#mi 10 launch

[vinvantae]

How the current f1 grid would react coming home from a race to find you’d fallen asleep on the sofa waiting for them to come home.

So this is me trying to get back into the groove, hope you like it! All just a bit of fun 🥰

There’s now a part 2!

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

Below the cut because I don’t want to flood your dash 💙💙

#1 Max Verstappen

Max’s reaction would be entirely dependent on when his last Redbull was. If he was feeling just as sleep deprived as you, he’d squeeze onto the sofa with you and snuggle up beside you - smiling to himself as you grumbled into his chest about how much you’d missed him before the two of you dozed off, both eventually waking up with sore backs. But if he’d thrown back his millionth Redbull on the plane, just to ensure he was awake enough to see you - he would for sure prod his fingers into your sides, tickling you until you were squealing for him to stop, the biggest shit eating grin on his face. Max Emillian! Get those hands off of me! Before he’d kiss you deeply, showing you just how much he’d missed you.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#2. Logan Sargeant

After draping a blanket over you, he’d cosy himself up in the adjacent armchair and distract himself with the TV on quietly or something on his phone until you woke up. And as you groggily moved from the sofa to the armchair, curling yourself up in his lap - complaining that he should’ve woken you up, it’s been too long without you, he’d simply smile and kiss your forehead. He’d then listen to you yap away about what he’d missed while he was gone, but truthfully, even when you were asleep your company was enough, because even if he felt lonely on the grid sometimes - he never felt like that with you.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#3. Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel would stand over your sleeping body for a few moments - torn between waking you up because he misses you or just letting you sleep a while. But feeling particularly selfish after not the best race, he’d crouch next to your face and gently stroke his thumb over your cheek whilst calling your pet name to get your attention. And seeing your eyes light up at the sigh of him, launching yourself from your comfy spot on the sofa into his arms would make him forget all his worries - even for just a minute. You’d kiss all over his face, making him laugh. G’day to you too, Sheila, miss me that much?

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#4. Lando Norris

He wouldn’t even get the chance to notice you sleeping, hollering out your name as he came through the front door - kicking off his shoes and dumping his suitcase too was more than plenty to wake you up. As he comes into the living room to see you sitting up and rubbing your eyes - he’d wince and apologise for waking you, I am sooooo sorry, babe. Am I forgiven?, before coming over to give you a kiss. But you’d smile, rolling your eyes playfully and say you wouldn’t have him any other way before hauling him down onto the couch to join you.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#10. Pierre Gasly

Pierre is a needy boyfriend - of course he’d never admit it but you and anyone with a pair of eyes could see it. He craved your attention so waking you up was something he would do without even thinking - just to get a kiss. So when you feel the sofa dip and a warm hand come up to rest on your shoulder, you let your eyes flutter open to see him smiling down at you. Bonjour, mon amour, I’ve missed you. And as he leans down to kiss you, you can’t help but playfully rib him for waking you up just for an ounce of attention.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#14. Fernando Alonso

You wouldn’t even realise he was home until he’d placed a mug of your favourite hot drink on the coffee table. He was so quiet on his feet that he had a habit of making you jump so when you heard the soft Mi Amor of your lover, you jolted awake. Nando, you’re home - why didn’t you wake me sooner? He’d simply smile and hand you your drink, saying he didn’t want to disturb you and that it gave him time to unpack. As you sit up to drink, he’d nestle himself beside you and drape an arm across your shoulders, before the two of you would fall into a conversation about his weekend.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#16. Charles Leclerc

Charles endeared you like no one else - every time he came home late from a race weekend, determined not to wake you, he always found himself dropping something or accidentally closing a door too loud. He wanted to let you sleep but this time it was the jar of coffee and the tiled floor that were his biggest enemy. Most people would freak at the sound of breaking glass while they slept, but to you it was the sign your clumsy boyfriend was home. He’d apologise profusely as you stepped into the kitchen with a tired smile on your face but you’d simply step around the glass to take his face in your hands and kiss him, getting rid of any worry.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#18. Lance Stroll

With a gentle touch to your knee and a soft whisper of your name, Lance would smile to himself as you stretched out and yawned - matching his smile as you sat up to hug him. Before he’d reach into his bag and pull out something he’d seen he knew you’d love. You’d always scold him for buying you things but there was nothing Lance loved more than picking you out something from each country he visited. And you could never stay mad when you opened it, your boyfriend was the most thoughtful gift giver and never had he put something tasteless in your lap. And boy, did he love reaping the reward.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#20. Kevin Magnussen

Coming home to a quiet house was rare for Kevin, so when he did - the driver did everything in his power to keep it that way. Knowing you’d somehow got the kids to sleep despite his pending return home, it was not something worth risking. So when he found you asleep on the sofa, clearly in an attempt to wait up for him as evidenced by the half drunk cup of coffee and the book splayed across your chest, he’d slide his arms underneath you and take the two of you to bed. Your body so tired that you barely registered the movement, only curling up into his chest once his strong arms wrapped around you.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#22. Yuki Tsunoda

It was usually the smell of something cooking that woke you, no matter the hour - Yuki could never resist whipping both of you up something delicious because the plane home always made him hungry. So as you padded to the kitchen to peer over his shoulder, what’s cooking good lookin’? He’d apologise for waking you but would offer you a taste of whatever delicious food he’d decided to make and that was more than enough of an apology. And once you were up, you could sit contently on the counter as he rambled away about his weekend.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#23. Alex Albon

After taking various photos of you snoozing, including an awful 0.5x close up that you’d have to wrestle his phone out of his hand to stop him posting to instagram once you discovered it, he’d wedge himself in behind you and wrap his arms around you - pressing a kiss to your warm forehead. Missed you he’d whisper gonna put you in my pocket next time, bring you with me. His long fingers tracing up and down your spine as you pressed your cheek against his chest, just enjoying the feelings of his arms around you once again. Not quite ready to wake up but determined to make the most of your time with him.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#24. Zhou Guanyu

Thankfully, Guanyu was always quiet on his feet - moving around your shared space like he was floating on air, laying your favourite fluffy blanket over your body before checking the house for any remaining chores. But of course you’d done them all, and well he had missed you, so disturbing you just enough to move your head onto his lap so he could stroke his fingers through your hair was his next move. Watching the way you almost purred and pushed into his touch. How long have you been back? He’d simply brush his finger down the slope of your nose. Not long, want to head up to bed? Be comfier there.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#31. Esteban Ocon

Mon lapin? Where are you? Esteban cursed under his breath when he realised he’d woken you up by calling out - but the guilt faded when you smiled giddily at him. Estie, mon amour, come here. Your arms outstretched for the Frenchman, giggling with glee when he practically launched himself into your arms - showering your face with kisses. He always missed you endlessly when you couldn’t join him on a race weekend, FaceTime couldn’t compare to the feeling of having you wrapped up with him.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#44. Lewis Hamilton

Lewis was almost shocked when you and Roscoe didn’t greet him at the door, you loved making sure the old pup was there to greet his Dad. But after gently pushing off his shoes, leaving his luggage to deal with later, he moved into the lounge to find you and the bulldog curled up together on the sofa - Roscoe’s large head on your chest, little tail wagging as soon as he laid eyes on Lewis. Hey buds, looking good! He’d whisper, giving him a scratch. You and Mama having a good nap, huh? He’d smile as you stretched your arms out above your head, his name leaving your lips softly before he lent down to kiss you. Let me make us some tea.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#55. Carlos Sainz

Carlos always craved your touch, but when the two of you had to spend time apart - he felt like his skin was on fire. So as he stepped into your home and found you dozing on the sofa he couldn’t help but feel his shoulders slump for just a moment before kneeling beside you - letting his tanned fingers trace up the exposed skin of your legs. Corazón, I’m home. You blinked hard a few times to wake yourself up but before you could even think, his strong arms scooped you up and off the sofa. Carlos! You’d laugh, as he tossed you on the bed, crawling between your legs, his lips tugged into a smirk. I’ve been without you for too long, Mi Vida. Need you.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#63. George Russell

You hadn’t even realised George was home, but when you woke up - both of you were dozing in bed, the Brit had moved you upstairs, somehow without waking you up. George, love? How come you didn’t wake me? His long arms would wind around you and pull you in close, nuzzling his face into your neck - warm breath fanning across your skin. You just looked so peaceful and I was tired so I thought we may as well just sleep. You hummed, pushing your fingers through his hair with a gentle smile on your face. I’ll let you off this once, missed you loads.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#77. Valtteri Bottas

It was late when Valtteri got in, so he assumed you’d already be tucked up in bed - but when he saw you on the sofa, sleeping features illuminated by the soft glow of the table lamp he couldn’t help but feel a tug at his heartstrings at your effort to wait up for him. Carefully, he pulled the blanket off of the back of the couch and laid it over you before putting out the candle you’d accidentally left burning, no wonder it smelt so good in here. But, he didn’t want you to wake up with a bad back in the morning so reluctantly, he gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze. Hi, ready to go to bed? You hummed and kissed him softly. Tried to wait up for you. Val smiled and helped you to your feet, before the two of you headed upstairs for a good night's sleep.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

#81. Oscar Piastri

You’d been so excited when you got Oscar’s text that his plane had landed that you were determined to wait up for him - but before long you were out cold, a movie playing in the background and your phone discarded on the floor where it had slipped from your fingers. As he came in he could hear the tv so naturally assumed you were awake, so he would move quickly to get to you - only to find you fast asleep. Oscar smiled gently, picking your phone up off the floor and turning off the tv. He wanted to let you sleep but he’d missed you so dearly, and wanting nothing more than to hear your voice he decided to wake you. Oscar! You beamed, jumping into his arms - wrapping yourself around him. You’re here, you’re home! He nestled himself up in your arms, enjoying the warmth of your body against his - feeling the stress melt away. Definitely worth waking you up for.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

Hope y’all enjoyed this lil something

Didn’t write for Perez and Hulkenburg because I just don’t feel confident or comfortable doing so!

Thank u to @carsgonyoom @vetteltea and @danielfuckingricciardo for letting me annoy u with it first 💙

[planetpedri]

PEDRI FLUFF WHERE when he goes to lie down, he practically throws himself onto the bed, it always irks reader but she hears him laugh and she forgets why she was even annoyed in the first place (based off that one vid lmk)

Pretty boy — Pedri Gonzalez.

Pairing: Pedri Gonzalez x Fem!Reader

Summary: Getting annoyed at your boyfriend for almost getting your coffee all over you was so hard when he lets out the most angelic laugh.

Word count: 510

Disclaimer/s: just pure hair pulling fluff!

A/N: i need him so bad you don’t understand.

Sitting on your bed, still in pajamas as it was only seven in the morning, you sipped on your coffee. Book open in your lap as it was part of your morning routine, you nearly throw it at Pedri.

He’d just launched himself onto the bed, plopping down only a foot from you. You’d jolted, clutching your coffee cup in your hand, your head whips toward him. Anger consumes you as you’d just washed your sheets and he’d almost caused you to stain them.

But then you hear it.

His laughter.

The sound so sickeningly sweet, all your annoyance disappeared as you watch his gummy smile take over his own face. You almost completely forgot why you were upset in the first place. How could you ever be mad at him when he was so perfect?

Pedri, noticing your sudden jolt upwards, glances at you. With his sleepy eyes that crinkled at the sides, he was just so pretty. “What?” He asks, another small chuckle escaping his lips.

“Be careful next time, I almost spilled my coffee.” You answer softly, eyes flickering across his face. “What’re you laughing at?”

Mumbling an apology, he turns his phone to show you what was on his screen. He was laughing at a stupid meme on twitter, how boyish. Nonetheless, you still found it adorable.

“You’re such a loser, mi amor.” You giggle, setting your coffee on the nightstand so you could lean over and place a small kiss to his lips.

Pedri hums at the contact, eyes fluttering shut. A groan escapes his lips as you pull away. He throws his phone to the edge of the bed to pull you closer with his free hand.

Shrieking at the sudden movement, you find yourself cut short when his lips touch yours again. Pedri kisses you through his own giggles, which infected you instantly. And just like that, you were both thrown into a fit of laughter, hardly being able to give coherent kisses.

“Can we stay in bed today?” Pedri murmurs against your lips when you finally calm yourselves.

You pull apart, eyes twinkling with amusement. “We have a reservation tonight.” Which was true, your annual date night at your favorite restaurant was at 10 PM.

“Cancel it?” Pedri suggests, pulling you closer to him as he laid against the headboard.

With your head resting on his chest, hearing the way his heart beat for you, you give in. “I’ll make the call.”

DTS , @halfwayhearted <33

[monkeyssalad-blog]

X-15 Launch from B-52 Mothership by NASA on The Commons Via Flickr: This photo illustrates how the X-15 rocket-powered aircraft was taken aloft under the wing of a B-52. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. This was one of the early powered flights using a pair of XLR-11 engines (until the XLR-99 became available). The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. It was a missile-shaped vehicle with an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings, and unique fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. The XLR-99 rocket engine, manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp., was pilot controlled and was capable of developing 57,000 lb of rated thrust (actual thrust reportedly climbed to 60,000 lb). North American Aviation built three X-15 aircraft for the program. The X-15 research aircraft was developed to provide in-flight information and data on aerodynamics, structures, flight controls, and the physiological aspects of high-speed, high-altitude flight. A follow-on program used the aircraft as a testbed to carry various scientific experiments beyond the Earth's atmosphere on a repeated basis. For flight in the dense air of the usable atmosphere, the X-15 used conventional aerodynamic controls such as rudder surfaces on the vertical stabilizers to control yaw and canted horizontal surfaces on the tail to control pitch when moving in synchronization or roll when moved differentially. For flight in the thin air outside of the appreciable Earth's atmosphere, the X-15 used a reaction control system. Hydrogen peroxide thrust rockets located on the nose of the aircraft provided pitch and yaw control. Those on the wings provided roll control. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. Depending on the mission, the rocket engine provided thrust for the first 80 to 120 sec of flight. The remainder of the normal 10 to 11 min. flight was powerless and ended with a 200-mph glide landing. Generally, one of two types of X-15 flight profiles was used: a high-altitude flight plan that called for the pilot to maintain a steep rate of climb, or a speed profile that called for the pilot to push over and maintain a level altitude. The X-15 was flown over a period of nearly 10 years--June 1959 to Oct. 1968--and set the world's unofficial speed and altitude records of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and 354,200 ft (over 67 mi) in a program to investigate all aspects of piloted hypersonic flight. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned spaceflight programs, and also the Space Shuttle program. The X-15s made a total of 199 flights and were manufactured by North American Aviation. X-15-1, serial number 56-6670, is now located at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. NASA Media Usage Guidelines Credit: NASA Image Number: E-4942 Date: 1959

[whencyclopedia]

Battle of Arcole

The Battle of Arcole (15-17 November 1796), or Arcola, was a three-day battle fought between Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army of Italy and an Austrian army under József Alvinczi. Part of Napoleon's Italian Campaign, the battle foiled Austria's third attempt to relieve the siege of Mantua and helped lead to France's success in the broader War of the First Coalition (1792-1797).

The battle, which involved a daring attempt by General Bonaparte to outflank the Austrian army, was mostly centered around the bridge at Arcole, about 25 kilometers (16 mi) southeast of Verona. It was a hard-fought clash that included such dramatic moments as Bonaparte personally leading a charge across the bridge, and it ultimately ended in a French victory.

The Key to Italy

In October 1796, the siege of Mantua entered its fourth month. Situated in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, Mantua was one of four crucial fortresses collectively known as the Quadrilateral, that guarded the Alpine passes and the entrances to the Po River and Lake Garda (the other three fortresses being Peschiera, Legnago, and Verona). As such, Mantua held the key to Austria's control of northern Italy, making it vital that the French Republic capture it.

The siege was being carried out by the 41,400 men of the French Army of Italy, commanded by the 27-year-old General Napoleon Bonaparte. Since the siege had begun in June, Bonaparte had already fended off two Austrian attempts to relieve it. The first had come in late July when a 50,000-man Austrian army led by Field Marshal Dagobert von Wurmser advanced down Lake Garda. Wurmser had divided his army into two corps, each one marching down an opposite side of the lake; Bonaparte, therefore, was able to defeat each corps before they had a chance to link up, beating the first at the Battle of Lonato (3 August) and the other at the Battle of Castiglione (5 August).

Wurmser retreated north to Tyrol to regroup and launched a second attempt to relieve the siege at the end of August. This, too, ended in failure when Wurmser was again defeated by Bonaparte at the First Battle of Bassano (8 September). Rather than cutting his losses and retreating after this defeat, Wurmser elected instead to press on to Mantua. The French pursued, and after a hard-fought battle outside the city on 15 September, Wurmser was forced behind Mantua's walls alongside 14,000 of his men. The French then resumed their siege of Mantua, with Wurmser's army now trapped inside.

Far from alleviating the suffering of the 16,000-man Mantua garrison, Wurmser's presence had only made things worse. Mantua's resources, which were already depleted, now buckled under the strain of 14,000 additional mouths to feed, as the overcrowded garrison accelerated the spread of disease. Within six weeks of Wurmser's defeat, 4,000 Austrians had died of wounds, disease, or malnutrition, and a further 7,000 were hospitalized. By 10 October, there was only 38 days' worth of food left, forcing Wurmser to launch increasingly desperate sorties to forage for supplies; one such sortie cost 1,000 Austrian casualties. On 16 October, Bonaparte called on Wurmser to surrender, telling him that "the brave should be facing danger, not swamp plague" (Roberts, 118). Wurmser refused.

Continue reading...

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Nearly two mi people received free menstrual pad this year in Brazil

They are between the ages of 10 and 49

Nearly 2 million individuals have received free menstrual pads through the Menstrual Dignity Program, launched this year, as per data disclosed by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. They are available for collection at Farmácia Popular units, a government’s program that provides free medication for the treatment of certain diseases. The Menstrual Dignity program is anticipated to assist approximately 24 million individuals, aged between 10 and 49, who lack access to this product during their menstrual cycles.

"Up to May 24, the Program has assisted 1,737,061 individuals, who have collected their pads from establishments accredited to the Farmácia Popular Program," the ministry informed Agência Brasil via its press office.

This Tuesday (May 28) marks the International Day of Menstrual Dignity.

The ministry highlights that this date is recognized in over 50 countries and serves as a platform to address menstrual poverty, a pressing issue that significantly impacts individuals who menstruate.

Continue reading.

[zvaigzdelasas]

10 Nov 23

[pretty-idol-hell]

Idol Land PriPara 10

Well... That was a lot.

I figured I'd open this post the exact way the episode opened. Mario's crotch.

(I'm trying to compare this scene with anything that happened in King of Prism and having a surprisingly difficult time. I think we may have gotten a few Alexander crotch shots, but they were surprisingly rare now that I think of it. And yet, here we are in Idol Land PriPara...)

So, Mario is back in DanPri with his strawberry boxers on full display as he tries his best to overcome his embarrassment so he no longer turns into his rabbit form.

And, actually, it works. Literally flinging the crowd's chant of "deseze!" (lame) back at them, he is able to change it into IIZE!

And so, with a brainwashed Shinya and lots of bugs in tow, Mario's rampage begins.

Instead of getting brainwashed, the dark key meant fror Amamiya ends up locking him in the bathroom, though.

(Which may have answered one of the most randomest questions I've had about PriPara/DanPri. Are there bathrooms? Are they gender-neutral? Yes, but no it seems.)

Mario decides to give the dark mic he found at the end of the last episode to Shinya, and he goes ham as well, launching a direct attack on PriPara as a concerned Ushimitsu ninja follows him.

Amari and SoLaMi Dressing arrive to find PriPara in shambles, with everyone feeling the brainwashing "whatever" effect of the dark keys.

Mario confronts them, causing Shion and Dorothy to immediately whip out their kendo sword and okonomiyaki spatula respectively as this is war.

Amari brings out her greatest weapon, Mario's strawberry boxers, only to discover it no longer works. Mario even offers to show them before Amari quickly interjects.

Meanwhile, Shinya is confronted by Ushimitsu just outside the gates. Ushimitsu sobs and grips onto Shinya's leg as Shinya rejects him. But just as Ushimitsu is about to be consumed by the bugs, however, WITH arrives with vacuum cleaners and goat onesies to save him.

After a quick scuffle, Koyoi is able to incapacitate his former teammate as he can see his weak points... only for Ushimitsu to throw a smoke bomb and allow Shinya to escape out of habit.

Ushimitsu quickly realizes what he's done but it's too late as Shinya runs off to wreak more havoc.

Meanwhile, back inside the gates, Non Sugar has joined the battle, as well as the PriPara nurses. But just as things seem like they are looking up, another threat is revealed:

Shion is dueling a copy of herself. The bugs have started replicating everyone and making dark copies!

The dark copies each threaten their originals in different ways. (Dark Dorothy just lounges around picking her nose, causing Dorothy to flip out about her image being ruined.)

Gaarmageddon-Mi is also fighting the battle in their own way, by performing a ritual outside the gates, when Gaaruru feels the bug inside her stirring again. She wanders off and runs into Mario again who recognizes the bug inside her, reminds Gaaruru of her past, and asks her to join him and return to the way she used to be.

She refuses, so Mario calls Shinya to call bugs to consume her. But Falulu suddenly appears to push Gaaruru aside at the last second and the bugs take her instead!

Mario, however, is pleased with this. Falulu is the ultimate vocal doll, the ultimate idol. Copying her would make the ultimate dark idol!

Falulu vows to protect PriPara, and agrees to challenge Dark Falulu as long as Mario agrees to leave if she wins.

Mario winds up Dark Falulu for the challenge. (I don't think we've ever actually seen the crank on unawakened Falulu used before, have we?)

Mario declares the winner will be the one who completes Cyalume Change. Which is very usual to me, because Cyalume Change has never been difficult to achieve in the past? Don't we usually declare the winner by who has the most iine? Hmm???

This is the halfway point of the episode, btw.

Falulu changes into her unawakened form to challenge Dark Falulu (as apparently she can do that at will?) and we get this kinda cool mirrored performance of the vintage 0-week-old.

Dark Falulu proceeds to copy everyone's Making Dramas just like Falulu once did in season one. But Falulu states what she herself learned, that you can't win that way, and awakens herself again in her original Making Drama.

Falulu Cyalume Changes and Dark Falulu is just never seen again.

So, since Falulu is the clear winner, Mario agrees to leave... the arena, He's not leaving PriPara.

Instead, Mario and Shinya escalate things even further, now hurling bugs into the SKY!

Hibiki, observing the situation from their helicopter, quickly decides Meganii is not doing enough to protect PriPara and once again takes things into their own hands.

The sky is darkened, and Yui is no longer responding as Takki is frozen shut. Mirei points to the sky, where the Yumeme is swarming in bugs. Janice and the time twins rush to try and free it.

As the others try to decide what to do, a crying voice can be heard. "Amari-chaaan!!"

It's Pololo. She thought she was coming to PriPara to visit with everyone, but now she's crouched at the entrance crying in fear over what's going on.

But, determined to show Pololo that PriPara is still PriPara, Laala steps in to solve this problem like she solves every problem: A live!

SoLaMi Dressing and Gaarmageddon plus Gaaruru, Falulu, Fuwari, and Ajimi put on a repeat performance of All Idol Song Precious from the PriParis movie!

This screen is shown before the performance despite several characters above not appearing in the performance because they weren't characters yet when the movie came out.

But anyway, again it seems to be working! Pololo's happiness starts to convert the bugs once more as kirakira rockets up towards the Yumeme key. A quick shot shows us that Mario isn't going to stand for that, however, and just as the girls begin their Cyalume Change...

The performance is interrupted as bugs rocket up from the manhole covers to flood the skies once more. A live feed comes up to show Mario explaining the "present" he sent them is all the bugs Laala has been collecting all this time have now been released from the cave all at once... (Wow Laala was working hard... but anyway.)

The kirakira has now been depleted to the point where even the time twins and Janice can't keep up. The key falls from the sky to crash into the fountain and Janice even turns back into a baby, falling from the sky as well to safely land into Non's arms.

Shinya is celebrating their victory when he is swiftly and quietly kidnapped by Ushimitsu and WITH while everyone is distracted.

Meanwhile, Amari, who has been suffering internal conflict throughout the episode, drops to her knees as she looks upon what PriPara has become. The fallen key, Pololo's tears. It's all my fault. Why am I like this!? She thinks to herself. And, in a moment of weakness she yells out how much she hates herself, for everyone to hear.

Mario appears before her and once again invites her to join him, as they'd once planned. But, she slaps his hand away, deeply disappointing him once again.

And, through tears, Amari formally challenges Mario. If he wins, he can do whatever he wants. But if she wins, he has to stay out of her sight forever.

Mario gloomily accepts.

Amari quietly apologizes to everyone, and explains that since she's the one who created him, she's the one who has to defeat him.

To be continued.

So... yeah uh, as you could imagine. I have a lot of thoughts about this episode. A lot of mixed opinions.

Idol Land PriPara has been honestly amazing and the pacing has been surprisingly good... up until now. This to me is the first and only episode so far that felt extremely rushed. But with the length of the current series as a whole, that's kind of impressive in itself.

If this were classic PriPara, several filler episodes would have taken place in between this episode and the last while Mario tried and failed to handle his embarrassment before finally succeeding and launching an attack. Considering the whole Mario turning into a rabbit thing was just introduced in the last episode only to be overcome in the next, it made me initially wonder why they bothered to introduce it at all.

Also, the whole Falulu vs. Dark Falulu thing would have been its own episode as well, and it would have been proceeded by some scenes if not a whole episode to remind us of the connection between Gaaruru and Falulu. I mean, yeah it makes total sense that Falulu would jump in to save Gaaruru like that, but anyone watching just this series wouldn't fully understand why. It kinda comes out of nowhere.

And it really felt like Falulu, who played such a huge part in this episode, barely spoke at all. Heck she's barely spoke in Idol Land at all!

So this episode was at least three episodes in one, basically. I think they could have easily just made this whole episode just around Mario launching an attack, Pololo getting scared, and the other girls trying to fix things before failing without any of the Mario rabbit/Falulu duel stuff leading up to it. Why bother?

Or so I ask myself while already knowing the answer.

The Mario rabbit thing was just too good to let go. The Falulu duel was too good to let go. This was all stuff they planned out long in advance, perhaps before they knew the series was going to be this short, and they were too good to let go. So they made it work. Sort of.

And honestly. I appreciate that.

That shows love. That shows people who really care about PriPara, about this anime.

So at the end of the day... I liked this episode. They did the best with what they had.

All Idol Song Precious is again, a VERY special song/performance to me (actually my favorite PriPara performance of all time!) and I remembered that recently even before this episode aired while going through my old ticket binders since I found I was using the PriParis coords in some of my last games before leaving Japan. The red/white/blue one had to be collected by visiting the movie theater week after week so it's somewhat rare to have collected all of it.

(Sadly, I left before the actual song was added to the arcade though...) So, I was really happy to see it featured again! I was literally thinking wow, it's so nice to have a version of this uninterrupted by the battle that takes place during the movie when--IT WAS INTERRUPTED and they didn't even finish the song. GAAAAHHHnoooooo...

But I do understand, as far as the episode narrative goes.

And Amari yelling about how she hates herself even after all the growth she went through this season hit me right in the feels. Goddamn, she's so relatable.

And Mario. Behind all of this he's just hurt and lonely and just wants Amari to acknowledge him. So I'm sure that will come out in the next episode.

Anyway, there were no new coords in this episode so I don't know if we'll be getting an episode-based gatcha? They probably will release those PriParis coords in some way but IIRC they were all just SRs so I don't know if they would bother with a gatcha.

If anything, the next song might be morning? (Falulu's arcade song. I think it was on the Switch.)

Oh, I guess I was thinking of one of the 3DS games. I'm surprised 0-week-old is actually on the Switch. So yeah, definitely our next song.

[fuckyeswednesday13]

Good Mourning Wednesday‼️

Excited to announce the WEDNESDAY 13-

“There’s No Such Things As Monsters North American 2025 Tour” with special guests:

@stitchedupheart

@deadrabbitsens,

I Ya Toya

Artist presale begins Wednesday November 6 with passcode “W13”, and general sale starts Friday, November 8 at 10:00 AM EDT-VIPs on sale through the Venues. Get a VIP and tix-Not available:Los Angeles -Las Vegas

03/14/25: Las Vegas, NV @ Count’s Vamp’d

03/15/25: Los Angeles, CA @ The Whisky

03/16/25: Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone

03/18/25: Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom

03/19/25: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

03/21/25: Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post

03/22/25: Pomona, CA @ Glass House

03/23/25: San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick

03/25/25: Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater

03/26/25: Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad

03/28/25: San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger

03/29/25: Dallas, TX @ Trees

03/30/25: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live

04/01/25: Birmingham, AL @ Saturn

04/02/25: Knoxville, TN @ Open Chord

04/04/25: Atlanta, GA @ The Loft @ Centerstage

04/05/25: Raleigh, NC @ Chapel Of Bones

04/06/25: Greenville, SC @ Radio Room

04/08/25: Baltimore, MD @ Zen West

04/09/25: Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho

04/10/25: Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom

04/12/25: Hampton Beach, NH @ Wallys

04/13/25: Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electrique

04/15/25: Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace

04/16/25: Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room

04/18/25: New York, NY @ The Gramercy

04/19/25: Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater

04/20/25: Lititz, PA @ Mickey’s Black Box

04/22/25: Pittsburgh, PA @ Crafthouse

04/23/25: Cleveland, OH @ Mercury

04/25/25: Columbus, OH @ The Kings Of Clubs

04/26/25: Flint, MI @ Machine Shop

04/27/25: Cadillac, MI @ Venue Event Center

04/29/25: Joliet, IL @ The Forge

04/30/25: Madison, WI @ The Annex

05/02/25: Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater

05/03/25: Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep

[megaboy335]

10 Years of My Hero Academia

I have been an avid reader of Weekly Shonen Jump manga since I was a child, and later started following the magazine closely since around 2009. In that time I've witnessed countless titles start and finish. My Hero Academia is the rare kind of series that connects us from the previous generation of the magazine to its current era. It started in Issue 32, 2014 and finished in Issue 36-37, 2024. That makes it the 2nd oldest series in the line-up at the time of ending. Below is my review of the series. I give my thoughts on several of the story moments and give my final impressions. There will be spoilers and it's a long discussion.

Let's first flashback to the summer of 2014. I was in college preparing to spend my Junior year abroad in Japan. My Tumblr was very active and about to reach new highs with my presence in the Nisekoi fandom. In the Weekly Shonen Jump world, a generational shift was about to occur with the new debut of a new battle manga from a previously 2 time canceled author, Kohei Horikoshi.

Looking back on the issue when My Hero Academia started, we can clearly see how it was a completely different era of Jump. Naruto was still running at chapter 683. That is near the end of the 4th Great Ninja War arc. Naruto would later finish that fall in Issue 50, 2014. Additionally, Kuroko was just a couple of issues away from wrapping up and cementing itself as one of the best sport manga Jump had seen in a decade. One Piece was in the middle of Dressrosa, where little did we know that chapter 752 would only put us halfway through the arc. Gintama was just about to make a major pivot into full time battle manga mode. This issue also saw the conclusion of iShoujo at 20 chapters. (It would later get rebooted on Jump+ as a launch title and run for 14 volumes). It's very clear how My Hero Academia started in a complete era than where are now. So, how was My Hero Academia in the early days? Well, quite honestly I thought it was a very middle of the road title. I was already familiar with Horikoshi through Barrage (the very first simlpub in the digital Jump era that Viz started from chapter 1). He always had a good sense of perspective and the way he draws mouths with depth is a distinctive feature. The series also wore its Naruto inspirations quite openly, while taking advantage of the popularity in superhero movies to add some visibility in the eyes of readers. I thought it was riding the coattails of current trends. The early chapters were standard fare in modern day shonen. Speeding through character introductions and establishing the setting. Shigaraki made an early appearance with the mob baddies called Nomus but it was hard to get invested in the central conflict so soon. However Shigaraki’s eerie design of being covered in hands certainly stood out at the time. I was curious but not necessarily invested right away. (of course in retrospective its clear how Horikoshi used the early events as building blocks for what was to come later)

But you know what sways me the most: Tournament Arcs! This Sports Festival tournament was where I finally started feeling invested in the series. In part because tournament arcs provide an easy to use template for establishing character relationships, create unexpected match ups, ground character arc trajectories, and provide payoffs if used later in the story. The big plot point introduced in this arc was the #2 Hero Endeavor and the relationship with his son, Todoroki. If All Might is the honest public face hero, then Endeavor is the power obsessed guy. He destroyed his family and took extreme measures to produce a child that can beat All Might. Todoroki's story begins with him outright rejecting his father. However, this changed during a fight with Deku. Deku and Todoroki are both foils and yet mirrors of each other at the same time. They were both blessed with powers that were not obtained naturally. Deku was given a quirk on the spur of the moment from All Might. Todoroki was given his abilities in service of someone else’s goals. One accepts their reality and the other does not. Deku showed that Todoroki accepting the power is not the same as acting in father's wishes. He should use the powers gifted to him in whatever ways he sees fit. This moment comes with the first end of chapter title drop and the moment when Horikoshi’s writing clicked into place for me. The scene when Todoroki uses his flames for the first time is powerful because I loved how they were depicted coming out so naturally. These flames are a part of himself and always have been. Todoroki has at last accepted that side of himself going forward.

After the tournament, it shifts into a short arc with the Killer Hero Stain. He brings up the idea that Heroes should be more than symbols for people to worship, and instead Heroes should practice what they preach. He sees All Might as the only authentic hero to follow. This is the first time we see a villain figure making a valid point that pins down one of the faults to hero society. Stains describes how everyone is doing it for fun, out of obligation, or for making money. All Might is someone whose confidence is so strong that his hero persona and outward personality are one in the same. Sadly this arc was too short to fully explore the idea, but it would come up again later. Jumping ahead, the series quickly reached its first major story climax: All Might vs. One For All. I went into this fight thinking All Might was going to die and was very surprised when he didn't. The master passing the torch to his student through a death scene is such a common trope (which yes, it made me even more surprised how All Might survived the entire story). I was on the edge of my seat when reading this weekly and consider it a high point of the series. This fight ended up marking the beginning of the end to the Hero Society. All Might's retirement shakes the very foundation of the Hero world. Who can possibly replace someone who inspires people from all walks of life? From this point on, Deku and Shigaraki are now  walking similar paths as the heirs to this conflict. The following arcs saw the league of villains poking at the cracks and expanding the seeds of distrust.

When manga serializations are constantly one-upping itself on story climaxes, it can be hard to return to any semblance of a daily life in the aftermath of major moments. This middle section of the manga from about volume 12 to 24 is a boring stretch of the series. First getting the provisional licenses felt unnecessary in the grand scheme since there's really nothing stopping them from fighting the bad guys other than technical loopholes in the writing. Then the Shie Hassaikai arc was almost like canon filler to me.  It amounted to very little at the time and came off like a side quest. (This arc also marks the beginning of frequent breaks). Afterwards the U.A. school festival was a refreshing turn back into school life but still, Gentle isn't the fodder we need to see. Lastly, the worst offender of this stretch by far was the class A vs. B matches. A tournament style arc just for show. No stakes. Nothing of consequence.  It basically paused the story for about 2 volumes. Thankfully Horikoshi would resume the plot right afterwards with a bang.

My Villain Academia is exactly what the story needed to get itself back together. The League of Villains seemed like they were supposed to be foils for class A-1 and yet any comparable character development just wasn’t happening. This was finally going to change. This arc focused exclusively on the villains and each member would get a quirk power up, while Shigaraki received the rampaging ally Gigantomachia. We also have the Tenko: Origin chapter to put his past into perspective. While I still have issues with the villain writing, it felt like the villains could finally stand on their own in the story.

The momentum continued into the Paranormal Liberation War. An all-out fight between the heroes and villains at their peak across multiple areas of Japan. The countdown to Mirko stopping Shigaraki from reaching his true form was thrilling. Then came the first real clash between Deku and Shigaraki. However, the star of the show for this arc was undoubtedly Dabi who effectively canceled Endeavor’s entire career. Dabi exposed the past of Endeavor by explaining his own story. He showed that Heroes put up a public positive face to hide their power hungry desires motivating them behind the scenes. This makes Heroes no different from villains in many regards. These words brought an end to Hero society as we knew it. The public was already feeling uneasy after the retirement of All Might, and signaling out Endeavors’s past showed how the system was built on an image, not human understanding. Japan was left in ruins, numerous convicted villains were released back into the wild, and the people have nobody they can trust.

I consider the spread page above to be my favorite from the entire series. Horikoshi’s art reached new highs throughout the Paranormal Liberation War arc. His ability to depict Shigaraki as a real force of nature against the Heroes was crazy good. You could really feel the impact behind every attack on each individual and the surrounding environment. Shigaraki ability is something that alters landscapes wherever he goes.

The final stretch of the story begins with Deku acting like a vigilante. Hero Society at-large has hit its lowest point where the institution of Heroes who maintain public safety is no more. The public is scared for their life. Heroes have largely abandoned their post. One for All and the strongest villains are on the loose, and Deku has been completely worn down by the burden of his role. His mind has entered the idea that only he alone can fix this. The Lady Nagant storyline was awesome. She is someone who had to adapt to survive in these precilous times. A hero and a villian is only matter of perspective after all. Sometimes people will do what they need to in order to survive. If even our main character can be swayed then where is the line hero and villain?

The Dark Deku arc is when Deku is stripped down to his core convictions: the desire to protect his friends and defeat One for All. However it's the very friends that he was trying to push away, who ultimately reached out the hand to save him. Deku has touched each of their lives in ways he can't even begin to imagine. Now it was time for them to return the favor. This brings the story to a touching scene where Uraraka yells to an audience of scared citizens to remind them how Heroes are people too and Deku is one of them. This section is my favorite part of the entire story. It felt like everything had changed. We didn't know where the story was going next nor where to begin tackling the awful state of the world. Everything was so raw. It was an exciting time to be reading weekly.

After reaching a new series high, we drop down to one of its lowest points in my opinion. Star & Stripe vs. Shigaraki was an absolute shame. There should have been a study abroad arc so Deku could meet and experience heroes around the world. So when the Number One American hero is introduced, with death flags, I was skeptical about why. I don't like when characters are introduced just to die immediately. The whole point was to artificially weaken Shigaraki so the heroes would stand a chance in the upcoming final battle. Similarly, I would have liked the traitor reveal if it had been more important throughout the story. Barely came up after the training camp arc in volume 9. It came off like Hoirkoshi just needed to check off that box to appease readers before entering the final battle. But, finally seeing Hagakure’s face was a very nice reward. Despite the stumbles to set up the final battle, I thought it was incredible. One of the best in recent memory from Jump. A fight with the future of Japan on the line across numerous locations. In shonen manga style, it pulled in every single character from throughout the series, used all the mobs to their fullest, and pitted villains vs. their foil villain character. Iit definitely checked off all the boxes of what you need for a grand finale to a long running battle shonen. I think Dabi and Todoroki got the thematic ending it needed. Spinner could have used a little more focus. Himeko and Uraraka reached an understanding at the very end that was probably the safe end for their storyline. I loved seeing the floating stage slowly descend to the surface as the climax approached, while the fighting began to center around Deku and Bakugo. Horikoshi once again reached new artistic highs I couldn’t even imagine throughout the final battle. I like to think the frequent breaks allowed him to pace it better than you typically find in Jump manga final arcs.

As the series comes to close, I am left very pleased with where character arcs ended up. Deku is someone who had to grow up almost overnight. From a quirkless boy to saving all of Japan in the span of a year. He has something that All Might lacked. The spirit to never give up on leading a hand to someone in need. If All Might presented himself with confident bravado, then Deku was the honest human type. Shigaraki is someone who was beyond saving, and yet even if for a moment, Deku wanted to give the respect he deserved as a person. Deku losing his powers cements the story as being about a moment in his life. That he never took the powers he was blessed with for granted, and used them to the fullest throughout the story. I appreciated that Horikoshi made no effort to justify the villain's actions (besides partly Himeko). They are a product of unfortunate circumstances and deliberate choices which brought them to this point. Their actions speak for themselves. This applies to the heroes as well. Endeavor is a complex man with a storyline that reads more mature than you'd expect at first glance. He is a man who drove his family to ruin for the sake of strength, and those choices came back to haunt him in the form of Dabi and Todoroki. He's effectively lost everything. I think Horikoshi stuck the landing by giving readers the final judgment if he should be redeemed or not. The family members were left mixed, and Endeavor is prepared to rebuild from nothing. Shigaraki’s death is best for the sake of tying a bow on the story. Deku indirectly caused it, but he doesn’t beat himself over it that much. The world is the same as it was before the conflict. Heroes will remain in people’s lives. The systemic issues of a Hero society that sells certain images of people and casts aside those who don’t fit will persist. Another person or organization like the league of villains could easily rise up again in the future. However, Horikoshi presents a simple solution. Leading a hand to each other is a good starting point towards making the world a better place. Happiness can spread from person to another, and lead to a better understanding of those we don't know. It takes collective action to make the world a better place for everyone and that can begin with a single person.

So overall, what do I think of My Hero Academia? Ending at 430 chapters is an incredible run for a weekly manga in this current era. Horikoshi covered a lot of characters and topics, many of which I still didn’t cover at this post. I think the series has some of the strongest battle manga highs we’ve seen in the past decade, and of course some parts could have been better. I take issue with pacing and writing choices at times. The villains collectively speaking were the weakest aspect, but the genuine passion for Heroes shines through in every aspect of this work. He used that as a lens to look at problems of the world. Naruto is very optimistic with how communication is the key to bridging differences. My Hero Academia in comparison says that is only a piece of the puzzle. Everyone needs to make a conscious choice to reach out to others. We all can be a hero to someone out there. My Hero Academia will be remembered as the generation-defining Jump series of the past 10 years, In the same way its beginning overlaps late Naruto, perhaps in the future, Kagurabachi fans will remember how it started at the end of My Hero Academia’s run. My Hero Academia will finish as the 9th longest series ever in the history of Weekly Shonen Jump. This is a position it will hold long into the future. I don’t expect anything in the current line-up to come close in length. I've considered Horikoshi to be the best artist in the magazine for the past several years. He always kept improving right up to the end with insanely detailed panels and spread pages. His presence in the magazine will be missed. Thank you Kohei Horikoshi. It's been a long ride. I'm glad you could finally cross the finish line. I look forward to whatever you might do next in the future!

[louisupdates]

FITFWT23: TOUR RECAP MASTERPOST

FASHION RECAP: NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE (Top Ten)

LITHOGRAPHS and PORTRAITS

OUTRO SONGS

IQ 123: Tour promo and production interviews

TOUR TECHNICAL SPECS [TPI MAGAZINE]

GROUP PHOTOS NA

Louis’ care for his fans

NORTH AMERICA

26 May - Mohegan Sun Arena, UNCASVILLE, CT

27 May - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, GILFORD, NH

29 May - Place Bell, LAVAL QC

30 May - Budweiser Stage, TORONTO ON

1 Jun - Blossom Music Center, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH

2 Jun - Michigan Lottery Amphitheater, STERLING HEIGHTS, MI

FITFWT23: WEEK 1

3 Jun - The Icon Festival Stage, CINCINNATI, OH

6 Jun - Kemba Live! Outdoor, COLUMBUS, OH

7 Jun - TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, INDIANAPOLIS, IN

9 Jun - Saint Louis Music Park, ST. LOUIS, MO

PORTRAITS, 1st set [10.6.2023]

IG stories and selfies [10.6.2023]

10 Jun - Starlight Theatre, KANSAS CITY, MO

13 Jun - BMO Pavilion, MILWAUKEE, WI

15 Jun - Huntington Bank Pavilion, CHICAGO, IL

16 Jun - The Armory, MINNEAPOLIS, MN

17 Jun - Harrah’s Stir Cove, COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA

19 Jun - Denny Sanford Premiere Center, SIOUX FALLS, SD

21 Jun - Red Rocks Amphitheatre, MORRISON, CO: CANCELLED 😪

24 Jun - Wamu Theater, SEATTLE, WA

26 Jun - Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Center, VANCOUVER BC

27 Jun - McMenamins Edgefield Concerts, TROUTDALE, OR

29 Jun - The Greek Theatre, BERKELEY, CA

PORTRAITS, 2nd set [29.6.2023]

PORTRAITS posted 30.6 [x]

30 Jun - Louis Instagram recap

30 Jun - The Hollywood Bowl, LOS ANGELES, CA

1 Jul - The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan, LAS VEGAS, NV

3 Jul - Arizona Financial Theatre, PHOENIX, AZ

6 Jul - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, IRVING, TX

7 Jul - Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park, AUSTIN, TX

8 Jul - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, THE WOODLANDS, TX

PORTRAITS, 3rd set [9.7.2023]

9 Jul: Louis Instagram recap

10 Jul RTL Radio Interviews

11 Jul - St. Augustine Amphitheatre, ST. AUGUSTINE, FL

13 Jul - Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, HOLLYWOOD, FL

14 Jul - Yuengling Center, TAMPA, FL

15 Jul - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park, ATLANTA, GA

18 Jul - Ascend Amphitheater, NASHVILLE, TN

19 Jul - Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre, CHARLOTTE, NC

21 Jul - Red Hat Amphitheater, RALEIGH, NC

22 Jul - Merriweather Post Pavilion, COLUMBIA, MD

PORTRAITS, 4th set [23.7.2023]

24 Jul - MGM Music Hall at Fenway, BOSTON1, MA

25 Jul - MGM Music Hall at Fenway, BOSTON2, MA

27 Jul - TD Pavilion at the Mann, PHILADELPHIA, PA

28 Jul - Stone Pony Summer Stage, ASBURY PARK, NJ

29 Jul - Forrest Hills Stadium, NEW YORK, NY

PORTRAITS, 5th set [31.7.2023]

North America FAN EDIT

AUGUST 2023 GAP 1 recap

AWAY FROM HOME FESTIVAL

19 Aug - Parco Bussoladomani, LIDO DI CAMAIORE, Italy

AUGUST 2023 GAP 2 recap (including the 28 launch)

EUROPE

29 Aug - Barclays Arena, HAMBURG

31 Aug - Royal Arena, COPENHAGEN

1 Sep - Spektrum, OSLO [Bigger Than Me anniversary content]

PORTRAITS, 6th set [2.9.2023]

2 Sep - Hovet, STOCKHOLM

4 Sep - Ice Hall, HELSINKI

DORK MAGAZINE PHOTOS 2022 w/ links

5 Sep - Saku Arena, TALLINN

7 Sep - Arena Riga, RIGA

PORTRAITS, 7th set [8.9.2023]

8 Sep - Zalgiris Arena, KAUNAS

10 Sep - Tauron Arena, KRAKOW

11 Sep - Atlas Arena, ŁÓDŹ

13 Sep - Wiener Stadhalle D, VIENNA

14 Sep - Stozice Arena, LJUBLJANA

15 Sep - Budapest Arena, BUDAPEST

PORTRAITS, 8th set [16.9.2023]

17 Sep - Arenele Romane, BUCHAREST

18 Sep - Arena Armeets, SOFIA

20 Sep - Plateia Nerou, ATHENS w/ links to AOTV announcements

SEPTEMBER 2023 GAP recap

1 Oct - Bilbao Arena Miribilla, BILBAO (VIZCAYA)

3 Oct - Altice Arena, LISBON

5 Oct - Wizink Center, MADRID

6 Oct - Palau Sant Jordi, BARCELONA

PORTRAITS, 9th set [7.10]

8 Oct - Pala Alpitur, TURIN

9 Oct - Unipol Arena, BOLOGNA

11 Oct - Rockhal, ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE

12 Oct - Sportspaleis, ANTWERP

14 Oct - Accor Arena, PARIS

15 Oct - Ziggo Dome, AMSTERDAM

17 Oct - Lanxess Arena, COLOGNE

19 Oct - O2 Arena, PRAGUE

20 Oct - Mercedes Benz Arena, BERLIN

PORTRAITS, 10th set [21.10]

22 Oct - Olympiahalle, MUNICH

23 Oct - Hallenstadion, ZURICH

FITFWT23: LATAM promo begins [28.10]

Twitter spree: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 Hall Of Fame, [31.10]

IGTV [1.11]: transcript, gifs [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]

8 Nov - 3Arena, DUBLIN

10 Nov - Utilita Arena, SHEFFIELD

11 Nov - AO Arena, MANCHESTER

12 Nov - Ovo Hydro, GLASGOW

14 Nov - Brighton Center, BRIGHTON

15 Nov - International Arena, CARDIFF

17 Nov - The O2, LONDON

18 Nov - Resorts World Arena, BIRMINGHAM

FITFWT23 has come to an end!

ROLLING STONE UK 2023 AWARDS

23 Nov - Camden Roundhouse, LONDON

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday to Eddi Reader.

Eddi, born born Sadenia Reader on August 29th in 1959, has been around several blocks, musically speaking. A native of Glasgow, she has been well known and loved here for years. Oddly enough, Reader jumped right into her performing career in the early ‘80s by travelling throughout Europe with a circus troupe. Shortly after, she decided to settle in London and become a session vocalist.

Her choice proved fruitful as her book soon filled up and she landed work with the Eurythmics, the Waterboys, and Gang of Four. None seemed like the right setting for Reader. Then she found her place in the spotlight with Fairground Attraction. The band’s debut, First of a Million Kisses, hit the British charts in 1988, along with the single “Perfect.” Reader gained a good bit of recognition, both critical and popular, and was able to launch her solo career from that platform, although it did not happen immediately.

Her solo debut, Mirmama, saw daylight in 1992 and found Reader’s lovely pipes wrapped around some fine tunes. Although it was a limited release, it caught the ear of the folks at Warner Brothers, who followed it in 1994 with her self-titled album. This second effort included more Reader originals amid the slick production.

Despite touring in its support, she still managed to contribute to recordings by Thomas Dolby, Liberty Horses, and others. When things didn’t pan out with her major label, Reader returned to her independent roots and issued Candyfloss and Medicine in 1996 and Angels & Electricity in 1999, all the while perfecting her brand of smooth acoustic folk-pop.

Finding herself with yet another musical home, Compass Records re-released both Mirmama and Angels & Electricity in the United States and allowed Reader the chance to put forth her most organic offering to date with Simple Soul in 2001. Seventeen Stories: The Best of Eddi Reader and the all-new Driftwood arrived in 2002, followed by Eddi Reader and my personal favourite, Sings the Songs of Robert Burns in 2003 and Peacetime in 2007.

2008 sawEddi make a foray into film with an appearance in Me and Orson Wells, the following year she commemorated the 250th anniversary of Burn’s birth with a deluxe version of his songs with additional songs to add to the original. That same year she also put out new music in the form of her ninth studio album, Love is the Way.

Save for a live record, which appeared in 2010 Eddi took a long break from the recording studios, returning in 2014 with Vagabond. There was only a slightly lesser gap between albums with her 12th studio record appearing in 2018, Cavalier, which was recorded in Glasgow.

In 2020 Eddi celebrated 40 years in the music business with a UK wide tour that included 10 Scottish shows, that was before the Covid virus came calling, the shows had been rescheduled twice. The album Light Is in the Horizon followed, her 12th studio piece.

In 2024, the band's original line-up announced a Japan and UK tour, and reunited for an album titled "Beautiful Happening", set for release on September 20th 2024. A first single, "What's Wrong With The World ?", was released in February, followed by the album's title track in June.

Eddi is back to touring with her solo band and has a gig on Hayling Island off the south coast of England, in December a seven date tour of Ireland follows in 2025, then ten gigs in England.

Don't worry she hasn't forgotten her homeland, look out for Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook, where Eddi will join the former Silly Wizard musician in ten Festive concerts around Scotland between December 12th and 22nd.

I've chosen a gaelic song that Eddi performed, it's called Buain Ná Rainich (Fairy Love Song) and is from her 11th album Vagabond.

The other well-known title, Tha mi Sgìthh, there are many variations of the story relating to this song, but one version says that the song was originally sung by a fairy who caught sight of a beautiful girl when he was cutting bracken. They fell in love, but alas there was no fairytale ending. When her family learned of the love, they stopped the girl from seeing the fairy and they locked her away. His song mourns the situation. The tune of this song is very old and it is often used as a lullaby. In Cape Breton though, it is often used as a Puirt à beul!

[spacenutspod]

The massive South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin is one of the Moon’s dominant features, though it’s not visible from Earth. It’s on the lunar far side, and only visible to spacecraft. It’s one of the largest impact features in the Solar System, and there are many outstanding questions about it. What type of impactor created it? Where did the ejected material end up? Is it feasible or worthwhile to explore it? But the biggest question could be: how old is it? The SPA basin is about 2500 km (1600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep. Research shows that it’s the Moon’s oldest impact basin and likely formed between 4.2 and 4.3 billion years ago. That places it in the most intense period of bombardment in the inner Solar System. But there’s debate about the accuracy of that date. A more precise measurement would help scientists understand the history of the Solar System and the periods of bombardment that helped shape it. Researchers at the University of Manchester and other institutions tackled the problem of the SPA’s age. Their results are in a paper in Nature Astronomy titled “Evidence of a 4.33 billion year age for the Moon’s South Pole–Aitken basin.” The lead author is Professor Katherine Joy from The University of Manchester. “The implications of our findings reach far beyond the Moon. We know that the Earth and the Moon likely experienced similar impacts during their early history, but rock records from the Earth have been lost.”Co-author Dr. Romain Tartese, University of Manchester Whatever struck the Moon, the impact was catastrophic. Some estimates suggest the impactor was 200 km in diameter, far more massive than the 10 km Chicxulub impactor that ended the dinosaurs. This massive, energetic impact represents a key event in the inner Solar System’s history. “Determining the timing of this catastrophic event is key to understanding the onset of the lunar basin-forming epoch, with implications for understanding the impact bombardment history of the inner Solar System,” the researchers write. “Despite this, the formation age of the SPA basin remains poorly constrained.” The inner Solar System bodies have been pummelled by comets and asteroids. On Earth, the evidence of these impacts is mostly wiped away by billions of years of plate tectonics and weathering. There’s only faint evidence of most impacts. The Vredevort impact crater in South Africa was created by a massive impactor about two billion years ago. It’s so eroded that scientists aren’t certain how large the original impact structure was. Since Earth’s impact features are incomplete, scientists study the lunar surface to understand both the Earth and the Moon’s bombardment history. Fortunately, some evidence from the lunar surface has made it to Earth in the form of samples collected by landers. Some serendipitous evidence also comes in the form of meteorites. Study co-author Dr. Romain Tartese, Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester, said, “The implications of our findings reach far beyond the Moon. We know that the Earth and the Moon likely experienced similar impacts during their early history, but rock records from the Earth have been lost. We can use what we have learnt about the Moon to provide us with clues about the conditions on Earth during the same period of time.” When a large impactor travelling quickly strikes a rocky planet or moon, it releases a lot of energy. The impact can spread debris around the surface and even launch some into space. Scientists have studied multiple meteorites that came from lunar and Mars impacts, and they’ve learned a lot by studying them. In fact, there are so many of them that they’ve been able to categorize many meteorites according to their asteroidal parent bodies. At least one piece of debris from the impact reached Earth: a lunar meteorite named Northwest Africa 2995. Over the years, different researchers have examined NWA 2995. By comparing it to Apollo samples, they’ve found that it has the same oxygen isotope ratios, which points to a shared lunar origin. The meteorite’s minerals and texture are also very similar to crustal rocks from the lunar highlands. The researchers write that the meteorite is in “good agreement with lithologies exposed within the southern region of the SPA basin.” NWA 2995 was found in Algeria in 2005 and it hasn’t been on Earth for long. It’s only been here for a few thousand years, and by analyzing the concentration of certain cosmogenic nuclides, which are atoms produced by exposure to cosmic rays, scientists have determined that the rock has only been travelling in space for about 22 million years. So, though it was initially created in an ancient impact, it was only launched into space much later by a subsequent impact. MWA 2995 is relatively unchanged and can provide insights into the early Solar System. NWA 2995 is what scientists call regolith breccia. Regolith is the layer of unconsolidated rocky material that covers bedrock. Breccia is a rock formed from angular fragments of rocks and minerals that are cemented together by fine-grained material. According to the authors, NWA 2995 represents an “ancient fused lunar soil, made up of many different rock and mineral components. ” The researchers examined NWA 2995 to constrain the age of the SPA basin. They used radiometric dating on a range of mineral and rock components of the meteorite to find NWA 2995’s age. This image from the research shows a section of NWA 2995 in four different views. a is an optical scan, b is a back-scattered electron image from an electron microscope, c is a cathodoluminescence image that highlights certain minerals, and d is a composite false colour element map. The colours represent silica (blue), aluminum (white), magnesium (green), iron (red), titanium (pink), potassium (cyan) and calcium (yellow). Image Credit: Joy et al. 2024. The researchers also compared NWA 2995 with orbital data from NASA’s Lunar Prospector, which used a low polar orbit to map the Moon’s surface composition. They created a map showing the probabilities that the meteorite originated in different regions on the Moon. This figure from the research shows the probability that NWA 2995 came from different locations on the lunar surface. Image Credit: Joy et al. 2024. They found that the meteorite most likely came from one of two locations, both inside the SPA. The nearby Cabannes craters are all the right size to eject a rock like NWA 2995. c is from a unified geological map of the Moon, and d shows stratigraphic units by age. Image Credit: Joy et al. 2024. The researchers analyzed the ages of uranium and lead in NWA 2995. Overall, the results indicate that the SPA basin formed about 4.32–4.33 billion years ago. That means that it formed about 120 million years before the main cluster of other lunar basins like the Serenitatis, Nectaris, and Crisium basins. This image shows thorium concentrations on the Moon. Thorium is used in conjunction with uranium in radiometric dating to help determine the Moon’s chronology. Radiometric data suggests that NWA 2995 came from the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Image Credit: Joy et al. 2024. Dr Joshua Snape, Royal Society University Research Fellow at The University of Manchester, is one of the co-authors of the new research. “Over many years, scientists across the globe have been studying rocks collected during the Apollo, Luna, and Chang’e 5 missions, as well as lunar meteorites, and have built up a picture of when these impact events occurred,” Snape said. “For several decades there has been general agreement that the most intense period of impact bombardment was concentrated between 4.2-3.8 billion years ago – in the first half a billion years of the Moon’s history,” said Snape. “But now, constraining the age of the South-Pole Aitken basin to 120 million years earlier weakens the argument for this narrow period of impact bombardment on the Moon and instead indicates there was a more gradual process of impacts over a longer period.” These results will only grow stronger when future missions collect more samples from the area. “The proposed ancient 4.32 billion year old age of the South Pole-Aiken basin now needs to be tested by sample return missions collecting rocks from known localities within the crater itself,” said lead author Joy. “Our proposed formation age for SPA will require confirmation from future radiometric dating of samples collected from the south of the Apollo basin area by the Chang’e–6 mission or from future proposed missions such as the Endurance-A rover concept that aims to collect 100?kg of samples from across the SPA basin floor,” the authors write in their conclusion. The post Scientists Determine the Age of the Moon’s Oldest and Largest Impact Basin appeared first on Universe Today.

[wolfliving]

Barcelona, world capital of architecture 2026

Taking a step forward to improve the quality of public space through the World Capital of Architecture that the city will hold in 2026, Barcelona launched a newInternational Ideas Competition for Young Architects to transform 10 permanent blind walls, one in each district, and turn them into new facades. This call, organized by the Barcelona City Council and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, made jointly with UNESCO and the International Union of Architects, is seeking architectural proposals that give meaning to walls that are currently anonymous and without any prominence, exposed in public space in a permanent provisional state.

Blind walls in the city of Barcelona 

Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Urban Landscape and Quality of Life (IMPU), has counted around 6,000 blind walls with a strong presence in the city’s public spaces. Ten permanent blind walls have been selected for the competition, one for each district, they are party walls of buildings that will not disappear since, according to current planning, they will not be covered by other buildings and at the same time confront public spaces, with the visual impact that this entails.

The proposals submitted will be evaluated according to the following objectives:

–Urban quality, that is, the ability to generate new facades for the transformation and improvement of the urban landscape, and the reactivation of the ground floors with new openings of the premises and neighbor accesses, solving corners or spaces susceptible to bad use. –Habitability, with the opening of new windows and balconies that improve the quality of life of residents. –Sustainability, with the incorporation of thermal insulation to increase comfort and improve the energy performance of buildings, or also the installation of photovoltaic capture or other strategies for generating clean energy. –Biodiversity, with the increase in vertical greenery and the creation of new habitats for protected fauna.

Competition and schedule: –For architects with a degree in any country in the world and under 35 years of age. ​–The period for submitting ideas is from June 10 to August 5, 2024.​ –The jury will select a winning proposal and a second and third prize for each of the sites, the competition has a prize fund of 52.500 euros. ​–The winners will be announced on September 25, 2024. ​–The budget for the implementation of the 10 selected proposals will be approximately 4.5 million euros and will be covered by the Barcelona City Council.

*Via e-flux

[usafphantom2]

Czech Republic retires its Mi-24 and Mi-35 and Ukraine will soon be able to receive these helicopters

It is expected that the delivery and commissioning of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may take place in the coming weeks.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 10/26/2023 - 4:00 PM In Helicopters

In the coming weeks, Ukraine may receive Mi-24 and Mi-35 helicopters from the Czech Republic, which is switching to AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters.

“If Prague is really ready to transfer these helicopters, then their delivery and commissioning by the Ukrainian Armed Forces may take place in the coming weeks, as shown by the practice of preliminary deliveries of aircraft from partner countries,” the Defense Express website said.

Last week the Czech Air Force held a farewell ceremony of its Mi-24 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, essentially unnecessary after the delivery of the first AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters acquired from the US.

“Even if we are talking about the formally deactivated Mi-24 and Mi-35, these machines are still necessary for the Ukrainian army aviation to directly support the troops on the battlefield,” the analysts are confident.

Let us remember that the Czech Republic already planned to transfer disabled Mi-24V helicopters to Ukraine, the country's Defense Minister, Yana Chernokhova, said earlier. She clarified that instead of these old helicopters, the Czech army is receiving new helicopters, such as the UH-1Y Venom and the AH-1Z Viper from the United States.

Mi-24P in use by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

According to her, the Mi-24V helicopters perfectly fulfilled their tasks and lasted even longer than expected.

Tags: Military AviationHelicoptersMi-35Czech RepublicUkraine

Sharing

tweet

Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

Related news

HELICOPTERS

United Kingdom intends to acquire 3,000 JAGM air-to-ground missiles

10/26/2023 - 2:00 PM

MILITARY

IMAGES: F-35B fighters in "beast mode" aboard HMS Prince of Wales

10/26/2023 - 11:00

MILITARY

Poland receives new batch of South Korean FA-50 fighters

26/10/2023 - 08:59

MILITARY

After the A-10, the US deploys F-16 in the Middle East, but not yet the F-35

10/26/2023 - 08:43

Image of B-21 taxiing for the first time in Palmdale, posted on Reddit by user u/Mug_Of_Fire.

MILITARY

B-21 starts taxi tests in the last stage before the first flight

25/10/2023 - 19:47

The AARGM-ER is launched from a U.S. Navy F/A-18 during a successful real fire test at the Point Mugu Sea Test Range, California. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

ARMAMENTS

Finland will acquire AARGM-ER anti-radiation missiles

25/10/2023 - 17:00

[dictator-fear-royston]

song list for my dictator Fear Royston AU

1 Im Me (From Wicked) sung by Agent Bill as he try and fails to stop Royston from carrying out his plan

2 this is the moment (from Jekyle and Hyde )sung by Royston as he looks upon his army

3 Best day of my life (from American Authures ) sung by Fear Royston and Penny "Anixity" Royston as they finaly launch the invasión with his cyborgs

4 Riot (from Three Days Grace) sung by Joy Forester and her restiance band Sam 'Disgust' Tyler and Matt "Anger" James as their intro song

5 if only (from Disney Descendants) sung by Penny "anixity" Royston as she relizes that spying on Joy and her band is wrong

One Day More (from Les Mis) sung by Penny Anixity Royston,Joy Forester,Agent Bill, and Fear Royston the day before the final confrontation

6 Ready as ill ever be (From Disney Tangled The Series ) sung by Fear Royston, Madame Ellie, Penny "anixity" Royston, snd Joy Forester as they prepare for battle

7 Dance With the devile (from Breaking Benjamin) sung by Penny Anixity Royston and Fear Royston as she betrays Royston with interjecrions from Joy Forester and Agent Bill fighting the Cyborgs and Robots

Light Em Up; (from Fall Out Boy ) sung by Joy ,Her band and agent Bill as they take down all of Roystons Robots

8 Rise (from Katy Perry) sung by Joy Forester as she fights Royston (final battle)

9 You and Me (from Disney Descendants 2 ) sung by Joy her band and a reformd Penny Anixity Royston as they finally clean up evidence of Fear Royston tyranny

10 "If only rephrasi (From Disney Descendants) sung by Joy Forester befor she gets her mind wiped by Madame Ellie as part of Agency protocals

[grandhotelabyss]

How would you rank Alan Moore’s major works?

Watchmen comes first, because it contains everything he can do done to perfection. Its crystalline structure holds all his contradictions in a sustaining tension, his heart and his head perfectly aligned in one of the most beguiling fictional heterocosms I have ever had the pleasure of entering. I've read it more times than I've read anything, to be honest, and I'm not tired of it yet.

From Hell is also an extraordinary literary achievement, not at all diminished if placed next to comparable or roughly contemporaneous works by Pynchon or McCarthy—I've compared Sir William Gull to Judge Holden—and heartfelt in its own way, if also at an extreme of horror hard to match elsewhere in serious fiction.

There's a lot of dross in the Swamp Thing run, but I love its first and final third, everything before and after the relatively bad "American Gothic," because it's almost all heart, an outpouring of lyricism like nothing else before in comics, the imitation of which would launch Gaiman and Morrison down their own paths.

The Lovecraft material probably has to come next—The Courtyard, Neonomicon, and Providence—his most truly substantial comics work of this century and a profound and ambivalent meditation on how the pop and cult fiction of the last century created our present reality. It's about as horrifying as From Hell, however, with its entire chapter of interspecies rape to balance From Hell's entire chapter of misogynist murder.

Tied for fifth, almost of necessity, are the didactic series Promethea and the prose novel Voice of the Fire. To understand post-1980s Moore, you must understand magic, and these two works, uneven as they might be, suggest what magic means to Moore. Promethea, anyway, for all its faults, is often a pleasant post-Vertigo throwback to the proto-Vertigo qualities of Swamp Thing, while Voice of the Fire—a book a few years ahead in English literature of the technique David Mitchell would be celebrated for in Ghostwritten and especially Cloud Atlas, though both Moore and Mitchell borrow from a book I've never read, Riddley Walker—has passages of such scorching intensity you could put them next to any contemporaneous novelist.

So that's my top five (or top six). Miracleman is too disunified, so clumsy at inception and so polished in conclusion, though Book Three is remarkable. Neither V for Vendetta nor Lost Girls can sustain critical scrutiny on any but a formalist level; Moore at his most politically didactic proves himself politically naive. The first two chapters of Big Numbers are stunning, and I mourn what might have been. Tom Strong, with its bittersweet and poisoned nostalgia, is poignant, underrated, while Top 10 is unreadably dense and overrated. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is good for its first two volumes—volume 2, as an intense refraction of post-9/11 politics, is especially brutal and powerful—and then it becomes a folly and a self-indulgence, which I did not bother to keep up with. I love the performance pieces, especially the first one, The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels. Among the rest of the prose, I didn't finish Jerusalem and didn't love the 250 pages I did read—he seemed to have understood the difference between a comic-book script and a novel better when he wrote Voice of the Fire 20 years before—and I found the novel-length "Thunderman" centerpiece of Illuminations close to reprehensible. Since I've rendered such a negative verdict on that most recent work, let me conclude by recommending what's probably the gem among the earliest work, the tender and clever Delany-esque feminist space opera, The Ballad of Halo Jones, with its memorable tagline, "Where did she go? Out. What did she do? Everything." Moore almost never went out—almost never left his hometown, except for ventures in the astral plane—and yet he has written everything, in every genre, in every style, and for that he has, despite any local judgments I might make against this or that work, my entire admiration.