#brno moment

[batsplat]

just so you know bc I don’t think enough people tell you this but every time I check your blog (a bit compulsively at this point? your compilations and opinions are very enlightening on the general psychology of those crazy motherfuckers and also the uhhhhhhhh other part) and see that you answered another ask I honestly break into the hugest grin and settle down at the next given opportunity to read the newest batssay (batsplat essay) like it’s an academic paper (it is to us sports scholars, I believe)… please never feel the need to cut short your thoughts on any subject. the longer the better! connect all the dots, bat! we are listening!!

thank youuuuu this is so sweet, I know this ask is a little older but trust whenever I get something kind in my inbox I very much read and appreciate it and it very much makes my day. and I love the term batssay. a lot

so I thought it'd be fun to do a follow up post to the casey/jorge/valentino one where I just dumped a bunch of photos with a wee bit of context... for the culture, y'know. and I'm doing this with just casey/valentino, mostly for 2007-09 but with one 2005 photo chucked in as. build-up. for flavour

we know from the #archives that the two of them did have like. a reasonably warm dynamic pre-casey's motogp debut. they'd talked... also at least one race where casey shows up to valentino's podium and chats to vale's crew chief and fellow aussie jb... I think about it often. what did it all mean

casey's first win!!! qatar 2007, very first race with ducati. he'd gotten very close to a win before - in his third ever premier class race at turkey, lost at the final chicane. casey's goals going into that first season with ducat had just been winning a few races... he notes that valentino congratulates him warmly, but reckons it's just because valentino didn't take him seriously as a threat, which. I don't think that quite stacks up with supplementary evidence from the time, but we'll allow it

one of my fave photos for a reason, idc it's sweet. I was trying to figure out when this photo was from through like, normal means of reverse image search, but then instead I had a horrifying moment of 'oh yeah I'm pretty sure I remember that specific presser backdrop is at mugello that year' and. I was right. which. god. anyway yeah mugello 2007 pre-event presser. by this point casey was 21 points clear in the championship standings

more mugello 2007!!! look at casey constantly sipping from his lil cup. this will have been after qualifying, where casey snagged pole. I'd forgotten valentino actually makes front row in qualifying because he makes a typically horrendous start. I'd also forgotten that this race is like. proper good. one of the best that year. slows down eventually but the first ten or so laps are some of the most exciting of the entire alien era

catalunya 2007, which unfortunately I also dated solely through the presser backdrop. idk I just like the vibes of this photo. anyway!! this race is ofc the one where casey won an all timer late race duel against valentino (+ dani). it is after this race that valentino said casey was, and I quote "riding like a god". a seminal moment

the championship is already extremely over by the time they get to estoril, but casey still needs to formally wrap it up: this is his first match point race. depicted here is valentino getting one of his few Ws that season. an account of this event: “valentino was playing table football in the yamaha hospitality and somebody spotted casey outside. so they invited him for a challenge. it was all good fun”

motegi 2007. valentino had managed to put off the inevitable the race before and temporarily stopped casey from sealing the title, taking his last win of the season (cool duel with dani in that one). but motegi... well honestly it's just a bit of a flop all round, nobody's bike is working the way they want it to, casey seals the title with his worst result all season of a sixth place (the horror) and in his autobiography he was kinda like 'well I was very happy but also. meh race' (I paraphrase). but really, who cares, he had his title

bit of a time skip!! after both of them have put their sketch early 2008's behind them, the pair of them had a proper fun fight at catalunya for p2. a continuation of the battle the year before with valentino once again coming from lower down the field, this time he gets the better of casey. still, things are finally looking up at ducati... and the post-catalunya test might be enough to put casey right back in title contention. the above photo is from donington, where casey confirms the progress ducati made by winning his first race of the season after the opener in qatar

still donington, both of them watching each other etc etc. valentino is in a much better place than the year before, given both casey's rough start to the season and how they're both now on the same tyres. but it's not a good sign if casey's hitting his stride... at assen, valentino makes his one mistake of the year and crashes on the first lap, remounting to finish eleventh (he still beats casey's teammate melandri). this puts dani in the championship lead - and with casey's second win in a row, he is now very much closing in

look at them chatting here!! cute imo. this is casey's third win in a row, at the rainy sachsenring. dani crashes out from a few miles in the lead - while casey had stayed sensible and brings it home for a pretty straightforward victory. valentino needed to fight his way through from further down the field and in the end he loses too much time to put any serious pressure on casey, but it's still damage limitation and he retakes the championship lead from dani (who will miss the next race due to an injury sustained in the crash). and yet, momentum really is firmly on casey's side now... and the rest of the calendar does looks like pretty casey-friendly territory. next up, they're headed to a race track where casey had won very comfortably the year before. would he seal his fourth consecutive win at laguna?

now with my sincere apologies to casey stoner, every photo that came out of laguna 2008 is objectively pretty funny. I have limited myself to a mere two podium photos, but lbr there's a full collection. casey had already rejected valentino's handshake in parc fermé - which some might have taken as a social cue to give him some space. whereas valentino, local dickhead, just will not stop yapping at casey on the podium. this is quite possibly as genuinely delighted as he gets after a race, and it's simply a beautiful contrast with casey who is not quite rude enough to actually tell valentino to shut the fuck up - but may be fantasising about pushing valentino off the podium. this, to me. is art

gather around body language experts, we need to have a conversation. this is at the pre-event presser of the race immediately after laguna, aka brno. by this point, casey's less than flattering remarks about valentino's riding at laguna had already been distributed near and far... everyone's been talking about them, people have Opinions. the captions for these photos are all something along the lines of 'stoner extends olive branch to rossi to apologise for his post-race comments after losing laguna'. now, I don't know if he literally is apologising in these actual photos - though of course he did publicly walk back his comments, saying all riders can react badly to losses and that he'd overreacted when he'd said he'd lost respect for valentino. he has since walked back his walking back, doubling down on his criticisms of valentino's comportment at laguna

still, for all the talk that the feud properly started after laguna, it's kind of fun to have the presser immediately after it showing... well, it does look like casey is actively engaging valentino in conversation, right? whether he's apologising or not - this isn't just valentino yapping at him, if anything it's the reverse. laguna had been right before the summer break, so casey had been given a month to cool off... and also be viciously criticised by the press. brutal, isn't it? it's not just the loss that sucks, it's also being excoriated by the press and fans for having the audacity to get mad over it. is all of this just him being forced into pretending to play nice to get the press to leave him alone? were there any genuine regrets over his laguna comments? what ARE the vibes between them like at this time? what story do these photos tell us

casey went on to crash out of this race from the lead, the first time he had done so in the premier class and his first dnf with ducati after their one and a half seasons together. when he crashed, he'd had a fairly comfortable lead over valentino - though valentino was steadily closing in, and the commentators were already rubbing their hands in anticipation of another laguna

the next race is at misano - and casey is struggling with an old hand injury, see the bandages in the photo. the previous year had been the first time valentino had gotten the chance to race at this circuit, so close to his home... but he'd suffered a mechanical dnf, not his first or last in a frustrating season. this year, everything is different - and casey once again crashes out of the lead as valentino takes victory in front of his worshipful home fans

another trip to america, this time for indy: their first time racing at the track. after the double whammy of brno and misano, casey's title charge is essentially over... but you never know, right? indy kinda gives off the vibe of being a good casey track

in the end, the race is extremely wet and very, very windy and is eventually red-flagged. because of how many laps they still have to go, it is initially unclear whether they would restart... at which point first valentino (who was leading), then casey (in fourth) go to dorna ceo ezpeleta to tell him they have less than zero interest in going out in that weather again. a beautiful moment of solidarity - long live the power of unionising, capable of overcoming even the bitterest of feuds. blast the internationale over the footage, I've seen enough. the race is called off and valentino wins his fourth consecutive race

by the time they get to phillip island, valentino has already won the title, courtesy of his fifth consecutive win at motegi - the same circuit casey had won the title at the year before and the home race of valentino's old enemies at honda. a couple of nice photos of jorge congratulating his teammate and casey spraying vale with champagne here. casey, known phillip island goat, would of course finally end valentino's win streak at that circuit, which is where the photos are from. idk they're fun to me, like this is still not that long after laguna. I'm aware being able to chat normally with your coworkers and share a smile with them isn't normally that high a bar, but canonically valentino has been known to completely blank some of his rivals. it's not like casey is particularly cold towards valentino either, eh

case in point. this is from sepang 2008. #TheEstablishment does not want you to know casey and valentino canonically still regularly yapped in pressers post laguna. they won't silence me. sepang was valentino's last win of this season, after a good scrap with dani - and the season is rounded off with a casey victory at valencia

jerez 2009, where valentino gets past casey with a block pass at the final corner on his way to victory. unlike in 2005, he actually manages to not barrel into his rival. this is just a fantastic photo... I don't even have much to say about it. a+ vibes

a lot of the photos from this season were already included in the jorge/valentino/casey post, which reflects how casey wasn't consistently a factor in the same way the other two were. this one's from assen, the race right after catalunya when all three of them were tied on 106 points. very good side eye here, excellent job casey. unfortunately, casey is now in mystery illness territory - and he can't really compete with the two frontrunners in this stretch of the season

this is the first race after casey's return to competition - valentino goes up to casey after qualifying at estoril to congratulate him for his front row grid position. casey would win an early race scrap with valentino in the race itself, eventually finishing second behind jorge and swiftly silencing all the people who had declared him mentally weak and done for in his absence. a race that brought back suspense to that year's championship

phillip island 2009, another important moment in the canon where I've limited myself to just the one photo. casey wins just his second race back - and he also hugs vale pretty warmly in parc fermé. jorge was kind enough to crash in the opening lap, meaning valentino can very much be pleased with a second place here

and at sepang, valentino seals the title, while casey wins another race. casey ended up crashing in the warm-up lap of valencia, apparently due to an issue with the tyre warming? just kinda... the general vibe of his 2009, really. valentino closes off the season with another podium at his least favourite track, while dani takes the win

anyway after that they spent three years getting into increasingly. dumb arguments. like. so dumb. by the end of 2012 you feel you're killing your brain cells by even engaging with this stuff. it's beyond undignified. there's zero competitive justification, but they just couldn't shut up about each other. that being said, they're still capable of doing a small talk with each other even during the dark years, so that's something. maybe one day they'll finally be able to get that dinner and talk about all the good times

[leona-florianova]

Today when walking home through the still shiny from rain and quiet night city, I have encountered three party trams. They were absurdly overpacked with people, who sung and danced to a very loud music, while strobe lights shone through the windows. When passing the third tram, it stopped at the red light, and while the machine itself wasnt moving forward, it still bounced slightly to the rhytm and I could hear the squeaking of metal on metal. Suddenly a big cloud of smoke wafted out of the accordion like midsection and for a second I thought, that something broke in the mechanisms and caught fire, but it was just all the weed smoke finally finding a way out. Even after the tram was gone, the weed smell and smoke lingered a while. 

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Good Omens meeting in Prague 31.5. - 2.6.2024

Thank you so much @cliopadra and others for making this weekend such a joyful experience! 🥰

31.5. Friday

I've travelled from Brno to Prague by train with three other czech GO fans I hadn't met before but we booked 4 seats around the same table so we could had a nice chat on the way to Prague. I've learned that Brno is too damn small since there is a university faculty and people connecting us all. :D <3

The meeting at the evening meeting all others (there was cca 40 of us) was at Andělský Pivovar restaurant in Prague (which could be translated as Angel Brewery :)) I was absolutely ngked by the wonderful bags cliopadra made us with a 'feather pen', their stickers and a small black booklet which each had a different front (with quotes and motives from Good Omens), I chose To The World :) 😊 and also and further during the weekend I got more gifts from fellow fans, NGK, thank you!

1.6. Saturday

We were supposed to have a picnic this day on Petřín (a hill in Prague) but some demon was messing too much with the rainy weather so we had an indoor picnic :). There was so much food since everybody brought something! :D <3 I wish I had bigger stomach to try it all :D. The wings gingerbread were amazing and I felt like at Christmas :) <3.

2.6. Sunday

We had a walk through the Prague centre themed about angels and demons and the final lunch. The funniest moment was when we went to St. Nicolaus church and I am admiring the frescos and ceiling and I hear laughing so I look at my right and our cosplay Crowley is surreptitiously hopping on one leg. All of us started laughing so rather we left the church :D <3.

During the weekend we also send the black booklets clio gave us around so people could leave a message. These are in mine. Also I asked Clio to draw me Izzy from OFMD which they did absolutely perfectly, I am in love with it! (thank you Clio! :) <3) (I asked if they can doodle me Izzy and they asked, 'What is your favourite ship?' and I said, 'Just Izzy and happiness.' :D <3)

I am still half ded and my social battery is empty but it was wonderful to meet all of you! ❤🥰

[octuscle]

Blonde by FaceTime

Alec has always had a bit of a crush on his friend Van. Actually, ever since they played together in the sandbox. But even then, Alec was the little chubby one. And Van the sweet heartbreaker. Van went through the usual stages to captain of the football team of an alpha career. And now he had his MBA cum laude and was about to embark on a stellar career.

Just to be close to Van, Alec had also studied business. At the same college. Although with his grades, he could have gone to a much better college. And even though he had always wanted to study medicine to become a pediatrician. And now it was all for nothing. Van had moved to Chicago a week ago to become a product manager for an online platform. And Alec had gotten an offer to go to work for an engineering company from their hometown to their branch in the Czech Republic. Alec had paid a high price for his hidden, never-expressed love. Getting a great georgraphic distance from Van now was probably the best solution.

Even now, when Van had become almost unattainable, Alec held on to him. He had gotten a deer, Van's nickname since childhood for some reason, inked on his forearm. And he started running to get closer to his own ideal, Van's athletic body. Today was the first fun run he participated in. He had already lost a few pounds. He was proud of that. So he had a colleague take a picture of himself and sent the Van "Miss you pal" was the caption.

Almost immediately his phone rang. Facetime video call from Van.

"Hi bro, damn you look good! How's life over in old Europe? It's still the middle of the night here, I was just getting in a quick work out before work."

Van turned the view and showed a picture of himself from the mirror. Alec had to swallow and got a dry throat. He didn't know what he was doing. The devil was riding him. So an "I love you" came out of his mouth.

For a second there was silence. "Dude, you better keep your massive cock under control. I would never be able to tame your monster" Van replied laughing. Alec laughed along with him. He was relieved that Van had taken it that way. Yes, the dick comparison had been the only contest with Van in which he had regularly won.

"Hehehehe, it's tough with all the hot studs here at the start."

Indeed, the bulge in his tight running shorts was scary. Many participants in the run, as well as spectators, had already been staring at him and whispering.

"That's what I think, bro! Is your stay successful then? What is the news on the market of nutritional supplements? Can't wait for you to bring back some cool new stuff."

Arec talked a bit about the fitness trade show here in Brno. In fact, there were a few things he wanted to include in the lineup of his fitness startup. He could use a little breath of fresh air for his business. True, he was a genius when it came to marketing and app development. And in theory, he knew everything about crossfitting and bodybuilding. But he just didn't have the body to make it believable. Fortunately, Van was regularly available as a model. When he posted something on Instagram, his sales went straight up.

Van replied that he had seen videos from the show on YouTube. "Dude, you did great on stage. Arac laughed and held the phone so that you could see as much of his biceps as possible. "Bruh, it was just a spontaneous idea. Several people had approached me. Actually, I don't feel in shape for competitions at all" "Honey, I don't think you need to be fishing for compliments right now. Come on, make your tits dance for me!" Arac didn't have to be asked twice. He loved this. The moment when Van had shown him how to do it was just awesome. Today his pecs were almost bigger than his friend's. A few people around him applauded. He had almost forgotten about the conversation with Van that he was standing in the middle of the fair among all the other visitors.

"Did you read the comments on your performance. They called you 'the blond angel'. Suits me, bro." Arac stroked his hair. He loved his blond hair. He had been blond since he was a kid, unlike Van. In pictures of the two of them from kindergarten, Van had always been the one with the darker hair. Today there was hardly any difference between the two.

"Bro, did you write down what all you are supposed to bring. I mean, we both know you can't remember anything with that birdbrain stuck in that hot skull of yours."

"Bruh, i may not b as smart as u, but i can still read ur emails" Arad laughed boomingly. A few guests at the fair took pictures of him. As best he could while talking on the phone, Arad did them the favor and struck a few poses. In his head, he frantically went over what all his duties here were. Fuck, he just forgot everything. And a few tasks, if he had to be honest, he didn't understand at all. He'd graduated from college with difficulty and on an athletic scholarship. He was glad he had Van as a mentor, Van had always been the smart one of the two. "Fuck, bruh! day all speak czech or german here. N english with uh nasty accent. I'm really lost here without uh brain like you!" "Goldilocks, you should have used your head for something other than growing a Viking mane for the last few years." Van laughed. "Don't worry about it, as long as you come back safe and sound!" "Wait uh minute, deer! I've got some selfies to take right now." A couple of the local bodybuilders and a bunch of chicks had already lined up. Arad let them take their selfies with him and turned back to Van.

"Deer, I miss you! When will I see you again?" "Dumbass, I'm already in the locker room. I'll be on the training floor in a minute. Did you clean up and tidy the gym properly? It would be cool if you could at least get this job done."

Brad looked around. Yes, he had carefully worked through the piece of paper with his work instructions. Damn, there sure were a lot of things he had to do in the morning before the Gym opened. He had already secretly let Van in before he officially opened the doors right away. On the one hand, Van could work out before the others, and on the other hand, he had someone to check if he had done everything right. Brad wanted to do this job well. Van earned enough for the two of them, but he didn't always want to be just the decorative accessory. Oh what was he kidding himself. He had turned Van into a fellow who was almost as hot as Brad himself. And now he was making sure they both ate the right diet, that the apartment was tidy. And that Van got to work out before the others. He looked around him. All set, he could open the doors. The door opened and Van came out of the locker rooms grinning.

"Honey, you already know you're not allowed to work bare-chested" "Hehehe, it's not just me who would be happier with that." Van laughed and threw him the T-shirt with the club logo. Before putting it on, Brad gave Van a passionate kiss. Something he had to do now…. Right, unlock the door and let in the members who were waiting outside.He was so glad he had Van.

[artofalassa]

About the radio silence - Animefest, Brno

Hi, friends!

Just wanted to let you know that I've been and will be sort of quiet for a moment still. All the storyboarding jobs and cms aside, I've been preparing for my most important convention of the year.

Animefest in Brno!

Doing all sorts of merch - pins, totes, wooden charms, some stickers and such. Which consumes tons of time, because beside the designing, it also means I have to attach the colourful strings to the charms, design the backing cards for pins and pack the pins when they arrive and all this fun.

We also did some minor updates to our table, new banner, new displays...

And I was also doing some minor updates to my costumes. Cloud especially. Making a whole new wig for him. OOF. Half way through now I suppose. I'll see if I have any spare time and energy to update some stuff on Vash too. We'll see. <3

By the way...

THE VASHWOOD PINS

I've sent out all of the preordered pins and they're slowly starting to arrive to their homes! I'm delighted!

After Animefest, I should be able to continue drawing WWL/TDDU again.

Thank you for your patience! <3

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

Thanks to @realreulbbrband my vibes for drawing got somewhat resurrected so I did a little catified redraw of my fav moment in Cats Brno which is the Italian Aria

[serve-cunt]

absolutely no fucking notes on the new piece, it’s PERFECT (also insane nod to brno bc how funny that things still turned out that way) but… okay this will make me sound like the worlds worst person ever bc im doing this to a 19 year old but i imagined for a moment the same situation set a year prior… it would change a little of the dynamic, considering, obviously, but qatar 2013 strikes a note that is decidedly post-fuck and it only gets worse from there and it’s clear marc will move into the motogp class by mid-2012 anyway so who’s to blame vale and uccio for doing scout work on vale’s supposed “friend”… due diligence and all that, preparation for the new year, they’re just checking on the competition early (marc won brno in 2012 too so that’s just…)

hi anon it's just that you are ACtually a genius and this is a fic I need to have read, uhhh ,, YESTERDAY?? it's the only fic I want in my life now?????? I would read or listen to any more thoughts you have on this subject bc this dynamic w / 19 yr old marc is both sooOooo toxic & horrible etc but um. unfortunately also terribly compelling!!!!!! sepang 2012 in a drivers caravan (?) frustrated!marc sweet!vale ummm HELLOOO ?? THINKING THOUGHTS

[adridoesstuff]

So all I've seen of Czech Elisabeth is what you've posted, but - thoughts/notes on Smrt's and the angels' costumes?

I'm always here to talk about the Smrt and angel costumes because oh my god, do I love them.

(More under the cut)

Smrt and his angels are designed to look very birdlike, specifically like carrion crows/ravens, who are frequently associated as symbols/bringers of death. The choice to really lean into the bird-inspired costumes was especially smart when combined with the Czech translated lyrics, which really leaned into the bird-associated symbolism in the text.

I must confess that when I first saw the production photos, I didn't like the costumes. I think it might have been because I already had the association formed that Tod in a pleather costume is not a good choice. However, what really made me love the costumes is when I saw them onstage and saw them in movement. I don't know what kind of weird pleather the costume workshop used, but despite obviously being pleather, it had such beautiful light movement on both Smrt and the angels and flowed so beautifully every time they moved.

The angels all wear long coats with hoods, one of their sleeves is close fitting and covered in little "feathers" and the other is made to look like a wing. The wings, aside from creating gorgeous movement, were also used to create Rudolf's grave during Totenklage, which was an absolutely genius move.

(Two of the angel dancers with Jan Kříž as Smrt)

Smrt is given a different costume to clearly differentiate him as the leader of the flock/not an angel himself. And I honestly think his costume is ICONIC. He wears a pretty standard undercostume of pants with knee high boots and a vest, but I like that instead of buttoning straight down the front, Smrt's vest buttons diagonally. Which is a tiny detail, but it shows that Smrt is not a human.

And then, there is that absolutely EPIC coat. The coat is pretty simple at first glance, but just the way it's patterned and cut is very interesting, since the front is cut a bit shorter so the Smrt actors don't step on it, but the back pieces are kept longer to have more movement in the garment. And the back was given triangular gores in the "skirt" of the coat for even more movement.

And of course, instead of the wing sleeves, Smrt has a feathered shoulderpiece made out of various types of feathers, most prominently rooster feathers, which throw subtle green and blue reflections under the stage lights. Once again, I have to mention the movement, because those feathers at moments seemed to live a life of their own, almost ruffling themselves up with the movement.

Also, you might have noticed I talked about the coat and vest, but not a shirt and that is because Smrt just doesn't wear one. Which is just a detail that is so subtle, but when you know about it, it is just one more of those details that just show that Smrt is not a human. And if you need proof that there indeed isn't a shirt (and this is an excuse for me to include one of my favorite silly pictures of Pavel Režný as Smrt):

And of course, the makeup deserves a mention, because once again, it's ICONIC. Both Smrt and the angels wear a bold black eyepaint, with the angels sporting a more graphic liner look alongside black lipstick and Smrt having a more simple, but varied look through the production's 4 year run.

And what I think speaks to the greatness of the costumes is that the actors themselves were fond of wearing them. Pavel Režný in particular seemed very fond of his Smrt costume and makeup, doing the pre-show soundchecks in almost full costume and with the eyepaint, donning the full Smrt costume and makeup for concerts only to have to immediately take the full thing off and after the production derniere in Brno evidently not taking the Smrt makeup off until he returned home in the middle of the night.

Pavel Režný also went through multiple hairstyle changes through his run as Smrt, since he had to grow his hair out for Jesus Christ Superstar. So, after the derniere, we got a full on Jesus!Smrt moment for an offstage event. Tbh, I wish we had gotten this more flowy hairstyle on Smrt onstage while the show ran, because it is a look tbh:

Hope I didn't make this one too long and overwhelming, but I just love this production so damn much and feel free to ask more about it!

[batsplat]

I just watched Brno 2005 because of your race notes post and I have to say sete seems like a yapper. The entire race the commentators are breaking down all the quotes he gave them about how he was approaching this race, where he was gonna pass, how he set up his bike for a specific section, like if they are to be believed sete was giving the game away for free?? Which funny as hell but maybe didn’t him help in his attempts to win races???

dude, he's so funny. I've mostly been sticking to an editorial line that makes sete come across as a serious operator for #agenda purposes, but man he is such a yapper. way too invested in image management, which unfortunately properly fucked with him in 2005 - a deeply undignified season where you just end up in a bit of a downward spiral if you're more concerned with explaining why valentino is beating you than you are with, idk, beating him. the pinnacle of his yap tendencies was still that bloody three hour interview with australian podcast bro, where there really were some generational levels of waffling from both parties. a lot of it was very

anyway yeah brno 2005 is great for that. reminds me a bit about the catalunya 2009 jorge situation, which I have now talked at length about but still drives me up the wall a bit - in some ways it's less egregious than sete's behaviour, in some ways it's more so, but don't go around telling journalists before the race that you've won as long as you're ahead going into the final few corners?? OBVIOUSLY jorge was setting himself up for no good reason, but also if you're valentino and you literally pulled off an overtake at the final corner two years earlier and you hear about this, don't your ears just prick up a little!! wouldn't you be just a little bit inspired!! and with sete... his openness, how well-spoken and fluent he was in english plus his general affability did make him popular with reporters, an advantage he held over Certain other valentino rivals. still, there's a difference between giving engaging answers and spilling your entire game plan?? valentino I think was always really good at managing this, like all his answers in pressers sound interesting and are informative, but if you read over them again you do clock that he's not actually told you anything that could possibly be used to harm him. whereas sete... buddy, I promise you valentino really does not need any extra help beating you. cut it out. shut up

[krchov]

top 5 apple cultivars

I love you so much I'm kissing you on the lips LET ME TELL YOU

okay so first thing first. You might know the infamous comedic apple ranking website. And while the ranking criteria is relatively sound (things like flesh, sweetness, skin, taste etc) the author has a palate of geriatric pangolin who would probably die if he tasted anything that's not insultingly bland. Proper ranking apple cultivars ranking has no damn point system bc it isn't rigid, acknowledges that not all apples are tasted in the same condition/ripeness and in no way would call it call Granny Smith a shitty apple.

So here comes my objective top five apple cultivars. Some of them might come from similar cross breeds (and what does it say about Red D*licious that the thing we most do with it is to try for it to not taste like itself), but all of them sans ones are their own protected and in some cases trademarked breeds.

1) Kanzi

For the longest time it was not available on the Czech market, by which i mean that the first time I had a Kanzi apple I had to take three different trains to an "organic" orchard two hours from my house just to be able to buy one. On the way there I forgot to buy a ticket for the last leg of the journey, got caught by the conductor and was told that I can either get off the next station, or pay 40€ fine. As the orchard would be closed for business if I had to get off and wait for the next train, this officially makes kanzi the most expensive apple I've ever eaten.

It's small and sometimes mottled, but don't let it's visage fool you. It's firm, juicy, the perfect of sweet and sour and the flesh has a smooth texture. The skin isn't too thick and has a great taste on its own. Perfect rucksack apple to take with you on hikes.

2) that one apple I bought on a farmers market at Zelňák in Brno and that when asked about the cultivar was told "idk, my grandma has two trees in her backyard". Unlike anything I've ever tasted, with sweet, soft flesh that was all that other fully red apples desire to be. It keeps me up at night thinking about what sort of crossbreed it could be

3) Granny Smith. The MILF of the apples. I'd eat this juicy, spicy Australian grandma any time. All that libel you see written online is just people being unable to appreciate a good, firm sour apple. True it might be little bit hard on the teeth sometimes but the way the flesh breaks off gives you the option to go truly hog wild on it. Staple apple (stapple, if you will) of any kitchen, ready to be snacked on any time.

4) pink lady. I first bought this at this corner store in Bødo and then I've spent the following month going through every single grocer in Norway trying to find it again, with no luck. When they rolled them into Czech rep few years back I nearly creamed my pants right there in the Lidl fruit section. They are crunchy, sweet but fresh, the perfect inoffensive apple that is good to go with anything. Maybe little overpriced when compared to other apples, but a classic anyway. I'm not calling them a stapple only for the fact that they rippen up pretty quickly and unlike granny Smith make it hard to see visually if they are past the good texture point.

5) Halloween Apples©. I'm so angry that I can get them only once a year and if Lidl ever discontinues them I'm gonna go on a warpath. Because somehow while they were trying to breed an apple with red flesh, they not only succeeded but they created a cultivar that tastes exactly like pomegranates. I can, will and did gorge myself on them till I was sick. So low only because of their criminal unavailability.

Cosmic Crisp didn't make the cut because even though it's The Apple, let's be honest. It's mostly marketing, and it tastes like more juicy pink lady. Had to stick the one I had in a fridge for a moment just so the flesh would firm up into a decent texture.

[realhumanbaby]

the sun is out again, I did what you said thank you realhumanbaby

I take the train from Brno to Linz, from Linz to Prague, from Prague to Berlin. I am following the weather patterns, I am trying to catch up to the clouds. Sometimes I fall behind and I am afforded a few hours of sunshine, usually when I'm on board, and I have time to think about exactly what the point is and is not. As soon as arrive at the station and step out onto the street, it is raining again. The point is not to escape the rain. I did that for 10 years and I remained dry, you know, I remained as I was. The point is to stand in the rain for as long as you can. When your circumstances are fixed, you are pushed until the only thing that can yield is your perspective. This is not your breaking point, this is your first moment of clarity

[malifiquemakes]

Hii, what was your inspiration for ur lastest drawing (for obito week)? I really love it a lot

Thank you! I recently came across fragmented portraits like those by Brno Del Zou:

I thought this style would be perfect for our man Obito, patron saint of depersonalisation.

It was an interesting challenge to explore his trauma and history through different styles, forgive the pic spam but here's a more detailed exploration of different parts of my latest piece:

This part is Obito if he had the chance to live and grow without a shit ton of trauma, hence the normal colour palette. It's the smallest piece on the canvas because we all know that didn't happen 🥲

This is Obito's wrath, which is a huge part of his personality. I tried for alien colours and an oppressive angle to really hone in on that point.

I made his child self like a faded memory; it's who he used to be but he doesn't really know that boy anymore.

This is the moment he watched Rin throw herself onto the chidori. It's the most vivid on the canvas because it's a moment he can never forget, and the blue highlight is a homage to the lightning chakra.

I tried to go for a stony texture here with a neutral expression, as this is Obito's face that he hides all the trauma behind. I love the idea of his scars as cracks in the facade, because no matter how badly Obito wishes he could have a heart of stone, he's got that Uchiha tendency of feeling all of the feelings.

Thank you for the opportunity to get wanky about my art! Many other people have much better thoughts on Obito than I, but here's my contribution anyway 💖

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

can i ask an odd question..? i was born in america but all of my family is czech and it’s very hard to now learn the language and reconnect :,) i’m very interested in translation work and maybe flexing my limited czech by starting small projects while i stay with my cousin in brno after college. my lofty goals at the moment would be attempting to translate Ace Attorney and maybe some of the JJBA manga, but are either of those things relevant there to anyone but me..? i’m quite surprised discovering čumblr and the small czech communities for fandoms like TMA, finding more czechs is definitely helping my poor language skills currently ^_^

I know some of my friends like JJBA but I'm not part of any of these fandoms so I can't really tell you just how much of a presence they have here, sorry. Maybe some folks on čumblr could be of more help

Good luck on your projects tho!

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

Thank you for getting me the thousand boop badge >:3

What's your second favorite nonreplica? And why?

You're welcome :3

My second favourite non replica is Brno XD

I know, I know, but what can I say, I like the weird ones XD

But seriously I do really enjoy it!

The costumes maybe aren't phenomenal, but i do like most of them. My faves are def Skimble, Victoria, Jelly's Aria costume and ofc Gus and Asparagus in their mirrored suits. And Munk's t-shirt with printed on tie is just funny XD I know most people dislike the lack of catness they got going on, but I don't care that much and it doesn't take me out from the show. Probably cuz Warsaw is weirdly cat-but-not-cat and I'm used to it XD

I do like the vocals, my favs are hands down Gus, Asparagus and Jelly in "Gus..." and the Aria. And i like Skimble's voice too. And since Czech and Polish are somewhat close I can understand bits here and there of it so that's a plus XD

I like the choreography well enough, some bits are better than others. Once again Warsaw being my number one probably helps cuz if I had to compare I'd say the choreography is closer to it than to regular Cats XD

Also Tugger actually kisses a guy in there so that's a win XD

Besides that I like how they used the space they got and the props. Skimble's train and Misto's Ms Paint moment are my favs XD Plus ofc the motorbike

Also it has my favourite version of the Italian Aria and in my opinion the best handling of the Growltiger situation: Cut it out, but leave the Aria and play it totally serious and straight so Gus can have his moment, without taking Munk's moment earlier. I love Asparagux' voice and the mirrored costumes and Jelly and Gus lip-syncing to it. Just yeah, I love it

Speaking of characters, I do like their takes on most of them. Some are better than others (I don't really like their old D XD) but for the most part I think they did a great job. Especially Tugger, the guy playing him really put his everything into it XD Drunk Bustopher is also a choice and I think it's a fun take

And I love the added lvl to Griz' storyline. I like that she is old and disfigured and there's some letter and she's not been invited and there's clear family drama. Idk what exactly is going on but like yes, I like that it's more than just the regular "old lady is not welcome, for reasons". I just like that both Brno and Warsaw added some more connection between Griz and one or more tribe members besides Old D and implied reasons why she got kicked out, sue me XD

I like that sure it's human world, mafia/cult vibes, but there's still magic there XD Misto straight up kills Mac and then is a technology wizard, Gruz turns into an actual cat and it all take place in a clocktower or smth XD

And last but not least, there are some things in there that I think may or may not have been inspired by Warsaw XD Whether they were or whether it was just a coincidence, I always have fun noticing them XD

Like yeah overall I really really like it, I love the weird and bizzare bits and how messy and different it is. And just how fun watch it is

[your-local-vampire-lady]

hi, so, yea, tommorow is august and half of the 2023 is gone an i would just like to reflect some shit i've done during these 6 amazing, painfull, wonderfull, stresfull months

i started this year by getting my ear pierced, like literally, woke up on 1st of january and had my ear pierced, then i had breakfast

i went to my first openly queer party and to be honest, my first party in general, where i met one of the greatest human ever...and one of our teachers

i went to my first ever concert of my favourite fucking band and found out they are all much taller in real life

on the last moment i got myself into this years animefest and bought a sword there

i bought a fucking sword

somehow i managed to get through the semester that required me to actually write articles, so i basically had a full time job as a journalist and wrote a shitton of articles that are very public and very findable

i got an actual part time job at organisation that fights for trans rights in czechia and somehow became their social media person

i started hrt

i met my amazing partner on twitter and by like three weeks had emotional rolecoaster, that would fuel a whole season of romantic comedy series

with my amazing partner we somehow realised we had a crush on the same person and formed a polycule of unhinged gay ppl and i have never been happier, than with both of those people, i love them so fucking much

i realised, that me hating myself is actually a mental illness and that people are actually able to love me

somehow i got into the core team of first parade in Brno after 10 years and got into news

i got into a point in my life where i can say, that im happy...not everything is perfect and never will be, but i am happy with where i am and where im heading...and actually for the first time in my life i am not scared of the future, im looking forward to it...and whatever it brings

[hyperobsession]

Cosplay rant

After reading My Dress-Up Darling cosplays won't leave my head. Like I checked where are some cosplay events. Of course there is nothing in my city but there is something in Bratislava (capital on the other side of the country). So I look at that event and in the first 30 seconds of first promotional video there was nameless ghoul cosplay (my preciooous obsession) and Tengen cosplay (only anime character i found that I like and he's precisely my height so I was thinking about him a bit today). It's like that event read my mind. And then I look into Czech republic and first event that comes up is Animefest in BRNO.

And that's the moment I lost it and started daydreaming about going there in one of the mentioned cosplays, meeting up with friends that are studying there, going to the fest and having fun in the cosplay and then leeching on one of the besties for accommodation. Totally a DREAM.

Thanks for reading this rant. I shall inform if something comes out of it or something. I still can't foresee if this will be my new obsession or not.