You don’t have to tell me but if you need anything, you know I’m there for you, right?”

You smiled at Oscar – it was a rare thing to find such great friends in the people you worked with, but you got so incredibly lucky with the McLaren team, especially Lando and Oscar. “I know that, Osc. You’re a gem.”

With a nod of understanding, Oscar changed the subject to something more pleasant, and you enjoyed the rest of your evening with your friend.

When Wednesday morning rolled around, you felt like your stomach might explode from nerves. You had resisted texting Lando over the past few days to ask about his date, you didn’t want to seem too eager and hoped it would come up naturally in conversation during the day. You hadn’t talked to Oscar much, though he’d texted you a few times to check in, but you wondered if he had talked to Lando at all and if he had details on how well Lando’s date went.

You arrived at MTC fairly early, hoping to get a head start on your day. Winter break was nearly over, and you were swamped with finalizing everything for the start of the 2024 season. It wasn’t until lunch that you saw Lando at all and he just so happened to be waiting in your office, sitting comfortably in your chair, while you were walking back from your latest meeting.

“Lando! What are you doing here?”

“I, uh,” he scrambled. “I was just…I don’t know really. I guess I wanted to see you, we haven’t talked in a few days since you’ve been out.”

“Well, we’ve both been busy. You could’ve texted me. How was your date?”

“It was good. Great. How about yours?”

You smiled remembering your evening with Oscar, assuming he had told Lando at some point that he had accompanied you. “Honestly so fun, we had the best time. I hope we get to do it again soon.”

Lando cringed – jealousy rearing its ugly head as he looked down at his feet before answering. “Same, I’ll probably go out with her again this weekend.”

“Good for you,” you gritted. “I’m glad you had fun. I actually have a million things to do so if there’s nothing important…”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. Just wanted to see you. I guess we’ll catch up soon? Hope you enjoyed your days off.”

Mustering up a fake smile, you told him definitely, awkwardly standing as he rose from your desk and left your office. As soon as he was far enough away that he couldn’t hear you, you groaned. The tension between you and Lando was unbearable, though you didn’t understand why it seemed to mostly be coming from him. Before you had a chance to think any further, you could hear your phone buzzing from inside your bag and begrudgingly pulled it out to see a text from Oscar.

did you go on a date over the weekend?

no? why are you asking me that?

well then why did lando just sit across from me and say ‘did Y/N tell you anything about her date?’

he was just in my office, I asked him how his date went and he asked about ‘mine’. i assumed he was talking about Friday and that you told him i brought you?

i never told him, i guess he thought you brought a real date?

You paused before responding to Oscar, confusion evident on your face and in your lack of response. Before you could type out a reply, two more texts came in.

ok something is up because i just told him that i went with you on friday and he said “i know, i saw you in her insta story in the reflection of a wine glass, i’m talking about yesterday”

insane that he looked close enough to see me in your wine glass but not the point

i literally haven’t been on a date in two years

let me figure this out

You slid your phone back into your bag and pulled out your laptop – your Lando problems would have to wait until you were at least somewhat caught up after missing two days so close to the start of the season.

Meanwhile, at a conference room table in MTC, Oscar was confused. Which, as of late, was a common occurrence when it came to you and Lando.

“Mate,” Oscar addressed Lando, “if you’re not talking about Friday, what date did you ask Y/N about? She hasn’t been on a date in forever.”

“Well then he must have canceled on her because she was supposed to have plans yesterday, it’s why she took days off.”

“I don’t know the exact reason why she took days off but she told me on Friday that she was and didn’t seem too happy about it. Said it was personal reasons.”

“Going on a date is personal.”

“Not ‘take two days off of work’ personal! Where are you even getting this information?”

Lando looked away sheepishly, afraid to admit to Oscar that he had eavesdropped on a private conversation between you and Zak. With Oscar looking at him expectantly, and a bit like a pissed-off Mum, he blurted it out.

“I heard her talking to Zak! Last week on Friday, when I was looking for her, she was in his office and the door was cracked. She had asked him for a couple days off and talked about how she recently started seeing someone and was seeing him again on Tuesday aka yesterday.”

Now Oscar was really confused. You had cried over Lando publicly on Friday, and he knew you fairly well, which meant there was no way you would be crying over Lando and going out with someone else four days later.

“I think you need to just talk to her because I promise you, she is not seeing someone. Also, what do you care? You ditched her for a date on Friday.”

Oscar had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched Lando’s face fall.

“Lando, tell me you didn’t.”

“I might have.”

“Jesus, Lando, you heard 30 seconds of a conversation and decided to lie to her? Because what, your ego took a blow? Some caveman instinct?”

“No, I don’t know, honestly. It just slipped out! I had planned to ask her out for real and when I heard her say ‘I’m seeing someone’, I just didn’t know how to be around her. I couldn’t be around her that night.”

“You need to go talk to her. Apologize. Preferably, immediately.”

Lando jumped up from his seat and sighed. “You’re right. She might kill me, and she has every right to, but I have to talk to her and apologize to her. Wish me luck!”

Before Oscar could do what Lando had asked, Lando raced off towards your office, barely stopping himself from tripping over his own two feet.

Across MTC, you had just settled your mind and gotten into a groove of catching up on emails and making progress on deadlines. As soon as you thought to yourself that the day was going better than expected, your office door flung open and Lando Norris was standing stiff in your doorway.

“Lan, I told you that I’m busy. What is going on?” Annoyance was evident in your voice and Lando cringed knowing that this conversation was probably not going to be very pleasant.

“Why did you take time off?”

Your body straightened in shock, of all the things he could have asked you after bombarding you in your office, you wouldn’t have guessed he would pry into your personal life.

“That’s none of your business, Lando. If you were worried about me, you could have reached out, but I haven’t heard from you since you ditched me on Friday.”

Lando could see the hurt on your face, he could see it evident in your body language. He thought back to how you had looked upset immediately when he told you on Friday that he couldn’t go with you – when he told himself it had nothing to do with you wanting to spend time with him.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed. “I’m sorry for that, it wasn’t – I mean I didn’t, I didn’t want to not go. I just didn’t know what to do.”

“Ok, I’m totally lost. You didn’t know what to do about what, Lando?”

He steeled himself for your reaction – something he had learned by being your friend for the past year was that you held trust and truth in high regard. You didn’t like being lied to, and you didn’t like people trying to dig into your life or get information you weren’t willing to share.

“I heard you in Zak’s office. I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose, I swear, I was looking for you because you were late meeting me. Oscar told me you might be with Zak so I went there and the door was open. And I heard you. So I lied and told you that I couldn’t go to dinner, I don’t know why I said I had a date. All I could focus on was how hurt I was, I just couldn’t be around you and then I felt so stupid and terrible for lying so that’s why I didn’t text you at all.”

You were completely and utterly perplexed – you couldn’t even react with anger at the thought of Lando listening to a private conversation and outright lying to you. What could he have overheard that he was so upset about?

“Lando, I’m still confused. What did you hear? How did I hurt you?”

“No, no, you didn’t hurt me. You have no idea how I feel about you – I was going to tell you that night.” Lando was word-vomiting at this point, he never wanted you to find out this way but he couldn’t stop rambling. “I have had feelings for you for so long, and I finally decided that I was going to tell you even if I was convinced you don’t feel the same. And now I know you don’t because you’re seeing someone and – ”

You interrupted him sternly, allowing the anger you were feeling to come forth and shoving down your confusion. “I’m not dating anyone? Is that why you asked Oscar about my ‘date’? Where did you get that idea?”

“You told Zak that you’re seeing someone and that it’s new but things are going good. I heard you say you were seeing him again on Tuesday.”

Your eyes doubled in size – if you weren’t so pissed off, you might have found humor in this, but you felt heat rising to your cheeks and your stomach churned at the thought of divulging your personal struggles.

“Lando, I’m seeing a therapist,” you hissed.

He froze for a moment, then scrambled to shut your door which was still ajar from him barging in.

“A therapist? Are you okay? What’s going on, why didn’t you tell me that you’ve been struggling?”

“No, no, you don’t get to do this right now. You don’t get to make me less angry by being kind and caring.”

“I’m not doing it to make you less angry, Y/N, I genuinely – ”

“I don’t care, Lando! You eavesdropped on my private conversation, misunderstood the context of that conversation, and then you lied to me. You hurt me. And now, because you got your feelings hurt and did things you shouldn’t have done, I have to share something I wasn’t comfortable sharing with you just yet.”

Lando was speechless – you could see the remorse on his face, the tears threatening to spill from his eyes, but in that moment you wanted him to feel even worse than you were.

“And you want to know the worst part,” you cried. “I feel the same way about you. I cried to Oscar at dinner because I thought you were with someone else, that you would have rather been at dinner with a different girl.”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. Can we please just go somewhere and talk? Really talk this out? I know I messed up, but this doesn’t have to change things or how we feel about each other.”

You wanted to, god, did you want to – you knew Lando hadn’t done any of this on purpose. You knew he didn’t have malicious intent and you knew how hurt he probably felt at the idea of you being with someone – it was exactly the way you felt when you thought the same about him.

“I think you should go, Lan”. Despite every part of you wanting to sit and talk, you knew that you needed some time to settle down.

“Ok,” he whispered. “When you’re ready,” he paused, swallowing the lump in his throat, “if you’re ever ready, you know where to find me.”

His posture made you feel sick as he left your office – Lando was always confident, shoulders back and head held high, but as you watched him through the glass walls surrounding you, he was hunched over. Dejected. You’d only ever seen him that way a few times – after he was torn apart by the media or after making a mistake during a race.

It hurt you to see him that way. But, he had also hurt you, and you needed time.

It had been two weeks since “the incident” with Lando – that’s what Oscar started calling it and it stuck. Fight felt too strong, disagreement felt too weak, so it became something nameless. Undefined. Indeterminate. Exactly like what existed now between you and Lando.

Oscar and Lando were set to leave for Sakhir in a week and you wouldn’t see them again until you joined the team for the Australian GP. If you didn’t work things out with Lando before they left for testing, it would be well over a month without a resolution.

The thought made your eyes burn with tears – you were still upset but more than that you missed Lando. You didn’t even have to wonder if he felt the same because you’d seen him around MTC. He looked just as awful as you, if not worse, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to start a conversation.

You began packing up your things to leave the office, grateful beyond belief that it was a Friday and you’d have two days without seeing Lando’s familiar curls everywhere you turned. At least at home, you would only see them behind closed eyes and wouldn’t have to blink back tears.

A knock at your door startled you, but you assumed it was your team lead looking for your latest analytics report. At least there was one thing you could be happy about – the car data was phenomenal and all signs were pointing to an amazing season for McLaren.

You told whoever was knocking to come in, not looking up from your bag as you rifled through your files. “So sorry, Tom, I meant to bring this to you earlier but I ��� ”

A throat clearing cut you off, and you looked up to see Lando standing in your doorway with a bouquet of your favorite flowers and one of those cheesy “I’m sorry” balloons in his left hand. You almost giggled, but then you looked at his face and your heart dropped. Dark circles under red-rimmed eyes - he looked awful. 

“I know you said you’d reach out when you’re ready to talk, and I wanted to respect that and give you all the space you need. But, we’re both miserable. At least I think you’re miserable, I know I am. I miss you terribly. I miss my friend. And if that’s all you’ll ever be to me, I can respect that and I will cherish it because the past week has been the worst week of my life.”

“Lando, I – ”

“Please, please let me get all of this out. Please let me apologize.”

You smiled slightly, nodding your head for him to continue.

“I’m sorry for invading your privacy. It wasn’t on purpose but I should have left as soon as I heard you talking because I know how important trust is to you. I violated yours and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for lying to you. It doesn’t matter if I was hurt, I could’ve just said I wasn’t feeling well or asked you about what I overheard immediately. After apologizing for overhearing, of course. I’m sorry that it took Oscar talking sense into me for me to come to you in the first place. I’m sorry that I hurt you and I’m sorry that I behaved like a child instead of talking to you about my feelings. My actions made you feel forced to tell me something personal that you weren’t ready to share. I’m so sorry, and I hope you know that I’m here for you always.”

He let out a deep breath and you watched his shoulders relax slightly for the first time in two weeks. You knew he was sorry – you’d known how sorry he was immediately when he started explaining and apologizing the first time around, but you just weren’t ready to hear it yet.

“Thank you, Lan,” you whispered as you walked towards him and took his free hand in your own. “I know you’re sorry and I know that this was all a misunderstanding that just got out of hand.”

“I am also sorry for springing my feelings on you. I wanted to tell you properly, ask you out properly, but I couldn’t explain myself without telling you. I ruined everything, it was woefully unromantic.”

“Yeah, that was a bit shit, I didn’t get my big grand gesture or anything.”

Lando’s eyes grew wide, a hopeful gleam in them. “I mean, would you – is that something you would still want? I don’t want to pressure you and I don’t want to assume that you still feel the same.”

“I do,” you said softly. “But, I think we should work on really moving past this before we officially jump into anything more.”

“I completely agree. However, I do have a reservation for two in about forty minutes to make up for ditching you, if you’d like to join me? Otherwise, I’ll have to bring Oscar. He won’t stop talking about the cheese garlic bread.”

“No, Lando, you don’t understand. He ordered three baskets. I went home and typed an apology email to Zak for ruining his diet.”

You both erupted in giggles, leaning into each other for support and out of habit. It felt so good to laugh, the weight and stress of the past two weeks rolling off in waves as Lando’s shoulder bumped yours and you heard the unmistakable laughter that you’d come to love so much.

“Maybe we should bring him anyway,” you pondered. “He’s been an exceptionally good friend to us both the past couple of weeks.”

“He can come next time, I’d like you to myself for the evening. If that’s ok?”

“More than ok, Lan. I’ve really missed you.”

He leaned in quickly, kissing your cheek gently and then nuzzling his nose against your neck, inhaling the scent of the perfume he’d gifted you for your last birthday. “Not as much as I’ve missed you,” he objected, his eyes glimmering slightly. Wet eyelashes fluttered against your neck as he stayed tucked into your side for a few more moments.

“We’re going to be late,” you whispered, with a sincere lack of urgency.

“Can we go back to my hotel room instead? Watch a movie and order in? Jus’ wanna hold you.”

Your heart constricted – as much as you wanted to tease him and say he owed you a night out and your favorite meal, you wanted nothing more than to spend the night in Lando’s arms.

“Of course, Lan. I think I need that too.”

On the way to Lando’s car, you passed Oscar who gave you both a knowing smile and a short wave. If you asked him if he had been waiting for you guys to leave, he would deny it. He would deny being so invested in your reconciliation that he waited close to an hour after he could leave for the day to make sure you were both ok. He would also deny that he tracked both of you and when it dawned on him that you were skipping your dinner, he sped to that little Italian place and stole your reservation for an order (or two) of cheese garlic bread.

He couldn’t resist sending a poorly taken picture to the group chat with the three of you and you burst out laughing when you opened it.

“Lan, Oscar somehow stole our dinner res,” you giggled, turning your phone to show Lando an unmistakable basket of bread and a follow-up text with several heart emojis.

Lando held his phone up to snap a quick selfie of you two cuddled up in bed, him leaning in for the second time that evening to place a gentle kiss on your cheek. Almost immediately after it delivered, your phones lit up with another text from Oscar.

HOT DATE FR THIS TIME?

You and Lando looked at each other and smiled, the mutual understanding of where you stood with your feelings evident.

not quite yet, but soon :)

[ttkinnie]

Tokyo Revengers characters as animals 💖 (for no reason)

Kazutora: let's start with the most obvious one, our resident tiger. Which is funny considering he gives 0 tiger vibes. Or maybe rescued declawed tiger from an abusive circus. Wait a sec... Hanma and Kisaki have a circus theme going on... why did I never notice this? This starts well. Saddest tiger pic I could find

Baji: A black gray wolf of course. 'nuff said

Chifuyu: A cat. Kitty kitty meow meow. Not crazy enough to be orange, but he's gotta have green eyes and a kind face. This tuxedo:

Koko: Talking about cats, here he is. Most obvious choice I've ever made. Black cat of course, very fancy, will knock shit off the counter and eats only the most expensive wet food

Inupi: second most obvious one because you've gotta pick the race of the dog too. I say he's the only serious golden retriever you've ever seen.

Takemichi: A mouse. He is squeaky and scared, looks like he eats cheese. Very cute. Big eyes.

Hinata: A doe, beautiful and kind but will ram into you if you touch her loved ones

Naoto: a buck because I am unoriginal. he does give off buck vibes tho

Hanma: I know the official art makes him a caracal but I love being contradictory so maned wolf it is. Plus look at its long legs and creepy demeanor, it's him

Kisaki: Listen, I am not the most partial person when it comes to him. He's my little meow meow, I wanna put either cat or bunny ears on him and squish his cheeks. But! Let's be honest, that boy is a snake. The deadliest snake in the world, the saw scaled viper, not the most venomous but highly aggressive. He eats mouse Takemichi for breakfast. Also look at its scales, they remind me of his adult hair.

Mikey: A honey badger, small and cute but will bite your balls off and kill your family for fun.

Draken: A lion, beautiful mane and a symbol of strength. Lives among a tribe of lionesses (lucky him)

Mitsuya: I do not like spiders. At all. But an animal literally producing silk is the only choice for Mitsuya. However I am not masochistic so i won't put a spider image, just the web

Taiju: Great white shark. Very smooth skin. Anyone who tells you they have sandpaper skin is lying.

Hakkai: A seal, same eyes, same innocence, favorite prey of the great white shark

Yuzuha: An orca, beautiful but deadly. Only predator of the great white shark. Also eats seals but let's not comment on that. I support women's wrongs.

Pah-chin: it's too cliché to put warthog here, so i won't. He's a cane toad, one of the stupidest animal on Earth, one of their most common cause of death is eating shit they shouldn't because they stuff their mouth without thinking. They also hump anything, including dead animals from another species, and lay their eggs anywhere, which leads to a high mortality rate among their offspring. Why did I give so many facts? I don't know. Look at it.

Peh-yan: A tarsier. it's the eyes.

Sanzu: Arctic hare, crazy eyes and a gift for divination if you can understand his language

Senju: a cutie baby. Bunny x2, will kick you.

Takeomi: a rat. I am not a hater, rats can be cute, but this guy definitely gives off rat vibes

Wakasa: So very pretty. White leopard of course.

Benkei: A bull. I always thought his tattoos were a bull, but I was wrong I just looked it up. Still a bull.

Shinichiro: This one was though, but I'd say a koala. I'm partial about it, but I feel like he would give his children poop to eat, and their reproductive habits are also not a good look on them.

Emma: Japanese dwarf flying squirrel because I play favorites and that's the cutest little furball ever. it looks like it's wearing eyeliner

Izana: Another small but deadly thing, the Australian box jellyfish, found notably along the coast of Malaysia (I feel so clever right now)

Kakucho: Fiercely loyal dog, he's a Rottweiler. Don't tell me Izana and him don't have some kind of puppy play going on.

Ran: Secretary bird. Canonically hates Kisaki which explains why he stomps snakes to death. Wears killer eyeshadow and looks like they hate your fashion style

Rindou: Did you know a group of male Pacific tree frogs is called a chorus? me neither, which is why Rindou is a Pacific tree frog. Peace of music, yeah

Mucho: Polar bear, cold and aggressive. Plus arctic hare and polar bear, there's a theme

[phoenixx-news]

Australia's Major Supermarket Chains Accused of Misleading Discount Claims

Australia's two largest supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths, are being sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for allegedly deceiving consumers with false price reduction claims. The ACCC asserts that both companies violated consumer law by temporarily increasing prices before dropping them to levels that were often equal to or even higher than the original price, while claiming the discounts were permanent.

Coles has vowed to defend itself in court, while Woolworths is reviewing the allegations. Combined, the two chains control roughly two-thirds of the Australian grocery market. Over the past year, both retailers have faced heightened scrutiny amid accusations of price gouging and anti-competitive behavior.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighed in on the matter, calling the alleged actions "completely unacceptable" if proven true. He emphasized that such behavior undermines trust and is not in line with Australian values. "Customers deserve to be treated fairly, not as fools," Albanese said at a press conference where he also introduced draft legislation for a supermarket "code of conduct."

ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb explained that Coles and Woolworths have long used marketing campaigns like 'Prices Dropped' and 'Down Down' to suggest permanent reductions in prices. However, the watchdog's investigation revealed that many of these discounts were misleading, affecting hundreds of products over a span of several months. Woolworths allegedly misled customers about 266 products over 20 months, while Coles did so for 245 products over 15 months.

The products involved in the allegations span a wide range, including pet food, Band-Aid bandages, mouthwash, and iconic Australian favorites like Arnott's Tim Tam biscuits, Bega Cheese, and Kellogg's cereal. According to the ACCC, the two supermarkets sold millions of these items, generating substantial revenue through the deceptive pricing practices.

Ms. Cass-Gottlieb emphasized the importance of accurate pricing during times of economic pressure, noting that many Australians depend on discounts to manage their grocery bills. "It’s vital that consumers can trust that discounts are real, especially with the rising cost of living," she said.

The ACCC is asking the Federal Court of Australia to impose substantial fines on Coles and Woolworths, as well as an order that they expand their charitable meal delivery programs.

In a statement, Coles acknowledged that rising costs have impacted product prices, but stressed that the company aims to balance those increases with providing value to customers. Coles also underscored its commitment to consumer law and building trust with all stakeholders. Woolworths echoed similar sentiments, stating that it is willing to engage with the ACCC and that it remains focused on delivering meaningful value to shoppers.

In response to the growing concerns, the Australian government has launched a review of the country's Food and Grocery Code of Conduct. The review recommended strengthening the code and giving the ACCC greater powers to enforce compliance. The proposed new code aims to protect suppliers and consumers alike, with harsh penalties for companies that breach its standards.

As the legal battle unfolds, the case highlights the increasing pressure on Australia’s supermarket sector to operate transparently and fairly in an era of rising living costs.

[cameronprincess]

Valentine’s Day Plans

Word Count: 1,000+

Warnings: Strong Language

AN: Okay what if i said this is my favorite fic I’ve ever written. Maybe it’s because Cal is my cheat lane as well. Happy reading and hope you all enjoy<3

————

February 13th 2019

Daniella Walker. The name that is mainstream as she was making her way into the music scene as what the internet calls their "pop princess."

Daniella first had internet fame how everyone does in the early 2010's, by posting on Youtube. From the age of 16 she started posting covers of her singing different popular songs at the time ranging from Halsey to Ariana Grande. First viral video being her cover of Honeymoon Avenue from the album Yours Truly.

Her life changed at 19 when one of her self produced songs called Speechless dropped and became an overnight sensation. Flying from her home country of London, England to countless radio interviews to her first American Music Awards as an attendee and performer at.

That’s when she met some of her longtime friends in the music industry, 5 Seconds of Summer. She met them because she accidentally bumped into a red haired Micheal as she was coming off stage and they were about to take the stage. The two gushing over much they enjoyed each other’s music.

She was a huge Amnesia fan.

Over the years they continued to keep contact with one another. She was featured on their 3rd album Youngblood on their song Want You Back as backing vocals.

Daniella had also become a regular feature in 5SOS content. As well as being posted on their respective girlfriend’s Instagram’s pretty frequently.

For a little while she was considered a groupie when she went to Bali with them in 2016. Until stan twitter quickly defended her from the trolls on the internet claiming how do they not know her.

She was now 24 standing in line at her favorite local coffee and bagel spot in downtown Los Angeles. The line continued move at a slow pace as she hummed along to the beat in her airpods she been sent the night previous. She was absolutely in love with it. She had a studio session set with Max Martin that she definitely couldn't be late for.

He's worked with artists like Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, and Britney Spears.

It's been a dream of hers to work with him and only her 3rd album that is saying she's gotta be doing something right.

She finally approached Bailey, one of the cashiers she had blossomed a friendship from after being a regular here for 4 months.

"Everything bagel with a side of strawberry cream cheese and Iced Americano double shot with light ice and vanilla creamer!" She shouted to the back. "Hey Daniella."

A smile was plastered on her face. "Hey girlfriend! You'll never believe what I've got planned today." She started as she dug in her purse for her card to hand over for her to swipe.

"Please you're literally a pop star. If you told me you were going to meet up with Kim Kardashian I would probably believe you." She stated in her strong jersey accent as she handed the card back.

"No I wish, but on my bucket list though, maybe I could get a discount on those Skims bodysuits I like. Anyways besides the point here, somehow managed to get a studio session with Max Martin! And cherry on top, the guys are showing up with Ryan fucking Tedder.” She said excitedly as she moved off to the side of the line so other people could move.

"See this is what I mean. It's Thursday at nine in the morning and you're going to work with your hot Australian friends and I'm here covered in flour all day while dealing with the bitches in the back and isn't Max Martin that Swedish dude who's written and produced for basically every A list singer." She leaned against the register.

"Yeah it's so exciting is it not. And Alexis you're so talented at making bagels. Hone in on that." She joked making the curly haired blonde roll her eyes in fake annoyance.

“Your accent makes this sound all posh Dani.”

“Oh whatever.”

"Your beautiful everything bagel and iced coffee m'lady." Bailey turned around to the kitchen workers as she handed her two paper bags one full of her favorite little snacks and the other with her bagel.

"Oh my goodness, you didn't have to do th-." She started.

"Oh please shut up yes I did. You're gonna be late with the hot guys.”

“Text me when you can, I'd love to hear all about it." She smiled.

"Will do."

As she was on the highway on the way to the studio her mind was clouded with thoughts some negative some positive, but mostly negative.

Before she knew it she was finding a parking spot and walking into Capitol Records.

Showing security her badge, she looked down at her Apple Watch and cursed, realizing she was going to be late if she didn’t climb the stairs in under 2 minutes. Thank god for her zumba classes she’s been taking.

Once she figured out what studio she was gonna be in for the next 6 hours, she spotted his long hair and glasses talking to Ryan and the four men sat in the couch in the corner. All of them laughing at something on Luke's phone. She knocked bringing their attention to her standing at the door slightly out of breath.

"Daniella! Pleasure to finally meet you." Max said getting up from the comfy chair to give her hug.

"So nice to meet you too. I'm so incredibly excited and I also see you've invited some of my good friends." She stated nudging Ryan's elbow.

"He had a lot of positive things to say about you." He said sitting back down.

"Daniella you probably know them," Ryan gestured to the men sitting on the couch.

"Know them. These guys are basically a second family to me." She joked.

"I hope you don't mind that I decided to bring them along here to hopefully do some live instrumentals for ya." He told her looking at her with a smile.

"Oh my goodness not at all! It actually sounds so cool. I’ve missed these guys." She smiled widely.

Micheal stood up and gave her a brotherly hug. “Have you gotten shorter?” He joked making Daniella give him the bird.

“Haven’t you gotten weirder.”

“Touché.”

Ashton was next, giving her another squeeze and pat on the head.

Then Luke who did their handshake they made up in Bali together, that neither of them forgot even after 4 years.

Finally it was Calum who smiled at her first and then suddenly picked up her up and spun her around in a circle, earning a loud laugh from Daniella and his signature smile that she still got butterflies from.

Even after her 6 years of knowing him, he still makes her blush like a school girl.

“Alright everyone let’s get to work to hear this beautiful voice of hers.” Max stated turning around and facing the recording booth as Daniella walked in and put on her headphones.

Two hours passed as Daniella stood in the recording booth, recording the second verse. She was mumbling the possible verse in the microphone. The song had a Lorde lyricism with Ariana Grande singing vibe.

She and Max had titled the song Selfish. Max and Ryan giving her corrections if needed. Other than the couple comments or corrections from the group she had total artistic freedom and she loved that.

“Could we leave that first half blank of that chorus and I’ll stack some more vocal layers on that run.” Daniella suggested over the noise of the metronome. “Thank you.”

“Yup sounds amazing.”

While Ryan was stacking her vocals, she leaned next to Ashton's drum kit and told him what pace she needed for the chorus.

Calum was fiddling with his bass strings trying to tune them when Daniella walked over. “So what’s your big opinion on it??”

“I think it sounds bloody brilliant.” He said in a Scottish accent.

“Don’t make fun of the Scottish people.”

“You always seem to forget I’m half Scottish and you’re literally British.” He laughed as she hit his tattooed arm slightly.

Max leaned into Micheal's headset, "Okay Mike start from when Daniella comes in at "I used to be cautious about this and stop when the beat drops back down to the acoustic version that we have prepared.”

3 more hours passed as their session ended and Daniella so proud of the song they had made and gotten mastered.

"Alright, could we schedule another one for Friday morning? We’ve got selfish crossed off the list. We could get started on Messier Things as well." Max asked her looking at his calendar.

She nodded with a thumbs up. "That should work with me."

"It was so good to finally see you guys today. What’s new in the wonderful world of 5SOS land." She asked the boys as they were walking to a lunch spot on the less crowded side of LA so the likelihood of them all being noticed and ambushed by paparazzi was a zero percent chance.

“Going on a promo tour for Easier. Thats literally all. New York, LA, Atlanta, and some overseas.” Ashton said laughing.

"Well whatt are you guys doing for the day of love that happens to be tomorrow." She asked wiggling her fingers together.

"Spending time with Sierra." Luke quickly answered with a smile. He loves that woman more than air it seems. But it’s good to see him so happy.

"Crystal wants to go see some new movie." Micheal stated with a raised eyebrows. He probably had no clue but he was with Crystal and thats all he cared about.

“Oo lemme know if you need a dog sitter. I’ll bring Pepper. Y’know she loves Moose and Southy.”

"Probably just a dinner with KayKay." Ashton’s bright smile came up whenever he talked about KayKay.

"Absolutely nothing." Calum said quickly with a slight eye roll. She knew how he felt about Valentine's Day. He hated that day with every fiber in his being.

"We could spend it together Cal, I'm not doing anything either. It can be like old times!" Reminiscing on when they would go their favorite Ramen restaurant in the city and rewatch Criminal Minds at his house whenever they were both free.

As much as only everyone around them knows, they've had a flirty relationship ever since they've met. But what they don’t know is they claim they’re just friends who have occasionally kissed each other, slept in the same bed, and she's worn his clothes more than once but just friends.

But due to them being too awkward to act upon their obvious feelings, they have no official label on whatever they are.

"Ramen on Melrose it is." He laughed making Daniella laugh along with him.

[commenter2]

"Welcome to Heaven" review

Time for a change of scenery and to learn more about Heaven. Spoilers.

Nice to see Vaggie told the truth instead of attempting to lie. I am curious, would that have even worked on Charlie? Does Charlie have a power to tell if people are lying to her, since her father is the “father of lies”?

That was sweet of Vaggie, but there is a lining of “Vaggie sacrifices more for the relationship” idea in my Charlie/Vaggie trailer breakdown here. LUCKILY there hasn’t been much of that as I expected in this season. At least we’ll find out how Vaggie lost her Exorcist title.

CHAGGIE KISS! Wait why’d she kiss her on the eyepatch? Also I’m NOW just wondering if Vaggie DOES still have her left eye, but is covering it up Japanese anime style cause it contains a great Exorcist power?

Here’s Cherri Bomb making an “explosi.. eh I’m not going to finish that lame joke. I do like the new Australian accent they gave her.

I’m not liking where this is going. I feel like this is going to result in a situation like in the pilot where Angel and co. embarrass Charlie’s goal in front of everyone in Heaven. I mean (spoilers based on the HH S1 trailer) something is going to make the next Extermination happen, but I hope it’s something else.

You really should have told the others to behave themselves before leaving Charlie.

A new portrait of Charlie and her parents in the background. It’s hard to make out, so hopefully someone posts a proper version of it soon.

Charlie casually throwing Vaggie through portal XD.

(Pen sees Cherri) knew this was coming here we go. Bet Pen X Cherri shippers are going to enjoy that moment.

Anyone else think the eye symbol at Heaven’s gate is also a reference to the Sheikah Eye from Legend of Zelda?

Saint Peter? With her last name being Morningstar, you think he would realize she is Lucifer’s daughter.

Charlie Morningbreakfast

Cursing is allowed in Heaven. Interesting to know, you think there will be a gag for when someone curses, everyone else covers their ears “Harry Potter Musicals” style?

So angels can take on different forms. Also was it just me or did the old angel’s bird form look like Stella a bit? I did have this theory that touched on the idea of how after fallen angels went to Hell, they would evolve to become different from what those in Heaven look like and create subspecies, and it looks that is true.

The angel finally has a name, Sera. Oh she may sound nice now but wait till we see her evil side! Right there she says, “you are gifted to be here”, life if she wasn’t Lucifer’s daughter she would have been really rude to Charlie.

Even though she says she is the highest of the Seraphim (the highest rank in Heaven’s hierarchy if pic of said topic are any indication) I feel like there is going to be a moral Heaven thing where every angel is treated equal. I thought I bring this up now cause when Sera reveals herself as a villain, I hope later on she becomes an antagonist (replacing Adam) who fights against Charlie’s redemption plan but will have trouble when other Seraphim’s and Archangels side with Charlie.

Sounds like Emily is the Charlie of Heaven XD.

Got some interesting designs like a Hellhound looking creature with hooves and that…thing she is next to. There is also someone that looks a lot like Vaggie but with no mouth, who “COINCIDENLY” has a close eye where Vaggie has an eyepatch.

I think that was a FNAF/Chuck E Cheese mascot band refence there.

MOLLY HOLY CRAP! Looks like we found the motivation to get Angel to redeem himself! I was going to wonder why she was spider looking creature when you think Heaven only has people in human/cute animal like forms, till I saw that crab looking angelic being in the same scene. Also on the bottom right, I think that’s a Sara Bellum from PPG reference.

Again. Sera being rude, though Emily sounds very ally like.

Vaggie being jealous XD

LUTE? Wait does this mean Adam is wearing a mask/helmet/whatever too? I bet he’s fugly under it XD.

Damn the Amazon Prime pause button. It keeps making the video skip ahead instead of doing its job!

OKAY HUGE REVEAL THERE! HOW COME NO ONE ELSE KNOW ABOUT THE EXTERMINATONS? Do the archangels at least know? Either way this could actually be good but I’ll get into that later.

Okay so Sera seems to be one of those “doing bad to do good” kind of characters as she just wants to protect Heaven, explains why she looked so sad in Charlie’s story, but I feel like she will have prejudices too. It also sounds like Adam was the sole person who came up with the Exterminations.

FINALLY confirmation of Vaggie being a former Exorcist! :D… Wait… Oh crap! :(

ADAM GAVE VAGGIE HER NAME! CALLED IT!! https://www.tumblr.com/commenter2/718141081445957632/odd-theory-but-do-you-think-vaggie-got-her-name?source=share

That was a hellborn child! I had suspicions that Exorcist also killed Hellborn demons during the Exterminations (Viv did once say they kill anything that wasn’t indoors) but still its more shocking than knowing it was a correct fact.

I do like that the Extermination scene is a flashback and not taking place in the finale like I predicted.

Also as messed up as what happened to Vaggie, losing her eye and wings (more on that later) at least it led to her instantly meeting Charlie. Hey they are wearing their pilot outfits :D

At least we can look forward to a Vaggie vs. Lute fight in the future.

Since it was shown that Lute was able to wound Vaggie when she was still an angel, my idea from my “Overture” review of the dead Exorcist being killed by one of its own is a little stronger now. I still think someone else like the threat impersonating Lilith did it, but I'm still keeping that as a possibility until we learn more.

If the first human soul to arrive in Heaven doesn’t know what qualifies to get into Heaven, then Charlie redemption plan deserves a chance. It also makes me curious on what the other angels think qualifies. Also again how would Angel be any different than having Adam there.

WAIT WHAT ABOUT ABEL? He was murdered by his brother long before Adam died, what happened to him after he died?

See I told you we’d get another pilot situation, though at least it’s better than last time as Angel did resist for a time. Heck Husk and Sir Pentious should also be considered proof of being able to redeem since Pen was being nice to a degree and Husk was actually trying to help Angel.

Seriously, Adam has been cursing up a storm, yet you react to when Charlie does it? Maybe like us they were just surprised that she can curse, given how good she is.

Looks like I was wrong about the situation leading to pilot vibes. GOOD! Also great to see Angel stand up to Val.

Now that we know that Val’s shirt are his wings, it makes the scene of Niffty ripping a piece off hilarious XD.

This seems enough proof to me that someone can be redeemed, don’t try and change the subject Adam.

So no angelic being in that room properly knows how judging a soul works? While odd, I wonder if this is a result of after what happened to Lucifer, maybe soon after others got sent to Hell for minor things and eventually no one dared to question or go against God’s (or whoever else’s) judgment and now they are at this point where they don’t recall things or fear becoming a fallen angel like Lucifer. I’m (semi) counting this as another one of my ideas coming true, as I did bring the idea of Heaven not knowing how to loosen the restrictions to getting into Heaven.

Though a bit understandable from Charlie’s POV and thankfully she got lucky there, her ranting to Heaven is another time where Charlie should have taken up at least SOME of Vaggie’s words.

So glad to see Adam’s ego and stupidity finally leading to some good for the heroes, as it will be interesting to see how parts of Heaven will react to learning about the Exterminations.

Trailer screen shot. At least I’m glad that Sera isn’t what I thought she was going to be like.

Oh don’t phrase it like that Charlie! You’re making my “Lilith wants to destroy Heaven” theory sound like it could happen :(

Again when looking at that statue of Sera, she looks like Stella. Also if I’m right the other creature is Emily, who I guess can take on the form of a unicorn.

Aww crap Adam revealed Vaggie’s secret. I know I brought up the idea of Charlie and Vaggie’s relationship being tested, but I just meant personality wise not this, mostly cause I though Charlie already knew. Then again Charlie can be an idiot at times. Hopefully Charlie can be mature about this and thinking back to the trailer, the two do loving sing to each other, heck looks like Vaggie gets her wings back. So yeah, I’m guessing that they will be fine and their relationship will be stronger than ever.

Seriously Sera, after what you see your going to still allow Adam to do the Extermination. Then again she might not have a choice here. This is quickly confirmed with Sera expressing the “Angels scared of suffering the same fate as Lucifer” idea I brought up. Also obviously we need something to continue the series.

So Sera and Emily ARE mother and daughter, I was starting to wonder. Actually speaking of family and thinking back to “Queen Bee”, Bee brought up the question of how fallen angels and such are related, I wonder how related Lucifer and Sera are. Could Charlie and Emily be cousins? If they are, then Vaggie won’t have to worry about Charlie leaving her XD.

At least Charlie has her first angelic ally. I wonder if what Sera said and Emily clenching her fist IS foreshadowing her fate? If my idea of her being able to transform into a horse comes true, what if her demon horse form takes on the form of the horse at the end of the Spindlehorse credits.

Aw man we’re not going to see how Charlie feel about this or more importantly,

Whew that was intense near the end. We got to see Heaven and learned some big things about it like the residents such as Molly being there or how angels have NO IDEA how judging a soul works. Then there was a big reveal that no one before the events here even knew about the Exterminations, that was a great twist if not a bit odd.

It was also great to learn more about Vaggie’s now confirmed past and be introduced to Emily and how she agrees with Charlie’s thoughts instead, making the argument less one sided. It was also funny seeing how she and Charlie got along so well which led to Vaggie being jealous at one point. Hopefully for her, Emily and Charlie turn out to be cousins.

It was nice having Cherri be in the episode, even if she almost led to Angel doing bad things and getting Charlie in trouble again. Speaking of which, it was GREAT to see that Angel HAS changed since joining Charlie. Hopefully if he learns that Molly is there, a great cameo BTW, he will amp that up to 11.

I also personally liked how stupid Adam looked in it, and now that people know the truth about Exterminations, I think it could lead to him being demoted (both related to Heaven's hierarchy and as a main antagonist in the series) and my idea of Charlie being the “chosen one” to save everyone from a great threat or the idea I have for what season 2 could be about.

The only downsides were that this was kind of the expected outcome given the episode’s place. Maybe if this was the 2nd to last episode and the finale was an hour long, it could have helped but I’m not complaining.

It was also a bummer that we didn’t see more of how Charlie feels about discovering Vaggie was an angel. At least the S1 trailer makes it clear that thing between them will be fine in the end.

The things about no one knowing about the Exterminations, or what the qualifications to get into Heaven really are, but I’m not complaining. This is actually a perfect excuse for my season finale epilogue idea where after the Extermination, Heaven agrees with Charlie and they need to rework or explore the qualifications required to get into Heaven, and Charlie plans on having a big say in it so that more people can get into Heaven whether it be after they die or through her hotel. Of course some people of Hell and Heaven will be against Charlie’s ideas, so Charlie will have to go through a multi-season storyline where she needs to keep convincing more and more powerful people that this would be a good thing, eventually having to convince God himself. All the while evil forces will try and progress its/their agenda, leading to big fights.

Now we wait for the season finale.

As always let me know your thoughts about the episode.

[blubushie]

im gonna be real with you i do NOT know what vegemite is what is that

On a literal level, it's yeast extract.

Remember how I said Aussies love beer? In order to make beer you need yeast. It's a whole bloody process, but the gist is that when you're done brewing the beer, you get a bunch of leftover yeast. This is normally completely useless, but in 1902 a German bloke named Justus von Liebig came up with the bright idea of "Wait, instead of wasting the yeast, why don't we just eat it?"

"That's a stupid idea because it tastes terrible and no one would eat it," everyone said, but von Liebig wouldn't be deterred! So he slapped some spices in there for flavouring and bam, edible yet still disgusting yeast extract.

The poms liked this idea and as poms are wont to do, they stole it. Branded it Marmite, and shipped it out to Commonwealth countries around the world.

That worked out all fine and dandy until WWI hit and the poms suddenly found themselves in desperate need to conserve this wonderful (ech) source of Vitamin B. They saved it for the troops only. Most of the breweries were shut down in the war and converted into munitions productions and depots, so for a time Marmite was merely a ghost of the past for civilians.

Until the Aussies came along.

"Oi!" some bloke said to some other bloke, "It's been a year since the war ended. Where's our fuckin' Marmite?" But alas, his longing went unanswered.

So he said fuck all that noise and decided "Well, fuck the poms, we'll make the shit ourselves!"

So they did. Fred Walker, (a M*lburnian, ech) decided to hire a bloke called Cyril Callister to figure out how the fuck the poms made Marmite, and instead make something even better.

And, as Aussies love our beer, he turned to Calton & United Brewery, who happens to be the brewery WHAT MAKES VICTORIA BITTER. (It's a conspiracy, do you understand?) They also make Foster's, but we don't discuss fucking FOSTER'S on this blog.

So he took yeast extract, mixed it with TOO MUCH FUCKING SALT, added some celery and onion extract, and bam: breakfast tar! Then he gave his daughter--WHO WAS NAMED SHEILAH--the job of naming the new, better Marmite. And she went "Well, there's veggies in there, innit?" And he just nodded. "Call it vegemite."

AND SO VEGEMITE WAS BORN.

It hit the market in 1923, immediately failed, and in 1928 went under a rebrand of "Parwill" ("Because if Marmite [ma might] then Parwill [pa will]) and this didn't last long--it was changed back to Vegemite in 1935.

In 1925 Fred Walker helped found Kraft, an American company (Kraft cheese, anyone?) So Walker used Kraft's newfound success to promote Vegemite. This... actually worked, surprisingly. In 1939 the British Medical Association officially backed Vegemite as a great source of Vitamin B, and when WWII hit, it was included in civilian rations across the country. By the late 1940s, Vegemite was found in 9/10 Australian homes.

And it stuck. Its billionth jar was sold in 2008, and in 1984 it was the first-ever product to be electronically scanned in an Australian checkout.

We're all happy little Vegemites!

[tf2heritageposts]

There is: (i got too excited and it's a bit long sorry)

What kind of brazillian foods/drinks the mercs would like the most

Scout:

He would love any kinds of street foods, his favorite ones would be coxinha, a fried snack stuffed with chicken; Hot dogs in the São Paulo way, they usually have mashed potatoes, corn, peas and shoestring potatoes above (with ketchup and mustard, of course) and pastel, a fried dough (the texture is similar to a puff pastry) that can have many kinds of fillings, the most usual one is mozzarella cheese. He also would love eat this while drink sugarcane juice (it's a classical combo).

Soldier:

This one is funny, bc in my head all the other mercs had to lie to him that they were getting 100% american food so he could at least try some, and he keep eating it without knowing the thruth. His favorite ones would also be ones of the most iconical ones, by irony of the destiny, such as feijoada and pão de queijo. He would also love farofa (is made either with corn or cassava, braised with oil and can have diverses other igredients too) but since Soldier is build diferently, insted of eating it as a side dish he just cook a huge ass pan of farofa and eat all of it with a spoon.

Pyro:

He would love brigadeiro, because is sweet as him (awwn). He would love churrasco (brazilian barbecue), so much that he, engineer and sniper would be the ultimate churrasqueiros of the team (however only engineer and sniper are alowed to touch on the grill since the incident). From the many things that can be made in a churrasco, Pyro likes garlic bread the most (because it gets burned at outisde really quickly but still ok to eat). The last thing from his list would be cuscuz paulista, recipe that blend corn flour and many other igredients, and that people from other brazilian states keep saying its ugly but THATS UNTRUE YALL JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT - me, a sad paulistana.

Engineer:

As said before, he would love churrasco, and any kind of red meat should be his favorite (picanha, striploin…). He would also like the local beer options and condensed milk pudding (pudim). No special rasion on the last one (besides giving all the mercs at least 3 itens).

Demoman:

He would LOVE drinking cachaça (alchoolic drink made with sugarcane) and caipirinha as well (drink made with cachaça, lime, sugar and ice). For eat, his favorite food should be torresmo (pork skin with fat cut into small pieces and fried until crispy), that is also a good side dish in brazilian bar's.

Heavy:

His first favorite option would be estrogonofe, wich is actually a brazilian version of a russian recipe (stroganoff), with some alterations. He would also enjoy virado à paulista (plate composed of a beans and cassava flour mix, together with pork chop, tuscan sausage, fried egg, braised cabbage and a piece of breaded banana), it's a really big meal to a really big guy. Finally, he would go for "caipiroska" for drinking, with is a caipirinha variation but with vodka in the place of cachaça (wich i didn't know existed until i started writing this kkkkkk)

Medic:

Cuca de banana (a cake with bananas and a sugar & cinnamon on top) would be one of his favorite desserts (it also has a germanic origin i also didn't knew kkkkkk). He also would like specific foods from Bahia, such as Acarajé (dumpling made from black-eyed pea dough, onion and salt, and fried in palm oil, can be stuffed with shrimp or other options of filling) and cocada (candy made with coconut), but I can't specify why yet bc it envolves a headcanon/AU i'm still making and i want it to be a silly surprise, i'll edit here once it's done.

Sniper:

The last one of the ultimate churrasqueiros, his favorite item would be chiken's hearts. Aparently pumpkings are very used in australian culinary, so i like to imagine he would also like doce de abobora (dessert made with pumpking). Finally, i guess tapioca (cassava gum, can be fried like a pancake and stuffed to taste, among other uses) just suits him idk.

Spy:

He would love Carolina (looks like a éclair, but is smaller, rounder, and filled with dulce de leche) and sonho (fried dough, usualy filled with vanilla cream and with sprinkled sugar above. The name of this recipe translate to "dream" in a literal form btw kkkkk). Ending this list, Spy would enjoy queijo com goiabada (a slice of minas cheese thogeter with a slice of guava paste).

Thank you for reading until here, and sorry if i made you fell hungry hihihi

holy shit this is so good

also i want carolina that looks so good

i also want the sugarcane drinks, please god i’ll do anything

[the-amber-raven]

Snippet Sunday

It's just past midnight here, so it is technically Sunday... and when I wake up it will be all about NYE and I have no faith that I'll have time to post so doing it before bed! It's been a hell of a crazy and kind of awful few weeks quite frankly, but I'm proud of myself for completing the first chapter of the 6b fic before the end of year.

I haven't done one in a while, so have a slightly longer snippet where Bobby gets some initial inklings that Buck is perhaps more involved in the Diaz family than he realised:

--

“Are you sure you don’t want to make yourself one, Buckaroo? There really is a perfectly good room for you to stay in.” 

“Bobby said he’d make blueberry pancakes for breakfast,” Harry added enthusiastically. “And I’m working on getting him to do his mac and cheese for dinner!” 

“That does sound amazing, but I need to pick Christopher up from his party tonight so I definitely can’t,” Buck said apologetically. He was genuinely regretful, because the idea of waking up to Bobby’s pancakes and then maybe helping him bake mac and cheese while Athena and Harry hovered near them as they caught up and unpacked Harry’s things was a pretty amazing fantasy that he would have enjoyed indulging in. 

“Christopher?” Bobby said sharply, startled and concerned. “Is everything alright with Eddie?” 

“Of course,” Buck replied, mystified as to what had made Bobby jump to that conclusion. “Eddie dropped him off, I just offered to do the pick-up."

"Eddie didn't feel comfortable driving at night...?" Bobby probed, mouth pressed together in worry. There was a brief period, right after his breakdown, where Eddie had avoided driving at night since he was anxious about potentially getting triggered by something so Buck supposed he could understand where Bobby's worry was coming from.

"No, nothing like that. It just didn't seem like there was much point in him going when I was planning to crash at Eddie's anyway."

Bobby didn't look any less concerned, so Buck expanded his explanation.

"I promised Chris that we could plan out our next zoo visit tomorrow. They’re offering koala photos at the moment plus there’s some new baby gibbons so we need to make some sacrifices and adjust our usual schedule.” 

Bobby opened his mouth, probably to ask for more detail because he now looked puzzled. 

However, Harry jumped in first, his eyes wide with wonder. “As in you can take a photo with a koala?”  

“You can take one holding a koala if you want.” Buck pulled out his phone, handing it over to Harry once he found the screenshot that he’d sent to Eddie which explained the experience and showed a sample photo. He angled it so that Bobby could also see the phone, wondering if maybe Bobby hadn’t been aware that the LA zoo had Australian native animals and that was why he was confused? 

--

Hope y'all have a Happy and Safe New Year's Eve! And may the muse be stronger than ever in 2024 ;)

[popculturebuffet]

Helluva Boss: Fizzarolli and Ozzie retrospective He, Mammon (Patreon Review for Brotoman.exe)

Happy almost valentine's day you happy people! While i'm deeply alone romantically, like many I can take comfort in the wonderful world of shipping. It's jsut nice to see two character bond or two think about two character sbonding even if one is a clone whose life's ambition is to be batman and the other is a teenager named after edged weapons. Bonus points if you figure it out. Point is i'm not immune to a good romantic endorphin rush, and not opposed when one of my patrons has the same idea, so as part of our buid up to valentine's day, we're taking a look at the most stable couple on one of the most unstable show arounds. One's a clown who sounds like Beetlejuice, the other's a giant rooster god of lust. Somehow they make it work.

I haven't really covered Helluva Boss episode to episode on here less out of neglect and more because I intended to juts review the seasons. And while tha'ts still something I do for shows frequently with so many NEW shows coming out I can do season reviews for and such a tight schedule, not ot mention shows people pay me to do a whole season of, I realized it was a bit unwiedly so was glad to do this when Brotoman suggested the mid season special and I upped it to a full on retrospective.

It's also been a WHILE since I did a character focus retrospective, the last one being Tom from star vs the forces of evil and I intended way more, life just got in the way. I mean I have retrospectives that are only getting done thanks to the kindness of others paying for them, allowing me to put them back on the board easier. So this is an experiment to see if I can do this again and if anyone else is intrested in one of these, drop me a line. Mos tprobably won't be this short, but I do like doing these, seeing how a character evolves... and it's also nice that unlike most i've thoguht of the character in question hasn't been horribly screwed over.

Anyways it is nice to cover helluva boss and opens the door to cover other episodes or clusters of episodes, another thing i'd be more than happy to do on comission or my own damn time. Now the shamless self promotion is over join me under the cut to talk about gay clowns, literal cocks, less gay australian clowns, looking at this, fire, kidnapping fetishes, burgers, viiibratttorrrrsss, sexy fish persons, public humilation and spenting life bent over with someones fis tin their a.

Loo Loo Land

Fizzy's history on the show is a bit weird. The first glimpse we see of our faviorite gay clown isn't ACTUALLY him but his non union robot equilvent. In fact the episode dosen't make it clear FIzz is an actual person and this is a robot of him, Robofizz comes off as a chucky cheese style mascot complete with a horrifying army behind him, with only word of god at the time (I assume as I got into the show around "The Harvest Moon Festival), revealing that Fizz was a real person with a real history with blitzo. Blitzo's hatred of "that fucking clown" seems to be about having to work with robofizz in the past.

That being said this brief apperance nad inevieitble park torching fight with an anamatronic which happens every time Blitzo goes to a theme park, does set up a lot of things about Fizz that are key to his character and apperances: We see his resentment of Blitzo is so great his robots picked it up, that he works at mammon's mascot and that he's famous and succesful enough at Clowning, Blitzo's former dream job, that he has robots of himself. He also, likely not concidentally, first shows up in an episode with Blitzo and Stolas, a trend that would only be broken with MAMMON'S MAGNIFICENT MID SEASON SPECIAL, and an intentional one.

Loo Loo Land in fact gives us a good intro to Stolas and Blitz's relationship. While their "Transactional fucking" had shown up in the pilot and murder family, with my faviorite gag of the show spotlighting the start of the affair

And the second setting up their monthly fuck fest, this is the first episode that really shows how the two FEEL about the situation: Stolas is clearly infatuated beyond just sex: while he couches everything in how fuckable blitz is, he also makes an excuse to see him by having him bodyguard him and octavia for the day. We also get a sense of just HOW awkward he is, calling him "The only man who can fuck me" to his daughte'rs confusion and grossing both Blitz and Octavia out by greeting blitz with a sensual "Well hello my big dicked blitzy". The resulting one of the fuck is a close second to sorry I fucked your husband, might even top it. It's clear Stolas dosen't JUST want to fuck Blitz, enjoying seeing him on the job, flirting with him.. but it's also clear WHy Blitz is so annoyed with the situation and with said flirting. Stolas can't go two mintues without saying something sexual, which given what we learn about his realtionship makes sense; He dosen't realyl seem to know the diffrence between romantic love and sexual love and thus combines the two. Blitzo spends the episode trying to be professional as he's "not a day hooker"> He's fine with fucking to get what he wants but sees this relationship as nothing more for both of them while it's Clear stolas is , in his own fucked up way, trying to introduce the two. It's just he phrases it with dicks so Blitzo dosen't realize that's what this partly is, and Octavia , SHOCKINGLY wants no part in meeting her fathe'rs lover she's afraid he'll run away with. It's only her running away herself that makes him realize MAYBE inviting his side piece to the park with his daughter while his marriage is falling apart around him and said daughter can see it every day was a bit of an oopsie.

As for Fizz himself he's played by Alex Brightman, best known for playing beetlejuice, who does a fantastic job here, using the beetlejuice voice to great effect. His first song of the series "Loo Loo Land" is great, a cheesy theme park song right out of chuck e cheese or a children's stage show. We also get nice hints at Mammon LONNNNGGG Before we actually met him, and it's nice to know Viv .. really had the sins planned out fully before their debuts. While we don't see him the fact he made a tacky theme park he blantantly stole from Lucifer, gladly let's his attractions steal from the big boss of hell's own daughter by singing a verison of "I have a dream", and the fact the park has no saftey standards, a ton of lawsuits an da mascot that's a pervert undre there. It sets up both how shoddy greed is and how shoddy Mammon's products are way before we actually meet him.

We also get a fun subplot where Richard Steven Horvitz pisses himself off and does a fun goofy voice. Good times. Loo Loo Land is a great episode.. but an okay-ish intro to fizzy. but it was intended to simply TEASE at the man himself as a few episode and a year or two later... we get

OZZIES

OZZIE's is where our boy gets a proper introduction along side his boss, love of his life and best friend Ozzie, aka Osmodeous, the sin of lust.

Ozzy's intro is a big milestone in Hellaverse history as it's the first time we properly met one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It's easy to forget how big a deal this was now we've also met hot lava lamp fox, clown bastard man and depression dad 2: he did your wives, but before this episode was promoted it wasn't a sure thing the sins would even show up in hellva. Our heroes are mostly small time and one of the sins was tied to Hazbin, which at the time had nothing resembling a release date or schedule. So having one be suddenly announced for the season finale was a big suprise.

It's also one of my faviorite thing the franchise is had: While Viv and co go all out for the designwork, the series has some of the best extras in all of animation, the sins naturally get some of the best of the best, each embodying their animal theme while also being gloroius. Ozzie himself gets a great one with tiny heads I forget exist, chest hair (feathers? fuck man I don't know) a glowing neon suit, and a massive tail, with a giant size that shows off just HOW far the gap is in status and power between him and the rest of the cast, and allowing him to dwarf both his boyfriend and unfortunate victim Moxxie. It's also hilarous in hindsight as Bee ,at least in regular mode is normal sized and Lucifer is a short king.

One last personal note on this that has nothing to do with the matter of hand but what the heck: wait for the sins reminds me more of the various gem fusions from steven universe, something exciting as hell every time it comes up but also agonizing fanwork wise while you wait for them to finish the set.

Anyways Ozzie's setup is simple as it is fucked up: Moxxie and Millie are having their one year anniversary. It's weird to think given HOW close they are it's really only been a year. I mean the relationship could be longer. We don't know.

Blitzo naturally wants to be a third wheel, which Moxxie shoots down even harder than usual. Blitzo agrees.. then stalks them to their date anyway. Unfortunately for him it's one of the biggest restraunts/sex clubs in all of hell, probably the biggest and the bouncer is used to guys trying to fuck him to get in. Blitz.. has to call for backup.

This is where Stolas' genuine feelings for blitz really start to come through: previously the show played coy, having just enough hints that he reallyc ared.. but also having him call Blitz thigns like "his little imp', mock his buisness, or hit on him in front of a large crowd. And this was all in one episode. Stolas LIKES Blitz.. but due to his insulated spoiled background and his only relationship having been with one of the worst people in hell or heaven, only topped by a genocidal dude bro, the clown from it's australian cousin, a homophobic controlling abusive mobster, and a rapist. It's easy to see WHY Stolas had no idea HOW to talk to Blitz properly or to actually ask if he wanted the cutsey nickname. He's never HAD to think about how someone feels.

Yet when Blitzo calls for the date.. he lights up. He's happy, overdresses and rushes to go meet him, easily getting them in and is happy to genuinely TRY to get to know him. It just dosen't work as the way he'as acted.. means Blitz dosen't GET that he's trying or that he enjoys this date and just wants to stalk his employees

Karma however bites Blitz hard as he was so focused on stalking.. he forgot who runs this place.. and thus whose EMCEEING THIS PLACE: Fizz.

While this episode was already one of the series best hindsight helps it.. mostly. The show could've been better on following it up as both Moxxie finding out Fizz is at the club and Blitzo telling off stolas only have subtle effects afterwords, and the actual argument ove rit.. is releigated to a tex message fight we see in Western Energy.

The episode DOES however only gain more from later ones when it comes to Fizzy: When we see him on stage it's instantly clear that he's not so famous just because he works for Mammon and that he dosen't have his job because he's fucking the owner: Fitz is genuinely talented, doing fun crowd banter and some acrobatics. It's also clear he genuinely loves working the crowd and people in general. Sure he's about to spend most of the episode mocking someone who just wanted to serenade his wife, but for the most part he actually seems to like bantering with the guests.. except the guy who bought like 4 of his sex robots. Keep that guy away from him.

It also sets up one of the keys to the character: He's a mirror of blitz. It's something I didn't have fully sink in till I watched this video from sarcastic chorus. I originally had the link in there but i've tried ot ease off youtube that way as it instantly becomes the page image for some reason when used in a link.

I don't agree with the guy on everything, but I respect his opinons and this one was so obvious in retrospect I can't belivie I didn't notice. But Fizzy.. is who blitz WANTED to be: a performer, rich, in a circus. He still got the office he wanted as a kid, but it's clear Blitzo's life didn't work out the way he wanted it to: mostly alone with two friends he keeps harassing and a daughter who takes a whole season and a yearlong delay thanks to record company jackassery to tell him she loves him and finally admit he's her dad. He's a deeply lonely person who loves his job but wishes he had more and the one possible relationship he does have is rife with power imbalance issues.

In contrast, Fizzy seemingly has it all: he's famous across all the rings as a performer, has tons of merch in his name, a regular gig at one of the nicest places in hell and a loving boyfriend who supports him and is there for him. The worst he seems to have in this episode is PRETENDING like he and Ozzzy are doing more than fucking, and that's , at least for now, more an image thing. Fizzy has everything Bltiz ever wanted and seeing him only drives that in..a nd makes it clear the second Fizz sees him shit's going to get bad.

Staying low though.. isn't really an option, as Moxxie done goofs up, singing a love song at a sex club. Granted... Fizzy and Ozzie are giant dicks here, singing a long, gorgeous song about how stupid Moxxies being and how he shoudl sing about doing his wife. It's also hilarious in places, with Fizzy pulling out his reading glasses and has two of the series best extras in these two

I like big beformets and I cannot lie. And skinny ones too clearly. No idea how the candle thing works though.

The song.. is fantaI stic, one of the series best, and a big showcase for James Monroe engleheart, who didn't really get to sing as Vortex. The series also wasn't a full musical yet so that didsn't help. But it's clear Viv knew who she had and thus gave him a giant, most of the episode number that steals the damn show and sells just how IMPOSSING ozzie is and how fucked Moxxie is.

Thankfully they change targets as Blitz TRIES to do something heroic and stand up for M and M.. but does so by both revealing he followed them here, and you know... that he watches tehm have sex. Granted MOXXIE already knew that

But it's still a weird thing to admit in public. So Fizz zeroes in on him, as does Veroskia whose been sorely missed this season. But hey ANY cristina vee is good cristina vee. Stolas dosen't get off easy as Ozzie points Stolas out and connects the dots and joyfully sings about he sold his life for a thrust.

It's.. weird going back to this one as in their next appearnce.. these two.. aren't antagonists. Fizz is hostile to Blitzo.. but as we learn he has every reason to be. With them debuting like this, it was easy to assume that they were yet another set of rogues to be added to the gallery, instead of valuable allies. It feels like a delberate bait and switch that MOSTLy works: thier a bit TOO cruel here to completely buy it.. but there's hints at who they are behind closed doors and it DOES make sense contexually: Moxxie did pick a sex club to do his song at instead of ANYWHERE else, simply because it was a big fancy place, so a little mockery is fair, and Fizz zeroing in on blitz is.. entirley in character given he truly hates the guy at this point. Only Ozzie saying what he did about stolas "trading his life for a thrust" feels disgenouious and even then he might simply not know the many complicated factors involved like Stella being awful or how much the divorce affected Octavia. The two know each other and it's clear from Oops stolas can easily book a meeting with the guy, but they aren't really FRIENDS or anything.

Still the two DO get their compuance as Millie wacks Fizz with a guitar. Sure they have to get out, but ... I mean Millie got away with el kabonging the boyfriend of one of the rulers of hell. That's still a hell of an achievement.

We also have the Stolits fallout which is still one of my faviorite scenes of the show. I talked about it in depth in my best episodes of 2021 list, but it's just so heartbreakingly good, even better having rebinged the series recently: you see how it's evolved, how Blitzo has this impression.. and how him laying it out really lays it in for Stolas how badly he fucked up and knowing what we know now, the last shot of Blitzo sobbing after seeing his mom.... it somehow hurts more.

The Circus

Full Confession: I almost forgot to put this one in here. I know, big oversight but it's easy to jump from Ozzies to Oops, which functions as a sequel to the former. The Circus itself is a sequel AND a prequel, both showing Stolas finally divorcing Stella after Ozzies and showing Stolas and Blitzo's pasts including just how we got to "sorry I fucked your husband", an origin story worthy of telling if ever there was one.

And while it is indeed mighty the main thing we're here for is Fizz.. whose in about maybe two, three minutes of the episode tops. But while I nearly glossed over this it is important as we finally see how the two interacted as kids: Fizz was both a star performer AND a surrogate son to Blitzo's dad while Blitzo... simply didn't have it yet. IT's clear from his acrobatic skills and poster in his office he later found his niche with his sister but as a kid he just didn't have the natural talent Fizz did and his morbid humor, referring to the only horse of his that dosen't explode as having lost it's legs from diabettes, simply dosen't fit the setting, while Fizzy, even as a child, is deft as hell at reading the crowd.

While the two are very diffrent.. it's clear BLitz and Fizzy were still super tight and simliar enough to play together. Granted Fizzy wants him to knock off the diabites jokes or he'll punch him, fizzy dosen't mind Blitzo's over the top violence or weirdness. It's clear he was one of the few people who ever understood this guy.. so what happened... wellllll

Oops!

While OZZIE's introduced these two hypocrites, it's Oops! that fleshes them out as people, as the episodes starts with the two when their not putting on a sex show for everyone. Their still horny as shit, I mean one of them IS lust himself, but it's clear while it's fuck o clock a lot at Ozzie's tower, the two have a loving supportive relationship that's just.. downright adorable.

It's shown from the start: Fizz is asleep on Ozzie's chest, wakes up, gets them coffee, and then wakes his lover up with an airhorn, a thing that clearly happens a lot and is a running bit with the two (Don't blame me blame how fucking fun they are) and we see the two help each other get ready for the day: Fizz wakes Ozzie up, prepares his schedule complete with these really fun reading glasses

I'm a sucker for someone wearing glasses that resemble 3d glasses.. or just 3d glasses like that one guy in back to the future

That guy is, without exageration

THE SHIT

It shows that while Fizzie's clearly the weirder flighteter one of the two, he still supports his boyfriend well and in a way that's vital: he's essnetially ozzie's assitant and he apparently has one or two as seen by this lady that walks in on them later.

Fun fact, I think she's really cute. Also fun fact I think her walking in, them doing couple shit and then trying to act like they were just fucking is just something she has to put up with every day. I mean this...

This isn't the look of someone whose COMPLETELY suprised by this, it's more the look of someone whose like "Okay you two keep kidding yourselves just leave me out of it".

Anyways back to the point at hand, Fizz still clearly does a lot for Ozzie and in turn Ozzie makes breakfast, resigned to the fast he just gets. .assigned this job... and to the fact of Fizz tried it again we'd die. I picture Fizz trying to make a pee wee herman style breakfast device and it going terribly. I also figure with Fizz's love of burgers for breakfast he orders burger king a disturbing amount and Ozzie is fine with it.

Anyways it's a sugary sweet scene but said cute freckle imp and /or sucuubus lady lady run in shows the contrast: between who they are in private and the face they put on for the public, that Fizz is just a fuck toy. It also highlights that it's.. unecessary. Their assitant dosen't seem to care and is more weirded out at the half assed show they put on for her. As we establish next episode practically everyone in hell who knew about the two knew it. Their only fooling themselves to keep up apperances. I COULD be wrong and there could be some fallout from them going public, we'll get to that later, but given we've now met Lucifer... I dont' think he'd care much about the sins acting like their sins as long as they get the shit they do done and keep their citizens happy. As long as Ozzy's willy wanka dildo factory is going strong, he dosen't give a shit. Man's got ducks and depression to keep him company. And now his daughter but we don't know where those episodes take place in relation to each other. Did helluva season 2 synch up with Hazbin season 1's 6 month, was it just season 1? Am I insane am I blind I just can't seem to trust so many regulations comin back at ya? viv please clear this up if you haven't already.

Where was I? Oh yes, point is the two really put on a show for a public that mostly dosen't care more than themselves. The only conflict they have is that Fizz wants to go out alone, and while Ozzie wanting to go with him everywhere COULD be a read flag.. Fizz is going to the greed ring which literally has a town called ransom. Like I said, Lucifer dosen't give a shit. OR didn't. Again this timeline is a lot to take in.

Fizz promises to be incognito.. but being both a literal fucking clown and Blitzo's foil... he arrives in a dildo confetti canon limo, with an army of queeves (dog like creatures that can strip someone to bone), this lasted all of 0 seconds.

It's then Fizz runs into an old friend.. yes it's Blitzo o clock as he was just getting coffee and happened to run into his old friend turned enemy he's seen all of once and the two argue for a bit, with Fizz accusing blitzo of stalking him, Blitzo pointing out how shitty a stalker that'd make him and then calling Fizz a purse dog, the only thing tha tgeninely pisses him off.

Just to prove this opening set piece runs on conicdence, just outside we run into two old foes; Crimson, moxxie's homophobic mafia don father and Striker, our faviorite cowboy imp suprimacist jackass. I like this use of both: Striker had already had his rematch with the m's and is still a personal enough foe to Blitzo, fucking with his bread and butter and all, to work solo, while Crim.. is a mafia don. Of course he has more things to do than plot revenge against his son.

It also underlines something about the show that was easy to forget in season 1: the villians.. aren't arc based for the most part. Striker and Stella are exceptions but most are introduced to likely have an episode later. Granted they could follow up on these characters faster, but I get that guys like the CHERUBS, DHORKS and crim himself, while likely having an end point at some point, are more threats to bring back later than a recurring backbone of the series. So bringing crim in for a normal day of buisness for him works. He's the crime boss of the greed ring, why woudln't he be doing crime boss things when not plotting his son's death.

In this instance it' sa job interview: Striker, presumibly fuming at how Stella alterted the deal and thus fucked up his chance to kill a royal, has decided to change bosses to someone more his speed. Crim wants a demonstration.. and our heroes happen to be outside arguing so he lassoes them in. Fizzy is now a hostage and Blitzo is a co-hostage simply because Striker assumes their friends

The upside of this kidnapping is it gives the two a chance to hash things out.. which naturally STARTS tense, as it tends to do when the last time you've spoken in 20 years involved public humilation and not the fun kind.

So naturally Blitzo tears into fizz, assuming OZzie dosen't care the relationship won't work etc etc, really just projecting every insecurity he has about him and stolas onto them, not able to accept a royal and an imp having an actual relationship. .because it'd force him to consider it actually possible and that the heartfelt texts, check ins and other stuff Stolas has been sending him since , presumibly Western energy (since their text history seems to only go back to the day after ozzies), and Stolas' genuine attempts to respect Blitz's space since, not flirting with him nearly as agressively and using his actual name. It's clear to everyone BUT Blitzo Stolas is putting in an actual effort, learned from his mistakes, and is trying... and the reason it isn't is that BLitzo KNOWS he is, can tell now on some level he wants more.. but his deep inscurties, the mess he's made of his previous relationships and his DEEP self loathing from events we're about to get into and others we likely aren't privy to yet make that hard. It's hard to accept that someone LOVES him and dosen't just want to fuck him and it's harder to accept this just.. might work.

Granted Blitzo gets that hammered in as Striker agrees with his denails because Striker is a suprmacist prick. He really was the perfect antagonist here: while crimson provides nice backing being the reason Striker did this plan and the resources to be an actaul threat and put forth a ransom demand, Striker does the heavy lifting, clearly hating both imps for being race traitors in his eyes and wanting both dead, NEARLY killing fizz simply for pissing him off.

Speaking of Ransom

This brings us to our b plot: Stolas , proving Blitz wrong with some dramatic irony, is having lunch with Ozy, wanting his help. We also get some more shading as Ozy rejects the idea of a love potion out right: he likes consent as much as he likes clown penis. Stolas however isn't a monster, and instead wants to give Blitzo a choice: he wants as asmodeon crystal, what the succubi use to travel since, for reasons we're not privy to yet, Ozy's one of the only ones allowed easy surface travel. Ozy rejects it: he WANTS to help but Fizz hates Blitzo for reasons he hasn't told his partner, and Ozy respects that, though he DOES sympathize.

Luckily for Ozy though stolas is there as Crimson springs his ransom plan.. which in hindsight is just... it...

Okay so Ransoming Fizzy.. ISN'T the dumb part. While it is fucking risky to ransom the lover of one of the 7 most powerful people in hell, we seen soon after Ozzy REALLY dosen't think clearly when Fizzy is in danger, and had Stolas not been there, he would've gladly blindly signed papers giving Crimson all his shit and allowing Crimson to kill fizzy.

The problem.. is Crimson is so damn smug he has no plan B, to a point i'm starting to think he's a fucking moron whose only been a threat because he has a LOT of resources and in his first apperance, still has an abusive hold on Moxxie. He shows his face, and while he dosen't say his name... not only am I sure one of the big bosses of hell itself can search for him by face.. CRIMSON PUTS HIS NAME ON THE CONTRACTS. This makes sense from a "I need to get his stuff" perspective, but not a "what happens if I somehow loose the clown" perspective. This isn't derailment as Crimson was just as short sighted with his last plan that assumed A) A notrious fuck up whose only assets are being hilarous and having a big dick wasn't lying to his face B) His son who ran away from him would do what he said and C) that the people he KNOWS are professional killers won't rescue moxxie in a pinch and will just die to his sloppy hitmen whose record so far in universe is 0 and 3 in actually killing anyone. 0 and 4 if the ones after Mimzy work for him, which they probably do, let's say 4 L's at this point. It works as Crim is mostly a threat due to his resources, and his vengeful impulsive personality both fits a mob boss, and makes him a good foil for his son/arch enemy: Moxxie overplans to the point of panic attacks, while Crimson underplans to the point his usually fall apart, not helped by him not understanding most people.

I'd also like to highlihgt one line I took at face value first two times around: Crimson calling Ozzie the "weakest of the sins". While it is possible Oz is the weakest... I forgot that hte person saying it is an overconfident jackass whose TRYING to underplay how powerful his opponent is. OF course he'd call Ozzie weak. Honestly, especially given the climax of our next episode, i don't think any power gaps within the sins are that huge until otherwise shown or stated: most of them are in the same boat of being so powerful in hell almost nothing else can really touch them: the only things above their league are Charlie, whose easily the nicest person in all of hell and won't fight unless pushed and this guy

Who likewise probably won't pummel you into the ground unless you piss him off bad, and the sins have known Lucifer long enough to know not to do that. I mean Mammon has plagerized him a lot and is still breathing. So while I do think Lucifer is a large reason for the stalemate, I also don't think he's naive enoguh to think the sins wouldn't start shit with one another subtly if they weren't just close enough in power to not backstab each other. They can posture, but a full on war would bring down the angelic fists of cuckining and no one wants that.

Thankfully for Ozzie though Stolas loves reading and is willing ot be his bird lawyer. Hoot hoot.

Thankfully for both of them though, Blitzo is plenty capable and while he makes a flashy dick of himself as usual, he DOES help fizz escape.

Eventually, as the two are dodging bullets, they can't dodge the issue and Fizzy finally explodes, revealing to the audience exactly WHY he hates blitzo and why they aren't friends these days.

So we get.. the fire. We find out on Fizz's birthday years ago Blitzo was going to confess, got upset seeing everyone else fawn over him and accidently set the place on fire and from Fizz's perspective ran the fuck away. As it turns out the white on Blitz's face, in a pretty stunning reveal honestly isn't some cool extra mark.. their burn scars, and the reason Fizzy is white faced.. is because he got it BAD. The cyborg arms weren't piece by piece replacing himself for fun and profit.. their necessary prosthetics. Fizzy lost everything he had that day: his home, his family, everything... and as BLitz tearfully reveals so did he as it's HEAVILY implied he ran to go save his mom.. and din't fail. I'd assume Blitz's dad died too but face it we're not that lucky.

This.. puts a lot into persective for Blitzo as a character and is part of why this episode is so great: We see WHY he hates himself so mucH: he lost his mom to an accident, lost his best friend who he was TRYING to confess to and his sister who blame him for it and .. well he' sprobably not lucky enough to loose his dad. Though when Cash DOES finally kick off hopefully loona will lift her dad up so he can dance on his casket. He los teverything and can't feel he deserves love as a result, while still DESPERATELY wanting it as seen with his constant stalking of m and m or how he treats Loona. The sad part is he dosen't even have to go that far: while they don't want to fuck him the m's do like and respect him and Loona does love him, she just had he rown issues to adress.

The good news about this trauma.. is it finally get the two over their trauma and to start reconcling. Before they can though they need a distractoin so we get look at this, a hilarious number that Fizz apparently used to sing to distract Blitzo's dad to so Blitz can steal booze and is here a flimsy escalating number as Fizz tries to distract. I also like how Fizz.. isn't a combatant. He's a performer and didn't have to learn to fight and has had the protection of two diffrent sins.. granted Mammon's "protection' isn't exactly healthy but more on that in a moment.

The two escape and collapse the warehouse crimson was using on him.. but Striker is still after them at this point just wanting pure vengance. I also love how not only does his "break you like a horse threat fail" predictbly on Blitzo but Fizz's suprised "your still on the horse thing?" There's just so much good banter between the two this episode, brightman and rogers have great chemistry.

While Fizz gets a new kink and Striker finally reaches his limit of his foes kinks, Blitzo saves fizz then saves him from fire this time, finally reconcling the two. Of course this being Blitzo he has to fuck it up by asking if they can make out but it's a start.

It's also a nice possible turning point for the series: i'ts early to call if this is just a one time thing or if Blitz will get the chance to do this more.. but it's the first time Blitz has been confronted with someone from his past.. and it hasn't blown up in his face. With Verosika he clearly hates her as much as she hates him and her smug attitude and treatment of Moxxie just cemented it, and with Barbie she didn't WANT to forgive him. With Fizz.. he WNATED to at least try again, the two just never had the chance. Someone kept Blitz from speaking to him. And now it's finished.. the two are buddies again. Blitzo HAS an honest to god friend whose also not working for him and who, one attempt aside, he isn't trying to bang and Fizzy has someone besides his partner to go to. They needed each other.. and now they have each other.

Wrapping up the rest Fizz returns, and Stolas leaves now his part in things (getting a better deal on the ransom Ozzie now dosen't have to pay), is done leaves Fizzy to get fucked.. after he and ozzie kill the lawyer who stupidly thinks he can run after this. The ending, like the start is a genuinely sweet moment from the two and shows off a neat other side to Ozzie: he's a mechanical genius, having designed the arms (Or at least the model Fizzy uses now) nad is th eone who repairs them for his lover any time they get hurt. While granted Ozzy also wants Fizzy to never leave again, Fizzy's fine with that given teh whole kidnapping and just as fine to share some kinks.. and to let Blitz have his crystal. He's more than earned it. A sweet ending to one of teh shows best.. an da good lead into our closing act tonight

MAMMONS MAGINFICENT MUSICAL MID-SEASON SPECIAL

So we've come ot the episode that clinched this idea for me and brotoman, one of the series best and at the time of this writing the latest episode. Will I do anothe rone of these in a year or two or follow up on other fizz episodes? Probably. But for now this is our grand finale and it delivers. While Helluva Boss slowly became a musical over it's run, likely inspired by viv doing the same to it's sister series, this is the episode that leans the heaviest into it: 4 songs, all bangers, and one big story.

It's also the shows' first stab at an episode focused on the series side cast. This reminds me most of the simpsons: While they aren't the only one to do this, Simpsons is famous for having a war chest of spotlight episodes focusing on the other characters. The simpsons are still involved but how much can range from Lisa's Date with Density, where Nelson is a main feature but Lisa is just as important, to A fish Called Selma, which focuses entirely on Selma and Troy McClure who you may remember from such episodes as Selma's choice, Lisa the vegetarian and Bart's Friend Falls in Love.

This one reminds me of the latter: Blitz is involved and is plot important, but he's not the focus. The episode's entirely on fizz and it's a larger gamble than you'd think: Fans love fizz and Alex Brightman gives a remakrable performance and showed last ep he more than had the range with this character to carry an episode, this both the second episode with only Blitzo in it out of IMP in a row, and in a season that, while I love it, does have it's pacing issues. So throwing down an episode about a popular side character was a risk.. but it's one that paid off gloriously. Clearly fans were hear for it as even people who don't like this season love this episode and i'm hoping it means Fizz will only show up more as we go.

So for the episode itself we start with a flashback

Fizz and Blitz are going to see teachers and it's here we get one of the best villians in the franchise so far and certainly one of the most hilaroius, MAMMON.

Mammon is our third sin and voiced by Smiling Friends and YOLO creator Micheal Cusak, a casting choice I didn't see coming, but is perfect. Not only does it help ease the gap till Smiling Friends and/or YOLO return, but his loud , boisterous australian style perfectly fits the loud, obnoxious mammon, with just enough subtely. He's like Krusty the Klown if he got the bad ending.

Mammon's intro is brilliant spending his time constantly spewing profanity, shilling to a crowd that spent every dime to get here, and promoting his next big thing: an annual clown pagent. It's like one of those fucked up beauty contests for kids but it's with clowns so IT'S BETTER. We also get a fuckton of great jokes from him taking a whole second to wlak back saying he'll exploit the winner, to saying women aren't funny as Viv's writing credit comes up, to my faviorite saying the winner will be like the son he's never had and Mammon will be like the stepdad who only loves you when it's convienent.

Mammon is also a departure as he's the first of the sins, and so far the only one of four, to be just.. straight up evil. All of them are mildly sketchy with Ozzy being a dick in public, Bee shoving cake in people's mouths and having a shitty adoptions system and Lucifer being incredibly neglectful until five minutes ago.. but all are at their cores decent people: Ozzy prioritzes consent and is a loving, caring supportive partner, Bee is both also a good partner and is a kind, vivacious person that dosen't want her patrons endulging just to hide their pain, is genuinely impressed to be drunk under the table, and her response to someone having a clear defenseive crush on her boyfriend.. is to borderline invite her to join, while my boy Lucifer had his dreams snapped in half and when called out on being a cyncial asshole, reveals PART of why he wasn't supportive of his kid was a worry the angels would fuck her up the same way they fucked him up, and when shown just HOW important her dreams are, backs her 100%, showing mercy to an enemy who dosen't deserve it when she asks, swooping in to save the day (if late for reasons i'm sure we'll learn later), and helping her get her spirit back up after a terrible loss. Each embodies their sin but they do so responsibly: Ozzy values consent, Bee values not using it as coping, and Lucifer is egotistical, but also uses that ego to help others and to help his daughter be proud of herself and what she's acomplished after she can't see it.

In contrast Mammon is every nasty thing about greed there is: he's selfish beyond all measure, wanting only what makes him money, cares nothing about the consequences, and will gladly exploit anyone who can make him money, throw htem out of they don't, and keep milking them dry till he's gotten every last dollar even if it kills them. He cares not one iota of a shit for the consequences of his actions as long as he gets paid. It's telling that while Lust is simply a red light district and sex toy making (and presumibly selling) mecca, Gluttony is a nicely apointed sky, and Pride is a luxiruous, if crime ridden, city... Greed is an industrial hell hole where toxic waste runs rampant and the crime seen in Pentagram City is dialed up to ungodly levels. Ozzie is neglectful like Lucifer.. but dosen't have Lucifer's excuse for it or eventaul comeback. He just dosen't care and never will.

The show, which we don't see in full end sup disapointing blitz, who isnt happy he spent his life savings to watch his idol vomit on stage and bury them in clowns, but Fizz BADLY wants that prize depsite Blitz's assurance he dosen't need it. We also meet Arick

Arick is an obessive stalker and it's very clear both from design and just how he's portrayed.. Viv's drawing from personal experince: Arrick comes up to fizz, gushes about how much he loves his work.. then talks about how they coudl work together ina very posseive and creepy way, how it could be bette rif he was involved and making Fizz very uncomfortable till Blitz tells him to fuck off.. and even then that dosne't completely stop him as he begs Fizzy to not make him go then turns on him when he understandably rejects the creepy guy whose been stalking him. Arrick's opinon shoudln't matter.. but dispaointing ANYONE clearly affects Fizz, something I can relate to: that drive to, even if someone's treating you like shit, make them care about you and want to make everyone love you. When... really not everyone's going to like you let alone love you and accepting that is healthy.

So we cut to a ways after with Mammon promoting robo Fizzy and how "YOU CAN FUCK HIM", and how Fizz got what he wanted.. but is clearly DEEPLY uncomfortable with semi sentient robot duplicates of himself creepy people can fuck.

So we finally get to the present: It's the clown pagent again and Fizz wins every year. It's also something Ozzy REALLY dosen't want him to do, as not only is it not necessary given his win streak and the amount of money he has.. but it's not healthy. in one of my faviorite lines all show Ozzy makes it clear he's known mammon a LONG time, since hell started, and knows just what a manipulative talentless prick he is, and he's somehow gotten worse , making nothing and explotiing others for money. "He can eat my ass. In a bad way. " It's clear from how much fizzy is stressing about a possible blemish and his weight that Ozzie is right.. but he also can't convince his boyfriend out of this. Fizzy NEEDS to do this.

So Ozzy calls for backup: since he both can't be there for publicty and since Fizzy only apparently has one friend, he calls Blitzo, whose milling around on a saturday afternoon, presumably watching reruns of "Yeah I Fucked Your Sister So What?". I love Blitz's reaction to ozzi'es call too calling him " your sin— Sinness? Sinfulness? Sin— [stammering] Ya royal, big man?" but still being casual. He's still Blitz, not bowing to standards.. but is still respectful, both knowing the gap between the two is wide.. and that Ozzie clearly deserves it as he clearly makes Fizz happy.

And being a good partner Ozzie is calling Fizz entirely because he CAN'T help Fizz with this: the pagent's bad for him, mammon is REALLY bad for him, but Fizz has also clearly heard this song and dance so many times it's become white noise to his crippling nisecurites, even with Ozzie correctly figuring out his partner hates the sex robots and the creepier fans they give. So Fitz needs someone to both protect him, and to get in his ear so he can get the strength to end this himself.

We also get a really nice touch as both previous times Blitzo's been asked to be a bodyguard, he was pissed, only accepting when Stoals offered to pay him monnneeeey and rejecting a possible repeat "it was a one time thing we did poorly". Here.. he agrees without a remote fight and while it could be because Ozzie simply won't take his shit like Stolas would it comes off more like he wants to: even if it's not on brand.. his friend needs him and when a friend's boyfriend asks for help you help him.

At the pagent Ozzie prepares to clear out, though Fizz pretty much sees through it, not calling ozzie out but finding it very weird he suddenly hired his best friend for security calling it "a little sus babe". It's also a nice moment as i'ts clear Fizz is annoyed at the transparent attempt to put someone they both trust on Fizz's shoulder for a situation Ozzie hates... but also gets on some level his boyfriend is just looking out for him and that Blitz being here isn't inherently harmful.

What is is Mammon who right away questions fizzy's weight while needling him with doubts he could win, hoping he does "You won't let me down right". And this part.. shows range with Cusak I didn't know he had. Don't get me wrong he's brilliant in both Smiling Friends and Yolo... but usually when he's creepy there it's loud and acomplanied with nightmarish animation. Here he takes a character whose loud as hell.. and has him get quiet and manipulative. Just the tone he takes SOUNDS concerned.. but you can just feel the manipulation coming off it, something anyone who isn't his victim could see... but easily works on Fizz. It's something tons of performers have gone through and heartbreakingly so, and something that's just.. chillingly realistic. It's one of the creepeist moment sin the franchise.. just how CASUAL mammon is with ita nd how much he's clearly done it.

Blitzo is here this time and not only stops the fucker but calls him out. This is another nice subtle thing I didn't notice my first few times watching this one but sunk in on binge watching the series through again: Blitzo.. has met all three sins introduced on this show thus far, and thus we get a nice range of his reactoins: with Bee he treats her like anyone else, which fits as she treats everyone equally and is fairly down to earth and observant, if still just insulated enough to miss some cues here and there. With Ozzie he's also casual, but more respectful, trying to give him a title and being honest with him. He respects Ozzie enough for titles, but is still himself with the guy as he clearly has learned to trust the royal big man, or at least trust what he and fizz has is 100% real.

With Mammon... he's confrontational.. but only because he DOSEN'T respect him: Mammon could end his ass righ tthen and there.. and he dosen't give a fuck. he's a terrible performer, an abusive prick and deep down blitzo knows he's not stupid enough to threaten what image he has left by killing someone in a large crowd.. I mean I asssume every sin has done this, but doing so because some guy talked shit about you to protect his friend isn't great optics.

We then meet the twins, Glitz and Glam played by Faye Mata of Miraculous Ladybug Fame. Yes those of you who have also suffered through that monolith of a show, WE GOT ANOTHER ONE. Sinners rejoice. The two are catty, insulting fizzy right away and not even getting laong too well, your standard contest episode heels. Also credit to the episode it's easy to tell them apart both by personality and appearnce; Glitiz is the manic one with mask like fins ove rher eyes, and glam is the more reserved one next to her. Naturally Blitz wants Fizzy to "piledrive those sluts" on principal now.

We get our first song next, Juggling iz Cool, by a guest performer near and dear to my heart, Austrlian singer, Tik Tokker/ youtuber (I use the latter, the former I mostly avoid), and mustache man Tom Cardy, a comedy singer with a great libary form songs that use "Human centpede: as a chorus , to painting ladies to toally not avoid sex, to planet metaphors to help you discover your self worth, to one of my faviorites Jurassic Park 10: it's dino time, where Tom accurately sums up the jurassic park movies while sick and possibly high on cough medicine, then creates his own ones giving us the now iconic line "I should not have given my robot dinosaur a penis, because like anything with a penis it's going to want to use its penis" said as if he's mildly drunk on cough syrup. His music is impeciable as his song topics can be utterly insane. Give him a listen.

Juggling is cool is a nicely tense tune showing just how much pressure fizz is on as Tom narates the contest, nicely conveying the tension the poor guy is feeling as the Twins easily equal him. What i laso like is that while the twins are jerks... their GENUINELY good. They have talent, even setting themselves on fire, and easily equal Fizz and despite their arguments pre show are perfectly in sink.

It also works because ultimately the contest.. dosen't matter. Fizz WANTS to win and we want him to win.. but th ereal conflict isn't "will fizz win or not" but... "SHOULD he keep doing this or not". He's got a supportive boyfriend who will support him emotinally and finacially, he's got enough fame to do whatever the fuck he wants next. Fizz attributes everything he has to Mammon.. but Mammon was simply the right opportunist in the right time. The talent's all Fizzy.. the explotation's all mammon. Even when Fizzy wants something resonable as a break instea dof doing a singing, Mammon guitls him into it.

Granted.. Fizzy IS really good at interacting with his fans and it's clear while assholes like Arick plauge viv regularly, as they do any celebreity sadly, this scene gives us the impression there's been plenty of GOOD fan reactions to counter act that, as Fizzy eagerly plays the crowd and we get one of the standout scenes of the episode when he talks asl with a young fan. It's a nice little bit that shows while a lot of his fandom are exausting.. Fizzy GENUINELY loves his fans and to interact with them. His love of performing is there: we saw it at ozzies. He loves playing a crowd. It's just exausting when parts of those crowd don't see you as a human being.

Speaking of which Arrick returns, calling out fizzie.. .and a creepy fantasy of Fizzy on a leash in a gimp suit makes it clear just what his "love" means. Nothing wrong with bondage, after all..

But it's clear Viv likes using leashes as a symbol of toxic relationships, seen by the chain leash that can be summoned by contracts in hazbin, the chains blitzo saw in his halluciintion in truth seeker and this one here.

Arick isn't as lucky this time as Blitz is now less a teenage dirtbag baby and instead an experinced assasian not affraid to blow his head up in front of a bunch of children. Arick backs off.. for now but it's clear the encounter rattled poor Fizzy and rather than show actual sympathy Mammon once again fakes it.. but glares to make it clear he expects him to perform.

He does "agree" to put the twins on first but it's once again a manipulation tactic. It's what makes mammon so unsettling here: every move to fizz is just another form of gaslighting and you can see the strings... but Fizzy either can't.. or has simply internalized them.

So with this we get Klown Bitch, a true banger of a song, performed by Allison Kaplan subbing in for Glam and Faye Mata still rocking glitz. THe result is a sexy, well done pop number that sums up the duo, their using sex to sell things, and their talent as the harmonies are just delcious. The lighting is also aweosme, being blue, shifting to a purple for Glitz' rapid fire rap solo, and highlithing the two, while mimicing biolumensince. And i'll admit some bias: I like fish women and I like siren songs. But i'm not SO horny that I can't see great production value, killer singing, and god tier animation for what it is, and what it is is excellent. This is easily one of the best looking bits of the series so far.. and only isn't best... because of what's to come.

So naturally a number this good leaves Fizzy having a nervous breakdown since mammon's too busy on his throne to gaslight him out of it this time. Blitz has done what he can, planting the seeds of doubt that Fizzy REALLY needs mammon, even if he's trying not to listen... but ultimately he's simply not who his best friend needs nor the guy to give a heartfelt pep talk. I mean I think he has it in him but it'd take a lot to get him there and Fizzy dosen't have tha tkind of time.

So instead Blitzo summons Ozzie, who despite not being in the crowd.. INSTANTLY teleports to his lovers side. No risk of their relationship being revealed for what it is is worth Fizzy's pain.

Ozzy is FINALLY able to draw out why Fizzaroli is having a panic attack.. he's worried he's not good enough. The pagent is an annual reinforcment that he deserves everything he has and the poor clown feels if he looses it he'll loose it all: that if he can't PROVE he's talented, prove he's the best, prove himself he'll loose Ozzie. Despite having come far, gotten everything Blitzo wanted.. he still has every bit the self loathing his bestie does, just channeled diffrentlY: Blitzo channels his into self destructive bullshit, pushing people away before he assumes he'll loose them, while Fizz goes the opposite route: instead of pushing what he loves away, he works himself to near death to keep something he was never going to loose. Both are deeply unhealthy, ones just easier to see. It's why Ozzie hasn't been able to get through to him: Fizz wasn't honest with the real reason.. or his body dismorphia, utterly hating his burned broken horns underneath his neat hat.

Thankfully Ozzie finds a way around this by both pointing out WHY he loves him.. and exactly what he finally needed to hear.

"Fizz, Mammon didn't do shit. You already were this. You'd be this no matter what! You are the most inspiring demon I have ever known, and meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I adore your inventiveness, your attitude, your resilience. Aaaaand you're just the cutest little thing alive. *nuzzles Fizz's cheek* Also, you are a waaaay better performer than Mammon ever was, and thaaat's just facts."

It's what Fizz needed and what those of us with a lot of sel floathing need; someone telling you ou don't suck, you've earned what you got, and your a good person.

To hammer this in we get our penultimate number, crooked.

Crooked is a song that has reallyg rown on me since last time I saw it. It's a fantastic song, but it's sandwitched between "two minutes of watery fanservice" and "a glorious triumphant fuck you to someone who defintely deserve it", It's a great song, but it's sandwitched between two other great songs that have a slightly memorable presentation.

Crooked by contrast is a simple r n b love ballad.. but damn if it isn't adorable. James Monroe Engleheart once again gets to flex his voice but this time instead of a grandose display of lust, it's a tender display of love. It's a beautiful song where Ozzie gently shoots down Fizzy's self doubt pointing out he's not wasting his time, he's got nothing but it, and that there's so much in Fizzy he can't see. I'ts sweet and the oh oh oh's are just.. such a godo touch, being both sexual and romantic and just perfect.

Naturally after this tender display, we get.. Arrick who bursts in with a knife

Thankfully Blitz blows his head off SECONDS after he enters and clearly heard the whole thing, congradulating the two on being fucking hyocprites, someting warrnated, welle arned.. but also clearly in good nature: he won't hestiate to needle them about how many airs they put on about just beign sexual.. but he gets they need each other.

So with this we transition directly into our final number. I wans't kidding abotu the sadnwtiched things. There isn't all that much between Crooked and two minutes notice.

So .. there's no easy way to say this.. Two Minutes NOtice.. is the best sequence in the series so far. It's gorgeously animated, packed with tiny details, beautifully caps off the episodes themes, and has the series best song by far. And both as the best sequence in the show and the best musical number it has a LOT of competittion that it just.. blows out of the water.

There's just so much expressivness in Fizzy's movement, so many fluid and fun moves, even the little things like how he lights a match on his own arms to spell out fuck you in the sky or his big smile while doing his acrobatics during the first chorus. It's a joyous celebration that shows just how.. LIBERATING this fuck you is to Fizz, after years of eeling like he needs mammon.. he now knows what and thus spends two minutes+ telling him to eat shit.

What also sells it is story wise.. it's a fucking perfect parallel to the oepning: mammon gave his hordes of fans a half assed show promoting other shit he was doing and apparently vomiting on stage. Fizzy, fresh off both a panic attack AND a stalker barging in and seeing said stalkers brains go out, without any time to really prepare, IMPROVISES a routine that' sincredibly acrobatic, has tons of extra stunts packed in he does effortlessly from the fire writing to the now iconic riding on the ball bit to slapping his own ass (And Ozzie hiding his erection is just.. pricless. And somehow adorable. Never has hiding your boner been this sweet), all with a charm and charismA. We'd seen enough of Fizzy to know he's a talented performer.. but this shows EVERYTHING he has laid on the table to give his fans one final farewell for now. He could've half assed it or even jus topened with quitting.. but he cared enough to put on one hell of a show to end this chapter in his career. The love of his fans was clear before, but little bits like him going into the crod to interact iwth them or telling the deaf fan from earlier thank you... it's very clear this man didn't want to let them down. He's not doing the show for Mammon.. he's doing it for them and he's doing it for himself.

The song is also just great, a fantastic beat, Sam haft outddid himself, and Brightman's vocals at their absolute best. The show's going to hav ea HARD time topping this and it's okay if it dosen't.

So Mammon.. didn't really get the point till Fizzy, post song, thanks all his fans before quitting. And once he does. .he's fucking furious, angrily shouting at Fizzy, dropping the illusion of kindness and jus straigh tup lapsing into abuse. And Fizzy.. just flips him off. Mammon lost his power over him the second he stopped letting him have it. It's telling who has the real power in this conversation when MAMMON resorts to his full form, a giant spide rmonster form it and scremaing at Fizzy with the voice of the legion. It's genuinely terrifying and Micheal Cusak does a great job making this throughly silly monster into a regular one once again.

Unfortuantely for him.. it's just.. not working. Fizzy has zero fear of Mammon. evne if he kills him.. all Mammon has done is insure no one is going to want to actually work for him unless their really that desperate. I mean there are people that desperate but it's still a pretty big gamble.

Thankfully before Mammon can shout some more or do some spider shit, Ozzy steps in, having already been ready to the moment Mammon made the mistkae of going full spider.. and naturally Ozzie has the cooler form, his normal form but with a crimson middle head and his two other heads now fully manifested. How he does it is also awesome, standing behind fizz like h'es his fucking stand, fully bared.

Mammon.. isn't thereanted, planning to use the old chesnut that's hung over the two since the start; revelaing thir relationship. Problem is, and in a nice subtle arc.. it's clear the dyas events have finally hamered it in for Ozzie that who knows about thema nd who dosen't.. dosen't fucking matter. He loves Fizzy, Fizzy loves him, and he's finally ready to shout it, with Fizzy being genuinelys hcoked when Ozz says he dosen't care.. and even more when eh reveals it to a crowd

"What that I lvoe him, well I do"

And the crowd.. goes apeshit for it, complete with the hilarous guy with a three phone duel disk and Mammons' response is a hilarously subdued "oi, ya dirty bitch". He tells Ozzie he'll regret this, and he probably has some evil shit planned... but for now Mammon.. ha slost. Fizzy has his freedom, he and Ozzie can be pub lic damn the consequences. It's the perfect capper to a perfect episode.

For now the members of the crowd mammon didn't kill are happy, our heroes are happy.. and Blitz wants to know who tops.

So yeah.. I love this episode... adn it made me truly love this character, it's gorgeously done and damn i't sgood.

Overally Fizz... has a strong arc, one built with small hints at first but then hitting full tilt with what's essentially a two parter. I was happy to cover him and i'll be happy to cover this unvierse again any time. Thanks for reading and happy almost valnetine's day.

[notthewriteryourelookingfor]

Incloming rant and a thought about MattPatt, his theories, and 5 Nights At Freddy's:

I want to preface this by saying that I have nothing against MattPatt, he seems like a cool dude, a swell guy even, he obviously has fun, and a lot of his ideas are creative and entertaining.

I also want to point out that this is not being said "now that he's retired", I have come into the fandom very late (only really got into it due to wanting to go see the movie cuz the Jim Hensen company made the animatronics and I am an autistic slut for physical props and effects. If I'd been in the fandom earlier, this may have come up before his retirement.

.

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So MattPatt's first FNAF theory was that the game was referencing a real life shooting that happened at a Chuck E Cheese.

And I literally cannot let that go.

I realise that the internet in general was very different back then, it was more "edgy", I was like 20 at the time, so I was online and I know how the internet was. Im p sure I was on tumblr where shit like that was very common.

But it makes me see MattPatt's theories, all of them, in the light of "this is a man who played a jumpscare video game obviously based on Chuck E Cheese as a concept (tho I'm p sure in like the 70s-80s animatronic restaurants were a big thing and considering Scott's age it wouldn't be surprising if he'd gone to a few for fun/parties/family outings) and went "ah yes this is referencing a real life mass shooting."

Maybe it's cuz I'm not American, maybe y'all are a lil more comfortable with mass shootings than I am (im Australian, we've had maybe 3 since 2000) but that not only seems like a massive reach, it also feels really disrespectful.

I know that MattPatt was very "respectful" in the video and said he didn't want to make light of the event or joke about it but I feel like just making this video to begin with did that.

Videos aren't something that just appear out of the ether with no way to control what it says: he thought it up, sat down, wrote a script, filmed, ans edited it, and never once went "Oh wait I'm making light of an actual tragedy where people actually died maybe I shouldn't put this out"?

Like even if you have no other ideas, just say that? Just be like "wow this is a doozy, guys, let's break down the game play and maybe reference the event but not make a full video about it"?

But let's say that MattPatt was correct and that Scott was referencing a real mass murder that killed real people with jumpscare animatronics: that's a shitty game. That's a shitty idea for a game.

I mean I'm probably going to get people coming at me like "You're too sensetive" "you're reading too much into it" or "you never heard of true crime?" To which I answer, in order, "yes I am very sensitive it's unfortunately who I am as a person I spent too much of my childhood trying not to be and it really hurt me and decimated my mental health. So fuck off", "FNAF fandom is literally 'there is no limit to how deep you can read into it' that's why it's so popular and why there are so many ideas on what it's really about", and "yes I know about true crime, I also have an issue with some true crime, generally those who make light of horrible things and also my general rule of thumb is "if the parents/children/significant other of the victim(s) are still alive and could see your media, maybe don't make it." I mean an average of 50 years is about what I'm comfortable with if it's being used in the "true crime" space. But that does have exceptions based on why it's being talked about. But I think that's another rant."

What I'm trying to say is that I have trouble with MattPatt, and his theories in general, not because of "Gregory is a robot recreation of the Crying Child" (cuz that's fun and interesting and also is actually understandable if u look at the mimic???) But because he likened FNAF, which at the time was a silly lil indie game about animatronic animals (that are possessed by children but rarely actually talk about it) to a real murder spree.

He compared a digital bear, chicken, bunny, and fox, to real people who lost their lives.

And that makes me look at everything he does, even now when it's been like 9 years, and he's definitely grown and changed and maybe even apologised for that, in that lense.

He's like 37 now, meaning that he was 28 at the time. It's not like he was an edgy teen with no understanding of how his actions impact others.

I realise this looks like I hate him, that I'm holding his past mistakes against him, and I want to confirm: I don't hate him, he's entertaining to watch and I'm sad hes not doing theories any more,

But at the same time, I wish he'd not have made that one video and I can't not think about it with every theory he puts out. It's why I can't watch his other channels (also I looked at style theory & some of the ideas seemed lazy to me but that's my own bias) because it has poisoned his ideas slightly in my mind and I'm now very wary of what he's saying.

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I will add that I have a similar problem with a fair few theoriest were they're like "I've solved this" and then shill out for a very obvious scam company or a company like BetterHelp or HelloFresh months after we all found out they were trash so it's not like they had a few more contract obligations. It's like "I realise that you need to make money, but you're actively promoting harmful stuff in an Advert (at least it's labelled as that) and it makes me feel like I can't trust your judgement on things."

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Anyway, please don't hate on me, this is just something I've been struggling with for a few months now and I'm curious to see if anyone else thinks the same or had any helpful thoughts they would like to share.

Also if MattPatt has apologised for it, please let me know where I can watch/read it cuz part of me feels like if I see him acknowledge that it was probs not a great thing to do, it probs won't feel so weird about it anymore.

It's like our parents always said: we need to be careful of what we put online cuz it could follow us forever.

[aceaceace144616]

Welcome, Caller

by M Dean Wright

my thoughts in a nutshell: "oh no hes just like me fr"

ok i dont really review books or anything, thats my friend's job (cheeky promo alana_the_bibliophile on instagram) nah yeah but this one was just so good.

firstly, as a neurodiverse bi trans dude i related so hard to Malcom (the main character) with the overloads and insecurities and just everything. i may or may not have to get this entire transcript tattooed upon my person cos it just hits so close to home in places i didnt even realise until the book brought them to my attention.

like the whole thing about Malcolm not going after things that will make him happy (Peter) just cause he feels like hes so fucked up ± messing something up on purpose before you can mess it up by accident vibes. i literally said (in a squidward impression cos that is important information) "oh no hes just like me for real" out loud on a bus (but it was a loud bus so no one heard) (hopefully). also another thing, Peter telling Malcolm about his auDHD and what he likes + dislikes about sensory stuff. and Malcolm believing and respecting him. i just. its such wish fulfilment. that along with the rest of the story, its all just wish fulfilment. having multiple queer and neurodiverse friends that help you when youre struggling and will beat up your unsupportive family members. (also having a dude think youre hot. wouldnt mind)

secondly, it was just a good read. like i really enjoyed reading it, which hasnt happened for a while. it made me smile and laugh in public (which i never do). fr i was having a giggle on the bus, in class, in doctors waiting rooms, everything. i actually looked forward to reading it as well and i had to trudge through other stuff just so i could get back to it.

lowkey gives love simon vibes (from what i remember of the book when i read it in like 2018), just chock full of natural and believable sounding dialogue and references to things im sure ill actually like. (in my notes app on my old phone i went through the book and wrote down all the references made in love simon and it was pretty extensive (and now i have to do this for this book. oh no guess ill have to read it again oh this is so sad whelp better start now see ya)).

and like the friendship between the characters, the dialogue never felt too forced and they talked like actual people id talk to. swearing at and bullying your friends is a love language and it was done pretty well in this, and also the sending of memes being like an important step in a friendship is too real. also the revival of interest in records, my cousins poor bank account is a testament to that being relatable.

thirdly, the story. we got enemies to friends to lovers, we got 'there was only one bed', we got a road trip, we got a sickfic, and so much more and you know that i ate it up every time.

that as well as the epic highs and lows of making friends in your 20s (lol).

the book follows Malcolm slowly becoming friends with this irl dude Peter while falling for this 'mysterious' radio host Rebo, with his friends supporting him the whole time.

like i dont really go for romantic style stories but this was just so good (but then again ive barely read anything since back when i used to inhale books at like age 12) + the chemistry between Malcolm and Peter was just chefs kiss so good man.

also, the name Goby (one of his friends) kinda got me tho ngl, gobby is australian slang for… something, and i got a jump scare whenever they showed up lol.

Edit: they Goby on my Gumby till I Cheese. I'm so fucking sorry I had to write that down I couldn't get to sleep.

the only bad thing about the book (not that its bad bad, just like if i had to pick something) would be that the ending was made out of like 3 epilogues with indeterminable time skips between them. unless i missed something idk. im just more about the 'the characters kept on living' kinda ending, less 'albus serverus potter' style stuff, not that it was even like that tho.

but also wanting to own and run an incredibly specific cafe+store with your partner is just so fucking gay. oh my god. fanfiction shit right there /pos.

lastly, i haven't read heaps of books in the last couple years, preferring movies and shows more than my childhood self who lived in books series, almost like i didnt like reality or something (unthinkable ik)(i literally had this printed out and hung on my wall)(and on me liking movies more, thats a whole nother fucking topic and a half so ill complain about it in another post)(but anyway).

like honestly, i think that i might get back into reading, even though i forgot how many hours just fly by when i read, cos this was just great. (dont tell my mum she'll throw a fucking party)(again, different topic).

also admittedly, i did sotra kinda maybe slightly pirated it and read it off a pdf BUT! cos i like it so much im probably going to buy a physical copy (for almost 40 fucking dollars including shipping Jesus fucking Christ)

ik not a single person but me will see this review but i dont care. this book was made for me about me

tldr:

[scotianostra]

On January 31st 1761 Lachlan MacQuarie, was born on Ulva, a small isle off the island of Mull.

Lachlan joined the Army in 1776 (aged 14) and served in Nova Scotia as well as New York and Jamaica. As a lieutenant he served in India from 1787 to 1801 and later in Egypt where he was involved in defeating the army of Napoleon. In 1810 Macquarie became Governor of New South Wales at a time when it was still being used as a penal colony. The previous Governor had been Captain Bligh of the “Bounty”.

Macquarie followed a policy of encouraging the former convicts to settle in Australia - despite opposition from the “free settlers” who wanted to retain privileges only for themselves. Australia would be a different place if he had not succeeded. He transformed Australia into a thriving country and Sydney from a shanty town to a Georgian city and is regarded as the “Father of Australia”.

His policy concerning the Aboriginals was an expression of the same humanitarian conscience. He organized the Native Institution (a school for Aboriginal children), a village at Elizabeth Bay for the Sydney tribe, an Aboriginal farm at George’s Head. Orders of merit and even an old general’s uniform were bestowed on deserving chiefs.

It must be noted also that he ordered The Appin Massacre, to round up all Aboriginal people in the area after some unrest. Those who resisted were to be shot. On 16 April 1816, at least 14 were killed by shooting; others were driven to jump to their deaths into a rocky gorge, near Broughton Pass.

So he wasn’t perfect, but who is, a bit of a rogue as well by all accounts, was adverse a wee bit of embezzlement, but managed to wriggle out of it, “laws” he laid down were of the strict Presbyterian upbringing on the Islands on the Inner Hebrides, nude sunbathing was banned as was “shooting a neighbour’s dog on a Sunday” As a Scot his ability to have a good drink were evident, of his army life in India he “took to the field” with “eight dozen bottles of brandy and Madeira” and “a quantity of gin”. One of his diary entries, penned after a big night out, shakily read, “No beer for three months’!

For the Australians reading this Lachlan also set aside land in Sydney for "recreation and amusement of the inhabitants of the town” He named it Hyde Park, it was here Australia’s first sanctioned horse racing took place. At one of the fairs at the park he organised, “ladies raced in sacks for a cheese” where men would bet on the results and have a laugh! At another two men competed in a mile foot race before slugging it out for 56 rounds in Australia’s first bare knuckle prize fight. Now the remark about the sack race might make you think he was a misogynist, maybe he was, but he was ahead of his time and a revolutionary for the fairer sex, giving plum jobs to women, with reformed banknote thief Elizabeth Killett appointed to run the Sydney Market.

But his liberal attitude to the convicts finally was his downfall, Macquarie’s critics sparked a British government inquiry into his rule and the governor resigned, setting sail for Britain in 1822 with a shipload of kangaroos for his friends and patrons it was said that…

“as a Scotsman he was drawn to an animal with an inbuilt sporran”. Other men may lay claim to be “The Father of Australia” but are any as colourful as oor Lachlan?

Macquarie died in London in 1824 while fighting charges made against him as Governor. He was buried in a Mausoleum on the Isle of Mul in a mausoleum near Salen with his wife, daughter and later son. The grave is maintained by the National Trust of Australia and is inscribed “The Father of Australia”.

As I stated earlier, and with a lot of these anniversaries about people born during the days of the British Empire, Macquarie was heavily involved in atrocities. I will point to one quote attributed to him....... in 1816 around the time of the Appin massacre, that all Indigenous people “from Sydney onwards are to be made prisoners of war, and if they resist they are to be shot and their bodies hung from trees in the most conspicuous places near where they fall, so as to strike terror into the hearts of the surviving natives”

You can find out loads about him online one of the sources can be found at the link at the bottom. The BBC made a drama-documentary in 2011 called The Father of Australia, https://nativistherald.com.au/2018/04/20/australias-founding-fathers-lachlan-macquarie/

[qnewsau]

Adrian and Ryan stir things up on Great Australian Bake Off

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/adrian-and-ryan-stir-things-up-on-great-australian-bake-off/

Adrian and Ryan stir things up on Great Australian Bake Off

The Great Australian Bake Off is back on our screens, with Adrian Barila and Ryan Fiedler from Victoria ready to don their aprons, set their timers to stunning and get baking.

Over ten weeks, a group of skilled baking enthusiasts put their creativity and skill to the test as Bake Off returns to Foxtel this week.

Theatre performers Adrian and Learning Coordinator Ryan have their mixers ready and share what made them want to enter the show.

“I come from a performing arts background, so the show format was very appealing,” Adrian told us.

“This was the perfect opportunity to try new things and push my skill set.”

A born creative, Adrian creates content for musical theatre and loves performing on stage.

“I’ve always felt I achieved at work and personal life but never done anything just for me,” Ryan says.

“If I tried and it didn’t work out, at least I tried. I just applied seeing if I could make it through a stage at a time and then suddenly, I was on the show.”

A self-taught baker, Ryan is an avid gamer and confessed nerd. He loves reading, playing online board games and hosting Dungeons and Dragons nights with his friends.

One of those friends is Bake Off season five finalist Aaron, who encouraged him to apply.

Getting creative in the kitchen

“With baking, I get to put my creativity and passion into something, but not like art sitting on a wall,” Ryan said.

“It’s something you share and enjoy, plus someone gets to taste a little bit of happiness and joy afterwards.

“I grew up learning baking from my mum and grandma who were all about the tried-and-true classic recipes.

“In my 20s, I got passionate about trying to figure out how I could combine multiple things into something else.

“And I think my ability to think outside the box is one of the reasons I got on the show.”

Adrian grew up in an Italian family and learned how to bake from his Mum at the age of six.

He leans into his Italian heritage often with his bakes but is also confident enough to experiment with new methods and flavours. 

“Baking allows me to be creative and hands-on, plus everyone likes food so I get to share it with others,” he said.

“My mum was very good at finding ingredients and pulling them together to make something.

“I’ve harnessed those skills and flavours into my bakes on the show.”

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Adrian Barilà (@barilabakes)

On your marks, get set. BAKE!

Both Adrian and Ryan enjoyed their time in the shed, and are excited for the show to air.

But you’ve got to wonder how nervous they were the first time they heard, “On your marks, get set. BAKE!”

“I think I blacked out for about a minute, but my body kept moving and grabbing whatever I could,” Ryan laughed

“It was simultaneously exhilarating and just a complete out-of-body experience.”

Adrian said, “I feel like I blacked out immediately too.

“You’re in the shed and all of a sudden, they call the countdown and somehow, I don’t know, you’ve baked.”

With thirty challenges over ten weeks, there’s a lot of planning that goes into competing on the show.

But whether you’re learning new techniques or trying something for the first time, you always come back to your favourite bake.

“I’m probably most well-known for my cheesecakes,” Ryan tells us.

“I just remember making them from a young age with my family, so it brings me back home.

“There are many ways you can bake a cheesecake but at the core of it, it’s a simple bake that everyone loves. Who doesn’t love cheese?”

Adrian says, “My family request my Christmas biscotti every year.

“At the start of December, I need to start making bulk orders early to find out how much they want.

“But who knows about this year, after all, butter is getting expensive!”

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Ryan Fiedler (@rollingpinrogue)

How hard is the show on their husbands?

Recently married, Adrian’s wedding cake was a colourful, three-tier chocolate cake with vanilla Swiss buttercream and fresh raspberries. 

He admits that his husband was probably glad he was out of the kitchen while the show was filming.

“I think Harley was grateful for the breather to be honest,” he says.

“Preparing for the show meant weeks of baked goods coming out of the kitchen.

“We’re working on shifting the weight that I put on in preparation for this show as we had to taste everything.”

Ryan and his husband set up rules for his show preparation.

“Kade and I had a few rules. He couldn’t eat anything until I took a photo of it,” Ryan said.

“I wasn’t dealing with leftovers, so he had to eat it all or find someone to give it to.

“And he had to speak to me while I baked. I hate when people do that but I had to get past it for filming.

“It brought us closer together, enduring through a tough time that I was putting us both through.

“He was glad to get the bench space back while filming and glad to lose the weight from all the baking too.”

Set your timers and catch Adrian and Ryan on Foxtel for The Great Australian Bake Off from Wednesday, September 18.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[jcmarchi]

Creating connection with science communication

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/creating-connection-with-science-communication/

Creating connection with science communication

Before completing her undergraduate studies, Sophie Hartley, a student in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, had an epiphany that was years in the making.

“The classes I took in my last undergraduate semester changed my career goals, but it started with my grandfather,” she says when asked about what led her to science writing. She’d been studying comparative human development at the University of Chicago, which Hartley describes as “a combination of psychology and anthropology,” when she took courses in environmental writing and digital science communications.

“What if my life could be about learning more of life’s intricacies?” she thought.

Hartley’s grandfather introduced her to photography when she was younger, which helped her develop an appreciation for the natural world. Each summer, they would explore tide pools, overgrown forests, and his sprawling backyard. He gave her a camera and encouraged her to take pictures of anything interesting.

“Photography was a door into science journalism,” she notes. “It lets you capture the raw beauty of a moment and return to it later.”

Lasting impact through storytelling

Hartley spent time in Wisconsin and Vermont while growing up. That’s when she noticed a divide between rural communities and urban spaces. She wants to tell stories about communities that are less likely to be covered, and “connect them to people in cities who might not otherwise understand what’s happening and why.”

People have important roles to play in arresting climate change impacts, improving land management practices and policies, and taking better care of our natural resources, according to Hartley. Challenges related to conservation, land management, and farming affect us all, which is why she believes effective science writing is so important.

“We’re way more connected than we believe or understand,” Hartley says. “Climate change is creating problems throughout the entire agricultural supply chain.”

For her news writing course, Hartley wrote a story about how flooding in Vermont led to hay shortages, which impacted comestibles as diverse as goat cheese and beef. “When the hay can’t dry, it’s ruined,” she says. “That means cows and goats aren’t eating, which means they can’t produce our beef, milk, and cheese.”

Ultimately, Hartley believes her work can build compassion for others while also educating people about how everything we do affects nature and one another.

“The connective tissues between humans persist,” she said. “People who live in cities aren’t exempt from rural concerns.”

Creating connections with science writing

During her year-long study in the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing, Hartley is also busy producing reporting for major news outlets.

Earlier this year, Hartley authored a piece for Ars Technica that explored ongoing efforts to develop technology aimed at preventing car collisions with kangaroos. As Hartley reported, given the unique and unpredictable behavior of kangaroos, vehicle animal detection systems have proven ineffective. That’s forced Australian communities to develop alternative solutions, such as virtual fencing, to keep kangaroos away from the roads.

In June, Hartley co-produced a story for GBH News with Hannah Richter, a fellow student in the science writing program. They reported on how and why officials at a new Peabody power plant are backtracking on an earlier pledge to run the facility on clean fuels.

The story was a collaboration between GBH News and the investigative journalism class in the science writing program. Hartley recalls wonderful experience working with Richter. “We were able to lean on each other’s strengths and learn from each other,” she says. “The piece took a long time to report and write, and it was helpful to have a friend and colleague to continuously motivate me when we would pick it back up after a while.”

Co-reporting can also help evenly divide what can sometimes become a massive workload, particularly with deeply, well-researched pieces like the Peabody story. “When there is so much research to do, it’s helpful to have another person to divvy up the work,” she continued. “It felt like everything was stronger and better, from the writing to the fact-checking, because we had two eyes on it during the reporting process.”

Hartley’s favorite piece in 2024 focused on beech leaf disease, a deadly pathogen devastating North American forests. Her story, which was later published in The Boston Globe Magazine, followed a team of four researchers racing to discover how the disease works. Beech leaf disease kills swiftly and en masse, leaving space for invasive species to thrive on forest floors. Her interest in land management and natural resources shines through in much of her work.

Local news organizations are an endangered species as newsrooms across America shed staff and increasingly rely on aggregated news accounts from larger organizations. What can be lost, however, are opportunities to tell small-scale stories with potentially large-scale impacts. “Small and rural accountability stories are being told less and less,” Hartley notes. “I think it’s important that communities are aware of what is happening around them, especially if it impacts them.”

[kcwagenseller]

Tuscany's Italian Restaurant: A Friday Night Out

I was thinking about what to eat on this Friday night, and I suddenly got the urge to go to dinner at Tuscany's. It's a nice Italian restaurant in town, and I heard they recently got their beer and wine license.

First, I tried to punch "Tuscany's" into Uber and there was no luck. It didn't exist. It sits next to a Subway, so I punched that in instead. Luckily, it said the right address but took us to the wrong location. I made the kerfuffle known to the Uber driver once I hopped in the vehicle. He said in his non-American accent, "It's no problem. I get you where you are going." To which I said, "Thanks."

I guided him to the Italian restaurant and I made it safely. That's when the fun began. I entered the restaurant and they invited me to take a seat anywhere. I picked a lone table and sat down facing the door. A young man approached me, "Hello, can I get you started with anything to drink?" I said, "I definitely want a water and I'd like to talk about the wine." He said, "Well, I'm only 16. I don't know anything about the wine." I said, "You aren't old enough to serve me anyway. Get me someone who knows about the wine and can serve me."

A different gentleman approached. i later found out that he was the owner. He said, "What do you like." I said, "I'm really partial to Cabernets from California, but I was wanting to try an Italian wine." He said, "I have the Bulletin. I can let you taste." I agreed. I looked at the menu and found an Italian cabernet.

He returned with the wine in a small plastic ramekin. I tasted it. "It tastes excellent." He said it was one of his favorites. I asked about the Italian cabernet and he said he was out, but that the Bulletin was comparable. I ordered the bottle.

Turns out, it was an Australian cabernet. That's ok, it was delicious. I started with the stuffed mushrooms and a salad with blue cheese. The salad came out fast, and I ate it quickly. The stuffed mushrooms came out quickly after that. I enjoyed all five mushrooms and the marinara and cheese that came with it, mopping it up with my complimentary rolls that they had served just before the wine.

Finally, the main course. I ordered veal parmesan and requested that the cute server, who happened to be named Kasey, also get a plate. I was upset to find out later that the charge was not on my bill. The veal parmesan was hot and delicious. It paired really well with the cab. I ate the whole dish.

"What do you like for dessert?" Kasey asked. I asked, "What do you have?" She pointed me to the menu that also displayed the wine. The desserts were on the back. I found the most expensive dessert and asked about it. Apparently, it was a chocolate mousse with cheesecake in the middle. I had to have it. "I want it." I said. "Right away" Kasey said, and sure enough, it came out about a minute later.

It was divine, especially with the red wine. I couldn't get enough and it was over long before it should have been. They brought the check. I ordered one more glass of the Australian cabernet while I waited for my Uber. I read part of Fairy Tale from Stephen King while I waited the 20 minutes for my ride to arrive, after I had tipped $40 on an $80 bill.

My ride arrived. "Uber?" I said as I opened the door. "Yes." It became quickly apparent to me that he didn't speak English, but Spanish. Luckily, I know quite a bit of Spanish. I'll spare you the exact dialogue, but I guided him home in Spanish and initiated some small talk, mostly to practice. He complimented me and dropped me off in front of my driveway.

It was a pleasant evening. I am glad I went out tonight. It's quite possible I will be doing it again in the near future, with another blog to follow.