#i hate to be like 'maybe save it for the oscars if you can't even get to the door' but. uh. that's kinda where i'm at.

[nientedal]

This protest had solid intent but it's unfortunately really frustrating to read about. The article above does a good job of framing it positively, but most of the articles from more widely-read sources maintain focus on the Gala itself rather than the protest, because of course they fucking do; you are not going to have the reach doing this that you think you are unless you actually make it to the location where the event is held and can disrupt the photos, as we saw success with last week at the White House Correspondents Dinner. The odds of making it to the door without a plan are extremely slim, and sure enough, it did not happen this time. Protesters lingered in Central Park; those who did attempt to march on the Gala were blocked by police at every turn. If you're protesting an event as big as this one, you need a way to get your people to disrupt the event itself. At the bare minimum, you need an extensive network of media contacts pushing pushing pushing this on social media and in the news, or you are going to be drowned out by the spectacle.

I am absolutely not saying Don't Protest At Celebrity Events, but for fuck's sake, part of protesting is pushing your cause higher into the public consciousness and that is not going to happen here and it just drives me up the wall. You have to make sure you have laid the groundwork for your voice to be heard when you do something like this! You're marching against the goddamned Met Gala with no strategy to make you bigger and actually get you to the Met Gala? What?

I dunno. I see what they were trying to do, and it did get some news articles. But it does not seem to have succeeded in generating focus the way it would have if they had, you know, actually made it into the crowd at the door. I'm not reading that they had any plan to that effect and it's just so frustrating.

ANYWAY "nobody better be posting about" etc. etc. without also posting a link to a local bail fund if possible. In this case, that'd probably be the Action Bail Fund, which supports protesters in New York. Bucknell has a multi-state list of bail funds as well, though many of these are cause-specific. Do your own research, but please support protesters where you can.

(Here's also a link to a list of Palestinian fundraisers that I believe have been vetted as legitimate. Clicking here will generate a random fundraiser from that list; the website's About page says they prioritize fundraisers that haven't gotten as much attention or have stagnated. So, that's cool. Donate & signal boost, you know the drill; getting more eyes on aid will hopefully help individual people a bit more than just posting a vaguely guilt-trippy link and calling it good.)

nobody better be posting about the met gala without mentioning the giant pro-palestine demonstration going on outside

[leviscolwill]

ballroom extravaganza

pairing: jude bellingham x f1 driver!reader

summary: you always hated arguing with jude, but even more so when you're about to race monaco's streets (wc: 1,7k)

req: jude bellingham x f1 related f!reader ! (driver if u can or js a driver’s relative) where they argue before a match/race that doesn’t go really well + she crashes/dnf or he gets rlly hurt in a match

contents: jude is jealous, reader drives for mclaren w lando (sorry oscar my beloved </3), possible racing inconstancies (i can't drive to save my life), reader crashes (nothing too bad happens tho), gasly slander sorryyyy, language ??, quite angsty but happy (&fluffy) ending i swear

note: i didn't want to make either jude or reader 'the bad guy™' so i hope i didn't side with one more than the other writing the argument part :| i had so much fun writing it, so i hope you enjoy reading it (lmk by rb and giving feedback !!). finally, thank you for requesting anon,, i hope you like it 🫶

now playing: ballroom extravaganza by dpr ian (moodswings in to order)

"i'm just saying, i don't like the way he looked at you when he said that"

"you're being ridiculous jude, he's my teammate and i've known him for years."

jude had always been the jealous type, and you never had any problem with this, until now. he tried to tell you how lando was flirting with you when that's really just how he communicated. sure, he was kinda flirty at times, but he knew you were in a relationship and never crossed any lines with you. but jealousy seemed to get the best of your boyfriend in that moment.

"that's not the point y/n, i'm a man and i know what he meant when he said he'll take you to this 'perfect seaside italian restaurant if your boyfriend won't'. and you just stood there laughing." his voice was louder now, and you hated it whenever jude screamed, especially when those screams were directed at you.

"you're delusional... he didn't imply anything with that, he was only joking." you tried to reason your boyfriend.

"i still don't like it, i'm not asking you to never talk to him again, just make it clear you're-"

"but he knows that jude! i talk about you all the time, let's be serious for a second, come on." you laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation you were in, 45 minutes before the monaco grand prix fighting with your boyfriend in your driver room, it was probably the last thing you should be doing on a track where your focus was the most important thing.

you were always grateful whenever jude made time to see you racing because you knew how packed his schedule was. but right now, he was the last person you needed to see given the circumstances.

"jude, please just leave, i'm sick of fighting."

"i'm not leaving, we're having this conversation whether you like it or not." he said in a calmer tone, but it was too late, the damage was done.

"well, you're in my room right now and i want you out. i need to focus and you're not exactly helping right now."

"but we need to talk it out, i don't want you to go while we're fighting." you would have sworn his voice broke a bit when he ended his sentence.

"maybe you shouldn't have picked a fight with me then! maybe you shouldn't be here at all actually..." you practically whisper the last part and you immediately regret the words that came out of your mouth, knowing well you didn't mean them.

"okay then..." jude quickly gets up and you can't help but look at your feet, you can almost feel the sad look on his face.

"i love you."

you wanted to say it back but he closed the door with a loud bang before you could mutter any sound.

the only thing jude left behind was the faint smell of his cologne for you to think about what just happened and not focus on your race at all.

deep breaths. deep breaths were what you needed, you tried to shift your focus on your start, how you needed to get away from sainz, given how close he was to you. whenever your mind drifted off to the argument you had with jude, you found another thing to focus on before the race. the formation lap would start in a couple minutes, your focus needed to be on monaco's streets for at least an hour and a half, then you'll handle the rest later with jude, you always did.

the formation lap started and everything went perfectly well, you just had to wait for the red lights to turn off and you'll be gone, no more thinking, or overthinking.

"it's lights out and away we go in the streets of monaco."

perfect start, now you just had to race like you knew how to for 78 laps. nothing you couldn't do.

the first 46 laps went perfectly, you managed to overtake carlos' ferrari and pierre's alpine. everything went well, then you thought about jude, you knew he was probably still mad at you but you still hoped he was watching the race, waiting for you with papaya-coloured headphones. as your thoughts kept going you were about to get to the trickiest part of the circuit, mirabeau.

as your focus shifted back to your race, you forgot the most important thing, the biggest danger on track is the other drivers.

your brain barely had time to register the bright blue alpine trying to overtake you when there was clearly no space. next thing you knew, your head hit the cockpit. before you hit the wall at god knows what speed, you thought about how you didn't tell jude you loved him back, and how you hoped he was still aware of how much he meant to you in that moment.

pitch black, no sound at all, you couldn't feel anything for about thirty seconds because of the shock.

then everything came back. you felt the urge to move your legs around, they moved. perfect. then you felt like your position was unusual, you came to a conclusion on your own, your car was on its side. you didn't even get to think about getting out because you felt a horrible pain in your head, where it was hit you assumed.

and lastly, you saw the medics making sure you were okay, you moved your hand for them to understand the message. you were okay, they helped you out of the car, saying you would be taken to the infirmary.

you couldn't stop smiling, you felt terrible about the race and it was probably the biggest crash you ever experienced but everything was well, your family and friends saw you get out of the car safely, and you'd be able to tell jude you loved him. everything was well.

you had to answer the medics questions that made you feel like a 4-year-old: "what's your name ? do you know which day of the week it is ?" you knew it was for safety reasons but you absolutely hated it.

jude opened the door in pure jude fashion, loudly. you almost stopped waiting for him at that point but he was here finally.

he didn't even talk to you, words weren't needed. he just held you really tight even though you were still on the, very uncomfortable, infirmary bed. you felt his arms that were holding onto you shake as he kissed your hair.

"you have no idea how fucking terrified i was y/n." while jude had been to a fair few races with you, he'd never seen any big crashes, let alone involving you. yes, you could only imagine how scary that must have been for him, feeling powerless over the situation, you knew it all too well. you felt that way when jude was injured and you were absolutely helpless, of course you never wished for your boyfriend to ever feel that way, but here you were.

"i love you." you felt like it was the first thing you should say right now. "so so so much. i'm sorry for not saying it earlier." jude looked at you as tears started to form in your eyes, he quickly wiped them away and kissed away the sudden wave of sadness surging through you.

"and i'm sorry for getting mad at you, i shouldn't even have told you about it before the race, it was-"

jude was cut short when someone knocked and opened the door quickly after. pierre came in with a sorry look on his face, you heard he dnf after he damaged his car. poor thing.

"y/n, are you okay? i'm sorry about-" he started rambling with a french accent.

"i'm fine don't worry, just... can we talk about it later? you can come to our motorhome, they make great coffee there i swear." you tried to joke to lighten up the atmosphere, but it was still as tense as before.

if looks could kill, gasly would have died right here the way your boyfriend eyed him in silence, his gaze following the driver on his way out.

"what a fucking dickhead. how is he driving a whole f1 car? even i would do a better job than him i swear..." your boyfriend's pettiness amused you, even more so knowing that boy couldn't ride a bike without scaring the life out of you.

his features visibly changed and you knew he wanted to talk your argument out, as you were both calmer about the situation. but he didn't get the chance to speak a word before lando opened the door.

"what did that french hooligan do to my favourite teammate? that was a barbarian try at overtaking really." you laughed at your teammate being dramatic, as always.

"i'm fine, i think gasly needs prescription glasses though, i don't know where he saw the space there but i'm okay."

once again, you felt jude's eyes burning holes in lando's skull as he went silent, he quickly took the hint and left.

you couldn't help but burst out laughing at jude when it was just you two in the room.

"you need to stop glaring at people like that."

"i just don't like him." you took his hand as he looked at you, his look much softer than the one he gave pierre and lando.

"i only want you. alright? it doesn't matter how lando views me, whether what you think is true. he will never be you." you told him stroking your thumb on the back of his hand.

"i know that, i was just mad at how he acted with you. i'm sorry about that. i trust you, 100%. i just don't like how comfortable he was making these comments y'know."

"i get that, i'll make my boundaries clear with him, okay? let's not fight over silly things like that anymore."

jude softly grabbed your jaw and kissed you, you could tell you both needed this talk, and this kiss, to clear the air.

you pull out of the kiss first, suddenly feeling the urge to annoy him.

"you know... you look good when you're jealous, i might try that more often..." jude faked a serious face.

"if attention was what you wanted, you just had to ask love." he joked as you playfully hit his arm.

"just no more leaving without saying 'i love you' alright?" he asks before quickly kissing your forehead.

"never again."

[stars-and-the-min]

☆ the wrong way to hard launch (12) | OP81

summary : oscar's girlfriend is a walking pr problem for literally everyone (including herself) social media au

pairing : oscar piastri x zhou!fem!singer!oc

a/n from miami, USA to sofia, bulgaria

bro miami gp was WILD i can't believe i slept thru it 😭

masterlist | last part | part 12 | next part

TWITTER

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h landoscar sitting so far apart from each other at the same miami heat game is incredibly funny to me ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h do they even talk 😭 do you think they knew the other was going?

oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 36m oscar sighting today vs lina sighting today

↳ oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 1h its like 25 degrees in miami and 10 degrees in sofia

INSTAGRAM

aidan_ebass Sofia, Bulgaria

liked by cameliazzz and 231,029 others

aidan_ebass a love letter to sofia tagged: cameliazzz and selinabui

lottie2418 EXCUSE ME SIR THAT LAST PHOTO???

2cami4lina aid posts once in a blue moon and it's always wild like who even took that photo

emptybottlos why are they whoring out aidan, gramps blink twice if ur being held at gunpoint ↳ aidan_ebass @emptybottlos 😐😑😐😑😐

TWITTER

EB Updates @emptybottles_news · 4h 🗨️| hey guys, recently a lot of my posts have been flooded with a bunch of lina hate. this is insanely unwarranted, if you don't like empty bottles or ANY of the members, please do not interact with my account. it's really disheartening to see so many people insult this incredibly hard-working woman that such a huge fanbase, including myself, adore and claiming to speak on behalf of her bandmates, friends and even boyfriend is absolutely vile. ↳ emme @flowersforcami · 4h admin i fear it's time to spam block bc i'm getting sick of it as well ↳ liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 3h alright, start throwing hands. any tongue that rises against selina bui shall fall, we ride at dawn

kayla @luna_apocolypse · 27m i am begging BEGGING that the european leg isn't completely FUCKED by the hate train like PLS LINA return to giving no shits and flirt all you want ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 12m well like... maybe let's not overdo the flirting

INSTAGRAM

mclaren Hard Rock Stadium

liked by landonorris and 54,205 others

mclaren A little look into OP81's Miami media day shenanigans 👀 tagged: oscarpiastri

eb_jonno your joking we just got rid of the nfl guy ↳ oscarpiastri @eb_jonno My skills would never get me to the NFL so I think you're safe

pastry81 lina pls save this man and his wardrobe, go girl give us nothing

TWITTER

camilina gfs fr @ drummergf · 2h literally all of ebtwt waiting with bated breath over sofia n1 😭 ↳ camilina gfs fr @ drummergf · 2h i'm a camilina truther but if i do not see lukas remove selina's gloves on a grainy livestream I WILL CRY

kay ♡ @ blackcatluna · 1h THEY DID IT OH MY GOD THEY DID THE GLOVE MOVE I'M INCONSOLABLE ↳ kay ♡ @ blackcatluna · 1h @luna_apocolypse SLEEP WELL TWINSIE THOSE BITCHES ARE BACK TO BEING DERANGED ON STAGE

lina bui x2 grammy winner @urdaisea · 1h we must look so unhinged to locals, we look like a bunch of victorian ladies screaming over a guy removing a pair of gloves i can't- ↳ lina bui x2 grammy winner @urdaisea · 1h YES IT'S MASSIVE AND I'VE NEVER BEEN GLADER TO SEE THE RETURN OF THIS MOVE BUT HOLY SHIT WE'RE DYING OVER TWO BESTIES FAKE FLIRT

lukas 🔛🔝 @lukiepookie28 · 53m HE KISSED HER HAND OH WE'RE SO BACK LUKAS ZHANG YOU LITTLE FLIRT EFNSDJCNSDI

opal @pxastrixxx · 21m i've said it before and i'll say it again; you do not treat friends like that ↳ piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 16m do you genuinely not know what a performance is?

EB Updates @emptybottles_news · 3m Empty Bottles played Sofia (originally sung by @ clairo) as their audience selection song during the encore! ↳ amie <3 @mieflrs · 2m oh they understood the assignment this is EXACTLY the shit they should be getting lina to sing

MESSAGES

from the phone of oscar piastri

INSTAGRAM

emptybottles_official Arena Sofia

liked by chrisyamada and 328,375 others

emptybottles_official First stop of the European leg done and dusted! Sofia, you guys were a dream, we hope you had fun with us these past two nights ❤️

cami.png when the weather's so cold lina debuts a new minidress with sleeves 😭

eb_jonno why are you doing me dirty, i thought we were friends ↳ emptybottles_official @eb_jonno You signed off on this photo ↳ eb_jonno @emptybottles_official can i... change my mind?

mrslukaszhang they all look so good it's criminal

sofia.michaels good day to be named sofia 🥰

oscarpiastri Hard Rock Stadium

liked by quadlock and 209,486 others

oscarpiastri P6² in Miami

pi4str1 oscar, sweetie, i don't think that's how math works

opeightyone That gorgeous gorgeous helmet 😍

lukaszhang best of luck for the race tomorrow mate ↳ oscarpiastri @lukaszhang Thanks man

TWITTER

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h WTF DID OSCAR HAVE THIS MORNING HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS SPECTACULAR

McLaren @ McLarenF1 · 2h OSCAR. JACK. PIASTRI!!!

piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 1h carlos sainz when i get my hands on you...

oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 17m OH MY GOD OH MY GOD LANDO WIN???? LANDO NORRIS WINS???? ↳ 🕯️manifesting EB3 🕯️@ linabelles · 8m rip 'lando nowins', u were one of the funniest nicknames of the sport

clovie @ luvyouvie · 20m oscar p13, u were robbed my son, that was straight-up highway robbery

MESSAGES

from the phone of oscar piastri

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

taglist @ririyulife @ashy-kit @fionaschicken @namgification @cherry-piee @urfavsgf @eiaaasamantha @sp1rl @destinyg237

[pedge-stuff]

God I just thought about an idea for pedro and reader, reading your last post...

They are in a relationship and live together. The reader is also an actress. She asks pedro to practice her lines with her. In the play, she is having a really long line, breaking up with the person ans leaving them... pedro can't continue... at night in bed they are cuddling and pedro talks about how he hated the feeling or the thought of the reader ever leaving

(changed this slightly, hope that is OK...)

bad acting (pedro pascal x gn/m!reader)

a/n: same vague universe as “marked,“ per usual.

thanks, as always, for everything.

(also I did that thing where I didn't save this on drafts fast enough and the whole fucking thing deleted so you could say im LIVID sorry if this rewrite felt rushed.)

summary: things get a little... too real.

—————————————————————————

"You can't laugh."

"I'm not gonna laugh!"

Pedro hands you his iPad, script loaded on the screen. "I'm serious," you warn him, "you had to stop last time, the acting was so bad."

"Just read the sides, baby."

You know he isn't nervous about the audition— if he was, he sure as shit wouldn't be practicing with you. Those rehearsals are reserved for his coach, or someone who can actually talk him through the scene. This was just a formality, a quick read-through for some anthological TV show about people in failing marriages. Season 2 of Oscar's old Amazon thing. With the audition being on Zoom tomorrow, the whole process feels fairly relaxed.

"Should I read it in a lady voice? Will that set the scene?"

"Please don't."

"Scottish accent?"

"Babe."

"Hmm." You clear your throat loudly, for dramatic effect. Across the room, feet propped on the desk, Pedro rolls his eyes. He's got his cheaters on, but no script— the audition's supposed to be off-book. "From the first page?"

"You're stalling."

"Ugh. Ok. Here we go." Leaning forward, you scroll to the highlighted text on the iPad. "Stop, David. You don't know what you're talking about."

Pedro's posture straightens; ever the professional, it's like watching a switch flip. The humored lines beside his eyes, little crows feet that crinkle when he looks at you, disappear completely. His brow furrows, gaze darkens.

"Of course I do, dammit. I'm done with this, all of this. It's like living in a mausoleum, Emma. I'd rather. Do you remember what love even feels like? Because I look at you, and I just... don't, anymore."

"You don't mean that."

"I do! I'm so tired of this. Life with you is joyless. Every day, I come home from work and just sit in the goddamn driveway because I don't want to come in the house. It's hard to be in the same room as you. I can't bring her back, Emma, and I miss her and I'm sorry she's dead. But it isn't my fucking fault and I wish you'd stop pretending it was."

His voice cracks, just a little. You frown as he grabs the glass of water beside him, pausing to wait, but he motions for you to continue.

"That's cruel," you read, "and you know it. That's not fair."

"None of this is fair!" Pedro exclaims. "That's the whole point. It's not fair that our daughter is dead while the girl who was driving got to walk away clean. Life isn't fucking fair. But it's life. And you've sucked all the light out of mine. I can't stand you, anymore, I'm sorry. I just can't. It's not that we can't make it work, it's that I don't want to make it work. If I never see you again, it'll be too soon. Jesus christ, I hate every part of this."

"Are you done? Have you gotten it all off your chest?"

"Don't placate me! This isn't one of your stupid therapy sessions, Emma, you can't fix this with a breathing worksheet and a roleplaying exercise. Be fucking serious. Every day I wake up and I wish I'd never met you. At least then, she wouldn't be dead, because she'd never have existed. And maybe I'd known some goddamn peace."

The page ends there, and you glance up. Pedro has his head in his hands, eyes closed.

"That was good," you offer tentatively, searching for some kind of sign as to what his next move is. He's gracious about work stuff, but you're always a little afraid of mucking up his process.

When he looks up, his eyes are glossy. "Yeah," Pedro says, croakily, clearing his throat quietly before rising from the chair. He takes the iPad back, wordlessly, shuttering the case over the screen.

"Wanna do it again? You were spot-on, Pedge, but we can go over it again if you want to."

"No," he says quickly. "No, I'm good. I'm fine. It's on Zoom, it'll be easy. I'm fine."

Weird. Just a little. Before you can dwell on his sudden cageyness, he's up, headed for the door.

"I'm gonna walk the dogs. We can catch up on Bake-Off, when I get back?"

Pedro leaves before you can answer.

— — — 

No sooner have the leashes been hung back by the door, than Pedro is beside you on the couch, all hands and light touches. It's as if he can't bear to lost contact. You allow him to reposition you, reaching a hand around your waist as you reach for the remote.

"Good walk?"

He hums, tugging you against him. Settles, finally, once you're half-reclined, back against his chest, arm around your middle. You fiddle with the edge of his sleeve as the bakers fumble their way through the signature challenge.

It's not that the clinginess bothers you— he's like this sometimes, when he's just returned home, or you've arrived in LA, or met somewhere in the middle. Every separation leaves him want for touch. It's the one thing you can't give him, while you're apart.

But he's been home a couple weeks now, in between reshoots for a new project. Been home all day, in fact, in an orbit around you while you attempted to work from home. (A little too close, frankly, but you can't really complain.)

"You okay?" You whisper, as the timer runs down on the technical bake.

No answer. Just a tightened grip on your waist, and a firm kiss to the top of your head.

— — — 

It isn't until later, in bed and half-asleep, that you pinpoint the source of the tension.

You'd have thought he was already asleep, save for the soft carding of his fingers through the baby hairs at the nape of your neck. Deep, even breaths tickle your forehead; he's curled around you, arm draped over your back. Had positioned himself this way silently, looking a little silly brooding in his Muppet-patterned pj pants.

"We're never reading lines again," Pedro whispers into the darkness.

"Was the acting that bad?"

Your attempt for levity falls flat. He is quiet, long enough for you roll backwards slightly, to get a better look at his face. A deep-set frown has taken root.

"No, it..." He tugs you closer again, tucking your head beneath his chin. If he weren't so sad, you'd call uncle for claustrophobia; your nose is squished into his jugular. But you lay still, waiting for him to continue.

"It felt too real," Pedro concedes. He inhales sharply, and you can feel it against your own chest.

The kiss you press to the hollow of his throat, doesn't feel good enough. You wiggle, tilting your head to press one against his toothpaste-tasting lips. Whiskers tickle the corner of your mouth.

"Baby, I know you were... pretending." A thin line between placating him and treading on his professionalism. "If our pretend daughter died in a car crash, I know you wouldn't divorce me for being too sad."

"It's not funny." With a groan, he kisses you again, resting his forehead against yours. "I hated saying that stuff to you. Felt too real."

The bone-crushing spooning is making a little more sense, now.

"I love you, but you're a sap."

"Hmph."

You smile into the next kiss. "A very sweet sap, though."

[tame-a-messenger]

Damangela lives rent free on smoshtwt

...but in the most unfortunate way because have they not seen from this fixation of theirs that there's a section of us who will have a field day if Damien surprise us one day as a guest in a Starkid prod? Or another variant at Smosh where both Angela and Damien can showcase their talents and intellect? Their chaotic bickering is like treats because there's also other Smosh duos that have it too. But those fewer times where they truly shine, whether they're in the same video or not, really feels like a reward to witness it unfold.

(I am one of those who like this duo because of their musical inclinations and astounded by their way of thinking)

I simply don't know what they are trying to impose. The perfect person podcast really sealed it to me. That if what they imply is she only tolerates every interaction she had with him is simply off the marks. The pièce de résistance they can't ever refute.

Is it also not a tad reaching to practically put it on blast with their straw picking speculation that it was a Damien thing where they perceived him not being as socially adept in a way he is not in good terms to his coworkers? That's not a good look to give to someone who was masking before.

Smoshtwt can be too much sometimes,

I think I finally figured out why the interactions between here (tumblr) and there (Twitter) are so different - They partake in 'Stan' culture, while over here is a bit more rooted in classic 'Fandom' culture.

If you didn't know, 'Stan' comes from combining 'Stalker' and 'Fan' (I believe originating in the K-pop community) (though if you google it, it says it comes from an Eminem song. Funny, but I don't think that's right) so it's a bit more... intense. (either origin for 'Stan' is pretty extreme though)

That and Twitter in general festers a more hostile community. The more you make someone mad the more they interact with you, so Twitter pushes that content because of that.

(Back to your ask)

I don't know if I could physically watch a Starkid production with Damien in it, PURELY because I'd be TOO DAMN HAPPY. I'd be pausing every second and hyperventilating lol. (fr though, that would be SO FUCKING COOL!!)

It's maybe a little bit of a weird relation but, their dynamic to me is like watching a movie with incredible writing? For example of what I mean by that- Their Reddit Stories Ep really had me thinking totally different about all the situations. Literally every story Shayne would read out I would be thinking about what I thought about it, (I like to see if anyone on the couch is going to have similar opinions to me) and every. single. story. Angela and Damien came up with points I never even thought about, but were SO RIGHT!

He'd bring up something, then she'd dunk it with the most factual thing I've ever heard! (that guy not being able to wear that watch ever in front of his girlfriend !!) That whole episode is so good just for the way they both problem solve and how well they compliment each others opinions! They just have such good dialogue with each other. (Genuinely Oscar worthy writing in that episode of RS)

Every time I come across a post ANYWHERE talking about how they don't get why people even like Damangela because "Angela doesn't even seem to like Damien" it makes my eyes pop out of my skull.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?? DO WE KNOW THE SAME ANGELA AND DAMIEN???

Like the sheer amount they both have gone on record saying how much they enjoy each others presence and love each other doesn't mean anything to them?! The amount they make each other laugh??

Like it really does come across as these Accounts just really not liking Damien more than anything to actually do with his and Angela's dynamic. (I could talk about reasons why Damien comes across as 'awkward' or 'bad with coworkers' to some people at length, but I'll save that for another day)(<-signed, Another Neurodivergent person with people issues <3)

I'm also totally convinced all the people hating on Damangela haven't seen much content with both of them in it. That's the only reason I would accept as to why they hate Damangela so much lol, they truly just don't know what they're missing out on <3

[sistermclarens]

Hungarian GP 24: McLaren Race Radios 4

Speeding towards the end of the race is Oscar Piastri, narrowly avoiding the head on collision between Lando Norris and the McLaren pit wall along the way.

Laps 1-30 | Laps 31-39 | Laps 40-54 | Laps 55-70

Lap 55

TS: "Hamilton last lap 22.6. Gap to Hamilton is 8 seconds."

WJ: "Ok Lando the position behind is Oscar's 3.8 behind, then Hamilton and Leclerc are 12, and Max is right behind him. We need you to save more tires please, and we do wanna let Oscar through." LN: "Eh, well you should have boxed him first then, surely not?" WJ: "Doesn't matter." LN: "I mean. It does. To me maybe."

Ok. Listen. I have a bit of sympathy for Lando in that he wants those extra 7 points in the driver's championship. Yes, rationally, logically, to me especially as I am very much both of those things, it's basically impossible for him to win it. I think the estimates I've seen are that Lando has to score an average of 7 points higher than Max in every race for the rest of the season, or Max has to DNF three times, or some combination of the two. Here, tho, is I think one of those reasons I'm finding F1 so interesting: the drivers are NOT rational. They're soooooo driven by instinct and emotion and pure raw ego when it comes to their own self-assessments. They ALWAYS believe they can win; they HAVE TO always believe they can win. Lando is demonstrating exactly that in this moment. To him, the championship is in reach, and every point counts.

On the flip side this is like a half-step away from a toddler throwing a temper tantrum lol like Lando has known since his pit stop in lap 45 that he was supposed to give P1 back to Oscar. If you count the pre-race agreement that whoever lead into the last round of pit stops would be uncontested P1 after that, then Lando effectively agreed to give up the lead to Oscar before he knew he had even lost it. To suddenly act shocked like "why was I boxed first? why are you making me switch?" is just disingenuous at this point.

Lap 57

WJ: "And Lando we still think you're using the tires too much, turn 4, turn 11, and the rears at exit turn 6, turn 9. Oscar's 3.5; I know you'll do the right thing."

Andrea Stella's message to the media about McLaren drivers being penalized for disobeying team orders really starts to come into play here. It particularly gives new light to WHY Will is trying so hard to convince Lando to give up P1--his seat with McLaren could be in jeopardy if he doesn't. "Do the right thing" is in this case both "do what is best for enduring teamwork" and "do what is best for your personal career." In my broadcast analysis I criticized the team for putting Lando in a position where he had to go against his own best interest (winning in general but especially winning championship points compared to Max) in order to be a team player. But it's clear now that the McLaren has set up their internal institutional structure to punish poor teamwork, which means that Lando's personal goal of winning the championship IS aligned with the organizations focus on teamwork. As Will says in a few laps, Lando can't win a championship without the team--because he LITERALLY CAN'T, as in, he may lose his seat on the team for being a bad teammate in the process of trying to win a championship.

Now, you can either love this or hate this as a McLaren tactic. (Personally, since I'm quite literally a political institutions scholar, I love whenever an organization lines up their carrots and sticks nicely so as to incentivize the same type of behavior from either reward or punishment.) But like it or not, we have to accept that these are the rules under which McLaren is operating this season. By refusing to give back P1 to Oscar, Lando is refusing to play by previously established rules, and he is running the risk of being slapped with a previously established punishment. He knows what he's doing, and he knows the potential consequences. He's either banking on McLaren not having the guts to go through with getting rid of their more experienced (and more sunk cost) driver, or he's caught up in his anger that the pre-established rules of the game are working against him because Oscar is doing better faster than Lando ever expected him to. Or a combination of both. Never underestimate the ego on a rich white man 😂

Lap 58

TS: "Ok behind, Hamilton is uh still the car behind. Verstappen passed Leclerc. Hamilton is 10 seconds behind you." TS: "Ok there's now 12 laps, ah, 13 laps to go. Would you take a safety car here? Would cost 1 position to Verstappen." OP: "Yes."

This is a fascinating look into Oscar's mindset--he's willing to give up P2 and settle for P3 if it means avoiding the possibility of his tires cooling down/wearing out to the point that he loses even further positions after the (hypothetical) safety car. Bird in hand, etc. I think people overlook how calculating Oscar can be because he's quiet and mostly seems content to go along with Lando's shenanigans in media things. Oscar Piastri let me put you in an MRI and run scans on your brain 👩‍🔬👩‍💻

WJ: "Lando, Hiroshi is stressed about the tires energies. Got a question for you. Ah, safety car with more than 8 laps to go. Would you take it?" LN: "Yes."

Lap 59

TS: "Ok we're in the full safety car window. Full safety car only."

WJ: "And Lando the full safety car window is therefore open." LN: "Okay." WJ: "Turn 4, turn 11. It's gonna get boring."

WRONG, Will, it's ALREADY boring 😭 we're at something like 6 or 7 reminders about turns 4 and 11 to Lando but I've fully given up counting because it's seriously so repetitive.

Lap 61

TS: "10 laps to go, 10 laps."

WJ: "Ok Lando, 10 laps to go; we think both cars are using their tires too much. Just remember ever single Sunday morning meeting we have." LN: "Yeah, well, tell him to catch up please."

Ok, I think this line from Will about Oscar's tires is bullshit. Obviously I don't have all the tire data here so maybe he knows something I don't. What I CAN tell you is that Oscar has not gotten a message about his tires since quite literally lap 49 when he got scolded for running off the track again. Nor does he get any specific "manage your tires better" messages later in the race, just a constant reminder for "best pace" which does involve tires but isn't ONLY tires.

The "Sunday meetings" line I discussed in my broadcast analysis, and I still stand by that: I think it makes the most sense in the context of Lando's interview answer where he mentions that every time they have a meeting they reaffirm their commitment and loyalty to the team. The reminder from Will is both a carrot (remember how good things are) and a stick (imagine how bad things could be).

Lando's response is a lot less defensible than I found it to be in the broadcast analysis, tho. "Tell him to catch up" like what? There's a pre-established agreement that whoever had P1 going into the last pit stop would be the winner. That's Oscar. There's a pre-established agreement that whoever doesn't obey team orders is in danger of punishment from higher-ups, potentially involving losing their seat. Why is Lando testing the boundaries of that? He's known since before his pit stop that the purpose of pitting him was to cover Lewis, NOT to undercut Oscar. Will reminded him of this again directly after his pit stop. Why is he pulling this?

Lap 62

OP: "When are we planning on swapping?" TS: "Ah Oscar we'll get that done soon. We just need best pace from you, best pace from you, for 9 laps."

Another one for turning Oscar Piastri into my mad science lab rat. He asks now AND next lap AND lap 66 about when the swap will occur. He's a lot more impatient about getting the win in hand than I think people realize again because his public persona is so mild. He's 🧍‍♂️ blending into the background, and that masks a lot of the fact that he's obviously got the same competitive spirit and confidence in his own race ability that the other F1 drivers do.

Lap 63

OP: "If there's a safety car with three laps to go, then [there would be no?] swapping." TS: "Understood, Oscar, we're on it."

Again, he's polite about it, and he's smart to do so on what he knows is live & recorded radio. But it's still a subtle signal of impatience with the pit wall. They've been telling him since around lap 48 that Lando would turn the position over to him, and now he's close to the window where a safety car would solidify the final race order with him in P2. He's not, as people said post race, unemotional or uncaring about winning. This is a pretty clear sign of impatience stemming from his competitive drive, so long as you know what you're looking for. He's just picking his words strategically when he knows everything he says is going to be recorded and picked over and analyzed by lunatics like me.

WJ: "Lando, he can't catch you up. You've proved your point, and it really doesn't matter." LN: "He's on much quicker tires, and fresher. I mean I would have tried to undercut anyway. If I didn't, I would have gone long." WJ: "Mate, we did the stop sequence in this order for the good of the team." LN: [interrupting] "Yeah and I'm fighting for a championship. Am I not?" WJ: [interrupting] "I tried to protect you mate. I promise, I'm trying to protect you."

"I would have tried to beat him anyways" this is like, middle school level behavior. Although given how much school athletes tend to miss in pursuit of their careers, I guess I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these guys were under-socialized during important development years, so maybe it literally is middle school behavior. And Will's line at the end--that was so shocking to hear on the broadcast, but now we can put the pieces together and understand that he's reminding Lando of the very real possibility of repercussions stemming from ignoring a team order.

Lap 65

TS: "Ok. Keep it really tight, Oscar, keep this really tight. Just maximum focus now, best pace. Safety car window is closed."

WJ: "And Lando the safety car window is closed."

Lap 66

TS: "5 laps to go." OP: "The longer we leave this, the riskier it gets." TS: "Understood, Oscar, we're managing it."

WJ: "And Lando there are five laps to go. The way to win a championship is not by yourself; it's with the team. You're gonna need Oscar, and you're gonna need the team."

Do I even really need to talk about these last few radios or am I just repeating myself at this point? Lando has known for a ridiculously long time that he is supposed to give up P1, and he knows (better than we do or probably ever will) what the punishment would be for ignoring that team order. And it IS a team order, even though we haven't heard it be given command phrasing over the radio yet, because they were both given it as a pre-existing order before the race even started. I do feel bad for him that the team put him in this position by boxing him first. But he's not acting mature about this in any way shape or form.

Lap 67

WJ: Lando there is no threat behind; Hamilton is 20.3, then Leclerc, then Max. If there's a safety car now it's gonna make this very awkward. Please do it now.

Lap 68

TS: Ok, three laps to go. Lando's letting you through.

LN: Yeah you don't need to say anything.

If you didn't want anyone to say anything then why did you do all of this Lando 😭 now we've ALL said EVERYTHING 😭 but at least now my brain is empty and ready for Belgium this weekend 🍻

[otakebi-cam-wao]

okay so... JL x RWBY movie latinamerican spanish dub...

i do like to compare dubs to the original voices and ussually enjoy content in both ways SO...

i'll give my opinion on voices just bout rwby characters, i'm to lazy to think bout DC characters cuz i do not care about it a lot...

but i care bout sound work A LOT and i have my own weird mind thingy with adaptations from one language to another, so, all that here

I feel like Ruby's voice needed more emotion sometimes.

Also lower, fits more with the earlier volumes voice

Yang's seems fitting being kinda lower...?

Blake's voice isn't mentally hard to make fail to who ever I've listen being over 20

Blake has 2 moms in this dub ( the line says "la jefa Ghira nos tiene en alerta máxima desde la muerte de Sienna Khan" instead of "el jefe Ghira (...)" ) i guess is the spanish common thing that names ended with an A are "woman's names".

there's a weird reverb effect in Kali's voice when she sais (only) "Blake" (yes, only with the "Blake" part, sounds so off with the rest of the phrase) when getting into the room with the tea.

Weiss' voice seems a bit too high, but still fitting but, seems way too high pitched when arguing with Jacques damn, i hated that change...

i know "dust" in spanish is literally "polvo" BUT IT SOUNDS SO WEIRD!!!!

I get not keeping the phonetics of english, but, Mistral to (spanish phonetics) Mistrol and Vacuo to (again, spanish phonetics) Vacua?

But Batman at one point does says Vacuo (in spanish phonetics)... i hate inconscistence on these things more than even stories.

at this point i do really need to say bout just ONE DC character voice, DAMN SUPERMAN'S VOICE IN SPANISH IS ANNOYING AF for his character.

Menagerie's name was saved

Nora's voice is pretty good imo but i feel it misses something...

Nora's laugh in spanish is scarier...? something

Ren's "he's fine" in spanish (él está bien) is way too dry damn, i think if you remove the "él" and make more annoyed-ish voice would be better

Oscar's so high pitched... like even younger.

I change my opinion on Nora's cuz the "i want to see you try" sounds like they changed who ever did the voice wtf

The point above this one is like recurrent a lot...

As the time passes Weiss' voice gets lower? I'm confused... It feels like so.

Did they changed Grimm to just "Sombras" (personally idk how to try to translate Grimm, so, i can't give a suggestion either... but the change...)

WAIT, for Blake's explanation "Grimm" was used. I HATE INCONSISTENCY

I haven't talked bout Jaune's sorry, it's like lower not a lot, less dummy, but nice, I could keep listening with this voice, it does lack emotion sometimes tho.

Ruby's went to low for the moment the wybern multiply after the fight.

Pyrrha's might be the best choice here (it's a bit lower, but i accept it gives me that calm i have with)

DAMN, you couldn't add the fricking FX chain for Pyrrha's voice there?! The emotionless was on point, but it loses the point without that FX chain!!!

okay small DC voices opinion here: I'm guessing these people are common actors for their content, cuz they're like the best ones (superman's the exception)... i just wonder if everyone got the same script cuz y'all already read me

THANKS FOR GIVING THE EMOTION NEEDED TO RUBY'S "WEISS!" in any other way i would have cried

"This dub is generic" is what some friends said, it is, isn't good, isn't bad... well it's a bit bad in my opinion

Better voices in my opinion? Jaune, Ren, Blake and Yang probably, the other's i felt more inconsistencies in tones or emotions, at some points (maybe it's cuz I'm analizing this at times, and finished it at 1:47am) you might feel every girl has the same voice (as in a very similar way)

the audio editors had fails with FXs imo.

is an enjoyable dub? not that much for me, they could got a better one...

my question tho: where the voice actors in spanish paid not enough to do this with all the love for the work? is it that WB/DC's choice of studios is just like this? I've read they had to remake the boys' dub with another studio in another country

NOW BOUT THE MOVIE

I dunno shit bout DC, so i need context, and anyone who's knows nothing bout RWBY would need context as well... So to start looking for either thing... kinda hard (tho i know DC has, as well as Marvel, like 382547854669857473 Universes, even one with Mortal Kombat, so i don't really care in that place)

I found kinda boring not using more of Remmnant, but IT MAKES SENSE THEY DIDN'T! and we have better fight scenes anywhere else.

I found it very fun tho, very enjoyable and because of the question at the end, i got more intrigued; so yes, i'm lowkey excited for part 2.

Now just cuz "why not?" i'm gonna try to read this crossover's comics.

[adidegmez]

sequel movies spoilers

i wrote these when i was watching the movies so they are a little bit messy.

Star wars Force Awakens spoilers

I don't like stormtroopers. I liked the movie but i cant stand seeing stormtroopers, i just cant. (I can't do it after what happened to the clones).

But i liked rey she is a good person like she didn't sell bb8.

a stormtrooper using Anakin Skywalker's and Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. I am not okay with it. Finn might be a good person in the future but for now i don't like him. He just escaped. Thats what he did during the movie.

And Poe. I love him. I love Oscar Isaac. I watched resistance s1 so i knew him and bb8. And i liked them there and here. Their relationship reminds me anakin and r2. And i like them all. They would do anything to save each other.

Han Chewie Leia C3PO R2D2 i love them. They were perfect in here too. If I had watched Star Wars a long time ago, I would have felt more nostalgia. But it still nice nostalgia, i nearly cried. And it hasn't been a month since I've watched the original trilogy.

i didnt like kylo ren. he is crazy(i couldnt find a better word). He resists the light. I am turning to the light help me turn back to dark blah blah...(i dont get it and i didnt like that scene).

I didn't like the idea of ​​their son turning evil. I guess there were different plans for this trilogy, our original trio are trying to bring order to the galaxy. luke was happy han and leia had 3 children and they were all good.(if i am not wrong it is in legends?). ı would've liked it more.

but instead of that we ended up with a stormtrooper. From what I understand, they conditioned the stormtroopers since they were little.

sad but i dont care. that doesnt change the fact that finn lied to poe and rey just to get himself to safety.

han died. he didnt deserve this. han and leia didnt deserve a son like ren.

visuals of the movie was decent. i saw bad things about this trilogy this wasnt too bad but I too would prefer legends story(I suppose) as well.

Newt is in first order🤔

last jedi spoilers

first scene was perfect. it was funny. I love poe.

In the scene where Luke takes the lightsaber, I thought he wouldn't pick it up and throw it, right? yes, yes, he wouldnt. he did.

finn tried to run again. but at least this gave them a good idea.

i like maz (she will probably die). nice, she didnt die.

reys first lesson is funny.

ben solo being their last hope. no. luke is.

yoda...

how did mark hamill let that happen

i thought rose's plan would work too.

i missjudged holdo but. poe. how could ı not trust poe's desicion.

ben solo helped rey. i liked how he killed snoke but they could heve write a better story.

and of course he turned again. well he never turned to the light side he just wanted power. and maybe rey.

they destroyed the lightsaber...

woaw holdo did it. i realised what she was doing at the same time when poe realised. scene was amazing.

there might still be a hope for finn yet(maybe). he acts more decent now. but still i dont like him much.

rose saved finn thats good but why? by saving your loved ones blah blah blah... It would have been more meaningful and better if he had sacrificed herself. well i kinda hated that scene. Maybe it would have been a little better if Rose had at least lived. But if she was going to die anyway, if she sacrificed herself in his place, even one look would be enough instead of the empty words she said during this unnecessary sacrifice. (I thought like this, but she wasn't dead anyways, but it still wasn't good. (I thought, but he wasn't dead anyway, but it still wasn't good. It was done to make Luke's scene. It would have been better without that scene) and dont get me started with the kiss. everyone is at risk because of what you did rose.

luke returned. "no one is ever really gone" thats the man who convinced darth vader. are we supposed to belive the man saying this line tried to kill his student just because he saw his future. i cant belive it.

wow luke it was cool. how did you do that. and he died. (of course) but at least he gave us one last hope. he gave the rebellion hope.

leia is proud of poe they are like mother and son i loved their relationship.

rise of skywalker spoilers

somehow palpatine returned. finally i saw the meme. thats funny.

maul survived why cant palpatine. but they say he died that i dont know. he could have been like maul. survived because of his hatred.

ı didnt see lando coming.

and of course chewie died. no he didnt. chewie is alive.

c3po lost his memory. i think r2 bring some of his memory back?

this trilogy doesnt left many things from the past.

of course hux is the spy. like kallus but kallus was better. he had a story he had a character development he fighted for what he thought was right. hux ... i dont know what else could happen but i didnt like it.

rey is palpatine's granddaughter i already knew it, i saw spoilers before i watched the movie.

and again leia died too. i knew she would die. they will probably kill chewie too. they didnt How nice of them to do that.(!)

han, leia and luke is together again.

poe why. i know finn is your friend but there are better people. more capable and experienced than he is. he was a stormtrooper, come on.

luke returned.

finn you are not a jedi. you cant just launch an attack based on a instinct.

ı am sure palpatine gives power away(!). (he wouldnt imho).

ı didnt like kylo's story it was bad written. why did he turned good? because his mother died?

most of this sequel movies are not wellwritten. i dont hate the actors i liked them but the story was bad so...

in the end rey did kill palpatine. maybe not because of hatred but she did kill him.

is finn a forcewielder?

ben died.

finn didnt even had a proper character development(imo)

rey skywalker. i dont have anything against rey i loved rey. she is good. but i didnt like how she called herself skywalker. like; luke and leia did show up but still something was not right. it would have been better if someone else say that.

voices of jedi past ,

i knew i heard hayden christensen, but they also brought ahsoka and kanan!!!

there maybe things that i didnt understand well because its my firts time finishing star wars but thats my opinions for now.

[nathaslosthershit]

~Formula 1 Masterlist~

*Requests open for any of the drivers named below!

~ Series ~

Blind Items

A new wave of rumors has hit the paddock about everyone’s beloved drivers

Teen Dad!Oscar Piastri series

Oscar Piastri became a teen dad to twins when he was 18 years old. Figuring that keeping them from the public would be the best course of action till they were older, Oscar managed to keep them a secret from fans till a gossip page got word. Here is that aftermath.

~ Multiple Drivers ~ The Main Event [WIP] A wedding between Logan Sargeant and the youngest Leclerc child means a very interesting guest list, in which all previous victims of the F1 Blind Items account are included. (Includes separate x reader pairings with Logan Sargeant, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, and Lewis Hamilton) ~ Lando Norris ~ Welcome Interruptions

While streaming, Lando gets interrupted by two very adorable and very welcome guests

Unremarkable

Blind Items returns again to ruin yet another happy couple's peace. This time, Lando Norris and his ‘unremarkable’ girlfriend.

Long Distance, Time Flies (slowly)

Long distance relationships are hard, especially when they both have very time consuming careers (2 Parts)

New Neighbors and Interrupted Streams, Media Interrogation

Desperate for new friends, maybe it's time to revert to the tried and true neighborly American cookie exchange. (2 Parts)

“Notice me” “Beg for it”

After what feels like centuries of back and forth, Lando and his McLaren teammate have tired people out with their inaction to do something about their very obvious crushes.

The Café Boy The move to Monaco for your new job wasn't going to be easy, even if you had your best friend by your side, but maybe the cute boy you met in a café can turn your luck around. ~ Oscar Piastri ~ Teen dad Series

Oscar Piastri became a teen dad to twins when he was 18 years old. Figuring that keeping them from the public would be the best course of action till they were older, Oscar managed to keep them a secret from fans till a gossip page got word. Here is that aftermath.

Emotional times

Pregnancy was a time full of hardships. Hormones on high, stress of the incoming baby, and all the sudden changes were what this father-to-be was expecting, ready to face. What he wasn't expecting was having to battle his pregnant wife's newfound sensitivity to everything that could have her emotions changing in an instant

Passenger Princess Piastri Oscar hates driving outside of F1, you are sick of driving him everywhere and have tried everything to curb his obsession with being a passenger princess, but you may have stumbled upon a new method of making him get behind the wheel. (Aka Oscar's wife finds a new upside to her pregnancy) ~ Charles Leclerc ~ The Truth Behind It All , After All This Time

Charles didn't cheat on his ex with his current gf, but due to not wanting to cause further issues with his ex, he can't really come out and give the true story. (2 Parts)

Teenage Angst

Charles Leclerc’s 16 year old daughter, Lila, has had quite the rebellious phase and the Monegasque just can’t figure out what to do. Luckily, his wife has some of the answers.

Celebration baby, literally

8 months after Charles Monaco win, a rumor arrives about just how hard he celebrated

Audacity of Man , Stupidly Charming Charles was never anything but a compassionate and wonderfully loving boyfriend. You always used to brag about how attentive he was... I guess this is karma? Leclerc!Sister Red, White, and Williams' Blue , Oh Brother(s) ~ Logan Sargeant ~ Trips to See the In-Laws

In order to save his teammate from an interviewer with not so innocent thoughts, Alex has to reveal that his thought-to-be-single friend, Logan, is actually in a long term relationship.

Red, White, and Williams' Blue

What happens when the American driver gets outed for dating one of Monaco's It girls who also happens to be the younger sister to one of the Ferrari drivers?

Oh Brother(s)

All Logan Sargeant wanted was a nice and productive conversation with the love of his life’s three annoyingly protective older brothers, was that too much to ask for? (Part 2 to Red, White, and Williams' Blue, but can be read as a standalone)

Some Bad, but a Whole lot of Good

To the fans, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume the week after his replacement had been hell for newly dropped Logan Sargeant, but to the people who knew him, they weren't worried.

~ Alex Albon ~

Team USA

Blind items is back with a new victim, Alex Albon and his American Mclaren race engineer of a girlfriend. With the news comes a very interesting Team Torque episode.

~ Lewis Hamilton ~ How Old?

A driver, unknown to the public, seems to have found himself a younger girlfriend. There isn't anything morally (nor legally) wrong with the relationship, and the pair are doing quite well in their private bliss, but the internet likes to insert itself in other's business. Luckily, Lewis is doing too good to care about what the internet has to say.

~ Max Verstappen ~ Coworkers?... Something Like That

Working in media for a Formula 1 team, you had expected to be behind the scenes, unseen and unnoticed by fans. But catching the eye of one of the drivers and the very public flirting as a result has thrust you into the spotlight

~ Carlos Sainz ~ Friends? Lovers? Enemies?

Carlos Sainz has had quite a few Blind Items come out about his relationship friendship rivalry something with his childhood best friend. No one can figure out what they are to each other no matter how hard they try, and the couple frinds enemies pair don’t seem to mind one bit.

~ Franco Colapinto ~

First Impressions and Poorly Made Assumptions

Franco fell hard and fast for a girl that is actively trying to keep her distance, but she knows she has already lost that battle.

[min3nc]

Obligatory RWBY, Ruby, Weiss, for the ship ask meme, plus Lapis for spice

So this is long, and for my own sake, Ruby and Weiss share the fav pairing and poly ship... Also because they are the same pairings lmao. Look. I can't excuse myself. I'm very bland with my ships when it comes to RWBY. Lapis, on the other hand--

Ruby:

NOTP: Rosegarden... I can't like it :(

BROTP: Nuts and Dolts. I used to like it a lot in the early days, don't know why I stopped liking it in a romantic way.

OTP: Whiterose! Pretty obvious, huh? I love them. Mean girl turned into an slightly less mean girl through the power of a cute girl who wasn't fazed by her being an idiot and crashed through her walls with the strength of a truck to make her realize she had to become a better person.

Second choice: Ladybug. I think there's so much potential for them. Looks like she could kill you but is actually a cinammon roll, and looks like a cinammon roll and is one, but could also kill you.

Fluffy Pairing: I think Pyrrhuby goes here, no? It also could go on the Angst part. I could have saved you. I should have saved you. I wasn't able to save you. I was so young, and unexperienced and now the weight of your death accompanies me forever in my journey.

Angsty Pairing: Fallen Petalls. I love you but I hate you because you did this to me. But then the factor that Ruby HAD to do that to Cinder, because they are on different sides and I'm the good guy and you're the bad guy and we can't be together.

Fav Poly Ship: Pretty obvious... Pollination my beloved. I love it. The prospect of loving one another so much that they end up pulling a team STRQ and become their own family.

Weirdest Pairing: Okay. I don't know if it's weird... But I have at least two wips that I would love to finish about Fiery Pollination (RWBY + Cinder). Like. C'mere Cindy, join the polycule. We WILL fix you, there is no escape, asshole!

Weiss:

NOTP: Uh... I don't know? I guess Whiteknight in a romantic sense. Mostly because of FNDM influence.

BROTP: Whiteknight. Look. It works. Specially after they went to the movies with Oscar and all those memes about them passing Oscar as their kid to get a discount. It just works!

Second Choice: If it's not Whiterose, I love Freezerburn. In canon it's sooooo obvious that Weiss appreciates Yang a lot, and she's even learning her dumb and stupid jokes and using them. I love that Yang seems to be the only one to appreciate them lmao.

Fluffy Pairing: For some reason even tho I don't like ND, I think that Frozensteel is pretty cute. Woe! Cute Neurodivergent girls be upon ye, Schnee!

Angsty Pairing: Schneekos... She's dead! And then you almost died at the hands of the same person that killed her in an eerily similar fashion. Maybe if you had been there for her, maybe if you had joined Ruby at climbing Beacon's tower... What if's, what if's.

Weirdest Pairing: Cinder/Weiss. I'm not sure what it's ship name is, but I read ONE fic where Cinder flirted with Weiss and it hit a switch in my mind lmao. They are so intense, I can see them getting on each other's nerves so much lol.

Lapis:

NOTP: Ugh Steven/Lapis. People used to ship Steven with Lapis on the early days. I remember it happening because Lapis looked more like a kid at the beginning, but then it persisted. I hated it so much.

BROTP: Lapis and Amethyst. Depressed and Anxious girls team up!

OTP and Fluffy Pairing: LAPIDOT ALL THE WAY BABEYYYYY. I WAS THERE WHEN WE BEGAN SHIPPING THEM AS A JOKE BEFORE 'THE RETURN' AND 'JAIL BREAK' HAPPENED. I died when they began living together in the barn. I really wished they could have fused :(

Second Choice: Pearlapis. I began shipping it because of their aesthetics. Plus, Lapis is supposed to be a high-ranking gem, and thus could have gotten a Pearl based off her rank. So... AU where that Pearl is our Pearl? Wihihi.

Angsty Pairing: Jaspis. The toxic relationship... Like yes we feel so good together but we're so shit to each other. :(

Poly Ship: Jaspidot. I like it! I read some fics when I was younger where Jasper got Stevenized (pfft) and she decided to get better. She mends her relationship with Lapidot aaaand eventually gets together with them. They were cuuute.

Weirdest Pairing: Ah. 4-5 people Polycule... Lapidot + Garnet. Don't ask me why!

[texasthegreatdestroyer]

Yeah... uh... no. This is fundamentally a flawed argument to make in favor of what Oz did. It absolutely does not matter how many times Oz warned them, you cannot sit there and pretend that the left out context of what they were getting themselves into couldn't have had the possibility to change not only how they operate, but rather or not they would choose to take her on at all. there's an entirely vast difference between an enemy being very powerful vs. flat out immortal and undefeatable with no plan to actually subdue her. That's taking a small glimmer of hope that these niave children had, along with the man who gave his whole damn life to Oz's cause, leading them along on that hope that maybe, just maybe they could defeat her, and then snuffing it out. A massive violating breech of trust there.

What Oz did could even be viewed as manipulative because he left out just enough information to keep them on the literal suicide mission, making his "outs that he was giving them" absolutely empty. And this is all made worse by the fact that once again, these people had the potential to die on the battle field with him for his cause, and he couldn't be arsed to trust them with his secret when they were trusting him with their lives. So I'm sorry, he absolutely deserved the ass chewing he got from everyone, and had it just been Oz and not Oscar too, he would have absolutely deserved getting his teeth knocked down his throat too. I don't quite agree with Qrow punching Ozpin because of Oscar but I sure as shit don't blame him either. Especially considering he dedicated his life to Oz and what he got in return was lies and trust issues along with what little worth he held in himself being diminished because he got it from a liar.

Also before it gets brought up, I don’t give a shit if he has trust issues as a result of people around him betraying him, if he can't put faith into the people fighting along side him, then he should do it alone. Either trust them or don't. This wishy washy bullshit don't fly.

There's also the whole thing of rather or not Oscar's body can handle it, and really, that's all just semantics. I'm fairly certain the man taking over with several life times of battle experience, who knows how to use his Aura would be fine getting punched in the face by a dude who isn't even a brawler, especially since Aura is known for taking much heavier hits than that, Oscar would be fine, especially considering how Oscar himself alone was vol 7's literal punching bag having been beaten the shit out of by Hazel, and shot by Ironwood, (oh, let's not forget that Ruby was just a year older than him when she started at Beacon, so she's taken worse hits and is fine. Like I know Oscar is a child, but let's not pretend Remnant Children are as fragile as regular children when they aren't.) so I don't think Qrow punching Ozpin is that big of a deal, but again, these are just semantics and that's honestly mild compared to the more glaring issues of this post, that being the downplaying of Oz's shitty and manipulative actions in favor of "Well he gave them several chances to leave!" As if that even remotely changes how terrible of a person he was for doing that. (News flash. It doesn't)

And to put this out here, I don’t hate Oz as a character. He's a simple human man who was given repetitive reincarnation by irresponsible gods to fight their battles for him, that being his now ex lover who they stupidly gave immortality as punishment for defying and manipulating them in a fit of grief instead of just striking her down and putting her out of her misery. He's had many people betray him including his own lover, and really who would know how to properly handle all of this while still trying to figure out saving the world. Ozpin is a far cry from a terrible person, but it doesn't change the fact that team QRWBY are humans too and have feelings and even somewhat their own trust issues. Why are we expecting them to react rationally to a situation where they've been significantly lied too, when Oz can't even fight back his own demons and set aside his own trust issues? At this point, it's comparing in the moment irrational actions spurred on by terrifying revelations to Oz's calculated decisions to lie and be deceitful to get certain results, and what Oz did was objectively worse. What Oz got in return was what he deserved.

Oh, and because his it was brought up. "Oz had his trauma laid bare in front of several people unwillingly." Yeah uh. That sucks and all, but maybe he shouldn't have lied then Ruby wouldn't have needed to push for answers which lead to that moment. I know the OP isn't trying to blame Ruby, but it doesn't change the fact that Oz literally did that to himself. I do not feel bad in the slightest. He played with fire, he got burnt. A little embarrassment is a small price to pay for the trauma he effectively inflicted on QRWBY and JNR by extension.

How precisely were they being unfair?

Qrow yes, punching Oz/Oscar was not the best move.

But Oz can't handle being yelled at for all the crap he pulled?

He came pretty close to wrecking their lives.

QRWBY mostly chose to fight Salem, despite knowing how powerful she is (she literally took down two Academies) and the fact they lost people to her. Qrow was the one who told them the truth he knew, Oz likely didn't want them in the fight at all. He gave them an out several times and they chose not to take it.

And considering Oz is possessing the body, and thus underdeveloped brain, of a 14 year old boy, I'm not sure he could take it, no. If Oz were still alive, in an adult body? He absolutely could've. And he also had his trauma laid bare in front of several people unwillingly (I don't blame ruby for doing that, no).

[dragon-kazansky]

Masquerade at midnight

Gender neutral reader

[Masterlist]

[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter]

Word count: 2k

Notes: Nothing in particular. Tense emotions among the group.

♡♡♡

Chapter Eight - The damage done

"Your footwork has improved."

Midday the following day of the fire. You're training with Oscar in the yard. The horses are grazing in the field nearby. Ben and Anson have begun building a new stable for them to live in. They're suppose to be working on it now, but both of them have been watching you and Oscar since you came out here to train.

You smile, thinking back to yesterday afternoon.

"You can thank Lauren and Tom Ellis for that," you say, copying everything Oscar was doing.

Though your dagger had arrived, you refused to train with it yet. You needed to learn hoe to use a dagger well before you used that. Oscar had let you pick from his collection. You had chosen the same one he gave you before. You liked it.

Oscar smiles at you.

"I can see the hunter in you," he says.

You smirk, "oh yeah?"

Oscar takes a step back and lets you carry on by yourself. You repeat everything Oscar has been teaching you. You can't deny it, you feel like a badass. You've attuned your senses to your surroundings. You don't even notice the three pairs of eyes on you, your mind focused. The dirt that shifts under your shoes. The breeze that passes over your arms and your hands. The horses in the background, the birds in the sky, the wind in the trees. You can smell the smoke that still lingered in the air from the remains of the stable. The dagger is swift, silent, elegant.

You stop.

Oscar smirks.

"Look at you, a natural."

You turn your gaze to him and hold your head up proudly. "I learnt from the best," you say, winking at him. Oscar turns his head with a grin.

Ben and Anson applaud from where they stand. You turn to them and take a bow.

"There is hope yet," Ben cheers.

Your smile falters as you near the fence they were behind. Oscar comes over and joins you.

"Maybe," you mutter.

"What is it?" Anson asks, not liking it when you lose your smile.

"To be useful I have to get close to him. This Jeremy Irons... what if he kills me first?" You ask, unable to bring yourself to look up at any of them. Oscar reaches out and tilts your chin up, looking you in the eye.

"We will not let that happen. Ever," he states. "Jeremy will have to get through us before he got to you."

When Oscar offers you a dashing smile, you find it impossible not to return it. He lowers his hand and turns away slightly. He looks a little bashful.

Ben leans against the fence and looks at you. "I will go down fighting before I let that man touch you." You know Ben means that.

"I hope not."

"I will," he says, tone sure.

"Why does Jeremy hate Mads so much?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Another voice calls out. You turn and see Barry walking toward you. "Our lord has everything Jeremy wants. Powers, money, status, a nest of vampires loyal to him."

"Is it really worth starting a war over?" You ask.

Barry shrugs, "people have killed each other for less."

You frown and turn your gaze away, looking at the remains of the stable across the field. Your heart filled with sorrow at the sight.

"Lauren said she spent the night in your room," Barry changes the subject, feeling bad for making you sad.

"Yeah, she didn't want to be alone after yesterday," you reply.

"I appreciate you looking after her. Lauren is a good friend to me," he smiles, softly.

"She's great," you smile back.

"You done training for today?" Barry asks. You turn to Oscar who nods and gives a waves of his hand toward Barry.

"Go ahead," he says to you, reaching for the dagger you were still holding. You give it to him and push away from the fence, walking with Barry after waving to Ben and Anson. The boys wave back as you leave. Barry leads you over to where the horses were grazing. You both walk slow, taking everything in.

"That was brave you yesterday," you say, keeping your eyes ahead of you.

"Huh?"

"Saving the horses. You guys got really close to that stable. I doubt any of you had time to think about wearing your rings. You could have died," you speak softly.

Barry runs a hand through his hair as he turns to you.

"You're right, but we were careful. That could have gone a whole lot worse."

"Yeah," you near a big black stallion. It looks up at you.

"This is Mads' personal horse. Raised it since it was a foal," Barry tells you. "It was the first one we saved. Mads scolded us later, but then he thanked us. He loves this horse."

You reach out the horse boops your fingers with its nose. You chuckle softly.

"I think you're incredibly brave. I didn't even do anything, just stood there."

"You went straight to Lauren and looked after her. She was scared, you know? Then you came to her side. You did the right thing going back to the house," he says.

"I wish I could have done more," you admit.

Barry shakes his head, "there isn't much you could have done. It took us a while to put the fire out. Once we sure the horses were alright, most of us headed back to the house. Mads and Ben stayed at the stable to assess the damage. We didn't lose anything that couldn't be replaced. Mads had the butler send out an order for new equipment and food for the horses."

"I'm glad no one was hurt."

"The only damage done was emotional. Mads is sure this was an attack from Jeremy. Thinks this may have been a warning."

"Quite a serious warning if you ask me," you sigh.

"Yeah. Mads wants to talk to everyone later. He wants everyone to have some time to think first. Everyone's pretty spooked after yesterday."

"I bet," you sit down on the grass. Barry does the same. You gaze up at the sky. There's a few clouds above your head, but the sky is still bright blue. Another lovely day despite what had happened. "Do you think Jeremy knows about me?"

"I don't know for sure, but I do wonder if this is because he knows the dagger is missing from his side. The only place it could be is here."

Your gaze lands on the house and you feel your heart drop.

Does the dagger being here put them at danger? You were the reason the dagger is here.... are you putting them in danger?

Barry sees the expression on your face and places his hand on yours quickly.

"Don't even think it."

You turn to him with worry etched upon your face.

"This isn't your fault."

His hand grasps yours and he holds it up, not once looking away from you. Your gaze drops to your hand in his. Just the simple action of holding your hand is easing your heart a bit.

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop him."

"That's all we can ask for," he assures you.

You thank him quietly. As you turn back to the house, you spot two figures walking over to the remains of the stable. Slowly, you let go of Barry's hand and stand up, squinting to try and see who they were. One was definitely Jodie, the other Mads.

"Come on," Barry says, taking your hand again and leading you down to the stable. You walk with him, keeping your eyes on the two figures. When you get close, they move turn to see you and Barry approach. You smile at the pair. Mads smiles back, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"They thought it was their fault the fire happened," Barry says to them.

Both Jodie and Mads look at you.

"Not at all," Mads states.

"Don't blame yourself for this," Jodie steps forward.

"I just thought... if this was Jeremy's doing because we have the dagger. You brought the dagger here because I'm here."

"It isn't your fault," Mads says, voice sure and steady. You just nod a little. "I want to talk to everyone. Barry, will you go and gather everyone for me?"

Barry nods and lets go of your hand, though a bit reluctantly. You watch him walk away.

"Come with me," Mads says, turning and walking back to the house. You fall into step with Jodie as you both follow him, casting one last look at the burnt down stable.

Mads takes you both to the dining hall. A few others are already present. Hiddleston, Ellis, Bruhl, Cumberbatch and Ridloff. Barry will gather the others. Mads makes his way to the end of the table. You stand behind the chair you sat at during the dinner, as the others seem to have done. You haven't all gathered here since then.

You look down at the table awkwardly as you wait for the others to arrive. David comes in, then Michael, Anson right behind. You don't look up to smile at them, just wait in silence. Each if them find their respective seats. Anson, of course, beside you like that night.

"Are you alright?" He asks quietly.

You just nod in a silent reply. He doesn't say anything else.

Soon enough everyone is present and accounted for. Mads gives a signal to all sit down. Chairs are pulled out from under the table in unison. Everyone takes a seat. All heads turn to Mads at the head of the table. His eyes are on no one in particular as he laces his hands together and addresses the room.

"We must discuss our current situation."

The silence feels heavy as you look at the man at the end of the table.

"Jeremy sent a message in the form of burning down the stable, and that will only be the start of it. I need you all to be vigilant and work hard. We have very little time for fun and games. I believe war is upon us and we must act accordingly. I never thought he would bring the war to us, but I fear he may do just that. We must be prepared."

Everyone looks around at one another. The air is tense and you could almost choke on it. You're afraid, and going by the way Mads had turned to look at you, he knew it.

"I want you to be ready. If he comes here, do not hesitate," he says, looking right at you.

All eyes turn to you and you start to wish you weren't their only hope.

"Right," is all you can bring yourself to stay.

Mads stands from the table and turns his back to everyone. He's silent. Still. You don't dare take your eyes off of him. He stays like that for several minutes.

"You're all dismissed."

Mads walks out of the room. There is a beat a silence before anyone dares makes a move. You don't think you can stand just yet. Others get up and begin to make their exit. Yours eyes are cast on the door Mads left through.

Oscar asks if you're alright as you're the only one sitting down. You barely tell him 'yes' as you get up and leave, intending to find Mads and talk to him.

You're stopped by two figures. Michael and David.

"Though it is all very serious and tense, we wanted to invite you somewhere," Michael says, holding out a ticket. You glance down at his hand and reach for it. "David and I are doing one more show before we cancel and pass on our roles, this whole ordeal comes first. Come see our show."

You look down at the ticket and nod.

David reaches out and places a hand on your shoulder.

"Mads is upstairs. Don't feel the need to talk to him, but if you must, go to his office."

The boys leave and you stand there clutching the ticket.

You're not sure what to think, what to feel, what to do.

Then you hear a voice. It's quiet, but clear.

'Come to me.'

You cast your eyes upstairs.

'Come to me'

♡♡♡

@lieutenantn @ntlmundy @alex-the-rainbow @that-one-fandom-kid @mischief-siriusly-managed @madhatter2727 @gabrielapoe-16 @baronesszemo-blackwood @valquiria3000 @wannabevampire @ten-tenya-iida @crackedout @rothko-mirror @niceshadeofblue @my-fic-corner @bdffkierenwalker @nezla @bb-skyrunner @dezzylou24 @meganlpie @casi-eternal  @janine-007

[itsclydebitches]

have you seen the 'official volume 9 teaser' yet? it came with a plot summary which leaves me... less than enthused for the coming volume

After the harrowing events of Volume 8, our heroines are thrust into an unknown world--the Ever After! However, once Team RWBY explores this strange and mysterious realm, they quickly discover it might not be quite as unknown as they first assumed. As they journey to find a way back home, they'll have to overcome some of their toughest challenges yet--the struggle of their own identities, and whether or not they're equipped to stop Salem.

quite apart from the fact that this seems to confirm that we won't get an answer to 'what happened to everyone in Vacuo' until v10 (unless they give us something at the end of the v9 finale, and at this point I'm bracing for some kind of ridiculous timeskip on the remnant side, i just had the most vivid mental image of oscar with a full beard ;~;), I'm worried that 'the Ever After' is indeed going to be some kind of remnant afterlife (please leave my dead blorbos out of your shenanigans, RT!!!! let them sleep!!!!), or else it's some sort of Wonderland clone which I still don't trust them with, so idek

but also! what identity struggles? when have any of them really grappled with who they are or even their place in the world? blake, MAYBE, but everything to do with the white fang was so badly bungled i can't imagine them circling back around to that intentionally, especially since she was fixed by killing a man and some soft Hand Holding, meanwhile ruby never showed any indication of struggling with who she is, neither did yang--and it's odd, because loss of a parent (in yang's case, two, considering she lost both her mothers) is usually prime fodder for an identity crisis. the closest i can imagine coming is weiss, but wouldn't it had made more sense to tackle her struggle for an identity before having her drop a quippy one-liner about arresting her father?

not to mention the last part of that sentence--one would think they'd have stopped to consider whether or not they were equipped to stop salem when she boldly told them she was coming for them at the end of v7, rather than spending all of v8 fighting against their former allies and ignoring salem's presence entirely (with the exception of like five minutes of the b-team needlessly infiltrating the whale to save someone who'd already gotten himself free).

anyway, yeah, i'm so not excited for this coming volume. i'm just tired.

I’ve now watched the teaser!

There’s a lot to mention here, so I’m going to fall back on my handy-dandy bullet points:

Yeah, based on this teaser and the summary it looks as if Volume 9 might take place entirely in the Ever After. (I’m reserving judgement on the name for now. See if it grows on me...) Given how detailed some of the shots seem and the theory that this is partly why the Volume has taken so long (+ movie), I can’t believe the group would suddenly make it back to Vacuo in episode five or something as a “twist.” I’ve said since the end of Volume 8 that they might do a time skip/only show Vacuo in the finale. That’s looking even more likely now.

Pushing back against that though, a teaser obviously doesn’t show us everything, but I still find it strange that both this trailer and our summary don’t mention/show Jaune. It could be that Vacuo events haven’t been included yet the same way that Jaune hasn't. Or…

I’ve already seen some speculation that this might be Jaune, given that he otherwise doesn’t seem to be with the group, the Knight’s identity is currently hidden, and he’s wearing a warrior/tank's armor like Jaune favors. The idea is that this world might have pockets that move differently through time, especially for those who don’t fall close together, and this is an older Jaune who has spent months or years lost here. Honestly, I’d hate that? I don’t like the idea of a time skip for RWBY at all, but especially not for Jaune as a way of milking his Penny grief and separating him even more from the group as some special case. I mean, there’s no actual evidence for this theory—pure speculation that will likely be debunked by the next trailer—but I’m just going on the record that I don’t want it lol.

Okay, let’s actually start going through this trailer in order. First, who’s the narrator? It doesn’t sound like Jinn to me. I want to say it’s someone new, but also it’s quite possible I’m just not recognizing a character’s voice after the long hiatus.

“This is the story of a girl…” Is it? I mean, kudos to the teaser for trying to bring us back to that, but Ruby hasn’t felt like the protagonist to me in a very long time. If this Volume succeeds in anything, I hope it’s in giving Ruby the compelling, consistent development she’s been lacking since she left Beacon.

“Before she went back home…” This is absolutely a nitpick, but it bugs me that seven seconds into a teaser we’re told the conclusion of this arc. It’s a nitpick because duh the group is going to make it back to Remnant. I doubt there’s a single person in the whole RWBY fandom who seriously thought, for even a moment, that they were permanently dead (or permanently stuck in whatever alternate reality this might be). But it’s the principal of the thing? The ability to suspend my knowledge of narrative conventions and pretend like this is a major hurdle for them? Hearing that line just took me right out of the story

MOUSE FAMILIAR?

Hmm. Admittedly, I am not immune to an adorable companion. 10/10 I’ll put up with a lot if the mouse is cute enough in the show proper.

More importantly, I do like this shot for the expression Ruby’s got. It’s harder to tell in a screenshot, but she looks like she’s horrified, but too numb to actually react to whatever she’s seeing (or thinking about). Combined with this shot:

It looks like we might actually get a Ruby grappling with her trauma. I mean, we thought Volume 6 was doing that too, only for that to get swept away under a booo adults mentality, but maybe the death of Penny (again…) will do what the last five volumes have failed to? That's if that glimpse of Penny doesn't lead to all their dead friends showing up 😬

Beyond the emotion discussed above, I’m not really digging the animation yet. It’s clearly a mix of Alice in Wonderland and… Candyland? And while I normally like nonsense elements in a fantasy, I’m not sure I like it specifically for RWBY, a show that has been trying for the last 6+ years to be taken very, very seriously. Which isn’t to say that you can’t or shouldn’t take absurdist aspects seriously—they function as metaphors and the like—only that there’s this jarring disconnect between trying to grapple with half the group being eaten in a hostile desert while the other half frolics among cherry-topped snow piles and candy mushrooms, or whatever. Obviously not everything in this place is welcoming, or even presenting the veneer of child-like safety, but I’m still encountering the same problem I’ll discuss in my “A Nightmare Comes” recap: it’s really hard to buy into the supposed horror of this grimm when our vehicle for encountering it is bunny!Jaune huddled in his footie PJs while silly-looking statues threaten him. RWBY has struggled with tone for several seasons now and though clearly this place is meant to pit that fantasy wonder against the real horrors underneath… this teaser isn’t helping to convince me that RWBY will pull it off.

Also, who did it better?

(My answer is Witcher XD)  

We get a line about “the tree,” not just “a” tree, confirming what we already suspected about this foliage being important. It might even be the same tree seen in the God of Light’s temple. Not literally the same in terms of design, but some mystical-esque tree that’s connecting this realm to Remnant’s.

We see some potential new antagonists alongside a shot of Neo:

And someone else who fell? Or accessed the realm another way? It certainly looked like the group washed up on shore and she seems to be coming from the ocean.

A Cheshire Cat reference, a crown, and quick shots of the rest of Team RWBY wandering about:

I like some of these shots a LOT more than I like the look of the realm as a whole, so I’m hoping that opinion continues. We’ve waited for this season for so long and there’s such an emphasis on Ever After itself, I feel like we should all at least be able to enjoy the beauty of the volume, even if the writing remains a mess. I really am flip-flopping though because one second it’s, “Oooo gorgeous leaves housing mysterious eyes” and then, “How did Jaune grow his hair long enough to cover a whole tree?”

I’ll be honest and say that I’m not sure what to make of the whole “What are you?” question yet. It may be literal—who are these humans/faunus to the animal denizens of a magical world? (Oh god, how is that going to intersect with Blake?) But it’s clearly meant to mean so much more than that, echoing the earlier question of “Who had [Ruby] become?” Immediately, the introduction of “what” made me think about titles. What are they? Heroes or villains? Huntsmen or children? Remnant’s saviors or just another, short term weapon pointed at the enemy? Given how well RWBY has tackled such questions in the past, I truly doubt I’ll be satisfied with whatever Ever After supposedly teaches them. R now my only hope is that, as said, we get some good Ruby development in a direction I can support, even if the general takeaway is still them being told by the magical realm that they’re the bestest heroes ever who of course will defeat Salem… never mind that they haven’t spent a moment since her immortality reveal even trying to think about how to stop her.

I sure hope that subdued, minuscule smile isn’t Yang seeing Blake for the first time post-death…

Finally, as a few others have already pointed out, the end of the teaser does say “early 2023,” so it looks like we should expect more of a six-ish month wait, as opposed to the nearly year and a half I was envisioning last night. The reveal of this crossover film (I'm still ??? about that) is likewise another explanation for why Volume 9 has taken so long… but really, my overall sense of things remains the same. RT doesn’t feel very stable right now and the fact that there are so many RWBY projects atm isn’t, to me, necessarily a sign of them flourishing, but rather that they’re spreading themselves thin. It would be a totally different story if post-lockdown they had been able to prioritize Volume 9 in a way that quickly got us back on schedule, maintaining good communication with fans throughout, and also advertised some side projects that they had additional resources and time for without throwing anything else (projects, people) under the bus… but that doesn't seem to be the case. RT’s continuing problems don’t, for me, shine a positive light on the myriad of RWBY things that keep popping up. As @feen-feet mentioned on another post of mine—thanks for the info!—I’m not sure more installments are automatically a sign of RT doing well, at least not in the way many fans want to use these projects as definitive evidence for how everything is not only perfect, but reaching new and shiny heights.

[popsicle-parfait]

❗WARNING❗: This is a rant post, you are not obligated to read this but just know that if you do I am not responsible for the feelings you get from it.

Okay, so can we just take a moment to talk about fanfics and their character/ oc development? Today I looked at a fanfic and I saw an oc character sheet, yknow the normal stuff you see when you start reading someone's story. Now this this what ticked me off, it said in the abilities section of the bio "Able to control air and oxygen and any water around him. " now if that wasn't bad enough in the weakness portion of the chapter it said "There's not really a weakness to their abilities". I don't know about you but your dear old pal here HATES overpowered characters with a ridiculous stat ratio. Now this is where the rant starts so excuse anything offensive I say because I'm mad as hell. EXCUSE ME? I'm sorry but if your damn character has the abilities of a whole god and their drawback is a HEADACHE then your oc is just bad. No I'm not kidding, I'm 100% certain on what I'm saying and listen to me when I tell you this, your oc has to have character development and having an op ability set just takes away the whole purpose of that and leaves no room for anything interesting to happen in your fanfic. Have you ever thought of why you lost motivation if your fanfic? Or maybe it hasn't gotten the spice you want in it? IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE YOUR OC HAS A TRASHY PERSONALITY WITH THE LEG ROOM OF A DAMN OCTOPUS. I'm not gonna sit here and read your story when your oc is all like "Everything is so boring, everyone is so stupid for not seeing that attack coming. You guys are so annoying and I'm better than y'all. I'm just not gonna say anything or contribute to the plot because I know everything already 😩" FUCK OUTTA HERE WITH THAT🤡 I wanna cry so bad because I just can't believe these people really looked at their oc, approved it, then had the nerve to say "He's rude but is really kind" I'M SORRY? Kind???! W H E R E??? PLEASE I BEG OF Y'ALL BALANCE YOUR OCS OUT!!

Okay but seriously if you want some advice here's what's I actually recommend for this type of stuff:

Take a moment and stop what you're writing. I know you have a lot of ideas of what you want in your story but just stop worrying about the plot and think about the oc's your inserting there.

Study your character, think about anime references or other anime characters you want to base your oc off of and get inspiration from that

Next I would recommend to really think about what type of person you want your oc to be and think to yourself "what would I do (or how would I react, ) if I came across this type of person irl?" because to you this character might seem cool but if you look at it at a realistic standpoint they're probably a really horrible/ toxic person.

When you think about your oc's backstory I want you to think about your fandoms universe. What are the basic things that apply to this fandom? What is okay and reasonable enough to fit in this fandom? How would this tie into your fandoms lore? (this also really important because if your fandom is about a highschool anime and your oc is "the demon lord from hell" it wouldn't fit and it just disregards the structure of the anime.) I really want y'all the do some research on the fandom you're inserting your oc into, don't just go in blind.

Another thing would your oc's appearance, face claims are okay. I'm fine with that. But if you don't use face claims and your description of your oc is "black hair, yellow (left) and blue (right) eyes, scars everywhere, bandages everywhere" I'm going to assume your oc is an emo wannabe with an attention problem. Sorry not sorry, hehe~ 😜

Oh, another thing I want y'all to take into consideration is your oc's abilities. I really want you guys to know that it is okay if your oc is "normal". You don't have to give them the backstory of a broken king, you don't have to give them trauma and you don't have to make them "special". Your character is the mc for being themselves, they don't need all of that fancy stuff because even if they're bland they stand out against the original protagonist of the anime. You don't have to make them super edgy or super important because there's a thing called character development. The abilities your oc has (in my opinion at least) must start small. Then as the story continues and as the oc makes more important relationships between themselves and the people around them it gives them time to think about certain things in a new light and that pushes them to want to work hard. (1)

Let's say I have an oc named Oscar or something and they're an insert to the anime My Hero Academia. By me giving them the ability to see the future (please don't take any ideas from this istg) it also means they see the USJ attack and if they predict that very important plot point and inform the main characters about it that basically means that attack wouldn't happen the way it does in the anime. Now there are a lot of factors to be considered in this such as, lida doesn't run to get the pro heroes, All Might doesn't save class 1-A, and Izuku doesn't get the determination he gets to work more on OFA because he doesn't have to worry about All Might being pushed to his limit as severally as he does in canon. Please, I advise you to think about these things. (2)

Thank you for taking your time to read my whole post and let's hope I don't lose followers for this, these types of things need to be thought about and I feel like no one actually takes their time to and just throws whatever character they can come up with in a story. Um... Have a cool pic I guess...

[fivekrystalpetals]

Yes ;-; yes *sniffles* I am on Retrace 82 now and I can say I thoroughly hate Jack.

In the beginning, I was merely entertained by his corruption arc and how he stopped at nothing to make his "hopes" come true with the Tragedy of Sablier but from the moment he got a little girl to kill herself for the sake of his "hopes", I can very well say I hate his manipulative ass.

That child was Lacie's child. She was the child of the woman he claimed to love. Does he even, no, how does he even think that this is what Lacie would have wanted?? True that Lacie got pregnant through very dubcon means but I don't think she hated the child in her womb if she went all the way to the Abyss to request both the core and the dolls to be friends with the child if they ever find her. How is he so completely unaffected by Alice's death?!?!

and honestly, the Core of the Abyss cared more about the two girls than Jack ever did. When she appeared in place of Alyss and warned that her body won't be able to take on the kind of power Jack was asking of her and when she interfered again to save both the girls' souls in Retrace 77 and sealed up B-Rabbit's power.

Next, is the way he completely screwed over the present Vessallius family. Oscar and Xai are confused over how much of what happened was Jack's plans but I think Xai is right. Not only did he get rid of his newborn child, but also his wife and Oscar's wife and child as well. he totally massacred the entire lineage for the sake of fulfilling his plan. Xai has become obsessed over Jack and probs lives in constant fear of what is gonna go wrong next, whereas Oscar has never gotten over the grief of losing his wife. Jack singlehandedly broke the entire family,, we don't even know what Xai might have been, maybe he is a kind and loving person, maybe he is worried that he might lose Ada too that's why he is cold toward her as well in order to protect her and not let her be used by Jack as his weakness,, to the extent, I can't even have a brotherly bonding between Xai and Oscar either. What were they like before that fateful day Jack came into Xai's life?

And you know what, he didn't even change his mind after the first time. He still wants to plunge the world into the Abyss like what why? He forced Alice to take her own life, forced Alyss to go almost crazy and framed her as some sort of villain to everyone (you know the one where they go back to the Vessalius mansion and he is all like shhh, the Will of the Abyss is watching you, be careful), he dismembered Lacie's older brother's body into pieces and sealed it up for years and he is still not satisfied?? Does he really really think Lacie would have wanted this if she was alive? She says (whether it was just words to console her brother or not) she does love the world and her life as long as she lived. Yes, the generational abuse against crimson-eyed kids that the Baskerville family practices is immense but .... this is all too much.

But then again, I doubt Jack is doing any of this for Lacie's sake. He is doing this all for himself to be honest. If I have to say, he never really loved Lacie, he simply liked the idea of her, because she made him feel good about himself. To the point he is obsessed with her because he wants to return to the time he felt good for the first time. I mean, he had no song on his mind except Lacie and no mission in life except meeting her for eight years? that's some obsession. I can't call it devotion, but devotion is also borderline obsession so yeah. That's why the moment he loses her, he falls into a bleak depression. He does absolutely nothing for one month until.... Levi comes to visit him and gives him "hope". Because, his life is nothing without Lacie. Is that really love? idk. but I know I would be fed up if a man obsesses over me like this that his life revolves solely around me and he has simply no other hobby except being by my side lol. No wonder, Lacie kept saying he is weird, and Oswald said how he could feel nothing off him (something Oscar repeats albeit an independent observation and man gets mad lol)

Whereas, Oz, who he says is a plush doll and can't have feelings or things of his own, has a way more deeper personality than him. He was grateful to Lacie for bringing his existence to life, he truly loved Alice and liked seeing her smile, even in the present, he cared about Ada and Gil and Uncle Oscar so much that they refused to give up on him in spite of knowing what he truly is, Oz has thoughts and opinions of his own you know, when he tried to cheer up Break after listening to his backstory, heck he even got Echo to maintain an independent personality of her own not even knowing that she was in reality Zwei. What I mean to say is the Oz, in spite of being a non-living thing brought to life, has connected with people in a more positive way than Jack ever could (Jack's only other 'friend' is Miranda and we know what she is) Oz is selfless and truly cares about the others around him,, maybe, he got this from observing Lacie or Alice or maybe it's his own personality idk but watching Oz take control of Jack's body and getting rid of Jack's remnant soul was very satisfying and delightful to watch. (after that Uncle Oscar noooooo ;-;)

About Gil and Jack, yes, the moment I finished Retrace 65 and got over the initial shock of finding that it was Glen's head that was sealed up, I directly went back to the Sablier chapters to recheck and.... Jack is a lying bastard is all I can say lol (I made the post here) Jack even rolls on the floor and laughs, so self-satisfied was he by his performance before Gil istfg

About the whole Oz is a B-Rabbit twist, uh, I was actually very close because I guessed the B-Rabbit must have Alice's protector just like Humpty-Dumpty is for the next Glen in line and Cheshire is for Alyss but I assumed Alice was B-Rabbit's old contractor and Oz is its new one and not that Oz is the B-Rabbit itself!!! that would have beyond me anyway, not in my wildest dreams would I have made that connection so I am not really disappointed that I didn't see that coming. What I am more disappointed about is that from long ago, it was continuously mentioned that the B-Rabbit is a chain that kills other chains like the Mad Hatter (which is a dangerous ability to have and how does Break have that??) and yet I never questioned how such a dangerous chain might have come into existence. That single thought should have put me on the right path.

About Alice and Alyss, sorry to say but I am still very very confused about what \'s happening. I can't....really understand Retrace 76/77 so I skimmed through it and skipped ahead; I have to reread the whole thing to grasp it because in the first place, I am confused which is which Alice all the time. (for example, which is the Alice that was bullying Vince about his red eye and told him about Gil becoming Glen, I am guessing it is Alyss??? buuuut I am not quite satisfied. and I don't understand how the Alice (our Alice) became the B-Rabbit either so yeah. def re-read esp paying attention to the sisters' parts)

but the scene of Alice screaming "I will never forgive you" hits different now ;-; it just made no sense to me then;;;

oh yes. Alice's mellow response!! yes, I mentioned it in the same post above! I too was impressed by how mature she was acting all of a sudden and wondered if that was her real personality from 100 years ago. yes, Alice saved Oz from killing that woman Marie in the start of Head Hunter Arc.

Sorry this went tooooo long hahahjksjkf; I kind of went on a fullon rant I am just so full of.... emotions right now ;-; I think I will finish the whole series soon because the chapters are getting shorter now and more importantly, I need answers or I can't sleep (/▽＼)

wow who would have thunk the reason the Tragedy of Sablier went down was not because of some intricate political intrigue, the four Dukedoms wanting to grab the power of the Abyss for themselves, the Baskervilles made to become the scapegoats for the Tragedy etc. etc.

but because...... every player in the backstory is I N S A N E

(I haven't read a wilder backstory for anything than this,, Retrace 66-74 what even are you???????? WHAT DO YOU MRAN OZ IS B_RABBIT DOES IT EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE??!?!?)

[jjk-anime-horray]

Monster: Part Two

Megumi Fushiguro x Reader

Chapter Summary: The reader finally starts to begin their investigation on why they haven’t bonded with Megumi yet, and why he seems to avoid her, but her new plan maybe more problematic than it would appear at first.

The first step to solving a problem is getting intel on it! Well, that's what your old science teacher had always told you anyway. So, you decided to get more information about Megumi. Unfortunately for you the best person to go to would be Gojo, but not wanting to have to deal with him for opt out of that for Yuji instead with your excuse to yourself i'm saving the "best" for last. You can't lie to yourself you just didn't want to deal with him just yet.

Yuji was a bust. Even though Megumi and Him were friends when you told him what was going on he didn't really know why, just the same as you.

Flashback....

"Maybe you haven't bonded with him because he's really quiet maybe...."

"I've gone out of my way to talk to him Yuji. However, I would've thought it was that at first, but in this case it's not that so what is it.

"Maybe it's because you don't have the same favorite food?"

"Why would not having the same favorite food matter that much?"

"Maybe it's because he's secretly a chef on some really fancy foreign cooking show, you never know."

That one did make you chuckle a little bit, even though you felt a little down on yourself, Yuji's smile and laugh could cheer anyone up even Oscar the grouch. It was nearly impossible to be sad when you're around him.

But when you felt a mysterious energy from behind you, you turned around to meet the cold glare of a certain deep and dark ocean blue eyed boy which left you frozen when he left.

Present time......

With already burning through Nobara, Toge, even Maki and panda, you still had no leads, and you were starting to think your investigation was useless, but you still had on unfortunate card up your sleeve that you were yet to exploit. Just in case you brought a bartering chip with you if you need it.

Your hand went to knock on this person's door, but before your hand could even hit the cut wood the door flung open.

"(YYYYYY/NNNNNNN) what gives me the pleasure of you seeking out my assistance." Damn, you really wanted to punch that pretty blue eyed bastard in the face right now, but he's right, you do need his assistance. "Let me guess, is it with my son Megumi-kun or you need help wooing Yuji-kun or Nobara-chan."

"Megumi isn't your son? Well last time I checked, and why would I go to you for romantic help even if I was looking for it? That literally seems counter productive."

" Tsk Tsk always a stick and no sugar, so I guess it's with my son, and will I be getting anything out of this transaction? Hmmmm?" You sighed and pulled out a box of mini cupcakes from this nice bakery you when to this morning.

"Is this adequate and to your satisfaction?"

"Yes they're perfect come in! come. come." We said while gesturing into his personal space that was his room and office. "I hope you don't mind that Nanami is working in here currently, he needs to finish up with some documents from his last mission, hopefully he won't distract us from your personal Gojo time now will he."

Nanami would be much preferable to Gojo at any given time, lucky he'll be there to help pull down Gojo from whatever la la land he's in.

"You know, (Y/N), you could just go ask him why he doesn't like you, but he would "hate" you even more."

"What's with the air quotes around the hate."

"I have a feeling that my sweet Megumi doesn't actually dislike you at all, it's just a gut feeling I have. Why do you care so much any way?" Leaning forward in your face he said the next few words. "Do you like the quiet boy."

"What?!? No! I just want to know why I haven't been able to bond with him yet."

"Would you really care that much if there wasn't something inside of you that really wanted him to like you?"

That last part daunted on you. Did you like Megumi? I guess you found him a little bit attractive, who wouldn't? He may have been quiet, but he certainly was very capable, and was a big help, he wasn't very judgemental or picky for anything he-

"Come back when you stop lying to yourself (Y/N)."

With that you finally had enough of the sorcerer so you walked out of the room with deep thoughts in your head, and even more questions.