#based off my own experience in sydney

[fluffalpenguin]

bracelet girl day on @arcvmonth is a pretty good reason to post the rinruri comic i drew a few days ago right

(also, rin's hoodie is a ref/continuation to this)

[noangeleither]

yin and yang: carmy and sydney's creative processes + menu planning

what i love about analyzing carmy and sydney is the way they mirror each other. their similarities and differences, and how they have the potential to complement each other well. truly make each other better at this.

this is most evident with the way they approach creating a dish.

sydney's creative process

evidenced by sheridan (s01e05) and sundae (s02e03), sydney is very imaginative when it comes to creating a dish. the editing in these episodes gives us an intimate view of her creative process. recipes often come to her in dreams/daydreams.

sydney gets inspired by her passion for cooking, her family history and her city/world around her (architecture, nature, other restaurants in Chicago). this really fits into sydney's motivations as a chef.

Sydney uses food to make people happy. She likes to take care of people. someone on here explained the significance of sydney wanting exactly one michelin star, which would signify affordable high quality food that normal everyday people have access to. in braciole she mentions to marcus that her dad and her didn't really go out to eat so when they did, they made it count and it was special. she wants to create an experience like that with her own spot (the Bear).

so naturally that is reflected in her food. its not simply a great meal, but a fabric/archive of her culture, history, worldview and entire character.

while sydney has a very imaginative creative process, she often just jots down her ideas in her little notebook(s), for later reflection.

carmy's creative process

carmy has a more tense relationship with cooking. while sydney and carmy are both amazing chefs, carmy seems to be more jaded and detached from his work.

for carmy he grew up in a household where food was a big part of his family. his mom, mikey, and nat can all cook well. he is naturally very great at it. he uses food to be closer to the people he loves. thats why in the face of rejection from his brother, he goes off and becomes one of the best chefs in the country out of spite. why he uses the beef to try and fix his relationship with mikey. why he was so devasted when syd quit and why he started his dream restaurant with her after she came back.

because we dont get an intimate look into carmys psyche when creating a dish, its harder to say but based off his monolouge in braciole (s01e8) and the way he uses food to connect with people he loves rather than having passion for it independently i can surmise that carmy isn't imaginative as sydney. food is more like a math equation (ironic)/a science.

“he’s the best bc he didn’t have any of the bullshit”, emotional ties/relationships of any kind. his career esp at EMP were isolating, rigid and cold. he was the best bc he was calculating, precise and competitive. which breeds excellence in his field while straying him further away from love and true passion.

i imagine carmy to be more pragmatic with creating a dish.

but carmy is a creative person at his core and while creating a dish might not be as colorful as when sydney does it. we do know that carmy can draw and visualize his ideas onto paper. "Sistine Chapel" level drawings according to syd.

sydney + carmy - potential true partnership

on my 3rd rewatch, i couldn't help but feel so dissatisfied with their partnership. granted this is on purpose since the show is only 2 seasons in and they are trying to do a slow burn in all aspects, not just romantic.

it really hit me that carmy and sydney have never - at least on screen - created a meal together. in s1, we never see the risotto come to fruition, we just get carmys input but never the finished product. in s2 finally, carmy and Sydney work together now that their dynamic has changed from boss and employee to partners. we get like what? 4 scenes of them creating the menu, and having this amazing professional chemistry but ultimately leads to two failed dishes, which would be ok if they worked together after that. but they dont...

instead for the rest of the season, we see them (mainly Syd) working on the menu separately. the menu is....alright. mainly has carmy written all over it (he has a the seven fishes + cannolis, weird homage to one of the worst nights of his life).

*putting on another pair of shipper goggles to say this makes the whole "you make me better at this" confession, even more mind-boggling bc better at what? you guys haven't even worked together all season. this = life , i rest my case*

in s3 and beyond, im excited for them to truly start working together as partners and actually see them create a dish together.

i want to see how their approaches to creating a dish can help the other.

how sydneys creative process can help carmy

besides the obvious romantic implications of the palette cleanser outing, the potential for them to understand each other on a deeper level in regards to food is something i mourn everyday.

after sydney goes on her trip solo, we see her ride the ferry and just take a look at her surroundings. shes thinking about the food she ate, shes looking at buildings, windows, looking at the snow. all inspiration for a dish.

imagine if carmy was there with her. he would be curious about what she's thinking about, get insight on how she creates and maybe want to learn to see food in a less practical way.

i mean he hadn't drawn in years it seems until he was inspired by sydney and the chaos menu to draw again....now imagine if he didn't ruin the moment by bringing up claire (LMFAO). the point is, sydney naturally sparks creativity and passion in him, even when they aren't together.

i know many people are theorizing that carmy will leave the culinary industry (and i agree most of the time) but i also think sydney is slowly but surely helping him discover/re-discover a passion for cooking. i think that carmy likes that sydney likes to take care of people because subconsciously he knows he does the same thing or has the potential for it (i.e making tiff sprite from scratch when she was experiencing morning sickness). evidenced by fishes (s02e6), care often feels like an obligation (he takes care of drunk donna when shes going through an episode) but it doesnt have to be this way. and now carmy wants to get a star for her....their interests are slowly aligning.

how carmys creative process can help sydney

this isn't as concrete as the one above but i found it interesting thinking about how carmys more pragmatic approach and sydneys idealistic approach can work in tandem.

first scene in pop (s02e5) shows sydney and tina late at night working on the tasting menu. later in the episode we find out that carmy has been pushing back menu planning leaving sydney on her own. she trying an elements concept which is extremly creative and impressive but even tina says, which sydney later agrees, that its a lot for a tasting menu.

im stretching maybe....but based on carmys comment on her risotto from the season before (needs acid) + his practical approach, it seems like he acts like a buffer when sydneys ideas get "a lot".

*in chemistry buffers are solutions added to resist pH changes when acidic and basic components are added*

so if carmy needs to be more creative and sometimes sydneys ambitions gets ahead of her....

sydney is the heart, while carmy is the brain (???)

one cannot work without the other. when they truly come together to create the menu, they both need to learn from one another to elevate the restaurant. not to mention with carmy's italian american roots and syd's Nigerian-Caribbean/southern roots, they have the potential for amazing fusion dishes and real partnership. i and others want the menu to physically reflect both of them.

conclusion

i literally dont know where im going with this. sorta kinda meta but its more like hopes and dreams for next season and me wanting to type my ideas down.

they complement each other well ok? and have potential for a great partnership once they communicate better. i like this part of the definition of yin and yang:  Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it.

carmy and Sydney are the leaders of the bear, their relationship is foundational to the success of their restauarnt and team, once they work together truly, play to their strengths and weaknesses, then will come true harmony in their universe.

bonus

more sydcarm parallels/similaries/differences/yin yang moments:

carmys gold chain, syds silver earrings

carmys white t-shirts, syds white button ups

carmy is bad at math, syds great with numbers

carmy wasn't really great at school, this is sorta fanon but i can imagine syd excelled in school

both wear birkenstocks (more a chef thing but i still think its cute)

sunshine x grumpy trope but like better...usually the sunshine (syd) is more emotionally vulnerable making a space for grumpy (Carm), but they switch positions. carmy allows sydney to be more emotionally vulnerable often initiating deep conversations, while syd is more closed up/guarded

overall tho i think its cute that they are both shy/emotionally stunted but i do think purely aesthetic wise, sydney has a softer exterior ( doe eyes, colourful scarves, awkward) while carmy is more intimidating (tats, smokes, looks angry all the time)

both fight dirty - i.e their individual fights with richie (review, the bear)

carmy tho is more prone to outbrusts of anger/violence while sydney lets that shit shimmer until she explodes on you

both their passcode being 11111

carmy having dark mode on his phone, syd having light mode in s2

their matching clothes moments earlier in the second season and in bolognese

if theres more, pls comment/reblog, bc i always think of this shit and need more to cry about

fin!

credits: gif 1&2 , gif 3 and gif 4

[whenmemorydies]

Are the shades of my family's old sandwich shop to be thus polluted?

This post is based on a thought that's been with me since the season 4 teaser came out (you know...the one with Donna talking to Syd about work-family being closer than family-family). This post has also been informed by discussions with @freedelusionshere who has also made the comparison between Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and The Bear.

So first: I know there's been some speculation about Donna's role in the realisation of Sydcarmy. I think this is a possibility but I'm finding it hard to see how it will be done in a way where Donna is portrayed sympathetically. If Donna does have a hand in bringing Carmy and Sydney together, my suspicion is that she's going to do so like Lady Catherine de Bourgh did with Darcy and Lizzie in Pride and Prejudice. My prediction of how this could play out is under the cut.

Carmy's relationship with Donna

Donna's relationship with Carmy is a volatile one but one where that volatility hasn't been addressed because of the estrangement between Carmy and his mother. For the entirety of the show, we have never seen them in the same vicinity except in flashback (in 2x06 Fishes).

We know how Donna treated her kids (again, from her interactions with them in 2x06 Fishes). We know how she viewed Carmy's birth (from her bedside conversation with Natalie in 3x08 Ice Chips). We know how Carmy felt growing up (from his monologue in 1x08 Braciole). We know that Carmy blames Donna for the chaos of his childhood.

Given all of the above and what we also know about Carmy: about how he processes his emotions - particularly when he feels slighted by others (like his brother, like Richie), how quick he is to rage and to cut people off...I suspect that this man has A LOT of unprocessed rage towards Donna. I would not be surprised if he places a lot of the blame for Mikey's deterioration and perhaps even his suicide, on her. This is hinted at in episode 3x07 Legacy.

Early in 3x07, we see Carmy attending another Al-Anon meeting. He's listening to a person talk about their experience with their loved one who was an addict:

Al-Anon attendee: Um. Well, she got sober, and she [...] did all the steps and she apologised. [...] And I know, like, that its hard, but I was stuck living with the shit that she did when she wasn't sober, you know? And she just kind of got a pass, because [...], she could just apologise and move on but like I'm-- I'm still stuck in the mud, you know? I-- I feel like I have to be happy for her because she got sober, and I have to, um, be proud of her. But that-- it doesn't seem fair.

We see Carmy paying close attention to this monologue and when it comes to its conclusion - when the speaker notes that being expected to be proud of a sober person who caused so much shit while addicted - his eyes drop to the floor and his jaw clenches. Its clear that this testimony resonates deeply with Carmy and could very well describe his own feelings towards Donna.

All of this is to say, that if season 4 is the last season of The Bear, I don't think there is going to be enough time for a full working through of Carmy's feelings towards his mother. It may be that we leave The Berzattos at a time where Carmy continues to maintain his distance from her, or where he's confronted Donna about her abuse, alcoholism, and the fear she blew through her children but continues to keep his distance. I wouldn't fault anyone in the same position for doing either of these things.

Sydney and Donna

Sydney knows that Carmy's upbringing was rough. She knows, through Richie, that Carmy's eldest brother shot himself in the head (recall the hardware store convo between them in 1x02 Hands). She knows, through Carmy, that Mikey was an addict and that Carmy is attending Al-Anon meetings to navigate his emotions following the loss of his brother (recall their alley chat at the end of 1x03 Brigade). She knows, through Carmy, that his mother drove a car through the family house and that he perceives his family as "weird" and "fucked-up" (recall her, Marcus and Carmy discussing cannolis in 2x08 Bolognese).

Now Sydney is not a judgmental person. We have seen time and time again that this woman is capable of forgiveness and grace (recall her entire relationship with Richie over the course of 3 seasons). She obviously will not have the same baggage towards Donna that Carmy does and so would not likely harbour resentment or ill-will towards her mother-in-law Carmy's mum.

BUT.

Sydney is not a pushover and she is one of the most emotionally intelligent people at The Bear. She can read rooms quickly (recall her firm: "Hey. Not now, please. Can you help me wipe dishes?" to cut Nat off from ripping into Carmy about the fridge guy debacle while The Bear's EC was stuck and spiralling in the walk-in) and people even faster than that (recall her breaking up and diffusing an argument before it became a full blown street fight in 1x06 Ceres). I think she'd approach any conversation with Donna, knowing all that she does and with her emotional intelligence, with some level of self-protection in hand. Look how guarded the woman is with Carmy - a person she undoubtedly loves. I don't see her getting vulnerable in the slightest with Donna - the person that Sydney is aware had a large role to play in Carmy's difficult upbringing - at least not over the course of one season. I reckon any conversation between the two of them in season 4 is going to involve a lot of Donna talking and Sydney deflecting while listening (and gaining valuable insight into the elder Berzatto's frame of mind).

So what role would Donna have in making Sydcarmy a thing?

If Donna is involved in getting Sydcarmy together I reckon that scenario will be done similarly to Darcy's realisation that he stood a chance with Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice:

Syd and Carmy have had some kind of falling out in the course of season 4. All the tension of season 3 has come to a head and they've argued. Carmy is probably certain Syd is going to leave him and The Bear (i.e. like Darcy believed Lizzie didn't want anything to do with him romantically a la "forgive me, madam, for taking up so much of your time.").

Sydney and Donna both end up at Tiff's wedding because Syd is accompanying Richie as a friend and Donna was invited by Tiff (which we find out via Eva in 1x04 Violet) They get to chatting because Donna has sought Sydney out after hearing through the grapevine (ie. Cicero) that Carmy has offered Sydney a partnership stake in The Bear. I reckon by this point, Carmy still hasn't spoken to Donna so his mother is trying another avenue to get to him (she's done this previously through Nat - see 1x01 System - and Cicero - see 3x09 Apologies).

Here, Donna is the stand-in for Lady Catherine de Bourgh of Pride and Prejudice ('LCDB') (Darcy's aristocratic and rude aunt/potential future mother-in-law...and honestly, Donna would be the perfect fit).

After chatting for a bit at the wedding, Donna confronts Syd about the partnership agreement, just like LCDB confronted Lizzie about her rumoured engagement to Darcy at the end of Pride and Prejudice. This might be that convo at the wedding we see in the s4 teaser.

Donna will try to discourage Syd from becoming a partner with Carmy and Nat because [take your pick: she's racist/she's vicious when it comes to Carmy/she's resentful of those outside her immediate family having access to or opinions about her or her kids (see her views on Gina in 3x08 Ice Chips and cousin Michelle in 2x06 Fishes)].

Syd will then say something about not ruling out being a partner at The Bear or that she’s already signed the partnership agreement or that she's about to sign it. Donna/LCDB will get pissed lol.

Donna/LCDB will break her estrangement from Carmy and confront him about her discussion with Syd, telling him to keep the business in the family and even though Syd is work-family, she's not family-family (and while work-family can feel closer than family-family, its never a replacement...or similar untrue garbage that ties in the dialogue we heard in the s4 trailer).

Donna/(LCDB) discloses that Sydney has signed the partnership agreement or is thinking about it which causes Carmy to hope in a way he hadn’t since before whatever fight he and Sydney have in season 4. He realises she isn’t leaving him.

Carmy blows up at Donna/LCDB (which will be a long overdue confrontation - one that’s been on the cards since 1x01 System) and goes to find Syd. He tells her it was all for her - The Bear, the thoughtful chaos menu, the push for a star, all of it from season 1, just like Darcy does after he finds out LCDB had spoken with Lizzie in Pride and Prejudice.

Cue foreheads touching, hands clasping and golden light blessing our two fav Jeffreys.

Maybe that’s how season 4 ends. If it did take this route, I wouldn’t be mad about it.

Note: I also don’t think the show would end with Carmy feeling bitter towards Donna. I reckon Donna’s behaviour would just affirm decisions Carmy has made in the past about keeping a firm boundary with his mother. He’s different to Natalie in this way and that’s entirely reasonable (to quote Carmy in 1x06 Ceres).

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Hello RTA, I was thinking, about Invictus, what if it wasn't the BRF but the veteran minister trying to hold on his ministry by using Invictus ? He is the one talking about it the most, how after being in Germany he felt nostalgia or else and wanted it back in the UK. When I hear about it generally he's the one talking. Or do you think it's a smokescreen to hide Charles' hand on it ?

Old ask from April 9th

The BRF is totally out of Invictus Games, and have been since 2019 when William booted the Sussexes and their charity work from KP and the Royal Foundation. It’s one of the smarter things they did, because the BRF doesn’t need Invictus Games. There are dozens of other charities that work with military veterans that the BRF supports, not to mention the actual British armed forces. They don’t, have never, and never will need Invictus Games to prove they support military veterans - that’s why Harry’s whining about how the BRF doesn’t support IG doesn’t really work; it gets the sensational headlines, but no one actually believes it because they see all the other work and support the BRF does. And since the BRF (or William, to be more specifically) “got out” before it had totally morphed into the Harry and Meghan Spectacular Spectacular, they’re insulated from a lot of the issues and criticism of Harry’s leadership (well, “leadership”). My guess is William saw the writing on the wall, and heard/is aware of the complaints from Sydney IG 2018.

The Parliament guy who was schilling for Invictus Games and supporting the Birmingham 2027 platform was doing it for his own self-interest and self-preservation. My guess is that he believed that since Invictus Games has the backing of the Ministry of Defense, supporting Invictus Games gets the MOD and military to support him, which earns him votes from the military supporters in his community and thus he wins reelection. It just wasn’t good enough. (I’ll also note here that this theory is entirely based on my experience with American politics having lived in/around military communities; we get so many people from all levels of political office that come through stumping and barnstorming for the military and veterans to get their votes but don’t actually follow through on any promises to improve veterans’ services or supporting military families.)

Charles doesn’t get anywhere close to Invictus Games, covertly or overtly, in the shadows with a smokescreen or out in front of the curtain for the world to see. And we know he’s nowhere close to Invictus Games because Harry complains about it all the time. That whining about how no one showed up to the anniversary thing at St. Paul’s? The whining about how no one goes to the games to support Team GB? The whining about how he hopes they’ll come to Birmingham 2027? It’s because they’re not involved. They don’t help him. They don’t give him money. They don’t give him their brand. They don’t give him their royal star power. They don’t give him the press and media. And Harry really, really wants that because if he gets their help and they get involved, he doesn’t have to do all the work anymore, he gets the critics (like us) off his back, and he gets the Board off his back because their financial issues will be fixed since the BRF surely won’t let anything they personally support fail.

[somedayillbepeterpan]

I am sleep deprived from the Dublin + Galway premiere (let's face it, I've been sleep deprived for the past 2 months) and I'm already experiencing withdrawals.

So, I am ranking Luke and Nic's outfits for the press tour. This is solely based on my emotions and opinions. I have no idea about fashion at all but I do love looking at beautiful things. This is also solely the press tour 'fits. I have purposely excluded the premiere/first look outfits when they have all the cast with them. There are also some outfits I've missed as I can't seem to find where to source them other than on social media posts and the quality is bad.

I love all the outfits and I think it's what's added to this World Press Tour experience. Nicola's courage to wear some of the outlandish outfits (as per her words) sparked something in me. And waiting for Luke to smile on the red carpet was like a secret game.

But the point is-- THEY ALWAYS SLAYED.

This is ranked from lowest to highest. I've put it under the line so as not to overwhelm timelines because this has gone longer than what I thought it would be.

Excerpt - 6th rank - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

They looked like they came out of a medieval play where she is the all-powerful mage and he is the most decorated knight.

8th rank - Milan, Italy

Their outfit in here looked so sweet. The simple colour aesthetic was so easy in the eye. I especially love Nicola's headband and Luke's chiseled beard. I don't know if anyone have pointed out his elven ears but they are adorable.

I rank this 9th because I've seen them both don similar outfits before and because this was coming off from the Australian premiere, my expectations was a tad higher.

7th rank - Galway, Ireland before they went to the theatre

I love Nicola's blue coat and the nod to both the Bridgerton and Featherington colours was a nice touch. Luke looks handsome but I don't think brown is his colour as his complexion looks washed-out with this outfit. Again, just my opinion. Do not kill me.

6th rank - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

There are a lot of people I saw who had a beef with their outfits for this leg but I actually really love both of their outlandish look. I have a weakness for long coats on men so this is already a win for me for Newts' look. But Nicola's dragon-esque dress wowed me. It looks good on her but I think the beef that people have is not so much about the outfit but the place and time where she wore it. BUT-- let me direct you to Zendaya's robot-esque press tour outfit for Dune 2 so to each their own. And don't come at me with how the dress doesn't accentuate her figures. It accentuate it very much and I'm so happy seeing her curves in all out display.

They looked like they came out of a medieval play where she is the all-powerful mage and he is the most decorated knight.

5th rank - Toronto Canada

Gosh, I love NIcola's dress and red duvet (again, her words). I think, I always love it when Nicola wears a boob tube dress because let's be honest, her breast is her greatest asset. Not to be crass but I am a proud fan of her perfect breasts. I also wished that Luke showed his blue shirt because if you look at it closely, it's not your usual men's button shirt. I would've loved to see how it accentuated his long torso. I don't think full stripes flatters him because he is already looks long. But he did have that old hollywood look with this outfit.

4th rank - Dublin, Ireland

Them matching is always a treat and it happened for the whole of the Ireland leg. They looked like that cool couple that you always see on your feed and feel equally in awe and jealous of. They both looked sooooo sexy with these outfits.

3rd rank - Sydney, Australia

This was what got my attention on the whole press tour and started my sleep deprivation. I woke up and I was blasted with this gorgeous photo of them holding hands and the wave of chemistry hit me like a firetruck. What more, they were right at my backyard and I didn't know until it was already too late. That custom Richard Quinn dress on Nicola was utterly gorgeous. She looked like an angel to me. And again, Luke in a long coat with a white singlet?? Hwooo... it did wonders to my blood.

2nd - Galway, Ireland

Knitwear is also my weakness and the fact that they were both dressed by the same designer was such a treat to see. I loved that they honoured Nic's heritage. And also, cmo'n, that hat on Nic was so cute. Also, anytime a man in a sweater always make me weak.

1st - Dublin, Ireland (everyone's favourite, I think)

THEM MATCHING WAS EVERYTHING! It was like watching them on their way to their wedding. Luke's jacket, Nicola's custom dress, and the accessory nods to Bridgerton icons -- the bee and the flower-- made this matching outfit so special. Them holding hands is always a treat but seeing them so celebrated on Nicola's hometown was so touching to watch.

I have never followed a press tour like I have done this one. This is the only press tour that has managed to grip my attention and I'm very happy to have been part of the whole experience.

I NEED THEM AGAIN. I ALREADY MISS THEM.

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

Carmy is based on THE STORERS

I read a few weeks ago on here that someone thought Sydney was gonna quit The Bear because "her character was based on Courtney Storer " and IRL she quit her dream job in CA because she burnt out there and it was one of the most disappointing experiences of her life.

I was sooooooo sure that was inaccurate because IK for a fact that Sydney's character is based on the first black female chef to ever win a Michelin Star, the one and only: Mariya Moore-Russell.

Context: Mariya won the star in 2019 when Chris Storer was still working on the ORIGINAL "THE BEAR" MOVIE SCRIPT, as I mentioned here.

So that's why Sydney's character was inspired by her and even her hairstyle was inspired by Mariya who sported braids for years.

BUT

Carmy on the other hand is a mix of Chris and Courtney's past and hopes and dreams. Carmen Berzatto is a hybrid character. The result of Chris and Courtney's real-life story of how they overcame trauma by finding solace in art.

Chris tried being a chef once, before changing careers, as he mentions here. He also mentions Carmy's character was based on many chefs he knows IRL including his sister. I have mentioned in many previous posts that Carmy is based ON HIM mostly (the personality), but yeah, the culinary part and the finding solace in making food and understanding food as a way to show love and hospitality to others, a way of connecting with others, THAT is all Courtney.

Courtney was and still is a successful chef. Turns out she, like Carmy, found solace in cooking and in that way "escape" her trauma for years, she found cooking to be a way to get out of her head and be "into her hands". This rings a bell, right?

It wasn't till later in life when she healed and no longer needed to do that, now she's EP of the show.

So Carmy's character is a mix of Chris and Courtney.

The psycho-chef post-EMP is Chris' dark side. It doesn't mean he is like this IRL, of course. It means he can be like this, but he prefers to pour all of that on the paper and sublimate it into his characters. More about that here and here. The one that reacted like this when Mickey cut him off:

The part of Carmy that we love, the Carmy that was almost nowhere to be found this past season, the sweet part, it's all Courtney, the one that was under the table and told Syd: "You love taking care of people" is Courtney's voice:

Source: Variety

The Carmy that said that fixing the restaurant was a way of fixing his own family trauma, is inspired on Courtney. So were Carmy’s panic attacks. (And Syd’s for that matter).

The part of Carmy that struggles to find amusement and enjoyment after trauma and puts all his energy into work is both, Chris and Courtney:

Source: People.com

So basically, Carmy is the past of The Storers and in the future he will, just like the real-life Storers, find his redemption.

Bonus track: I think we all know this one by now, but it's just funny and cute, I guess, so I wanna mention it: Courtney's nickname is Coco, and Coco is also the Danish invisible cat that Carmy and Marcus fed on the bote, in Copenhagen:

awww

Remember to follow my tag #Gingerpovs 💋

[chloesolace]

Is It Over Now? - Homelander x Reader

summary: You are one of the most famous popstars of your generation, a real America's Sweetheart - who also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of the world's greatest hero, Homelander. When you write a song about your past relationship, portraying him in a not so positive light, it creates a shitstorm online that Ashley somehow tries to manage. The solution? Start dating Homelander again. But first, he has to convince you. After all, it isn't your reputation that's on the line.

pairing: Homelander x Supe!Reader

word count: 2.3k

warnings: a bit of gore

a/n: Newest addition to my Swift Series <3 based on the song of the same name. This one shot will be a bit different than the other ones from the series, because the song itself exists in the story and the reader is the singer who wrote it (in this fic ofc). Expect usual moral corruption a la The Boys universe.

Masterlist - Discord Server - Request Info - Taylor Swift Series

And did you think I didn't see you? There were flashing lights At least I had the decency to keep my nights out of sight Only rumors 'bout my hips and thighs, and my whispered sighs

Ashley stared at the screen before her, her nostrils flaring and hands shaking while Homelander looked at her with an unimpressed expression. He rested his fingers against his temples in case he needed to massage away a headache that would undoubtedly arise if Ashley started shouting. 

“This is a PR nightmare,” she exclaimed, turning abruptly to look at the man whose face remained unreadable. His blue-eyed gaze jumped between Ashley and the screen, where you were seen on a stage in front of thousands of adoring fans, microphone in hand. You waved at them and blew them kisses as they cheered your name, but the sound was muted. It did not matter, though, since Homelander had watched every recording of your world tour he could get his hands on, so he knew precisely what the crowd sounded like. 

Ashley kept staring at him as she rested her hands on the table between them, pressing a button on the remote in her hand to turn up the volume of the recording. 

“Thank you so much, Sydney!” You said in the recording, continuing to wave at the crowd, before signaling them to quiet down. It did not take long for the cheering and screaming to stop, and you took a few steps across the stage as your expression turned more serious. 

“As you all know, I have been through quite a lot recently. Including a breakup.” The crowd immediately began reacting, expressing sympathy for you before you once again signaled them to quiet down. “But good things can sprout from bad experiences. So I would like to debut a new song right here, right now.” Your fans cheered, screaming your name as the music began; it was a slow tune at first, which gradually increased in speed and found its climax in the chorus. 

Homelander’s gaze shifted back to Ashley, who pressed the pause button on the recording. “She is calling you a ‘lying traitor’,” she remarked. “She is implying that you sleep around and that she wants to jump off a fucking building just to get your attention.” Ashley straightened her back and took a deep breath, burying her hands in her hair. 

“Calm down, Ashley. Didn’t you make her sign some kind of nondisclosure agreement?” Homelander said, jaw stiff as he observed the woman. 

“No, Homelander. I didn’t,” she replied with a voice somewhere between annoyance and panic. “You didn’t want her to sign one because you said you had her under control. We need to fix this.” She pulled out her phone and shoved it in his face. “You are trending on every social media and not for the right reasons. Look at these comments, look. ‘If Homelander can’t even make his own girlfriend feel secure, how are we supposed to feel secure with him?’”, she reads out loud, the panic still evident in her voice. “Or here, another good one. ‘Turns out even superhero men are trash’.” 

Homelander shifted in his seat, beginning to massage his temple while his eyes landed on you again. A part of him loved the attention he was getting. A song about him was proof that you were still thinking of him, and he loved leaving an impression, despite the fact that these words were most likely ghostwritten for you by a lyricist who had never met him before.

“Are you even listening?” Ashley furrowed her eyebrows, exhaling deeply before pinching the bridge of her nose. 

Homelander gave her a practiced smile, the smile he put on for viewers at home every day. He had become so good at it that sometimes it even felt real to him, and he briefly felt disgusted by himself. 

“I’ll handle it,” he said, standing from his seat before clasping his hands together behind his back, cape dangling from his shoulders. “I’ll talk to (y/n).” 

“Homelander,” she replied in a very serious tone, never breaking eye contact with him. “I know you don’t listen to me a lot, but please consider getting back together with her, if just for PR’s sake, and clearing up those misunderstandings.” 

He smiled faintly as he approached her, making her tense up visibly. He loved how afraid she was of him. Perhaps the only thing she was more afraid of was losing her job. 

Homelander placed a hand on her shoulder, and Ashley jumped a little. Her heartbeat quickened; she was afraid she had overstepped, possibly only now realizing her mistake. But his demeanor was calm and collected. Cheerful, an untrained eye might even say. 

“I will handle it,” he repeated, before leaving the room, and a breathless Ashley, behind. 

….

A few days later, you were in your dressing room, preparing for the next show of your world tour. Australia had finished last week, and now you were back home in America, humming soft tunes as you plucked the strings of your guitar to gain some inspiration. Miami was the first city on the list, and although you were never that big of a fan of the sunny weather in Florida, you had made some friends along the way here. 

The dressing room was rather large, with a full-body mirror in front of you and the huge, comfortable couch in the center you were sitting on that dominated the room. Feet dangling from the couch, you continued humming the soft tunes as your voice harmonized with the guitar. You sang a randomly made-up lyric, while the instrument became an extension of your voice in a way a regular musician could never achieve.

A smile played on your lips, which quickly faded again as you heard a noise from outside. Pressing your palm against the strings to silence them, you turned towards the door of your dressing room, trying to listen more closely. First, you heard nothing, but then a loud thud made you jump up from your seat, almost dropping the guitar in the process. 

Someone on the other side of the door struggled for air before a loud shot silenced them. You gasped, your guitar landing on the carpet as you kept your eyes locked on the door, which was being banged at by someone from the other side. 

“Open the door!” An unfamiliar male voice said, but you did no such thing. “Have it your way, missy,” you heard him add under his breath before he kicked the door down. Three men stood before you, heavily armored and carrying guns which were all pointed at you. Laughable, really, considering you were bulletproof.  

Taking on a fighting stance, you readied yourself for the attack which you would not have to wait long for. The man in the front approached you first, firing bullets that entered through your dress but bounced off you once they made contact with your skin. 

You punched the man, using his temporal confusion to bang his head against the other man’s, their helmets not doing much against your superhuman strength. Another one started shooting, but those bullets, too, did not penetrate your skin the slightest. 

Raising your arms, you focused on the bullets aimed at you and redirected the shockwave they created in the air, amplifying it with your powers to hit the three men, knocking them into the wall. One flew threw the open doorframe and hit his head somewhere in the corridor, as the other two were lying on the floor before you. 

You already had a triumphant smile on your face, when you were forced to the ground by a frequency so high, that not even your control over sound could aid you in any way. Releasing an excruciating scream, you covered your ears as you cowered on the floor. The dress you were wearing was now reduced to rags, perforated by the bullets that had passed through the material.

While you were trying to shield your ears from the deafening sound, the three men gathered their strength and got up, pointing their weapons at you again. With the sound essentially putting you out of action, you were at their mercy. 

Then the frequency stopped. Your breathing was quickened and your eyes wide as you realized what was happening, but before you could react, Homelander appeared in the doorframe with eyes glowing red. In a matter of seconds he had halved the three men, their guts and body parts falling around you as you looked up at your ex-boyfriend, not believing your eyes. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, placing his hands on his hips as he smiled at you, drops of blood covering his skin. The same drops that had fallen on your dress, and splashed on the mirror to your right. You frowned deeply, rising to your feet while your eyes remained locked with his, and a grin began pulling at your lip. 

“Red does look good on you,” you said, not at all bothered by the bodies around your feet. Contrary to your image, you were not at all the little sweetheart your record company wanted the world to believe, but you had not graduated from Crimson Countess School of Performing Arts top of your class for nothing. 

Homelander chuckled, letting his eyes wander up and down your body, before locking with yours again. Then, he remembered the bodies lying around you and pointed at them in circling hand motions. “Maybe someone should clean that up.” 

“What do you want, John?” You cut him off, crossing your arms in front of your chest, and he sighed, the muscles in his jaw tensing for a moment. 

“Did you purposefully try to wound my ratings with that song, (y/n)?” He asked, his voice full of mistrust as he tilted his head to the side a little bit, eyes calculating. When you chuckled, it visibly irritated him. 

“Of course,” you said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You didn’t fulfill your part of the contract. I played the part of your girlfriend, and I did it well. Where is the movie deal I was promised?”

Homelander scoffed, looking around the room as if the answer were hidden somewhere around you two. “You know this isn’t only my decision to make,” he explained as if you were talking about who was supposed to buy groceries this week. 

You raised an eyebrow at him, fingers drumming on your arm. His expression turned a bit more serious then, and something in his eyes twinkled. “You actually missed me,” he said with an amusement in his voice that made you roll your eyes. 

Sighing, you stepped around the guts and blood on the floor, making your way around Homelander when you almost slipped on a piece of stomach. Just in time, he grabbed your arm and prevented you from landing head-first in the gore at your feet. You met his blue eyes, the knowing smirk on his lips remaining there as he pulled you back to your feet. 

“Now I even saved you twice today, would you look at that.” 

“Oh, please,” you replied, but couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped you, despite biting your cheek. 

For a moment, the two of you simply looked at each other, your gaze flickering between his as you inhaled his scent. You had not even properly registered that you were now close enough to do so. 

“If I get you that movie deal, will you become my partner again? For PR sakes.” 

You studied his face for a moment, considering the offer as you raised your chin towards him. “If you never hire anyone to use that frequency on me again just so you can look like the hero, I might consider it. And if you do use that frequency on me again, you can kiss your ratings goodbye.” 

He narrowed his eyes at you, but there was also something playful about the way his lips twitched, as if wanting to prevent a grin. You two had thrown a lot at each other when you had been officially dating, so you had no problem getting rough, but even you had limits.

“You don’t have to keep pretending to save me to get my attention,” you said, voice dropping to a whisper as your eyes briefly fell to his lips, your own parted. “But I’m sure the internet will love the footage you no doubt got on camera from this.” 

His warm breath tickled your skin as you closed more of the distance between you. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted in the song? For me to come save you?” He asked with a hint of pride and playfulness in his voice while you let your hand brush over his arm slowly until you reached his shoulder. You wrapped your fingers around the golden eagle sitting there, never breaking eye contact. 

“Wait until you hear the other song I might or might not have written about you,” you whispered, the tone in your voice becoming low while your hand slid down his chest. “I am sure these words would cause a scandal from America’s sweetheart’s lips. But that is not the most scandalous thing that has ever left my lips, is it?”

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, a grin appearing on his lips. “Perhaps I can convince you to release that song.” 

You pulled your hand back, biting down on your bottom lip as you stepped away from him. “Perhaps you can.” 

Chuckling, you left him standing in your dressing room, his scent still ghosting around you as you walked down the corridor. You took the stairs down and reached the entrance hall of the building just in time for your manager, bodyguards, and label representative to run into you, all of them carrying worried looks on their faces, but you calmed them down, stating how Homelander was there to save the day.

As they all began talking about Homelander excitedly, you looked back at the staircase leading up to the room you had just been in with him, brows furrowed and lips pressed together.

Games, you had to realize, were enjoyable only as long as they did not develop into anything more.

Oh, Lord, I think about jumping Off of very tall somethings Just to see you come flying And say the one thing I've been wanting, but no

[primomover]

Could you maybe write the papas with a autistic reader! Thx 🫶🏼

hello anon! sorry for the delay in response (i was in australia for the sydney ritual!) but this makes my autistic heart so happy! these are mostly based off my autistic experience but i hope these make you as happy as they do me!

(all sfw!)

primo:

-old man just gets it!

-he is patient and understanding, if you are having a low spoon day, he will do his best to cater to your needs. if you need space, he’ll give you space.

-he would have sensory items in his pockets, just for you in case you need them.

-he doesn’t mind you just sitting with him while he works. you don’t have to acknowledge him or actively talk. he knows just that company can make a world of difference.

secondo:

-it may take him a little longer to understand things, but when he comes around, he is so, so gentle with you.

-if anyone does anything that triggers you, he is the first to step in and recognise when you’re spiralling

-“can you tap my hand, little one? do we need to get you somewhere safe?”

-most protective papa

terzo:

-if you’re having a non verbal day, that’s ok! he loves the sound of his own voice and will talk on your behalf

-“it is quite alright, piccola. your papa is here to help, yes? can you type me out what you need? or do you have those communication cards we got you?”

-has transformed underneath his desk into a small sensory space with a weighted blanket and comfortable pillows for you

-he understands your tone better than anyone, and if you’re struggling with understanding people around you, he will very patiently explain

copia:

-he is also on the spectrum! so he totally understands.

-would listen to you ramble about your special interests all day long. he’s such a good listener

-if you need to be close to someone, he is your go-to, because he has absolutely made it so clear that he can be your safe person

-goes out of his way to make accommodations for you, whether it be changing food menus, excusing you from chores, making extra efforts during touring times to bring you with him? he’ll do it. he would tear the moon out of the sky for you if you asked.

my inbox is open for requests, both sfw and nsfw for any and all ghost characters!

[hezzabeth]

The description of the space station is based on my own experiences during a ten hour layover in Singapore.

"Are you alright? Do you have a bout of telesickness?" Brigadeiro Bun asked as Revati stared off into space.

"Telewhat?" Revati asked, her brain snapping back into place.

When Amma and Nanni heard that Revati was about to go off-world, they tried to prepare her.

"It's not like your other wasteland adventures where you wandered into a city on foot! You'll need to buy tickets; then apply for a tourism visa," Amma explained.

"My what?" Revati asked, completely confused.

"The actual teleporting takes less than a second, but you will have to spend at least an hour in customs and immigration and four hours in the teleport waiting your turn," Nanni added.

It was all incredibly exhausting and confusing.

The teleport hub they were waiting in was deliberately designed to make people forget they were waiting. Bright, expensive shops with intricate displays created pathways to different teleportation gates. Massive, giant flowering bushes surrounded by clouds of butterflies brushed against the glass ceiling. In the center of everything, there was a crystal pond. Robotic bronze mermaids swam up and down underneath the lily pads.

"Telesickness! It's okay, a lot of people not used to teleporting end up with upset stomachs," Brigadeiro reassured her, handing her something small and pink from his shirt pocket.

"This should help, their stomach stabilizers! I bought them in the bathroom," Brigadeiro smiled helpfully, and Revati took one, popping it into her mouth before promptly spitting it out.

"It tastes like gasoline," Revati grimaced.

"You're not supposed to eat it! You rub it on your temples," Brigadeiro explained gently before picking the stomach stabilizer up off her lap.

"Please don't rub that all over my temples; it has my spit on it," Revati pointed out, shutting her eyes.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" Brigadeiro asked.

"I'm just exhausted; we've teleported so many times I have no idea where we are," Revati sighed, closing her gritty eyes.

"We're at the Anh Do memorial teleport hub; he was a figure from southwest Sydney legends! When he was a baby, he was on a boat attacked by pirates. Then he grew up to become a famous children's writer and artist," Brigadeiro rattled on.

Revati felt herself slump to one side with exhaustion, her head landing on something soft.

Brigadeiro's home wasn't even technically a planet. Rather, it was a series of six space stations, each representing different areas of a land once known as "Australia." The Southwest Sydney Station was so big it had its own weather patterns, ecosystem, and geography. Most of it consisted of expensive tourist resorts, beachside towns, and theme parks. Brigadeiro had explained many times before that his family was part of the 15 million-strong workforce that lived in the secret employee-only towns and cities. Someone, hopefully Brigadeiro, was gently massaging her scalp, and Revati felt herself fall into a drowsy, dark state.

Revati wasn't sure how long she had been snoozing when the screaming sirens suddenly filled the air. Revati's self-preservation instincts kicked in, and her eyes snapped open. Within seconds, she was back on her feet, reaching for her mace.

"You had to leave the weapon at security back on Mars," Brigadeiro reminded her as hundreds of people suddenly started flowing out of the teleport gates. The air was thick with sirens and flashing blue lights as the crowd swelled around her. Brigadeiro snatched her hand, and together they were swept forward in the tidal wave of chaos.

People were everywhere, their faces blurred by the rapidity of the moment, their shouts and cries a blurry nonsense of at least a dozen different languages. In a second of terror, Revati found herself thrown down. Feet pounded on her back as she curled herself up into a ball. There was a sudden break in people, and Revati saw a glimpse of the mermaid pool. Revati forced herself forward and grabbed the pool's safety fence, hauling herself over the edge. She landed with a splash into the shallow water. For a few moments, all Revati could hear was the pounding of the mob and sirens.

All Revati could feel was her body as the robot mermaids bumped into her before swimming away. The glass ceiling above had clouded over, turning an eerie white. There was a sudden buzzing on Revati's wrist, indicating her bangle had an incoming call. It was the android. Of course, it was.

"Ignore," Revati groaned, sitting up, and a tiny mermaid bounced off her cleavage. Somehow, half her shirt had managed to get ripped off. The crowd wasn't as thick, but people were still charging past the shops heading to some unknown destination. The sirens suddenly stopped.

"All interstellar teleport gates have been switched off temporarily! We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused," a lady's voice chimed over the speakers. People slowly stopped running and instead began to shuffle around.

Tiny first aid drones began to zoom out of the shops, attending to the fallen. Through it all, Revati scanned and searched. Spotting Brigadeiro was far harder than usual since many people in the hub had pink, curly hair. Finally, she saw him across the crowd in the doorway of a chocolate shop. A woman was lying at his feet. Revati slowly stood, her legs wobbling, before climbing out of the pond. By the time she managed to push her way through to the storefront, she had heard several whispers. There had been an attack on another Space Station known as “Cairnes”. The crowd consisted of tourists and travelers who fled when an employee opened up a teleportation gate during the attack. Brigadeiro was attending to the woman who was bleeding all over the shop floor from a gash on her temples.

"Oh, thank Goup!" Brigadeiro cried, wrapping Revati in a smothering hug. Brigadeiro was, of course, a little shorter than her, and he nuzzled his face into her shoulder, sobbing.

"It's alright, I'm fine," Revati assured him, petting his back, and Brigadeiro sobbed.

"It's not that; Cairnes has been destroyed! Millions are dead," Brigadeiro's voice choked.

"Destroyed?" Revati gasped. The bleeding lady on the ground twitched, and Revati let go of Brigadeiro in order to check her. The lady was a bit older than Revati, probably in her late twenties. She had the pale, sickly skin and brighter blue hair of those who came from the northern parts of Mars. Her haircut, however, was similar to the trendy “mushroom cap” style she had seen on the space station – short with a blunt fringe. Revati reached into one of her pants pockets, pulling out a trusty medibandage, and stuck it onto the woman’s temple. Even while unconscious, she had the expression of someone fully capable of starting a riot in a coffee shop. It clashed violently with her bright purple tropical print shirt and neon pink watch. The watch. Revati grabbed the unconscious lady's hand to examine the watch.

"SOS Emergency Medical Information," she said to the watch. Its screen flickered, and a tiny 3D hologram of the lady appeared.

"My name is Pauletta Chuchotor, I am twenty-nine years old! My blood type is B- and I'm allergic to Venusian swamp gas," the hologram said cheerfully, and suddenly the hologram switched off as tight fingers wrapped themselves around Revati's wrist.

Revati glanced at the lady who was now staring at her with bloodshot green eyes.

"My personal information isn't for you," she said in a deep, raspy voice.

"Good to know," Revati said. Pauletta Chuchotor was staring at her curiously.

"I don't forget faces easily," she said, her fingernails still digging into Revati's wrist.

"Ok," Revati replied uneasily, wondering if the lady had a brain injury.

"You look a little like someone I met a long time ago," Pauletta said, as if accusing Revati of something terrible.

"I got a message from Dad; the news says all the teleporting hubs have been shut down! He says we should leave the hub and take the workers' bullet train back to Paprika Station before they stop running," Brigadeiro said, gesturing to his grey bracelet.

"A bullet train? Like the one in Olde Landon? I thought this space station was supposed to be super advanced?" Revati asked, completely confused.

"It is, but teleportation has a weight limit of six hundred kilograms; the trains are used when we need to transport bulk goods and supplies to different resorts," Brigadeiro explained.

"I also need to go to this Paprika Station; I will follow you," Pauletta Chuchotor remarked, and Revati exchanged a look with Brigadeiro.

"I mean, it's not like we can stop her," Brigadeiro pointed out.

The train ride to Paprika Station turned out to be far more exhausting, bewildering, and strangely smelly than teleporting. Everyone seemed to know Brigadeiro Bun, and by extension, everyone seemed to know Revati.

"Bridgadeiro! Your mama said you would be back for Applefestus! And is this the famous Revati from Mars?" An old lady with orange hair said to them as they waited for the train.

"I may have mentioned you in my messages home; this is my mother's friend Mrs. Jambalaya from church," Brigadeiro said as the old lady descended onto Revati in a cloud of vanilla perfume.

"Oh, she's so pretty! Such big amber eyes! And who's that?" She asked, nodding at Pauletta, who was standing several feet away from them, staring into the distance.

"No idea, we think she's an injured tourist," Brigadeiro admitted as Revati quietly blushed. No one in Olde Landon had ever called her pretty.

"Bridge! Did you hear about the terrorist attack? My dad said appliances from Mars did it," someone yelled when they finally got onto the cramped train. A teenage boy with dark skin and fuchsia braids was waving at them from a row of seats.

"We were at the capital telehub when it happened! Revati, this is my cousin Pecan," Brigadeiro explained as they sat down.

Pecan gasped with horror. "Oh, Goup! You're the girl Bridge is bringing home for Applefestus! You probably don't want us talking about the war," Pecan remarked.

"It's fine; I'm too tired and freaked out to care," Revati assured him.

"Why don't you take a nap? The ride to Paprika Station takes around four hours," Brigadeiro said, tapping his shoulder. Revati sighed gratefully, her head dropping onto his shoulder. Before her eyes shut, she spotted Pauletta standing on the other side of the carriage, staring at her with dried blood still in her hair.

[pip-n-chips]

how (some) DoL characters play Minecraft

Robin

Mainly sticks with the easy difficulty

Likes building things in survival mode instead of creative for the extra challenge

Has keep inventory on + mob griefing off

Plays multiplayer a lot (sometimes with local orphans, sometimes online), and can get quite competitive during minigames

Parkour is the bane of their existence

Has like 46 dogs in their main survival world

Scared of Herobrine (they know he's fake, but...)

Has thought about streaming their gameplay, but they need some encouragement from you in order for them to go through with it

The peaceful music from the game paired with Robin's commentary is calming, you might take a nap...

Whitney

Griefs your base with TNT and lava buckets, initially

Starts getting more creative with ways to fuck with your shit, you'd be impressed if you weren't so pissed

Got a friend of theirs to help them use cheats, but brags about it + takes the credit for themself

Has been banned from a handful of online servers, takes pride in the ever growing list

Builds,,, questionable sculptures

"lmao get good bro"

Basically a big troll lmfao

Throws their controller/hits their keyboard when raging (they strike me more as a console type of person, though)

Has a dog/cat/horse they name the same thing every single time (perhaps in remembrance of an old pet or stray)

Mickey

Almost exclusively* plays modded singleplayer

* Maybe they used to play with Robin or other orphans (before life got so much more complicated, anyway,,)

Has made their own mods + add-ons but hasn't posted any online

Fond of mods that add RPG + fantasy elements to the game (especially DRAGONS!)

Pretty good with redstone, they like making weird contraptions

Has a complicated + organized base

Sets up traps, hidden compartments + other secrets in their base even though they're the only one who'll see it

Tries to get all the achievements (vanilla + any that mods add) + collects and frames special items

Has a lot of commands memorized + knows how to use command blocks

Sydney

You introduce them to the game and they like it a lot!

It's funny watching them learn more about the game and what to do/what not to do

Punched a bee once and fell off a cliff trying to run from it

Dies a lot tbh, and you see death messages you've never seen before because of that lol

Corrupt!Sydney makes their character twerk (crouch, un-crouch, repeat), laughs at it every time

Surprisingly good at building, recreates locations from their favorite books

Only really plays it when you guys play together, though

If you're gaming together at their house, Sirris pops in to check in on you guys at some point and pauses to smile at the heartwarming sight (as embarrassing as it may be for Sydney)

Kylar

"What if I put my Minecraft bed next to yours? haha jk... unless?"

Has the most OVERKILL gaming PC setup you've seen (way too many screens, everything has lights, etc etc. looks pretty dope tbh)

Likes designing Minecraft skins! (there's like 10 separate skins of you in different outfits)

Plays heavily modded Minecraft, but will play vanilla or lighter mod packs with you

Definitely tried that one Girlfriend mod at some point

Has attempted a few speedruns (in the Top 10s for some of them!)

Gets SO excited when you tell them that you like Minecraft too (but it's not like they didn't know that already)

Alex

Doesn't have much time to play with their current workload

When they do, the most they do is play it as a farming sim (???) (you get them to explore more options to do in the game)

Becomes a BIG fan of parkour!

Downloads parkour + adventure maps so they can play it offline (farm WiFi can be unreliable)

Learns some basic redstone, mainly to improve their (in-game) farms

Automatic farms + mob grinders, though they still like the experience of doing it themself

Builds a Minecraft version of their real farm, excitedly shows it to you

Names some in-game farm animals after their siblings as a joke

Gwylan

Only plays offline because they live in The Forest ™️

Loves potion brewing! (they don't have an internet guide so they experiment with different combos all by themself, gets quite good at it)

Hoarder. Has so many items scattered across their chests, they forget what they do and don't have

Aesthetic matters to them a lot when choosing where to put their base + building it

Went to the End + defeated the dragon just to get the blocks there + the egg for decoration

1.17 (first part of the Caves And Cliffs update) is their favorite yet, all the new blocks and cave biomes make them go aaaaaaaaa

Felt so bad when they had to kill animals for food in the beginning, has a good farm system now though

Definitely keeps mobs you can't tame as pets

[patchun]

Emerald Seaglass Elite 4 Saga

This is not a challenge romhack or anything but I am on Hard Mode and I do really like my team so I figured I'd document my experience here. Just one post this time no worries lol.

This has been a fairly casual run with me, as usual, coming overprepared and taking the game far more seriously than it should be taken for the majority of it - but nonetheless, in the interest of not wasting healing items and such because the economy was actually kind of rough, I've been playing on Switch mode. But, for the purposes of a more challenging Elite 4, I have switched() to Set.

First is Sydney. No real documentation on the trainer changes in this game so I'm just going to assume Mightyena lead. Fairy/Dragon Altaria should be more than enough to deal with pretty much his entire team, but should I need it, I do have Absol with Sacred Sword in the back. Here we go-a.

Yeah no Moonblast just wiped the floor with all of his Pokemon one by one lol. I kind of wish this WAS a challenge romhack because Pokemon is just kind of braindead otherwise BUT moving on

130 base Attack. Buffed to 95 base Speed. Sharpness. Night Slash, Psycho Cut, Sacred Sword - Absol is the best its probably ever been here. And if she isn't enough, Ghost/Normal Banette (whose best attacking move is unfortunately Phantom Force) should be able to handle anything else. The two complement each other well, with Banette being able to switch into Fighting moves and such.

..was that necessary

Oh actually Mismagius is a genuinely scary Pokemon, Ghost/Fairy and undoubtedly going for Moonblast here. My Fairy answer is Yuumi the Chimecho so I'll pivot into her before switching Misery in on a Ghost move.

Misery took a Moonblast before going for Phantom Force,... which then gave Phoebe the opportunity to switch to her own Banette. A better physical Ghost move would have been cool here. Predicting a physical attack like Darkest Lariat, I switched to Walrein (Fur Coat... it's so bulky). But this is a special attacking Banette who used Thunderbolt, so I switched out again, this time to Chiyari.

Which brings in Froslass... Okay, these ghosts are actually pretty tough. I go Yuumi on the Ice Beam and then Jill on a... Will-o-Wisp. I then swap Skadi in on a 150 BP Infernal Parade... or at least, I thought it was 150 BP? Skadi basically took nothing. I'm not sure I'm telling you this walrus is insane in this game.

okay well fuck me for saying it was easy or whatever hahaha.

I finish Dusknoir off w Yuumi so that I'm in this position when Mismagius comes in. Highly expecting either Shadow Ball or Infernal Parade, one if which I'm confident I can survive - HOWEVER, I'm also confident that Flash Cannon won't kill here. However if all goes well I should be able to switch into Misery afterwards to get the kill with Shadow Sneak.

If this were a Nuzlocke losing Flygon would have been devastating. But it's not so onward

so yeah Ghost type was pretty rough to deal with but surely Ice wont be so bad ri-... *looks at team*... Well it really depends. I went ahead and taught Yuumi Calm Mind which I was holding off on. Skadi also knows it, and Jill has Sacred Sword - but bringing her in might not be possible, so I guess I'll lead with her. (side note you may notice my low level pokemon yes because my exp share is turned off for the sake of challenge(

What madman was responsible for making Walrein one of the best defensive Pokemon in the game lmao, the battle just came down to Skadi beating up the other ice types with Bouncy Bubble

Anyways onto Drake now, and I have quite a few answers for Dragon types. Gonna go ahead and turn the EXP Share back on for this fight seeing as I am now at a 6 level disadvantage that should be enough lol

What's particularly nostalgic about this, and the big reason I've been wanting to use Flygon lately, is that my very first time ever beating the Elite 4 was with a Flygon. Playing Ruby version at my grandmom's house in the country, I must have lost so many times, even though I'm 100% sure I was definitely using Groudon too. Probably Blaziken and Gardevoir and Breloom on there... good memories.

Drake brought in Altaria so I swapped to Yuumi,,, he then proceeded to set up two Dragon Dances and then hit me with a terrifying +0 Dazzling Gleam. lol.

Which brings in Drake's own Flygon but like... what is it gonna do to me. A weak Flamethrower? Oh Crunch no, that's actually bad. Okay Skadi your turn dear

A Crunch into a CRIT Earthquake did that much like... what is this

Now then, with my underleveled ass two water-resist ass team,,, onto Wallace.

I'll spare you the details as this fight was mostly stat-checking but Jill came in very clutch with a crit on Whiscash in the end and this one might have in fact been necessary >:D

[ncisfranchise-source]

DEADLINE: Lessons from the fall. You just listed several unscripted series that aired then. CBS’ didn’t have scripted originals at your disposal but made strategic moves by adding NCIS: Sydney as well as Yellowstone and SEAL Team repeats that largely paid off. What did you learn from their performance and did the idea to do more NCIS with Origins come out of the success of Sydney on the schedule?

REISENBACH: I’ll just start with NCIS: Origins. No, that was in development prior to that. And Sydney had obviously been in the works for quite a while.

I think we learned that we can experiment. I’ll just reference Survivor and Race. We actually had decided to turn those into 90-90 min prior to the strikes, but it just showed that we can look at things a little differently than we have in the past, trying to be a little non-traditional when it makes sense.

I think it shows the power of CBS. My big lesson is, when we put something on that speaks to our audience, they’re going to show up and watch.

And, while they didn’t have the full schedule of support around them the way they normally would, they still worked and had great audience support for both NCIS: Sydney and Yellowstone. We’re thrilled with how NCIS: Sydney did. It’s not just a win for CBS but it’s really a win for all of Paramount, for Paramount+, for Paramount International. Same with Yellowstone, I think it just speaks to that the company is working across all different parts right now as much as possible, and we’re all looking for those wins together.

DEADLINE: Obviously this came out of necessity, but is similar windowing of shows from other parts of the company something that you could use to supplement your schedule going forward?

REISENBACH: If the right project comes up, absolutely. We’re thrilled with the success of NCIS: Sydney. I think it’s been wonderful to have these franchise extensions; they’re each its own unique property. NCIS: Origins is really different than any of the other NCIS‘s; it makes me feel so old to say it’s period when it’s set in the 90s, kill me now, right?

It’s a little edgier and grittier than previous NCIS‘s, it’s got a serialized element of it that we’re really excited about. And whereas I would say NCIS: Sydney too really had its own identity, it was very uniquely Australian and told stories that can only be told in Australia, so I feel like they’re both opportunities to gain new audiences while also being true to the DNA and loyal fan base of those shows.

DEADLINE: Can you tease something about more NCIS: Sydney on CBS?

REISENBACH: I feel really positive and there will be news to come soon.

DEADLINE: In terms of NCIS, how long do you think the mothership can go? It is the longest-running CBS scripted series at 20 seasons.

REISENBACH: I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon. It’s a fantastic cast with a fantastic writing staff that’s been there a really long time. They’re just as reenergized today as they were as when I started on the show in Season 8 [as current executive].

So, as long as they want to keep it going, we’re thrilled to be on the NCIS train. Gary [Cole] and Wilmer [Valderrama] and Sean [Murray] and Katrina [Law], all of them, they love doing the show. So we hope to continue on for quite a while.

[arcane-vagabond]

Imma be real, there was a lot of projecting going on in this fandom. People saw what they wanted to see based off their own experiences with cheating. Like, Glenchen has so much chemistry with his male co-stars, but that's never a problem (and it shouldn't be).

Cheese doesn't like me much either, but it's fine. I will love it forever, bloated or not. I can show Glencester a whole new world (of cheese).

No, that’s so fair!! And I’ve said that me and my guy friends mess around all the time without anyone thinking we’re together. Their girlfriends are okay with it, and they know all they have to say is that they’re uncomfortable with something and then it stops. The reaction to some things is very much giving that some people don’t think guys and girls can be just friends.

With that being said, Sydney posting that video after Glen publicly saying what he did about the rumors? That was malicious. That shouldn’t have happened.

And you’re right! Why can guys have chemistry together and still be considered friends, but guys and girls can’t??

Now, there’s definitely some more nuance to the whole Glen and Sydney thing, but there is also some definite projecting going on with the whole situation.

I just hope for Glenya’s sake that it passes and this whole thing is put to bed after this damn movie. And what cheese are we making him eat first?

[nikgannonphotography]

Sydney Street Files: Starting your journey…

Alright, so you want to get your street photography game up and running. What are some things to consider before getting started.

I’d like to start off with a list of things you should be doing when you start, and some things you shouldn’t do. This is just based on my own personal experience, so leave a comment below if you’d like me to address something else some other time that I may have missed. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Inspiration always has a starting point, but should never have an endpoint

Start by looking at other creators’ work on Instagram, Flickr, and other photo-sharing websites, using hashtags like #streetphotography (fun, right?) and location tags to guide you along the way. This is an easy and simple step to get your creative juices flowing, and you never know what your inspiration point will be.

Never stop looking for inspiration. Take time before and after a shoot to look at your peer’s work. See what you can improve on by looking at your own photos and comparing it to others.

Make sure to compare and critique your work to that of other creators, but don’t discount your progress afterward. Every creative journey takes time, and you can’t expect to improve overnight. Even the most experienced photographers are still learning every single day.

Research, research, research!

Like with all good things in life, content creation takes time. Put in the hard work to advance your skills and your content will improve along the way.

I will link below some of the biggest influences throughout my creative journey. Most of them don’t even specialise in street photography, but I owe a lot to them as they have taught me so much along the way.

Learning from a wide array of creators can build interest in other forms of photography too. Putting in the time to research other forms of media like video and animation content can help you improve your photography, editing, and marketing skills. Lord knows I have struggled with marketing, and I will get into that in a dedicated blog post sometime down the road.

Here are just a few of the creators I owe a lot to:

James Popsys - Awesomely inspiring landscape and travel photography videos and gear content

North Borders - Aussie, car photography, street photography, sick night shots. What more could you want?

Ted Forbes - This man is an encyclopedia for all things photography, and his content is beautifully crafted. He is clearly a student of photography before anything else

Hiroshi Hamaya - A Japense photography legend. His political photographs are incredibly shot and have been in the back of my mind when shooting protests

Bruce Gilden - If anyone is going to teach you about confidence, it’s Bruce Gilden. Realism and confrontation at its finest

Reward yourself through goal setting

Some of the goals that I set for myself on a daily shoot have reaped instant rewards, while others haven’t. Each trip out onto the streets should have one or several goals in mind. Some of my favourite shots were produced on days when I planned out exactly which photos I wanted to capture beforehand.

Below is a plan I set for myself on my notebook, which sits in my pocket all day with a pen so I can scratch each point off one by one. It helps me focus on what I want to achieve, as well as cutting down my editing time. It’s also important to note that I have found a physical notebook is easier to track your goals than apps on your phone. Each time you check your pocket, your notebook is there to help you refocus, but the same can’t be said about the distraction box nearby.

Plan Example One

go to [location]

3 photos focusing on capturing strong white light and dark shadows

3 photos have to include a person interacting with their environment

Plan Example Two

go to 3 different locations

5 photos have to include a person interacting with their environment

5 photos focusing on the architecture of the area

shoot away from the sun and avoid the skyline

Plan Example Three: plan days around social and political events in the areas you love to shoot. Apply your street photography skills to take unique photos of these events

group shots

shots of speakers

shots of protesters with signs

candid and posed photography: these events are great places to ask a person for a photo, because the vibe is usually pretty open and friendly. You will find that people are much more comfortable in this kind of setting so seeing a camera will phase less of your subjects

select images to be in black and white, and others to be in colour. Shoot with this in mind too

These are just a couple of random examples I have thrown together of what you can write in your notebook. Don’t let your plan stop you from taking a photo of something you find interesting, even if it doesn’t align with these goals, because you might end up missing the perfect shot.

Rule the gear, don’t let the gear rule you

Gear is beautiful. We all love cameras, lenses, and accessories. The way a camera looks and how they feel in your hand can influence your photography in a big way, but don’t let gear influence your entire creative journey.

Experimenting with different gear is part of the process, but don’t expect results to come simply because you’ve just purchased the best camera or lens on the market. There are absolutely zero reasons why the camera or phone you have on you now can’t be used to create inspiring content. Aim to study the basics first and grow from there.

At one point I found that my love of gear was holding back my growth as a street and landscape photographer. It affected my progress so much that I downgraded several times to force myself back into good habits. Live within your means and learn the basics before you decide to progress any further, otherwise, the joy of photography may get lost along the way.

Trust me when I say this: the excitement of new tech can wear off very quickly if you don’t put the time in to learn how to use it properly. This takes time, but 20 minutes a day of skills-based learning can do you a world of good in the long term. The brain is a muscle, and you need to exercise it regularly to work yourself up to becoming a good or even great photographer.

If you’re proud of the work you have produced, share it

This blog is a personal project. I am using it to break out of my shell and share some of my proudest photography moments that I have been too nervous to share with the world. Whether these moments are good or bad in another person’s eye, that shouldn’t hold me back from sharing work I have put hours and hours into producing.

Don’t make the same mistakes I have. I went to Japan, took some (subjectively) great photographs, and barely any of the photos have been shared out of fear of the unknown. Anxiety surrounding your work is normal, but don’t let it hold you back from sharing it on social media or your website because you’re afraid of judgment.

[qnewsau]

The colourful world of Kirana Haag

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/the-colourful-world-of-kirana-haag/

The colourful world of Kirana Haag

Whether she’s making art herself or empowering others to create their own, Kirana Haag is having a big impact on Sydney’s art scene.

German-born, Sydney-based artist Kirana Haag knew at an early age that she wanted to live in Australia.

“I remember clearly that when I was ten, I was in geography at school and we had a textbook with a picture of Uluru in it,” she tells QNews.

“The colour was like nothing I’d ever seen and I immediately thought, ‘That’s home.’ I can’t explain it better than to say I had an instant feeling of, ‘I need to live in Australia.’”

It took another 17 years before she got here but her intuition paid off.

Today, Kirana is the owner of her eponymously named business – a venture that sees her produce her own abstract art, take commissions to make bespoke art for clients, and run her very own art school.

“My biggest passions are making art and teaching art,” she says at her premises, a Victorian terrace on Darling Street, Balmain.

Sweeping an arm around the studio, Kirana explains that her art is all about “bold colour fields, expressionism, abstract concepts. I paint experiences. I love when people react to my art with some sort of feeling.”

Many of Kirana’s paintings are on linen (“I love the feeling of linen – it’s so touchable”) but she also produces more traditional canvas works, as well as unconventional mixed media collages.

She uses acrylics, inks, oils and fabrics to create her pieces, which can be viewed at Balmain, as well as her Abbotsford home by appointment and various galleries around Sydney.

In addition to the art she creates during her personal art practice (she produces 20 to 30 works per year, on average) Kirana is very happy to take commissions from clients to produce work within a range of budgets.

“I love doing commission work because it means I can look at the space and tailor the work to it, as well as the client’s wishes,” she says.

“We can see works best for the place, and I can complement the colours which are already in the room.”

Kirana’s European background means she’s very open to working with people who want to furnish their home or offices with art.

“In Europe, it is normal for people to buy original art and hang it in their homes. Like buying a fridge or a car, it’s in the list of the normal household goods,” she says.

“Here, I feel like people often don’t even think about that. It’s not a typical thing to do. It seems like it’s only for the very rich, not the average person.

“It was always a hope of mine that art would become more integrated into Australian society because like poetry, like music, it’s an important part of life. I think that is happening and hope it will continue.”

Kirana is helping to make it happen through her art lessons. She offers one-on-one classes as well as lessons to small groups, and encourages each student to express their emotions through their art.

Art lessons are all the rage right now but unlike the chain art studios where everyone paints the same thing together, Kirana’s method is personalised.

“My approach isn’t a cookie cutter one, where everyone produces the same thing. Even if I’m giving lessons to a group, I encourage each person to do their own thing, and I support them in that,” she says.

“I find everyone has their own style and people are so happy and amazed at what they can create.

“That makes me happy too. It’s a beautiful experience for us both.”

-Kirana Haag is located at 202 Darling Street, Balmain NSW

Website: www.kiranahaag.com Phone: 0448 446 466 Instagram: @kiranahaag Facebook: @kiranahaagtransformationalartist

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

[rubydolly]

YULARA - ULURU KATA TJUTA NATIONAL PARK 2023

I have just returned from a trip to Yulara. My trip was so amazing and the place so special that I felt it deserved a blog post so here it is.

PS - Tumblr have put a new restriction on how many photos you can put in a blog post, so sadly I won't be able to post as many photos in the post as I did my Singapore post, Stupid Tumblr :(

Yulara and Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park is owned by Anangu, the traditional custodians of the land.

DAY ONE Date: 6/11/2023 Weather: Day: 35 Degrees Night: 32 Degrees Humidity: Day: 32% Night: 16% Itinerary: Arrive At Yulara Check Into Hotel - Sails In The Desert Gecko's Cafe

The trip start at Sydney Domestic Airport on the 6th of November, my Mother and I flew from Sydney to Yulara via Jetstar. The flight to Yulara was 3 hours, I would like to give a shoutout to manager Pat and the crew on our flight, all of them were super friendly and lovely to talk to and made the flight a really lovely experience.

Just like Singapore, the minute the plane landed and we stepped off the plane I immediately noticed the heat. Unlike Singapore which is a very humid heat, the heat in Yulara is extremely dry, according to my phone it was 35 degrees and the humidity was 32%. Apart from the heat, the other thing I noticed was the bright red sand and dust, letting me know that I was indeed in the Red Centre. We got our luggage and then got on to the Hop On Hop Off bus to our hotel in the Ayer's Rock Resort complex, we were staying at Sails In The Desert. I want to take a moment here to say that the rock is NOT!!! Called Ayer's Rock it's called Uluru, it used to be called Ayer's Rock however that name was changed to Uluru in 2002, I'll explain why at the bottom of this post but just remember to call it Uluru and not Ayer's Rock as the local Anangu do not appreciate people referring to the rock by its old name. The resort complex however is called "Ayer's Rock Resort"

Arriving At Yulara

Mum and I checked into our hotel and by that point we were both starving so we decided to have lunch by the pool, I had Mushroom Gnocchi and my Mum had the Ancient Grains Salad. The gnocchi was delicious!!! I almost licked my plate clean it was so good.

Mushroom Gnocchi

After lunch we both had a nice long dip in the pool, which was so refreshing as it was so incredibly hot outside.

Ready For A Dip In The Pool

That night we both went down to Gecko's Cafe which is located in the Town Square for dinner, I had a chicken schnitzel and Mum had a vegetarian pizza. I forgot to take photos of our dinner as I was so tired by that point, sorry about that.

Going Out For Dinner

COSTS Lunch: $32.00 Dinner: $26.00

DAY TWO Date: 7/11/2023 Weather: Day: 32 Degrees Night: 21 Degrees Humidity: Day: 15% Night: 18% Itinerary: Uluru

Day two was all about what we had travelled all the way to Yulara for, seeing Uluru. We started our day nice and early, so that we could do the 10 kilometre base walk around Uluru. If you are planning on doing the base walk, it is important that you go either early morning at sunrise or sunset, it is not safe to do it in the middle of the day as it gets extremely hot and there is no shade. Also make sure you pack plenty of water and Gatorade as well as wear appropriate clothing (information on appropriate clothing in "Tips") to avoid dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

We got on the Hop On Hop Off bus at 7:00AM and arrived at Uluru in 25 minutes, note that Uluru is inside Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park and you need a ticket to enter the park, you can buy a ticket online or you can do what we did which is go to to the Town Square and buy a ticket at the tourist office.

When we arrived at Uluru, I was at a loss for words, the rock is huge and just feels so magical. They say the rock changes colour throughout the day and I can confirm that is 100% true, I could see Uluru as we entered the park by the bus and it looked purple but by the time we actually arrived at the rock it was bright orange.

Uluru

As we embarked on our walk, admiring the monolith, we came across some signs which told a story about an event that took place here thousands of years ago, I would share the photos but thanks to Tumblr's stupid 30 photos per post limit I can't so I will type out the story for you.

"In the beginning, the Mala people came from the north and could see this rock. They thought it looked like a good place to stay a while and make inma (ceremony). The Mala men decorated and raised Ngaltawata, the ceremonial pole. The inma had now begun.

The Mala people began to busily prepare for their ceremonies. The women gathered and prepared food for everyone. They stored nyuma (seed cakes) in their caves. The men went out hunting. They made fires and fixed their tools and weapons.

In the middle of preparations, two Wintalka men approached from the west. They invited the Mala people to attend their inma. The Mala people said no, explaining their ceremony had begun and could not be stopped.

The Disappointed Wintalka men went back and told their people. Enraged, they created an evil spirit - a huge devil - dog called Kurpany to destroy the Mala inma.

As Kurpany travelled towards the Mala people he changed into many forms. He was a mamu, a ghost. Luunpa the kingfisher woman was the first to spot him. She warned the Mala people but they didn't listen.

Kurpany arrived and attacked and killed some of the men. In great fear and confusion the remaining Mala people fled down into South Australia with Kurpany chasing them. The story continues down south.

These ancestors are still here today. Luunpa still keeps watch, but she is now a large rock. Kurpany's footprints are imprinted into the rock leading towards the east and south. The men who were killed are still in their cave.

This story teaches that it is important to finish what you start and that you should watch for and listen to warnings of danger."

There are certain parts of Uluru that you cannot photograph, these places are clearly marked with signs asking that you not take photographs, this is around the north - east face of Uluru. The reason for this is that the rock details and features at these sites are equivalent to sacred scripture for the Anangu - they describe culturally important information that should only be viewed in their original location and by specific people.

Throughout the walk, there are emergency phones and seats with wooden shelters over them should you become ill or injured and require help. About 9 km's into the walk, I began to suffer from heat exhaustion, luckily for me it was only very mild and I recovered quickly and was able to finish the walk but do be mindful that heat exhaustion is a possibility on this walk.

Me Towards The End Of The 10km Base Walk

Once we had completed the walk, we got the bus back to our hotel, we both had a much needed swim before we had lunch, we ate by the pool again and i had the mushroom gnocchi again.

That night, we were booked to go and see the Field Of Lights, however a huge wind storm picked up and all of the outdoor night tours including the Field Of Lights got cancelled. We decided to instead have a buffet dinner at out restaurant, Sails In The Desert has a buffet dinner every night, it costs $89.00 per person. It was the best buffet I have ever seen!!! such a great variety and everything was delicious, I had hokkien noodles, arrabiata, truffled cauliflower and garlic and rosemary focaccia. They also had a desert station with a huge chocolate fountain!!! I had ice cream and chocolate and two small slices of chocolate cake.

Dressed And Ready For The Field Of Lights

The Amazing Buffet Dinner

COSTS Uluru Kata Tjura National Park Pass: $38.00 Lunch: $32.00 Dinner: $89.00

DAY THREE Date: 8/11/2023 Weather: Day: 32 Degrees Night: 20 Degrees Humidity: Day: 19% Night: 12% Itinerary: Bush Yarn Gallery Of Central Australia Mangata Field Of Lights

The next day we decided to go into the Town Square and attend the 10:00AM Bush Yarn where an Anangu man explained the use and production of tools used by Anangu men. The tools we were introduced to were

Kali - The Kali is what the Anangu call a boomerang, unlike other boomerangs, the kali does not return when thrown. it is used for hunting.

Miru (Spear Thrower) - The Miru is a mulipurpose tool, it is used for hunting, making fires, spear sharpening, mixing ochre and digging.

Kulata (Spear) - Used for hunting.

Kali & Two Miru

Kulata

After listening to the Bush Yarn, we got on the Hop On Hop Off bus and went and checked out all of the other hotels, there are 5 hotels within Ayer's Rock Resort and a campground. - Desert Gardens - Emu Walk Apartments - The Lost Camel Hotel - Sails In The Desert - Outback Hotel & Lodge

When we got to the Desert Gardens Hotel, we discovered the Gallery Of Central Australia (GOCA), a small art gallery which showcases absolutely beautiful works of art by local Indigenous artists. In the middle of the gallery, were two Indigenous women working on beautiful paintings. You can buy some of the artworks and there is also a little gift shop selling paintings, cards, bags and more. I desperately wanted to buy one of the artworks, I bought a card instead and put it in a beautiful frame.

A Card I Bought & Framed From GOCA

After a tour of the complex, we went back to our hotel for lunch and a swim, i of course had Mushroom Gnocchi!!!

That night, we were booked in to the Field Of Lights which had been cancelled the previous night. The bus picks you up at 8:00PM so we went and had an early dinner beforehand. We went to the Desert Gardens Hotel and ate in their restaurant Mangata, Mum had poached chicken and vegetables and I had spaghetti bolognaise, both of our meals were delicious.

Spaghetti Bolognaise At Mangata

After dinner, the AAT King bus picked us up from our hotel and took us out to the Field Of Lights. The Field Of Lights is a solar powered light installation created by Bruce Monro with more than 300,000 lights covering a vast space of more than seven football fields. This phenomenal installation took over 2,000 hours to design and build in the United Kingdom and then another 3,900 hours to assemble on the site near Uluru. The exhibition first exhibited on the 1st of April 2016 and was scheduled to finish on the 31st of March 2018, however the installation is now permanent thanks to its immense popularity.

Field Of Lights

COSTS Lunch: $32.00 Dinner: $29.00 Field Of Lights: $46.00

DAY FOUR Date: 9/11/2023 Weather: Day: 33 Degrees Night: 20 Degrees Humidity: Day: 17% Night: 19% Itinerary: Didgeridoo Workshop

We really didn't do much on our fourth day, we mostly spent the day by the pool just relaxing as we hadn't had much of a chance to do that since arriving at Yulara.

At 11:00AM we went too the Akari theatre outside GOCA and the Didgeridoo workshop, while many people call this instrument a Didgeridoo, Didgeridoo is actually the rhythm produced by playing the instrument, the instruments actual name is Udarki. The man who played the Udarki explained the skilled and proper way to play a Udarki, it is not something you can just pick up and blow into anymore than you can just pick up a guitar and start strumming away, it takes practice and skill to be able to correctly play it. During the demo, Udarkis are handed out to the audience to have a go, however only men are given one as women do not play the Udarki and it is culturally insensitive for women to do so.

COSTS Lunch: $19.50 Dinner: $32.00

DAY FIVE Date: 10/11/2023 Weather: Day: 33 Degrees Night: 20 Degrees Humidity: Day: 12% Night: 19% Itinerary: Paint Your Own Australian Animal Desert Awakenings

Like the previous day, we didn't really do much throughout the day besides swim in the hotel pool, although I did take part in a Paint Your Own Australian Animal workshop in my hotel in which you get given a wooden animal that you paint as well as a guide on Indigenous markings and what they mean. We had also booked to do the Desert Awakenings tour that evening.

My Paintings, The Marking On The Lizard Means Travelling And The Markings On The Platypus Means 2 Women

In the late afternoon, the AAT King bus came and picked us up from our hotel and took us out to Kata Tjuta, the ride there took 37 minutes. Along the way, we stopped off at the Kata Tjuta Sunset Viewing Platform, where we were able to see both Uluru and Kata Tjuta and get some photos, we then got back on the bus and headed to Kata Tjuta.

Mum And I At The Kata Tjuta Sunset Viewing Platform

We arrived at Kata Tjuta and had drinks and canopies whilst sitting and watching the sun set over Kata Tjuta, it was a truly spectacular site. We stayed for an hour, watching Kata Tjuta change from orange to brown to purple, before getting back onto the bus, on the bus ride home, Mum and I were sitting at the front of the bus and were lucky enough to see two King Brown Snakes slithering across the road, I was absolutely stoked as I'm a snake lover.

Kata Tjuta Changing Colours As The Sun Sets

We got back to our hotel and had dinner in the restaurant, I got my final bowl of mushroom gnocchi, and then we went back to our room and began the depressing task of packing up our stuff, ready to leave the next day.

COSTS Lunch: $19.50 Desert Awakenings Tour: $160.00 Dinner: $32.00

TIPS

If you are doing the 10km base walk of Uluru, make sure to wear a hat, a lightweight shirt with sleeves that cover your arms, sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes, avoid wearing black clothing as this will absorb heat.

If you are doing the 10km base walk of Uluru, make sure to pack plenty of water and Gatorade, dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke can occur very easily out here and be dangerous.

Climbing Uluru was banned in 2019 so you cannot climb Uluru, instead admire its beauty from the ground.

Due to its remote location and high overheads, EVERYTHING!!!! is expensive, food, souvenirs, tours and basic necessities like sunscreen and tissues, try to take as much of your own stuff as possible and if you're staying somewhere with kitchen facilities, there is an IGA so preparing your own food is an option for cutting down on costs.

The Sun is harsh and extreme, be sure to consistently keep up with sunscreen application and wear a hat. When possible wear long sleeves and long pants/dresses/skirts, the less sun on your skin the better

The Hop On Hop Off Bus is free and operates every 20 minutes, making a stop at every accomodation.

CULTURAL INFORMATION AND SENSITIVITIES

Ensure you have permission before photographing any of the Anangu.

Whilst some Anangu may give you permission to take a photo, you must NEVER!!! film them

Do not photograph or enter any sacred sites.

Anangu greet each other by saying "palya" a word which can also mean welcome, thank you, understood, ok and goodbye.

Do not refer to Uluru as Ayer's Rock or Kata Tjuta as The Olgas.

The Anangu honour their dead by not speaking their names or looking at their pictures, it is believed that doing so will recall and disturb the spirit.

HISTORY OF ULURU KATA TJUTA NATIONAL PARK The mesmerising monolith known as Uluru was created over 600 million years ago. While Indigenous Australians date back 60,000 years, the Anangu have lived in the area and used Uluru and Kata Tjuta for sacred ceremonies and rites of passage for the last 10,000 years. The caves and crevices of the monolith contain many sacred areas and ancient rock paintings. Before European invasion which took place in 1770, Indigenous Australians spoke an estimated 700 dialects. Today, only 20 - 50 languages remain and are spoken by children. Anangu mainly speak Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, although some speak up to six of the Aboriginal languages.

In 1873, William Gosse went on a three month journey from Alice Springs through the desert, which brought him to Uluru, he was the first non Indigenous person to see Uluru and so he named it "Ayer's Rock" after Sir Henry Ayers, the Chief Secretary of South Australia at the time. On October 26th, 1985. Kata Tjuta, was discovered by a non Indigenous person for the first time in 1872 by Ernest Giles. Upon his discovery, Ernest named the collection of mountains "Mount Olga" after Queen Olga of Wurttemberg.

In the 1930's more explorers began arriving and by the 1940's the first graded road was laid. Tourism to the area officially began in the 1950's and over the next few decades, tourism operators started tours, roads were built as well as a small airport.

the Australian government finally returned ownership of the area and the national park back over to its rightful owners the Anangu on the 26th of October 1985. In 2002, the a few name changes were enacted in order to show respect to and acknowledge the Anangu as the traditional owners of the land, Ayer's Rock was changed to Uluru, The Olgas was changed to Kata Tjuta and Ayer's Rock Mount Olga National Park was changed to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. The Anangu people do not appreciate people calling Uluru "Ayer's Rock" or Kata Tjuta "The Olga's" as these names were a result of European colonisation and were imposed on a section of Aboriginal country. For this reason, you should always refer to the rock as Uluru and the mountains as Kata Tjuta.