#and while i think later in life (he died in like 2016) he did some work on the changing face of visual communication

[oacest]

My thoughts on the audio are that I genuinely cannot come up with a sane explanation. I don't think Liam was necessarily in the studio but he has to be talking about him, right? Like IDK there was some visual effect or whatever, literally who else could be the cunt Noel doesn't want to see. Beyond which I am not a proper scholar so please let me know if I'm way off base but I have an extended divorce theory that goes:

2009: Breakup, they're both big mad for a minute

201?-2012: They are texting and like, sending their kids to the same school. possibly the most normal they've ever been.

2013-2015: Liam blows his entire life up and is extremely sad about the consequences of his own actions. I saw actual video footage of Noel saying that he's shocked beady eye broke up and he's actually sweet about it and tells Liam not to give up? who is this man. anyway while Liam will later claim Noel wasn't there for him during the divorce but as a general rule they're much nicer about each other when they're divorcing other people. this is where I become extremely conspiratorial because at some point they had to get the documentary off the ground and a second, more personal breakup is clearly going down around this time. I believe in their ability to deeply wound each other by playing cryptic telephone through the press but I think it genuinely makes more sense if they were actually talking, perhaps about a potential reunion.

2016-2020: supersonic documentary and also (coincidentally?) the apocalypse. Liam launches his solo career, Noel hates it and is pretty relentlessly mean about it and about Liam more generally. we are gearing up for the kind of tweeting/podcast commenting where you call your brother your ex-wife. I think this is also when Noel decides to drag Molly into it for some reason. Liam says publicly that he thinks Noel was waiting for him to hit rock bottom so he could be magnanimous about saving him. whether he thinks this because of something concrete noel did or said or because he's liam is a mystery. the Anais incident goes down, the vogue article comes out. we are never ever getting back together for real this time. noel says a bunch of normal and well adjusted stuff about how he wants Liam to die in a self driving car crash with Donald Trump and seeing his face makes him want to shoot up a MacDonalds.

2020-2022: the pandemic saves oasis. I'm serious. they're both stuck sitting at home with nothing to distract them from themselves and think of brighter days. apparently being trapped in a house with noel is genuinely so unbearable that Sara calls it quits (in the matter of Sara v. Noel I'm on her side). presumably this was cause for at least some self reflection. divorce is a lonely and difficult experience, sara and liam seem to legit hate each other in a way that would be a barrier to reconciliation (in the matter of Sara v. Liam I am also on her side but less so bcs she didn't get trapped in a house with him). at the same time Liam pulls off Knebworth 2022, demonstrating he can handle big events without headcasing (and without noel, and he will be doing those big events solo or otherwise). at this point I genuinely think it was just a matter of time before we were back, baybeee! let's hope they can keep it together.

bro your brain is so huge and deeply wrinkled, profoundly agree with all of this. why you on anon when your opinions are so correct and you could be sharing them with us directly tbh 👀.

but yeah, 100% covid saved oasis lmao. noel's divorce saved oasis. noel's miserable midlife crisis (ongoing) saved oasis 🥰🥰🥰. and it juuuuuust really seems like all those insane highs and lows that went on publicly in the media between them over the years probably, or at least quite possibly, had irl personal catalysts rather than just a general holdover of ill will from the 2000s. there are so many random little times one or both of them casually mentioned they were in contact, and any one of those instances can be disregarded, but when considered in retrospect from a collective standpoint..... AWFULLY DAMNING!!!

lots more to say about all of this actually, every point you've made is legit af and could be expounded upon for a hundred years, but it's midnight and im coming down with a flu (punishment for some kind of hubris im sure), so. thank you for all of this and goodnight 🙏

[dailytomlinson]

Louis Tomlinson still cannot shake the One Direction mob.

It’s the first, big realisation I have as the growing horde of girls barely into their teens — many of whom have been waiting for 10 hours, others who have flown in from Italy, and some that are accompanied by their doting fathers — alert me to the location of the Soho party he will be throwing for his fashion label, 28, later this evening.

Inside, as a cocktail bar, make-shift band set-up and rails of clothes made in China are being frantically erected, the security is flustered and tweens outside squawk and slam on the windows. I find Tomlinson, 33, hiding in the basement alongside a crate of warm Peroni beers, two bottles of Grey Goose vodka and a basket filled with Skittles and crisps. Hardly the red carpet treatment.

“Do you mind if I smoke,” he says, as he sits forwards in a black leather chair, wearing a cream, button-up knit short sleeve shirt with a bouquet of roses embroidered on one chest — of his own design — with loose fitting, blue jeans. Next to his box-fresh, white Adidas Stan Smiths stands a water glass which he is using as a make-shift ashtray. I do not. He lights a cigarette, before cracking open a beer using his lighter with the speed and smoothness of a seasoned pro. He is wearing a fair bit of concealer — his make-up artist stands, at the ready, in the corner of the room — and his long, eyebrow-length fringe is tousled.

“I must have the easiest f***ing rider of all time,” he says. “As long as I’ve got my vodka Red Bulls and a pack of ciggies, I’m alright.”

While Tomlinson appears somewhat erratic, his hand constantly gripped to one of the green bottles, he is effusively energetic with a singing Northern twang, keen smile and friendly nature. At 5ft 7in he is not overbearing in stature, and kindly repeats his vodka is for sharing.

The atmosphere is hectic upstairs, however. After five years in the most famous band in the world, which finally split in 2015, I suggest he must be used to the fans. “No, no,” he corrects me. “It’s a funny relationship ’cause I feel like I get on really well with them. It’s really, really nice to see them,” he says, in the most genuine tone he can muster. “It’s not something I’ve ever really stared in the face of, though. The longer you think about shit like that, it just doesn’t make any sense anyway.”

It has been a horrific few months for Tomlinson, by any standard. His band-member Liam Payne died after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires in October, and media scrutiny around the four surviving One Direction members — himself, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan — has massively intensified.

I am told sternly before we sit down to, please, forgo any questions on the topic. “The Sun has been running a story that the boys are going to reunite at the Brits for Liam,” a PR manager tells me. “Louis just despairs. He could never get up there and sing as part of the band after what has happened.” One Direction did not perform during the awards, which took place the night after our interview.

Instead, in the wake of Payne’s death, Tomlinson took to Instagram, where he now has 20 million followers, to share his own personal message to his “brother”. “I’m so grateful that we got even closer since the band, speaking on the phone for hours, reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life,” he wrote. “I wish I got a chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.”

Tomlinson is no stranger to grief. His mother, Johannah Poulston, a midwife and TV assistant, died in 2016 at 43 after battling leukaemia, and his sister, Félicité, died from an accidental overdose in 2019 aged 18.

Eager not to be sidetracked, he launches, with fervour, into discussion about his fourth 28 collection, named so after his favourite number, which is also tattooed on his left-hand fingers. “It’s been really fun for me to apply the creative side of my brain somewhere else. When you’re songwriting — and at the moment I’m writing a new record — it is all encompassing. It’s nice to have a break from those kinds of creative ideas,” he says.

He founded the brand in August 2023 when he realised the clothes he loved growing up in Doncaster had become trendy. “Forty per cent of my wardrobe is sports-inspired somehow. I was doing that for years as a chavvy, tucking my socks in when I was a young lad before it was cool, and now you see everyone in the sports garb,” he says. “There’s a very, very chavvy aesthetic in Doncaster, at least when I was growing up. That’s exactly who I am and the kind of stuff that I like.”

Doesn’t he mind the term chavvy? “I’ve always embraced it,” he says. “Look, I am a f***ing chav, so I have to embrace it. I have to try and make it cool in my own head.”

Really? “I don’t think it’s a bad word, not to me. To me it’s about culture. It might mean other things to other people. It’s also very much how you grow up in a place like Doncaster. You can’t escape the chav in Donny, so you’ve got to become it.”

Tomlinson was born in Doncaster in 1991 to Poulston and Troy Austin, an alcoholic who left when he was a child and whom Tomlinson remains estranged from. He subsequently took his then-stepfather Mark Tomlinson’s surname, who is now a micro-celebrity in his own right boasting 274k Instagram followers.

Everything changed for him in 2010, aged 18, when he stepped out, squirming with nerves, in front of Simon Cowell and the rest of The X Factor judges to sing Scouting for Girls’ Elvis Ain’t Dead followed by Plain White T’s Hey There Delilah.

The clothes he wore are burnt into memory. “Like many of us, I’ve had some real f***ing fashion disasters for sure. I kid you not, the outfit I went to my first audition in, I will have been out in Doncaster in Silver Street, where all the clubs are, 20 times. That was my outfit: not quite baby blue, but a blue shirt with a black skinny tie and a cardigan,” he says. “These days that seems so f***ing like smart, but skinny ties were the vibe then.”

He was later moulded into the boy band member executives required. “When I was in One Direction we all had to have our certain specific look. Even if I tucked my socks in, they would say: ‘Let me tell you, take them straight out,’” he recalls. “There was an element of kind of dumbing that down.”

It is part of why he is enjoying going back to his roots with his brand, first designing football shirts and tracksuits but for the latest range introducing a denim co-ord set and knitwear. “There is an element of going back to all those ideas and really embracing my youth and my culture.�� As for who he wants to see in his latest looks: “I feel like Jack O’Connell, from Skins, sums it up pretty well.” A$AP Rocky is his style pin-up (“every time you see him, he’s looking on point”), and what about Beyoncé in the denim? “Yes! That would be pretty cool — and also be great for sales.”

Tomlinson doesn’t overthink the creative process. “It’s not something that I’m spending 12 hours a day thinking about, I’m led by feel,” he explains. “That’s the way I treat my songwriting, too. You know, I’m not some musical genius.” While not designing, you will usually find him playing packed-out arenas in far-flung destinations worldwide. During his Faith in the Future World Tour, which ran May 26, 2023 to June 6, 2024, he played a total of 98 shows starting in Uncasville, Connecticut, and concluding in Mexico’s Guadalajara.

Last Sunday, in neon tracksuit bottoms and white vest, he was in Mumbai headlining Lollapalooza. “I always want to be ultimately relaxed, but my stylist is trying to get a little bit of sophistication out of me, which is needed,” he says.

He professes to love being on tour, which sets him apart from some of his contemporaries who deem it a gruelling, yet lucrative, part of the job. Why? “It’s a far cry from the real world.” He doesn’t bother trying to pull off the harrowing line as a joke.

“It’s like you might have speculated as a 16-year-old lad of what it is to tour — exciting, different places every day,” he continues. “You’re surrounded by so many different cultures, conversations with different people. As a creative — if I can call myself that — it’s really good to see the world.”

Trips back home to Doncaster are scheduled as often as he can, “realistically two or three times a year, but always for about three weeks over Christmas.” He is otherwise based in a grand, four-storey, six-bed Victorian mansion in Barnet, north London, which he bought in 2012.

“London is so vast, it just feels like a melting pot. There’s so many different creative ideas flying around,” he says. When I push him on his favourite places to hang out here, however, he freezes. “To be honest, the irony of that is that I was thinking about moving recently. I’ve got no idea where to move to. I like London, but I wouldn’t say I’d be able to put my finger on what: I really love it here, I really love it there — I don’t really know.” No other boroughs in the capital have caught his eye. “The place that I live now I’ve lived in for ages, ever since I was in the band. I haven’t really got any true perspective of London. But there’s time for that.”

Ultimately, he claims to find comfort on the stage. “There is a lot of mystique in the job of a singer,” he says. “If you do this, it might mean that.” Playing a gig is simple. “I just love how literal the whole thing is. I have people that are willing to pay to come and see me and I feel their reaction every night,” he says.

“I feel really good about that.” This time, I think he means it.

[theonethatwatchesalotofshows]

I may have come across as a prude in my other post about the portrayal of sex in That 90s Show and I want to assure you I am not. I was once a sexually active teen myself who had sexually active friends, but still the way they are so casual about it is extremely unrelatable to me. The characters in That 70s Show were also sexually active sooner or later but their arcs were just so much more relatable and true to life in my opinion. And I think that speaks of a bigger trend of how media has changed.

If you watch old shows from 90s and 00s, they are just overall more innocent and wholesome? Maybe sometimes too innocent (*cough* Gilmore Girls*cough*) but overall they just portray the awkwardness and sweetness of it much better. I know there were some problematic storylines that I am glad were buried since then like the whole student-teacher thing (even though I heard Riverdale did it in 2016?) overall I think those shows portrayed teendom better. Nowadays it seems like everything is for shock value and just to create discourse around the show. Think of Seth and Summer's awkward first time on The OC. Or Kelso and Jackie's/Donna and Eric's bad first times on That 70s Show. Blair's drunken first time with an asshole that she regrets at first on Gossip Girl.

(Obviously there were times when these storylines were too prudish to the point it was unrealistic. Aforementioned Gilmore Girls come to mind where Rory had a two year relationship where the furthest they got was kissing with tongue, Dawson's Creek where Joey pondered for months if she should lose her virginity to her long term boyfriend who she had known her whole life and her dilemma was juxtaposed with Dawson's dilemma about whether to unplug a dying guy from his life support, The Secret Life of American Teenager where Amy got pregnant on her first time and Grace's dad died in a plane crash after hers. Then there was the unhinged moment in One Tree Hill where Haley and Nathan got married in high school to be able to have sex. No I am not talking about these specifically.)

Compare that to how Kat was mocked for being a virgin at *gasp* 16 on Euphoria and told she needs to "catch a dick" so she ends up sleeping with an asshole who records it, puts it on PornHub and makes her famous, which prompts her to start making money by doing porn. She's not the only one from her class too, Maddy, Jules and Cassie are all 16-17 year old girls that also have sex tapes of them. Maddy also casually lost her virginity at 14 to a 40 year old man put she was "totally in control". Jules has been sleeping with random grown men from dating apps since she turned 16. Maddy also jumps into the pool at a party with a college boy and starts having sex with him/pretending to be having sex with him in front of everyone and it's not even the most scandalous thing to happen at that party. See how that seems to be made just for shock value with no substance or attempt at relatability?

It's similar with That 70s Show vs That 90s Show- on the former the characters were sexually active but there was that awkwardness about it whereas on That 90s Show apart from Leia everyone seems super experienced, confident and like they've been having sex for years despite the fact that they are even younger that the characters on That 70s Show. Everyone even found it weird that Leia didn't have a first kiss yet at the age of 15 and took her to the mall to kiss a random guy. I really wish the point of that episode was "don't feel pressured and take your time" but no instead that episode ended with Leia literally forcing herself on a guy while he was working just so she can have her first kiss over with. What kind of message is that sending? That 90s Show characters when it comes to sex seem to have the experience of the average college student, not the average sophomore/junior in high school. Same can be said about Euphoria.

"But teen shows have always pushed the envelope" well yes and the aforementioned Gossip Girl and Skins come to mind but even then, it wasn't just constant meaningless fucking everyone all the time. Similarly to Euphoria, on the first episode of Skins, Tony tells Sid that he needs to lose his virginity ASAP because he's almost 17 and it's "embarrassing". Yet Sid doesn't succumb to the pressure and doesn't do it just because. It is implied he only does it once he is in a relationship with Cassie. And he is not even the only character who is a virgin in that generation, there is also Anwar who also loses it when it feels right not because he is pressured to. Yes there are characters that are sexually active (although it is more over the top than in real life) but also virgins, and that is more true to life than Kat being the only virgin left in the entire high school. I even know some people in 2nd or 3rd year of college who are virgins and that's okay. No one really shames them and tells them that they need to "catch a dick asap" and if someone does then they're an asshole.

However I will say that Never Have I Ever is one new show that did it right.

[cowboylikeyouu]

For the WIP game, No Other shade of blue but you, please!

oh my, i completely forgot the wip game ahahah sorry for the wait, here you go:

i started working on this THREE YEARS AGO???? it's not even THAT long, but i always forget it exists for like 6 months before writing another 1000 words and then forgetting it again.

the premise is basically: steve & tony had a Thing™ during that period when pepper & tony had broken up, but then civil war happened and yeah. pepper & tony get back together, get married, have morgan, endgame happens as usual BUT: instead of tony, pepper dies. which is. . . cruel, i know, but hey, she was canonically part of the final battle so in theory she could've been the one to get the stones & do the snap lol. anyways, then it's just a lot of depressed tony taking care of morgan and refusing to accept help, until he caves in and calls up steve one day and yeah, then they have their very very slow getting back together arc, while they're raising morgan. there're gonna be a lot of shenanigans with other characters bc tony's slowly letting other people back in his life, so it's actually just gonna be a shit ton of avengers family feels. i also have a fully planned out winterhawk spin-off to this fic lol. idk if i'll ever finish writing it tho, i have about 15k and most of it was originally written in german. i DID translate it and i wrote some of the later stuff in english, but i'm still SUPER unhappy with it. i love my german writing SO MUCH, but it tends to lose its flow when i translate it :/

here's a small excerpt, the grammar might suck as well, my english skills were even poorer back then than they are now lmao

Steve ignored his words and pulled out a burner phone instead, placing it on the counter next to Tony. Only one number was registered in it. Tony paused momentarily and regarded the phone with an unreadable look before swallowing hard and turning back to his plate.  "Haven't we been through this already, Cap?" He said quietly as if his voice would fail him if he spoke louder.  The movements of his hand holding the sponge became increasingly erratic, and Steve couldn't stand it anymore. Without thinking much, he put one hand on Tony's arm in an attempt to soothe him and stop his movements before using his other hand to carefully pull the plate from his clenched fingers and place it on the towel next to the sink. This time, Tony didn't even try to free himself from Steve's grip. "Maybe you're gonna use it this time," Steve responded and pushed the phone a little closer to Tony with his free hand.  Tony looked up from the phone to meet Steve's eyes, a sad smile on his lips. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't think you and I were on such good terms the first time," he said, even more quiet than earlier.  Brown eyes that stirred so much more in Steve than he would ever admit stared into his, and for a moment, it felt like 2016 all over again. Like the time when Pepper and Tony had broken up due to personal reasons, the time when Steve had spent his days in Tony's building and his nights in Tony's bed, wasting time on kisses and sex and late-night promises. Like that brief, dreamlike period when everything had been okay for a few months. The calm before the storm that the Sokovia accords brought to their lives and their relationship. Then Tony looked away, and the moment shattered.  Steve found himself back in the present, where Tony and Pepper were no longer together because Pepper was simply no longer there, where the peaceful intimacy existed only in memory, and where the events in Leipzig and Siberia and the months without contact that followed continued to stand between them like an impassable wall. Steve didn't regret siding with Bucky at the time. He didn't regret wanting to protect his best friend, who had returned after seventy years, he’d do it again without thinking twice. But he regretted the naturalness with which he had thrown away Tony and all they had in the months before. He regretted more than anything not giving a rational thought to find a compromise that would allow him to keep them both in his life.

send me more asks about my wips if u want !!

[fox-bright]

So much fucking One Piece *everywhere* online.

TW: sexual assault, domestic abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, drug use, suicide

When I was in my mid-twenties I dated a serial rapist. Lived with him, in fact, attended the same dojo, and we talked sometimes about marriage. I loved him very much.

He was superbly charismatic, which is how he got away with many bad things. He had a lot of friends, and a lot of defenders, because it was so difficult to believe him capable of the things he did--and because he was good at making friends. Good at bringing people together, at seeing the edges where they'd fit. He was a little goofy, came off occasionally as kind of stupid and almost always as generally harmless, and many of the people he introduced to each other will probably be friends for the rest of their lives.

It was also amusing to him, on occasion, to drive a friend or girlfriend to near-suicide. "If one of them does it, I can use that story later to make people sorry for me," he said, at the end of everything when he was finally willing to be honest with me. When he knew that no one else would believe me, and he could reveal himself plainly with no threat to himself.

In 2016, years after our horrific breakup, he took a probably miscalculated (or even uncalculated) dose of a designer psilocin prodrug without a spotter, and while under its influence he stabbed himself several dozen times. The New York Post, salacious rag that it is, suggested that his death might have been part of a "pagan ritual." I thought for some time that it had been a murder, that some family member of one of his victims had decided to take a bit of evil out of the world. But it was just him being as stupid and arrogant as he always was, and thinking, as he always did, that he was invincible.

(A mutual acquaintance said that they thought possibly he got so high he could hear his conscience for the first time in his entire life, and took the honorable way out.)

(It does not escape me that if that is the case, he still managed to do it in the nastiest, messiest, most selfish way possible, as his wife came home that evening and found him.)

I was at a weekend house party a year or so after he killed himself, and another person there didn't know that I was that Gen, the one he still talked about until he killed himself--but I knew who she was, a lover-after-me. She was openly grieving, and I gave her cupcakes and silently wished her well, and avoided all conversation of him. At the end of that party our host--who had been dancing the same conversational waltz all weekend as I had--sank tiredly into the couch beside me, rubbed their face, let out an exhausted giggle. "I'm just so glad he's dead." they said.

It's been nearly fifteen years since the breakup, and most of eight years since he died. My life is entirely transformed, though I probably am not. I'm in a lot less pain, and I take a lot less shit; it would be difficult for one such as him to prey on me now, I think. But at the core I doubt I am much different.

While he lived, his favorite thing in the world, his biggest fandom, was One Piece. He was overenthusiastic about it, easily made giddy. A sincere fanboy, in way that like so many of his other behaviors was somehow endearing.

It's very weird this week to keep being reminded of him, and know how happy he'd be to get to see it happening.

I keep remembering being at the Saturday-night dance at a big anime convention in 2007 or so, throwing ourselves gasping out the double doors to sit in the cool hallway outside the ballroom and gasp for a few minutes. We were lying on the carpet fanning each other and laughing quietly when the opening notes of a dance remix of Folder 5's "Believe" came on, and his face just lit. And we hurled ourselves to our feet and back inside to dance until we were exhausted.

All of the ads and incessant saturation of One Piece live action stuff right now isn't what I'd call triggery, not the way some other things still are, but it...aches. A little. To be reminded, again, that he could have been wonderful, and instead he was a monster, but there were still parts of him capable of childlike joy without artifice. And those parts are lost with all the rest of it.

There isn't any point to writing this. I'm tired and sad today, and should probably bake something or work on a quilt, some thing to do with my hands and remind me of my place as part of the world. We do go on, those of us who can, and I suppose that's all there is to it.

[td-tbbg-official]

VICKIE!!! a lot of questions in one buuut bare with me i love her so much already

how is life with the band? you four still making the best of the celebrity lifestyle? how are the fans treating you?

when did you publicly come out? how did the media take it?

now that you're coming back on the show, are you hoping to rekindle an old flame with a certain someone? 👀

“Oh, wow, that’s a lot of questions indeed, haha!

“The boys and I are still doing very well, both as a band and as a friend group. The fans are great too! They’ve supported us along a very long way, and I can’t just not be thankful for that.

“As for coming out… It was kind of complicated. Figuring yourself out while you’re a celebrity is not fun, I’ll tell you that much. It did give me some courage that I was the last one of the group to do it, though. Trent and Justin started dating a while after World Tour, and they publicly announced it years later – what was it, like, 2010? They were bold, I’ll give them that. And in 2013, news came out that Cody was trans; though, those only got out because he was outed at a concert… Which is a long story.

“Fast forward to 2016, and you’ve got all sorts of queer terms coming out. At first, I identified as genderfluid, but I never told anyone except the boys. I abandoned it when I realized I was really a woman, but still never told fans or family. I said they’d have to find out the hard way – much after my transition.

“So, that was said and done. I went on HRT in 2019 and I underwent speech therapy to try changing my voice, which left some fans wondering, but they generally kept quiet. I was somewhat glad when the pandemic hit because we could cancel our shows and I’d get all the time needed to do my so-called ‘transformation’ behind the scenes.

“We only started doing tours and shows again in 2022, and, by God, that was hilarious. I remember it like it was yesterday: our first show, I just didn’t come on stage for the first songs, and people were shouting for me, like, ‘Where’s Harold? Where’s Harold?’. Cody, the little shit, was dying laughing, and Trent came up all somber like, ‘He died’. I’m not even kidding, the guy actually said I died. I cracked up backstage, and everyone went kind of silent, like, ‘Oh my God, no, he’s joking, he’s gotta be’.

“And then I came out. Literally and in the queer sense. I came from backstage, and got on the stage, and Trent said ‘But we have Vickie now, so it’s all good’, and everyone just looked kind of confused until it just clicked. And so many people started cheering; some started booing, those were quickly escorted outside, I mean, hello, we’re a band full of queers, you didn’t expect me to turn out cishet, surely?

“We came up with more songs after that, many of them based on my experience as a trans woman, and Cody and I’s experiences as trans people in general, we just took a much queerer turn once we knew we could just do it. It’s liberating, to be able to finally be so open about it.

“And for that last question… I’m guessing you mean Leshawna? I mean… Heh… Yeah, I’d like to, like… Get to know her again, see what she’s been up to, but I’m not sure she’s exactly interested in dating me, or anything. I-I mean—not that I’m interested in her in that sense! That would be weird! I haven’t been… thinking about her daily, or anything, wondering where she’s at in life, how she’s doing—nothing like that! Never! Heh! Is it—is it hot in here? Hey, Cody, can you turn on the AC? I think I’m done with the ask, haha…”

coming soon to an AO3 near you.

questions, concerns, suggestions to be deposited in the ask box.

TD: TBBG is written by @canonically47. the blog is entirely run by the writer.

!!! reblogs > likes !!!

[nothingunrealistic]

When the propulsive financial drama “Billions” premiered in 2016, its core premise centered on the vicious blood feud between U.S Atty. Chuck Rhoades and billionaire hedge fund king Bobby “Axe” Axelrod. The hatred between the two men was so fierce it was almost assured that only one man would be left standing at the end. But the climactic moment of the series finale showcased a warm handshake between Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and Axelrod (Damian Lewis) as they reflected how their vicious duel had radically changed them both and made them better men. The moment was unexpected but also inevitable. The former foes had joined forces this final season to combat their common enemy — Michael “Mike” Prince (Corey Stoll), a billionaire who was not as brash as Axelrod but who unveiled a sinister hunger for power as he launched his candidacy to become president. The complicated plot by Rhoades and Axelrod to take down Prince was flavored by the head-spinning double-and triple-crosses that have made “Billions” one of Showtime’s biggest hits. Highlighting the final season was the return of Lewis, who left the show at the end of the fifth season to spend more time with his family in England. His wife, actor Helen McCrory, died of cancer in April 2021. Executive producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who created the show with financial journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin, discussed that final handshake, Lewis’ return and whether Prince was a variation of former President Donald Trump. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

When the series premiered, it seemed to be leaning toward who would get destroyed first — Rhoades or Axelrod. Did you know at that time how the drama would eventually end? Levien: I would love to say that when we started the show that we knew where it was going to end, seven seasons and 84 episodes later. But we just didn’t have that kind of master plan. Koppelman: We didn’t know the Mike Prince part in the beginning. But what we did know was that we wanted to keep our eyes open and our ears open, so that as the show went on, we would still understand the mores of how people in the stride of the show mythologized themselves. We have a new kind of billionaire, [one] who wants to present themselves as having concerns for the holistic nature of the world and the harm that money can do. That new rhetoric was quite different from Axe. There was a scene where Axe says, “Come on, guys like us are monsters.” And Prince says, “Well, but I’m a cuddly monster.” Anyone who tells you they’re cuddly monsters is not, right? Once we had that piece in there. we understood then the kind of ending we might be marching toward. Levien: Damian Lewis left the show for a little while because of some difficult circumstances in his life. But then, when he was able to come back, it gave us a chance to have a fresh attack on this ending. Koppelman: The character Mike Prince really breathed life into us. We’re seeing these characters who think they are better Caesars. We wanted to continue the story about them. When we realized we could have Bobby Axelrod come back, it allowed us to set up an ending for obsessive “Billions” fans to build something satisfying.

Still, it’s probably startling for fans to see Rhoades and Axe shaking hands at the end. Levien: Yes, they come to a place of grudging mutual respect. There was a more dangerous enemy that seemed to threaten the well-being of everybody on the planet. That was something that could unify them temporarily. After that, they say they are going to go back to doing what they do. All bets are off. So it’s possible they will find themselves at odds again. Koppelman: One thing we discovered as we were going is that there was a truism about them early on — each of them had reason to be revealed onto themselves, and to not lie to themselves. In Prince, they both saw someone who perhaps lied to himself in the mythologizing. So maybe Bobby and Axe saw in each other something slightly more pure.

It was a nice touch to reference Blind Faith, the supergroup fronted by Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton that recorded one album and then had a big breakup. Koppelman: Yes. This idea that people of diverse talents can come together and create something meaningful, recognize that, and then go their separate ways — that felt real and true for us. We felt we earned that particular handshake.

Is the Mike Prince character your commentary on Donald Trump? Koppelman: I don’t think it’s for us to say. We put it out there. We let Mike Prince articulate why he thinks he should be the leader of the free world and the rest of the world. He talks about his unique capacity to be the one person who knows when to first strike with nukes. None of it strains credulity. It’s for the viewers to figure out whether it rings of stuff that is in the current world.

Did you know that Damian Lewis would come back for the final season? Koppelman: He did tell us before he left that he would come back for the final season, whenever that was, but it was unspecified how many episodes. The opportunity to have him for half a season was just awesome.

This season also saw the return of some great “Billions” villains, including John Malkovich as crafty Russian oligarch Grigor Andolov and Clancy Brown as U.S. Atty. Gen. Waylon Jeffcoat. Levien: We wanted to make this season for people who really loved the show, and for ourselves. We wanted to see these characters that we had in our hearts one more time.

The other element that evolved was how the series also had this ensemble cast of outrageous and wacky characters who worked at the hedge fund. Levien: We had such a deep bench of great actors. Each one of them would take a character that didn’t have a lot of real estate and make them indelible in a short amount of time.

So what’s next? I know it’s hard to say now. But in a perfect world, will there be more of the “Billions” universe? Koppelman: This kind of world and these kinds of characters — very capable people who think they have all the answers and who might overestimate that capability, gamblers who put it all on the line — they fascinate us. That’s the area that we’re drawn to, and I’m sure we’ll continue working in it in some way. Levien: It’s been an incredible experience doing this show. It’s been the most singular run of our entire career. An amazing ride. Koppelman: We never took it for granted for a second.

[moonstalkerwerewolf]

Time for a Political Moon Rant

I'm going to get a bit political, so if you need to mind your mental health, or you're a Trumpet shill, you best not read but I will put this on Tumblr vs. my personal Facebook where I know waaaay too many people who shilled for the Orange Mussolini. Of course, Trumpets should leave my page immediately.

When I was 22-23 years old, back in 2015-2016, I would tell people that the Orange Man is a threat to the U.S. Specifically, back then, he would destroy the Republican Party that, for some fucking reason, thinks this grifting piece of shit was worthy of holding the Oval Office when he's an arrogant businessman known for bankruptcy, known for treating workers like garbage, known for fraud, and extensive lying. I also said he'd make the U.S. the laughing stock of the entire world, and the country deserves far better than him. I argued this nine, ten years ago. This was when I was fresh coming out of deconstruction, and leaving a largely conservative bubble. I grew up sheltered and in that bubble and didn't really begin escaping and truly seeing the outside world where I could, in fact, freely exist in until my very early 20s. I purposely wanted to know more about the wide world and other ideologies, which was suppressed in the private schools I was enrolled in. Even at my worst and most indoctrinated, I felt something was wrong, so I refused to continue any higher education in private, Christian colleges. I wanted a wider perspective.

It changed me, it continues to change me, for the better. I found out a lot about myself after I could escape it. That is why I will freely criticize beliefs held onto by people near me in my environment, because yes, I know what it is like to be shackled in a movement that prevents critical thought. But I could always see the massive piles of bullshit like misogyny and fascism even as a trapped teenager who didn't know differently, because. It felt wrong, even if adults all around me told me otherwise. And I'm so goddamn glad I was aware enough to goddamn escape.

Yeah, my opinions changed based on new knowledge, new perspective, and key facts. But they haven't changed much from what they were in 2016, from being aware of what this disgrace does. In fact, the only reason they haven't changed much is because my opinions and beliefs about Trump and the Right have gotten way, way worse about these fuckers, because it's now been 9 years and one full term of Trump, a cult MAGA movement, a pandemic, etc. later.

The Republican Party, whatever was within it that had any sense of honor before if at all, is dead. It died with Reagan and got deeeeply pushed into the bowels of Hell by those after, but even they are just dead. All that remains is a MAGA cult where the MAGATs will outright destroy Republicans who do not agree with their methods. Democrats and anyone else not a MAGAT are just straight up considered Satanic, which is goddamn insane. When Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell go against the President because he's downright defying the Constitution and fueling life-threatening misinformation, you know it's bad.

23 year old me was never wrong. I wish I could tell her she was more than right. I am still supremely disappointed in how many people I know who just eat whatever the MAGA Cult run by two grifters take and trust it. You've got to be kidding me.

Do I want the government to be audited for corruption, etc? Of course. Yes, government agencies NEED to be held accountable on behalf of the people. I'm not arguing against THAT.

But I'm not going to trust a guy who got elected to avoid prison who already did great damage to the U.S. for four years nor will I trust a billionaire megalomaniac whose only interest is making himself even richer while he spouts Great Replacement neonazi conspiracy online and shills for an apartheid state. DOGE is not qualified, and they have no business doing what they do. Musk does not have the authority to do anything; hell, neither does Trump. The U.S. is NOT a place for kings. Our whole country's founding is because we can't stand kings. Congress is needed to authorize anything. Same with the Senate. The President can't just hand out money to his loyalists. You aren't supposed to be able to just buy your way out of the rule of law.

If you voted for TRump and are/were a Federal Employee and thought you'd get a buyout for retiring early, congratulations. You got played because you were too ignorant to see the writing on the damn wall and too foolish to not think about what it means. Same if you thought essential employees, you know...the people who do the actual work, would be kept vs. loyalist supervisors. All people did, if they voted Trump, was vote for an unemployment explosion and horror to come. If you're a civilian who voted for Trump who doesn't know who's getting fired from the Fed Govt, congratulations for drinking the kool-aid and showing everyone you don't know anything about how Federal Employment works. Same if you got healthcare, etc. via Feds and voted for Trump, then lost your health insurance, etc. because Medicaid, Medicare, and OPM were cut. Congratulations. This is your fault. Same for the CDC being unable to handle current outbreaks of outright preventable disease like Measles. As a former front-liner Fed employee who tried to fight corruption but also fight to actually serve the people I was supposed to, i.e. patients who got care via federal treatment facilities, etc., just NO. I also work for the private sector, trying to do the best I can to safeguard people's rights and health.

Same with all the people who think privatizing EVERYTHING and putting EVERYTHING under a few loyalist oligarchs means a better tomorrow. Nope that just cuts safety as well as drive up costs for everyone, as well as suppresses wages. Thanks for that. Thanks for depriving everyone under the age of 50 from having hope for a survivable future. You know, after cutting CDC, FDA, EPA, etc. you know, the agencies that track disease, drug/food threats, and environmental threats. Same with wanting to cut OSHA so people can just die on the job. Cutting FAA so planes just crash. Cutting national forests so land can just get destroyed by greedy big corporations.

I am not angry because I believed "lefties." All I had to do was watch the people around me and the world around me spiral into madness as people caught up in the MAGA cult welcomed Fascism and kings into the U.S. with explosive frenzy. You know, after many of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought a war where many millions of people died to stop the spread of Fascism in WWII. And welcome the crazy ass Evangelical MAGAT repubs who want to turn the U.S. into a toxic Protestant, Evangelical hellscape.

Yes, I am angry. Not because I like the Left, etc. As far as I'm considered, the Democratic Party is goddamn useless and complacent, only in it to be spineless waste who never actually take action to safeguard anyone. How else have key rights been rolled back? The reasonable Republicans died off in 2016. I'm angry because a lot of this shit affects everyone I know and love, along with myself, and millions of other people. Sorry but I'm not a psychopath who's okay with how millions suffer "just because it doesn't impact me." Even if it didn't impact me, I'd be disgusted, and well, it does impact me, so screw that.

I'm not gonna praise and "let live" or "agree to disagree" with people who actively want to take my civil rights away along with those of millions of people. I just want to live my life without these crazy ass MAGATs getting the power to tell millions of people they're not allowed to EXIST.

And no, people will not tell me to ignore the bullshit because "otherwise I'll never be happy" (looking at you, my dear mother) as if MAGAT and the Cult-47ers didn't just vote for people who want to see people like me, my friends, my family, colleagues, fellow citizens, entire communities outright erased.

Don't tell me "oh, it won't happen." That's what the Germans in 1930s Germany said, and look what happened there. I see it happen where I work, what rollbacks of safety laws does. I work in a highly-regulated sector. I see what cuts can and does do to at-risk populations of the sick, the poor, the disabled. I myself am affected even if I work. Years of experience have taught me otherwise, as well as my love for science and history.

Fascism is literally defined "Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/ FASH-iz-əm) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement,[1][2][3] characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.[2][3] Opposed to anarchism, democracy, pluralism, egalitarianism, liberalism, socialism, and Marxism,[4][5] fascism is at the far right of the traditional left–right spectrum.[6][5][7]" It was first injected into Europe by Benito Mussolini and later by Adolf Hitler's regime. Fascist aspects influenced McCarthyism and other oppressive laws in the U.S., particularly as a response to 20th century Communism spread and just outright oppression of minorities.

It would be funny if approximately 75 million non-Trump voters and people who couldn't vote weren't dragged along the ride for this bullshit that 77.3 million people who inevitably fell into many cult-like techniques and ideologies didn't just subject the entire world to. I just want to goddamn survive along with millions of people in the U.S. alongside millions more in other countries.

Even towards people I love and respected, I don't respect at all for drinking the MAGA poison while celebrating with glee, and never will. I won't celebrate people who voted to sign my death warrant, or that of those of mullions, and never will. It's those folks' fault. They voted for this. And the rest will go "I told you so."

[vampire7595]

Saw a post on Reddit asking how long love lasts. It won't let me comment but I want to share my thoughts...

How long does love last?

For me it lasted 6 years. It was a whirlwind from the start. I will finally be divorced at the end of the year and it's both happy and sad. We got together in the spring of 2015; my mental health was horrible, I was living under the control of my toxic family and I hated my life. We were long distance at first living hundreds of miles apart in different states. I was 19. We talked every day and we're best friends before he asked me to be his girlfriend. To me he was everything, my first real relationship, my first love, first kiss, the person who took my virginity. We got engaged after a month together and I moved in with him and his family around Christmas that year. Left the only state I ever lived in and where almost all of my family was. My mom passed away shortly after I moved. I was destroyed. He helped me get through it and we got married in fall of 2016, I was 21 years old. In 2018 I got pregnant, we were over the moon and that following year we had a baby girl. My pregnancy was hard. My depression got really bad while pregnant and I started to have anxiety. We argued more and more. 2020 my dad died, and about a month later the word divorce was said for the first time. We recovered and later in 2020 I was pregnant again.

At this point we were always fighting. About parenting, money, things we buy, just anything. I was angry because of my depression and so irritable. We would have full on screaming matches. He didn't seem as excited when I told him I was pregnant with our 2nd child. I had found some things on his computer that were odd to me and he would take my phone while I was sleeping and check my messages. He flirted with other people, and I complained about him to one of my female friends. Still it caught me off guard when he asked for a divorce when I was not even halfway through the pregnancy. A few weeks later he moved out while our daughter and I stayed with his family. I was destroyed emotionally. I was barely holding it together for my daughter and would get so stressed and sad that I spent weeks expecting to have a miscarriage. I cried myself to sleep every single night for over a month straight, I was a shell of my former self.

About a month later he reached out claiming to want to fix things and come home. He did. We were intimate again multiple times and I felt like my life was getting back on track... it lasted about 5 days. He said he couldn't do it. I was devastated, felt betrayed and was mad at myself for being so weak to just fall back into his arms so easily. We slept in separate rooms and barely spoke. When our son was born I thought the love would surge back, it didn't.

Thinking about dating made me feel sick. My sense of who I am and my little self confidence was shattered, "Maybe if I was thinner he would've stayed", "I lost my one chance to have someone love me" and "I wish I could disappear" were thoughts in my head daily. He got a girlfriend that Christmas, I put up a front of being ok but still cried myself to sleep when I would sit and think about my life. 2022 he moved out early in the year, I got a cat to try and heal and I was on all the dating apps. In the fall my ex and I moved into a house together with his girlfriend and our kids.

This whole thing turned me from a hopeless romantic to a cynical person. I hate the idea of love, I will never be married again and any time I try to date I lose interest. Yet, I cry at the idea of dying alone, being lonely, I miss feeling loved. I am in this weird limbo. I feel stuck, I am a completely changed person now. I am a pessimist, I lost most of my sex drive, and I am still a little depressed with bad anxiety. No one will want to date me so there's no sense in even trying.

Love destroyed me as a person and I can't get that deep into depression again, it scared me. In 10 years I went from someone who loved the idea of love, had a strong bond with my mom and had hope for the future; to a single mom of 2, with no living parents, no dating life and barely any friends that I still talk to regularly.

[thedreadvampy]

hello fellow youth do you like...Video Essay? can I interest you in... John Berger?

[scarletwix]

request: Jasico old men couple where they've been together for decades and now they're complaining about arthritis

Jasico nation I knew you'd come through!!

A/N: Have 1,320 words of pure, unmitigated sap-itude. Initially this was going to be a couple little scenes that all started with the same question, to highlight their lives together.... but it got away from me a bit in the middle there, ngl. There's truly minimal complaining (about arthritis or otherwise) tbh, not because they wouldn't but because the spirit of fluffy jasico possessed me, and since this is my first time writing for them since 2016(?????) I thought I'd just see where it took me. Enjoy!

"Did you ever think we'd make it this far?" Jason asked Nico, still beaming, still holding tight to Nico's hand, despite the fact that Nico knows his palms are sweaty and have to be gross by now. Nico's lips still burned from the kiss that Jason had bestowed upon him after Nico's (admittedly brash and over-the-top) confession. (He hadn't wanted to look nervous. He hadn't wanted to chicken out. Jason had taken his hands to stop them from shaking anyway.)

"No," Nico admitted. He'd been braced for rejection, anticipated the taste of it like blood on his tongue and been surprised when he was met with the smile on Jason's lips pressed to his instead.

"I..." Jason began, but he fell silent, unable to finish the sentence as his hands trembled at his side. Nico didn't answer him. He knew that some questions were rhetorical, some sentences were too big to articulate, and that some things didn't need to be said aloud.

He let Jason lean on him as they watched the reconstruction of New Rome. He pressed a kiss to Jason's temple, where laurels might have sat, in another life.

~~~

"Did you ever think we'd get to see something like this?" Jason asked, the joy in his voice tangible as Nico let his boyfriend spin him around the dance floor.

"Of course," Nico scoffed, as if he hadn't spent his whole life waiting for the knowledge that his friends had died. Waiting for the moment that he could feel their souls enter his father's realm.

He'd never thought he'd get to walk someone he loved down the aisle, never thought he'd cry at anyone's wedding, because for the longest time, he hadn't thought any of them would live that long. Even while helping plan the whole thing, while learning how to dance with an increasingly-flustered and clumsy Jason at his side.

He gripped Jason's shoulders a little more tightly when Jason swung him back into the circle of his arms. Outwardly, it appeared that he was holding on to keep his balance, but truthfully, the solid weight of Jason's shoulders under his hands grounded him.

He did as his therapist had bid and tried to bid the anxiety farewell, let it slip from his mind. He could always panic later, he reminded himself. He was determined to enjoy the night.

~~~

"I never thought, when I first met you, that you would turn out to be the love of my life," Jason was saying, both of Nico's hands in his.

Nico thought back to the boy that he'd been at fifteen. Gaunt and gangly and lonely enough to hurt, his very presence a weapon of it's own.

That had been before Hazel, really. Before Jason or Will or Leo, even, had dulled the edges of his loneliness and helped him remember how nice it had been, once upon a time, to have people.

He tried to think of how he would react, to meet that boy now.

"Bit of an oversight, on your part," he said, instead of any of that.

Jason snorted a laugh. "I'm - stop it, you're interrupting my speech," he protested. with no real heat behind the words.

"My bad," Nico said solemnly, "I'm listening, I swear," he schooled his features into a perfectly blank mask. "How's this?"

Jason pressed Nico's knuckles to his forehead, their fingers still twined together, as if staving off a headache.

"Insufferable," he said, but there was still a laugh wrapped around his voice. "But I love you anyway."

"Very generous of you," Nico felt the corners of his lips twitch at the sound of the word 'love,' the way that they always did.

"Very generous," Jason agreed. "I don't think anyone else could handle it."

Nico felt his face soften into a smile. Jason was clearly nervous, or he might have noticed the way that his smile widened a bit more. He nearly said 'you're absolutely right,' and let Jason have this, but...

He'd never get an opportunity like this again. Nico heaved a sigh, careful to make sure his smile didn't fade, so Jason's anxiety wouldn't have time to rise.

"Guess you'll just have to marry me, then."

"Guess s-what?" Jason squawked. Nico couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up in his throat. He felt his shoulders begin to shake with it. "Did you--" Jason spluttered, half outraged, half delighted, "Did you just hijack my proposal?"

Nico scoffed, though it was undermined quite a bit by the fact that he was still grinning from ear to ear, "Your proposal? I think you'll find that I just proposed to you."

To emphasize this point, Nico reached into his pocket for the ring that he'd asked Leo to help him make months ago. He held it up in the negligible space between them and waited for the shock to wear off and the gears to turn in Jason's head.

The awestruck look on Jason's face as he took in the sight of the ring was well worth the hours bickering with Leo about the design. And the hours upon hours of persuading Leo that no, really, Jason's engagement ring did not need special features.

Jason's cheeks flushed a bright, brilliant scarlet, and he hid his face in Nico's shoulder.

"Is that a yes?" Nico asked, shoving down the fluttering unsure voice that still tried to claw at him, sometimes.

"Of course it's a yes," Jason responded, his voice muffled by Nico's sweater. He sounded nearly offended that Nico felt the need to clarify.

"Hand," Nico demanded, his satisfaction at his victory suddenly overshadowed by the level of sheer joy he was experiencing.

Jason raised his hand, turning his head so he could watch as Nico slid the ring onto the appropriate finger.

He allowed himself a moment to be an absolute sap, safe in the knowledge that they were alone, and pressed a kiss to Jason's new accessory.

"Now," Nico said, unwilling to let it go entirely, "what was it you wanted to ask me?"

~~~

Nico smiled, looking out over their balcony. In the distance, if he squinted, he thought he could see the light from the sunset glinting off of the Campanile de San Marco.

"Need your glasses?" Jason teased, as if his own eyes hadn't gotten gradually worse, until his lenses were nearly as thick as Nico's pinky finger.

"I'm not reading, I'm enjoying the view."

Jason rose, albeit slowly, to join him. A few of his joints popped as he stood and Nico grimaced in sympathy.

"It is beautiful," Jason agreed. When he leaned on the banister, the sunset caught his hair. For a moment, it was the bright, burnished gold of his youth. For a moment, all Nico could see was the bright young man who had saved his life and demanded nothing but his friendship in return. "I'm glad you talked me into coming here."

"Ah, the water levels are still too high," Nico griped, if only because it was his response every time. "I wish you could have seen it before it began to really sink." Entire sidewalks he had walked in his childhood were gone, either lost beneath the water or deemed too dangerous to cross. Some things remained. Some things were new.

""Did you ever think we'd get this much time?" Nico asked, without really meaning to. Jason's face split into a wide smile.

"Not at all," he admitted. He reached out and took Nico's hand, running his thumb over the ring Nico still wore, despite the fact that his knuckles had warped with age, and if he ever wanted to take it off, now, they'd have to cut it off of him. He'd never admit that he liked the sound of that, particularly because from the moment Jason had put it on him, he'd never wanted to take it off. "But I'm glad we did."

[louisupdates]

COSMOPOLITAN

BY FRANCESCA SCRIMIZZI (28.11)

(translated into English)

Looking over the stairs of a building in Corso Matteotti in Milan, two steps are enough for me to appreciate a confused and amused echo of fresh voices thundering in my direction. It approaches like a round hum that follows the structure of the stairs. It presses on regardless of my presence, whizzing fast next to me while I remain motionless on a quay. I realize, only later, that these are fans of Tomlinson, with autographs of their favorite singer in hand, obtained after who knows how many dreams and waits. Time stretching back to 2010, the year in which Doncaster's promising footballer presented himself to X-Factor UK, [Louis] did not pass the auditions but rather than be accompanied to the door, he was invited by Nicole Scherzinger, guest judge of that edition, to take part in a group in the company of other boys from different corners of the UK whose names will be destined to resonate. As it ironically turned out, One Direction did not win the reality show, but will eventually be confirmed to be the flagship product of the talent show by far, as were Måneskin, the great second place winner of the eleventh edition of XF Italia and now on the podium of the world. Within a short time: 50 million albums sold, titles such as Top New Artist according to Billboard, four BAFTAs, and in 2014, according to a list drawn up by The Sunday Times, One D would be the richest boy band in the history of British music, with a fortune of about £14 million each, receipts from both music and the sale of highly demanded merch.

But like any story, whether it's of love or professional intent it matters not, the breaking point came: in 2015 Malik left the band, and in March 2016 the rumors of the alleged dissolution of the band found confirmation, with the members announcing that they are taking a break until a date to-be-determined. From here the solo careers blossom, with Tomlinson founding the independent record label Triple Strings - (from which he was released in 2020) - with Steve Aoki - the single "Just Hold On". From here on, several tracks followed, such as the singles "Just like You" and "Miss You", and two albums, Walls and Faith In Future, released in November 2022. Meanwhile, Louis’ private life also was percolating, with the birth of a son to American fashion designer Briana Jungwirth, and two major losses, of his mother, who was struggling for months with leukemia, and sister Félicité, who died from a cardiac arrest at age 18. I spent an important time interviewing the 30-year-old boy whose eyes shine and who now comes straight at me, welcoming, melancholic, happy. This is Louis Tomlinson, an artist with a never-never-forgotten past and a bright future that is told through some titles from his new album.

Faith in the Future. An eloquent name. Where did it come from?

'I already had the title of the album in mind before anything else. So it dictated the mood to what I wanted to say, create. You usually write a few songs before thinking about the title of the album, but it was a nice way to do it, different, compelling. It gave me a very clear path of what I wanted to say, in terms of the intentions of the album. I was then trying to create something that would be nice to hear live since fans’ reaction to the past shows were incredible, surprisingly welcoming. Now I want to match these feelings, this enthusiasm, I would like to double that extraordinary feeling.'

Bigger Than Me. At the moment, what’s bigger than you and what do you want to overcome?

'During the lockdown I stopped to think and reflected on my career as a whole, thinking about the shows, songs and the meaning they can have for other people. And for a long time it was not easy to realize the impact this has had on people's lives. There were moments when I was on stage and it all looked bigger than me. In those moments a lot of things go through my mind. I think about trying to do everything right and being a perfectionist and everything. But when I get off the stage every night, I have the feeling that, thankfully, most of the people present had a nice evening. So, despite whatever crosses my mind, it's very easy to be too analytical as an artist and performer. And actually all of this is much bigger than what happens in my head.'

What would you recommend to a person who, like you, stops too much to think? Where and how can this virtuous circle be interrupted?

'I would say try to take every day as it comes, trying to live the moment a little. Because it's very easy to get caught up in the anxiety of the unknown. But if you have even a shred of faith in that future, everything will be fine.'

Chicago. What are the cities that make you feel at home?

'No place is like Doncaster, where I grew up. I spend a lot of time in Los Angeles. My son lives there, so of course there is that feeling of home due to having an important person in a very specific place. A place I always go back to, then, for whatever reason, is Barcelona. I had some good experiences there, good times. I think it's a fantastic city. I've never lived there, but I go through it often and will continue to do so.’

The Greatest. What's the song of your life, the one you always come back to?

‘Instinctively I would tell you ‘Super Sonic’ by Oasis.’

What about your biggest fear?

‘Some time ago I would have told you the fear of getting old. Now that I'm more mature, I would say it's that I can't make more music. It's all I have, everything I can do.’

And the greatest hope for the future?

‘To continue to do live music shows, meet my fans, engage in tours around the world.’

The greatest advice you can give to those who would like to become an artist, tomorrow.

‘I think when you start working as an artist it can be difficult to understand who you are specifically. This is a process, but it is much easier to work backwards starting from who you are not. And it's something I've always found very powerful: working backwards in this way. It gives you a clearer image of who you are as an individual and as an artist.'

And you, what are you not?

‘An asshole. I think. I hope!’

[zeroducks-2]

That scene where Slade is about to beat Grant with his belt, in the night, in middle of some forest, nonchalantly smoking a cigarette was horrible and broke something in me tbh. It wasn't about 'discipline' more like Slade wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp because he was annoyed that Grant lives and exists in the first place. It ruined the whole 2016 run for me and also made other scenes completely invalid. Why did Slade wanted to avenge Grant later on? Why did he go back in time and hugged Grant like he's Slade's most precious person in the world??? Where. did. it. come. from???? There was this family photo of Slade with his sons, where Slade looks very pissed off that he has to even be there. And then I was thinking "okay, there has to be some sort of explanation. Surely there will be at least some hint why Slade has such negative emotions towards them. Maybe Addie did want children and Slade just,, went with it?? or something??" Nah. There was no explanation. Slade goes from despising his sons to absolutely loving them in a milisecond. There is no character arc. Just one big mess. In conclusion: fanfics>>>>>>>canon. fuck Priest 0/10

Again I think this problem stems from a lack of depth the character suffers from in Priest's run, because as you say, we see one thing and then a completely different one and they feel irreconcilable.

Now - and I don't want to make any moral judgement of Slade or his actions and I'm talking from a purely logical, narrative standpoint, just to be completely clear - I do think that if we had some sort of explanation (like why Slade has negative emotions towards his kids), and also if we could see how he went from point A (being wildly abusive, not giving a shit) to point B (grieving Grant, hugging him like that, clearly crying under the mask while calling him son as he's dead in his arms) we'd be able to contextualize Slade's actions.

I'll make you an example. Slade didn't want kids and neither did Adeline, they were born just because they didn't use precautions and it happened. Slade went from mildly annoyed when they were small to full on using them like recipients of his own issues, and therefore we get that scene in the forest.

Then the incident with Joseph happened, when he got his throat sliced because Slade called the bluff, and almost died. AT THAT POINT Slade understands that this kid is important to him - not just a nuisance, a fastidious presence in his life, but someone he truly cares about. And same goes for Grant, even if he's already ran away at this point.

Slade came from an abusive household, enrolled in the military where he learned to kill people and to employ physical violence, and he's only ever loved only two people (Billy and Addie) his whole life. The idea of having kids and LOVING them might have been simply unacceptable to him; it made him feel weak, reminded him of his own abusive father, made him feel trapped in a situation that he hated (that of The Good Husband™), which is why he turned so violent in the inability to deal with his own emotions. But then Joseph almost dies, and it's HIS FAULT, and he gets a cold shower and realizes that he does care but it's too late - Grant has already been brainwashed by HIVE and the next thing that happens is that he dies between Slade's arms, underlining just how much Slade failed and caused his own sons' death and muteness.

I came up with this from the very top of my head and might still be not enough, but I hope you get what I mean when I say that it's the lack of care these writers use when handling the characters that causes the major issues. I too don't buy Slade's genuine and human grief about Grant's death if the last thing I saw was that Slade was about to beat him to a bloody pulp, looking like it was an average Tuesday night.

We're just supposed to accept everything that happens and every choice the characters make, despite there's very little sense of continuity (or sense at all) to them, and that's very frustrating.

[acerace]

...you have opened my eyes to a vast universe of VintageBeef lore that I was unaware of. I knew about the New Hermit Order, of course, and the UHC invention, and I've watched a few of his CTM things but -- I will take all the info and lore you feel like giving out because Beef is amazing and my knowledge is so small.

Vintagebeef my beloved <3

So the thing is, right, until about 2016 I only watched two (2) youtubers- Vintagebeef for Minecraft and aDrive for Pokemon (and funnily enough both of them are named Dan irl). So I've watched most of Beef's videos over the years and have a general knowledge of most of his stuff, except because it's been like a decade I don't remember where most of the lore comes from XD

The thing with him is that he doesn't do Lore tm the way other mcyters often do lore- he doesn't have an extensive RP series to draw from like Grian, doesn't have a solo world with steadily increasing amounts of lore like Etho or Zisteau, and while he's played on SMPs and been involved in storylines before it's not really the focus of his episodes unlike with Evo or Legacy or Empires

So where does that leave us?

IRL, Beef always has multiple series running at the same time. Often he's playing on an smp while doing a singleplayer, often modded, series as well as a CTM or modpack with a group of friends. For example, right now he's playing on Hermitcraft, doing weekly Pixelmon and Building a Zoo episodes, and a CTM map with Slip. And to me, this translates to one thing: Beef is an adventurer. He travels frequently- he explores a world and when he decides he's done, he leaves for the next one. That's the basis of my personal interpretation of his series and his character for my writing.

Ok so reading this back, this got extremely long and didn't explain much in the way of lore, somehow? If anyone has any additions to add please do so, I am very definitely leaving out a lot and would love to see what other lore people remember and are using for Beef! I didn’t include the Hermitcraft stuff since my memory of season 4 is blurry (his base was themed after the Martian, that much I know, and he and Iskall were buddies :D) and most of the s5 NHO lore is best watched from Bdub’s perspective from what I remember, and the only s6 stuff is a single line in Hermitgang and then the Area 77 arc with its possibility of an NHO reunion which we did not get rip. And s7 of course had the cloning machine and also the Podzol Party as the main lore. So all the original rambling is still below the cut though it is very long, and I'm gonna bullet point the main stuff here instead:

Actual canonical things:

Invented UHC and was the only survivor of the first ever uhc (Mindcrack UHC s1)

Married to an ender dragon (one of the UHCs I think), later father to a different dragon (Mindcrack season 3? I think?)

Might not have legs if you choose to take that joke as canon (Mindcrack s2)

Was a wizard (RAD)

is a zookeeper (Building a Zoo) 

Had a wife and kids (Sims in Minecraft)

Part of the Trial of the B Team court case (Mindcrack)

NHO founder, founder of the Podzol Party (Hermitcraft)

Created a cloning machine that sort of works (Hermitcraft)

Played the Forest which is I believe the first time he and Keralis played together (look up the trigger warnings for this one, it's a horror game)

Was the creator/owner of Sourceblock SMP (featuring some familiar faces if you know Legacy, Empires, or MCC) and there is literal magic from a mysterious sourceblock of water that teleports people and summons mobs and probably more stuff that I haven't seen yet since I'm still watching it myself

Things you can infer:

Good with animals (Life in the Woods, Pixelmon, Ark)

Is a car nerd (irl and all of the car games he's played)

Is a highly experienced adventurer who has traveled through dozens of worlds both vanilla and modded, across multiple dimensions (Twilight Forest, the Aether, the Betweenlands, Limbo), completed dozens of monuments, fought in blood sports, survived apocalypse after apocalypse, tamed dinosaurs, and played a lot of prop hunt and golf with your friends

If you're looking for what to watch for lore purposes, I'd say the Mindcrack UHCs and Team Canada's RAD series are pretty good, definitely Sourceblock and HC s5, plus the Diversity CTM maps and Ruins of the Mindcrackers maybe? And Mindcrack Prank Wars for the chaos and the origin of Team Canada. And if you can handle horror than the Forest is fun and if you don't do horror you can watch the Pojkband play golf or prop hunt they're hilarious I love them sm I want a Pojkband reunion So Bad 

Beef's first series was a singleplayer series in beta 1.4_01 though he had played the game extensively before that, and was a big fan of Guude, having watched his own Minecraft videos. The series was functionally a hardcore one where if he died Beef would delete the world and start again! I haven't actually Watched this series so idk if he died or how often lmao. When Guude made Mindcrack, which was btw one of the very first Minecraft SMPs, he also hosted a competition for people to join, and Beef submitted a video (which is still viewable on his channel I believe!) and won, and was added to Mindcrack in season 2 :D (fun fact, Guude said that even if Beef hadn’t won he would have added him anyway) 

Two running jokes emerged from Mindcrack- pulling a Vintagebeef and Beef doesn't have legs. The first is a reference to Beef dying of fall damage (I believe the exact instance was him trying to jump into his swimming pool and failing spectacularly) and after the incident, every time someone died of fall damage they were pulling a Vintagebeef. The second joke comes from Guude, who joked that the reason Beef wasn't going to a convention was because he didn't have legs, and then he pranked Beef's base by building a giant pair of legs at the entrance to his castle so you had to walk between them to get into the base. This joke has long since died and both Beef and Guude feel pretty bad about it iirc because there were people who genuinely thought Beef was disabled and were emailing him supportive messages and stuff oops. So if you go looking on the Salad or find old Mindcrack fics, you might see references to Beef having prosthetic legs!

Mindcrack also brought about the creation of several Player groups- Team Nancy Drew, Team Canada, and GOB to name a few relevant to Beef. Team Nancy Drew consists of Beef, Pauseunpause, Guude, and Baj, who formed to investigate a prank on one of the members but I forget who. They're named Nancy Drew after the detective! Team Canada also formed in retaliation to pranks, with it consisting of Beef, Etho, and Pause, the three Canadian members on the server (not including Adlington who moved to Canada but never joined the group). There was also a Team America who pranked them with American flags everywhere. GOB is Guude, OMGChad, and Beef, who played stuff like the Ragecraft, Pantheon, and Monstrosity ctms together but that's way down the line lol

Team Nancy Drew is also notable for inventing UHC. It was Beef's brainchild but it was the four of them who first played it! The first UHC had the four of them working to kill the dragon with no natural regen, with everyone dying but Beef, who "won" the UHC. The second uhc was still dragon focused and iirc is where Beef married the dragon? Memories are hazy but they do kill the dragon in this one I think. UHC was then revamped as a pvp event and became a regular Mindcrack game every few months, featuring most of the Mindcrackers and several special guests, including Dinnerbone, who as we know Thanos-snapped Doc's arm out of existence as a result of Doc killing him in one of them

In one of the seasons of Mindcrack, Beef invited swedish Mindcracker and good friend Anderzel to go caving with him and invented ABBA Rules caving, where the winner takes it all. ABBA Rules is a game where each ore (and also dungeon loot like nametags) is assigned a point value and the person with the most points at the end wins and gets to keep all the stuff collected from the game.

In Mindcrack season 3?, Beef punched the ender dragon in an... awkward area, so when the dragon died and left the egg behind, Guude said Beef was the father of the egg XD I don't remember if I watched s3 so I have no idea if anything Happened with this concept but *history of the world voice* you could make lore out of this!

So Team Canada has played a Lot of CTM maps (which fun fact were pretty much invented by another Mindcrack member, Vechs, with his Super Hostile series! Super Hostile has a bunch of things called "Zistonian", which are references to another Mindcrack member Zisteau, who has a very wild singleplayer series with even wilder lore but I digress). In Ruins of the Mindcrackers, they had a running joke that Beef was Etho and Pause's mom, which is a joke we can leave in the past actually /lh. They also played all the Diversity maps, Sky Factory, Terra Restore, Uncharted Territory uhhh and a couple more ctms and adventure maps! Each map kinda has its own story so in Diversity 3 for example they were trapped in a simulation? I think? Team Canada also recently played the Roguelike Adventures and Dungeons modpack, aka RAD, in which Beef was a wizard with a magic staff that could do anything from summon lightning to control hostile mobs.

Sourceblock SMP is a vanilla survival 1.14 series that ran for one season and the series starts with each of the Players being drawn to a strange sparkling water source that, once they touch it, brings them to the Sourceblock world. It also summons a giant zombie at one point. There's probably more lore for this series but like I said I haven't watched it all the way through yet 

He has a Patreon server called VintageCraft and has done a series or two on there as well, and played a few UHCs with them, so lore that how you will! 

Beef also played a few popular mods, notably Pixelmon, Life in the Woods, and Feed the Beast, with LitW being singleplayer and the other multiplayer. He's also recently played the Zoo and Wild Animals mod a lot. He did a short series with the Minecraft Comes Alive mod where he married one of the villagers and had two children, so that's canon now :D he’s played a Lot of Pixelmon starting when the mod first came out iirc (he chose Turtwig in his first series and built a Grass gym, then made a Normal gym in another series in uhh 2016) and he still plays to this day. Quite a few Hermits played on his Pixelmon servers with him, like Wels, Etho, Iskall, Stress, Slip, Zueljin, and also Guude and Phedran (a Mindcrack adjacent player and creator of the LitW modpack) and a few Mindcrackers on the older servers 

Mindcrack and friends played a lot of other games too- 7 Days to Die, Ark Survival Evolved, Unturned, to name a few, so you can pull a lot of lore out of these as well. Speaking of friends and non-Minecraft games, Beef teamed up with Pause, Keralis, and Slip (a former Hermit) to play the horror game the Forest, which saw them stuck on an island trying to survive against terrifying mutated human... things. They played it a few times as the game updated but as afaik it's the first time Beef played with Keralis and possibly Slip and since the game starts with the Player's airplane crashing, that could totally be how Beef first met them in-universe 

I... think? that’s everything I mentioned in the tags? There is probably way more stuff I’ve forgotten that stems from inside jokes and things that happen within each series, but I hope that was a) helpful and b) at least somewhat comprehensible lmao 

[lilianna9]

Something More pt.6

Masterlist

Andrew!Peter x FeliciaHardy!villian!reader

Don't make fun of me Felicia - Gwen exclaimed.

I'm telling the truth! I just kissed him. - You answered your friend by playing with a strand of hair.

Just? You only kissed Spiderman, your eternal enemy. So now you won't be enemies anymore? - Your friend asked excitedly.

No, no way. It was just a "thank you" for saving my life. - You put a piece of salad on a fork.

After a while you were joined by Missy Kallenback, Ariel and her friend Mary Jane Watson. - You all said hello. You weren't friends at all, but you were friends for lunch.

Did you see that video from yesterday with Spiderman and BlackCat. -  MaryJane asked (yes she's a redhead)

They are totally rolling with each other. - Ariel replied.

What video? Let's see it. - You looked at your friend surprised.

Wish i was her. - Missy sighed.

Wait why? Are you going to show us this video or not! - Gwen raised her voice.

Blondie, chill. - MaryJane took out her phone and showed you a video from the window of some willow building, where you can see Spiderman and you kissing.

It's probably photoshopped. - You were a little stressed.

Jealous? - Ariel asked you.

Jealous of who? Spiderman? It's probably some Flash*version of a rich kid who goes to private school on Daddy's dime.

How do you know he's a teenager," -  Missy asked.

Oh, that's just our guess. - Gwen answered for you. - I think we need to get going now, we're going to be late for class.

Before the 3 girls could say anything you and Gwen left the cafeteria.

How the fuck did this happen? My aunt's gonna kill me. I won't have any more assignments. - You grabbed your head.

Don't worry, it's just a video. I'm sure no one will pay attention to it. - Your friend comforted you.

The next day*

Oh fuck! Is it time to flee the country and change mine identity? -You held the newly published newspaper so tightly that you just started crumpling it. - I'm done.

"Hero and the Villian" huh, you're making a reputation for yourself. - The friend looked at the newspaper.

Don't laugh! My aunt will kick me out of the house for something like that, at least she'll have room for that faggot of hers. - You snorted.

Oh don't exaggerate it won't be that bad it's just a kiss.

♪ At home ♪

You're kissing your enemy instead of doing your mission well. - Your aunt screamed. - That necklace was worth more than any item you stole, we would have sold it and for the rest we could have moved anywhere we wanted, and instead of getting it you decided to have fun with some guy in leotards. Did you even take precautions?! Do you know how old he is?! No, you don't!

Maybe if you listened to me and not just your Eric, you'd understand the situation! I could have died if it wasn't for that boy in the mask! And I just kissed him, we didn't do anything! - You may have been hard to brake, but the tears started coming to your eyes. - And you know what? I'd rather not be with someone like you. I'd rather die then. - You burst out crying, grabbing your jacket and headphones. heading for the door.

I never signed up to take care for a little bitch who doesn't even think about what she's doing! - Tina ran her fingers through her hair.

You slammed the door on your way out. You wiped away your tears by putting headphones in your ears. You turned on your phone turning on your called sad playlist, selecting the song "leaving tonight" from TheNeighbourhood.

You didn't take empty steps around the city. You immediately knew where you were going to go to the only person who understood you. To your friend Gwen. After less than 20 minutes you were already standing at the door of apartment 2016. During the last 20 minutes your emotions had calmed down but when you knocked you suddenly burst out and a moment later the door was opened by Hellen, Gwen's mom.

Oh honey what happened? - The woman took you in her arms patting you on the back while you choked on your own tears.

Hellen, Hellen Stacy. She was like the mother you never had. Ever since you were 12, she's been there to comfort you, give you advice, and invite you to family dinners.

Seconds later, Gwen came running in with her little brother.

Felicia? Are you okay? - Your friend gave you a hug. - Come on, let's go to my room. - Girl took you under her arm and led you to your room.

T-tina, we had a fight. And she saw the video. - You wiped away the tears that were still pouring. - She didn't even care about the informations that I almost died, just all the time about that stupid necklace. She doesn't give a shit about me! - You started crying harder and harder.

Gwen put her hands around your face. - Hey! Fuck Tina, right? She's selfish and she's unbearable. So fuck Tina, we don't care about her.

Yeah you're right, she's a nobody, Fuck her. Thank you. - You put your arm around your friend and pulled your nose.

[mistressemmedi]

Måneskin: "Different from whom?"

Greetings from Miley Cyrus - phenomenal numbers.

The streams of Zitti e Buoni are growing by the second, and ahead of Muse, on the top of the English charts, twelfth in the Spotify Global Chart. We almost tripled followers after Rotterdam (from 1.4 to 3.3 million, ed). Contagious and universal madness: T-shirts and merchandise sold out in 10 minutes. Like records, tickets for a tour that adds dates and expands on maps. They are even looking for us in festivals where the Rolling Stones have played. - Thomas

After the whole cocaine scandal that was started against us from France, which was later denied by my drug test, in Spain there people have been making murals with my face saying "No drugs". Some tweets made us laugh: «Congratulations, Italy! I have never been so sure that four people have fucked each other ". Miley Cyrus started following us. "You are great". “You are more” . - Damiano

From rags to riches - what a story

It was only 2016, and we were playing in restaurants, on the streets, in via del Corso (famous street in Rome). Damiano without a microphone, Thomas's guitar with broken strings, Ethan drummed on a cajón. At the occupations of the high schools in Rome (Kennedy, Virgilio, Mamiani) we had our first gigs and half an hour of fame, between those who criticized us and those who said "these guys are so cool". One of the rare times in which they offered to pay us to play - 50 euros each - we offered that money to those after us, in exchange for the chance to play during their time slow, as we knew there would have been a bigger crowd. We already understood then how it worked. That visibility was worth more than the money. We still think so ». - Victoria

The intimacy of rock - Choice of a genre

Music allows is this miracle which allows one to talk about very personal and private topics, even difficult and delicate ones. They are and remain deeply yours, but at the same time they become a confession that reaches a wider audience, and in this passage which is like a delivery, they also find their place in you, their elaboration. They are overcome, they are accepted. One moment it feels aggressive, one moment later a (soft) ballad. It's very cathartic. - Damiano

Against panic - The stage as therapy

I have suffered a lot from anxiety and panic attacks, it is a problem that I have worked on thanks to a course of psychotherapy, to my friends and family. Playing has helped me not to let myself be paralyzed by my fears, not to be limited in my private and professional life. I have learned to accept, to live with this side of me. I don't hide it. I no longer feel ashamed. - Victoria

This belief that only crazy people go to the psychologist is widespread ignorance. Nobody is born learned. And it is often difficult to understand why we are here, let alone the derivation and direction of our desires. It is a long and legitimate journey towards one's clarity. - Damiano

Essere fuori di testa – Ma diversi da loro (Be out of your mind - But different from them)

Already feeling a strong passion for something that is not a 'regular' profession but an artistic language, it puts you on a level where you're an anomaly, and while you're neither superior nor inferior to others, it places you in the condition of what breaks the mold but you're also being at a loss, leaving it to you to be bold and to take risks, hoping that they will pay off and land you somewhere. "What good is it if you don't stand out on your own?". You want to give it an aesthetic to your artistic dream, but to others it boils down to " You dress differently! You must be gay! ”, I'm 22 now and it makes me laugh, but at 17 it had an effect on me too. - Damiano

The beauty of being unique - Of believing in that and defending it

After all, we are all different not because we want to be alternative but because really no one is the same. Justice is being judged on what you do and not what you are. Justice is equality, respect, beauty. - Ethan

Fluid sexuality - Pride is freedom

We appreciate heels on men, we kiss each other, we have an open, extended mind, and we are proud of it. The horizons become vast, beyond the oppression of conservative families. With information on the web, knowledge is enriched and with it the possibility that minorities will be fewer and fewer, because majorities will be fewer and fewer. This will lower the volume to insults and bullying. If social networks can reach a village of 50 souls to reveal to someone, who is afraid of the darkness, that someone has felt that same fear.. There is no longer the need to give it a name, to define that "something" to fear, to brand it with labels that only limit you. Definitions have always had this effect on me. Gender should not even be considered in a person's judgment. Let alone orientation ". - Victoria

Sexism - A culture to be dismantled

Emma (Italian singer) dropped the bomb:" When I went to Eurovision, they insulted me over a pair of shorts. Damiano - half naked and in heels - was never criticized ". The judgment against women is constant, ferocious, and demeaning (if I have a lot of sex I'm cool but Vic a whore, where I show myself strong I'm a leader she is domineering and pain in the ass, who is successful because only because of her looks [and not the hard work she puts in]). As a male I am privileged, the harassment I suffer is not comparable to that experienced by a woman, the comments on my aesthetics are focused only on my aesthetics and do not insinuate anything about my professionalism and my competence, while women are victims of this kind of thinking in a systemic way. But I did find myself in a situation, out of nowhere, with someone who, pulling close to her for a selfie, started licking my face ... "What do you want, did you ask me?" Consent exists, and it is a must ». - Damiano

To grow as a person - The only rule to follow

For me, to conform is the total opposite of educating oneself, and the asphyxiation of one's expression (of freedom). Fortunately, I did not suffer heavy bullying, to the point where I felt I needed to change to adapt to how others saw me. But the matrix of who I am and the aggression that marks me is the same. If I'm a kid who dances and loves dolls, then allow me the freedom to do so. I used to be a kid who wanted long hair and played with Barbies. My friends, as a teenager, looked my long hair and teased me: "You have to find yourself a girl with a short hair to make up for it". My grandparents took the dolls away from me and said: “Stop it, they're not for you” ». - Ethan

“I was six and I already could not tolerate the distinctions between masculine and feminine. I've always had strong ideas about how I wanted to be. I refused things typically defined as feminine as a child, and they made fun of me for skating, for playing soccer, for not wearing skirts, for giving myself the chance to be as I wanted to be. I suffered a little, as I was bullied, but I had courage to stay true to myself, and today thanks to that courage I know that I could have been much more hurt, or I would have risked leaving the most important decision to others: the one about being just me". - Victoria

Love - music and girlfriends

I've been married to music for the past 20 years. I cannot wait to celebrate our golden wedding anniversary. - Ethan

Everyone goes through their own experiences, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but it's never other people's business." - Thomas

When, for the first time, I developed feelings and attraction for a girl it was a bit disorienting because I had never had the courage to go beyond the limitations I had imposed on myself. For society, being heterosexual is the norm and therefore often one automatically pegs himself in that way, giving up the freedom to experience many different shades and facets of love. Once I got over the initial insecurity of having to question one's own certainties, I lived my sexuality in a very natural and free way, as it should be for everyone. - Victoria

I had paparazzi under my house morning and night. So, after four years of relationship, I finally revealed her name. I still have the paparazzi under my house morning and night, but at least I don't have to hide anything anymore. - Damiano

The value of the group - Protecting each other

But the real relationship, the real family, is between us. Our band. We believed in it from the first day, even before calling ourselves Måneskin (moonlight in Danish), even before Ethan drew a giant moon, on the poster for our first concert. We share everything, even the pain of the tragedy of Seid Visin, who committed suicide at 20 because he was a victim of racism. Being a group is what we should all do together: stay united and not retreat in the slightest in the face of abuses generated by a distorted vision of someone "being different|. - Thomas

Non ho l’età – like Gigliola (It references Gigliola Cinquetti who won both Sanremo and Eurovision with her song "Non ho l’età" which translates to Not old enough)

Before us, the only one to win Sanremo and Eurovision together was Gigliola Cinquetti (in 1964). Is there is something for which I feel I am not yet old enough for? No, honestly no. Maybe for kids. I'll be honest, I'm not enough to be a dad. - Damiano

Reached the sky - What fears still remain

We are more than in the dream, we have conquered the dream. To fly high this high, there is the risk is to fall and get hurt, but we will try not to end up like Icarus, who burns his wings with the sun. Everything is in our hands. And this - somewhat presumptuously - reassures us rather than frighten us ". - Damiano

(ORIGINAL INTERVIEW IN ITALIAN)

[Please note that I have changed some words or structure sentence, trying to make it so that the interview made more sense lol - I skipped the first two paragraphs, which was basically the interviewer gushing over how pretty the band is lmao (relatable).

Any mistakes in the translation are sorely mine, nothing was proofread, so apologies in advance]