#i think that is the true meaning of success

[ella-animine]

In order to prepare for the worst but hope for the best…

everyone should know that Power of Attorney ends at death.

If for whatever reason, over the course of events, you die and DO NOT want your next of kin to be responsible for/have power over the disposition of your body and your viewing/funeral arrangements you MUST PREPARE

In the US, across most states, this authority follows a specific line of succession and whoever claims this power can prevent others from carrying out your wishes after death. For most adults this flow usually goes(give or take): Spouse, Adult children, Parents, Siblings, on to extended family. This could mean something as harmful as if you are a Trans man or woman your family can have your body prepared as the gender they see fit. It can also means that you can be buried/cremated in a way that does not align with personal and religious beliefs.

Many states and courts will honor the deceased’s wishes for who should have this designation as long as you PUT IT IN A LEGAL DOCUMENT, but please make sure that this information is available to the people that will act on your behalf BEFORE they will need it.

I’ve included a brief resource below that gives a bit more info, as well as some helpful info state by state.

I know that no one wants to think about death and dying, but it is just as important to protect yourself in death as it is in life. Don’t let your true loved ones be pushed out of loving, honoring, and doing right by you if you leave this world.

Stay safe, stay educated, stay alive

Before January 2025:

If you are a USAmerican in a relationship that might be affected by legislation that dissolves same-sex marriages, who may no longer be recognized as next-of-kin, especially if you have children, get your rights in writing!

Your marriage certificate may not be enough to prove you have rights to make medical decisions for non-biological children or for a same-sex spouse or partner.

Go to a lawyer, get it spelled out as clearly as possible that you have a voice in emergency medical and legal situations.

[politicalprof]

On the election:

Thoughts? Sure. Lots of them:

--I have said from the beginning that this is a turnout election. Get me 2016 levels of turnout and Trump could well win. Get me 2020 levels of turnout and Harris would probably win. 2024's turnout is much closer to 2016 than 2020, so the electorate was whiter, more male, and older in 2024 than 2020. The people Harris needed to vote, didn't. Thus Trump won all or most of the swing states, and won the popular vote -- the first Republican to do so since 2004. (This is why I was a not a poll watcher: percentages in a poll do not translate directly into actual voting; in a turnout election actual voting is what matters.)

--I used to ask my classes, "will we have a Black president or a female president first? (Yes, I acknowledged the obvious "Black female" hole in that question.) The Black question was answered in 2008; we now have a further answer in that a candidate of the nature of Donald Trump has beaten two immensely qualified female candidates, one white and one woman of color -- both in low turnout elections. Apparently, America really, really, doesn't want a female president.

--Dobbs didn't matter, at least not as predicted. Women didn't "vote Harris" despite all claims they would do so, at least not at the predicted rates.

--Demography is not destiny. The Latino vote has moved toward Trump in three successive elections. I'd guess this is *because* of his anti-immigrant stances, not despite them: pulling up the ladder after you "make it" is an old part of American political life.

--[edit/added]: it's a global "throw the bums out" cycle. People are pissed for lots of reasons, and fairly or not, the "in power" people are feeling the pain. Such is the nature of political timing.

--The urban/rural split is a hell of a thing in American politics, and it's only going to get more intense over time as rural areas continue to empty but still get two Senators forever and ever and ever.

--There are a LOT of people who don't think of politics in either ideological or governance terms. They're not interested in whether a candidate means what he says or is capable of achieving the ends being promised. Rather, politics for these people is *entertainment.* What matters is the show. The "right" people need to be publicly valorized; the "wrong" people need to be attacked, humiliated, and hounded out of the public square. It's bread and circuses. As long as the entertainment continues they'll put up with the regime whatever it is doing to them in the background.

--Donald Trump remains the greatest politician in American history at dominating the news cycle, and thus feeding the entertainment machine. Every crazy, cruel, cantankerous thing he says gets re-amplified over and over again, driving everything else out of the political ecosystem. It's evil. But it's genius.

--I have long said that Donald Trump will never pay a meaningful price for his crimes, his corruption, and his cruelty. He will die in a golden bed surrounded by a harem of women and teams of acolytes singing his praises. It's not fair. But it's almost certainly true.

--A brief note on tariffs: when America relied on tariffs, the government was much smaller than it is now (meaning it needed less money to operate), and US economy activity was mostly concentrated in the US (meaning that it was hard for other countries to put retaliatory tariffs on US products). Neither of these things are true today. So, good luck with that.

I'm sure there's more. But that's a start.

[tomorrowxtogether]

TXT Debut a Sparkling New Chapter — and Reveal Which Previous Era Their New Album Is a Throwback to (Exclusive)

PEOPLE spoke to Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai about making "The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY"

Tomorrow x Together's latest release is an evolution and a nostalgia play all at once.

The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY (out Monday, Nov. 4), is officially the start of a new era for the K-pop group's five members — Soobin, 23, Yeonjun, 25, Beomgyu, 23, Taehyun, 22, Hueningkai, 22 — who spoke to PEOPLE ahead of its release.

They're moving out of "The Name Chapter" — two albums that reveled in the freedom and occasional chaos of youthful indiscretions — and into "The Star Chapter." Represented by a bright, shining logo rebrand, it carries messages about finding true love and lasting happiness.

“To some extent, I think it really reflects us growing up,” says Hueningkai.

"In our past installments, it was more of those magical moments, like ‘Run away together with me,’ or something that could be a little bit less responsible," adds Taehyun. "But this time around, it's romantic, but in a sense that it's grounded and more realistic.”

Sonically, SANCTUARY has a sweetness that recalls some of the group’s earliest releases.

"I think you're spot on about talking about how you thought of The Dream Chapter when listening to this album," Huengingkai confirmed while discussing their influences with PEOPLE in October. "It's something new, but it's something that also provokes nostalgia as well," he adds.

The lead single, "Over the Moon," is dreamy pop but includes some very grown-up themes with lyrics about living under one roof and planning for the future. Other tracks, like "Danger" tip into funky Bruno Mars-like territory, or in the case of "Forty One Winks," more upbeat R&B.

While there's no real rock or pop punk moments (something they've leaned into with great success in the past with songs like "LO$ER=LO♡ER"), "Higher than Heaven" does have a romping pop-rock bent.

The album's sound isn't just a reflection of the group's shifting tastes. “We have this big narrative that overarches every installment in our musical journey," Hueningkai explains.

Their discography, and the larger lore of the group, incorporates a sprawling fictional backstory that can feel intimidatingly complex for the casual fan. But the themes — the pains of growing up, the reality of facing adulthood, and the heartbreak that so often goes along with it — are universal enough that they come through easily in their earworm singles.

While TXT has shared in the past that their music is often informed by personal experience, they often keep a distance from speaking about their own relationships, instead telling the song's stories of crushes or lost loves as the tales of a “boy” (representing all and none of them) directed at “you,” an embodiment of their fans.

Explaining the meaning of their latest album, for example, Beomgyu says, “It’s a chapter where the boy finally recovers his name and remembers the promise he made with you. And they finally reunite in this album. So it's the rejoicing that they all feel with this reunion.” 

All five members wrote lyrics and music on SANCTUARY, something they've been increasingly passionate about over the six years since their debut.

Taehyun admits to doing most of his writing in the car and on planes, amid their busy schedules. They still find space for collaboration though. "We tend to work separately on lyrics, but when we get stuck, we ask for help from the other members," says Soobin.

Seemingly non-stop promotions can be draining, but they're candid about how they keep their minds and bodies healthy. "Sleeping well is the best thing you can do for yourself," says Beomgyu. Adds Soobin, "We eat a lot of supplements, too, and try to work out a lot so that we can stay healthy and keep up our stamina."

That work ethic has gained them a mountain of accolades in relatively short career.

In 2023, they headlined Lollapalooza in Chicago, then performed at the VMAS in New York, where they also took home the award for Push Performance. Their last album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, making them only the second K-pop group to enter the chart 10 times, with the only other being their label mates BTS.

Asked if that sort of accomplishment is exciting or intimidating, Yeonjun explains, "We feel both. We feel both elated, and also we feel a sense of responsibility. And I think both are needed, because only when we feel that responsibility can we grow as artists and evolve as artists. So because so many people are giving us love and support, It's our duty to grow and evolve, and show new sides of ourselves as artists."

Adds Taehyun, "We are eternally grateful to Global MOA who always provide us with a lot of love and support. And with this album and the albums going forward, we're going to pay back to them by providing really good music and performances."

The Star Chapter: Sanctuary is available to stream now.

[thethingsireallylike]

I really appreciate this post, because I certainly feel it captures a lot about the differing reactions I've felt and others have felt about the election, but I do want to add something which I feel is important.

"You can lay it all out for them, but you can't make them listen, and you can't make it click."

That is certainly a true statement, but it undermines the actual information reality we live in. I'm not the first to say it, but we live in a world where people have totally different news sources, and consequentially totally different contexts upon which they view reality. And someone whose media diet consists solely of Fox News, conservative talk radio, and far right podcasts (for instance) are not having the opportunity to have alternative viewpoints laid out for them, at least not in a twisted and biased form. This may partly be a user fault for limiting what kind of sources they get, but there are also algorithmic factors at play that force this kind of content to people.

This is just to say that there are systemic issues at play here; these issues mean that people aren't having the option to consider other perspectives, which is (obviously) bad. And I say this because it means that it is going to be difficult to change views, to build electoral coalitions to push fascists out of power. And with so many of the guard rails that kept the first Trump term from being worse than it was eroded, a lot of terrible things can and will occur before that happens.

I don't say this to be defeatist, but I want remind people to be vigilant. Be vocal and be out there. It is a lot easier to do awful things when no one stands up to you. Show the world that there are people who aren't sitting around waiting for the world to change, but are engaged and pushing perspectives contrary to those of those in power. Activism will always be necessary, and if it can be combined with electoral success, all the better. I don't blame anyone who wants to grieve the return of Trump, but I do think we need to be ready to make our voices heard. Whether that changes anything or not, it's better than doing nothing at all.

So uhh. If you feel like talking about it. As someone who lives in the US, how are you being kind to yourself on this upsetting morning <3

Checked in with my loved ones first and foremost.

It's interesting. The vibe I've been getting from my circle is very different from 2016. Much less… dread and horror at a realignment of the understanding of what can and can't happen here, now, in this place and day and age. More "fuck, guys. again? whatever. enjoy your consequences, maybe you'll manage to learn something this time."

Frustration and anger is not the most positive feeling, or even the most fair one to express, but it is a protective one. It hurts a lot less than most alternatives.

And it's quite a shift. It was earthshattering back then. How could this have been allowed to happen? Why couldn't it be stopped? Why couldn't we stop it? Why couldn't I stop it? Why couldn't everyone see what this meant? Why couldn't I make them understand? Did they really not care? What did that mean about humanity as a whole? Were we so thoughtless? How could anyone be trusted?

It seems… much less earthshattering to see it happen twice. Disappointing, sure. Frustrating. But nowhere near as devastating as the first time I saw it unfold. We already knew it could happen. I've already had time to digest the implications. Now I'm just freshly disappointed.

It also feels less indicative of Crushing Truths Of Reality this time. We've seen shit get bad. We've also seen shit get better from here! We know both outcomes are possible, even inevitable. We know hoping for a better future is always worthwhile. This isn't the apocalypse. It's an unremarkably bad turn of events brought on by unremarkably self-centered well-documented human impulses. It's utterly mundane in its unpleasantness. It doesn't need to be dignified with despair.

A democratic election, no matter the outcome or the side we're on, makes us all acutely aware of how outnumbered we are by people whose worldviews and priorities are demonstrably incomprehensible to us. And the first time you get outnumbered, it's a shock. Defeat is haunting. It didn't matter how badly you wanted it; by the very function of democracy, you do not have the power to override greater numbers. (insert electoral college caveat here)

The second time through, I find myself focusing on a different facet that has dramatically reduced the amount of spiralling I'm doing. I don't expect this to work for everyone, but for me specifically, it helped to crystallize a few thoughts:

You don't have the power to control anyone else. You don't. You can't share your worldview and your revelations with them. You can't make them think or understand anything. You can lay it all out for them, but you can't make them listen, and you can't make it click. A mentor can't make their student learn a lesson; that's why teaching is so complicated and hard. An active choice must be made by the person to enable themselves to understand, and they must put the pieces together in their own mind before it makes sense to them, and the pieces must have been presented in a way that makes sense to them in the first place. Lead a horse to water, can't make them drink.

These elections highlight a disconnect in what different groups of people care about; and no matter how clearly you explain yourself or how passionately you perform, caring cannot be forced on someone. Understanding and connection cannot be forced. You cannot make anything or anyone matter to someone. They have to choose to see how it matters in order to internalize it. If they choose not to, that is not your failing. You couldn't have made them do it by just Explaining Better. They are not your responsibility. They make their own choices. You can't reach inside their head and connect the dots for them.

I'm a storyteller. I make stories and put them out into the world. I hope people get something good out of them, but I have no control over what that something is. I want people to be thoughtful and kind and compassionate and hopeful and see themselves reflected in stranges, no matter their differences. I can craft stories that I hope encourage this. But that is the extent of my ability and the extent of my responsibility. I control no-one's actions but my own, and so while I am not having the best day, I am at least content that I am doing what I can, and I am not shattering myself against impossibilities trying to control the things I can't.

Sometimes, people make decisions that I think are really bad. I can't make that not happen. All I can do is try to make decisions that will result in things I think are good. Today, that means checking in on people, and not assigning too much dramatic narrative weight to an ultimately mundane set of unremarkable bad decisions outside of my control. We'll take life as it comes and help each other out when and how we can. Everything else is out of our hands.

[fictional-apologistt]

let’s talk about One Direction

ONE DIRECTION RANT!!

(this is just my opinion, let me know yours in the comments!) ♥︎

—————————————————

One Direction was, and still is, one of the most popular boy bands in history. There’s a reason for that: a group of talented, charismatic young men who could sing remarkably well and release hit after hit. For many people, myself included, One Direction was an essential part of our childhoods. We grew up with their music, their personalities, and the excitement of each new album, tour, and interview. It’s an experience that shaped a generation—something the newer generation might not fully understand or ever get to experience in the same way.

As fans, it’s natural to have a favorite member or two. We connect with each band member in different ways and might think one has a stronger voice or a unique style. This is true in any group, whether it’s a band, a cast of a TV show, or a sports team—we have favorites. That doesn’t mean we dislike the others or think they lack talent. The same goes for One Direction. Fans might lean towards Harry, Louis, Zayn, Niall, or Liam for different reasons, but it’s the combination of all five that made the band special in the first place.

Over the years, there’s been plenty of debate about who has the “best” voice or is the most talented. While some members may have a vocal range or style that stands out in certain songs, it doesn’t make one better than the others. Each member—Zayn, Louis, Harry, Niall, and Liam—brought something unique to every song. Whether it was Zayn’s high notes, Louis’ emotional tone, Harry’s powerful vocals, Niall’s warm voice, or Liam’s versatility, each voice was crucial to the band’s sound.

Today, Harry is undeniably the most commercially successful and widely recognized member, with a solo career that has propelled him to incredible heights. He currently has the highest number of Spotify monthly listeners at around 48.5 million, followed by Zayn at 27.6 million, Niall at 15.1 million, Liam at 11.7 million, and Louis at 3.1 million. While Harry’s success is well-deserved, it’s unfortunate that his achievements sometimes overshadow the others. All of them are incredibly talented and have made their own mark, both as solo artists and as members of One Direction.

It’s okay to have a favourite. But it’s also important to recognise that One Direction wouldn’t have been the global phenomenon it became without each of them—Louis, Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Harry. Each member played an irreplaceable role in creating the songs and experiences we loved.

A lot of the fans were and are girls. The media’s focus on Harry, especially during their time together, did play a part in making him more visible, calling him a womaniser at 16 years old, which is absolutely disgusting and young Harry never deserved that label.

This attention wasn’t always fair to him, and it took attention away from the contributions of the other members.

Additionally, when you listen to a lot of One Direction’s songs, you’ll notice that Harry’s voice often stands out during the choruses. This isn’t because he’s trying to outshine the others—far from it. It’s likely an artistic or production choice made to make the song sound cohesive. The slightly louder presence of Harry’s voice, especially in the chorus, might unconsciously draw people to his vocals. Over time, this likely contributed to his increased popularity and set the stage for his successful solo career.

However, it’s unfortunate that the voices of the other members were sometimes overlooked because of this approach. I have observed that in many of their songs, it was more common to hear Harry, leading to a perception that some voices were “better” than others. Yet each member’s voice had something unique to offer, and every fan could connect to different qualities of their singing. Take, for example, the song No Control from their FOUR (Deluxe) album. In this track, you can clearly hear Louis’ vocals during the chorus, and it makes the song distinct. His voice brings a raw, emotional quality that many fans love. Another clip that has resurfaced is Liam hitting the You and I high note, and doing it well. This shows how much potential the other members had when given the chance to shine.

Unfortunately, One Direction’s management reportedly played a big role in these decisions. There are documented moments where certain members’ microphones were turned down or even turned off. One infamous clip shows Niall’s mic being turned off by management during a live performance, which prevented him from singing certain parts. Myself have noticed that without Niall’s or Louis’ voices, the songs lacked a certain balance and harmony that made the band special. Similarly, there’s a clip of Louis’ microphone cutting out mid-performance, and the song doesn’t sound quite right without his vocal input. These moments highlight the importance of each member’s voice to the overall sound of the band.

In live shows, it’s evident how much each member’s vocals contribute when they sing together. The tech crew and management likely had to adjust microphone levels to highlight certain voices at different times, which is common in the music industry to enhance the overall performance. However, these choices sometimes led to Niall, Louis, Liam and even Zayn being overshadowed by Harry’s vocals. This wasn’t a reflection of anyone’s individual talent; it was simply how management or producers chose to structure the songs.

It’s also worth noting that choosing who sings which part is a normal part of the music production process. In any band, it’s common for certain members to be assigned particular parts that best suit their vocal strengths, just as actors are cast in roles that align with their talents. For One Direction, this often meant that Harry, with his powerful voice and broad appeal, sang prominent parts, while Louis’ unique tone and Niall’s warm vocals added essential layers in other sections. This doesn’t diminish the other members’ contributions; rather, it reflects the decisions made to create a cohesive final product.

In the end, One Direction was a blend of five unique voices and personalities, each member bringing a special touch that made the band unforgettable. They weren’t just background singers for one standout star. Every voice was essential, and the magic of One Direction came from the harmony of their combined talents.

At the end of the day, One Direction was a band, a collective experience that connected us as fans and changed music history. The band’s magic was in its mix of voices, personalities, and the bond between them. And no matter where each member’s path takes them, fans will always remember that One Direction was truly something extraordinary because of all five members together.

PART 2 COMING

[freebooter4ever]

i send my friend suggestions of tourist places to see in his new country (his contract was extended, lucky him!) or messages about friend of friends i have living there that he could maybe meet for fellow americans to talk to, and his response is always that he doesnt have time. and not in that exaggerated way that people do to seem busy. but in that bone tired way i recognize from him here in LA, that i recognize in myself.

[luck-of-the-drawings]

[<==PREV PAGES] [NEXT PAGE==>(not out yet.wait a year.or maybe more.imagine.]

saw alot of comments on prev pages; saying 'i HATE that mean teacher! im gonna FIGHT HIM!!' & i LOVE the energy!! it WOULD be nice. to have that catharsis. but the story of young tidestrider is Not one of catharsis. it is a story of being so small and so special and sucking so bad.

[jadagul]

Okay, that's a different (and more interesting) argument than the one I thought you were making!

On the narrow point, I saw this amazing graph from the FT today:

So if you want to explain an election result specifically in 2024, the baseline answer is "every governing party has lost and that's why this governing party lost".

---

On the broader issue I think there are two things I'd want to say. One is that some people keep wanting a "durable victory for the left". See e.g. Freddie:

I and people like me are so critical of the Democrats in large part because they have proven themselves incapable of producing a durable winning coalition.

And the problem that is, in a functioning democracy, no one ever has a durable winning coalition. Parties will alternate! The left and the right should each be in power about half the time! That's why a healthy center-right party is important to functioning democracy.

But your claim, as I read it, is that the median has moved to the right, so that both the right wing and the left wing have moved right over the past ten years. I think that's true on some issues and not on others; but I first want to point out that it does basically nothing to explain election results. If the complaint is that the people and both parties have moved to the right, that should to a first approximation be neutral to whether the left or right party wins; it just means that either way you get further right-wing policies.

Now, I think over the past ten years, there's been a huge rightward shift on immigration. (In the US, at least, that reversed hard-core during Trump's presidency, but then flipped right back in Biden's; we'll see what happens in the next two years.) There's also been something of a turn against free trade, but I don't know that's a "right-wing" turn; in the US at least that has traditionally had a weird partisan split. (As has immigration, to be fair.)

Conversely, I think there's been a huge leftward swing on queer issues over the past ten years or so. (Speaking primarily about the US but I think this generalizes.) Like remember Obergefell was nine years ago; but gay marriage is pretty established now! Abortion rights are doing poorly in the US right now, but public support for abortion has surged in the past decade.

And I know it doesn't feel like it, but support for trans rights has almost certainly increased a ton in the past ten years. It's just gone from "no one fucking thinks about or supports this" to "controversial but growing"; it was so not-a-thing in 2014 that it's hard to even find polling about it. (I don't have access to this article but it seems relevant.)

(And stuff like health care and welfare just seems more mixed in general. Even within the US, and I have zero ability to generalize that. A big part of Trump's success has been moderating on entitlements!)

But specifically on immigration I think you're right there's been a significant anti-immigrant shift, and that has opened up space for radical right-wing parties and movements in political functioning.

The Conservative Party here in Canada is going to win power in a (possibly historically large) landslide sometime in the next 11 months, Marine Le Pen is the favorite to be the President of France in a couple of years, Italy is governed by a neo-fascist party. It's not just the US, the whole "Western" world has moved sharply to the right, that trend picked up in the mid-late 2010s and then accelerated sharply after 2020.

Why this has happened is a good question, covid and the lockdowns/vaccine/mask mandates/etc clearly pushed a lot of people to the right and the worldwide inflation that followed exacerbated that, but this definitely dates back further and I want to find a way to say "social media" without sounding like a curmudgeon. I do think there's maybe something to the idea that social media has benefited right-wing political movements way more than it has benefited left-wing or liberal ones

[batsplat]

pecco rant please please

*spins wheel on possible topics* absurdly underrated but in a dumb way. you'd think you can stumble your way into two premier class titles. I don't care he's on the best bike - let's be honest, how often this century have the title winners not been on the best bike? 2004 and to a lesser extent 2005 you can say clearly weaker bike, 2007 late 2010s 2021 there's a clear enough disparity with anyone else riding the bike that you can say clearly the rider is making the difference/it's an unrideable wreck one guy is making respectable, then there's a few seasons where it's at least very close whose machinery is best or they're fighting with people on equal equipment, which pecco has done! but generally speaking, good/promising riders end up on good bikes and then they win. that's how the game works!

the thing about 2022 is that it had such a massive mid-season swing that overhauling a ninety something point margin cannot come down to any single factor. is it fair to say fabio lost that title? on balance, it's a bit harsh - yes, there were a few too many errors post-sachsenring, yes, some were driven by desperation, but also you can't really expect anyone to ride a flawless season. but pecco did win that title as much as yamaha lost it. I don't care if you're riding a literal rocketship with two wheels, you can't win four races in a row if you're not extremely good at what you do! if we're saying that title was worth less because the yamaha turned to shit in the second half of the season, then let's keep going. let's put an asterisk next to 2013 because jorge and dani both got injured (let's not even get into the 'if marc hadn't been injured' asterisks because that's where you get into truly silly territory). is 2006 not a legit title because of all the bad luck valentino faced that year? let's say all titles between 2007 to 2015 were worth less because at any one time only 4-6 bikes had a realistic chance of winning races. throw out any title before 2009 because they were constantly fucking about with the tyres and there wasn't a level playing field. if you're motivated enough, you can play this game with basically anything, but it's dumb and pointless because that's not how sports works! you can only win against whoever you're facing. it has always been thus and it will always be thus

it's narratively fun and juicy that pecco has these insecurities himself - but within the context of everyone else doing discourse over it, the whole thing is massively overblown! linked to some of the worst sports discourse about how much people love to disparage late bloomers, because they need every single successful athlete to fit the same mould of the ultra-talented wunderkind, apparently. it's more interesting when it's not always the most 'talented' (whatever tf that means), naturally gifted, *fast the second he touches a bike* bloke who wins. sometimes they have to work hard for it, sometimes they have to improve themselves year on year and be smart about how they do it, sometimes they have to be in the right place and right time, sometimes they have to be very lucky. sports is all about competition, and competition is all about contrast. it's a contrast that can be generated in a whole lot of ways, and in fairness to motogp they have come up with a bunch of interesting narratively tense contests that don't rely on a massive fundamental 'talent' differential - but at the end of the day, that's one of the best ones you can have! the more ways you can have to win in any given sport, the better, both in the literal sense of how you go about the actual process of winning and how you even become a winner. none of this means that pecco isn't very very good, it means he got there in a different way than every other multiple champ this century has. it fundamentally flattens the sport if you want every top-level competitor to be an alien-level talent... one of the best things about this current era is that it has given us something new and exciting in that regard, where you well and truly believe some very different blokes might have what it takes to eventually be champion

anyway, pecco is absurdly adept at digging himself into holes and absurdly adept at digging himself out of them. he's one of the worst frontrunners imaginable in every sense, biologically incapable of dominating without at least a perpetual hint of jeopardy, both in the context of a race and a season. but when his back is against the wall, somehow he keeps finding performances you never imagined he was capable of. his mixed up and slightly odd skillset, his strengths and weaknesses, how he's better and worse than he has any right to be... all of it lends itself to perpetual momentum shifts and thrilling seasons - because you never quite know what you're going to get. love him or hate him, he's a gift to the overall competitive landscape! god knows the racing hasn't been much to write home about these last few years (though, yes, we did have a good little run this season), but somehow he's managed to get himself involved in two out of the six title deciders this century back-to-back. is that not the dream for the viewer, to have a bloke at the top of the sport with a little self-combust chip in his head every time he builds too much of an advantage? build a hundred of those guys! throw a marc marquez at him and see what he does! I can't wait to see what he'll come up with next

[bitchthefuck1]

Rewatching succession it really is wild to see Kendall and Shiv convince themselves over and over again that they can "fix ATN/Waystar from the inside" only to completely abandon their morals the minute it gives them a strategic advantage.

When they're on the outside it's an endless diatribe about how evil and rotten the company is to its core, but the second they get the slightest whiff of power they suddenly decide the problems are actually really manageable and that with the right leadership it could be a force for good, and like...the saddest part is that they genuinely seem to believe that.

[undead-moth]

I've seen a few people mention how the sauce Carmy makes in Apologies is black with white spots, and how in that very scene Sydney is wearing a black bandana with white polka-dots. From what I can tell, most people are interpreting this as an intentional writing choice, which I agree with, but they also seem to be interpreting the sauce as something Carmy did subconsciously.

I saw one person say that Syd is Carmy's "muse" and she's inspiring his cooking without him even realizing it. Another interpretation I saw was that this dish was evidence of Carmy metaphorically not choosing Sydney, since he throws the dish in the trash in the next scene.

While anybody is allowed to interpret the sauce scene however they want, I thought I would point out that it likely wasn't the writer's intentions for us to interpret this as something Carmy did subconsciously, because the point being made in that dish, or at least what we are supposed to understand about that dish, is that the polka-dot sauce is not supposed to be polka-dotted.

That is a broken sauce. The white dots that are popping up and spreading in it aren't supposed to be there. If this sauce had been made properly, it would have been one consistency, and therefore one color. Chefs don't break sauces, and breaking a sauce is something you're specifically meant to avoid. In the universe of this show, Carmy didn't intend for that sauce to break, and that is why he throws it in the trash. Given that it doesn't make sense for him to have broken the sauce on purpose, that means that he also didn't purposefully mimic Syd's bandana.

In fact, the head chef at the NYC restaurant once mocked Carmy for a broken sauce. At the funeral dinner for Ever, Carmy is thinking about the abuse he endured by that chef, and one of the insults he thinks of during a montage of memories from his past is the chef implying that breaking a sauce makes Carmy broken. It's one of the insults haunting him this season.

(Edit: I have been informed that chefs do sometimes intentionally break sauces, and it’s called a split-break. I still personally interpret it as unintentional in the show, but it’s interesting to consider the difference in meaning if it’s not.)

That being said, I don't think this means that Sydney's bandana and the sauce coincidentally match each other. This scene takes place in the penultimate episode, directly before the funeral dinner at Ever where Carmy confronts the NYC head chef, and where Chef Terry gives a speech that, in my opinion, is meant to deliver the message of this season.

Throughout the season, the pressure Carmy has placed on himself has only increased. This has affected his ability to cook well. We see Carmy throw away multiple dishes in different episodes. We can assume he screwed these dishes up, but it's impossible to know since Carmy's standards are so high nothing is good enough for him anyway. But with something like a broken sauce, we know. We know that he's not simply being a perfectionist when he throws the broken sauce away. He's definitely screwed the sauce up.

At this point in the season, Carmy's reached his breaking point. This is represented visually in his broken sauce.

However, they could have used any broken sauce, in any colors, couldn't they? It's not a coincidence that they used a sauce that, when broken, is black and white. I think in part the reason they chose the colors black and white is because of what those colors usually represent - darkness vs lightness, wrong vs right, bad vs good - and Carmy is caught in between. At this point in the season, he's on a path toward something dark - but he can choose the light, and both are waging a war inside of him at this moment, breaking him.

It's also still significant that Syd is wearing the black bandana with white polka-dots. Especially because Chef Tery - the foil to the chef who abused Carmy, the narrative good, right, light, representing the path Carmy should be on and needs to choose in the future - also wears a black bandana with white polka-dots this season.

Together, this all represents what Carmy risks losing if he continues on the same path, and inversely, what he could gain if he chooses the right one. Carmy, the character, is not conscious of any of this, and in the universe of The Bear, none of this means anything - but they do mean something narratively.

Carmy is screwing up, and because of that, he's breaking. He screwed the sauce up, and the sauce broke. The bandanas worn by Chef Tery and Syd represent what he's screwing up, and how that is breaking him. They also represent what he needs to choose in the future to avoid breaking, and to make things right.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Thinking thoughts about Abuela being back and with this backstory about her being taken in by charlatans and Eddies whole catholic guilt thing and how the two things kind of play into one another as an exploration of faith and being taken in by something.

Abuela giving all her money to the tarot card readers etc because she was searching for something - for connection (with Abuelo) - trying to recapture what she had lost, and How Eddie has spoken about trying to re-find the magic he had with Shannon - how Eddie hasn't actually fully reconciled the Shannon of it all when it comes to relationships and how his Catholic guilt connects into that.

How Marisol as a physical representation of Catholicism is part of that narrative - how Eddie is entering a place where he has to chose his path - in order to move on from Shannon he needs to fully square the hole - catholic or non catholic. And how that needs to happen first - before he can begin his queer journey!

[rexcaliburechoes]

does anyone else find it fucked up that moon's friends protect themselves from her with the skyfire at the end of moon rising?

[pochapal]

"the endgame had never been finished" meaning......kinzo died before he could put this plan of his into motion?

[itspileofgoodthings]

tags continued from prev post.

[goldlightsaber]

Yeah one of the biggest tragedies of Shiv Roy is she was more like Logan than any of them but because she’s a woman, she was not primed or considered for the CEO job until it was too late; she had already tried to pursue other paths and therefore was set up for failure because she had no time to establish experience, which Kendall, Logan, and every man (but especially Kendall) used as an excuse to shut her out over and over over. In this essay I will