#but no they're just confidently wrong.....

[umgeorge]

Press con questions that weren't shown:

Q: (Jenna Fryer – Associated Press) George, were you guys blindsided by this or have any idea that it was coming or under consideration, that a change in Race Director was coming? GR: No, no idea whatsoever. So, yeah, as I said, it was a bit of a bit of surprise.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) George, has there been any response from the FIA or the FIA president to what the GPDA put out? GR: No. Not at the moment, which I'm a little bit surprised about, to be fair. But maybe there'll be something to come. Who knows?

Q: (Ben Hunt – Autosport) It's obviously very disappointing to learn from you that there's no transparency at all from the FIA. Was there any response about where the money's going from for all these fines and all that sort of stuff? Because that's another key element which we would quite like to know as well. GR: No, I think ultimately for us, when we were hearing from the FIA a couple of years ago, when it came to the Presidential elections, they were talking about transparency, talking about where the money is going to be reinvested into grassroots racing, which we're all in favour for. And of course, when it comes to some of these large fines, there's a number of drivers on the grid who can comfortably afford these fines. There's maybe some rookies on the grid that if they're handed a $1 million fine, you know, they can't afford this. But if we know where that's being sort of reinvested and if it's going into grassroots or into some training programs, then we get it. As I said, I think we just want the transparency and understanding of what was promised from the beginning.

Q: (Kevin Scheuren – Motorsport-total.com) A question to George as well on that topic. Isn't it a bad sign that you need to open up a social media account to make your voices heard as a collective? Because it sometimes seems, looking from the outside, that the individual, if the individual has an opinion on stuff, he faces repercussions. Now you have to work as a collective. Are you more or less a pawn in this game? Do you drivers feel sometimes more or less as a pawn in this game, not taken serious? GR: I think we've probably learned from the past that whenever we have spoken up, let's say internally, it hasn't gone anywhere. And as I said, as drivers, we only want the best for the sport. We want to improve it, especially on safety grounds, but whenever it comes to, you know, decisions in the race, we only want to help. And it's been a couple of years now that not much has changed when we have sort of given some views forward. And I guess we all wanted to show that we are collectively united. And maybe that will show how seriously we feel as a whole on the subject.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) George, it's been seven years since the GPDA had put out a public statement of this kind about something they were concerned about. What level of confidence do the drivers have in the leadership of the FIA at the moment? GR: I mean, I'm not too sure to be honest. We recognise everybody's working as hard as they can to do the best job possible. There is obviously a huge amount of change within the FIA quite regularly, so it's clearly not the most stable of places. And maybe that's why it's been a bit challenging to get some of the changes that we've wanted implemented. Of course, everyone has their own side to their own story. But as I said, I think if we feel that we're being listened to and some of the changes that we are experiencing, requesting, are implemented, because ultimately we're only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase. But yeah, I think there's a number of drivers who feel probably a bit fed up with the whole situation. And it only seems to be going in, to a degree, the wrong direction.

Q: (Jordan Bianchi – The Athletic) For all three drivers: you returned to Vegas this year. A year ago, there was a lot of hype and excitement about this race. I'm curious, now that you come back here for a second time, what's the atmosphere like that you guys have kind of experienced so far? Kevin, let's start with you.

GR: Yeah, I mean, it definitely feels strange, this Grand Prix, just living in the night. And like Kevin says, the atmosphere builds up during the course of the weekend. So, yeah, let's see how it goes.

Q: (Anna Cordera – Momentum Racing) George, I'd like to ask you, you've been racing with Lewis for almost three years. What do you think is going to be different now you being the veteran of the team racing with Kimi, regarding the development of the car? GR: Yeah, I mean, ultimately, for most F1 teams, you have near on 1,000 people who are working towards building these two cars, yet you only have two drivers driving it. So, I think, let's say, in Lewis, in my case, it was never that Lewis had a stronger voice. The team listened to us both equally because both of our opinions were extremely important. And the same going into next year. You know, Kimi's new. He's fresh. And I'm sure he's going to have a lot of great ideas to bring to the table. So, you know, I am the more experienced of the two, but we will both get equal voices the same way, and we will both equally contribute towards the development the same way as it was with Lewis and I.

Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Sorry, another question to you, George. George, is it that difficult to try and get a sit-down face-to-face meeting with the President of the FIA to discuss all these issues, that you have to go down the route that you did with that message? GR: It's definitely not difficult to get a sit down, but I think getting things to change or getting promises upheld seems slightly more challenging. So, it's maybe the FIA or the president didn't recognise how seriously we all felt. So I think that's why over the course of 20 races this year and also even last year we spoke about a number of topics, all of the drivers, we all feel pretty similar. We all know what we want from the sport and the direction it's been heading and we probably feel that we want to do a small U-turn on a number of topics and just want to work together with the FIA on this. And that's just what we've felt has not been happening at all, at least directly from the President.

[mickey-milkovichs]

probably a very hot take but i think an issue gallavich runs into with communication over time (one of many) is that ian is the most sure of their relationship seasons 10 and 11 especially post marriage and mickey was the most sure of their relationship end of season 4/beginning of season 5

[warriorkittiecats]

Maybe I'm being too generous toward the writers but I just feel like all three protagonists were meant to have biased or incomplete views about their mothers and I feel like some fans are too quick to take any thought they have as what the narrative must want us to believe.

In the beginning of the arc, Frostpaw idolized her mother, viewed Curlfeather as a perfect loving cat. Now Frostdawn views her mother as someone who lied to her, manipulated her, used her, someone who only loved her conditionally. The truth is probably between the two extremes, but Curlfeather is dead, and all we're left with are Frostdawn's feelings as her traumatized mind tries to come to terms with the suffering caused by someone who was supposed to protect her. The book isn't 'demonizing' Curlfeather or even making statements about who she was, it's showing you Frostdawn's mind in the aftermath.

People have said Berryheart's funeral was kinder than she deserved. I would agree with that assessment. But Sunbeam is her daughter, not an exposition machine here to make the 'correct' claims about the morality of her dead mother. Sunbeam resents Berryheart. Sunbeam grieves Berryheart. She remembers a mother who protected her, she remembers a mother who turned on her as soon as she stepped out of line, she remembers a mother who died for her. Sunbeam hates that Berryheart refused to change, Sunbeam hopes Berryheart could have changed. None of these are factual statements about how we're supposed to feel about Berryheart or how Berryheart deserves to be remembered, they're the confused angry hopeful grieving thoughts of her daughter at her funeral.

And then there's Nightheart. Early on in the arc the writing was torn apart for demonizing Sparkpelt, but Sparkpelt never did anything particularly out of character, Nightheart just thought ill of her. He was obviously an unreliable narrator, a young angry cat who lashed out because of his own insecurities and inability to connect with the people around him. He was wrong, a lot of times, like, factually incorrect about the world around him, because his perspective wasn't meant to be taken as fact. And you can see now by the end of the arc that his perspective has changed as Nightheart has become a bit older, more confident, and has gained perspective.

The writing isn't perfect, but sometimes I feel like fans just engage with every pov character as if they're just an author mouthpiece and not a character with their own perspectives and biases on things.

[iamsooraa]

although brief, cait and maddie's very first scene in s2 act 2 reveals a lot about cait and how she's dealing with the death of her mother and her breakup with vi.

at the end of act 1, vi tells cait that she's acting like jinx, the very person cait is trying to protect herself and piltover from. up until this point, cait valued vi's honesty and forwardness because she constantly challenged her beliefs and ideals, allowing cait to grow out of her sheltered and narrow-minded upbringing. she often confides in vi when making drastic decisions, and almost always follows vi's suggestions like when she suggested they leave the rest of the team to go after jinx alone.

during act 1, cait truly believes that what they're doing (releasing the grey, incarcerating anyone related to silco, and risking shooting a child) is what's best for piltover's protection and honoring her mother's memory. but her certainty wavers as vi tells her that she's becoming the very person she swore she would bring to justice.

at first glance, maddie is pretty inconsequential to the narrative (especially since the series isn't over yet), so seeing her with cait at the beginning of act 2 was quite jarring. however, their conversation made me realize why cait chose maddie to rebound with. throughout their conversation, cait expresses her frustration with how long the occupation in zaun has lasted. maddie offers her advice, saying that she has the power to stop the occupation and reinstate the counsel. cait emphasizes that jinx is the reason she must continue, and that ambessa has taught her so much. maddie relents and just reassures her that she is in charge and that she will follow her. and there in lies the crux of their relationship.

i often heard fans bring up the power imbalance between cait and vi and cait and maddie. vi and cait often exchanged ideas without holding back, allowing vi to be on equal footing for most of their relationship (aside from the end of s2 act 1). she was not shy about putting cait in her place when it came to her actions and beliefs. on the other hand, maddie does not challenge cait at all. instead she offers unquestioning loyalty. only telling cait what she thinks she wants to hear, and never confronting her about how she's handling the uprising in zaun or her relationship with ambessa. maddie was even the first enforcer to start beating her chest with her fist when ambessa nominates her as piltover's leader during martial law. she's clearly very idealistic and optimistic (like during her conversation with vi in s2 act 1) and maybe even a little naive.

whether it was conscious or subconscious, cait sought comfort in someone who would reinforce her ideals and decisions in an attempt to suage her guilt about her mother's death and the occupation. in that moment, she wanted someone who would support her decisions even if they were morally and ethically wrong.

[notmorbid]

any other family.

dialogue prompts from any other family by eleanor brown.

who gets to say what it means to be a family?

all perfect moments are comprised of small details, are they not?

there just never seems to be enough time.

i am generally filled with rage, these days.

you can't bullshit a bullshitter.

you're always saying how tired you are. let someone help.

it will all work out. it has to.

it is all so complicated, and it was supposed to be so simple.

don't make me do this again.

why didn't you tell me how bad it was?

i've tried to talk to you dozens of times.

i have never felt so far away from you.

people say we're strange. maybe we are.

i don't understand why you're being so stubborn.

when the universe offers you a gift, you say yes.

i am not yours to rescue.

your hearing is highly selective.

do all parents feel like this?

abrupt change is not helpful for anyone.

this is turning out to be the least relaxing vacation in the history of ever.

i must not have prayed hard enough.

you're a terrible example, but most only children turn out okay.

family and money don't mix.

you can't rescue everyone, okay?

i'll figure it out. i always do.

when you say goodbye to something, you also get to say hello to everything that'll take its place.

you've survived 100% of the changes in your life thus far. odds are, you'll survive whatever comes next.

tonight. not 'later'. tonight.

you need to let ___ go.

what the hell is wrong with me? besides everything?

knowing and feeling are two different things.

the only thing we can do is hold hands and walk into the future together. with hope.

you're the only one i can count on to tell me the truth.

everything you do seems easy.

is this what we've been reduced to?

i have a good feeling about this.

everyone needs something to take care of.

why don't you ever stand up to ____?

one of the most amazing things about being a parent is rediscovering things you forgot were amazing.

we are a family now, whether we like it or not.

isn't it nice having someone to share the load, every once in a while?

you should take up drinking. it has all sorts of side benefits.

i told you [name] was a bitch.

i felt better when we weren't talking about it.

when i am ready for help, i will ask for help.

i am a gordian knot of emotions, and i cannot bear to cut through it.

what are we but the sum of our experiences?

what's the use of living if we can't apply our pasts to our presents?

you always seem so calm and confident.

we're still going to be a family, though, right?

if only parenthood came with scheduled alerts on coming changes and crises.

i didn't have to be your mother, i get to be your mother.

you are smart and silly and amazing and curious, and i love you very, very much.

i would have said yes to anything, to make the pain end.

i'm sad. it sucks. what else is there to say?

i can't imagine going through that alone.

you must be so strong.

i just want to burn it all down.

a relationship is a series of promises.

i am not above bribery.

it's not a family vacation without a few trips to the emergency room.

it's intimidating to be around you.

you probably came out of the womb punching.

it doesn't do us any good to be comparing, does it? we aren't the same people.

i've never been good at crying.

it's amazing how you can be right next to someone and have no idea what they're thinking.

you don't have to do this alone. you don't have to pretend to be okay when you're not.

you have to talk to someone. it's too much to carry if you don't.

i don't need reminders. i think about it every day.

i said ____ could spend the night, not move in.

your eyes are like cartoon saucers.

i'm sorry i didn't realize how unhappy you were.

[angelsdvsts]

it was the certain type of confidence he always holds -- yet she was a stunning female and seeing her touch herself and not give himself a release was a torture itself... but he was more than determined to do what it takes to gain the femme's attention more than he already had. "oh, you think that they're terrified to fuck me raw? oh, baby girl, you're definitely wrong about that," he shakes his head, breathy chuckles escaping his lips. "i'll do much worst that that. definitely look prettier if you cry though," he teases, smirk growing across his lips watching as she slips her hand into herself -- allowing it to sink into her.. fuck, she was a sight. "the filthiest -- tell me, you ever have anyone that meets your actual fantasies?" he inquires, watching as the short skirt flips upwards, teasing her ass making him want to reach out and tap it, maybe even stick a finger or two inside of her. "can't deny that i do.. do you like it in the ass clove? anyone ever bold enough to stretch out all the tightness?" could feel himself grow harder, but he does his best to ignore it and focus on the beauty in front of him. his brows shot up at her request, "you want me to spit on it? you just want any sort of fluid that could come out of me dripping from you, hm?

given how confident he sounded while claiming he would be able to control himself clover is even more determined to prove him wrong -- to tempt andres to the point of not being able to stop himself from touching her as she played. "you do? wow, you must have a lot of cum in those balls if you're giving it away to all the good girls? pity they don't appreciate it, hm? so afraid of you going in raw i bet, terrified their daddy's would become granddaddy's after that." laughs at that, those stupid fucking girls who apparently held andres' interest. was she envious? maybe a little, but she'd show him how much better she was than any of them. "you'd ruin my makeup by smearing my cheek against the mirror, papi?" brows arch, a soft whimper slipping free as she fucks herself slowly, so damn slowly for him. "my ass too? oh you're filthy, aren't you?" and yet the femme merely changes position, flipping that tiny skirt up to her hips and bending at the waist. another digit squeezes into her creamy cunt as one circles teasingly around the puckered hole of her ass. "wanna fuck it, papi? it's so tight . . . the tightest little asshole, so hot and needy." going downwards toward her filled up pussy clover gathers her arousal and spreads it across her ass. "spit on it for me, baby? i need it nice and wet before i stretch it out." those deceptively innocent hues look toward him, fingers pumping into her cunt with a sensual slowness.

[inkskinned]

love when men cry about body hair bc "it's hygiene" and yet 15% of cis men leave the bathroom without washing their hands at all and an additional 35% only just wet their hands without using soap. that is nearly half of all men. that means statistically you have probably shaken hands with or been in direct contact with one of these people.

love when men say that women "only want money" when it turns out that even in equal-earning homes, women are actually adding caregiver burdens and housework from previous years, whereas men have been expanding leisure time and hobbies. in equal-earning households, men spend an average of 3.5 hours extra in leisure time per week, which is 182 hours per year - a little over a week of paid vacation time that the other partner does not receive. kinda sounds like he wants her money.

love that men have decided women are frail and weak and annoying when we scream in surprise but it turns out it's actually women who are more reliable in an emergency because men need to be convinced to actually take action and respond to the threat. like, actually, for-real: men experience such a strong sense of pride about their pre-supposed abilities that it gets them and their families killed. they are so used to dismissing women that it literally kills them.

love it. told my father this and he said there's lies, damned lies, and statistics. a year ago i tried to get him to evacuate the house during a flash flood. he ignored me and got injured. he has told me, laughing, that he never washes his hands. he has said in the last week that women are just happier when we're cooking or cleaning.

maybe i'm overly nostalgic. but it didn't used to feel so fucking bleak. it used to feel like at least a little shameful to consider women to be sheep. it just feels like the earth is round and we are still having conversations about it being flat - except these conversations are about the most obvious forms of patriarchy. like, we know about this stuff. we've known since well before the 50's.

recently andrew tate tried to justify cheating on his partner as being the "male prerogative." i don't know what the prerogative for the rest of us would be. just sitting at home, watching the slow erosion of our humanity.

[chirpsythismorning]

Thinking about the what if El was never interested in Mike romantically, she just assumed she was discourse on the tag today and how it's very possible what could make El fully realize this, is when in s5 she see's Will's love for Mike in real time, for the first time, and she's just like damn! That is not me!

[cheeryembers]

I'll never get tired of drawing him.

[shannonsketches]

Why is the anime so weird, it's not even the same series dude?? It's like,

Anime:

GOKU: I have a great idea to bring peace to the universe, and my leadership and compassion alone will unite us all. I have No Flaws and am A True Relatable Everyman :)

VEGETA: NO! I AM THE BEST AND I WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS UNTIL I AM RECOGNIZED AS SUCH!!!!

Manga:

GOKU: Vegeta what's cornmeal made of? I know it's what the corn eats, but what's it made of? VEGETA: Hey Kakarot let's play the quiet game until one of us dies.

[naamahdarling]

.

[dearmahiru-archive]

i've been having brain worms about mahiru's relationship so i've been rewatching i love you to piece together day sixteen. this feels like a reach but i think a fight might've broken out between them.

first, mahiru boyfriend's house, birdcage, and carousel are all the same location─we know this because each one has the same couch, throw pillows, and table formation.

on day sixteen, mahiru excitedly prepares her boyfriend's favorite meals as a surprise for him. later, when milgram extracts mahiru's mind, we see a table with shattered silverware. then, mahiru fantasizes about her boyfriend coming back to life so they can share food together (notably, only mahiru is fed because when mahiru tries feeding her boyfriend it goes awry.)

though i don't believe her boyfriend was ever physical and broke the dishes, it's possible that he suffered from an eating disorder and responded badly to mahiru's attempts to convince him to eat. this is the reason mahiru's murder is portrayed as feeding him rats that she percieved as a gift to save him from starvation.

we also know that they've fought multiple times from mahiru's t1 song. specifically. theres this very moment in the second teaser where mahiru's screams at her boyfriend, telling him (paraphrased) "don't say you love me if you don't mean it."

which is insane because mahiru is a very forgiving person! she can turn a cheek to someone trying to kill her, laugh off those who trick her, call her stupid to her face, and says she's happy to fight with her boyfriend—lovingly referring to it as their break-up ritual—but saying you love her without any weight behind it? that's what sends mahiru right over the edge.

i think it's possible that mahiru's boyfriend reacted poorly to mahiru's "gift," and tried to console her by saying he loved her which made mahiru's upset, which then escalated into their final fight.

[magnuspanoptes]

#which is why i can't write or read about anyone else as the archivist if jon exists <- prev. real.

also, like, another thing is that jon really was the best pick for archivist because he's the right combination of both determinedly curious and cautious. curious enough to continue putting himself in danger, but not reckless to such a degree that he gets himself killed. he's also not the type to delude himself that the fears can be perfectly categorised and conquered (this is something i see sasha falling for tbh). he was PERFECT for the job. because elias chose well. nobody else would've given him his apocalypse.

and re sasha. canonically she’s not better or smarter than jon (who is smart), she’s just more confident and has even less self-preservation instincts (waltzed into an abandoned cemetery at night to visit a knife hands monster guy) and casually violates her colleague’s privacy (for fun!) meanwhile jon's heightened paranoia was at least somewhat influenced by the not!them. and she also thought jane prentiss couldn’t have been much of a threat if martin of all people survived her. which. i'm going to be real, season one ends with them being even less prepared for the hive because jon's not there to pester elias about safety measures. multiple people dead and injured. i definitely see her developing beholding powers faster than jon, though. and instead of having an existential crisis over it, i think she would be into it. as in, in an evil sense (good for her), because she's NOT gertrude 2.0, who was simply making an educated guess that given sasha's experience with artefact storage, she's the most likely pick for head archivist. people took that to mean they're exactly the same type of character. no. many have tried to be gertrude and failed.

all of which is to say, if you sincerely want to engage with sasha as protagonist, write jon out. otherwise, my ideal head archivist sasha au involves jon still being marked by the web, but elias deliberately doesn't pick him this time because in this au he sees the web's interference less as gift and more as bait. and thinks he can avoid the issue if he refuses to engage. he's wrong <3 so what happens instead is that sasha does not. get marked. at all. jon otoh is speedrunning through marks. let's say michael stabs him in season 1 this time. mag 39 hive happens and sasha is nowhere near where elias needs her to be to get marked by prentiss. but jon is.

anyway this has been yet another post about jon and jonah being existentially conjoined. by a cord you cannot see etc.

the thing about archivist sasha is that. you gotta write jon out of existence for it to work. the web marked him specifically because it singled him out as the agent that would help fulfill its designs and jonah's primary reason for picking jon was also that he came pre-marked by the most dangerous, bothersome entity. bootstrap paradox type plot point. ergo in a universe where he isn't archivist, mr spider never happened, but mr spider is a defining character backstory moment for him. he would've never joined the magnus institute if he hadn't had that traumatic episode. so. to conceive an archivist sasha au a) you have to give sasha her own version of a guest for mr spider; b) jon isn't marked by the web and is a completely different person because of it and doesn't work at the institute. otherwise, to explain his presence there you have to give him a traumatic episode with some other entity (like tim and the stranger)

now you can just say wow what the hell this is fanfiction you can do whatever you want forever. thats true ✌️ unfortunately i have the overthinker's curse and cannot overlook this. also jon and elias's fates are entwined in every universe amen

[clotpolesonly]

Blue Lily, Lily Blue ch 15 // Mister Impossible ch 25

[gwaedhannen]

Maedhros & Maglor Week day 2: Trust/Distrust

Double drabble. Warning for discussion of canon-typical treatment of escaped thralls.

One alchemist, mixing a warming draught, says: “You can tell by the eyes. Look closely, when he wakes. If they are the eyes of a dead thing, he is already gone.” One weaver, dying yarn the yellow of Arien’s hair, says: “Their memories give it away. They cannot recall details, will mix names, will refuse to describe their torment.” One fisher, returning from the lake empty-handed, says: “They cannot last long without revealing themselves. If they haven’t tried to gut or strangle anyone within a sennight, they are safe.” One chieftain, scowling over a map of the Noldor’s encampments, says: “They are already gone. You cannot see it, you cannot prove it, you can only wait until the knife is in your ribs and the gates are unbarred. You do not make such a mistake a second time. None return from Angband.”

So the Mithrim say. So here Maglor waits, blade in hand. He will allow none other to hold this vigil, has bartered knowledge from Artanis of the songs of wakefulness improvised on the Ice in exchange for his best harp. It is an easy task for the regent-king. After all, he has already condemned Maitimo to death once.

[itwoodbeprefect]

"but how do you watch something accidentally with french subtitles?" you may ask, and i may tell you that it's simple, because i love english, english is fun and versatile and incredibly useful in this world, but listening to some dutch music recently reminded me how much consuming dutch art for a change feels like doing stretches for my brain (i don't really notice what i'm missing out on if i don't do it, but it feels SO good when i do), and that had me pondering once again how to incorporate some german into my diet in a natural way, because if dutch is my language, then german belongs to people i love, german is the one used to tell family stories, german is a language that feels like home but that i use so little it always takes a few days of just listening before i remember how to speak without feeling like an idiot, and so i thought to myself, well, i know bad buddy has a whole list of subtitle options, and perhaps i can pull off a really neat trick here and get my fill of german while also spending some time with thai (with which i am having a torrid love affair this year) through a show i know almost by heart at this point, because i can process the german fast enough to still be able to listen to what i'm hearing (the spoken thai), and then as a bonus, i'd get to sidestep english entirely for a few brief but glorious moments, which is a thing so rare it's almost unheard of, and that would just be a win-win-win. however! it turns out german is not one of the many, many languages offered on youtube as a subtitle option for bad buddy (which is of course fine because in a grand way, truly, why would it). and they do happen to have french, which i then of course had to click just for fun almost as a joke just to see it play for a minute or so and definitely not any longer than that, and as it turns out, on a practical is-this-doable-for-me level french in this context worked out way better than i thought it might, which is why i got sucked in immediately, easily fascinated as i am. but this is also a language that has me reading just slowly enough that it takes all my attention to have any hope at staying caught up with the speed of the dialogue, which amounts to a situation that is, you know, not making me feel much closer to my german grandmother (or making me feel very much at all for that matter, because on the whole i have a deeply impersonal relationship with french), but that IS very unexpectedly making me think fondly of my high school french teacher who once wrote under an assignment that he really hoped i'd choose to do something with languages. and this is probably not what he meant, but i suppose i am doing that, yes. both by choice and because i stumbled and tripped and now i've watched several episodes of a french subtitled thai show in an attempt to find german input because i was listening to dutch music.