#also that bbc thing had a date wrong in it

[eternal-trip]

North Korea

Officially “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” will go down in history as one of the cruelest, most inhumane, and paradoxically-named regimes of all time, without a doubt.  I can’t wait until the Songun crumbles and the citizens can regain control of their lives again (and maybe, even further in the future, they will unite with South Korea ((after healing from the Cold War, which will take a lot of time and effort))).  I hope it comes soon though because those people need help so bad...I just read the “Inside North Korea” from BBC and it’s so harrowing to hear people live like that every day, and that their government doesn’t care one bit about them.  Hhhhhhhhhh why cant we all just get along bro

[monzabee]

nonesense (social media au) - dr3

masterlist

Summary: The one where you and Daniel fall in love with a song, so you must share it with the whole internet.

Pairing: daniel ricciardo x actress!reader (model used: camila morrone )

Warnings: sexual innuendos, cursing?, daniel being a sweetheart, Sabrina carpenter's bbc lounge outro for nonsense (simply iconic), time-line doesn't match I know the incident happened earlier in the year but please ignore this thank you!!

Request: this was actually a message request sent to me, but since they want to remain anonymous i won't be tagging them!

Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms. 

yourusername

Liked by danielricciardo, ellefanning and 135,002 others

yourusername: had a date night with a certain mr ricciardo and he insisted i post the pictures he took afterwards.

ynoscarserawhen: come home, the kids miss you

thiccdannyricc: this is a yn stan account first, and a daniel Stan account second

view all 1,879 comments

danielricciardo: how quickly can you take your clothes off pop quiz

yourusername: i bet your house is where my other sock is and you still haven't thrown away your own socks in the hamper

danielricciardo: damn, sabrina why you had to do me wrong like that

daniel3.jpg

Liked by lando.jpg, yourusername and 217,202 others

daniel3.jpg: Smileys

lando.jpg: what is wrong with yn's hair

georgerussel63: great heavens

yourusername: this is why i support red bull

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yourusername just posted a story!

yourusername

Liked by isabellalombardini, danielricciardo and 42,255 others

yourusername: Day one in London talking all things Camila Dunne and (as @nytimes calls it) "the sharp edges of a love triangle." #daisyjonesandthesix Photos by @isabellalombardini

danielricciardo: i'm so fucking proud of you

danielricciardo: i will pick up my socks i promise

view all 1,043 comments

lorenzaizzo: Linda!!

danielricciardo

Liked by yourusername, maxverstappen1 and 739,932 others

danielricciardo: slam dump featuring the missus. also, note to self that bbc means different things in different countries and sabrina cannot be trusted.

yourusername: proud of you for coming to that conclusion

sabrinacarpenter: sorry mom and dad

landonorris: wait, what?

view all 1,523 comments

sabrinarchives: wait until they here they hear about the drama

yourusername: @danielricciardo BABE WAKE UP, THERE'S DRAMA

danielricciardo: wait, there's more??

[avelera]

Oh GOD you, too, are an online lectures geek pls consider this your invitation to talk about favs--ones that stuck with you, current obsessions--the more the better! In trade, I'll tell you the two things I'm currently adoring: Yale's Open Course podcast on The Civil War to Reconstruction done by David Blight (man forgot more than ten other civil war historians know even if he mumbles *constantly*) and A History of Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch (so! worth the Prime BBC free trial <3)

Hiya! Don't mind if I do!

So 99% of the lectures I've watched lately are on the Great Courses Plus which was recently and stupidly renamed "Wondrium", which I find profoundly stupid because instead of just saying, "Hey, check out the Great Courses, yeah you can kinda guess what the streaming service offers," I have to instead explain what this nonsense term "Wondrium" means, ANYWAY, they've got lectures about basically everything.

Essentially, it's Netflix but for college lectures. YouTube has become so unreliable as far as what's actual information and what's completely made up or even racist conspiracy theory BS that I find it completely untrustworthy. Also, most documentaries are trying to prove something new, or offer a new angle on something, OR they're SO rudimentary and 101 that even for topics I know less about in history I tend to already know everything they're going to say.

So I pivoted to college lectures because 1) it's a whole series so like, dozens of hours I can just throw on in the background while doing something mindless and 2) I know it's going to be trustworthy, reliable, and provide me a baseline on a topic instead of some "new controversial spin" on it. Like, goddammit, sometimes I just want to better understand the history of Ancient Egypt, not your stupid theory about how they were secretly all space aliens or that we've got the carbon dating all wrong or whatever made up nonsense.

So, here's a list of some of my favorites!

Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome - I consider myself about as near an expert as a non-academic can get on Rome and this lecture actually taught me some things, which is rare, so I recommend it as a fantastic deep dive!

How the Crusades Changed History is a pretty good short version that I recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Old Guard's Nicky and Joe BUT, for the best Crusades lecture, I'd recommend this History of the Crusades podcast. Sharyn Eastaugh is not just insanely informative, but her dry wit made me laugh out loud at least once an episode at the sheer hapless ineptitude of the Crusaders.

In the Wake of the Plague is a fantastic new lecture by Wondrium, the lecturer is amazing and it provides a lot of objective insights into how humans react to plagues that is VERY relevant to current events, BUT their lecture on **The Black Death in general is the one that got me obsessed with their lecture series. I watched it in the first week of Covid lockdown and let me tell you, having this super in-depth, objective look into how people behaved during the Black Death was incredibly valuable (and chilling) going into those years because it all played out with astonishing similarity. Also, anything by that lecturer, Dorsey Armstrong, is awesome. She's a Medievalist of the highest order. I also recommend her lecture on King Arthur.

**The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Centuries - this one wins the award for "Lecture I thought most likely to bore me to tears that ended up being the single most fascinating I've heard in YEARS." Seriously, the way it explores the evolution of how we think in the modern era, through the philosophers who first conceived of these ideas, was jaw-droppingly fascinating. I also recommend it to writers of historical fiction and fantasy for a crash course, by proxy, of how to write people who think differently than you.

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World - I once had beef with a post here on Tumblr that claimed that academic Classicists don't care about slaves or normal people during the Roman Empire, which is just profoundly absurd. I pointed out this lecture to them if they actually wanted to learn more about the subject instead of complaining that an art history professor may not have been prepped for a lecture about the lives of enslaved people in Ancient Rome. If that is a subject of interest, this lecture is great.

The Real History of Pirates - a must-listen for OFMD fans who want to get an introduction to historical pirates and the history of pirates in literature, which "Our Flag Means Death" owes as much if not more to than the historical figures.

**Turning Points in Middle Eastern History - One of the first lectures I listened to and still one of my enduring favorites. It's the first one I picked up for writing my Old Guard fic, Lights Out, when I wanted to write Joe from a more informed angle and I learned so much.

Understanding Japan: A Cultural History - One of my favorite lectures based on format, the lecturer picks a literary work or cultural concept as the entry point to explore the timeline of Japanese history. It's a fantastic way to give a wider and more holistic look at each era, pairing it with a cultural touchstone.

Shout-out to "The Mysterious Etruscans" because I just think they're neat. The lecturer is also very good and I highly recommend his lecture on ancient cities as well which taught me a lot that I didn't know.

Also a shout out to, "Warriors, Queens, and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women before 1400" for its subject and the lecturer who is great and she also has a really fascinating talk about the history of Spain.

Ok, I THINK that's some of the top ones! ;D

[teenwolffan6]

Sterek should have been endgame and Scott needed to be less of a dick.

I wish the writers would stop using Derek as the punching bag. Like I get he was an angry asshole at the start but can you blame him after all that he went through? He should have had a character growth arc and given the chance to be a better alpha instead of making him give it up. I get the symbolism of giving up the power but he should have gotten it back. And we should have seen more of his full shift than what we got. Like the Hales were special because of the full shift and we only see it once? Also he should have gotten his family land back, like it's been in his family for years and he's lost enough he shouldn't have let the county take his land that was fucked up. Even if he never rebuilt, he could have tore the remains down and put up a marker or a tree or something to show they were there and what happened. But to let it become new housing was just fucked up.

I would have like to see Derek and Scott be co-alphas and lead the pack together. They could have had a batman and superman friendship with one of them being broody and the other being hopeful and optimistic.

Stiles should have had magic. I know Dylan O'Brien said he didn't want Stiles to have magic and just be human but come on, he would have been badass at it.

I was never a big fan of Stiles and Lydia because it felt like he was more in love with the image he had of her than of her. Yes he got to know the real Lydia and they fell in love but I still didn't really like it. He was too obsessed with her it felt like he just wore her down or something idk. I know that Dylan said in an interview that Stiles and Lydia would have dated for a while but then realized they were better of as friends, and this was years before the movie came out.

And OMG the movie what the shit was that!?!?!? For all that Scott said he would be the alpha and defend Beacon Hill he left the town for years and still left at the end of the movie. Derek, Peter, Malia, and Jordan are really the only supernaturals left to defend the town. The Hales are the ones protecting their territory. And did they really have to kill Derek in the way they did it. Like fire really? REALLY!?!? And in front of his sixteen year old son. Derek lost his family at sixteen to a fire and now his son Eli loses his dad to a fire at sixteen? Really!?!? Like I hated it, I hated that the whole movie felt like Scott was just reliving his high school glory days. I hate that's Scott got his happy ending at the expense of Derek's life. Derek was good, he was happy with his son, had a home, a good business, was respect in the community, had a good relationship with the remainder of his family and you kill him off? And then hint at the fact that Scott would be the one to 'adopt' Eli, a kid he barely knew, just so that he and Allison could play house and be a happy little family? BULLSHIT!!!!

I read somewhere that Jeff wanted the show to end with Scott and Allison together and Stiles and Lydia together and that their kids would all be best friends. But with Crystal Reed leaving in season 3 that changed things. The movie felt like his way of getting that ending he wanted but Dylan not returning changed things again. But at least Scott got Allison back, so yay? Don't get me wrong I loved Scott and Allison together but Scott was so obsessed with her to the point that he would throw anyone but his mom under the bus for her. And it got annoying very fast even worse was the fact that he didn't really learn anything from it he has just as obsessed with Kira (though maybe not to the same level). The whole bros before hoes thing was non existent for him. I get Scott was supposed to be like a King Arthur kind of figure, you know? Special, good leader, kind, and legendary but Scott was not it. Yea he had his moments where he was really good but he had so many where he wasn't and he never seemed to learn and grow. Like even the BBC Merlin Arthur who started out as a jerk became honorable, just, and a good leader, yea he too had his moments where he regressed but it was still better than Scott.

They should have fixed his relationship with Derek maybe then him taking Eli in would have made more sense. Like Scott hated Derek a lot ,more so than necessary. Yes Derek lied to get Scott to help him take down the alpha (Peter) but Scott acted like Derek was he one who bit him. Scott forgave so many others who had done far worse (deucalion?) But Derek was where he drew the line? Why because he bit three others who chose the bite? I get him being mad about the lies, I get him being mad about Derek's attitude while on the alpha power trip but come on sometimes Scott was just a dick. He was willing to look the other way when Victoria tried to kill him and was ok with keeping quiet about why Derek bit Victoria and let Allison hate derek and attack his pack because he didn't want to cause problems with Allison. No he sucks. We could have had an epic friendship between them but no we got something half-assed and I hate it.

And why the hell did they make Derek basically a True Alpha like two seconds before he died like what the FUCK!?!?!?

I just wished the would have given Scott some character development instead of just making him more powerful.

[cto10121]

Re-watching the New Moon movie and I have many Thoughts(tm), namely

Why is the cinematography is so warm toned compared to the first movie when New Moon is the most depressing book and truly the worst era of Bella’s young life: A Mystery in 2 Hours

At least Pattinson!Edward looks a little better than usual. They put him in these crisp suits. Very nice (Edit: Never mind, that awful Volturi bathrobe with the pasty-ass makeup was horrific yuck, yuck, yuck)

They just had to introduce Jacob this early on, didn’t they? And ofc Bella is much more emotive and gets all the witty dialogue with him (!!). In the books she is much more romantic and wittier with Edward as a whole. Jacob tended to bring out her immature side

“How come Jacob Black gets to give you a gift and I can’t?” “Because I have nothing to give back to you” Nice to know the screenwriter(s) still doesn’t understand the Bedward dynamic. And by nice I mean horrific

…What film version of R&J are they watching??? It’s not the ‘30s version and definitely not the ‘60s or ‘90s one. Is it the ‘70s BBC one? In the book it was the ‘60s version, which is the correct answer. Did they not get the rights? Also, also, why are the human characters much more affected by R&J than Bella and Edward????

“[Romeo] Killed his only love out of sheer stupidity” “Yeah” Oh no, no, no, no, movie, you are not going to make Bella, a close Romeo iteration, agree with Edward!!! Edward is meant to be 100% wrong by his take. Dumbass script!!!

Edward: “Eyes, look your last” 😐 Couldn’t Pattinson just inject a little bit more feeling into his line reading? Most of Edward’s objections were Romeo’s actions, not his suicide. These are the lines Edward can and should relate to.

The movie people garbing the Volturi in 18th century clothing when they are older than the Romans is just laughable

“Dating an older woman. Hot.” Okay, Emmett is 💯, no notes. Definitely erred on the side of frat boy, but you know what, it’s fun and ho boy do these movies lack it

Bella holding up her whole bloody finger in a coven of vampires 💀 Why, movie

Stewart!Bella’s chemistry with almost everyone else in the cast (that scene with Carlisle tending her wound!!!) but Pattinson!Edward confirms what I have known all along: Film and real life chemistry are very different and they shouldn’t be confused. The proof is in the celluloid.

I’m just going to call it: Stewart and Pattinson are modern subtle quirky actors playing what are essentially neo-Gothic star-crossed lover roles. They absolutely should never have been considered for these parts at all by a competent director. Absolutely not fitting at all

“You’re just not good for me.” Hmm, this is what Bella believes about herself, not Edward. I suppose Edward could have done it on purpose, but the fact that he was flabbergasted his lie worked indicates that he doesn’t. Movie just straight up portrays him as more manipulative than in the books, where he just lies baldly

Oh God the months-on-the-screen thing was terrible. This movie fails so much at portraying Bella’s depression, it hurts. It’s like visual SparkNotes

The Bella-writing-to-Alice device sucks. Not too badly, but still. We had her voiceover in the first movie without any problems but for this one, we need a justification? Also, it fuels the Bella/Alice fan dumb something awful

Really dislike the way they did Hallucination!Edward with the ghostly transparent effect. It’s corny and also…way to pass up a chance at some mystery and intrigue by just having Edward be there without any special effects (maybe keep the echoing voice). I guess they really didn’t want people confused and think he returned when he didn’t. But c’mon.

Movie Bella going off with the biker 🤮 Book Bella at her most insane would never. The only good thing about it is that it does lead to Bella having an interest in motorcycles. Efficient movie storytelling and all that.

“Bella, where the hell have you been, loca?” Wonder why this line became so meme-worthy. It’s by far not the worst (“spider monkey” is perhaps the most awful) and Lautner’s delivery was natural enough. Is it the random Spanish? It is random.

Bella is already smiling at her first scene with Jacob…this movie is just awful at selling her desolation. Meanwhile Jacob’s first thought was how awful Bella looked

The Quileute characters are well-cast and nicely played so far, and their banter is good. Emily especially is beautiful and her scar makeup was convincing. Great

Book: “He took off his shirt” Movie: He took off his ~~~~shirt 😍

Laurent’s arrival and his death should have been a much better and weightier scene than we got. God, the pacing is so bad in this movie. Jacob becomes a werewolf, Bella finds the meadow, Laurent suddenly arrives—all within a minute or so. Ugh

“As soon as you put the dog out.” Damn, why, movie? Book Alice did not begin the slurs until she was well and truly angry. But sure, let’s do some really obvious racebaiting 🙄

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Jacob KNEW he was talking to Edward and not Carlisle????? Movie, wtf? And all to save up on some screen time…sigh

Bella: “I can let you go now.” What. The. Fuck. Movie????? Not only could she not let Edward go, Bella never wanted to let him go. That was and had never been her arc!!! She would have gone to Edward regardless of anything!!! I hate this, I hate this oh GOD

No, I’m not done, I need another bullet point for this BS. The whole reason why Twilight was picked up to be adapted in the first place was because Hollywood execs saw “Ooh Romeo and Juliet with vampires 🤑” written all over this one…only for the actual filmmakers to just say, “Actually her whole ~journey this movie is letting go of Edward uwu” Poor Meyer…she just had to grin and bear it until she became the producer, I suppose

*Bella and Edward having a whole-ass conversation and making out* *Felix and Demetri watching in the shadows*: “So…should we interru—” “Don’t you DARE” “Felix” 🤣 I’m sorry, but this whole “I lied I do love you” convo should have been in the bedroom scene proper; there are literal Volturi about!!! Also, also, no “Amazing. Carlisle is right”!!! No Romeo quote!!!! Fie, for shame

Dakota Fanning as Jane…Well, probably not perfection, but she is great as usual. The Volturi got done so dirty overall, though—they look and act like Vampire Diaries rejects.

THAT ELEVATOR SCENE, OH GOD. So much meme potential. Why does this series keep injecting humor and comedy where there shouldn’t be and just ditching the actual humor and comedy of the actual books?????

Again, these Volturi gives me discount Vampire Diaries. Also, that chamber is so damn small. Where is the mystique, the grandiosity?There should be a crowd of vampires around, it’s their dinnertime.

Michael Sheen is just too British for the la tua cantante, lol. He also says something else (“Forse le vostre l’uno per altro”??? The accent is just too thick). He’s way too handsy (movie, they’re regular vampires who are sharks!!) but overall I guess his creepy-genteel approach works. Again, the cringy script fucks him over, as it does everyone. The movie has him touch Edward only now and not immediately when he meets him. Oh, God.

Edward just stumbling forward to Jane’s demonstration on Bella 💀 Jane saying “Pain” and Edward just standing there instead of collapsing 💀 Stewart!Bella freaking out and begging them to stop…actually, no, there she did very well, I liked it

Edward and Felix fighting ewwww…and with that awful slow-mo. What’s with these movies and including non-canonical battle shit???? Also, Aro would not order Bella’s execution if simply because he wants to collect Edward/Alice and Bella once she turns (it’s obvious she is a shield).

Of course fucking Alice speaks up at the very last minute before Aro chomps on Bella!!! When she would have had a vision of this exact scenario!!! This movie I swear!!!

THEY ACTUALLY SHOW THE VISION OF VAMPIRE BELLA, OH GOD. AND WITH THE CORNY SLOW-MO. KILL ME

“Once Alice changes me, you can’t get rid of me.” Okay, Movie Bella is officially more interested in immortality than Edward, the exact opposite of her book counterpart. Dishonor on your cow, Rosenberg.

“Jake, I love you.” Aaaaaand it’s official, the movies are definitely Team Jacob. Fuck you, too, movie

[just-my-type-x]

Night Outs and Nightclubs

Angst

A/N: whatever i say in this imagine is purely fictional. In no way am i targeting Brad of having this type of behaviour and in no way am i projecting his behaviour in this imagine as being real in his day-to-day lifestyle. + another A/N at the end, pls read that before u start the imagine ♥️

Synopsis: y/n is also an artist and she recently has a radio interview where she has to confront the fans' rumours about her and Brad being more than friends. Her answer makes Brad reconsider their situation and take wrong decisions.

I put the headphones on my head and wait for Chris to introduce me to our listeners. I take a deep breath and say hi to everyone listening, followed by him applauding.

"Thank you, thank you", i laugh and he moves his microphone closer to his mouth

"Welcome back to BBC Radio 1, y/n, it's so good to have you back, it's been a while."

"Thank you, Chris. I know.. It's been like two years?", i ask him and we both frown, thinking about it.

"I think so, yeah. How have you been, love?"

"We're still not going to date, mate", he bursts out laughing and i smirk at the camera that's filming us

"I didn't even get friendzoned, i got matezoned. Well, this is new for me. But seriously, how have you been, what's new? I saw you were a supporting act for The Vamps on their latest tour. How did that work out for you? Since you've been in the game for almost as much as them, how was the experience of being a supportive act? ", he asks while checking his notes for any missing questions

"I've been very well, thank you, I'm very proud of my latest music video and I'm so glad it received its deserved praise haha. Secondly, i loved supporting the boys, they're great company and I've known them for a lifetime to be honest. It felt like a very refreshing time, because I had just gotten back from my tour and i stuttered a bit before agreeing to support them, but I'm glad i made the right decision.", i smile and take a sip of my coffee

"That's so nice to hear. I will say tho that I've seen a lot of comments regarding your reason for touring with them and if you don't mind, let's clear some things up for your fans, shall we?", he asks and pins me with his eyes, asking me, in a way, if i feel comfortable doing so. I agree and take another deep breath, making sure it can't be heard in my mic. "A lot of fans said that you're involved with one of The Vamps boys and that's the reason you actually went om tour with them. Also, a lot of people had pointed out that your boyfriend hasn't been in the picture for some time. Did anything happen?"

I chuckle before answering and i bite my lip. "He hasn't been in the picture because we broke up two or three months into the greatest hits tour. It was a really tough breakup because i didn't see it coming, honestly, i just woke up one day and my relationship was over."

"Was there a certain reason for the breakup?"

"Actually, yes, and it sucks because it was based on rumours. He saw a lot of comments, tweets, posts on Instagram about Brad and I and there were people shipping us, others were speculating about what we're doing, how they think we're closer as the days go by... Apparently he thought i was cheating on him with Brad and he decided to believe some rumours, rather than believing his 2 year girlfriend.",i exhale sharply when i finish talking

"You know he wasn't the right one when you see him do something dumb like this. No offence tho.", Chris chuckles and i smile. "Was there anything in particular that made things believe that?"

"Oh my Gosh, Chris, not you too.", we laugh and i take another sip of my coffee. "No, i would never date Brad. We work together way too much, we have the same management, record label, it'll be way too complicated. What people don't know it's that we wouldn't be allowed to work this much together afterwards and it would be a pity."

"There you have it folks. You heard it here first. This is BBC Radio 1 and we'll be back in 2".

We take our headphones off and take a quick break.

~~~~

I enter Tristan's apartment and throw my bag on the sofa and take off my shoes. I don't live in London, so whenever i have press interviews or radios to attend to, Tristan offered to let me stay with him for those few days. We've always been really close and helped each other with anything, so I'm really glad he offered to do that. I enter the kitchen and i raise an eyebrow when i see Tristan having lunch with Brad.

"Hello there", i say surprised and walk over to hug Brad.

"Hey", he says with a cold voice, but i brush it off almost immediately

"What are you doing here?"

"I have writing sessions with Olly Murs and Mabel these 2 weeks", his attention falls back on his food and i nod, giving Tristan a questioning look. He shrugs his shoulders and takes a bite of his pasta. I murmur a quick ok and head to the fridge to get a water bottle.

"You have food in that bag, we wanted it to keep warm until you got home. Oh and we're going out tonight. Are you feeling groovy?", Tris asks as he dances around me with his pasta plate in his hands. I laugh and catch him by the waist to stop moving around.

"I don't think so, i was supposed to meet up with a friend tonight. I'll see for sure later, but I'm definitely not down for a nightclub.", i chuckle and sit at the table to eat. Brad looks at me from the other end of the table with a sad look and i frown, but he gets up and puts his dishes in the sink.

Hours go by and i end up staying at home, watching tiktoks, when a friend texts me.

F: ayy, y/n, how come you never introduced me to Brad and Tristan before?

I look confused at the text

Me: no reason, why?

F: sent you a video

F: sent you a video

F: sent you 4 photos

My eyes grow wide at the screen, as my chest tightens with a weird feeling. Brad's leaning on five different girls, talking to them so close to their faces that he might as well kiss them. Unless he, of course, did, as i scroll through the photos and i see him kissing one of the girls from the previous video.

Me: they're so drunk :))

F: wtf no, they haven't drunk anything so far. They're for real having fun:))

I leave her on read as i feel some jealousy creeping in. While we were touring, after my breakup, Brad and i did get really comfortable and maybe too friendly with each other. We had a lot of fun together and we would always hang out before the show and backstage. It went on like this for about 3 months and every day i felt closer to him. But what i said in the interview was true, there were so many factors that our relationship might have messed up. Tho our management is very chill and gives us freedom to do whatever we want, we wouldn't bd able to work together on most occasions. And i know he's aware of that too. He's also the one to say this first, how their career is now at a peak it hasn't been in a while, so they don't want that to get messed up. I'm also their friend, i can't be so selfish that I'd prefer to be with Brad and mess up with their scheduling and work days.

I toss the phone to my side and almost an hour later, i hear the keys in the lock. I check the time and it's a bit past 2AM,which is weird for any of them to be home at this hour.

I wait until the door is closed and i get out of the guest's room, only to find Brad taking off his shoes, his eyes scanning my exposed legs because of the pj shorts.

"Where's Tris?", i ask, crossing my arms at my chest

"He left with someone, he'll be back in the morning", Brad manages to offer me a half smile and i almost rolled my eyes at him, but he turned his back at me to get to his room.

I follow him and i lean on the door frame and watch from behind him how he unbuttons his shirt.

"I saw you had fun tonight", a chuckle leaves his mouth, followed by a shake of his head

"Oh yeah, wild night actually. Your friend is awesome", i swallow the heavy feeling in my throat and straighten my position in the doorframe. He turns around to face me and my eyes fall on his exposed chest and abdomen.

"You had fun with my friend?", my voice is a bit more raised

"Does that bother you? She didn't seem to be", he smirks and takes off his shirt, throwing it on the bed.

"Bradley..", i warn and get closer to him. He raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue. "You were on every single girl in that club, why did you have to hook up with my friend?", i throw my hands around and he smirks

"I didn't hook up only with her, don't be so dramatic", my cheeks heat up from his words

"Brad, did you really make out with those girls?"

"Are you jealous? Does it bother you? If yes, why?", Brad sits on the bed and waits for me to answer, but i just stare at him. "Good, because since you'll never date me, i have no reason to wait for you", he gets up again and walks toward his bathroom

"Wait for me? What are you talking about? And stop showing me your back when you're talking to me!", i walk in front of him and press my pointing finger on his well defined chest

"You're a smart woman, y/n, figure it out. I need to shower, please move out of the way or i will pick you up and throw you on my bed.", Brad's eyes darken at his own words and out breathing gets heavier.

"Bradley, answer me", i hold his gaze and i feel my eyes burn in the back of my head. Hr walks closer to me and i walk backwards until i hit the bathroom door with my back, his face dangerously close to mine.

"Stop saying my name like that", he almost whispers and i put my hands on his abdomen, pushing him back a few steps

"Stop being as close to me as you were with those girls"

"So you really are jealous. Why tho? You said really clearly that you'll never date me. I moved on with my life", Brad walks away from me, putting his shirt back on, since it doesn't look like he's gonna shower soon.

"Is this about my interview this morning?", i frown at him, but he stays silent, buttoning his shirt. "What would you have wanted me to say? That I'm in love with you and that i was so glad my ex broke up with me? I've gotten so many dms and comments about you and i, i saw how people see us and how nobody wants me next to you. It was a lie so i could take the attention off us for a while in 5 months. ", i take a deep breath and he scratches the back of his head. "Why couldn't you just ask me? Talk to me? You went out and made out with all those girls for what?"

"So you're saying it's my fault i screwed up", he let's his arms fall next to his body, his palms hitting his thighs

"I wasn't the one clubbing tonight", i cross my arms at my chest and we stay in silence a few moments.

"Fuck", Brad swears and takes two big steps until he reaches me and cups my face with hid hands, crushing his lips on mine, his tongue licking my bottom lip. I give him permission and his tongue touches mine with every movement and my teeth sink in his bottom lip, pulling at it gently. His hands fall on my ass, tracing the form of my ass cheeks. I take a step forward, getting closer to him, pulling at his shirt collar and keeping him close to my body. "Fuck, y/n", he moans and i push him on the bed. He falls back and holds himself up with his elbows, watching my every move. I get on top of him and i straddle his lap, his hand forming a chokehold on my neck as he pulls me to kiss him. He falls back on the bed and i lean more on him, not breaking the kiss. Brad's other hand holds my waist and the other one frees my neck, caressing my breasts with it before moving it to my waist too.

"Is this a mistake?", i break the kiss and i ask him, heavily breathing.

"I don't care", he answers, his lips back on mine.

A/N: i couldn't fit this at the beginning bc it was too much, so, I also have to apologise for something. I wrote this over yesterday when that club video went out and over today, while i was in class, and i didn't know the entire story behind what actually happened behind the scenes of that video until now. I apologise and if the story wasn't already finished and scheduled for today, i wouldn't have posted this imagine. At first i loved how it would've been a great context, but now i know more things and i really don't want it to seem disrespectful or look like I've profited off that. Again, I'm not trying to picture Brad's behaviour as being like this in reality or that his behaviour should be taken for granted.

[mariacallous]

Marianna Spring is the BBC’s first disinformation and social media correspondent, a post best described as prolonged recumbence on a bed of very sharp nails. She is also a plucky and dogged investigative reporter who has repeatedly dived into the cesspit of online hatred and misinformation with the aim of trying to understand, rather than merely ridicule or condemn it. For her pains, Spring has already received – and deserved – some professional awards. But she has also been the target of some of the most vicious targeted attacks that any journalist has had to face: of the 14,488 social media posts targeting staff that the BBC logged between January and June 2023, for example, 11,771 related to her. Any journalist who can endure such an onslaught and remain sane deserves respect.

Among the Trolls is her compelling account of what the dark underbelly of contemporary liberal democracies looks like now. Much of it involves conspiracy theories – those who believe them and those who profit from them. But Spring’s gaze widens into an exploration of the collateral damage such theories cause, not only to individual believers and their families but in the way they undermine the deliberative capacity of democracies. She looks at the way technology has created a world in which, as Jonathan Swift famously put it, “Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it” – but one in which even blatant falsehoods endure long past their sell-by date because the internet never forgets. And she recounts, in graphic and depressing detail, the unspeakable things that people do and say online. But she also makes some heroic attempts to contact the trolls behind the slurs, sometimes with really interesting results.

All in all, this is a compelling guided tour of a dystopian underworld that most sensible people would prefer to ignore. It also suggests why such wilful blindness would be terminally unwise. If we needed a case study in the dangers that online-fuelled conspiracy theories can pose to society, then Covid-19 would be hard to beat. It was, Spring writes, “a gateway to more sinister conspiracies”: a third of respondents to a research survey said that the pandemic had made them more suspicious of official explanations of terrorist attacks. The number of avoidable deaths resulting from misinformation and anti-vaccination campaigning, for example, is uncountable, but it’s significant. Misinformation costs lives. And even today we are having to cope with outbreaks of diseases such as measles that were until recently avoidable.

The temptation du jour is to conclude that many of the ills of the modern world can be ascribed to social media. HL Mencken long ago nailed that misconception. “For every complex problem,” he wrote, “there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.” Close reading of Spring’s conversations with believers in conspiracy theories and trolls gives a hint of what underpins their behaviour and convictions. Many of them felt threatened or insecure because of what had happened to them in life. They felt undervalued or unappreciated by their peers, patronised by those in power and baffled by the inexplicable things that were happening in wider society.

What’s striking about Spring’s approach is her empathic capacity to try to understand what the legal scholar Cass Sunstein disdainfully called the “crippled epistemology” of conspiracy theorists. Given the abuse to which she has been subjected, this is remarkable. But, although Spring doesn’t spell this out, it also provides a clue to why liberal democracies are being undermined by conspiracy theories. The people she has been talking to are often living proof of what it’s like trying to get by in a society increasingly shaped by an economic ideology in which inequality is a feature, not a bug: it’s what neoliberalism is designed to do. The terrifying levels of social exclusion in modern “prosperous” democracies bear testimony to that. And the widespread popularity of conspiracy theories is a symptom of it.

What this means is that we need to acknowledge that networked technology is not the cause of our current ills. It’s a necessary factor but not a sufficient explanation for the mess democracies are in. And tackling it requires a frank admission that our politics are probably the main driving force of public disaffection. Which is the last thing that politicians fixated on the next election are likely to concede.

So our current reflex reactions to the problem – incredulity or disdain – won’t work. If people’s sense of identity is tied up with their beliefs, then they’re unlikely to be persuaded that most vaccines are not dangerous. Just as (Mencken again) it’s impossible to get someone to understand a proposition if his or her wealth depends on not understanding it. Many conspiracy theories are “self-sealing” – ie, impervious to facts. If there is a single cheery thought to emerge from this fine piece of journalism it is that, sometimes, empathy works. Instead of browbeating a supposedly deluded believer with facts, why not try understanding how they came to believe the things they do? Which is what Marianna Spring has tried to do. And it needn’t be futile. The pity is that, as they say in Silicon Valley, empathy doesn’t scale.

[strezzlecki]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thanks for tagging me @achilleslikespeas and @kaleidoscopexsighs xx

self awareness speedrun incoming

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

six

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

45, 234

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've only got marauders published at the moment, but I started writing for bbc merlin & sherlock back in the day on my old blogs. and there's twilight and vampire academy fic that will never see the light of day.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Pool Boy at the Vampire Mansion a dracula au

Angel of Small Death my first lesbian wolfstar

Carve my Name lesbian prongsfoot

The Beautiful Lady (without mercy) more lesbian wolfstar

Four out Five canon adjacent jegulus (&my first ever hp fic!)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

ALWAYS! I love every single comment, when I'm feeling particularly self destructive and abandoned by my creativity I go back and read them

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't personally consider anything I've written angsty (but I could be wrong) but in my eyes the ending of the beautiful lady isn't happy, but it is ambiguous & up for interpretation

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Angel of Small Death!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no, thankfully! I'm in a very small bubble and very lucky to have very supportive mutuals (and readers) also I've had anons turned off since I started this blog

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

technically I have been known to visit a good pussy eating as worship metaphor once (or twice, or three times)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

If you count my Dracula AU as crossover, otherwise no

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet! But I would love to, creative collaboration is my favourite thing about fandom so hit my line

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I'm a sucker for wolfstar but lately I've become consumed by prongsfoot

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

This is for the lions, the sequel to Pool Boy that I've all but abandoned (one day I will finish it) and I've got slytherin sirius prongsfoot going in the background

16. What are your writing strengths?

blunt & punchy descriptive language

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Most of my fics are collections of small scenes and one shots, anything longer I struggle to link scenes/chapters together so a lot of it happens "off screen"

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

great for other people but not for me

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Twilight & it was a self insert where I went on a date with Edward to the aquarium & slow danced (I had undiagnosed mental illness)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Angel of Small Death will always be special to me

this was very fun!! tagging @maliceofminds, @hihimissamericanbi , @spookymoonie if you want to! I'm nosy as always but no pressure besties xx

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Holidays (3) Masterlist

part one, part two

24:00 (ao3) - Cyane (orphan_account)

Summary: Phil makes a split-second decision to kiss Dan at midnight.

He doesn't realize that Dan is livestreaming on his phone with half a million fans.

Blush (ao3) - howelllesters

Summary: Dan had agreed to join his best friend Cat and her niece on an Easter Egg Hunt, and that was it. He barely remembered agreeing to that. And yet here he was, face painted pink, holding a tiny chick that Mr Bunny Ears himself had passed to him. Easter fluff.

Boom (ao3) - soft_lester

Summary: Phil’s idea of a fun New Year’s goes wrong and Dan wants no part of it.

Christmas Comes Early (ao3) - Spring_Haze

Summary: Dan and Phil are a new couple who are ready for sex. Both men are eager to be closer, though Dan fears that he will not be able to last long enough to get to that pivotal moment. Phil reassures his young lover, and the couple celebrates Christmas early in the most memorable way.

Conversation Hearts (ao3) - Emptylester (timelordangel)

Summary: Terrified that he prevented Dan from having the experience of other sexual partners in his adult life, Phil suggests that this Valentine's day in lieu of presents they each get a freebie. There is no way this can go wrong, right?

Easter Surprises (ao3) - pasteldanhowells

Summary: Louise has invited Dan and Phil to an Easter Egg Hunt event that she takes Darcy to every year. Phil is unsure of why they agreed to go to this, but Dan seems excited about it, so he ultimately agrees to go. While at the event, surrounded by kids, Dan has a sudden realization that surprises Phil.

fireworks (ao3) - calvinahobbes

Summary: Twelve years of New Year’s Eves - or, the first and the most recent.

Glass Depth Mood (ao3) - worriedpeach (skeletonflowers)

Summary: 'I don't know you but we're wearing matching costumes at this Halloween party and your ass looks amazing in that costume'

hearts like ours (ao3) - kay_okay

Summary: “Sorry… what?” Phil replies, dumbfounded, shocked, void of all intellect.

“I said I’m in love with you. Actually, I said I think I’m in love with you, which isn’t true. I mean, I am. I know I am, I don’t know why I said I think.”

he's his mother's son after all (ao3) - watergator (orphan_account)

Summary: dan visits phil's family on mother's day whilst feeling depressed

i'm cold, come closer. (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: "Dan," Phil pleaded. “It’s just for Christmas. Please, I can’t remember the last time she’s sounded so happy.”

Despite everything, Dan found himself agreeing to it.

Interrupted By Fireworks (ao3) - interruptedbyfjreworks

Summary: Dan and Phil watch the fireworks while in America on the Fourth of July.

kitchen counter (ao3) - ordanary

Summary: Phil asks Dan to come up north with him for Christmas, some realizations are made in the kitchen, and now Nigel owes Kath twenty pounds.

made for you and me (ao3) - queerofcups

Summary: "The question is how do we come out on Valentine’s Day in the least obnoxious way possible?"

Dan and Phil make a video. Phil makes a video. Things get better.

maybe they're seeing something we don't, darling (ao3) - phantasizeit

Summary: When Phil invites Dan to the Lester family Christmas, Kath can only assume that they’ve have finally gotten together. Dan and Phil don’t realize Kath’s misunderstanding until it’s a little too late. But, how hard can it be to fake a relationship between them? (AKA: The fic where Dan and Phil are already dating, but have to be put in a fake relationship situation to realize it. Also, they do fluffy Christmas things with the Lesters.)

Right Where We Are (ao3) - thatsmistertoyou

Summary: Dan’s feeling lonely between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so Phil invites him to stay with his family for a few days.

Sharp Teeth (ao3) - theshyauthor

Summary: AmazingPhil is a Youtuber and a vampire and according to Dan Howell, he is the nicest person to exist. From their first meeting in 2009 all the way to that one incident in the elevator at the BBC, this is their story.

Thankful For a Second Chance (ao3) - thatsthephan

Summary: A Thanksgiving fic in which Dan spends Thanksgiving with Phil’s family, and they both realize the things they’re really thankful for in life. And not just tastebuds and the ability to cook.

theia mania (ao3) - hamartiawrites

Summary: Valentines' Day is coming up, and there are two teachers that the school wants to see together more than anything.

Watchful (ao3) - cafephan

Summary: Phil is part of one of the world’s most famous paranormal investigator groups, along with his friends Joe, Zoe and Louise. The never before investigated Harrowick Penitentiary catches the group’s attention, and they settle in the town for a week long investigation. Most importantly, they hope to make contact with one spirit in particular, Dan Howell, who was falsely imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, and was murdered in the building. When Dan becomes attached to Phil, things become a lot more complicated.

When the Weather Breaks (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: Sitting across from Phil on that worn out velvet Starbucks sofa, sharing sickeningly sweet coffees and what they would like to think were hushed giggles, was the first time Dan felt a glimpse at what real love could feel like. or Perception checks, pining, and peppermint mochas.

Your Forever Is All That I Need (ao3) - softsocks (orphan_account)

Summary: Five times Phil attempts to surprise Dan, and one time he succeeds.

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

now that i've started thinking that the tptgw "upcoming events" page can be inaccurate, i have now opened my eyes to the fact that the ppgw one also can be too. because like...

given that ppgw is set at christmas, and given that from what we know about the sheer number of productions cornley have listed that they've previously done, it doesn't feel right that their next show wouldn't be until may. plus, even though the ppgw tour doesn't have a date listed, i'd assume this is in chronological order, and it's weird that the backstage tour of ppgw (at christmas) wouldn't be until after may. idk it could be, but i'd assume the set wouldn't be there anymore? anyway so now i'm thinking that, once again, they published the wrong "upcoming", and this is actually stuff that happened during the same year ppgw was (the staged version, which btw, i consider to be a different thing to the bbc version. obviously this is just my headcanon, but people are free to adopt it if they want). now, the stuff listed above here HAS to be 2015 (because that's the year that the 7th of may is a thursday, the 8th is a friday, and the 9th is a sunday. i checked). therefore, that means that the staged ppgw would be christmas 2015, which honestly works better than it being in 2014 for a few other events (but that's not important rn). anyway it's been a productive day of me reconsidering everything i thought i had figured out about cornley.

[valkyriesexual]

One thing that I’m worried about, it’s almost like JD used the UK trial as a test run?? Like in the UK trial, Stephen Deuters testified which opened the door for AH’s lawyers to bring in the text msgs where he admits JD kicked AH. By having Stephen not testify (at least I don’t think he’s testified) there’s nothing to refute the testimony that JD was clean and sober and didn’t kick her. Therefore there’s no evidence to the contrary and it’s AH’s word against like 4 others. And he’s also talking about the trial on social media so even if he is called he would be dismissed. Doesn’t look good. Similar to Kate James not mentioning AH “stole her SA story” because it was so easy to refute and outrageous in the UK. This time though it’s broadcast to the entire world. Or am I just overthinking this/wrong.

Ryan Baker, a Los Angeles attorney who has represented clients in defamation cases, told the BBC that Ms. Heard's evidence was compelling. The critical question, Mr. Baker said, is whether Ms. Heard can claim to be a victim of some form of domestic violence, as she wrote in 2018. And according to Mr. Baker, this abuse can be broad - physical, emotional or verbal - because Ms. Heard did not recount any specific episodes of abuse in the op-ed. "For the jury to side with Johnny Depp, they will have to completely disregard Amber Heard's testimony, consider her a liar," he said. "All the jury needs to do is believe some of what she's saying."

So that's a defamation attorney. And as a domestic violence attorney, I think the depp texts alone prove that he has committed domestic violence.

Things I think all by themselves would justify a finding in AH's favor:

The jury was shown a text message describing the flight, Depp described himself as “an angry aggro injun in a fucking blackout, screaming obscenities and insulting any fuck who got near.”

The jury was shown pictures of messages that Depp had scrawled in paint and blood after the finger injury, including one that read “starring Billy Bob and easy Amber.”

The jury was shown a text message that Depp sent to Heard’s father in December 2015, when Depp wrote, “Yes I fucked up and went too far in our fight.”

Jurors heard a series of audio recordings of conversations between the former couple, in which Mr. Depp could be heard shouting vulgar insults and obscenities at Ms. Heard. In one exchange, Ms. Heard shouts at Mr. Depp to put his "cigarettes out on someone else". Mr. Depp could be heard insulting Ms. Heard about her weight. He grimaced while the clips were played, while Ms. Heard seemed to hold back tears.

The jury saw a series of negative articles about Mr. Depp, some dating back to 2014, trying to demonstrate that damage to his reputation - and his career - had been done years before Ms. Heard publicly accused Mr. Depp of abuse.

The court heard damning exchanges from 2013 and 2014 between Depp and Bettany in which he described his desire to harm Heard: “Let’s drown her before we burn her!!!” he wrote, and said he would defile her corpse “afterwards to make sure she’s dead”

The court also listened to a recording of Depp moaning during a now infamous flight from Boston to Los Angeles. Depp had previously testified that he drank only a glass of champagne as he boarded the plane and, after taking two painkillers, locked himself in the plane’s bathroom and went to sleep to avoid Heard’s badgering. Depp later texted Bettany to say that he drank “all night before I picked Amber up to fly to LA this past Sunday. Ugly, mate. No food for days. Powders. Half a bottle of Whiskey, a thousand Red Bull and vodkas, pills, 2 bottles of Champers on plane.”

The jury heard an audio recording: “Where do you want the scar?” Depp says. Heard pleads with him, “Don’t cut your skin. Please do not cut your skin. Why would I do that. Please do not do that. Please don’t cut yourself.”

[AH's attorney] played audio in which Depp tells Heard that, “I head butted you in the fucking forehead. That doesn’t break a nose.”

In another set of texts read out in court to Patti Smith during the making of 2015’s Black Mass, Depp spoke of “getting shitty” to Heard. A 2014 text to Heard herself saw Depp apologizing for a clearly bad encounter between the couple: “I’m a fucking savage, gotta to lose that …the Devil is all around.”

I’ll smack the ugly cunt around before I let her in,” another 2014 text from Depp to a friend read. In a further 2015 text to his older sister, Depp referred to his then wife as “that filthy whore”

I have a hard time imagining, with all of this, that any reasonable jury could find that AH was not the victim of domestic violence, and as such, it was defamatory for her to claim that she was. But we'll have to see.

[if you found this post helpful or informative, please consider subscribing to my substack, it does take me a decent amount of time to research, write, and source posts like this, and substack subscriptions are deeply appreciated]

[ultramaga]

I was at a black people's conference, while doing other things, and the number of people who are classified as black but have nothing to do with Africa is pretty staggering. I do think "black = american of dark skinned african descent" is taking over as that is what is taught in schools and media. I liked "black fella" and "white fella" because they were unambiguous. Aboriginal is pretty good unless you travel - after all, the British are aboriginal to Britain, despite what the BBC and other Leftists are claiming. Leftists will call blackfellas black when it suits them - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-31/annabel-crabb-analysis-racism-australia-talks/100172288 Then call them members of The First Nation, despite there being no such thing. It's a way of reminding everyone else that they are just invaders who should go home (so that the Han Chinese can walk in and genocide everyone else). This is from the Australian Government. Now, a democratic government should represent the majority. When it declares that the members of a tiny ethnic minority should have special privileges above all others, and that it polices who qualifies as a member, then democracy is over. It's very telling that First is a word to indicate a place in a hierarchy, whereas aboriginal just indicates a distant origin. https://voice.gov.au/community-toolkit/first-nations "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia" We have no idea who the first people here were, it's not like they took records, and it's entirely likely that the first tribes were wiped out by later invaders and so on. If you look at the history of Britain, despite being an island, it was frequently invaded, and the composition radically altered. But they were not members of NATIONS. Nationalism is a new concept. They weren't members of anything but tribes. So were the Brits until the romans arrived. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_Britain There's nothing wrong with that. It's just a fact. But when it is retrospectively altered to become One Nation instead of many tribes, then that is done for political reasons, and it would just be seen as White Supremacism if the anglos started some equivalent, claiming that there had always been a White British Nation - before that filthy Italians had turned up!

"It is unknown how many populations settled in Australia prior to European colonisation. Both "trihybrid" and single-origin hypotheses have received extensive discussion.[35]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistory_of_Australia

I think a single origin is a weird idea unless you are talking about a spaceship or Noah's ark. Multiple waves of tribes using foot or simple canoes is far more reasonable. That's what happened everywhere else until recently, where we had people using sailing boats to travel to uninhabited lands. It's also possible that there were non homo sapiens species here, such as "the hobbits". Do they count as people? Wouldn't they be the "First Nation" by Leftist definitions? Homo floresiensis (/flɔːrˈɛziːˌɛn.sɪs/ also known as "Flores Man") is an extinct species of small archaic human that inhabited the island of Flores, Indonesia, until the arrival of modern humans about 50,000 years ago. If "Hobbits" survived until 50,000 years ago, then it seems entirely likely they were here, then exterminated as the more modern humans arrived. The entire ecosystem seems to have been disrupted and the larger mammals vanished. Did humans change the local climate through the use of fire in hunting? Or was climate change here inevitable? Whoops, the United Nations warning just popped up to remind us that climate change can only be caused by humans. There ya go.

Maybe humans time-travelled back and burned a lot of coal or something.

"most species went extinct just a few millennia after humans first appeared in Australia, meaning that the arrival of humans was the decisive event in the megafauna’s demise." If true, then that indicates the australian prehistorical record of humans is wrong, and that it was recently colonised. It wouldn't surprise me. I actually think the most likely answer is that humans were here, they died, and another wave came in. Similar thing happened to England. The world constantly changes, the earth heats and cools, becomes wet or dry, and until you have technology, then having a big brain doesn't mean much, and humans were not top dogs throughout most of history.

But when we mastered the arts of the ranged weapon, that was a game changer. Homo Sapiens is much more agile than Neanderthals, for example. We probably would lose in close combat, but non-humans are so much better than that. Spears, rock falls, pit traps, and, later, arrows. Against that the megafauna had no chance. Not to mention the hunting with fire that became the norm in australia. So if humans really were here 75 000 years ago, why didn't they have an impact? Why the gigantic delay?

If they were here, I doubt they were modern humans, I expect that they didn't have technology as we understand it, and I expect that the people now being called First either wiped them out with violence, or just absorbed them through mass colonisation.

Which is what seems to have happened with the other hominids.

And seems to be happening again to Australia today.

[birdsthatsingaftermidnight]

Today in Politics

23/10/22

Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he is running for leader of the Tories.

The Victorian Scarecrow Haunted by a Rich Victorian Industrialist, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has announced that Boris Johnson will also run for leadership.

No word from Boris, who still lacks the number of openly declared nominations to run. Rishi is up to 146.

Johnson-backing MP for Buckingham Greg Smith has told the BBC's Politics South programme he has had two calls with the former PM and has been assured he will run a very different Downing Street administration. "I think all of us lost our patience over the Partygate issue. But I think he has genuinely learned from those mistakes. He is pledging a very different, tighter Downing Street if he’s prime minister again," Smith says.

Gosh, has he learned from his mistakes? Finally? After all those times he had to apologise to the House for all the things he did in his first go at PM? If you believe this, please get in touch - I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

Lord Mervyn King, former Governor of the Bank of England, has said, "[...]what we need is a government that will actually tell us honestly there is a reduction in our national standard of living because we've decided to help Ukraine and confront Russia and that means that all of us are going to have to share the burden, we can't just put all of it on our children and grandchildren."

Finally, someone of sense!

Good news! Human horror show, Suella Braverman is not running for the leadership. Yay! She is supporting Rishi Sunak though, and will be hoping to get a government post off him. Boo!

Tory leader candidate, and current Commons leader, Penny Mourdant, denied she is speaking to Johnson's camp over a potential deal.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called again for a general election, describing the Conservative Party as a "chaotic circus".

He's not wrong.

There's a protest planned for 5th November, demanding a general election. Gosh, why does that date resonate? What happened, historically, on 5th November? Can't remember.

Apropos of nothing, there are strict laws about the purchase of gunpowder in this country.

[asherloki]

The museum deduction

BBC Sherlock

A/n :- it's a nice plot so I thought I should write it! Summary ! Changed it a little!

Plot by @selcouthangel !

I've been helping Mr Holmes in a case of his. As he knew I'm a good English professor he asked me to help him, he found a case and clues having the concept of some literary elements. Such as magic realism for example, so the chemist needed the help of a literature professor. After the help we used to make time to meet eachother, I'm not sure if it was dating or hanging out, I didn't think too much of it because all I want is to see him , be with him. That's what I am getting so I didn't have any complaint.

Anyway so my department organized a trip to museum for my students and asked me to take them alongside with my colleague mark. Mark is a good-looking guy so not only the students but the young professors also had a crush on him. I did too I guess but as far as I was aware of he liked me. We were enjoying our trip to the museum until we saw two men bursting into the museum talking loudly and seriously, my eyes can always recognise him, it's Sherlock Holmes! I couldn't resist but called "Mr Holmes?"

"Oh hi, nice to meet you here" he replied.

"You're on a case?"

" Oh yeah lestrade found a case for me of this ..." He talked about how he could deduced that a thousands of years skull was not real in the museum and he was there to find clues. "You get it?"

"Oh yeah, except I'm not good at history, but my colleague is good at this so you can ask him, Mark! Come here!"

"Doesn't seem good" he murmured, I wondered what's wrong but didn't paid much attention cause he can be crazy sometimes.

"Yes?"

"He wants to know..." Before I could say he tucked my hair behind my ear and said,

"Sorry it was covering your pretty eyes"

"Oh th-thanks mark" I blushed a little. And when I turned to Sherlock Holmes I saw him staring at mark as if he could pierce him with eyes. "what do you want from her?" Asked he.

"What?" Confused mark said.

"No no, be honest tell me"

"Mr Holmes what happened? Why are you being weird?"

"Right I'm weird, don't you see? This man is trying to woo you"

"What----" stammerd mark

"Oh please, look at you in that blue shirt, everyone knows she likes men in blue and look at that pretty face *mockingly* all flushed to see how pleased she is to see a handsome man tucking her hair, and you thought I would'nt notice that Bulge in your pocket which definately looks like a box of ring ? Are you trying to propose?"

Mark was stunned, so was John and I"mark? You want to propose me?"

"Uh! Was trying to ask you out"

"With a ring?"

"Come on you knew I like you"

"I'll talk to you in a minute" said I and turning to Sherlock I said "are you crazy? He's my colleague, why did you embarrassed him? And his liking me bothers you?"

"Because I've been falling for you" finally confessed he "your pretty eyes and pretty face and your glancing over your glasses and reading out literary things to me is all I want now"

I never thought a hyper rational detective like him would ever admit his feelings. But he did. And I loved him too much to let him down "all I want is you too" said I. I know Mark was was disappointed and John was overjoyed as we kissed. But being together is what I, rather we wanted. We fell for eachother like that.

[alianoralacanta]

Section 2: Systems take time

A title challenge puts a lot of pressure on a team, as Mattia correctly identified in his June 2022 interview with the BBC. Title challenges are apt to expose every weakness a team has, and severely test their ability to work with and round them, as well as to fix critical issues on the hoof. It is a lot easier to do that if the team entering that state is as strong as possible before veering into the storm. If a team has miscommunication issues, bad reactions to problems, upgrades that were expected to work and don't, anything like this, it's easier to fix the underlying system faults when pressure is relatively low. Then, when the title attack is underway, it is simpler to fix any recurrences (which in any case would be hoped to be minor issues). This is why Mattia Binotto was aiming for a planned World Championship attack. At the time Mattia made the plan in 2019, the regulations now due for 2026 were going to occur in 2024. I don't recall Mattia saying he was going to make the ready date later due to COVID, even after the regulations were pushed out to 2026 for that reason. He certainly didn't say the team was planning to be ready earlier! I don't think Mattia was planning for new hires - he'd already hired a good team. What he was planning to do was to further coalesce the team and make sure repeated faults had a reliable fix in place to stop them from happening. Example possible systematic fixes for the 3 example faults in the previous paragraph (NB: I am not suggesting any of these was necessarily a, let alone the, correct solution for the specific manifestation Ferrari showed): Miscommunication issues: Develop a standard vocabulary, syntax and structure of communicating common topics, with standard infromation items, practise it a lot, create and practise rules for having more complex conversations Bad reactions to problems: Give staff an immediate response mechanism to the sorts of problems that need immediate reaction (that makes sense for those problems). Practise it. For everything else, develop a procedure for analysing why types of problems happen, train staff to use it, expand it as new types of problems arise Upgrades being disappointing: Check the correlation between track and team systems. Iterate improvements to those correlations. Keep iterating. These things have a few things in common, but one of them is that they take time. There's a limit to how fast they can be done. An early title challenge would have required compromise. One can argue (and I'm sure Charles Leclerc would have argued) that F1 is a constant compromise. However, it is for the team leader to decide what compromises will help and which will harm the team - both for the short and long term. Hopefully my answer will put Mattia Binotto in a slightly better light than he was in for the original essay. He was wrong but not clueless. He did, at least, identify a valid problem in the first place. If you'd like to know more about systems in the broader sense: A great textbook resource for learning more about systems is Advanced Game Design by Michael Sellars. Yes, lots of the examples are computer games, but the theory about systems is generally applicable and the level of detail is incredible. For something more accessible but also helpful, you can try the free MOOC course sequence "Systems Modelling", "Systems Diagramming" and "Systems Thinking and Practise" at OpenLearn. A brief treatment of the topic can also be found at "System Thinking Basics" at Coursera.

Ahhh I want to kiss your brain. Thank you for that absolutely BRILLIANT analysis, I love your essays :) You are brilliant!

I hesitated in sending this ask because you've explained so much so well already, but you mentioned you're open to clarification 🫣 I hope you don't mind, I was wondering about this part, this especially caught my attention...

Mattia Binotto in 2022 had a problem. His plan was progressing faster than he’d anticipated. Ferrari was supposed to mount its title challenge in 2024, not 2022.

Mattia had not put all the systems in place to support the title bid that he had intended. Instead, he chose to stick to his plan. Keep building systems and manage down expectations.

There were times when it felt like he was favouring Carlos Sainz because his driving was closer to the plan. However, Charles Leclerc appeared to be convinced, from the beginning, that a title fight was on due to Ferrari’s performance level.

Forgive me this might very well be a stupid question but what do you mean by systems that he hadn't placed yet to support the title bid? I read up about the 2022 season around last year since I wasn't actually there to witness it (I became a fan mid-2023), clearly there is a lot more to the picture than I anticipated!

What other systems are there? Was he planning for new recruits to the team, or something different...?

Thank you once again! :)

Warning! Long post alert! (This time it is only a 2-parter) I am so happy that you enjoyed my essay :D The question is a sensible one. Section 1: Defining a system (eventually)

By "Mattia had not put all the systems in place to support the title bid", I meant that the organisation as a whole had still not coalesced into something that consistently gave the same, helpful response when encountering difficulties. The part of this we see most often expressed is in race strategies. When everything goes to plan, Ferrari could and still can execute a race strategy absolutely fine. However, it just takes one unplanned change to break the system. (This may also be why strategy fails happened to Charles Leclerc more often than Carlos Sainz in 2022, for Charles is the one most likely to have discovered something outside the pre-calculated strategic parameters - usually that discovery was good, sometimes it was bad, but the Ferrari strategic team seemed to be just as bad at handling it either way). This specific pattern is often a sign that the right people are in place, with a valid "Plan A" system, but don't yet have systems behind them to adapt. (This is also why Charles Leclerc defended Xavi Marcos Padros so much despite Xavi being linked with many of these errors. There is more detail in Section 9: China 2004 of the original essay about Charles accepting more fractious interaction as problem-solving than might be expected, and in addition both Charles and Xavi probably agreed there were systematic issues behind at least some of the problems we saw). Departments we see less may or may not have had the same problem, though it's realistic to believe they did. Mattia Binotto called Ferrari a "young" team in 2019 because many of its staff had not worked the positions they were in before and were still getting used to the processes and people in those new positions. So, what is a "system" in these contexts? It is how the actions taken within the team fit together to get particular things done. It considers: - the individual components involved - the goal(s) to which they are employed - the nature of the links - and the conditions that make these change When we are told that people have been hired into a team, that is part of the system, but only part. A person is (for the purpose we're considering) the smallest complete component of a system, but different parts of what someone thinks, says and does will interact with different systems in different ways. It is also necessary for a F1 team to do, at minimum, the following for these people: - teach them enough about their new team to let them buy themselves the time needed to do everything else in this list - help them work with their new colleagues - give them a worthwhile and useful task to aim towards - link that goal with the other goals needed to eventually win the title - plan everything out so that things happen in a sequence that makes sense to everyone. This may require putting in/removing intermediate steps, swapping round goals, exchanging less useful goals for better ones, figuring out the carrying capacity (amount of goals can be done simultaneously) of the team and its departments, deciding what counts as "good enough" and having some idea what needs to change if a given goal is at "good enough" rather than "ideal" - or indeed is missed. - making sure all the resources that are needed are in the right place at the right time. - monitoring the situation surrounding the team, its departments and people - knowing when and how to intervene in internal issues - protecting the team from negative external influences where possible - mitigating against harm done by issues from which protection could not be provided. It is not just F1 that is like this. Pretty much every large enterprise is the same way. There is an upper limit as to how many resources people can marshal effectively without this sort of planning, and even small companies often benefit from proportionate planning. I've emphasised "plan everything out" because I this is the part where Mattia Binotto's plan came unstuck.