#it better get renewed for all five seasons

[zipadeea]

Like, obviously The Sea of Monsters is going to be great on screen. Obviously. Grover in a wedding dress, Percy as a guinea pig, Clarisse character growth, the chariot races, Annabeth facing the sirens, we've got a full-on Odyssey and it's fantastic. I don't want to wish away all the good things coming! Season 2 is going to be so much fun.

But. BUT. Season 3, man. The Titan's Curse. Thalia. Zoe Nightshade. THE DI ANGELOS. Holy shit, season 3 is going to be excellent.

[tippenstoepens]

Prettiest Girl in the Room

part 1 - part 2 - part 3

Wordcount: 1.2k

You couldn’t hold it against Joe. As an adult woman, you knew better by now. Kisses don’t come with strings attached and just because a person kisses you, doesn’t mean they want to spend the rest of their life with you - especially if that kiss happened while both parties were drunk.

Which Joe made pretty apparent when he didn’t call you the morning after your kiss. Or the three mornings after that. Or the three months after that. All you had heard from Joe was his reaction notifications from the cast group chat when someone would send a Twitter meme made of the show. Everyone fancied one of Jackson’s character screaming “Well, you can shove your ham up your ass!” 

“Joekeery loved an image”

That’s all you got. 

You went about your life the way you always did between gigs: waitressing during the week, babysitting your friends’ kids on weekends, and sending out the odd self-tape in hopes your career wasn’t over before it had even begun. It was a nice, simple life. Not every actor was fortunate enough to afford a roof over their head in New York City, no matter how many doubles they worked. You consider yourself spoiled rotten every day. What could possibly be missing?

You didn’t date. That was probably part of the problem. That’s what made Joe’s silence ache so deeply. You wondered if it would change anything if he knew that the most action you had gotten in months before the kiss was getting catcalled in the streets. A simple kiss meant the world to celibate, touch starved women like you.

Maybe you should be the one to call him… And maybe you should crawl on your knees begging him to pay you a modicum of attention with “DESPERATE” written on your forehead in red Sharpie just to put the icing on the idiot cake. 

He popped into your mind way more often than he was welcome. At the grocery store when one of the songs he always played in the makeup trailer started harassing you over the intercom. In your kitchen when you removed fish bones from your salmon. In bed when you were trying to… Well, that’s no one’s business. 

“Guess who has two thumbs and just got renewed for a second season,” the director bubbled in the group chat.

“Oh, I love this game,” David texted. “This show. Our show got greenlit.”

It was time to shake it off. Not just for the sake of the show, but for your own sake. It wasn’t healthy to dwell so much on the past. 

On the first day back from hiatus, the producers and director had the cast sit for a table read of the first few scripts they had written. As Joe’s TV wife, you’d expect to be sitting next to him considering most of your scenes were together. Maybe you should talk to Joe and clear the air before the table read started. Yes. That’s the mature thing to do.

You arrived twenty-five minutes early - which is on-the-dot on time in the acting world. Joe wasn’t there when you arrived. Or ten minutes after you did. Or five minutes after that.The anticipation of Joe’s arrival was turning your stomach into knots. He was usually punctual. Surely, he wasn’t tardy because of you.

“Any word from Joe?” The director mumbled to his assistant. 

“Haven’t heard from him,” they replied.

You began to worry. Was he skipping out on the table read because he didn’t want to see you? Had his avoidance of you gone that far? He’d have to get over it eventually. He had a contract to fulfill. Just as you began your descent into a catastrophizing spiral, the clock struck eleven and Joe jogged into the room - beads of sweat forming at his hairline. “So sorry,” he panted. “Traffic was terrible.”

“It’s okay, we wouldn’t get started without our golden boy,” David teased. “I hear he’s up for sexiest man alive this year.”

Joe blew a short raspberry in response.

“Alright, alright, let’s get right into it, shall we? From the top of episode one.” The director chirped, no doubt relieved that he didn’t have to read Joe’s lines for him. “Interior. The Henderson bedroom. John and Jane Henderson lie in bed, covered only by their silk bed sheets. They’re snuggled up together. Post-coitus is implied.”

Say sike right now. You had never done a scene like this with Joe before. Never! The Henderson’s didn’t even have a scene like this in their honeymoon episode.

Of course this would be the first scene on the first day back after your first time seeing Joe after your first kiss. It was fan service. Every girl, guy, and person wanted to see more of Joe’s skin these days. But why did you have to be dragged into it?

You turned to look Joe in the eyes as you would have at any other table reading. Normal. This is normal. Business as usual. But it didn’t feel as easy as it was before. At first, you struggled to make eye contact and when you finally did, the intensity of his gaze made you blush a bit. Only a bit. The show must go on.

“That was amazing, sweetheart,” he scooped the line off the page and met your gaze again. 

God, the script writing was really going downhill this season, huh?

You sighed contently as the script dictated. “You’re tellin’ me!”

The whole cast chuckled.

The rest of the table read went on without a single hitch. After the ice was broken, things weren’t nearly as awkward as you dreaded they would be. The cast went through the entire table read five times before the lunch break. The first thing you did with your free time was approach Joe.

“You didn’t call.”

“Neither did you."

Fair, but not really because Joe was the one with a booming career and Joe was the one everyone tuned in to the show for and Joe was the one with most of the power in this dynamic and Joe was the one who initiated the kiss and infinitely many other reasons that he was to blame came to mind before you finally came to the conclusion that you didn’t call Joe because you were afraid of the possibility of rejection. What if you followed up only to find out that he wasn’t interested in you? Your low-self esteem convinced you that reaching out to a person like Joe was asking for embarrassment.

“So what now?” The rough exterior melted, revealing the vulnerable little girl inside that just wanted a boy to like her back.

“Well, that’s up to you,” he shrugged.

Not necessarily the answer you wanted. You just stared him down until he said more things.

“If it was just a drunken kiss, I understand. We’ll never speak of it again. We’ll keep things professional.”

“And if it wasn’t?” You murmured while making sure to avoid eye contact lest you be made a fool of for saying that.

“If it wasn’t… I’d like you to have dinner with me," he blushed. "Some time. If you… I dunno if you have free time- Well, of course you have free time, but I meant- If you want to have dinner,” he stammered and stuttered.

“I’d love to.”

Joe sighed in relief. “Great. Do you like Italian?” He smiled a bashful, closed lipped smile and it made the corners of his big, brown eyes crinkle.

“I love Italian.”

“I know a spot in the lower east side near Ludlow. Friday at eight? I’ll pick you up if you like.” God, his eyes.

The submissive in you wished he would stop worrying about what you like and make you do what he liked. The romantic in you found his sheepishness so charming.

“I’d like that,” you beamed.

Taglist: @thefrontofmymind, @bejeweled13swiftie

[bloop-bl00p]

Rewriting Sir Pentious justice for the snake boie

Doesn’t anyone find it weird how we’re gonna have the backstory of everyone in later seasons?

Not only do they hardly follow the redemption aspects but they also give us little to nothing about the characters. I can buy that Heaven is corrupt and/or unfair but rather than having Adam throwing curse words and profanities every five seconds, why not show it in elements of the main cast backstory?

Reveal that they were essentially in unjust situations where they had no other choice but sins to survive, the type of stories that’ll make the audience think “Is Heaven fair in its judgment?” then you have the reveal that the system is corrupted. It feels like common sense to me.

Anyway, Sir Pentious wasn’t that much of an asshole in my rewrite, we understand why he acted the way he did but he still fucked up.

Madhav Karmakar was born in 1858. He was an Indian migrant in England who wanted to follow a partnership in engineering. Studying hard and else he worked ten times harder than the other students due to prejudice regarding his origin.

He made his way into a prestigious university and went out with his diploma ready to show off his skill but generally still faced racial discrimination. Throughout his life, Madhav had to do everything in his power to completely suppress anything that tied him to his country, fully adopting British mannerisms and culture, suppressing his accent, and else. At 17, he became an apprentice and started studying Mechanical Engineering, ending officially his studies at 24.

His hardship allowed him to work alongside others to develop steam machines and various ways of transportation. Despite having clearly mastered, and even ameliorated his domain, Madhav still had fewer opportunities compared to his colleagues and was paid less than the other regardless of the amount of work he put in.

What was first jealousy due to the unfairness of his situation quickly became Envy directed at his white counterparts. He started slowly destroying the reputation of his associates mostly by secretly sabotaging their work in various manners, introducing faulty designs, tampering with documentation, sabotaging equipment and tools, and anything really just to make himself feel better.

It lasted for years until one of his sabotages cost him his life. In 1888 at 30 years old, he caused one structure to collapse and the debris fell on him breaking his legs, he died screaming for help under the remains and suffocated because of the dust.

A few years following his arrival in Hell, he used his ingenuity to create steampunk-style machines in order to conquer territory. Problems, most of the lands were already owned by powerful Overlords. Madhav overestimated his inventions a lot so he got his nonexistent ass beaten all the time. He even gained the nickname Sir Pretentious though he still tries and insists on being called by his real surname (nobody does.)

The dude persisted, gaining the reputation of the village fool. Surprisingly for everyone he finally managed to get his hand on a very small portion of a territory… only for it to be snatched away by a punk rookie a week later. It would be easy for any Overlord to step up but they have their own business to take care of and some find it funny to see those two quarrel all the time.

Bit of a fun fact:

→ If I had to redesign him, he’d be fit with a large figure, we’re talking of the man who built this alone…

.. I doubt the egg boys can lift things too heavy considering they are fragile. So yeah, Madhav isn’t a twink.

→ The egg boys aren’t literal eggs just small mechanical robots he built to be his minions, if they were to break they’ll be gears everywhere but he could still rebuild them later. He wishes he could make them a bit smarter.

→ Snakes are very often associated with lies and manipulation and everything related to it. That’s what Madhav has been as a human, an envious liar. But, snakes can also symbolize renewal and rebirth in other cultures, and since he’s gonna be the first redeemed it kinda fits. I don’t know if Viv knew this but shout out to her if she did.

→ Keeping the romance with Cherry, I can appreciate a really good Enemy to Lover but the way it was framed feels like Cherry only got interested when she learned he had two dick, which feels icky and disingenuous.

So, I thought of slowly making their relationship more of a “Are they fighting or flirting” type of thing. That and having Cherry make comments between their fight like “You’re getting better at this!” which flatters Madhav because he never really had recognition for his fighting skills or invention.

He’s still a bit stuck in the old-timey way of courtship, and considering those things could last 3 to 4 years, with him you can expect the slowest slow burn possible. Anyway, he still respects lots of British traditions, being a regular correspondent and sending letters and gifts. I can see him asking to go on a walk or organize Rendez-vous to learn more about Bomb when his rivalry gets more friendly.

→ His obsession with fighting Alastor comes from the fact that he didn't manage to get up the stairs as quickly as the deer did. So he’s envious and seeks to beat Alastor in a battle to prove he’s the superior one, but he loses every time. His last chance is to side with the Vees, but Vox doesn't even bat an eye when he is near. So just imagine how ecstatic he was when Vox proposed to him to be a spy. While the first weeks were fine, he found himself getting attached to the staff more and more. It was a genuine environment where few people actually recognized him as the brilliant engineer he was (I thought he could actually help with the hotel construction since the building is old and all) and they actually called him by his name.

Not siding with Vox will be the first step to his redemption, renouncing to act of his envious feelings and focusing on what he already had rather than seeking to destroy those above him.

→ His lisp gets worse when he’s lying, he obliviously maintains a whole evil British persona in his quest for respect so as he slowly starts to get genius he’ll slowly start to speak with more ease.

→ Regarding how he’ll appear once in Heaven, he’ll be a human. I find it strange that you don't get to get your human appearance once saved. Viv said it herself, the reason why sinners look like that is because their appearance is in correlation with their sins, life, and the ways they die. It’s a way to mock them.

If this dude or girl gets redeemed, they’ll stay on a couch and that’s just sad, imagine you die go to Hell redeem yourself and you're still a furniture. Anyway, Madhav will get his human form back but with hints of his demonic form.

Kinda like Lovesart23 you should go see her videos and rewrite.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from RMI:

1. Batteries Become Everybody’s Best Friend

Battery prices continue to drop and their capacity continues to rise. The cost of electric vehicle (EV) batteries are now about 60 percent what they were just five years ago. And around the world, batteries have become key components in solar-plus-storage microgrids, giving people access to reliable power and saving the day for communities this past hurricane season.

2. Americans Get Cheaper (and Cleaner) Energy

State public utility commissions and rural electric co-operatives around the country are taking steps to deliver better service for their customers that also lowers their rates. At the same time, real momentum is building to prevent vertically integrated utilities from preferencing their coal assets when there are cleaner and cheaper alternatives available.

3. A Sustainable Shipping Future Gets Closer

More than 50 leaders across the marine shipping value chain — from e-fuel producers to vessel and cargo owners, to ports and equipment manufacturers — signed a Call to Action at the UN climate change conference (COP29) to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission fuels. The joint statement calls for faster and bolder action to increase the use of zero and near-zero emissions fuel, investment in zero-emissions vessels, and global development of green hydrogen infrastructure, leaving no country behind.

4. Corporations Fly Cleaner

In April, 20 corporations, including Netflix, JPMorgan Chase, Autodesk, and more, committed to purchase about 50 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), avoiding 500,000 tons of CO2 emissions — equivalent to the emissions of 3,000 fully loaded passenger flights from New York City to London. SAF is made with renewable or waste feedstocks and can be used in today’s aircraft without investments to upgrade existing fleets and infrastructure.

5. More and More Places Go From Coal to Clean

Around the world, coal-fired power plants are closing down as communities switch to clean energy. From Chile to the Philippines to Minnesota coal-to-clean projects are creating new jobs, improving local economic development, and generating clean electricity. In September, Britain became the first G7 nation to stop generating electricity from coal — it’s turning its last coal-fired power plant into a low-carbon energy hub. And in Indonesia, the president vowed to retire all coal plants within 15 years and install 75 gigawatts of renewable energy.

6. Methane Becomes More Visible, and Easier to Mitigate

Methane — a super-potent greenhouse gas — got much easier to track thanks to the launch of new methane tracking satellites over the past year. In March, the Environmental Defense Fund launched MethaneSAT, the first for a non-governmental organization, and the Carbon Mapper Coalition soon followed with the launch of Tanager-1. By scanning the planet many times each day and identifying major methane leaks from orbit, these new satellites will put pressure on big emitters to clean up.

7. EVs Speed By Historic Milestones

This past year was the first time any country had more fully electric cars than gas-powered cars on the roads. It’s no surprise that this happened in Norway where electric cars now make up more than 90 percent of new vehicle sales. And in October, the United States hit a milestone, with over 200,000 electric vehicle charging ports installed nationwide.

8. Consumers Continue to Shift to Energy-Efficient Heat Pumps for Heating and Cooling

Heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces consistently since 2021. And while shipments of heating and cooling equipment fell worldwide in 2023, likely due to broad economic headwinds, heat pumps held on to their market share through. And over the past 12 months, heat pumps outsold conventional furnaces by 27 percent. Shipments are expected to continue increasing as states roll out home efficiency and appliance rebate programs already funded by the Inflation Reduction Act – worth up to $10,000 per household in new incentives for heat pump installations. Link: Tracking the Heat Pump & Water Heater Market in the United States – RMI

9. China Reaches Its Renewable Energy Goal, Six Years Early

China added so much renewable energy capacity this year, that by July it had surpassed its goal of having 1,200 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy installed by 2030. Through September 2024, China installed some 161 GW of new solar capacity and 39 GW of new wind power, according to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA). China is deploying more solar, wind, and EVs than any other country, including the United States, which is — by comparison — projected to deploy a record 50 GW of solar modules by the end of 2024.

10. De-carbonizing Heavy Industry

For steel, cement, chemicals and other heavy industries, low-carbon technologies and climate-friendly solutions are not only increasingly available but growing more affordable. To speed this process, Third Derivative, RMI’s climate tech accelerator, launched the Industrial Innovation Cohorts to accelerate the decarbonization of steel, cement, and chemicals. Also on the rise: clean hydrogen hubs — powered by renewable energy — designed to supply green hydrogen to chemical, steel, and other heavy industries to help them shift to low-carbon production processes.

[corduroykoala]

I've been rewatching Frieren and was struck by just how effectively it uses montage to tell its story.

The passage of time is a huge part of the story, so montage is an obvious tool to employ, but Frieren uses it for more than just skipping to more interesting parts. Yes, that is often the goal, but it is also done in a way to demonstrate that time is passing. The montage in the first episode stands out—seeing a young shopkeeper appear much older just a few scenes later—as does the one used while the party waits in the Cabin with Kraft—Fern and Kraft are initially the only ones who pray at meals, but then Stark joins and, eventually, Frieren does as well.

My favorite montage, however, manages to convey not just the passage of time, but Frieren's perception of it. Relevant clip and discussion of it below the cut.

Throughout the series, we're also frequently told how much time has passed since Himmel's death, which serves to accentuate the passage of time as the characters—particularly Fern and Stark—get older. Fern is twice as old at the end of the season as she is at the beginning. The viewer can understand and relate to her experience of time.

In contrast, Frieren explains in the first episode that the ten-year journey with the Hero's party was short to her as an elf, not even one-one-hundredth of her life. On her journeys, we're constantly reminded of how short months and years seem to her, though it's generally played off in a light-hearted manner, juxtaposed against Fern's desire to continue their journey and not linger in one place for very long. To the viewer, this may make sense logically, but it is difficult to fully comprehend as a human. It's a lot like trying to understand the difference between one thousand and one million.

Episode 10 plays out largely in flashback, detailing Frieren's relationship with her master. After a fifty-year jump in time, Frieren is told to live in obscurity until the time comes when she can kill the demon king. Cue montage.

We see Frieren do as she was told, living a (mostly) quiet life as time passes. We see a small community grow into a village, a town, a walled city. We see a thousand years pass in about a minute of screentime. End montage.

We then see Himmel and his party approach Frieren to recruit her. It's a fairly standard Himmel flashback, demonstrating his uncanny insight and calling back to Frieren's meeting with Flamme. Then, the music falls out and—

Before you can even say the word montage, it's over. Five frames in rapid succession. The entire journey—ten years—in a single heartbeat. Painfully short, barely enough time to even understand what you just saw. One second in a video 100 seconds long.

This quick sequence captures just what that journey was like for Frieren. Of course she didn't get to know Himmel better. How could she have been expected to? It was barely any time at all, just one one-hundredth of her life.

This is my favorite montage in Frieren. It made my breath catch in my lungs the first time I watched it, and it did the exact same on rewatch. I love this show and I am incredibly happy it was renewed for a second season.

[black-arcana]

EPICA Collaborates With Dutch Amusement Park Efteling On New Single 'The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)'

Dutch symphonic metal titans EPICA have unleashed their eeriest creation yet, the spine-chilling music video for "The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)" , a haunting track that lures listeners into a world where shadows dance and the afterlife whispers. This song is a unique collaboration with Europe's second-most visited theme park, Netherlands's magical De Efteling, and their much-anticipated new attraction, Danse Macabre.

Drenched in ghostly imagery, the video mirrors the unsettling thrill of De Efteling's new ride, which opens its gates on October 31, right in time for this Halloween season. Ever since their childhood, every member of EPICA has loved this theme park that welcomes over five million visitors per year. Therefore, this collaboration was a true match made in the otherworld.

Submerge yourself now in the music video which was filmed right inside and in front of the new attraction — and as if this wasn't already exciting enough, the band even received their very own "EPICA gravestone" that you can spot, if you look closely.

EPICA's keyboard player Coen Janssen comments: "Every kid in the Netherlands knows how magical De Efteling is, and working this closely with the most beautiful theme park in the world surely is a dream come true!

"As a young boy, I immediately got captivated by the 'Danse Macabre' by Saint-Saëns as a soundtrack for their haunted house 'Spookslot'. So when De Efteling announced their new plans for the ghostly attraction 'Danse Macabre', all pieces of the puzzle fell into place immediately: Why not combine our symphonic side with the 'scary' side of metal and do our version of this epic classical piece?!?

"We are so happy that De Efteling trusted our vision and gave their full support, providing us with the new ride's storyline, so we could write lyrics fitting the fantastic narrative and even adding a new chapter!"

"The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)" lures fans into a darkly enchanting dance with the dead in the YouTube video below and will also appear on all streaming platforms soon, when more of EPICA's next chapter will be unveiled.

The song has already made its live debut at the band's monumental "Symphonic Synergy" shows in Amsterdam this September, and fans in Mexico City will have the chance to be the next to hear it live at two shows in December that EPICA will perform exclusively with a full orchestra and choir.

In a recent interview with Spain's Mariskal Rock, EPICA singer Simone Simons spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2021's "Omega" album. She said: "I think that there should be a single by the end of the summer-ish. That's that's our plan. And the album should be released [in] 2025.

"I just wrote with Mark [Jansen, guitar] and Rob [Van Der Loo, bass] also yesterday that I'm so happy with the songs, I'm so proud how everything turned out and it's gonna be another amazing EPICA album.

"We added a couple of new elements, but also went back to the roots, the old EPICA," she continued. "And yeah, I just can't wait for people to hear this.

"I loved 'Omega' and we toured so much with 'Omega' and had wonderful experiences, but then when you reach the end of a touring cycle, you start to get itchy and feel, 'Okay, now it's time to do the new album. Can we do it as good or maybe even better than the last album?' That's always the thing we strive for, ways to renew ourselves a little bit. And we feel a very strong spiritual connection also that it's our ninth album. So there's gonna be themes around the symbolic meaning of nine, the number nine."

Elaborating on the musical direction of EPICA's next album, Simone said: "The songs are heavy. There's a beautiful ballad, a very cinematic song, very uptempo, very doomy, melancholic and amazing, amazing power riffs. It's the most epic EPICA, I think, so far. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm feeling it. I'm very happy with it. I'm proud of it. And they are going to start recording the orchestra now next week. They're flying to Prague; that's where we record the orchestra. And I will be recording my final vocals as well."

In November 2022, EPICA released "The Alchemy Project" through Atomic Fire Records. The EP was co-written and performed with diverse guests ranging from extremists like FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, Niilo Sevänen (INSOMNIUM) and Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) along with melodic masters like Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT),keyboard legend Phil Lanzon (URIAH HEEP) and Roel Van Helden (POWERWOLF) to a once-in-a-lifetime song with Simons, Charlotte Wessels and Myrkur.

Just one day after the release of its anniversary reissues "We Still Take You With Us" and "Live At Paradiso", EPICA celebrated 20 years of existence live in September 2022 at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands, the same place where they played their first show (supporting ANATHEMA) back in 2002.

EPICA was formed by Jansen after leaving AFTER FOREVER in 2002, and the band quickly gained attention outside their home country, taking big steps towards becoming the leading symphonic metal superpower they have long proven to be. After their ambitious debut "The Phantom Agony" (2002) and the surprisingly eclectic sophomore work "Consign To Oblivion" (2005),the road took them to new heights via their first concept masterpiece "The Divine Conspiracy" (2007) and their global breakthrough "Design Your Universe" (2009). 2012's opus "Requiem For The Indifferent", 2014's bedazzling "The Quantum Enigma" and "The Holographic Principle" (2016),cemented their reputation as not only one of the hardest-working metal bands in the business but also as one of the best. With "Omega", the final part of the metaphysical trilogy they began with "The Quantum Enigma", they reclaimed the throne without so much as the blink of an eye, amassing three million-plus streams during the first week of the album's release.

[certifiedbi]

DR was never gonna get Checo’s seat at RB, despite whatever dots the DR3 girlies were conjuring 😭 I do think that the way this went about was wrong, and he deserved a much better goodbye then what he got but lets be honest - this was a long time coming. The deal was to outperform Yuki consistently, he didnt. End of story. Redbull has actually done so much worse to other drivers - and they’ve actually given DR so many chances to prove himself.

In all honesty? He didnt deserve to step in and replace Nyck mid-season last year, and they definitely should not have renewed him for this season either.

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!

And you've also got to remember how many times redbull have sidelined Lawson despite how talented he is. Including when they resigned DR after Lawson's stellar five race stint.

DR pissed away every good career opportunity he had, ran out of talent, and washed up. But his PR brainwashing has worked on the masses.

And I totally agree that redbull went about it the wrong way, but that's not Liam's fault and yet he's the one getting half the blame.

[foxufortunes]

Some random tips and trivia for anyone wanting to take a slightly more realistic look at exy and sport in their fanfics:

Long jogs are not good for sports like exy. The best you can say is they're good cardio, but most exercise they should be doing anyway is good cardio. To oversimplify: long term energy and fast action energy have different power supplies and training one doesn't really help the other. There's a reason sprinters and marathon runners are not the same people. Exy is a sport of fast bursts and in some cases long jogs can actually be detrimental to your ability to play these sports.

Dear lord, warm up and cool down. I know most of us just assume this is in there and glossed over, but if you're going into details, warm up and cool down and wear warm jackets after. Especially cool down. I know Kevin and Neil have already fucked their bodies but don't make it worse. Also, rest days. You body needs time to recover. Kevin and Jean will be lucky if they recover enough not to have any career after college given how much Tetsuji has fucked the Ravens with his training. Thea is probably in agony the entire time and she doesn't have long left playing.

Goalie's lead the defence line. If you want to throw around a defence captain type plot, it's your goalies, it's always goalies. Because they have the best view of the entire court. You dealer should control the entire team's plays, as the person who should be going from defence to offence and back (assuming they work similarly to other sports with a similar position) but the defence is always run by the goalie, and your goalies are usually really fucking loud about it.

Your division/class is actually nothing to do with your team's skill, but your school's sports program and budget. The Foxes are not a Class I team, Palmetto is a D1 school. To get this status, your school has to have a certain level of sports program, featuring a certain number of sports, sports for women, upcoming/rarer sports and certain required sports. While EAU blatantly ignores all of this as presented in canon (they seem to be D3 status, maybe D2 at best) who got their status through bribery and corruption and their coach, Palmetto, as presented in canon, clearly meets D1 school status. Your school's division also affects what kinds of scholarships they offer. Typically, only D1 schools offer full ride sports scholarships. It's most likely Palmetto was looking to fund an exy team and Wymack went to them because they're a D1 school, or they approached Wymack, unlike the Ravens who clearly don't understand how this works.

On the topic of Wymack: the ERC couldn't have had anything to do with Andrew's miracle in October. We'll get to this but the ERC is just not that powerful, and, see above point, they have nothing to do with Palmetto's status. Now, Nora actually gives us a far more likely and better reason in the EC, that she then overcomplicated in canon trying to make the ERC more powerful for no reason, especially given Kevin wasn't even with the Foxes at the time. In the scene where we see Wymack recruiting the cousins, Andrew brings up the idea that Wymack's initial four year will be on it's last year that year and he needs results or the school will decline renewing his contract and rebuild the exy program from scratch under a new coach. This is far more likely a reason for him to need Andrew's miracle. It's his final year of his contract, the school wants results, and if they drop out now with so few games won, he's done for. And given how many NCAA rules he and Abby help the Foxes break, it won't be long before the rest of the Foxes lose their scholarships too.

Four years might seem like an odd amount of time for an initial contract, and it sorta is, but one thing mentioned in TSC that's never brought up in the original trilogy is redshirting. Basically, for all you have a five year contract, you can only play four seasons. One season, you get to practice, but not play games, this is called red shirting, and in my experience and what I've heard from others, it's typically the freshman, for obvious reason, but this does bring up issues for Wymack's team design, and means Neil will have to take a year off eventually. And don't even think about how this affects the Ravens.

Speaking of Ravens, this is honestly one of the most basic NCAA rules: you cannot play professionally and play NCAA. Kevin and Riko literally cannot be playing for professional teams and be playing for the Ravens, the NCAA would boot them instantly. And, up until very recently, you also cannot be paid for your photoshoots, or using your likeness or sponsorships. To play NCAA, during the period AFTG is set, you cannot make any money as a player. Now, there's an argument that Tetsuji could probably make that Kevin and Riko didn't make money as players, but as celebrities in their own rights, but that's a very grey area. But, no, they weren't getting paid for photoshoots or interviews or sponsorships or anything like that. The only exceptions are tournament winnings, and there is a very strict cap on that, and stipends which there was a lot of debate over whether that counted as payment or not. They cannot be paid for anything related to exy because the second the NCAA makes an exception for exy, every other sport wants it too, and I'm sure some of them are mafia backed too. Mafia bribery doesn't fix everything, and if your trying to write your mafia as not a bunch of idiots, they'll know where to stop.

And then the ERC. They're just not that powerful, y'all. I get that Nora wanted to make them seem powerful, but given how Riko does most of the shit not Tetsuji, even that's pointless. So, for a start, the ERC needs specific scope. It's cool to call it the Exy Rules and Regulations Committee, but for what? Sports tend to have an overall ruling body, but they don't actually control everything. They control things like national tournaments and teams. Then you have the country's body, that controls things like the leagues, and they often have different rules that take time to catch up to each other. Different leagues within the same country can have slightly different rules. And often the NCAA also has its own rules. (To use volleyball, because that does have wildly different rules, in the NCAA liberos can serve in certain conditions, and that's about the only place in the world this rule exists). Basically, they only have control if you're competing in their tournament or affiliated. For the ERC to have such control over the Foxes, they're likely an NCAA committee, this means the ERC only has power over rule and regulations of Class I exy (oh yes, each division has their own committee), meaning they control things like gear regulations, rules on bench size, foul rules ect. Not which class the Foxes are in, not if Andrew's allowed to play with them, nothing like that. It's strictly the rules of the game. And they are the bottom of the power chart. Above them you have things like the division committee, the student athlete's committee and so many others. The ERC actually has very little power because the NCAA is a massive, slow moving, complicated bureaucracy. Even if they could drop the Foxes a division or get rid of Andrew, it would take years.

[hailtothepumpkinqueen]

Conversations at the Saloon Part 2 🍕🍺

(Part 1 here. Farmer and Shane talk after a rough interaction the day before. The dummies are bad at feelings and even worse at realizing what's brewing between them lol my farmer's last name is Miller and "my" Shane's last name is Cooper because I think it's funny, and so do they.)

"I'm doomed..." Clint sighed, almost certainly looking as crestfallen as she felt.

"Yeah...me, too..." She said softly, pushing off the table to get up from her seat. "Welp. This has been fun, but I'm gonna order my own food and head out. Good luck, Clint."

She didn't wait for a response, walking up to the bar(away from Shane) and plopping herself down on a stool. Waiting for Emily or Gus to notice her and looking anywhere but where Shane was sitting.

"Hey, Kitty Kat~" Emily chirped, bubbly as always. "What can I get you?"

"Hey, Em. Just a Joja Cola and something warm to eat. To go, please." Tapping her fingers anxiously on the wooden surface of the bar as she spoke. Not wanting to be here any longer than she had to be.

"Aww, c'mon. Stay awhile!" Emily pleaded, making puppy dog eyes and jutting her lip out in a mock pout. "I wanna hear what's going on on your farm! Or in the mines! I saw you talking to Clint earlier, so I assume it was mining related."

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I guess he could tell I'd been spelunking 'cause he was trying to sell me on a few upgrades for my stuff." She chuckled in what she hoped was a natural sounding way, giving a little shrug and resting her elbows on the counter. She'd rather eat raw bug meat than tell Emily that Clint had asked for dating advice. "Nothing exciting today, unfortunately. Just a lot of dirt and rocks. And exhaustion. I'm so tired, Em. I'm not used to this kind of manual labor. Buh."

She put her head down on the bar and exhaled dramatically, hearing a giggle from Emily...and possibly a snort from Shane. Or Gus. She couldn't tell with her head down, but some silly part of her hoped it was Shane. Why? Why did she want that? Maybe she was concussed..

"You're from the city, right?" Emily asked, setting a cola on the counter with a soft chuckle when she sat up straight again. "What made you want to give farming a try if it's so outside your wheelhouse?"

"Got tired of my old job. Needed fresh air and a fresh start, y'know?" She replied with a practiced nonchalance, feeling Shane's eyes on her practically boring a hole into the side of her head even from a distance. Because that was very much not the reason she had told him when they talked two nights ago. She pretended not to notice and took a sip of her cola, grateful for the cold drink on her dry throat. "And no better time to start over than Spring, right?"

"Exactly! Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal, the beginning of a cycle. Oooh, I love the idea of your new life growing right beside all the little saplings waking up from a long winter's sleep." Emily clapped her hands in joy, practically bouncing in place at the thought of it. "What were you doing before this?"

"Data entry clerk for Joja Co." She grimaced and took a swing of her soda like that would wash the bitter taste of her old job out of her mouth.

"So you were a desk monkey?" Shane's voice suddenly piped up, startling her. He had somehow sat a lot closer without her realizing and was actively listening to the conversation. He was also clearly intoxicated the way his words slurred. "Sittin' in a cramped little cubicle all day and starin' at a screen til you go cross-eyed?"

"Basically." She shrugged, glancing at him to gauge his mood. He seemed relaxed, most likely due to the alcohol, and he had been the one go approach her, so maybe this would be okay. "Doing five other people's work for no extra pay, next to no free time, getting micromanaged to hell and back by dickheads who make way more money doing fuck all. Getting written up for yawning one too many times when I 'could have been working'. You know, typical stuff."

"Yoba, if that doesn't sound familiar." He grumbled, polishing off his beer and setting the heavy glass down. "They must grow Joja managers in a lab and ship 'em out to all their branches."

She snorted softly and felt herself smile, taking another swig of her own drink. "Needless to say, I did not, uh, Thrive™ during my time at Joja. Heh."

"Seeing the JojaMart must have been quite a shock, then, if you were trying to escape the corporation. " Emily said, refilling Shane's glass without looking like it was second nature. Startling when a little timer went off in her apron. "Oop. I'll be right back, Clint's food should be ready by now. Don't tell any fun stories without me~." Practically dancing away and leaving her alone with Shane. Who was still staring at her intently.

"...You avoidin' me?" He asked after a moment, his voice softer than before. Almost sounding hurt. "Said 'hi' to Clint and Em, but not me."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Bitterness seeping into her own tone, hands gripping her drink a little tighter.

"When has that stopped you before? You seem pretty persistent in bein' friends regardless of what I say."

"I don't like being yelled at, Shane..." she admitted quietly, shrinking into herself a little. "And what was it you said? You'd give me a pot of gold to leave you alone? Felt a little more serious than just being 'too busy' to talk."

He grimaced and looked into his beer, tracing the rim of it with his finger.

"Didn't...didn't mean that. Not at you specifically anyway. M'just an asshole and you got the brunt of a bad mood. Wasn't personal, I swear."

She gave a small hum in response, wanting to believe him but still not entirely convinced he wasn't just messing with her.

"...Were you tellin' me the truth before? About why you came here? Or was the story you told Emily the right one and you were jus' humorin' me?" He leaned closer to her, his voice dropping even lower like they were sharing secrets. His face so serious and disappointed by the idea that she had lied to him it pulled at her heartstrings.

"Everything I said at the lake was the truth, I promise. I just...didn't think Emily would understand. Not like you do.." Again, she allowed herself a vulnerable moment with him. Hoping this wasn't some ploy to later throw her anxieties back in her face.

His expression brightened and now he looked relieved, seemingly satisfied with that answer.

"Your secret's safe with me. Us Joja wage slaves gotta stick together, huh?" He very gently punched her shoulder and winked, taking a drink from his beer with a smile. Still sitting very close to her despite having the whole Saloon to occupy if he wanted space. But she wasn't exactly leaning away either.

"Look at you two getting along~" Emily's cheerful voice cut through whatever the moment between them was, and she found herself sitting up straighter like a teacher had just caught her dozing off. Hands folded neatly in front of her and all. Only now remembering how hungry she was when the blue haired barmaid placed a personal pizza on the counter in front of her. "Thank Yoba. I don't I could bear another night of Shane worrying about hurting your feelings, Kitty Kat."

Shane spluttered and choked on his drink, looking between the women with wide eyed mortification. Practically trying to disappear in his hoodie when they laughed. And, if she didn't know any better, she'd swear he was blushing. But that could just be from the booze.

"That's not--I was not...I didn't.." He floundered a moment before huffing and putting his head down on the bar with a pout. "Buh."

"Cute." She thought with a sudden fondness, followed by confusion for the sentiment. Man, she really must have hit her head hard in the mines.

"I told you he was a big ol' teddy bear." Emily stage whispered behind her hand, giggling when Shane grumbled in protest at the accusation but didn't lift his head. "Enjoy your food, hun. Let me know if you need anything else, 'kay?"

"You're a lifesaver, Em." She chuckled around a bite of pizza, table manners the furthest thing from her mind right now. Practically inhaling half of it before glancing over at Shane, who still had his head on the counter facing away from her. She looked towards the remainder of her pizza, then back at Shane, then to the pizza again before sliding it towards him.

"Hey. Cooper. Peace offering." Tapping his shoulder to get his attention with an amused smirk. Even more amused when he immediately popped up, turning to look at her with wide eyes.

"Oh. Really? You're sharin'?" He blinked, looking a mix of surprised and grateful. More so when she gave an affirmative hum and nod. "That's...you don't have to...uh, thanks."

She chuckled softly, finding him fumbling over his words endearing somehow. Maybe because he acted like she had given him something truly precious when all she had done was share a pizza with him. Sure, it was his favorite, but still. It was kind of sweet he was taken aback by a small gesture.

"Well you sent me one in the mail. Now we're even." She waved a dismissive hand, putting enough gold on the counter to pay for her meal and getting up to leave. "I gotta go before it gets too late. See you around, right?"

As she turned to go, he suddenly reached out and caught her wrist, his large hand easily encircling it and catching her by surprise. Her head whipped around to look at him in question, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. His face flushed again and lower lip jutting out in a bit of a pout.

"I wanted...I wanted to..." He shut his eyes and sighed heavily, grimacing. "I wanted to ask how the chickens are doing.."

She blinked, not expecting that to be what he wanted with how he was acting.

"Oh. Um, they're fine. Still alive, if that's what you were wondering. Um...you can come by and see them some time, if you want?"

He perked up again, finally meeting her gaze. "Really? I'd like that. Y'know, to make sure you're taking care of 'em and that they're happy."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking her head. "Right, right. Gotta make sure I'm not a total fuck up right?"

"Right." He smirked with a chuckle, thankfully recognizing she was joking around.

"Hey, Shane?"

"Hm?"

"Gonna need my arm back, bud."

He glanced down and realized he was still holding her wrist, immediately releasing her and looking away again, embarrassed. Wrapping his hands around his mug of beer and staring deeply into it like he held the secrets of the universe.

"G'night, Miller." He mumbled, trying to disappear into his hoodie again.

"Night, Cooper. Enjoy the pizza." She gave him a pat on the arm before finally, finally heading home for the night. She had stayed much later than she intended to, which meant less time she'd be able to (hopefully) sleep before dragging herself out of bed at the ass crack of dawn for another round of farm work.

But she was walking out of the Saloon with more of a pep in her step than when she walked in. Belly full of food and heart full of hope, however foolishly, that Shane didn't actually hate her guts.

[thesquid06]

I have been thinking non stop about what would fix the final season of umbrella academy. I think I found the easiest solution.

That being said, (HOT TAKE WARNING) I didn’t care for the third season and believe it changed the vibe of the show. (This is coming from someone who has not indulged in any previous umbrella academy media. I just watch the show)

The easiest fix is to make the alternate reality they’re in the perfect reality. That way, when they sacrifice themselves at the end, it actually hurts.

One: LOVED the fact that he was a stripper. It shows confidence in his new body while being extremely hilarious.

I don’t think bringing back Sloan would be reasonable, her powers would change the dynamics. However, giving him a daughter who resembles her would bring him joy. It would fix his need for a family and give him a reason to keep going.

He still lives in the old rundown mansion. Except it’s a little more livable. While it’s very clear that he’s struggling to let go of his past, he’s still trying to provide for his kid. They go antiquing on the weekends to find fun things for the house.

Two: Him and Lila are happily married and completely crazy. The kind of couple that says the freakiest things and is always all over each other.

The kid from the third season (I don’t remember his name) is actually theirs this time. He’s always stuck babysitting his younger siblings and is absolutely pissed about it. Diego is teaching him how to throw knives.

While his job still isn’t the best, he gets to come home to the perfect family. While maybe hacking into the police radio and suspiciously arriving on the crime scenes. Just to see if they need him.

Three: She’s acting in one of those sitcoms that everyone hates but knows the name of. Probably has never been on another show but her sitcom just got renewed for another season.

Her and her daughter get along just as well as every other teenage girl and their mom. They scream at each other across the room but she will get a hug and an ‘I love you’ before the day is over.

She’s still married, they’re happy enough. Maybe he has a job where he travels a lot so he doesn’t have to affect the season.

Four: Still a recovering alcoholic germaphobe living in his sister basement. He spends time gossiping with Claire and watching movies with the family. Him and Allison don’t fight.

He’s got a date next weekend.

When he’s offered the drug in the middle of the season, he does take it. Holds it in his hand on sobs. Except he doesn’t swallow it, throws it as hard as he can and focuses on escaping.

The story isn’t much but for the first time ever, he has hope. He finally believes there is a future where he can be better.

Five: Works his shitty FBI job and spends his free time with conspiracy theorists. He’s finally in a stable job and hates it.

Except his family is okay and happy. Thats all he ever wanted.

Also, there is this really annoying girl he’s forced into working with. She goes to the conspiracy meetings with him and he hates it. Something happens and he grabs her to jump her to safety. They end up in the subway. They get stuck.

It parallels the first time he was stuck in time, away from family. When he was a kid, he found solace in the idea of having someone to fall in love with. This time it’s for real. Without the need to protect his siblings, he falls in love the only way he knows how: in an apocalyptic setting.

Until, HE has to decide to go back for his siblings. He has dedicated his entire life the rescuing them, this time will be no different.

Six: I kinda like where his story went. Not sure if it needs to be changed.

Seven: All he’s ever wanted was to be included by his family. Sometimes they call him, he’s always invited to events and is excited to go.

Has his bar, it’s closer to home. Also, he gets some goddamn therapy.

That way, the sacrifice means something because, in the first time in their entire life, they have something to stay for.

Also, huge fan of Victor successfully draining the evil stuff from Ben, saving his life, and the audience gets gaslit into believing everything is okay.

Until it starts affecting Victor. Then they’re screwed and have to pull the self sacrifice move.

[marshallpupfan]

Hopefully this isn't too weird or invasive a question, but I'm curious what draws you to Paw Patrol as an older fan, and also what your experience has been like in the fandom and as a collector? (I'm assuming you're an older fan and probably close to my age from the non-Paw Patrol media you share haha).

I am indeed one of its older fans, and I can think up a few reasons that keeps drawing me to it.

One I can say right away is the fact I have a big love for canines, thus I tend to gravitate towards anything with dogs (and wolves, depending on if they're heroes or villains). They make up plenty of my favorites characters, as some of you seen in one of my previous Asks, and I generally tend to enjoy things more when they're involved (a friend recently recommended an older game to me, which I enjoyed all the more because you got to travel around with your trusty dog).

Funnily enough, not too long ago, I took an interest in the Asterix and Obelix franchise because of its dog character, Dogmatix... and I was quite thrilled when I heard he was getting his own spinoff cartoon! Of course, it was only available in French at the time, but much to my luck, the first half of season one got dubbed in English and [officially] posted on Youtube, free to watch! I gave it a go, and I thought it was pretty good! If anyone's curious, click this link to check it out. And yes, this might've been a thinly-veiled attempt to talk about this cartoon somewhere, since there aren't many English-speaking fans. lol

Arquebus/Musketix is the best character.

But yeah, the pups are one of my biggest draws to PAW Patrol, and unlike some fans, I rather like it when other pups get added to the cast. Boomer and Claw both certainly helped renew some of my interest in the franchise, particularly during a time in which I felt things were going downhill. Hey, I just love dogs!

Obviously, Marshall's easily my biggest draw to PAW Patrol. I'll admit, I tend to take a far bigger interest in an episode when he actually gets some good attention... and it's why my interests start to wane when he doesn't. The dude's legit my #1 favorite animated character, so I suppose it's no surprise to hear I often tune in specifically for him. That's not to say I don't get enjoyment from the other pups, but I'm just so crazy about that spotted pup!

Another aspect that draws me to PAW Patrol is just how fun it tends to be (or used to be, but the modern seasons still have their moments). I don't want to go too deep into this because I don't want things to get too serious, but let's just say... life can be quite rough anymore, and it never seems to get much better. I often look for something that can help me escape that for a while, even if it's just for a half hour at a time. I found that PAW Patrol does that for me. It's cute, colorful, fun, doesn't try to be complex, and by the end, everything turns out okay. And if I need cheering up after a bad day, a certainly clumsy, spotted pup often always puts a smile on my face. Some days, I need that.

----

As for my experiences with the fandom, I'd say it's been largely positive. I do tend to meet a lot of friendly people, many of which tend to be supportive and/or cheerful when I need it, and I generally enjoy interacting with most of them right back! I certainly don't regret being a part of it for the last five years or so.

With that said, I've had encounters that certainly weren't pleasant. I think everyone knows about my copycat by this point, so no need to retread that old ground. There's one infamous user out there who just seems to hate everything (unless it involves Everest), and he often turns hostile if you don't agree with his opinions. The same dude even tried arguing and verbally attacking those who work on PAW Patrol... including their families, too! Crazy guy. I've also encountered some fans who seem to make stuff up, believe their headcanon to be fact, and then become angry when people don't agree with them. I once had someone tell me Ryder is "gaslighting" Rubble, and... I don't even want to know what that means or why they believe that.

And in-regards to being a collector, the reception I often encounter has been quite positive, too. Most fans really seem to enjoy seeing my collection, even if it's just out of curiosity to see just how much merchandise they made of one single pup. I still get compliments on it all the time, from both fans and non-fans of Marshall, and I've even seen other folks who just think it's legit cool.

Surprisingly, I've only had one negative encounter so far, and it was, believe it or not, from someone who used to be a fan of PAW Patrol. She became one of those folks who encountered bad users, got tired of them, and then decided every fan must be awful... and of course, she tore into me because I "talk too much" about Marshall and deemed me a "freak" for collecting so much merchandise. Most of what she said was largely laced with swears and insults, and I'm sure she believes she put me in my place or something... though in truth, I was laughing at most of her replies. Why she felt the need to throw such a temper tantrum on me, I'll never know, but she didn't succeed in even the slightest to discourage me or anything. lol

[queer-ragnelle]

thoughts on camelot? (the tv series)

Anon—I don’t just like it. I love it. I watched it every week in 2011 as it originally aired. Rewired my brain.

Most of the characters really nailed it for me. It has my favorite Morgan, Kay, and Lot. It has great Igraine, Vivian, Guinevere, and Gawain. I loved the rivalry between Merlin and Sybil. Calling her “a pet nun.” Hilarious. She’s so messed up I love evil women. I love blasphemy. Uther dies within five minutes of episode one, as it should be!!

Only character I didn’t care for was Leontes—he’s too old to pass as Guinevere’s childhood friend and he doesn’t feel like Lancelot at all who I would have rather had. Reverse affair was meh. Leontes is just kind of boring. Arthur was clearly better which kind of misses the point of the love triangle appeal. Oh well!

Everything else slapped—costuming, music, filmography, set design, acting was awesome, engaging script!! The ending!!! I felt legitimate devastation when it was announced it wouldn’t get renewed and I refused to watch Game of Thrones out of bitter spite. So unfair we’ll never get another season. I wrote a full review here.

[direwolfrules]

Just watched the Grey's season 19 finale...

Don’t read further if you don’t want spoilers

I'm losing my goddamn mind!! The chaos! The cinematography! The ships that no one wanted together (Jo and Link)!

First, Maxine actually surviving was the biggest plot twist of the century. They foreshadowed her death so hard it’s crazy that she’s still kicking. Every episode since she first appeared I’ve thought “Oh my god they’re gonna kill her”. AND THEY LET HER LIVE!!!!

Blue and Jules are gonna be delightfully messy next season. God, I love you Mike Chang Intern and Hippie Izzie Intern. To be fair to Blue and Schmitt, the last time someone followed a DNR at Grey Sloan, Gary Clark shot up the place.

Simone ignoring all the signs from the universe not to marry Trey until she was literally walking down the aisle. I literally turned to my mom and said “well, at least Blue doesn’t have to worry about missing the wedding”.

Simone and McNephew having a classic on-call room romp. Because my joy at someone actually using the on-call rooms for their intended purpose this season could only last so long. YOU ARE MAKING THOSE COMMUNAL BED SHEETS NASTY!!

Teddy falling victim to Chekhov’s Toothache is sending me. My mom said before hour 1 was done that a toothache can be a sign of a heart attack, and that it’s really suspicious that Grey’s sent all the Cardio folks except for Teddy to Boston. And because she’s an English teacher I believed her, and I still lost my mind anyway. She doesn’t have a pulse, McPatient/McPilot is dying, and McNephew and Simone pull some impulsive shit. The cut from this to Jo and Link finally resolving their will they won’t they tension was so funny to me. ALL THE STUFF, followed by drama that we already went through less than five seasons ago.

At least Yasuda and Helm got to be cute. I love them. They’re everything to me. Yasuda kicks ass, Helm’s about to be the only Chief Resident thanks to Schmitt’s previously stated breaking of a DNR, and I’m not looking forward to the next season where we’ll probably get a plot line about how they can’t be together since Helm’s Yasuda’s boss. My mom said that since the relationship began prior to Helm’s renewed employment, maybe they’ll be an exception, but we’re not getting our hopes up. We’ve been burned too many times before.

Also Helm looked so good this season?! Like, I’m so glad they decided to develop her beyond “haha, frumpy lesbian in love with a straight chick”. She’s got confidence, style, and a hot girlfriend who drives the getaway van at weddings that never should have happened. Who’s doing it like Helm right now?

On a less happy note, *in Adele Webber* RICHAAARRRD! Next season better start with Richard not having drank that vodka tonic. Please Webber, don’t do this bud. Amelia cannot be your Charlotte King. Please.

[thesassypadawan]

Wizard *part 2* (Knight Obi-Wan x RealWorldFemReader)

Note: Read Under My Tree first to get an idea of what’s going on. 

Summary: After a very monumental Christmas with Obi-Wan, it’s time to share the good news with the other most important person in his life, Anakin. What better way to do so than making it the most special New Year Fete he has ever had. Happy New Year!

Warnings: Contains fluff, fluff, and more fluff!

Other Notes: Anakin is ten years old in this.

New Year’s Fete Week is the first five days of the year (according to the Galactic Standard Calendar) and is a five-day festival that celebrates the new year.

New Year’s Day, the first dawn of the year. A time of renewal and fresh starts. The moment when we say goodbye to the old and hello to the new…by celebrating with those we care for the most.

“There!” Obi-Wan declared, straightening the star. “How does that look, darling?”

“As pretty as a card,” you said with a warm smile, setting a tray filled with fresh baked cookies on the small table.

It had been barely over a week since Obi had popped the big question and what followed was a whirlwind of craziness. First you told your family of the joyous news, which they were absolutely elated for you both. Then there was the whole matter of sorting out certain affairs, the biggest being of how you were going to tell the other most important person in Obi-Wan’s life…Anakin.

With two hot chocolates in hand, you came to join your fiancé next to the tree. Offering him a nug, Obi accepted it gladly. “Do you really think Anakin’s going to like all of this?” He asked, wrapping an arm lazily around your waist.

“Of course,” you laughed, resting your head on his shoulder. “In fact, I know Ani will love it.”

“Speaking of the little imp,” Obi-Wan muttered, sensing a ripple in the force.

The second bedroom door slid open and out stepped a still half-asleep Anakin. “G’morning, master,” the ten-year-old yawned, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

Not wanting to spoil the surprise quite yet, Obi replied in his usual cool tone. “Good morning, young one.”

“Morning, Ani,” you chimed in the chipperly.

“G’morning, Aun…” Anakin began to mumble, when suddenly your voice registered, and he snapped fully awake. “Auntie!” He exclaimed excitedly, running over and throwing his short arms around you.

“Hey, kiddo,” you hugged him back tightly. “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year,” the padawan beamed up at you. “Are you here to go to the festival with me and master?”

Obi-Wan tousled Ani’s hair. “She certainly did. She also came to help me prepare this special surprise for you.”

On cue, Obi and you stepped to the side. Revealing the tree, presents, decorations, and cookies.

Anakin’s eyes widened in wonderment as he took everything in. “Whoa, what is all of this?!”

You couldn’t help but giggle as you watched Ani immediately zone in on the gifts. Typical kid. “This is your first Christmas.”

“Christmas?” He asked, gently shaking a package. “What’s that?”

Grabbing a cookie for them both, Obi-Wan came to join his apprentice on the floor. “It’s a holiday your Auntie celebrates on her planet around this time of the season. She wanted to share it with you. Maybe make it a yearly tradition for the three of us. What do you think?”

Anakin took a big bite of his gingerbread wookie. “If it means I get yummy treats, presents, and spend the whole day with you guys…then I’m in!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a morning filled with eating sweets, merrymaking, and unwrapping heartfelt gifts…it was time for the New Year Fete.

The two of you agreed to tell Ani your big news after the fireworks tonight. A wonderful way to end an absolutely perfect day. And, with that plan in place, your happy trio headed off to the festival.

As soon as you arrived, Anakin, of course, began begging for some kind of sugary snack.

“Haven’t you had enough already?” Obi chuckled as he (and you) were led through the bustling crowd, to the nearest confectionery stall.

“Nope, never enough!” Ani replied cheekily, before asking the elderly vendor nicely for an order of fried dough balls.

“Oh my, such a polite young man,” she kindly said, handing Anakin his container. “And handsome too with that scarf and pendant.”

A huge grin spread across his face. He had loved the scarf and river stone pendant you both made him so much, that he insisted on wearing them out today. “Thanks! They’re gifts from my mom and dad!”

Trying not to show either of your surprise, Obi-Wan quickly paid the woman and whisked you all to a more secluded area.

Exchanging glances with Obi, you sat down on the bench next to Ani. “Kiddo, why did you tell that lady we’re your parents?”

“’cause,” Anakin mumbled, popping a ball into his mouth.

“Because why?” Obi-wan asked, taking the other seat beside Ani.

Swallowing, the padawan reached for another. “Because Auntie has that ring on her finger. Which means you’re getting married, and we’ll become a family. So that will make you like my mom and dad.”

Anakin paused a moment, looking back and forth between you two. “I got that right, right? Unless you don’t want me to be your kid.”

Neither of you could believe what you just heard. Anakin had known all along, and he wanted to…

Smiling softly, you pulled him into a loving embrace. “You got it right, Ani.”

“We would be honored to have you as our kid,” Obi added, joining in on the group hug.

“Wizard,” Anakin said happily, tears of joy shining in his eyes.

[redsnowdrop]

Sainz: "I understand Ferrari, but Hamilton is not better than me"

Federico Mariani

23 July - MILAN

Source: Gazzetta dello sport (it)

To my -> F1 Masterlist <-

The Spaniard, in an interview with GQ Magazine Spain, analyzes his farewell to the Maranello team:

“I took my opportunities when the car was competitive. Future? Williams, Red Bull and Mercedes are options."

Carlos Sainz's future is still to be defined, but the Spaniard can already outline an initial assessment of his experience at Ferrari, the team he will leave to make room for Lewis Hamilton in 2025. The farewell will take place after four embellished seasons, for now, by three successes, the first in F1. Satisfactory results in the eyes of the son of art, as admitted during an interview with GQ Magazine Spain. And during this conversation there was no shortage of significant passages about the farewell to the Italian team and the inevitable comparison with his cumbersome successor.

FERRARI - Arriving in 2021 in place of Sebastian Vettel, Sainz has stood out at Ferrari thanks to continuous performance. The results were excellent, even if they were insufficient to fight for and win the world title. Carlos, however, still feels satisfied: "The year started in a complicated way between my non-renewal and Hamilton's arrival.

Then the appendicitis operation.

However, after the victory in Australia the season went rather well." No regrets looking at the overall experience with the Italian team: "It happens when you realize you don't have the means to win a World Championship. Otherwise it would have been more difficult to accept not having taken advantage of the opportunity. Indeed, analyzing the individual races, when I had the winning car, I didn't make any mistakes."

SAINZ AND HAMILTON— The other big issue concerns Ferrari's choice to replace him to make room for Hamilton. But, after this change, does Sainz feel inferior to Hamilton? Carlos is blunt: “Obviously I would say no. But I think any other driver would say the same. I think I'm the best option for any Formula 1 team because, if I didn't have this mentality, I wouldn't be a driver and I wouldn't have such a competitive soul." However, Carlos admits: “However, I obviously understand Ferrari's decision, the opportunity to sign a seven-time world champion and what it can mean for a team. That's why, when I analyzed everything carefully, I didn't feel bad." And he adds: "After all, I won't be replaced by just any driver, but by the best in history or by one of the greatest in this sport." A great tribute to the greatness of Hamilton.

SAINZ FUTURE— And now what will be Carlos' next moves, still officially without a seat for 2025? Sainz does not hide: “Williams is a historic team in F1. It's true, it's one of the few I have left. The same goes for Red Bull and Mercedes. There are two or three stables to evaluate. The future still seems quite uncertain. I raced in five different teams during these ten years, keeping a wonderful memory of each team. I wouldn't rule out returning if the opportunity arises." But first there is the experience in Ferrari to finish: “We need to take advantage of the opportunities to get on the podium in the next races. Also because I don't know if I will have similar chances next year."

[muthaz-rapapa]

Hirogaru Sky Impressions (3/5)

Alright~

So we're more than halfway there. Excited for leaks season yet?

Show is still going good despite the last 10 episodes being mostly filler. I don't have anything to really complain about since as far as fillers go, the quality of HiroPre's is definitely better than those of previous seasons.

But me being me, of course there is going to be some form of criticism so let's gogogo~ and get that over with.

Again, the fillers are quite enjoyable but ever since the recovery of Captain Shalala, doesn't it feel like we've gone too long without any plot-related episodes?

Thankfully, it seems they're getting back to that with ep 31 next week. But even so, the lack of clues or hints about the Undergu Empire and the reason for its antagonism dragged the show's momentum slightly. So it felt longer to get through these 10 weeks.

"Filler doldrums" as I'd like to call it because tuning into Precure weekly became more of chore than something to look forward to.

But it wasn't that bad so let's hope the next 10 episodes will be more balanced.

Moving on.

I spoke too soon on not having to worry about the handling of Mashiro's character arc anymore. Why am I surprised, though? Whenever I let my guard down, my expectations are always betrayed. Oiy.

But honestly, they got me all hoping and excited since they actually gave her potential content to work with. Like her taking an interest in creating picture books. Or even her cooking skills or passion for makeup. Or her long distance relationship with her parents. That's quite a bunch of material to expand on for her.

Instead, she's been regulated to the passenger seat again to let Sora drive.

On one hand, I understand and can accept that Sora would receive more focus since the she is the main character of the overall story. Her coming from another world and therefore being a fish out of water bird out of Skyland when it comes to most things Earth-related...along with being someone who's never had friends before due to spending most of her time training are all prime real estate for development.

However, you can't deny that there is a blatant amount of lead favoritism.

It's not as bad as previous seasons since the writing for HiroPre is a lot better. But when the rest of the cast individually gets one episode of spotlight for every five or so the lead gets, it can be tiresome or even suffocating to sit through.

...on another note, my theory about Captain Shalala possibly being a double agent for the Undergu Empire turned out to be wrong after all. But I think having the enemy take Shalala hostage was the more suitable direction to go for breaking Sora down in order to let her renew and restrengthen her resolve as a hero. The loss of respect for your idol can be a really difficult thing to bear and that might be too harsh a topic for Precure's target audience. It achieved similar effects to the Broken Pedestal trope anyway so no complaints there.

Anyways, we may have broken the Pink trend this year but I'm not optimistic it will stay that way as long as there's always one primary lead in each group. Frankly, I think we're going straight back to special Pink treatment for another 4 years before 25th anniversary but that's a thing to worry about later.

As for Tsubasa and Ageha, I was more satisfied with their focus eps. Mostly.

Tsubasa's always teaches you something new. I really liked the one about branching out your dream, which is something we all need to hear should we ever reach our goal or get stuck on what to do next. And Ageha's most recent one with her older sisters and her parents' divorce when she was younger provided more depth into how she became the person she is today.

But I wasn't pleased when the Peach airline promotion ep that should've been about Mashiro spending time with her parents went to Tsubasa instead. I mean, Tsubasa showing off his airplane knowledge is always amazing but...ngh, they really don't care for Mashiro, do they?

Another thing. I became a little concerned about the portrayal of Ageha. She is shown to be consistently confident and composed in most things she does...but most 18-year olds aren't like that. So I worried for a bit if that might've sent an unintentional message that "you should be as competent as Ageha when you reach adult age" which is like ehhhh......not true.

Though it's only a flaw you notice if you're incredibly scrutinizing like I am. And given Ageha's personality, there's nothing wrong with presenting her as such cuz she wouldn't be Ageha without those traits. But definitely think of her more as a role model instead of one to emulate, that's all.

Right so, next week...is not the debut of Cure Majesty.

YET.

But very soon. Maybe even the week after? September titles haven't been released yet (as of checking right now) but with only...wow, 18 more episodes to go, they better make the best of it.

I don't think Ellee-chan suddenly getting older will become too much of an issue with pacing...as long as they don't put her in school if she still largely retains the mind of a toddler.

Or maybe she'll only grow older when transforming into Precure and return to being a baby during off-hours? That'd be interesting...it wouldn't be as fun as seeing her more grown up, yea, but it'd be unexpected, at least.

Whatever. Just give me more lore and I'll be good.

Finally (haha), let's talk about the future of Precure for a bit.

This season is obviously not going to be the last of 'em. If it was, they wouldn't try to scare you with it in an All Stars movie preview of all things. They'd likely do it the boring way by just announcing it in the news. :P

Anyways, we can definitely expect the franchise to continue for another 5 years. 25th anniversary is something Toei absolutely has to aim for because it will be a double milestone.

Quarter of a century run for the Precure franchise.

And (if my projected calculations are correct), if we keep to teams of 4-5 every year up until till 2028, we will hit over 100 Precure total.

Pretty exciting, yes?

With mixed-gender teams no longer being just a dream (look, Cure Wing even made the news! WAAAAHHH!!! xD) and upcoming projects like the Otona Precure series and the all-male Precure stage play in the works, it's definitely a confirmation that this franchise has no intention of ending any time soon.

If you want more consumers of your product, you need to accommodate for a variety of people and all sorts of new and different ideas, aspects and tastes.

Formula they probably won't budge on too much (not for the main tv series anyway) but there always will be other rooms to explore, y'know?

Ok~ So Precure won't be ending but summer is~

Hope everyone enjoyed it in spite of the heat and best of luck in school or whatever your future endeavors are!

See you in another 10 eps! (^ _ ^)/"