#da: tv predictions

[aces-to-apples]

Okay okay SO THEORY TIME: Solas succeeds in bring down the Veil very early into the game (potentially in the prologue, or pre-game like the Conclave getting blasted as the start of a new game) and at the end of the first act Solas turns up to work with Rook and Co. to deal with his latest fuck-up aka releasing the Evanuris

[latestnews69]

Antetokounmpo guides Bucks to NBA Cup final

Read more click here

[bluelocksource]

Oliver Aiku’s trivia (source: twt & Egoist Bible 2)

"I'm the final barrier for Japanese soccer to be reborn!!"

☆ Character colors: Navy, fluorescent yellow.

☆ Weapons: Strong physical abilities, highly developed 'eyes' for spatial awareness, a 'body' skilled in dashing and jumping, and covering.

☆ Birthday: 30th June.

☆ Current age: 19.

☆ Zodiac: Cancer.

☆ Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden.

☆ Family structure: Father (dual heritage: Swedish & German). Mother (Japanese). Older Sister. Himself, Younger Sister.

☆ Current height: 190 cm.

☆ Dominant foot: Right foot.

☆ Blood type: B.

☆ Motto: "Live according to your means."

☆ Starts playing football: At age 3.

☆ Hobbies: Mahjong, horse racing, pachinko "Not saying I bet money."

☆ Favorite food: Mouko (Mongolian) Tanmen Nakamoto's spicy ramen. "I generally like spicy foods." + Shin ramyeon (EB2).

☆ Disliked food: Corn. "Those things always gets stuck between my teeth."

☆ What goes best with rice: Squid salted with salt (ikano shio-kara). "It’d be perfect with some alcohol. Ah… wait, I’m still 19."

☆ Favorite animal: Chicks. "Watching a lot of chicks soothes me."

☆ Favorite season: Summer. "You can see swimsuits."

☆ Favorite football player: Virgil van Dijk.

☆ Favorite manga: Chi: Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite (Orb: On the Movements of the Earth). "Currently into it."

☆ Magazine he frequently read: Da Vinci. "I just casually flip through it, but it’s interesting."

☆ Favorite TV show: Live camera of night views. "I like watching it alone, zoning out."

☆ Favorite movie: Jurassic Park. "The first movie in the series is amazing."

☆ Favorite song: "CALL ME" by YOSHII LOVINSON.

☆ Favorite celebrity: "The comedian I'm into right now, New York." ( New York (ニューヨーク) is a Japanese comedy duo.)

☆ What makes him happy: Anything that feels good (self-censorship).

☆ What makes him upset: Painful things (self-censorship).

☆ What he thinks his strength is: Calm, rational, realistic.

☆ What he thinks his weakness is: He likes to gamble and looking for a relationship that is difficult to predict. "I like gambling and tend to seek relationships that can't be predicted."

☆ What made him cry recently: “I haven’t cried in a while.”

☆ Favorite/best subject: P.E.

☆ Weak/least favorite subject: Math. "I don't get it at all."

☆ Ideal type:  Someone who doesn't seem to be bothered by a breakup. "Someone who doesn't seem like they'd be a hassle to break up with."

☆ Number of chocolates received from previous Valentine: 13. "I'm not that fond of chocolate."

☆ At what age he experiences first love: 7 years old. "I liked every girl in my class."

☆ The first time he got confessed to: “Generally, even if someone confesses to me, I don’t date them. I prefer being the one to confess. I like the challenge of making them fall for me.”

☆ Fixation: Waist, butt, lips, eyes. "Anything er*tic works."

☆ Average sleeping time: 7 hours.

☆ How he spend his holiday: “Look for someone to hang out with (either guys or girls) and just have fun.”

☆ When taking a bath, which part he washes first: Hair roots. "Because they're smelly from sweat."

☆ What he usually buy from the convenience store: Shin Ramyeon or Mongolian Tanmen Nakamoto cup noodles.

☆ What will he do if he received 100 million yen: "Live it up. Party until I run out of money."

☆ At what age he stops receiving presents from Santa: "Probably around 10 years old."

☆ What was his last wish from Santa: New soccer cleats.

☆ What will he do during his last day on Earth: "No plan, just spend the day randomly."

☆ Favorite historical figure: Uesegi Kenshin. "The war god who lived by honor, I really like him."

☆ If he hadn’t encountered soccer, what will he be doing: “I’d be a teacher. My class would be fun. It’d be super laid-back!”

☆ If he could only take one thing to a deserted island, what would it be: Acohol. “I’ll drink it when I turn 20! I’ll drink when I turn 20, okay!”

☆ If he had a time machine, would he go to the past or the future: The future. I want to see how Japanese soccer has evolved!”

* The crossed words are the changes made from twitter’s answer to the answer from Egoist Bible.

His original tagline:

日本サッカーが生まれ変わるための 愛空(おれ) は最後の壁だ!! "Aiku is (I'm) the final barrier for Japanese soccer to be reborn!!"

Last updated: 13/11/2024

note: i want to apologize in advance for any mistake made in the translation!

[absolutebl]

Ranking Every Restaurant Based BL

As of August 2024. Shows not yet finished by that date are not on this list. Otherwise, features any BL set in the restaurant & beverage industry (that I've watched). I did not include the home cook domestic BLs on this list (like Our Dining Table).

1 To My Star

Korea 2021 Viki

10/10

Hwang Da Seul directing this show about a neurotic actor (actual puppy) who takes refuge with a grumpy chef resulting in sparks, cooking lessons, and LOVE! It’s is a touch quirky to get into, but utterly charming once it hits its stride. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. I adore this show so much. Limited use of BL tropes makes this feel more of a sweet contemporary gay romance between an actor plagued by scandal and the grumpy chef who adopts him, but the gentleness will appeal to fans of the BL genre.

2 What Zabb Man!

Thai 2022 YouTube

8/10

Star Hunter's WZM was better than we had any right to expect, with decent pacing and a foodie theme threaded through the narrative as both love language and plot driver. Basically CEO falls in love with a street vendor’s food, recruits him to work in his hotel, falls in love with him, and that’s just the beginning. Class struggles! Kitchen drama! Papaya pounding (not a euphemism)! Chef poaching (not literally)! Spicy scenes (yes both kinds)! It’s all so delicious.

3 DNA Says Love You

Taiwan 2022 Gaga

8/10

Okay it's only in a cafe about 1/2 the time but it is the main setting if not the plot. DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The first few eps are rough going but have patience, it's worth it I promise! The second half is really special and life/love affirming - and the end is big-grin charming.

4 The Tasty Florida

Korea 2021 Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/38119c-the-tasty-florida

8/10

Not really a love triangle featuring the prettiest men ever to be grouped together outside of K-pop, honestly the visuals are ridiculous, there’s a story, it has to do with food, whatever, they so pretty. I have a weakness for this BL and it's entirely Speed's fault.

5 My Day

Pinoy 2020 YouTube

8/10

The set up on this one is enemies (also boss/employee) and they don’t like each other to start. But that gets resolved pretty quickly. And then they are some of the cutest, hottest, and best boyfriends ever. This is an under-appreciated BL, IMHO. It's also more set in the office of a food creation company, but there is a lot about food.

6 My Tooth Your Love

Taiwan 2023 Viki

8/10

Earnest dentist hottie with sad eyes who worries too much is smitten by an adorable sunshine neurotic bar owner with serious anxiety issues. They fall madly in love while courting each other with food, plushies, and naps. Then, shocker, talk about their feelings and try to actually sort out their problems so they can have an adult relationship. Bonus crumbs = 18 year old poor little rich kid in mad crush with a much older man. I really enjoyed this show, it had a unique premise, killer dialogue, there was a solid lead pair with charmg chemistry, soft flirtation, delightful smiling kisses, and stinkingly cute domesticity. All that said, I wasn’t wild about some of the darker themes it explored, even though it did a good job with them. And while the sides were adorable, they were underused. In the land of May/December, baby boy kabedon is my kryptonite! Why so little of it? (Kabedon is My Krytonite = also the name of my indie band’s first single.)

7 All the Liquors

Korea 2023 Viki & Gaga

8/10

A pretty classic foodie set KBL that managed to distinguish itself from others in this category by having a particularly satisfying final episode centered around found family. Sunshine sweetie soju rep gets involved with a shy introvert chef who doesn’t drink. This has a somewhat uneven plot and ridiculous central conceit (much in the way of Tasty Florida), but if you are looking for a restaurant BL with Korea’s signature softness, then this is a great option. FYI I may identify with our baby party boy hedonist more than any other BL lead ever presented.

8 Although I Love You and You - Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka

Japan 2024 Gaga

8/10

The promise of this show, younger cook courts older divorced office worker, should have been my catnip. I mean if someone pitched this to me in an elevator I would have downloaded it by the second storey. Unfortunately, it did not exactly fulfil that promise, not in the way I'd hoped. Did I still enjoy the ride? Yes, but I feel a little let down.

9 Ocean Likes Me

Korea 2022 Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/38367c-ocean-likes-me

8/10

Stars Kpop’s best known out gay singer, Holland & Han Gi Chan (Where Your Eyes Linger). Noodle shop! Broken dreams! This is a solid little KBL, with a good premise and cast. Manic pixie dream boy can get old fast but when contrasted with awkward grumpy chef? It’s a tasty combo that elevates both ingredients. Holland is a charming screen presence - baby boy is HYPNotiC. And while I wasn’t entirely sold on the chemistry, these two did give us some very good kisses and sweet domesticity. I grinned through most episodes and I didn’t even mind the standard KBL 1 year separation at the end because it felt so true to the characters. Is this Korea's first out gay actor in a BL? I think it might be.

10 My Sweet Dear

Korea 2021 Viki

8/10

I liked this one a lot better than most. Strict professional rivals (chefs) in a very enemies to lovers BL - to the point where we mistrust the sincerity of the seme because he’s so very in it to win. I kinda like that, because kitchens are hotbeds of drama, and I like a seme with some sinister edge. But be warned, it means the whole romance comes off as a little disingenuous.

11 You Are Ma Boy

Vietnam 2021 YouTube

7/10

The leads in this drama crackle on screen together and I kinda adore them. No one has seen this BL, and you should really give it a try. Is there angst? Nope even what could have been angst (a gay idol) doesn’t materialize, it’s just cuties in a cafe confusing each other with cat & mouse games. The side het couple is a touch disturbing, tho.

12 My Lascivious Boss

Vietnam 2021 YouTube

7/10

While it did have pacing issues and some questionable content at the beginning, MLB’s unabashed queerness carried it though and ultimately elevated it with camp. It never felt like mockery or punching down, it felt joyful, and very new wave BL. It’s as if Vietnam is starting a process of handing out HEAs to all the letters of LGBTQ+ in BL style - I love this look for them.

13 Pure Vanilla

Singapore 2023 microfilm Gaga

7/10

It’s very sweet. Bit awkward acting. I love seeing real tats. I wish Singapore would give us a full proper BL.

14 La Cuisine

Thai 2022 Gaga

7/10

A sweet and somewhat pure show, and like the Thai desserts it features, perhaps requires too much patience for a layperson. Because of the pacing and the focus on a bad girl character, I did dock it. But if you like stuff in the Oxygen vein, then this show is for you, and far better than most Thai BL pulps. That said, I suspect that I enjoyed it more than many would.

15 My Universe - Lucky Love

Thai 2023 iQIYI

7/10

A boy suffering heartbreak is asked to look after a friend's restaurant, and meets a young chef whose food brings on a relationship. I enjoyed this 2 part installment, it’s a bit of a sad sack recovery SAGA, but the acting is genuine, the couple believable, and the story felt particularly queer to me. It was really quite charming.

16 Cooking Crush

Thai 2024 YouTube

7/10

1/3 of this is a sweet romance about a student doctor falling in love with a student chef, and the rest of it is utter dross. Look the OffGun bits were GREAT. In fact, I think they’re better AS A PAIR in this show than in any of their other BLs. And I'm a hard sell on any OffGun being better here than PickRome. Saying that, how can I review a show where I could only tolerate 1/3 of it? Because I didn’t like any other aspect of this show, no other pairs and no other plots. That gives me: 9/10 for the OffGun bits, 5/10 for everything else. Frankly, it probably should be an 8 but I gotta go with my gut and it's UPSET about this so 7/10. Sorry boys. It’s GMMTV’s fault. Your heart was in this show, mine wasn’t.

17 Love in Translation

Thai 2023 iQIYI

6/10

A sweet little pulp about a Thai boy with a crush on a Chinese influencer who ends up in a business relationship with her ex-bf. This show had truly great chemistry between the leads, cute found family with good rep, and an exciting (if silly) ending that almost, but didn't quite, make up for how incredibly annoying the main character was in the first half. Gotta say the make-out scene in the convenience store is one of the greatest in Thai BL history, but I can't like a show where I dislike the main character to such a degree, sorry DouOffroad I intend to enjoy your next offering.

18 Please Tell Me So

Korea 2021 microfilm YouTube

Cute barista (played by Han Hyun Jun star of Love Class) has a crush on his customer, musters up the courage to ask him out.

19 Love Advisor

Thai 2021 microfilm YouTube

6/10

Set in a cafe but not about cafe workers, this is an actor’s piece, more like a one act stage performance about friends to lovers and miscommunication.

20 VIP Only

Taiwan 2024 Gaga

6/10

A sweet if aimless story about a writer and a chef finding love via noodles, fake dating, and family challenges. If it had a tighter script and a shorter run, more like a KBL this might’ve been quite special. But it didn’t and it lost me too many times.

21 609 Bedtime Story

Thai 2023 WeTV

6/10

Okay it's sometiems set in a club but that's not really part of the... plot. An interesting time slip concept and a great set up ultimately disappointed. It opened strong, on one of my favourite under appreciated Thai actors: Plustor (as Vee) in a side bartender romance with younger bisexual king, Games. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. OhmFluke’s solid chemistry and romantically soft kisses were ill served by a reformed rake meets rich-kid cheater pairing. While it was nice to see Ohm play a part with more animated facial expressions, his was the only character that remained consistent. All in all, this was a confusing show about disloyalty and parallel worlds that never made sense or stayed true to its characters. A promising start, confusing middle, and disappointing end. I don’t say this lightly, but Oh My Sunshine Night is better, and OhmFuke deserve better than either.

22 Bake Me Please

Thai 2023 Gaga

6/10

A lackluster story about a group of bakers coping with (mostly) a shoddy script that could not be saved by either the beauty nor the talent of the actors involved. It suffered for lack of narrative backbone and so did I.

23 Bite Me

Thai 2021 Viki

6/10 (yeah I'mm surprise too, I thought I gave this a 5)

Thailand gave us Korean style slowly simmering ultra soft and sweet BL only at a Thai length so the pacing was… not good. Slower than molasses and full of insane subtext, long gazes, missing dialogue, abrupt mood swings, and one very pretty kiss. It curdled around episode 8, the sauce split, and there was no saving it. It did have some of the best food porn I’ve seen in my life, and I watch cooking shows regularly. It was beautiful, the leads were decent, it should have right up my alley, and yet… it left me with a feeling of disaffected ennui - bland and boring and unsatisfying. 11 courses of tasty tasty pacing issues.

24 One Last Order

Korea 2019 microfilm Gaga

5/10

Extremely hot cafe customer has to figure out which of the cutie baristas has a crush on him and sends hime poetry.

25 Craving You

Taiwan 2020 Viki

5/10

Honestly, I haven't rewatched this since it aired and I maybe might cut it more slack now. About a jerk of a cook with a crush on a musician and having to make a cake for a gay wedding.

26 Coffee Melody

Thai 2022 Viki

5/10

Stars Pavel (my love) as a cafe owner (Forth in 2 Moons 2) and Benz as a composer (Call it What You Want). This should have been my kind of BL - on the fluffy end of the spectrum plus honestly queer. Unfortunately, the slow pacing, manufactured angst, odd secondary story arcs, and a selfishly immature unlikeable wet dishcloth main character, meant its flaws outweighed its charm. Jean (flame on snark fairy) is ME, I love him so much but in the end neither he nor Pavel in an apron could save this show for me. It’s not bad. It’s not good either. Ultimately so forgettable I’ve probably already forgotten it. There is also a Coffee Melody holiday special.

27 Evening Cafe

Thai 2021 YouTube

5/10

Cafe setting with no heat and no kisses (almost Chinese in this regard), but a decent lead pair. About a boy who works in a cafe and the new employee who has a crush on him. That’s it, whole story.

28 Love Area: Part 1

Thai 2021 Gaga

5/10

It ended on a cliffhanger and I'm still annoyed by it. But it is somewhat set at a restaurant.

29 Love Next Door 2

Thai 2014 Gaga

4/10

One of Thailand’s early very high heat pieces, it’s odd, but sexy I guess? Some unexpectedly decent queer rep at the cafe including femme characters getting screen time and HEAs. Part one from 2013 has the same high heat content and feature the same lead character (and actor) early on in his queer journey, discovering he is gay with the sex worker next door, but isn't as good nor is it relevant to this story. Which, unfortunately, also isn't very good.

30 The Promise

Thai 2023 WeTV

4/10

Although well acted this show dragged a too simple premise out into the ultimate manipulative miscommunication repeats of idiotic "why don’t you just TALK!?” Phu & Nan are childhood bffs through college (almost lovers) until Phu disappears. After looking/waiting for him, Nan gives up and self isolates, and the actual story takes place 10 years later. Phu’s “reason” and inability to say it out loud makes the whole show just frustrating, squandering good chemistry, and a stellar cast of multiple faen fatals (whose personalities would’ve made them better boyfriends). Seriously do not bother. What a damn waste of talent, time, and electronic bandwidth. Fatally flawed.

31 Love Area: Part 2

Thai 2022 Gaga

3/10

It wasn't as boring as Bite Me, but it wasn’t actually good, either. This started out as Thailand tackles love triangles pulp style, but in part 2 lockdown changed everything. Valen & Kaitoon dropped some great kisses but traded off crazy hair and makeup in a scene-by-scene whiplash that was clearly pickups done months after lockdown, and the second lead vanished. It was... surreal. Side dishes jumped up screen time but tackled mental health... badly. A fantastic new queer side character was randomly introduced, June, who was the best thing to happen to BL linguistics in 2022 but had nothing to do with the rest of the cast, show, or plot. What a mess. In the end, I didn’t know what I was watching, and neither did it.

32 Cafe In Love

Thai 2023 grey

3/10

A café setting featuring 3 couples with a great queer fam but held together by tropes and sexual-harassment, surrounded by dubious consent and statutory rape. Avoid.

33 I Am Your King 2

Thai 2019 grey

3/10

Early love triangle BL about a cafe boy caught between two brothers, mostly not good because the wrong brother wins. Has no connection to the original I Am Your King.

34 Senior Love Me

Thai 2023 YouTube

3/10

Pulp cafe, nothing happens, not even a BL

35 Jealousy is My Guest

Korea 2016 microfilm Gaga

2/10

Just very very odd and kinda deadly.

I also have 3 unrated DNFs in this sub genre:

Accomplishment of Fudanshi Bartender AKA Fudanshi Bartender no Tashinami - Japan 2022

My Story - Pinoy 2023

About Us but Not About Us 0 Pinoy 2022

Restaurant & beverage is my favourite possible setting for a BL. I'm extremely disappointed that the BL world hasn't produced more that I truly love. I'm not demanding 10/10 but I could use some 9/10s.

Side eyes Thailand and Japan.

(source)

[fallendev0tionvn]

Te lo scrivo in italiano, se l'arte nel gioco è come i disegni che mostri di tanto in tanto allora va benissimo, secondo me l'aestethic ci sta. È tutto molto dark e "allarmante" per com'è l'inzio, dal poco che ho visto nel video la storia inizia molto bene con il flashback che ti da un'idea del rapporto tra te e Clive, ti immerge nel personaggio e poi subito ti strappa via questa bella visione mostrando che è tutto un sogno e il ragazzo dolce del ricordo è morto. Ti fa sentire come il protagonista, quel leggero senso di lutto che persiste dopo anni anche per colpa dei tormenti di Clive.

Comunque devi anche pensare che stai facendo una demo, ora pensa di più a mostrare le idee e i temi principali del gioco, la personalità dei personaggi principali per catturare l'audience. Non pensare troppo alla perfezione, pensa a fare qualcosa che ti piace, certo sempre fatto bene, ma mostralo per ciò che tu vuoi sia, non quello che pensi piacerebbe alla gente.

Voto complessivo (mia critica onesta e non per farti complimenti)

Arte 9/10

Writing (per il poco che ho visto) 12/10 (writing is fireeeee)

- Italian anon aka volpe

GRAZIE MILLE, son stra felice perché hai descritto il messaggio dell'intro come speravo venisse percepito, e sapere che è stato colto appieno mi da più sicurezza.🫶

In questo momento sto cercando di inserire spunti/indizi su ciò che ci aspetta nel gioco intero, soprattutto sulla causa che ha portato alla morte di Clive e sul motivo per cui ci teneva così tanto che rispondessi alle sue chiamate dkkskw-

a me personalmente piace un sacco creare teorie/previsioni mentre gioco, guardo film/serie o leggo, quindi vorrei dare qualche indizio che stimoli la curiosità dei giocatori ma non abbastanza da rivelare tutto troppo in fretta.🏃‍♀️

translation cause I feel bad:

THANK YOU SO MUCH, I'm so happy cause you described the message of the intro exactly how I hoped it would be perceived, and knowing it came across so clearly gives me so much more confidence. 🫶

I'm currently working on adding hints and clues about what's waiting for us in the full game, esp about the cause that lead to Clive's death and the reason why he was so desperate for you to pick up his calls that day.

Personally, I love coming up with theories and predictions when playing games, watching movies/tv shows or reading books, so I want to include hints that catch people's attention and spark up their curiosity, but not enough to give everything away too quickly.

[angel-princess-anna]

Housekeeping notes:

Hello and welcome, somehow I am already getting new followers??

This is my DA sideblog that I've had since the summer before S3 of the TV show was about to air on ITV. It's not a news blog, and I post my opinion in here, I have to make that clear.

Do I want this movie? No. I am still gonna follow every detail? Yes, yes I am.

(I came to terms with it's existence like... right after ANE came out. I knew it was in the cards lol)

My other fandoms are in shambles, so this is a welcome distraction. And comforting one, as I know Fellowes' writing is actually pretty predictable.

That said, I am getting get what I want? Likely not, but I can keep my mind busy for now lol

[claudiosuenaga]

World Destruction (Afrika Bambaataa e John Lydon) - 1984

John Joseph Lydon (nascido em Londres em 1956), também conhecido como Johnny Rotten, mais conhecido como vocalista das bandas Sex Pistols e PiL, um filho de imigrantes irlandeses que sempre demonstrou desprezo pela Família Real Britânica, em 1984 trabalhou com a banda Time Zone no seu mais conhecido single, "World Destruction".

Uma colaboração entre John, Afrika Bambaataa (nome artístico de Lance Taylor, nascido no Bronx em 1957) e o produtor/baixista Bill Laswell, o single foi um exemplo antigo de rap rock, junto com Run-DMC. A música aparece na coletânea de 1997 de Afrika Bambaataa, "Zulu Groove". John declarou em uma entrevista que a gravação foi muito rápida, que eles entraram em uma sala, colocaram uma batida de bateria em uma máquina e quatro horas e meia depois a "coisa toda" estava pronta.

Destruição Mundial

World Destruction

Fale sobre destruição

Speak about destruction

Fale sobre destruição

Speak about destruction

Essa é a destruição mundial, sua vida não é nada

This is a world destruction, your life ain't nothing

A raça humana está se tornando uma desgraça

The human race is becoming a disgrace

Países estão travando uma guerra química

Countries are fighting with chemical warfare

Sem dar a mínima para as pessoas que aqui vivem

Not giving a damn about the people who live

Nostradamus previu a chegada do Anticristo

Nostradamus predicts the coming of the Antichrist

Ei, cuidado, as nações do terceiro mundo estão em ascensão

Hey, look out, the third world nations are on the rise

A relação democrático-comunista

The Democratic-Communist Relationship,

Não terá chances contra as forças Islâmicas

Won't stand in the way of the Islamic force

A CIA está te procurando

The CIA is looking for you

A KGB é mais esperta do que você pensa

The KGB is smarter than you think

Mentalidades lavadas para controlar o sistema

Brainwash mentalities to control the system

Usando TV e filmes – religiões, é claro

Using TV and movies – religions of course

Sim, o mundo está caminhando para a destruição

Yes, the world is headed for destruction

Será uma guerra nuclear?

Is it a nuclear war?

O que você está pedindo?

What are you asking for?

Essa é a destruição do mundo, sua vida não é nada

This is a world destruction Your life ain't nothing

A raça humana está se tornando uma desgraça

The human race is becoming a disgrace

Os ricos ficam mais ricos

The rich get richer

Os pobres ficam mais pobres

The poor are getting poorer

Governos fascistas, chauvinistas e tolos

Fascist, chauvinistic government fools

Pessoas, Muçulmanos, Cristãos e Hindus

People, Moslems, Christians and Hindus

Estão em uma zona de tempo apenas buscando a verdade

Are in a time zone just searching for the truth

Quem é você para pensar que é de uma raça superior?

Who are you to think you're a superior race?

Enfrentando sua desgraça eterna

Facing forth your everlasting doom

Nós somos a Time Zone e viemos jogar uma bomba em você

We are Time Zone We've come to drop a bomb on you

Destruição mundial, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom!

World destruction, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom!

Essa é a destruição mundial, sua vida não é nada

This is the world destruction, your life ain't nothing

A raça humana está se tornando uma desgraça

The human race is becoming a disgrace

Nacionalidades estão lutando entre si

Nationalities are fighting with each other

Por que isso? Porque o sistema te diz

Why is this? Because the system tells you

Colocando as pessoas em categorias vazias

Putting people in faceless categories

O conhecimento já não é mais o que costumava ser

Knowledge isn't what it used to be

Táticas militares para controlar uma nação

Military tactics to control a nation

Quem quer ser um presidente ou rei? Eu!

Who wants to be a president or king? Me!

A Mãe Natureza vai trabalhar contra você

Mother Nature is gonna work against you

E não há nada que você possa fazer

Nothing in your power that you can do

Sim, o mundo está caminhando para a destruição

Yes, the world is headed for destruction

Você e eu sabemos, porque a Bíblia te diz

You and I know it, cause the Bible tells you

Se não começarmos a buscar uma vida melhor

If we don't start to look for a better life,

O mundo será destruído em questão de tempo

The world will be destroyed in a time zone!

Fale sobre destruição

Speak about destruction

Fale sobre destruição

Speak about destruction

Fale sobre destruição

Speak about destruction

[somedayillbepeterpan]

I tried to re-"catch" the feelings I was having from watching Crash Course in Romance.

So, I looked into my deep watchlist and ended up with two very thoroughly enjoyable k-dramas that are re-watchable for a picky watcher like me. This is going to be long so read below if interested about the k-dramas Our Beloved Summer and Reply 1988

our beloved summer

I'm a sucker for slice-of-life stories. while this story navigates through different timelines, it expertly toes the line between the past and the present thus presenting a full growth for each character in this simple yet relatable story. i love the script. i especially love the ost which i listen to every day even after finishing this drama a couple of months back.

our beloved summer, adapted from a webtoon, is the story of Choi Woong and Kook Yoon-seo who became viral after starring in a documentary about the contrast of the top and worst student in their highschool. that alone makes you curious. it's a catchy premise and the whole story manages keep the premise alive until the end.

the story is simple and you can guess where the story is headed. but what made me stay is the pacing and the writing. and it being true to what it set out to do-- to say that love can be found in different people in different times. but there are special moments where you find a different love in the same person at a different time.

i can confidently say that Choi Wooshik and Kim Da-mi are both actors to watch out for. they are not just made for the small screen. they each have such a presence that can't just be contained in a small screen. or maybe i just loved their chemistry so much. it's not even that kind of chemistry where it will grip your heart but it's the work that they put on both characters to make them as authentic as possible. i was drawn in on how they portrayed Woong and Yoon-seo. i was drawn on why they did what they did that led to their eventual *spoilers ahead* break-up and subsequent marriage.

watch this if you're not too heartbroken and you like a slow paced stories that fleshes out human emotions particularly of love-- to a romantic partner, to a mother, to a friend, and to found family.

i particularly loved the way they blindsided me about the reason why Woong was the was he was and why in a way he couldn't open himself up completely to Yoon-seo made me fall in love with the writing. with the sheer amount of content and stories readily available for us to consume, you become so desensitised that it's sometimes a welcomed gift when you don't get to predict what happens in a story.

that particular scene where they get back together and Woong says "...please keep loving me," is engraved in my heart.

--the only downside to this wonderful drama is a 1/4 of a love quadrangle that is too green to handle a wonderful script like this one. you'll know what I'm talking about when you watch it.

2. reply 1988

i don't know what got me drawn to the works of the tandem director Shin Wonho and writer Lee Woo-jung but i am so glad that i am. i started with hospital playlist after seeing so much memes about it and now i can't imagine my life without hosplay (i still watch the whole thing like every month).

but i'm not here to talk about hosplay but the third installment of the critically acclaimed "reply" series.

Reply 1988 is the highest rated in tv ratings among all the "reply" series. and i can totally understand that as this show captures all the tales and woes of each generation.

i can say that the number 1 appeal of the Shin-Lee series' is the nostalgia and the bravery it takes to tackle the simplest yet the most constant worries of a human.

for the 3rd "reply" installment, it goes back to 1988, before the year looked funny (as you will see on one of the episodes). there definitely is something true about that as that's when all the technology in the world started to become accessible.

this show crept up to me (much like Prison Playbook). this was my second attempt at watching it since the first time made me drop it for being too "scream-y" which to be honest, a lot of shows are anyway. but what made me stay were the moms and dads. only did the last few episodes made me notice the actual gang of young misfits.

i loved the way it tackled real-world, real-family problems without being preachy. i love the way the pacing is so slow and nostalgic. i love the way all the families interacted with each other and with the other families.

don't come watching this show for the love story (although i absolutely loved who the main girl character ended up with). come watch this show if you enjoy stories about family dynamics.

--the only thing i didn't like (and this is just totally me), is how the noona who seems to be levelheaded fell in love with an immature child. maybe i was too salty to understand how it all went down but it just wasn't for me.

[artisimpossible]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

Hello!

So I know you sent this awhile ago and I took ages to get to it, but I just really wanted to do this justice because this is such a big ask and I take my responsibilities as a fan very seriously. I'm also going to have to caveat the fact that "all of the media that I have loved" is too many media to be able to truly answer this question with 100% accuracy, so instead, I opted for

My Top 10 Favorite Characters (In Recent Memory) That I Feel Best Portray What I Love In Characters (But I'm Very Sorry To Anyone Who Should've Been On This List But I Just Kind of Forgot) in no particular order:

Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

I am sorry to be a basic bitch, but Gojo may be my favorite character in anything ever. I hate that I am so predictable, but the white haired anime character trope absolutely kills me. Also, I am obsessed with a character who is like... too op to function, but also still very flawed. Also characters who are Sunshine Silly Goofs on the surface but so haunted and devastating under the surface. I admire the way he's The Great Protector of everyone but also makes sometimes callous choices, and I am obsessed with the fact that he is essentially the god of their world, but is still just... so very fragile and human. Also, like, he's so hot. Just so hot. That's also important.

2. Daddy Nanami (Jujutsu Kaisen)

I literally cannot stand watching this show. Like I want to throw up watching it because I love these bitches so much. Anyway, I tried REALLY hard not to like Nanami. Like I fought it so hard because he was obviously a doomed character from his intro, but I could not stop myself because I love the Sulky Blonde anime character trope for some reason, but also like... he's so hot. I want to watch him do my taxes. Also like... he's so relatable. Doesn't want to work overtime. Doesn't want to keep playing this shitty game where everyone dies young and bathes in the blood of teenagers, but also like, what? You expect him to work in corporate hell? Just let people die? He's not gonna fucking do that. He's that voice of reason every anime group probably needs, but he's also so hot, and like so grumpy but so kind, and so Responsible and Mature, but also so soft, and I love the way he takes care of those damn kids, okay? I just... *runs away sobbing*

3. Kurapika (HunterxHunter)

My favorite trope when I was younger was the "looks like they could kill you but is actually a sweetie" thing, but as I've gotten older, I've really come to appreciate what it is to be fully capable of being an all-powerful, cold-blooded killer and just... choose not to do that. Kurapika is the epitome of "character I just want to hug and protect forever" because he's been through so much and it's only made him stronger, but also like he shouldn't have to go through all that? And I adore that he's so mature and so strong and so capable and he protects everyone and puts villains in their place and all that jazz but he's also just a sweet kid who loves his friends and I love him so much oh my god.

4. Gao Yizhi (Iron Widow)

(See above regarding Kurapika) I have talked about Iron Widow as one of my favorite books of all time, but while Li Shimin is just a fabulous fucking character who once upon a time definitely would've been my favorite, Gao Yizhi stole my heart by just... being pretty... like soft pretty boy but also don't look at him too long because the devil burns behind his eyes and he will kill you. That is the finest of aesthetics, but also like... this man is so concerning. I would not trust him for a moment. And yet, he is just whipped for Wu Zetian, and that is literally what everyone should look for in a boyfriend.

5. Dazai (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Speaking of concerning, I first fell in love with Dazai because I loved how much he wants to die (don't call the cops, this was like a decade ago, and I am better now), but tbh I love how cute and silly and flirty he is on the surface to cover up the fact that he is just a downright nightmare of a human being. This man is a menace. He could kill literally anyone. And in another life, he probably would have, but now he's just chilling, taking care of his kids and fucking with his ex, and I love that for him. He is literally the perfect villain, and yet... he's not really doing anything that bad anymore. Go figure.

(Also, sidenote, I recently read No Longer Human, and not only did it give me a profound appreciation for Osamu Dazai as a person, but it really put his character into context that makes me adore this show even more, so yeah.)

6. Shinobu (Demon Slayer)

She is so mad. She is so angry. Yet she is a cutesy little girl in butterfly garb floating around saving people, I--yeah, it's very clear from this list that I have a type, but whatever. I love Shinobu because she's small and tiny and sweet, but she's also a major badass who can and will kill you. She's the only hashira who's physically too weak to decapitate demons so she kills them with poison, like??? This girl said "the gods didn't make me powerful, so I made me powerful", and that is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. She's surviving on spite alone, and she's whooping everyone's asses that way. An icon. A true hero. I adore her.

7. Vanitas (The Case Study of Vanitas)

This one's back to my roots, but I love a tragic character like Vanitas. I just... I love a man so broken you have to wonder if he's even a person anymore. I love how wretched and painful and horrific his past is and how divorced he feels from humanity, and also like those little claws get me every time. Idk. I know, I'm weird. Whatever. The flippant, antagonistic, flamboyance on the surface to cover an empty, wretched, devastated soul underneath just struggling to survive? *chef's kiss*

8. Scorpion King (Word of Honor)

Scorpion King is basically the opposite of all my above examples, but I love him for the same reasons. This is a man who is heartless, ruthless, an absolute murderer. He kills for fun. He has no regard for human life... EXCEPT HIS FUCKING GODFATHER. Like this is a villain who could easily have burned the entire world with his cunning and power and literally all he wanted was for his dad to fucking love him??? He would have broken himself down day in and day out just for that affection, and that's the sort of sick, twisted, vile love I want to see in a villain. Just the sort of absolutely poisoned, twisted, abusive affection that makes me absolutely feral. He could have been the ULTIMATE villain, and he was absolutely DESTROYED because he just wanted to be LOVED. Delicious.

9. Muichiro (Demon Slayer)

This is a BABY. Just... A BABY!!! Literally a tragic character, but what I love about him is just how casually perfect he is. He's supposed to be weak, pathetic, useless. He is NOT. He comes off kind of airheaded at the beginning, but he is truly just... the most impressive. I want to protect him always, but also, everyone should be scared of him. (Except me, I am good to him so he will be kind to me in turn :))

10. Crowley (Good Omens)

Once again, an exceptional villain. Or, you know, could be, except he fell in love with an annoying fucking angel so now he's barely a menace, mostly just kind of a fool who wastes his time around a bookshop all day (both relatable and kinda aspirational, ngl). I love Crowley both because he is so not evil that it's actually kinda funny despite having all the evil energy and aesthetic, but the thing I love MOST about him is the way he just absolutely spits in the face of gender. Gender who? He wouldn't know. He is all gender. He is no gender. He is the divine lord of gender, and I worship at his feet in the hopes that he'll give me a little gender as a treat. Just truly a trans icon AND a menace at the same time, and I can think of nothing better. (Also, I have a thing for David Tennant. Always have. His accent does things for me so this doesn't help. Whoops.)

Anyway, yes, this concludes my Top 10 Characters [blah, blah...] List. If you are not familiar with any of the above media, I highly recommend them, but also like... these are not Wholesome(tm) and simple media. I like weird shit. If that was not obvious from my talking about these freaks, now you know. Be warned.

Also thank you for the ask!!!

[astraystayastayastray]

Cinematic Love

Pairing: seungmin!reader + fem!character

Genre: angst, heartbreak 🤧

Song by: Yang Da il and DK (Seventeen) - SoundCloud below cut!!

A/N: a short wip i jotted before i forget. i srsly need seungmin to sing this >.<

Plot: You went through a heart wrenching breakup you can't get over.

Description: Falling apart from each other after a breakup is obvious. But getting over it takes time and pain. More than you can bear.

DO NOT COPY WORK.

Rain spatters onto the windowsill as you take out your camera for the hundredth time.

I took it for granted, you being next to me

I didn’t know how thankful I should have been

Sighing, you lay down on your bed and spread out all of the polaroids you've gathered over the past few years with her.

When I missed you, I could just meet you

I didn’t know how precious you were

You look over each and every single one of the memories the two of you had together.

A smile spreads across your face..

We only had happy scenes

And immediately crumbles, replacing with tears.

But like changing a channel, it all ended

So easily, so suddenly

With only a few pictures, only a few memories remaining

She left you.

That was the only thing you can think of everyday.

She got bored, and she never liked you back.

She left.

A piece of you,

A scene of you,

I can’t get sick of it

No matter how many times you see them, you can't bear throwing away the memories and scenes you shared together.

I know so well that if I keep watching, it’ll hurt

But I can’t erase you

You couldn't bear to just erase everything. It was all that you had. It was all you ever cared about.

Why couldn't you do it?

Is it because I still love you?

◇

You're sitting alone in front of the tv an hour later in the living room.

Digital videos and photos of her were playing before you on the screen.

Memories like wet pictures

You planned on making a digital mini movie out of all the pictures you took together and presenting it celebrating your fourth dating anniversary.

Thinking that one day, the two of you would watch and laugh over them together in this very place.

Never did you predict you would be sitting here all alone with tears in your eyes. Watching memories that have come and gone, knowing too well that those days will never return.

The more I touch them, the more they get ruined and ripped

Maybe you weren't good enough for her.

Maybe she never saw you as more than a friend.

A piece of you,

A scene of you

I can’t get sick of it

I memorize every word you say by copying your lip movements

It was taken so well,

These scenes of you

You slump against the sofa, trying to think of what, just what, you did wrong for her to shut you out so suddenly.

Slowly, very slowly, you fall asleep listening to her soft voice coming from the tv. You miss her so much. You'd do anything to see her again.

All you want to do right now is her in your arms. Someone to comfort, someone for comfort, someone you can trust.

It was a love like the movies:

Quick, luminous, and eventually ending in a round of applause as the curtains shatter close.

It was a love like the movies:

Out of control, unpredictable, and exciting. You never knew what would happen next.

It was a

Cinematic Love

◇

Check out masterlist for more.

REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED!

THANKS FOR READING!

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

World growth slowing, inflation to keep rising (Bloomberg) Trump’s trade war has abruptly set the world onto a path of slower growth and higher inflation that could worsen, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said. The association of 38 rich countries cut its outlook for most members and predicted the pace of global expansion to slow to 3.1% this year and 3% in 2026. Nations currently in the eye of the trade storm may see even sharper decelerations, with Canada’s growth rate tumbling to less than half the OECD’s December prediction, Mexico entering a recession and the annual expansion in the US wilting to 1.6% next year—the weakest since the aftermath of the Great Recession (aside from the pandemic recession in 2020).

‘We’re not stopping’: Trump officials raise the stakes in showdowns with judges (NBC News) President Donald Trump and his allies have launched a multipronged attack on the judiciary, punctuated over the weekend by his decision not to comply with a federal judge’s order to halt the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador. It was not the first time the two-month-old Trump administration had not complied with a federal court. Judges have said Trump has brushed aside their orders to unfreeze spending on a variety of foreign and domestic programs. “We’re not stopping,” White House border czar Tom Homan said Monday morning on “Fox and Friends.” “I don’t care what the judges think.” Battling the judiciary could face its ultimate test if the Supreme Court, which includes three justices appointed by Trump, rules against the administration. So far, the court has stayed largely on the sidelines.

What Trump’s second term means for nuclear proliferation (Foreign Policy) If the first 50 days of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term were dominated by tariffs and bringing back a level of protectionism that the country has not seen since the 1940s, then the second 50 days might involve another throwback: nuclear proliferation. The fact that only nine countries have nuclear weapons today is the product of eight decades of security guarantees that the United States extends to much of the world. With that so-called nuclear umbrella gone, Debak Das and Rachel A. Epstein of the University of Denver write that “we are on the precipice of a global turn toward nuclear instability, in which many countries will be newly incentivized to build their own arsenals.” Germany’s incoming government is already preparing a fundamental readjustment of its defense posture. Thorsten Benner, the director of the Global Policy Institute in Berlin, argues that it should include “an ambitious nuclear policy rethink.” Another U.S. ally—the nuclear latent state of South Korea—is undoubtedly thinking along the same lines.

Deportation drama online (CJR/The Media Today) Fallout continues from the Trump administration’s deportation of the alleged Venezuelan gang members, who were sent to El Salvador under an agreement with that country’s president, Nayib Bukele, as well as a video—posted online by Bukele—showing deportees being marched off a plane and their heads being shaved. CNN’s Brian Stelter described the video, which was set to “dramatic music,” as “a made-for-TV and made-for-social portrayal of a popular Trump policy in action.” At a press briefing yesterday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, encouraged undocumented immigrants “to actively self-deport to maybe save themselves from being in one of these fun videos.”

Peru declares an emergency and deploys the army as violence surges in the capital (AP) Peru’s president declared a state of emergency in the capital Monday and ordered the deployment of soldiers to help police address a surge of violence, amid widespread outcry a day after the killing of a popular singer. President Dina Boluarte’s government published a decree saying that the state of emergency will last 30 days, and authorities will restrict some rights, including the freedom of assembly and movement. That means the police and the army would be able to detain people without a judicial order. Peru has seen an increase of killings, violent extortion and attacks on public places in recent months. Police reported 459 killings from Jan. 1 to March 16, and 1,909 extortion reports in January alone. But outrage crested after the killing Sunday of Paul Flores, the 39-year-old lead singer of the cumbia band Armonia 10.

Putin agrees to pause strikes on Ukraine’s energy targets in Trump call amid ‘movement to peace’ (Independent) President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a 90-minute phone call to begin “the movement to peace” in Russia’s three-year-old war against Ukraine, starting with a 30-day ceasefire on energy targets, according to the White House. A White House readout of the conversation said the two leaders had agreed on an “energy and infrastructure ceasefire,” with talks to begin “immediately in the Middle East” about a full ceasefire. Separately, the Kremlin said Putin had agreed to stop strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for the next month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also said he would agree to the 30-day pause in fighting. A separate readout issued from Moscow said the two leaders had a "detailed and frank exchange of views" on Ukraine, with Putin stressing that any resolution to the conflict must be "comprehensive, sustainable and long-term.”

The $300 billion question: What to do with Russia’s frozen central bank money? (AP) With U.S. support for Ukraine in doubt, Kyiv’s European allies are weighing whether to seize $300 billion in frozen Russian assets and use the money to compensate Ukraine, support its military and help rebuild shattered homes and towns. For now, the assets are still on ice, with opponents of seizure warning that the move could violate international law and destabilize financial markets. So far, the Group of Seven democracies have used the interest on the frozen cash to fund $50 billion in upfront assistance to Ukraine by borrowing against future interest income. That solution avoids legal and financial complications associated with outright confiscating the money and giving it to Ukraine.

China conducts air and sea drills near Taiwan in response to US and Taiwanese statements (AP) An unusually large number of Chinese military ships, planes and drones entered airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan between Sunday and Monday, the self-governing island republic’s Defense Ministry said. China said the drills were a response to recent statements and actions by the U.S. and Taiwan. The ministry on Tuesday published on its social media several images of Chinese drones and ships and said 43 out of 59 of them entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone but that no confrontations were reported. Taiwan monitored the situation and deployed aircraft, navy ships and coastal anti-ship missile defenses in response, the ministry said. China launches such missions on a daily basis in hopes of wearing down Taiwanese defenses and morale, although the vast majority of the island’s 23 million people reject Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan and its threat to use force to assert its control.

Japan to deploy long-range missiles able to hit North Korea and China (Guardian) Yesterday, Japan announced a plan to deploy long-range missiles to its southern island of Kyushu, which Tokyo hopes will deter North Korea and China from conducting any funny business during the Trump administration.  The move comes as governments and companies across the globe are struggling to find responses to the Trump White House’s recent foreign policy shakeups. More specifically, Trump has recently criticized the U.S.-Japan security treaty that was established after Japan’s military was dismantled in the wake of World War II. “We have a great relationship with Japan, but we have an interesting deal with Japan that we have to protect them, but they don’t have to protect us,” he said, adding, “That’s the way the deal reads … and by the way, they make a fortune with us economically. I actually ask who makes these deals?” The answer to that question is America. America made the deal to keep Japan demilitarized and to use it as a giant military base in the wake of WW II.

Israel enacts exacting new rules for aid groups assisting Palestinians (Washington Post) Israel will begin implementing sweeping measures that give officials broad authority to reject the registration of nongovernmental organizations providing assistance to Palestinians using a far-reaching set of guidelines. Among the criteria: whether an NGO or its employees have ever called for a boycott of Israel, denied its existence “as a Jewish and democratic state,” or expressed support for legal proceedings against Israeli citizens in international courts for acts carried out while serving in the military or any security agency.

Pentagon says operation against Houthis is open-ended (Washington Post) The U.S. military will continue attacks on Houthi militants in Yemen, officials said Monday, as the Trump administration launches a new, open-ended attempt to prevent the group’s assaults on commercial shipping or U.S. and allied targets. The Pentagon said U.S. forces had struck more than 30 Houthi targets since Saturday, including command-and-control and training sites, drone infrastructure, and weapons production and storage facilities, in what officials have said would be an intensified campaign against the militants. “Today, the operation continues, and it will continue in the coming days until we achieve the president’s objectives,” Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, a senior official on the Joint Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.

South Sudan's Return to the Brink of War (NYT) The world’s youngest nation faces the threat of war yet again. This month, a United Nations helicopter was attacked during an evacuation mission in a remote area in South Sudan, with one member of its crew killed and two others seriously injured. The flight was rescuing wounded government soldiers who had clashed with an armed group in Upper Nile State in the northeast. A day later, the United States said it was removing all nonemergency government employees from the country, citing security threats. The attack underscored the shaky stability of the East African nation, almost a decade and a half after it gained independence amid hope and fanfare. The latest clashes, and the preceding political tensions, have regional observers fearing the collapse of a peace deal that was agreed on seven years ago.

Kenya hosts Dutch royals as allegations of human rights abuses mount (AP) Kenya is hosting the Netherlands king and queen as allegations of human rights abuses are mounting, with Kenyans writing hundreds of emails and petitioning the Dutch royals to cancel their visit. Kenya’s government has been accused of arresting and detaining critics, especially after the June 2024 anti-government protests during which demonstrators stormed the parliament and torched a section of it angry over new taxes passed by legislators. Along with cracking down on demonstrators and curbing free speech, the country also saw state-linked abductions of young men for social media posts deemed offensive to the president. In December, during protests against widespread kidnappings and abductions, dozens of peaceful protesters were arrested.

A.I. and the data center boom (NYT) This is the most fundamental change to computing since the early days of the World Wide Web. Just as companies completely rebuilt their computer systems to accommodate the new commercial internet in the 1990s, they are now rebuilding from the bottom up—from tiny components to the way that computers are housed and powered—to accommodate artificial intelligence. Big tech companies have constructed computer data centers all over the world for two decades. Back in 2006, Google opened its first data center in The Dalles, Ore., spending an estimated $600 million to complete the facility. In January, OpenAI and several partners announced a plan to spend roughly $100 billion on new data centers, beginning with a campus in Texas. They plan to eventually pump an additional $400 billion into this and other facilities across the United States. The change in computing is reshaping not just technology but also finance, energy and communities. Private equity firms are plowing money into data center companies. Electricians are flocking to areas where the facilities are being erected.

[dranger78official]

What I'm gonna do before season 2 episode 21 of beyblade x comes out + predictions

So, I am so hyped up for beyblade x episode 21 because this episode is PURE #beyhorror. I went on the pash website and it tells me that Bird, Ekusu and Tenka dress up as ghosts, and there is a real one. YES, THERE IS A REAL ONE IN THE NEXT EPISODE. I have found proof:

And I predict the ghost will be the antagonist of this episode, and I hope it is not gonna be a hoax because that cliche was used in many halloween episodes of tv shows where the characters go find the monster and then, it was fake at the end. Like scooby-doo. But I don't want the scooby-doo situation to go on and on and I want this ghost to be REAL.

If the ghost was a good guy, I may pass out because I want the ghost to be BAD.

Things to do before the episode releases:

Play my #beyhorror playlist on repeat.

Pump out boss music to the max.

Browse pixai.

Watch A LOT of bossfights and bullet hells.

Predict the appearance of the ghost in my mind.

Celebrate night of the phantoms early.

My predictions:

Ekusu kurosu and Yuni may battle in a haunted house (I think), according to the trailer. If the house is zonamos house, I will flip out,

The ghost in the security camera is gonna be a he\him.

Reiyu will speak about the ghost in the camera.

Team zooganic will appear.

And the episode will end with everyone screaming.

If the episode's OP was not gonna be You gotta run and the ED was not cosmic treat, it could've be something halloweeney. Here's the artists I think will make the OP\ED:

Eve harapeco - YES!!!! I'VE ALWAYS WANT HIM TO DO THE MUSIC!!!! I'M SO FRICKING HYPED UP!!!!

Da-ICE

Lily mizusaki

Creepy nuts - They have pretty good music so why not?

Syudou

Maretu - Probably not gonna work because he only uses vocaloid and if he really IS gonna do it, he has to do it on HIS OWN instead.

Fake type

Kankan - Why not?

Chogakusei - Seriously, Why not?

Sekai no owari

King gnu

Rosu - uh...

ALI

AKB48

Be:first

YOASOBI

Hiiragikirai - His music are pretty good so why can't he make a good anime OP?

Dustcell

And that's all. So, I predict the ghost's theme could be some random aah laur song or bossfight music. And, I am gonna write things I'd like to do WHEN the episode releases.

Write phases for the ghost in the camera and use a PIXAI model for him. (every boss needs phases, y'know.)

Write a fanfic about a bullet-hell battle with the ghost.

Create the ghost on character ai.

Listen to boss music all day.

Rhythm game every day.

Speaking of this episode, we need a universial studios (Japan because I live in here) HHN attraction that revolves around this episode in the storyline of an undertale-esque bullet hell in which visitors will play as beyblade characters (They select their characters via a person who randomly gives out cards of characters and beyblades) and defeat the ghost. The attraction will be set in the place where the ghost is spotted, and it will have a wide screen. It also has a table in which visitors insert their cards into the slot. The table will also have a joystick and a button that can let players pick up things and throw. The game will be similar to undertale and ponpu, and instead, players will have to work together to defeat the boss. There will be no scare actors, instead the attraction will feature bosses as scare actors you will be given to defeat. At the end of each round, the visitors will be guided by the host to move on. The levels get harder by each stages (there are 5) but not too hard because this is gonna be a family attraction. Bey battles are rarely presented.

So, that's all for this list, and I hope y'all have a nice day. I will try to write a bossfight-style description for the ghost. And if you think the HHN attraction idea was pretty good, I hope universial studios made it. Bye!

[joslincox]

Nostalgic Kids Predictions For 2025

We called it. Thanks to the release of Dog Man in theaters, 2025 is turning into the Year of The Kids! Here are some predictions of what nostalgic stuff we will see the kids doing this year.

So many kids are going to have a lot of Super Soaker wars.

We are going to see so many balloon battles.

So many of us are gonna be seeing a lot of Brittney vs. Christina Aguilera (and Jessica Simpson!)

We're gonna see a lot of kids practicing their favorite artists' dance moves

Lots of kids are going to be listening to these songs at their birthday parties

Lots of girls are gonna put lemon juice in their hair and hope they get chunky highlights

We're gonna see a lot of girls pick out trendy outfits and put together back to school outfits

So many of us are gonna be wearing body glitter to school dances

We are gonna see so many kids playing Dance Dance Revolution

Lots of girls are gonna be watching The Princess Diaries over and over

So many girls are going to be picking up jewelry from Clarie's

We're going to see a lot of sleepovers (like the one Virgil and Richie had)

We are going to see so many Bratz dolls

So many of us are going to tune in to the Kids Choice Awards.

Lots of us are going to be grieving about Justin Timberlake and Briney's break-up (and listening to "Cry Me a River" to go with it!)

So many kids are going to be eating their morning cereal while watching old music videos on TV

We are gonna see so many Disney Channel Original Movies

So many girls are going to be attempting to copy Lizzie McGuire's outfits!

So many of us are going to watch the Super Bowl and keep our eyes peeled for Kendrick Lamar (especially Osmosis Jones!)

We are going to see a lot of wild house parties.

A lot of kids are going to be very excited to go to movies for the annual $1 Summer Movie Camp

We're gonna see a lot of girls reading J-14, Tiger Beat, and Bop online.

So many of us are going to see Britney, Christina, Destiny's Child, and J.Lo perform at my birthday party.

So many kids are going to witness the no parents phenomenon (Thanks, Jimmy Neutron!)

We are gonna see so many kids go to 6 flags (Thanks, Bebe's Kids!)

A lot of kids are going to witness concerts via their TV sets

We are gonna see so many video countdowns

[starseedfxofficial]

Master the Square of 9 and WTI Crude with Winning Strategies Mastering the Square of 9 & WTI: Trading Secrets from the Hidden Playbook Let’s be honest: the world of trading is like a game show where every contestant is trying to figure out if that box they're about to pick contains a jackpot or a pie in the face. And then comes the Square of 9, an enigmatic tool that seems like something straight out of a mad scientist’s laboratory. But if you pair it with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil, magic happens. And today, I'm letting you peek behind the curtain for a masterclass in trading this combo—buckle in, and grab some popcorn! Square of 9: The Mysterious Roadmap to Market Timing So what exactly is this "Square of 9" that everyone talks about in hushed tones at trading seminars? Imagine if Fibonacci and Pythagoras threw a party—that's pretty much the Square of 9. Created by W.D. Gann, the Square of 9 is a mysterious mathematical grid that helps identify market support, resistance, and timing cycles. It's like trying to crack the Da Vinci code but with oil charts. The Square of 9 works by arranging numbers in a spiral, which supposedly align with key price levels and angles. You see, it's not your average tool that tells you, "Oh, hey, buy at $100 and sell at $110." It's more like, "When price aligns with this magic number, expect something big." Sounds vague? Absolutely. But it works—if you know how to use it. How to Decipher the Square of 9 Without Going Cross-Eyed - Identify Key Price Levels: The Square of 9 can identify price levels based on angles and degrees. Picture a spiral starting at 1 and moving outwards. Depending on the angle, traders can predict potential price resistance or support. For instance, using 45-degree or 90-degree angles provides natural pivot points. - Timing Cycles—When to Hit the Gas or Tap the Brakes: Timing is everything, especially when dealing with a volatile asset like WTI. The Square of 9 is believed to align with astrological cycles, which sounds super woo-woo until you realize it’s actually about market sentiment. Traders can use it to determine when big moves might happen—either by looking at calendar dates or key numbers that align. - Oil Prices and Patterns: Let’s take a WTI example—say the current price is hovering around $80. You plot that price into the Square of 9 and see where it aligns with a particular angle, say 135 degrees. If it’s also a significant resistance level, maybe it’s time to tighten that stop loss! WTI Crude Oil—Volatility, Drama, and Opportunity WTI crude oil is not just a commodity; it’s like that unpredictable best friend who you love, but you never know what they'll do next. It can soar one day and plummet the next, and understanding how to trade it effectively means embracing that volatility—with some clever risk management strategies. How the Square of 9 Can Help You with WTI - Price Levels That Make Sense—Finally: Let’s face it, oil prices are notorious for fakeouts. You think it’s breaking out, only to find out it’s as fake as a reality TV show plotline. The Square of 9 gives traders some clarity on whether the price is likely to break through or rebound. You use angles and degrees to line up key price points, which can provide a more precise read on what’s coming next. - Predicting the Unexpected—Is That Even Possible?: One of the biggest draws of the Square of 9 is timing. WTI moves in cycles—whether that’s the weekly oil inventory report or OPEC announcements. By plotting dates and price levels into the Square, traders can anticipate these moves before they happen, instead of scrambling after the news hits. The Winning Strategy: Using Square of 9 with WTI Crude - The "Angle Attack"—Not Your Average Breakout Strategy: Suppose WTI is trading at $75. You plot it into the Square of 9, and your analysis points to a 180-degree angle aligning with $83. This level, you conclude, is a potential target—not because a news analyst said so, but because the numbers are telling you. Place your limit orders accordingly, and sit back with that air of confidence that you know what’s going on—even if no one else does. - WTI Breakout & Fakeout Filter: We’ve all fallen for that ‘oh-it’s-breaking-out’ move only for it to fake you out in the next hour. By using the Square of 9, you can filter these moves better by comparing the price to significant pivot levels. If it aligns with a key level and volume spikes, it’s more likely the breakout is for real. Advanced Insights: The Unknown Secrets of Gann's Masterpiece - Don’t Just Trade—Time It Right: Gann’s methods were all about timing. Instead of just buying into momentum, use the Square of 9 to identify not just key price levels but also when price may be ripe for a move. Timing isn’t just about entry—it’s about avoiding those sideways market days where you gain nothing but grey hairs. - Pairing with Volume for Extra Confidence: Never underestimate volume—it’s the market’s voice, and when paired with the Square of 9, it’s like getting a trading roadmap and a compass. Use volume spikes at Square of 9 pivot levels to determine when a major move is not just plausible but probable. Real World Example: Trading WTI with the Square of 9 In April 2024, WTI crude found itself trading within a choppy range. Using the Square of 9, traders pinpointed $76 as a key resistance level. Once price approached $76, a convergence of volume spikes and alignment on the Square signaled the probability of a breakout. Sure enough, WTI surged beyond $80 within a week, catching those who understood the Square in a profitable move—while others scrambled to catch up. Expert Takeaways on Square of 9 and WTI "The Square of 9 is more than just a mathematical curiosity. It’s a powerful tool for understanding where price may stall or accelerate, especially in commodities like crude oil, which move on both fundamentals and sentiment." — Amanda Lee, Market Analyst "Using the Square of 9 can make a difference in a trader's edge. The secret lies in understanding how to marry these price points with what’s happening fundamentally in the oil markets." — David Strong, Energy Trading Veteran Common Mistakes Traders Make with Square of 9 & WTI - Overcomplicating the Grid: Trust me, you can spend all day analyzing the numbers on the Square of 9, but over-analysis leads to paralysis. Keep it simple—focus on key angles and price levels. - Ignoring Fundamentals: WTI doesn’t just move because the Square says so. Remember, it’s still affected by inventory levels, OPEC drama, and demand forecasts. Use the Square to give an edge, but don’t ignore the bigger picture. - Not Practicing on Historical Data: Before going all in, practice using the Square of 9 on historical charts. This will help you understand how price moves in relation to the grid, without the stress of real money on the line. Next Steps: Mastering the Combo - Explore the Fundamentals: Learn the basics and the advanced moves of using tools like the Square of 9 in our StarseedFX Free Forex Courses. - Community Learning: Ever wondered what other traders are thinking? Share your strategies and learn from pros in the StarseedFX Community. - Stay Updated: Catch every twist in the oil market with the latest Forex News Today from StarseedFX. WTI crude oil is unpredictable, like that one friend who’s always got a new, wild business idea every week. But with the Square of 9, you get to know when those ideas are worth investing in—or when you should take a rain check. It’s about combining technical wizardry with solid knowledge of what’s happening in the real world. Have you tried using the Square of 9 before, or maybe you’ve got another favorite tool for predicting WTI moves? Let’s get a discussion going in the comments below—there’s always something new to learn. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

[ear-worthy]

How Narrative Structure Can Attract More Listeners

For indie podcasters, capturing and maintaining the most listeners is a key indicator of success. First, listeners have to find that indie podcast. That step alone transforms the degree of difficulty into a math problem of improbability. 

Second, indie podcasters have to hang onto to the listeners who sample their show. The abandon rate here is exceedingly high. 

This second reason -- listener retention -- is the focus of this article.

Listeners can drop into a podcast at any time in the podcast's lifecycle. TV shows know this, which is why they often have show recaps to help those new listeners. Podcasts often don't do this, largely because they don't have to unless, of course, it's a true-crime podcast or serialized podcast such as Stolen: The Search For Jermain. 

Let's examine several reasons why podcasts do not retain the listeners that sample the show.

# 1: Too much happy banter that only loyal listeners will care about.

I recently listened to a sports podcast for the first time, which had two men and one woman as co-hosts. It has been around for several years, so I thought I'd give it a chance. After listening to two episodes, I'm convinced this podcast doesn't want or need new listeners. 

Why? First, it took eight minutes to address their first sports topic, which was about Steph Curry. In those eight minutes, the co-hosts talked about their weekend activities with sentences such as:

 "And you know what I've said before about brewery tours." The new listener doesn't.

"We both know how you feel about talking during the football game." The new listener doesn't know this, either.

"I have to tell you what my cat did this weekend." I love cats. I have one named Moogie. But I don't know you and I want to hear about Curry and your other topics -- NFL rankings, Ovechkin, and the Australian Open predictions.

As a podcaster, trying to satisfy your current audience and attract a new audience means being measured is paramount. Sure, you want the audience to get to know you with these personal anecdotes, but you don't include anything that requires prior knowledge. Yes, you want a level of happy banter, especially on a sports podcast where I think it's mandated, but when the pitter-patter of happy talk makes up 20 percent of your podcast, you may want to trim it down.   

An indie podcast like Double Take handles this well. The co-hosts, Jess and Jenni, do a little happy banter at the beginning that lasts no more than a minute and often they offer context to their remarks. These women know that listeners came for the review of streaming shows and they deliver.

Matt Gilhooly of The Life Shift podcast is similarly concise at the show's beginning. This superb indie podcast presents candid conversations with people about the pivotal moments that changed their lives forever. Matt knows that listeners are downloading or streaming to hear the stories of his guests -- their trauma and their heroic journey of overcoming that trauma.

 # 2: Not explaining what your podcast is about in the show's beginning

Let me use Don't Drink The Milk as an example of what to do. In its October 23 episode, the show's host Rachel Stewart begins with how "the missionary position" is pronounced in several languages. Then, she explains the topic, gives a trigger warning and then says, "This is Don't Drink The Milk about the curious history of things." Ta-Da. Right there, Stewart has teased the episode's topic and told us what the podcast is about. Now, if you are a loyal listener, you've heard this intro multiple times and probably no longer pay attention. However, to that first-time listener, that brief explanation of what the podcast is about is monetization gold. 

It's baked into podcasting's structure that every show and episode begins with intro music, unless it's a horror podcast, in which a werewolf is howling. In every show and every episode, a brief description of the podcast should be a "must-have."

An interview show like CooperTalk usesthis phrase as its intro: Steve's opening line of every episode: "I'm Steve Cooper and I'm only as hip as my guests," is the kind of signature line many podcasters would die for.

Salad With A Side Of Fries does this perfectly. In a recent episode with guest Sarah Thomas, host Jenn Trepeck orchestrates the perfect beginning. First, she starts with a teaser from her guest about muscle mass loss as we age, then appropriately bouncy intro music plays as Trepeck says, "Welcome to Salad With A Side Of Fries, I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck,  talking wellness and weight loss for real life."

Podcasts like Trashy Divorces and What A Creep also do a nice job of explaining their entire premise up front. Both shows have a simple, self-explanatory premise, yet they take the time to explain it in every episode. Why? To attract and retain new listeners.

For every podcast that explains its objective or raison d'être in its opening so that new listeners can latch on to the show, there are hundreds of indie podcasts (and good ones at that) that simply begin the show as if you, a new listener, knows about the show's premise, the people (co-hosts) speaking, and why you should care about their latest misadventures with potty training their new Goldendoodle. 

Comedy, movie, and sports podcasts are excellent at throwing numerous voices at listeners with no name attribution, and then spending precious minutes on inside jokes that only established listeners will understand and possibly laugh at. Do I care if Skip lost all his money on his DraftKings NFL bets last weekend? No, because, as a new listener, I don't even know who Skip is.

 # 3: Use Teasers to generate interest and Segments to organize the episode

 Consider Multispective, a podcast that shares deeply personal stories of triumph through tribulations.On the show, host Jennica Sadhwani plays a clip to hook the audience on this current episode. Then, she explains the show's premise, and the emotive intro music plays.

The teaser acts as a podcaster's honey for its busy bee listeners. A strong teaser will induce listeners to react with: "I have to listen to this episode."

In my previous example, Salad With A Side Of Fries begins with a teaser, and it's a good one about losing muscle mass. I do not want to be a "flabby Frank" so I listened to the entire episode, and I'm sure plenty of others will and did. 

Segments act as an organizing device. On the September 23rd episode of Podcast Workflows, host Joe Casabona discussed the utility of segments in podcast episodes. You can listen to that episode here.

In the episode, Joe observes: "To create a more engaging show, think about incorporating segments. Just like how late-night shows have defined parts, segmenting your podcast can make it more consumable and structured. You can dedicate parts of your episode to different topics or formats, such as opening monologues, interviews, and specific segments tailored to your audience’s interests." Have you listened to an interview podcast that ran for more than one hour? Interview podcasters can offer listeners a map to the interview by including segments. Before a midroll ad or just as a segue, a host can forecast to listeners what topic they'll be discussing in the next part of the interview.

Joe adds: "If you’re worried that solo episodes might become stale, develop a clear structure. For instance, discuss a main topic, then showcase an interesting tool related to that topic, and finish with an automation tip. This keeps the solo content engaging and valuable."

In short, teasers draw in listeners while segments keep listeners grounded in the structure of the show.

 # 4 Comprehensive and well-written show notes can spark interest

 Everyone knows what a Joe Rogan podcast will offer. The episodes of Call Her Daddy typically include details about host Cooper's personal life, numerous sentences that includes the word F**k somewhere in the episode, or a celebrity oversharing about their privileged life.

The point is that these podcasts are so well-known that you know what to expect. There's no need to expend resources to attract new listeners. Social media, word of mouth, and the culture at large do that job for them. 

Most indie podcasts have to balance the needs of their loyal audience with the demand to attract new listeners. There are some indie podcasts that manage those two often competing goals with guile and skill, while others seem to pray that new listeners will somehow find them among the tens of thousands of podcasts available. The written show notes can act as a powerful attractant for new listeners. Consider the show notes on Apple podcasts for The Murder Sheet:

"The Murder Sheet is a weekly true crime podcast hosted by journalist Áine Cain and attorney Kevin Greenlee. Its first season on restaurant related homicides, and features miniseries on the Burger Chef murders. If you're looking for thoughtful, in-depth coverage of lesser-known crimes, this is the true crime podcast for you."

It's specific, and detailed enough so that new listeners browsing for a new true-crime podcast would stop and consider. By contrast, here's the show notes from an unnamed true-crime podcast.

"A true-crime podcast for you." That's it. No detail, other than it's about true crime. And, the podcaster thinks it's for you. Hmmm.

A podcast trailer acts like coming attractions for a movie or like a TV commercial highlighting a TV show. However, a trailer is either a once in a podcast lifetime device, or, better yet, a once a season or introducing a miniseries device.

Show notes are like a podcaster's roadside billboard. They're always there. When they're written to entice, engage, or even enrage, they can be a powerful tool for listener retention and organic audience growth.

Here are the show notes to an outstanding new indie podcast, Why Wars Happened -- Season One, episode 21.

"This episode dives deep into the events leading up to Bacon's Rebellion, a pivotal moment in Virginia's history. We explore the escalating tensions between Virginia colonists and the Susquehannock tribe, detailing the attacks, Governor Berkeley's strange decisions on how to respond to the attacks, and the colonies' desperate cries for protection. This episode also shows how Nathaniel Bacon, rose to become a rebel leader against the governor's inaction, setting the stage for a much larger conflict. Tune in to understand the complexities and motivations behind one of America’s early rebellions."

Let's assess what host Emily Ross has accomplished here. First, she has not forgotten to announce the basic premise of the podcast, which she does in the last sentence. Second, the show notes are not a Wikipedia entry. They're concise and she uses strong words to attract listeners. Words like: pivotal, tensions, desperate cries, rebel leader, larger conflict, rebellions."

For Ross, it doesn't matter that her podcast is 21 episodes deep into the first season. She's not given up the fight to attract new listeners, even this far into the show's freshman season.  

In the Podcasting Tech podcast, host Mathew Passy writes a flawless first sentence to his show notes. "Have you ever wondered if your podcast could be more than a passion project—could it actually become a profitable business? Passy asks a question that is of the utmost importance to all podcasters. It's a first-class technique for generating interest and attracting listeners to the show.

There are now several methods for enabling AI to write show notes for a podcast. While a computer program can certainly develop serviceable show notes for any podcast, I don't think it is able to top Passy's existential question. 

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  One of the best podcasts at hooking new listeners while entertaining established listeners is Nerdpreneur. Here are Frank Bailey and Chris Saunders's goals: "At Nerdpreneur we have fun conversations with people turning their weird passion into a successful business! We interview entrepreneurs from around the world to discover the hacks, tools, and mindsets that turn nerd passion into full-time income."  

The Nerdpeneur podcast begins with a clip from the nerdy entrepreneur being featured and interviewed on the episode. Then, in a stroke of brilliance and musical and lyrical creativity, the intro music is a cool, hip-hop song that explains the objective of the podcast.   

Developing a successful indie podcast often seems to be a Sisyphean task. After the sweat of creating the podcast, then bringing it to life and distributing it, the indie podcaster now must enter the life-or-death arena of people discovering their podcast. If that happens, then indie podcasters must attract new listeners while keeping their initial audience. That's like juggling bowling balls while riding a motor scooter around the Arc De Triomphe in Paris. 

The tools mentioned in this article may be beneficial in aiding and abetting those podcasting goals. If they do not, please feel free to message me: "You're full of shit." The staff will take that under advisement.