#like it could've been daniel for example

[ummyesisthisjasongrace]

crying at the fact that during buck's coma, when everything feels off to him but he can't quite put his finger on it yet, his first flashback bringing back the memories of his actual reality is the image of eddie being his support on the ladder truck, and the second flashback is christopher screaming his name during the tsunami

i just--- I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT THIS

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Okay okay with all the script hate for ATSV I'd like to at least take a moment to praise How they did Hobie right

And why they got Miguel wrong.

Mini-Ramble: The Concept of 'Can-dom'

a.k.a the writers really love Hobie and just fucking hate Miguel and it's borderline funny.

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

So, you know we are called fans, and we have a fandom. The fandom writes 'fanon'.

But what do you call the group of people who write canon?

And can the people who write canon also be a fandom in and of itself?

As someone who has worked on TV and film sets in NYC - across a couple of different departments - I can assure you:

YES.

And they act JUST LIKE US.

And I call it Can-dom.

And there's no better example of this, than the ATSV script.

Look at how they talk about Hobie:

To the writer who described Hobie as 'strong, long, and skinny-hot' and his guitar as 'throbbing' idk what you were on that day but keep it up.

Look at them rubbing their little writer hands together going 'hehehe they're gonna love this mfer to death he's so hot'

Miles calling Hobie cool and Hobie agreeing is literally just the writers complimenting themselves on how insanely rad and attractive they made their own character. I love it.

They could've done so much worse or described him as rowdy or cocky or rough but they're just like 'he's hot. really fucking hot.'

And everybody was in on it.

The designers read the script and was like 'really really attractive? the coolest fucking guy you've ever seen? ok boss'

and then drew a black cop killer with natural hair and beautiful sharp black features

Then the animation team looked at Hobie and was like YEAH HE'S SUPER FUCKING COOL

Then made a supercool technology just for the insanely rad punk character

AND THEY WENT TO DANIEL KALUUYA and had him do the super cool ironic funny lines for the super cool rad fan-favorite-to-be character

And then the whole production team looked at Hobie and they all looked back at their work and his arc and lines and design and animation style and they were like

Because after months and months and months of collective effort and going 'this guy has to be so likeable that disliking him is almost a moral failing'

And then just like us they finally saw the finished product and we're like

'THAT'S A WRAP. CUT. SEND THIS SHIT TO THE PRINTERS. He can't get any cooler we did it.'

Cause as someone who has worked in TV & Film and had been in the offices I can tell you:

Screenwriters are not some big wigs that come to work in suits and sit around on chunky laptops in complete silence sending emails

They are normal ass people in a cramped ass office and cubicles who joke with their co-workers, come in in jeans and a 'casual tshirt', and sit there chilling revising the same script a dozen times because they came up with a new idea that HAS to be in it. And sometimes they be having dogs in the offices.

They're dorks just like us. That's how they got there. By obsessing over the tiniest minute shit in stories and getting way too into characters and writing out our little stories.

To think they were squealing about Hobie Brown this whole time for years while making him.

And then giving him to the fandom and we're like FUCKING THANK YOU HE'S OURS AND WE LOVE HIM.

I know a lot of the time it may come off as a shady corporation manipulating the punk aesthetic for revenue - while it is that - its also an office full of writers and animators and designers literally making a mini fandom between them and snickering at their own jokes and ideas as they write this story I love it

It makes me think that - while the language towards Miguel is like.. undoubtedly questionable and something of necessary discussion -

I also just think that the office fandom just.. didn't fucking like him.

Like in the writers room over time they didn't like him and wanted to bully him 'ayo this dude is a clown and he's wildin out like a BEAST'

And putting in lines of Gwen clowning him just because the writers wanted to make fun of Miguel 😭😭😭

like.. just the thought of that.

- and the thought of the ATSV writers team just ganging up on him only for the animation team to turn around and be like 'give him the thiccest ass imaginable. make it clap when he walk'

HILARIOUS.

And then for the production team to have to look at this script of Miguel and look at his dummy think design and just sigh and be like 'fine okay the lines are fine but you HAVE TO TONE THE ASS DOWN'.

We bully our OCs all the time

And yeah they took that shit wayyyy too far cause like... The Spot murdered people why are y'all not looking at him and also Gwens dad is an asshole

But a part of me feels like the writers and production were fandom before fandom was fandoming.

Just like us they hyperfixated on two characters, the same characters the fandom would later.

And like the fandom originally did, they really really liked Hobie and just REALLY REALLY REALLY didn't like Miguel.

We're all like 'haha let's bully the shit outta Miguel as a little treat' and then they start taking it too far 😭😭

I'm just going to lay myself to (semi-)peace with this thought. I know it's pure speculation - I repeat, speculation - but like, writers are genuinely just like us. I wouldn't put it past them.

With the way the script is narrated I wouldn't be surprised if the first draft they put

**MIGUEL collapses to the ground with GABRIELLA in his hands as she DEPIXELATES. A look is devastation crosses his face. Ha, get owned, you fucking idiot.**

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

Also they absolutely know about fanfiction. I haven't heard them talk about it and I don't know how much they know. But they know.

They may not be in the shows fandom, but they've usually been into older fandoms like Star Trek and thus know about the fanfic and shipping stuff.

If you read this far!! Hey hi how ya doing thank you for listening to my rambling. I wouldn't call this a full essay cause it's just my thoughts and opinions and like.... thoughts???

Anyway here's Hobie to make up for the fact I just said a whole lotta nothing

(actual picture of me arsoning the Sony headquarters if they fuck up Hobies characterization and make me regret this post lol)

Bye.

[ghostieeeee]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟑: 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 (𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏)

ᶜᵘᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ ✄-----------------------------------------

ᶜᵘᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ ✄-----------------------------------------

Word count: 2k

Warnings: possibly spelling errors 🩶🥳

ᶜᵘᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ ✄-----------------------------------------

"Why can't we just go home…?"

The day had only seemed to drag on. From the moment of your forceful awaking to the current of Lia dragging you down some random hallway, your exhaustion has only grown tenfold.

Granted, you had basically asked for it when you agreed on this little outing, emphasis on little. From what you assumed to be a few hours at the gym had blown up to become a full-on outing with your roommate and her best friend.

It wasn't all too bad though, Lia had treated you both to ice cream and cared enough to take you to a dog park- but that was about it when it comes to the more interesting parts of your day… excluding the total cutie you met at the gym.

"Because I need to drop off something for a friend," Lia groaned, having this been the nth time you've asked. "You're really whiny at times"

"Pardon me?" You almost gasp, looking to Yuna for support, but all she could do was focus on the small tear in her cardigan, her eyes heavily fixated on the mark as she picks and pulls at the small ends of threads drifting apart.

"Nothing…" it was obvious Lia was drained of all energy too, even her voice carried a certain dun that loomed over her every word, her every breath. Even her every step seemed a bit off, like her legs were shaking with an uncertain fate, but she continued to deal with you and Yuna.

She hasn't told you it yet, but she's looking forward to suffocating you with your pillow tonight. She couldn't care less about the possible prison sentence either.

"Just don't touch anything I wouldn't"

"Define wouldn't for me?" You laugh at her eye roll, slowing your steps as you come to a stand-off between you, Lia, and the door…

"Yuna?" You question, turning to find that the dark-haired girl had continued walking down the hallway. "Yuna!" You repeat, albeit a bit more forceful than before, catching her aloof mind in a cage.

"What are you doing over there?" Yuna grumbled, her words becoming more apparent as she approaches with a sour scrunched face.

"We're waiting for you"

Yuna could only let out an airy "oh" as Lia impatiently knocks on the door. The thin layer of skin hugging her knuckles seemed almost caught between the clash of bone and wood. The knocks echoed down the silent hallway for a second too long, your right hand subconsciously raising to rub your left.

You listen as the latch on the other side of the door gently rattles, a barely audible click following shortly after. And then came the unnecessary rise in tension as the door slowly inched open.

At first, you could've sworn you were hyper fixating on your need to see through rose tinted glasses, that a brighter colour scheme would help elevate your zombified brain, but as more of the interior shines through the door frame, it was evident this wasn't a mind induced trick.

It looked almost as if a child had just painted half the room in a sporadic act of boredom- all while being oddly organised. Bright beams of angsty red clash feverishly against the soft tones of a light silver lining. Of course, there were more colours than just the exampled two, but turning a blind eye to half of them is saving you from breaking out with a migraine.

The event had brung a small crowd of people together, yet it was enough to weave them like cloth as they gathered in an organised mess around the doors line of sight. More noticeably amongst the collective pond of people, however, was your best friends. They stood more central to the cluster, each holding varying looks.

While Danielle and Hyein held a certain sparkle in their eyes, it was evident that Minji and Hanni were annoyed as they kept sharing quick glances towards a distracted Haerin. Not that you could blame her, though. She wouldn't put her phone down even if her life depended on it.

"Welcome y/n!"

It was cliche, and it made you cringe, causing a small scrunch of the nose as everyone almost yelled the two words in unison. But you were thankful for the effort they put into this, earning them a clear distinction of gratitude nonetheless.

You offer the cluster of people an appreciative smile, waving at a few people to be polite as Yuna and Lia disperse from beside you, slugging their way over to whatever cushioned seat they could find.

"Welcome, y/n!" Danielle repeats, ushering you deeper into the room as she closes the door behind you.

"We've already said welcome," Hanni points out, a small frown curving down her lips as she folds her arms.

"But I wanted to say it again-"

"It's okay." You interrupt, placing a reassuring hand on Danielle's shoulder. "I get it, thank you, Dani."

"You're welcome"

Just then, it clicked, your brain finally starting back up again after having been rebooted in an act of shock. "So this is why Lia kept dragging me around…" it made sense, and clearly, Lia knew about it. Why else would she have stalled for so long- putting up with you and Yuna all day. Surely Yuna knew too? Or maybe she was just a secondary subject of distraction.

Minji shares an awkward laugh, shifting her weight from foot to foot as her gums peek through her open-mouthed smile,"Yeah, and thank the Lord she agreed. I don't think any of us could've done the job as well as she had"

"Oh?" You raise an eyebrow at her words,"what's that supposed to mean?"

Entertainment seeps from Minji's newfound panicked state, her eyes blown wide as she holds her palms out defensively, almost rapping her words as she utters apology after apology, trying to explain what she meant within the span of a single breath.

You laugh,"I was joking, calm down"

"Guys?" Hyein almost whispers, her eyes moving behind Hanni as a wide grin almost tackles her features.

"How many times do I have to say this? We're girls, not guys!" A small laugh emits from behind Hanni, a gentle melody in the form of one's pure soul.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" It was apparent that the person drew attention at lightning speeds as everyone's necks almost snapped at how fast their heads spun around to see the visual owner of the voice.

"No, not at all," Hanni smiled, taking a step back, allowing Yunjin into the small discussion circle. She has a darker linen sweater on, paired with light grey joggers. The dark of her sweater allowed the colour of the two plastic cups she was holding to really pop- bright red. It's not quite the same ruby red that seemed to be the on-brand statement for the day, but it was a red nonetheless.

"we were just about to go grab drinks ourselves," Danielle adds to Hannis words, having seen an opportunity to snake you two into whatever plan she had already devised. "We'll catch up later, okay?"

"Uh- yeah, sure-" you could barely get the sentence out before Danielle had practically shovelled the other girls away in a rush, even going as far to offer Hyein money to keep moving.

"Well, that was something," Yunjin says with a smile, offering you one of the cupped beverages.

Taking one of the plastic cups in the base of your palm, your fingers wrap around the supporting walls. "Thank you"

"Of course. I've heard you've been out all day, so I figured you'd need a refreshing drink"

"In my defence" you begin, raising the rim of the plastic cup to your lips,"I didn't know I was gonna be out all day" the vibrations of your voice rippled at the surface of the drink, causing a small titlewave to splash against the once dry of your lips.

"They didn't tell you?" Yunjin breathes out, sounding as if she was in heavy disbelief.

However, you could only hum to her words, being too preoccupied with savouring the flavour of whatever drink she had created. It wasn't fizzy, but it wasn't soft. It was a mix of some sort. Not that you're complaining, it tastes decently good. "Nope, I was left in the dark about it"

"But you have to admit, it was for a good cause, right?"

You take a second, eyes wandering around the room to take it in all over again, the decorations, the food, your friends. It wasn't much, but that didn't stop it from being any less perfect. "I find it hard to disagree"

Yunjin shook her head, a small smile playing with the beauty of her features. "So, how have you been since our last talk?"

"Eh-" you almost wince, mind stuttering over the question "you mean since yesterday?"

"Twenty-four hours is a long time, anything could've happened," Yunjin explains, taking a sip of her drink- her plush lips left freshly glossed over as a result.

"I guess I've been alright," you snicker, "and you? How have you been?"

"I've been pretty good, done a few things here and there, but nothing more than that, I suppose- oh?" Yunjin pauses, moving her free hand to pull out her phone. "I'm deeply sorry, can I?" She asks, showing you her phone's screen. It's powered on, displaying an unfamiliar caller- one you're sure she knew as it's saved under the contact name of karinaa+

"Go ahead"

Yunjin gives you a multitude of "Thank yous" over and over as she answers her phone.

At first, you weren't trying to eavesdrop on the phone call, having navigated your attention around the room to share smiles and waves with people you ought to know, yet have no idea in the slightest. Your eyes even dared to wander back over to your best friends, but they were too preoccupied laughing at Minji's embarrassed stance.

However, the twitch of dissatisfaction that ricocheted across Yunjins facial features had you hooked. Her lips tugged like the pull of gravity was acting far more, and her eyebrows pinched together.

"Yeah, yeah, but I can't see why this is urgent." Yunjin huffs, allowing another few seconds to pass before she speaks again, a small eye roll accompanying her words,"Yes, I'll be there. When have I ever said no to you? I'll see you in a few"

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she sighs,"I'm really sorry, but my friend needs help, and as much as I want to stay and chat, she's a persistent person"

"It's okay, I understand. I have friends who do that all the time. Like yesterday, Haerin dragged me into guarding her puk. She knows I could never say no to her"

Yunjin laughs, glancing over to Haerin,"Well, I should really thank her then. She's the reason I met you after all"

You roll your eyes, avoiding the playful demeanour of her grin,"you're the one that came over to me, or have you already forgotten?"

"Me? Forget? I doubt I'll ever forget a moment with you"

"That's convenient then"

"Speaking of convenience" Yunjin opens her phone again, tapping a few things before presenting the screen to you yet again, "Can I have your number? I'd really like to apologise properly tomorrow after lessons. I was thinking of going to the small cake shop a few streets down?"

There was a noticeable sparkle in her eye, a glimmer of hope perhaps, as she awaits your next move- her phone resting in the loose grip of her hand.

The idea itself wasn't bad, and the proactive nature of it would do you good regardless. So, with a nod, you take her phone and input in your own phone number, saving yourself under your name to avoid any possible confusion.

"Well then, y/n, I guess I'll text you later," Yunjin says, her eyes squinting as she puts on a proud smile.

"Of course. Just message me whenever you're available. Have fun helping your friend"

"I'll try to. Have a good evening" she bids her farewell, your eyes trailing after her as she leaves the dorm, closing the door behind her.

ᶜᵘᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ ✄-----------------------------------------

: A new college means new faces, and although you already have a set of friends to hang out with, you can't help but be drawn to the two campus heartthrobs... and they can't help but be drawn to you too...

ᶜᵘᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ ✄-----------------------------------------

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 | 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓

ᶜᵘᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ ✄-----------------------------------------

𝐓𝐀𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: [𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍]

@zuhasfavwife @havex00 @lesleepyyy @i06kkura @luvjanexx @jeindall777

@xen-16 @sewiouslyz @verdanst

[sophsun1]

Some of the hot takes I'm reading where people are putting down Louis to build Lestat up are completely wild to me. Suggesting he clearly *doesn't love* Lestat enough or in the same vein that Lestat loves him is a reach. Using the he's a lot/it's not perfect scene as an example to portray that Louis was being spiteful and unappreciative of Lestat's love for him when he said this to Jonah. And like my own personal take is that first off he had every right to say that and no lies were told. Lestat is A Lot, he's a messy hypocritical bitch but he's also loving and protective of Louis.

Louis was just explaining how he feels to an old love and friend, he didn't deny having somebody he could've easily not mentioned Lestat at all but he did because he does love him and value their relationship. His voice literally broke when he asked Lestat 'Aren't I enough?' If he didn't care then he wouldn't have been so hurt lest not forget Lestat literally laughing directly in his face over it like die bitch

Another thing I noticed is that Louis doesn't say he's not perfect he says it's not perfect as in their situation and he's right. He's struggling with trying to come to terms with being a vampire, his humanity and decision to not drink blood, feeling like he's losing his family not to mention all the racism and pressure from his business. Throw in this curveball from Lestat but you know he agrees to it and Jonah finds him it's not like he went out to look for someone to retaliate against Antoinette.

But because of his jealousy after spying on Louis and Jonah, Lestat takes the it's not perfect and hears that as Louis saying he's not perfect which is understandable he's upset. Also another little moment is when he asks Louis if they can go out the next night because he's feeling vulnerable and he says no he's going to see Grace you see his face briefly fall and probably takes that as another hint that he's losing Louis.

Lestat is the one who offers up the open relationship and then immediately regrets it because of his own past trauma with his old loves and fear of abandonment. Throw in the lack of communication between them, there's already a small wedge over Louis not wanting to kill add it all up and ultimately we see it explode.

To place blame directly on one of them or to say Louis wasn't attentive enough to Lestat's feelings and Louis doesn't care or love him enough is just wrong.

* Just to add to this post - Sam and Jacob saying that Loustat don't like each other they're just very in love alongside Daniel's you're talking like you're in some fucked up gothic romance statement - rings so true this episode, THEY ARE.

They don't like each other's behaviour in this situation but it's because they BOTH love each other it hurts that much more. Reducing it to a competition negates their whole romance and is quite frankly boring, they're a toxic mess and going from episode to episode you might empathise with one more than the other but at the end of it all they're just two dumb idiot vampires in love yk.*

[fatherramiro]

so in 1899, there's obviously a pattern of characters who seem to have a deeper romantic connection despite never having met. maura and eyk are one such example, as are ling yi and olek or clémence and jérôme. these are characters who connect despite the simulation wanting them to be separate for whatever reason - clémence is married to the man who betrayed jérôme, for example, or ling yi and olek are separated by both class and language. maura and eyk could theoretically be together, but the question of daniel and of maura's role in the simulation keep them apart as well; it's not as intense as the separation between the others, but it's still a separation. but despite this, these characters connect and choose to care for each other despite any sort of roadblocks. and these connections form quickly - it usually takes a scene or two for them to become so close that they're confiding in each other or choosing to help the other despite any risks. it seems the simulation likes to tear people apart but their innate nature brings them together no matter what.

im going to argue that despite the fact they start the season as an established pairing, ramiro and ángel follow a similar pattern. yes, they're in a relationship when the show begins in that they are not separated by the simulation (though obviously they are being kept apart by bigotry and cannot be openly together), but the simulation is set up so that they're constantly on the verge of falling apart. the trauma of their escape from spain has turned them into the worst versions of themselves, and as a result they can't - and don't - stay together at first. but much like how clémence coming into her own pushes her closer to jérôme or ling yi taking on an active role draws her closer to olek, ramiro becoming more himself leads to him going back to choose ángel. as he becomes the person he really is, rather than who he's forced to be, he chooses to reconcile with the man he loves (who is also changing for the better, into the person he really is!) whoever ramiro and ángel are outside of the roles the simulation has assigned them, they still choose each other, even after events that very well could've torn them apart. and narratively the show leans into that - if they wanted to push the idea of ramiro and ángel not being the main romantic plot for both characters, it would've been easy to write ramiro coming to make sure ángel is okay during the calling but them not reconciling in the same way they do in the show.

plus, a lot of these pairings are about choice and choosing to trust someone. maura and eyk choose to trust each other ultimately. jérôme chooses to trust clémence, who is married to someone who betrayed him. ling yi and olek don't speak the same language but they trust each other. ramiro could very easily have chosen not to trust ángel after what happened, but he chooses to trust him again. while the set ups for these pairings are all unique, the core of the story is the same. it's about trust and coming into oneself. so while ramiro and ángel don't have the same sort of narrative set up of two people who've never met falling in love due to some connection, there's still the same narrative thread of "there is a barrier to us being together, and yet we are choosing each other" that the other main pairings have.

[another-goblin]

Warning: giant text dump

1.3 is coming soon and I still can't get over how they did our dragon boy dirty in 1.2, namely the beach scene. (I feel like I'm the only person who sees it this way, so maybe I'm missing something)

(pictured: mullet gang beating up a child)

First, if we want to respect Dan Heng's wish to be seen as his own person, then DF's history is just that, some other guy's history, and DH should be judged by his own merit. So what did we know about him before he left the Express in 1.2 - he's quiet and reserved (that's cool, even small expression of emotions from this type of character feels like a revelation), he's protective of his friends (awesome), he has the past (though currently he doesn't accept it as his past, so let's say he's misattributed with somebody else's past), and he's so traumatized by some immortal murderous weirdo chasing him all arount the galaxy that he sees him in his nightmares.

His loyalty to his friends is so strong that the moment he finds out that Blade is on the Luofu, he's prepared to risk his freedom to protect his friends from Blade. So far so good, until we get to the beach scene.

He encounters Blade and engages in a fight with him for a couple of seconds, and then just stands there doing literally nothing while some brave kid fights Blade to protect DH, even though he defeated Blade many times before. Then he catches Blade's sword with his chest and turns into a cooler Daniel (which would be a nice revelation if it weren't spoiled months ago by leakers. Imagine how awesome it would be if it was a total surprise! But we can't have nice things, thanks to leakers who don't tag their leaks) So yeah, dragon, whatever.

And then he shows zero emotions! What happened? Have they forgotten to write his reaction in the script? I can only conclude that it means that he has full memories of his past self as well as the knowledge that he'll turn into a dragon if killed, so he expected it to happen. But even then I expect some reaction! I mean, it makes it so much harder for him to be just a normal human guy DH now. But nope, not even a frown. (one way I can explain it is that he knew that he'd turn into his stronger form when killed, and it'd help him to better protect his friends from Blade. There is no evidence of that in the cutscene, so I don't think that's how we are supposed to see it)

And then it gets so much worse!

It's not a game-ruining thing, it's just so baffling. Like, I'm not even disappointed, I'm confused by the writers' decision to make Dan "Step aside, I have no interest in stoking conflict" Heng to fight a child, especially when it was so easily avoidable. I mean, I genuinely appreciate all the memes and jokes that resulted from it, but good guys just don't do that! It's like 101 of being a decent person. (I hope Welt has another version of that "How not to be evil" book he gave to Luocha. DH clearly needs it)

What it feels like - imagine two high school bullies in a kid's movie, played by 35-year-old actors, beating up our child hero, played by an actual child. And these two are both MMA champions, and they don't hold back. And the kid just wanted to protect his school and his friends. And we are supposed to root for the bullies.

And let's not forget that DH came to the Luofu specifically to save his friends from Blade. But instead, he teams up with Blade to beat up a child, so that he could faster get to his friends to protect them from Blade. Make it make sense, game!

Someone could say, what was he supposed to do? Let's not forget that characters don't have agency, they do what they are written to do. And the situation develops the way it's written to develop. So the question should be, could it have been written differently? For example, he can fly now!!! He could've just left and flew to his friends while Blade is busy murdering a child! Or talk to Yanqing and explain the truth. Or dodge his attacks until JY arrives. Or just surrender - I think his friends would understand this choice (again, until JY arrives). Or literally any other way this scene could have been written.

Even if we absolutely have to have a boss fight with Yanqing for some reason - make us play as just Blade and let IL join the fight to save Yanqing, showing him that he was mistaken about IL being a bad guy. Instead Dan "I'm not him and I don't have his Awesome Ancient Powers" Heng unleashes his Awesome Ancient Powers onto a small kid.

What are players supposed to learn from this? That Dan Heng is a child beater? It's literally the first thing IL DH does, it's like his second character introduction. And what a second first impression it is. Or is it a foreshadowing of the crime DF has committed ? Did DF burn down an orphanage, fueled by his hatred of children, or something?

And for those who want to feel sad - imagine if Yanqing turned out to be a bit less sturdy. Imagine JY arriving at the scene just to witness his friends murdering his son. Imagine DH explaining to March that he was in such a hurry to see his dear friends that he absolutely had to kill her "widdle baby"

(I'm glad to see from the 1.3 trailer that he'll return to his normal form. Continuing with his theme, he can always say that it was that IL guy who nearly killed the kid, and not him)

Also, Yanqing did really well against two legendary warriors. I hope at least he'll get some character development from this.

[inchidentally]

tricky asks below! pls do not rb as that removes the readmore for some reason and I want to keep these out of tags <3

the fact that we're having to to discuss friendzoning about two friends anon we're really in it now aren't we

I want to take a moment direct ppl to this interview if they like Carlos tho bc his interviews are always so intelligent and thoughtful. you also get a much more authentic persona out of him when he speaks in Spanish. there are more videos on that account from that interview too.

I love that he listed Checo and Fernando so highly bc of course he gravitates toward ppl he can speak to in his born language. the three of them personality wise are pretty different but whenever they move toward each other you can tell they're in compatriot mode.

but yea what he said re Lando and racing is exactly what Lando says - and what nobody ever wants to post except begrudgingly. the 'bromances' are dressed way up by fans and media but there is no deeper narrative and it's not that serious. when they're driving, all friends disappear bc winning is the only reason to even be in F1 let alone the only way to stay in it for certain. even the comments on videos like that are next to nothing bc they're not "shippy" videos. but it's authentic and true that these guys are F1 drivers first and foremost and wayyyy after that it's nice to have some regular buddies to hang with. we should all be able to put shipping aside and appreciate the actual drivers these guys are and the fact that they can put aside their intense competitiveness to be so friendly.

asgfkasgfksag I love that last part anon. fr I've found it so funny that the larrie carlandos class Oscar in with all the women they despise bc it threatens their ship. it's like sexy Brazilian woman, sexy European woman, sexy IG Baddie, and... Oscar.

that's wild though about lestappen having their own larries. how in the hell do ppl look at Charles and Carlos and even bother pretending they dislike let alone hate each other. we literally have real life F1 examples of teammates who are neutral/uninterested in each other w KMag and Hulk and teammates who bitterly hate each other w Ocon and Gasly. if Charles and Carlos were even in a dislike/disinterest category we wouldn't see them giggling and touching right up to the last day at Abu Dhabi this year. and side note but we also wouldn't see their gfs enjoying spending time together during races and events either, which Alex and Rebecca do.

I've seen that too it's insane. when has Lando NOT considered Silverstone the most important race on the calendar for him?? and nothing will beat his high over that podium until his actual win, nothing. (the fact that he kept saying how Oscar deserved to be up there with him was just the icing on the cake)

and like can they please just remember here that Lando was excited and happy on that podium in Singapore for himself as well???? that his own result meant more to him than a Ferrari driver?? yes he was happy for Carlos but Lando is sort of an actual F1 driver and if he could've knocked Carlos' ass aside and gotten that top spot for himself he very. much. would. have!! and that the double podiums that followed meant more to him bc y'know the team he drives for get more points?? carlando is a miniscule part of Lando's F1 career and Carlos is less a part of his life than Max V in terms of drivers who spend non-driving related time with him. after that being George, Alex and Daniel. and then Carlos.

yea honestly I'm not sure if the larry element has always been in carlando fandom and the latest Netflix/Liberty Media commercialization of the ship has just amplified it or if these are a bunch of new ppl who only go for the unhinged accounts. but that side of the ship literally view Lando as someone who responds to Carlos and does nothing else so huge shock that they try to override his actual choices and his actual race weekend with Carlos literally years after Carlos left him for Ferrari.

I'm guessing it's enraging watching Carlos do with Charles all the jokey sexual/romantic things they kept wanting him to do w Lando but sorry folks for all that we slow down certain moments and obsess over them sharing an umbrella to walk down the pit lane it's literally brotherly behavior. I've got another anon who brought up my tags of carlando being Charles and Arthur and it straight up is. all the physical carlando stuff is what they do. and I say this as someone who fully does twist all those carlando moments into something romantic/sexual lol. but gotta be able to keep that line between reality and fantasy.

fortunately Lando is chronically online enough to brush this crap off and Carlos just sees the carlando fan stuff as decent publicity. but fingers crossed it doesn't escalate even further to Sky Sports or F1 pushing it and fans getting so crazed that Lando or Carlos has to put their foot down. if it's already swamping McLaren social media and Lando's fan accounts then expect it to get even worse.

the lack of Oscar's presence in all of these places is probably the lamest thing bc good lord the guy has a long term gf can they all admit that as Lando's ACTUAL teammate he has more relevance to Lando's career than any former teammate? and can McLaren please get their act together next season and bring back Unboxeds and stop splitting up Lando and Oscar content when they never did this with Carlos or Daniel?? sorry Oscar ain't a wacky character but we all happen to love his dynamic with Lando.

you just answered that question anon and it's exactly why I can't believe they want carlando back as teammates. as things are we get to have a nice sprinkle of carlando content throughout the season and no drama! do they truly want silly challenges videos so badly that they want to watch the entire friendship sink like a stone now that Lando would be challenging and beating Carlos AND that now it would be Lando as first driver and not Carlos? the Sainz family's warmth is there bc they never had to see Lando as a direct competitor or hindrance to Carlos' success. they'd turn on him in a fucking second when Carlos didn't get an update and Lando did or Carlos wanted to change the car but Lando didn't or Lando was the reason why Carlos missed out on a podium. the main reason why Charles and Carlos work so well through the drama is that they're such similar people and can keep a level head and distance from it all. Lando is n o t h i n g like Charles' personality. Lando cannot translate frustration and misery into anything, it just sits with him until he does better. Carlos literally said he didn't know what to do with Lando when he'd get into those funks. imagine all the god awful repeats of that carlando "breakup" clip from 2021 bc Lando can't hide anything on his face and he'd be fed up with Carlos or his family or himself and christ.

it would be so. so very bad. can they at least be happy that Lando's got a nice placid easygoing guy in Oscar as a teammate and carlando content still rolls in.

I could def see the fact that Oscar is neither older brother or younger brother age for Lando and they do all the same gen z references and the same hobbies is probably part of whatever they perceive as a "threat". like it's still such a reach but it would explain the way Lando fan accounts try to post as little Lando with Oscar as possible but dredge up 2019 slowed down Carlos shoulder bumps and shit lol.

truly I personally don't know if the Oscar and Carlos dingdongs play much of a part for carlando fans bc honestly Carlos has quite a few regular enemies on the track alsgfjlsagf. by this time they've got to know that. Carlos sometimes can't drop the red mist even hours after a race so Oscar just happens to have come in for a share in his rookie season! but especially with how much Carlos has actually seemed to chum around with Oscar before and after drivers parades etc (even ignoring Lando a couple times to do so !!!!!! gasp horror etc)

side note that I'd honestly be glad if Oscar chose never to get into golf bc ohhhhh the shit fit if he went golfing at the same time as Lando and Carlos. even though Lando golfs with tons of people and they always play in fours anyway.

I still personally think that the mostly straight women who buy into the bromances to the point of thinking this is how gay relationships actually look are pretty cold toward Oscar bc even Lando has said that Oscar's brought out a new level in Lando's driving and that he likes how calm Oscar is. so the fact that Oscar and Lando aren't fake gaying it up and they're also not doing a bunch of physical touch that can be edited and slowed down to look gay to those women has got to look like Lando being I guess unhappy or like they have no chemistry. so they'll allow that Oscar can be cute sometimes and maybe sometimes he can be cute with Lando. for a treat. but that in their mind Lando is meh about Oscar and is just dying to have the guy back who... actively chose to leave ??

I never saw that cartoon but I remember one from the summer that had Lando and Oscar together in a boat - SHIP CONFIRMED???? CARLANDO OVER??

jesus christ thankfully the drivers never see these comments.

and yikes at the meltdowns over that Carlos trip to Monaco bc he was with Rebecca the whole time and rumors were that they were looking at apartments. I do hate myself for liking gossip but it's literally in a sit back and enjoy the madness way lol.

askfgakg anon are you by any chance part of the sainz family?

(if I didn't answer your ask here it's probably bc it's something I'd rather discuss privately/don't want to stir up in fandom. feel free to message me tho <3 tumblr may also have devoured it bc it still does that sometimes)

[terrence-silver]

Who do you think Terry lost his virginity to?

Two options I always leaned towards myself;

Logically, considering he could've been no older than seventeen or eighteen, give or take, he either lost it in Vietnam, much like countless other GI's at the time undoubtedly did, to some nameless sex worker(s), in some nameless brothel, in some city, town or village along the trail of the US war effort in the country. Possibly, after much encouragement and pushing from John and Ponytail who were convinced it was due time and that Twig needed a shove in the right direction. Believable. Some teensy-tinsy amount of peer pressure might've been involved, yes. Maybe not. Who is to tell? A bit of both?

Or, perhaps, years and years before he actually went off to the war, I can see Terry Silver's father as the overly patriarchal, hyper-traditionalist type there to ensure his boy became a man as soon as possible, especially if he deemed his son was already 'too soft', gentle and shy and 'needed fixing'. That extreme measures in these extreme circumstances needed to be taken to avoid his one and only heir from going bad, like a rotten apple; something he had to be coaxed out of a taught a lesson in true manhood 'before it is too late'. What ensued is possibly a criminally young Terry, again, brought to a sex worker or rather, lets call it a 'trusted friend of his father's' who did the job for him as young as age twelve or thirteen and it might've been an affair as clinical as a medical check-up. After all, Terry himself said he has had many teachers and his old man was definitely one of them, I think we all agree, but nobody said the things he was taught were anywhere near sane or even good, not even by the standards of the early to late 1950's when this could've taken place.

Also, I see these two options as something that can coexist side by side.

Terry, or, a young Twig during Vietnam simply lying he was still a virgin at the time he was in the military to his friends who would've undoubtedly teased him relentlessly when he, ironically, fidgety and boyish as he was lost his virginity sooner than any of them (even sooner than the buff, more classically manly, borderline All-American John Kreese himself who had a full-blown sweetheart back home in Betsy), but if he told them that was the case and that he already knew what the fuss was all about, they wouldn't believe him. That he's merely saying it to seem tough and save face. Avoid ridicule. That's what he might've felt. After all, they had a preconceived notion of him and that notion was that Twig was clumsy, silly, a bit of a sheltered haphazard and definitely the type that can't pull poontang or ladies, because hey, c'mon, he's a cute kid, but it is still Twig. Women ain't exactly lining up for some scrawny, lanky guy who is all limbs. In truth, he lost his virginity extremely early. One would even saying worryingly early. Worse yet, I can imagine that for the longest time (or maybe even all his life) Terry Silver was convinced he was done a favor with this early loss of innocence and that it helped strengthen him as a man. That that's how things should be. He became a winner instead of a wimp.

Which, if we open our third eye and tend to view what he, for example, gleefully did to a teenage Daniel Larusso back in the 1980's as a form of grooming (both into violence, bad habits and well --- god only knows) it also explains a lot. It was done to Terry once upon a time. Now, he is doing it to others. Perpetuating a multigenerational cycle of abuse. Hurt people hurt people. In Terry's case, though, he wouldn't necessarily even realize, admit or see himself as one of the hurt parties. Quite the contrary.

[mermaidsirennikita]

We need the full lashings against the margarita show

Honestly, I don't have much new to say except that it's actually such a bummer to see a book I love this much be turned into not only a bad adaptation, but a bad show. If it made a lot of changes but was well-written and created, I'd get over it. One example of an adaptation of a book I enjoyed that was a bad adaptation but a good movie is A Simple Favor--it's really not all that much like the book and has a totally different ending, but tbh? The stylistic choices made it better. This can be done. Interview with the Vampire (the show) changed a lot of things about the source material--the time period, Louis and Claudia's race and origins, a lot about Daniel, the explicit sexuality and romance of Louis and Lestat's relationship--but it honestly, for the most part, elevated the story.

But this is like... legitimately a super weak show. I've actually never experienced this before lol. Most of the books I truly love love love don't get turned into shows or movies, and those that have I'm usually pretty happy with. This is new for me!

(Also, wasn't Nicky an Italian prince in the book? This is such a non-issue, but I feel like random Italian royalty~ is way more believable than random Irish royalty. For fuck's sake, a Borghese "prince" was on THE BACHELOR. Beverly d'Angelo was married to an Italian prince. They're not that hard to find. WHERE ARE THESE IRISH PRINCES??)

Special callouts for the latest batch include:

--the "I don't regret that dress", an objectively cool, punchy line that absolutely sums up Daisy's character--a woman who's lived hard and wild and is aware that she's messy and feels bad about some things but also objectively enjoys certain aspects of living hard and perhaps misses them--getting flipped into "I don't regret that day". LOL. WHAT WAS THE REASON. That's what I don't get about so many adaptational choices. There's no fucking reason. No reason at all. It really feels, sometimes, that they want Daisy to be more approachable and everygirl when the point of her appeal is that she isn't approachable and everygirl. You aren't supposed to identify with Daisy; you're supposed to admire her, want to be her, and then realize that there is a catch to being as cool as Daisy. You also have to commit to being as fucked as she is.

--Simone's queer disco queen subplot was legitimately one of the most interesting things the show has given (the song was one of the better ones too, even if the lyrics were... still rough....) but ultimately, she still exists to go save Daisy and that sucks. Honestly surprised the show didn't replace Simone going there with more DaisyBilly fanservice. There's a lot the show sort of skirted around about Simone wanting to be successful as easily as Daisy, a privileged white woman, could be; how much she wanted to be open with her own truly committed lesbian relationship the way Daisy could be about her fly by night straight marriage. But rather than delving deep, we have Daisy literally going "IT'S LIKE YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH ME OR SOMETHING" a la Regina George.

And if Daisy had been sympathetic versus obnoxious up until this moment, if we'd had real investment in that friendship, I think it could've read as a slap in the face. Like "oh wow, this woman who seems cool and chill and impossibly chic is actually a fucking messy drug addict who, like many addicts, says ridiculously gross, fucked up shit in a moment, she is cool and she is chic and she is talented but she has a serious ugly side", which is something I think... Let's give an example. A Star Is Born (2019)! Did well. Yeah, you could make jokes about Jackson Maine pissing his pants, but to ME, the moment that rang as "oh this is ugly, even though he's been so lovely otherwise" is when he, while shitfaced and jealous, calls his wife, who he knows is insecure about her looks, ugly to her face. While she's naked in front of him. That scene, after you watch how loving and tender he is, even while fucked up, reads as a harsh slap. It's very realistic, if you've been around people who are otherwise loving and amazing, who struggle with addiction. They do that shit. It hurts. It doesn't necessarily invalidate who they are when they're in better places; which makes it hurt more.

Daisy has been so fucking obnoxious when she's... Sober? High but reading sober because the show hasn't gone in on how much of an addict Daisy is and their version of "functional heavy drug user" is "basically sober, maybe a little stoned"? That this moment just read as more of Daisy being obnoxious. Plus, a lot of this agency is taken from Daisy's hands, and we're told that Nicky is manipulating her. The thing is that Nicky was a total symptom in the book--he was a symptom of Daisy's addiction issues, her mental health problems, and her damage with Billy. He was not a cause. He may not have encouraged her to get better, he may have sped up some escalation, but honestly? Daisy was already a pretty fucking messy person before marrying him. Daisy was already showing up high and drinking throughout the day. She handled it worse on the tour, but a lot of that was touring and having to be around Billy while being in love with him and rejected by him. The show, imo, has done such a poor job of portraying the extent of Daisy's issues that it feels like they suddenly RAMP UP in these episodes, when in fact Daisy had always been an addict with PROBLEMS PROBLEMS, which is! A huge reason! Why Billy can't be with her. The show boils a lot of that down to Camila v. Daisy, and while Billy's love for Camila (and his kids) was a major roadblock... It's possible that if Billy and Daisy had met while he was married to Camila but without the addiction issue in hand? Maybe things would've been different. I don't know. Maybe. But Billy also literally wanted to be alive and a present father, and he could've done that had he and Camila broken up, but he couldn't have done that had he relapsed.

--I found the "Daisy in the shower with Billy" scene so funny. It was just so... corny. Like, this literally reads as bad fanfic. Camila is shuttled off to the side, barely present and mostly dealing with a guy who she isn't into. Billy is holding Daisy and going "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! NOAH THIS ISN'T YOU". It's so unbelievably corny. Billy in the book would've been wrecked about Daisy almost dying and then sublimated that by keeping his distance and then showing up to be like ".... so was it worth it? Almost dying for a bump" and then they would've either been completely cold or had some massive blowup about a song.

Similarly, the way Billy and Daisy fight on this show is so contrived lmao. A lot of the way they fought in the book was similar to how they expressed their love; the love was conveyed in lyrics and performance. The anger was conveyed into conflict about the music, which the show sorta does but it also has them getting up in each other's face to scream about Nicky, and it seems like they are BEGGING you to believe in the chemistry and I.... don't.

--The downplaying of Camila is very sad, and I find it endlessly hilarious that the show is all "pat us on the back, we champion diversity by having Simone go from The Black Best Friend to The Black Best Friend with a Minor Subplot, also Billy's Latina wife is going to be more complacent and mostly just sad about his cheating and probably die sooner also".

Again I say, as Warren and Camila speak Spanish to each other and Eddie gives us his best Nice Guy... If we were going to give Camila full affair.............. why not have it be Warren......

--Karen just announcing her relationship with Graham, which was a full secret in the book even decades later, in order to prop up Graham's ego.................. truly wild. Lol so much of Karen on the show is about male ego, it's ridiculous.

[httpiastri]

Hey!

I'm just on my way back from holiday and god, it was so hot 🙈 I am just not made for warm weather!

I checked twitter from time to time and silly season is definitely on a high right now lol... First of all, I am glad Daniel is back on the grid, but oh my god poor Nyck! Red bull is fucking ruthless :(

Also, it's really fascinating how apparently Lando is having discussions with every single team on the grid lol. I am not sure if I want him to stay with McLaren, he loves that team so much, but I wanna see him in a championship winning car so bad!! I am so interested to see how Hungary is going to go, even though I won't be able to watch it live. So I just hope the car stays so good (or redbull fucks up with their upgrades)

What about you? Do you have any predictions for next year's grid?

-✨

hello sweetheart, i’ve missed you!! did you have a nice holiday? 😚

same! i'm gonna try not to make this too long... i’m super happy for daniel, and it must suck to be nyck, but at the same time it’s all about the money (for the teams)… so it's not super surprising to me 🤷‍♀️ and the fact that the drivers can be replaced so easily is something that makes the sport what it is (=it's so competitive, only the absolute best of the best can have a seat) and i think that's something people have to remember. it sucks, but it's also a part of the sport... and like i've said before, it could've just as easily have been oscar (if he hadn't been the super rookie that he is 🥰) so i do really feel for nyck :((

lando!! i find it really interesting that there are so many rumors about him going around right now. personally, i would love to see him go to a better team because i really want to see what he could do in a better car. but it would also be a bit sad since he’s such a papaya boy :( but life moves on and as long as he moves to a better car, i’d be super happy for him!! i'm so excited to see the mclaren cars in hungary, i hope they stay great 😁

i'm bad with predictions lmao but i would really like to see some new rookies take place in f1 for next season. but the problem is... who would they replace?..... like i would love to see for example liam lawson or idk maybe vesti ?? but idk who would go out to make space for any of them 😭 what about you? what are your predictions & who would you like to see in the grid next year? 🥰

[f1-birb]

I'm angry. I do not like Mercedes, I actually despise them. I like Hamilton, seems like a hood guy, but I can't stand the team or Russel. I used to like Russel until this year when I now do not like him at all, I don't think he deserves this win after all the things he's done to other drivers these last few races. I am terrified Mercedes will be a front runner team again, I don't want that, I want to cry thinking about it. And the fact that Russel won before Hamilton is just so frustrating, I would be happier to see Hamilton win.

And alpine, its mostly cause I'm a mclaren fan that I hate the team. I have nothing against Ocon and Alonso is Alonso yknow but the team makes my blood boil. I can't stand them.

Now redbull, my opinion on redbull is alright but I really like Max. I'm happy for him to win the championship and I don't know what happened this race. He's been off in both the sprint and today. It almost feel like Max from last year is back when he just seemed to desperate. But this year its for no reason. He could've won today I belive if it wasn't for the incident with Hamilton. About that incident too, I don't think it was Maxs fault, from what I've seen he was ahead and Hamilton left him no space. I'm just so frustrated.

And now Mclaren. Daniel messed up on lap one but I don't have any expectations of him anymore so I don't really care. But Lando drove well, he had a great start and fought good with the ferrari. I understand the penalty for colliding with Charles but I'm still sad of course. And I'm so angry at mclaren for creating an abomination of a car that Lando has managed to get a fucking podium in. He knows the team is relying on him to win and has driven three race while sick!!!! That's not okay. I'm also a bit angry at Daniel for being this shitty that Lando has had this pressure on him. Mclarens entire year has been on Landos shoulders and that can't be good mentally on our boy. He doesn't deserve that. He deserves a good team that can give him a good car. How hard can that be?

Ughhhhhh

I suppose that's all my thoughts about the race. Sorry if it seemed a bit too angry sometimes but I'm still very upset.

Firstly I hope being able to vent made you feel a little better <3

Second, we feel the same way about a lot of things from this race and this season but I will summarise:

Same thoughts about Merc, was raised a Merc hater and shall stay one. I've only warmed up to Lewis in recent years tbh, but like you I really liked George at Williams (bar the incident with VB which I still get prickly over) and since he's been at Merc I've slowly liked him less. He's made certain comments and there have been several incidents, particularly Singapore and since that have made me change his cute tag to one less cute, but I can't fault him today. For Q3 absolutely I'll fault him and will claim that helped him today, but he did a good job and I can't deny him the race win

Alpine, same hat, don't hate their drivers but they're a threat to McLaren and since my boy's there that's my team (and it was my team even back in 10-12 with JB and LH even though at the time I could not stand LH)

RB is where we differ a little, I can't stand the team and I have extremely mixed feelings on it. I don't hate Max but I'm certainly not his biggest fan, and I think he and Lewis bring out the worst in each other on track. I think Max has been getting incredibly frustrated while driving not in his usual spots this season, or at least since summer break. Singapore a classic example with the safety car incident and the lock up (both of which I was angry over because Lando was at risk) - tbh I wouldn't have cared either way if either, both, neither of them got a penalty for that incident // EDIT: having seen Max's comments post-race he's in time out until further notice

McLaren..... big sigh. Idk what they did between the 35 and 36 but whatever it is IT AINT IT. Lando had a fantastic start, especially since he's had some rocky ones this season, and I'm so glad they replayed it, and he was driving very well considering he felt like absolute shit and has done since Thursday. The incident with Charles was just that, an incident in my opinion, and the fact I'm hearing that Charles stans are sending Lando hate and even death threats is so disgusting but I honestly can't expect much better (and much like with staniels I am fully aware it's not all Charles fans). Lando has consistently dragged that tractor into the points, put it a lot higher up the grid than it deserves, and even managed a podium in it which is incredible, and I feel bad he's had to carry the team for basically two years, especially this year with how much they've had to fight with Alpine and it's basically been him alone

And Daniel.... if I speak, I am in big big big trouble because boy do I have words and only some of them are nice

That's all my feelings out for today but if anyone wants to rant, vent, chat, feel free to drop in my inbox

[from-ultra-space]

Tollheart- Various Random Notes By Dan Richardson Delivery of these notes brought to you by the courtesy of Andrew Prower (not associated with PRT) Original notes were recorded in 2016. 8/7 While I have been staying here, I have had the strange desire to study, study, and study yet some more. This region is a vast and curious thing, not all too far from Unova. All you need to do is go a little further south, and boom!* 8/28 We have a few islands or our own, including one that holds a regional headquarters of Alola's very own Aether Foundation. The foundation- assisted by gifted scientist Andrew B. Prower, seem to be researching two things primarily, from what Steinberg has told me. Ultra Space is a thought, of course, but they seem to be building something. Steinberg isn't sure what. (if he is, he certainly isn't telling me) ...I might already know. 9/04 Hector Finch and the rest of the gang have been absent a lot lately, and I'm not sure why... ...Maybe they know the secret.9/07 This region is home to many species of Pokémon, all of which can be found in other regions. This is not to say our ecosystem is boring- it's quite unique when you really study it (not that I've had much time, a certain incident with Cyrus has impeded my research) Many towns in this region are named after other regions' towns, and our culture is quite diverse. 10/01 Here in this region, strange phenomena happen quite a lot. For example, just the other day I could've sworn I saw an object next on my bedside table that said "Raptor" on it, but by the next morning it was gone. Weird, huh? Oh well, not really my concern. ...still, though, why is that so familiar? 10/08 Zero talked to me today, and called me by "Fawkes," but that's not my last name. My last name is Richardson! ...right? 10/14 Cold. Dark. Vast. Bleak. I remember Ultra Space in this way, and it was... unpleasant. Why was I there, though? Why can't I remember? Something is very wrong. I remember... A monster. But more than anything, I remember him. 11/07 Hector is... Acting strange, lately. He, too, lost his memory, but I don't know how. perhaps he, too, was a victim of his actions? 12/08 who is Valian? why is he here? my head hurts... 12/25 Turns out his last name isn't Finch, it's Turo. why does that sound... so familiar? 12/28 Guzzlord. it... it's here? or is it? this other place has a version of it, but not the real thing, but maybe it is? ...ugh. I'm going back to bed. 2/13, 2017 My name is Daniel Richardson Fawkes. I remember now. but... what is Raptor? I feel like I should know... ...and I already do.

(End of notes) // *Tollheart would be located in the far northern parts of South America (technically, Central America. whatever.) in real life, very slightly crossing into the States and crossing into the main continent quite a bit for reference. This region does not exist in any official Pokémon media and was made up for the purposes of the Paradox Research Team blog. -Jade

These are… interesting entries and I will make sure that Jania and Pikeo receive them. One thing to note is that there are many dates missing and the writer is leaving out information and unreliable at best. Granted, I cannot blame anyone very much for that, especially given how disorienting losing your memories is. I would know from experience, both in helping fallers and my own life. I could not imagine how terrible it must have been without a group like the Ultra Recon Squad to help.

[racingtoaredlight]

It's Hard to Talk About Classical Guitars

It's really hard to describe what these instruments sound like when you can't hear them in person.

Really, they all sound the same. They all look pretty much the same. When you record them, send them through an interface, digitally upload them and listen to them on a laptop or phone...how in the fuck can you get an idea of what these things sound like? Let alone feel like?

It's a box with strings. That's pretty much it. Luthiers over generations have eschewed moving outside this box, or really making any meaningful alterations to it...and what this has done has obscured the work of the greatest instrument makers in the guitar world.

Last month, I talked about my experience playing an Antionio Marin Montero guitar that cost $12,500. He's a 93 year old guy who's been making guitars for over SEVENTY YEARS. There was magic in this instrument that I can describe, but it does nothing to give you a sense of what it was like in person.

Lets break the EQ into 3 groups. The basses were fucking intense, robust, humongous...yet crystal clear without a hint of flubbiness. The mids were powerful, the projection akin to holding a 50 cal Desert Eagle after shooting a 9mm all morning. The trebles were silky smooth, buttery even, but they were never lost or lacked authority. The balance between each EQ class was perfection. Nothing overwhelmed another. I could go from whisper quiet to full-throated roar in an instant simply by thinking about it.

It was the Platonic ideal of what a guitar should be, made by a guy who apprenticed amongst luthier royalty over his septagenarian career. It was so Spanish, you could smell the paella.

I played a Matthias Damman double top. This is a double top.

As loud as the Montero was? This thing was preposterous to the point of being unnecessary (of course, I'm not a concert guitarist trying to fill a huge hall with no mic). You have mm-thin top, a honeycomb layer made out of this stuff called Nomex, and another mm-thin layer underneath.

Let me show you a picture of just how thin these luthiers can get this wood...keep in mind, this is not the most obvious impactful example I could've chosed...it was one that was kinda just normal.

These tops are carved so preposterously thin, that if you put a light behind it, you can see through both tops and the Nomex layer. And this isn't just "carving wood thin"...these tops are the lifeblood of the entire instrument. They're tuned to specific pitches to accentuate harmonics and overtones. Those thin tops need to be robust enough to handle the highest tension strings manfuacturers make without buckling or compromising it's integrity.

You can't see any of this.

If you were in person, you could hear it unamplified down the street.

You can't see the bracing...

At the top, you have an example of Robert Bouchet's bracing. Below is Daniel Friederich fan bracing (he experimented voluminously). The third pic is an Antonio Marin Montero. Below that is a Gregory Smallman lattice bracing. The last pic is an example of a variety of famous lutheirs' preferred styles.

Bouchet's two most prized pupils were Daniel Friederich and Antonio Marin Montero. You can see that, despite their mentorship, there's still differences in how these guys choose to brace their guitars.

What the brace does is impact how the top vibrates, and if the top is the guitar's lifeblood, then the bracing is it's DNA.

Lattice bracing allows luthiers to carve their tops even thinner (without going the double-top route), and project preposterously well. There are infinite ways to do this. Spainish style guitars typically have super-thin tops with heavier bracing. But that's not the only way...

Take the Germans.

I've talked a lot about how the Spanish-influenced guys carve tops super thin. The Germans, specifically Hermann Hauser I, took the opposite approach. Notice how thick the bracing is on the examples above...

It's the opposite on this Hauser top. Hausers (and Germans) typically favor tops about 1mm thicker than their typical spanish counterparts...and that width is typically in the middle of the soundboard. But the big difference is they typically use much, much lighter, thinner bracing.

The thin bracing allows the top to vibrate more like a thinner top, while altering the EQ. While Spanish guitars are known for their incredible bass and chime-like trebles with rich overtones, German guitars are known for being perfectly balanced and extremely responsive to technical adjustments.

The genius of all these differences is, at the end of the day whether you have a Spanish, French or German guitar, if it was made by one of these luthiers (or their apprentices), it'll get the job fucking DONE.

It's just really hard to tell the difference unless you're there in person.

I really like Spanish guitars. I really like German guitars. I really like French guitars. They're all aesthetically different, have their own characteristics, and sonically versatile...and all this comes down to preference.

When I played the Montero, it beat the living shit out of every other guitar I tested...German, French, English or otherwise. His nephew's guitar...a guy in his 70's who has 50+ years of experience next to his uncle...was phenomenal, but I put the $11,500 guitar in the discard pile anyways.

The German and French models I played felt cold. They didn't vibrate against my body like the Montero, they didn't raise the hair on my arms and neck. Maybe they needed more breaking in, but the Montero certainly didn't.

I played a $16,500 used model from one of the world's great luthiers who's based in Canada. This woman really tries to push the envelope into modernity, makes incredible instruments, and her guitar came with a $2,000 carbon fiber flight case. Discard pile compared to the 90-year old Spainard's.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter where your guitar was built, it matters who built it and where they learned from. Spanish guitar god Andres Segovia played a ton of Spanish music on a Hauser to the point that guitar is a permanent exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But what does matter is that these guys have been making guitars with a lineage that traces back centuries, with skills honed by decades of apprenticeship, and an acute eye for what the purpose of these things is. You're in good hands no matter if you're playing a Montero, a Hauser, a Friederich...or the modern masters that learned from them personally, or by tearing their guitars apart.

The point is, these guys make some incredible shit. And it's a bummer that they all look pretty much the same, they all sound the same thru shitty digital vehicles, and unless you're in the room, you don't realize just how crazy their shit is.

[messymindofmine]

You know, the more I think about it, the more it doesn't surprise me at all that Johnny's version of the events leading up to this season make Robby out to be the unreasonable kid who didn't let anyone help him. Johnny is the type of person who will blame everyone else before himself and we already know he had a tendency to alter the truth to make himself look better. He even does this in his own mind. He did this for decades with his rivalry with Daniel. He actually managed to convince himself that he was the victim in that scenario. That Daniel "stole" his girlfriend when Ali was already very interested in Daniel from the first time they met and Johnny behaved like a jackass the whole time. The in Cobra Kai, his entire guilt about Robby is rooted in his own feelings rather than guilt for causing his son pain. So it's actually no surprise at all that his version of what happened when Robby was on the run is very different from what actually happened. I wouldn't be one but surprised if in Johnny's mind, he really does think that he made a real effort to look for Robby and is actually not even thinking about how he had to be guilted into it by Daniel and how he bailed almost immediately. So when he says this to Robby, he's only thinking of himself and not the actual truth nor is he thinking about Robby but that's a given with Johnny anyway. I did think it was retconning when I saw the spoiler but having watched the whole season and taking the context of the whole show into consideration, it's actually pretty consistent with Johnny's character. He's always bent the truth into what's convenient for him and in their scene he is outright using it against Robby. He makes Robby feel as though he should be the to feel guilty for not accepting Johnny's help when the simple truth of the matter is that Johnny just did not do anything to help him at all. Hell on the occasions that Robby did approach Johnny, Johnny was still so wrapped up in himself that he completely ignored what Robby was saying to him. And when Robby challenged him, he simply retreated into himself again. For example, when Robby came to Johnny in s4 about Hawk, yes Robby said he didn't plan on staying but Johnny could've at the very least insisted that Robby come in. Instead, he took the opportunity he had and turned it around onto Robby and started going on about Kreese. And then when Robby pushed back, he straight up told him that he was busy and if there was nothing else then Robby should leave. Funny how Johnny apparently doesn't remember any of that right? And it actually works out really well for Johnny bc Robby has always been all too willing to put the blame onto himself for everything. We can see how hearing Johnny's version of how they went looking for him affects him. Johnny himself remains as indifferent to Robby as always. He says "look I'm sorry" as though it's an inconvenience he needs to get out of the way so he can get down to business. In this scene alone, he told Robby a half-baked version of the truth (if not a total lie) and made Robby feel guilty then acted like the very act of talking to Robby was an inconvenience for him. We can see Robby changing himself right from that moment actually to fit into what Johnny wants. Now that Johnny has made him feel guilty about something that he absolutely should not be feeling guilty about at all, he feels the need to ingratiate himself to Johnny. He recognizes that Johnny's barely even interested in talking to him the way he was behaving before (even though Robby's behavior was 100% reasonable" and so changes his behavior to fit what Johnny would want. Regardless of whether Johnny realizes it or not, through that conversation alone, he sparked a fear in Robby's heart that went on to get even worse as the season progressed. To the point that Robby in this entire season became nothing more than a doormat to be used at everybody else's convenience

[atlasdoe]

My main two problems with season four of lab rats

Hello, my name is Ace and I have been a fan of lab rats since it was first airing 10 years ago and looking back on the show I’ve always prefered seasons 1-3 over season 4. As time went on I just assumed that it was because I was growing up and had outgrew the silliness of disney sitcoms but upon rewatching all four seasons back to back in the past week I’ve realised that their are two main problems with season four that really bug me so I decided to plague you all with my thoughts.

1) The students 

The biggest difference between season four to the three previous seasons is the fact that season four takes place in an academy. With this big change comes a lot of little ones, one of the biggest loses in my opinion was that Adam Bree Chase and Leo were now supirior figures and not a group of reckless teenagers messing up their dads inventions. 

Something that stayed the same was the lack of speaking recurring characters and that the extras never talked.

During the first three seasons this was easy to explain: the Davenport kids weren’t popular and kept to themselves mostly so it made sense for them to not have many interactions with people outside of their family. But when they’re teaching a bunch of kids with nothing to hide it becomes a lot more noticeable that none of these students ever talk.

Throughout the season eight of the students have some form of importance/speaking roles

Sebastian

Lexi

Tank

Spin

Bob

Kate

Taylor

Logan

Out of these eight characters only two appear in more then three episodes, those being Spin and Bob (though Spin only lasts for five episodes) the rest are used for one storyline and then dropped completely.

Bob is the only student to have a speaking role throughout the season and he's a very one note character, he's there to bounce off of Adam and is personally one of my favorite additions to the show but when you look at the bigger picture so much was lost with only giving us one real student character.

These kids have been through a lot. It’s unclear really of what they have been through but in season three they refer to each other as brothers and sisters and have no memory apart from that fact, I feel like if Disney had played with this more we could've gotten some really interesting dynamics apart from them sometimes acting like they hardly know each other.

The students in the academy are as disinterested in the Davenports as the students in Mission Creek and its quite annoying when the writers refuse to give any of the students personalities or voices. There are multiple times throughout the show where they should’ve had some say. For example when Chase used the override app on his students I think it would have meant so much more if one of them had something to say about it instead of them all just letting Chase do whatever he wants. One of the main statements that get repeated a lot when referring to Adam Bree and Chase is “Their not just science projects, they're teenagers,” but with the students it feels like the opposite.

This might not be that big of a deal or stand out as much if the students did not play such a huge part in season four. The whole season is pretty much dedicated to them and multiple episodes revolve around them, including the last episode of Lab Rats ever.

The main conflict of that episode is that all of the students have began to disappear (hence the name “The Vanishing”)  so the main characters go after them and in all honesty I couldn’t care less about the students.

We don’t even get to see the small amount of characters that we had already met, the only students that have speaking roles in that episode is Bob and Daniel and while watching the episode I began to realise how little sense it made that the two youngest and less trained people in the room were the only ones doing anything.

It’s actually funny watching a 13 year old boy who has just shown up take the leadership role amongst a bunch of teenagers who are clearly not only older then him but way stronger and more trained, yet for some reason Daniel (and Bob) are the only ones concerned about anything thats going on, the others aren't even listening to them they're just all in their own groups talking. 

I don't know if anyone reading this has watched the movie Chicken Run but in that movie the plot in the beginning is that theres this farm of chickens and despite they all know they’re in danger and are at risk of being killed at any moment only one of them is trying to escape while the rest of them just watch this one chicken try to get out and hope for the best without actually being that bothered if they succeed or not. That's what watching the students in this episode felt like.

It would've been so cool to see the original four spend an entire season teaching these kids everything they learnt about in the past three seasons and then see the students use what they learnt against Gisselle rather then just watch Bob make jokes and Daniel (who has only been in one previous episode) do all the talking, which brings me onto my next point.

2) Daniel

Yeah we all saw this coming. 

Now don’t get me wrong I actually really like Daniels character and enjoyed the scenes that he was in. The problem was that there was literally no reason for him at all.

Daniel is introduced when there are only two hour long episodes left of the entire show, one of these episodes he doesn’t even appear in, the only logical reason that I can think of for them including Daniel was to introduce him for elite force but he isn’t even in elite force at all. 

In fact you could tell me that the actor playing Daniel had been a contest winner who got to appear in their favorite show and I wouldn’t question it at all because it doesn't even make sense if they were running out of ideas. There were only four episodes left surly they could’ve thought of anything else. 

Daniel sort of ruins the entire ending to the show. We had just spent four seasons watching the sibling bond between Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo grow and develop into (at least in my opinion) one of the best on screen sibling relationships. To randomly add another sibling and then not even do anything with him was beyond lazy because unlike the introduction of Douglas the show clearly wasn’t planning this until the last minute.

Not only do I think that it would’ve made more sense if Douglas had gone after Daniel while he was still evil opposed to giving bionics to random people he met off the streets or making androids (like in avalanche where he tried to recruit Chase) but it also makes no sense when you look at Adam Bree and Chase.

Firstly there's the problem with the timeline. Douglas claims that when Donald took Adam Bree and Chase, Daniel was just a baby, meaning that Daniel already existed when Donald took the trio. He then says that Daniel is currently 14 years old. But in season 3 during the episode you posted what, Donald says that he’s had Adam Bree and Chase in the lab for 16 years. So at that time Daniel had to had been at least 16 if he already existed when Donald took them.

Not only does it not make sense with the time but it doesn’t make sense with the abilities either. Starting with Chases override app where he can control Adam and Bree. It makes sense that he can control Adam and Bree because they are his siblings but why can’t he do it to Daniel. Keeping in mind that obviously Douglas was never planning on having them be seperated. In addition to this you have the part in rise of the secret soldiers where Adam Bree and Chase combine their bionics to defeat Krane. Why would you only need three of the four siblings to do that? 

You could argue that since Daniel was created after Chase that Douglas just never thought of that or never got round to adding Daniel to Chases apps but still.

Another thing is I don’t like his powers. Maybe if Daniel had something that none of the other bionic kids had his existence would make more sense writing wise but his ability is literally just using anyone elses ability. It adds nothing new to the power dynamics of the show. 

Also if we go back to the vanishing it infuriates me even more. Daniel’s role in the vanishing should’ve been given to Leo. And it would’ve made a lot more sense if it was.

Not only is Leo THE MAIN CHARACTER (which too many people seem to forget) but ending his arc the way they ended Daniels (if you could call it an arc) would’ve had a lot more pay off.

So imagine if the finale went like this.

Leo gets ahead of himself and gives himself and wants the upgrade so he figures out a way to give it to himself. (going back to Leos development as a inventor which has been growing throughout the seasons)

Leo goes missing along with the rest of the students

Leo is the one to take charge with the students and is the one doing the most to get them out (and even though there's still the problem with the students doing fuck all it makes a little more sense since Leo is a mentor rather then Daniel who is, like I said, the least trained.)

Giselle uses Leo as bait (much more effected since we actually care about Leo)

The only thing I can’t get round is how Adam, Bree, Chase and the students escape without Leo but I’m sure we can figure something out.

Marcus reveals himself and starts hurting Leo in front of Donald.

(Something that I loved in season one was Donald and Leos relationship. Donald wanted so badly to be a good step father to Leo and I really enjoyed their dynamic. As seasons went on we saw less and less of them and I think having Donald and Leos father/son relationship be a main focus would be a much better option then Douglas, Marcus and Daniel considering we only just met Daniel and haven't seen Marcus for two seasons)

In the end Leo defeats Marcus (WHICH IS HOW IT SHOULD’VE BEEN ANYWAY!!!! WHAT PAY OFF DO WE HAVE BY SEEING THE NEW GUY DEFEAT ONE OF THE OLDEST VILLAINS??)

This is jsut my personal opinion but I do believe that this would be a much better ending for not only Leo but the whole show rather then what Leo really ends up doing (which tbh I can’t even remember what he does in that episode apart from getting the bionic kids out)

Overall Daniel just makes no sense whatsoever and takes away more from the show then he adds to the point where the majority of the Lab Rats fans I have spoken to either forget that he exists all together or just simply refuse to acknowledge his existence. He’s a cool character and I like his personality but in the end a fourth/fifth Davenport siblings was the last thing the show needed.

Anyways, yeah thats my overcomplicated rant of a season of a children's tv show that aired ten years ago. Cheers for reading if you’re still here and feel free to tell me if you agree or disagree. Please remember that this is just my opinion and if you loved season 4 there is obviously nothing wrong with that I’m just a twat on the internet :)

[justaredheadf1fan]

Hungaroring giveth after Paul Ricard become a good thing for once

Well, heyaaah!

I'm absolutely melting and apparently in Hungary is basically cold and shitty, so my plans of going to the Hungaroring in the future might be melting along with myself at the moment. Yes, I love rainy races but while I'm at home, preferably 😂

Now in all seriousness, that fucking cloud better not fuck with Lewis and George. Those clouds... me no likey 😅 Carlos' face during the Hungary anthem is sending me 😂

George starts perfectly defending like a fucking lion, I love my dear Giorgio he's so fucking good it hurts. But right after the start we have a Virtual Safety because Albon crashed into Seb and there was some debries, but after the Green Flag George just floored it like a mad man. Jesus Christ, this is too much.

Then we have fucking Lando pushing Lewis off track. I mean, kid, disappear already, I'm asking nicely. And when Alonso really needs to do his thing and keep Inbred Frog behind he flops. Are you kidding me?

Norris flopping when Lewis passed him and being passed also by Verstapppen, I mean... Meh. I saw it coming, anyway, no surprise there.

Carlos called to box but stays out, Mercedes as usual with a shitty stop, and now Carlos does stop and Ferrari fucks it up too. STOP THE COUNT, LEWIS P2 AND GEORGE P3, STOP THE COUNT!!!

Estie Bestie stops, giving Lewis 5h and leaving him to hunt him down, AND NOW DANIEL EATS UP BOTH ALPINES AT THE SAME TIME, YES!!!!!

And that attempt from Charles to overtake George, that was unbelievable! Both Charles' attack and George's defence, it was absolutely wild! AND AGAIN! THIS IS RACING, PEOPLE! Charles can't do it right now, George is fighting with everything he has and I can't take this. Charles finally got it, he had to throw him ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. I'm sad for George, but that battle was wonderful. And that's how you drive, Verstappen. That is Formula 1.

Hungaroring 2021 vibes with Estie Bestie and Seb fighting. Please, Esteban, I need Seb on the points. He finally does, Seb goes through!

Ferrari and Mercedes stopping Charles and George respectively. What is this? A clown show, that's what it is. Max goes through to P3, after Scuderia Clowneria's new fuck up.

AND VERSTAPPEN SPINS, YES! Perez covers him, BUT WHAT GOOD DOES THAT DO AGAINST GEORGE! Now Verstappen after Leclerc again, I just hope Charles can keep his place this time, but those tyres... And then goes through again. Fuck this. DNF, I'm saying it, Max needs to DNF so fucking bad.

Daniel and Stroll colliding... for fuck's sake guys. Carlos has a shitty stop AGAIN. Very nice. Although Mclaren and Ferrari hating on Daniel and Charles giving them hard tyres... If that's not hate, I don't know what is, honestly.

Charles called to box... Ferrari, seriously. I don't know how this people are still a winning team every now and then. The only thing now that could make this better is a "losing power" from Verstappen. For example.

Sir Lewis Hamilton smelling blood. This is good. As good as it gets, at least. and he does it, HE GOES THROUGH CARLOS!!!!! And now he hunts George, which could be fun but I believe Mercedes, Lewis being fastest, should let him through, but they're losing too much time. Had they done this a little earlier, they might have not been on time to hunt Max, but they maybe they would have.

Max Verstappen winning another race thanks to a Safety Car? I'm having flashbacks and not the good kind. Because Lewis could've closed down on him for sure, he is the fastest on track today.

"Max, I didn't expect to interview you as a winner." Yeah, no one did expect this bullshit 🤷🏻‍♀️ He looks at Lewis on the podium like he wants him to pay attention to him, he just needs to be in Lewis' mind or what?

Anyway, marvelous podium once more for my babies now onto the summer break. Let's hope the second half of the season goes much better.

If there's any interesting news along the way, you'll see me around, but for now...

Peace out!