#restricting myself to 1 ep a day is SO HARD

[ban-joey]

oh my god

[writefullyrobin]

No spoilers past 2x10 if possible folks!

2x04 – Stuck thoughts

I have a feeling I’ll be saying this a lot but Christopher is seriously the cutest kid! That opening morning routine scene with him and Eddie was so sweet I think it gave me cavities.

I love when drunk people get ideas. They come up with the weirdest, most random things. Like sticking your dead in a truck’s tail pipe!

Athena’s plot was interesting. I think everyone whose been in the same job for a long time can empathise with the career choice dilemma. Do you stay where you’re comfortable or risk some changes? We’re always told to aim higher but sometimes higher isn’t where you’re meant to be and can actually restrict you doing what you enjoy. I think she made a good choice. She needs to be out there doing stuff. Plus, can you imagine Athena with a partner? I can’t.

How did Chimney get his name? I’m assuming an actual chimney was involved in some for or another. Is this one of those pieces of lore that just never get explained and are a permanent mystery because I would be OK with that.

I’m very relieved Chim has no lasting consequences of the rebar through the brain. Hilarious he ran into his ex at this hospital. His very pregnant ex. You could literally see the maths running through his head when he realised that. I’m with Hen though. Chim can be the bigger person and forgive her. I’m going to hold a grudge for her being a cold hearted bitch.

Ah, Chim does remember the accident. I had wondered because he was very, very conscious throughout. Super sad he’s been holding onto all that grief – only word I can think to use that represents his reaction. I hope now he’s started to process though he can move on with.

Like Buck needs to start doing with Abby! I mean, seriously, I liked Abby well enough in season 1 but she’s practically ghosting him now. She sounds like she’s moved on, he needs to too.

Carla’s back!! Oh I missed that sunshine smile of hers! And she’s going to be looking after Christopher? Awesome!!

Do I dare ask this because I’m really not sure if I’m jumping the gun or misreading considering it’s only ep 4 but Buck helping Eddie out like he did with Chris, arranging it with Bobby so he can come to the station for the day, arranging a meeting with Carla… is this Buck stepping into it with Eddie, like he tried hard to for Abby and her mom last season after that chat with Bobby?

And Maddie directly called out Buck for his boy crush! Firstly, that is such a big sister thing to do (I know, I’ve done it myself) and secondly, this is TV. They’re not going to waste a second on pointless dialogue banter if they didn’t want it to be relevant. It’s not a novel.

Screw it. I had my friend look up the ship name for Buck and Eddie (Buddie – I like it!) so I didn’t accidentally see any spoilers and I’m tagging it going forward because its been 4 eps and these two are already ridiculous and living in my head rent free. You don’t want to read me gushing, block me.

[raxistaicho]

How is Edelgard the best unit gameplay-wise ? She's my favorite character but I don't know much about unit tier-listing and all that

I made a post on this ages back, here you go:

Reddit also went into it here.

Here's some fun quotes from that:

S Tier - incredibly she somehow has an even better early game than the S-tier Byleths thanks to higher strength, easy access to Weight-3, brainless Armor Knight certification, and good base Authority for early Blaze. Transitions to flight at lv 10 and never needs to look back. Galeforces her way through any problematic Part 2 maps thanks to the frankly ludicrous Raging Storm. Pound for pound might be the best unit in the game thanks to how much better and more centralizing she is than Dimitri in the early game.

Girlboss indeed.

Edelgard is also very good before she gets her hands on Aymr as well, her bases are among the best in the game, 13 base Str + 55% growth means she puts a massive dent to anything she attacks from the get go and can reliably ORKO with Brave Weapons later on. She has decent bulk, the best in her house along with Ferdinand though Petra is better at baiting speedier enemies since she won't get doubled, that being said Black Eagles don't have a dedicated tank and you'd be better off recruiting Balthus who can do the job better. Her Charm is among the best in the game which means her Gambits have high Accuracy and hits hard and she can dodge enemies Gambits more reliably than most units in your team.

Edelgard is hands down the best unit in this game. I’d be inclined to put her in a tier by herself in S+, but going by the rubric laid out by OP she is S tier.

Edelgard thoroughly dominates the early portion of the game with the best base strength among students and outstanding bases in other stats. Her middling base speed is easily fixed by her easy access to Wt-3 and later Darting Blow. She can also certify in Armor Knight for a cheeky defense boost. She is tanky as heck, never gets doubled, deals out huge damage, and her personal allows her to snowball quite dramatically. She can be argued as the best early game unit, although Dedue, Leonie, Dimitri, and the Byleths are competitive.

Mid game she still dominates although she has some competition. She will basically be the best of the female flying units. Death and Darting Blow, along with Weight -3 and Hit +20 make her a fearsome combat unit. She will double quite frequently and has good survivability on enemy phase.

But once Chapter 13 rolls around, it’s all over for every other unit. Raging Storm is either the #1 or #2 most busted thing in the entire game depending on how you feel about Warp. Edelgard can legitimately beat maps by herself once she gets this ability. It’s so good that I have to force myself not to use it sometimes because I don’t want to just solo the game with her. The fact that all part 2 maps are boss kill just makes her complete overkill in this game.

She is better than her stepbrother. Not his fault, just the way the game is designed favors a broken PP unit more than a broken EP unit. I will say that Edelgard needs more investment to be amazing than Dimitri does, but at the end of the day she is just flat better than him, to a degree where the higher investment doesn’t sway me.

Best unit in the game imo. At worst she's FByleth but with better boons/tutoring, meaning easier access to armor skills/classes and wyverns. She's one your best early game units, to the point that I still rate her highly in Silver Snow. And of course there's Raging Storm. Awakening Galeforce was way too broken; restricting it so only 1 unit can use it 5 times in a row clearly solves the problem right? The one weakness she may have is that she wants to rely on crit in order to kill with Raging Storm, especially against bosses, but Crest of Flames prevents her from using defiant crit more consistently.

Yes, she is better than Dimitri. Dimitri heavily relies on bwrath/vantage and is much weaker without it, and it's painfully apparent in HBD and even some of the later chapters. Even without Amyr, Edelgard is still FByleth with better boons. While her strength/speed growths may be lower, she's actually going to outdamage/outspeed Dimitri for a very long time thanks to her bases and easier access to strong skills/classes. May be a different story if more route objectives were present, but in reality many maps just require defeating the commander(s), which Edelgard excels very well at.

[nikibogwater]

Niki Blethers about The Mandalorian S2: ep 7

Spoilers below the cut!

*inhale*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

DANK FERRIK THIS WAS THE EPISODE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR HOLY CRUDMUFFINS

I said last week that the series has been struggling to hold my interest this season. I haven’t been super active in the fandom, and I was just overall a lot less invested in the characters/plot than I was for season 1. I was never quite able to pinpoint exactly why until this episode.

The reason I started losing interest in the show was because the show had started losing interest in Din. For several episodes, the plot was mainly focused around finding the Jedi, learning about the Force, uncovering all these Imperial baddies. The show was always at its most interesting to me when the typical Star Wars stuff took a back seat to Din’s personal story, and this season was not letting that happen as often as I would’ve liked. 

But with “The Believer,” everything is solidly fixed on Din and his personal goal: get his son back. It also takes a good hard look at Din’s Creed and the Way of his tribe, which is a unique and interesting aspect of Star Wars lore that I’ve been slavering to learn more about. 

I’ve seen a lot of people saying they want Din to abandon his religion, take off his helmet and be “free” or whatever, and while I understand that there are definitely religious sects out there that champion very toxic and damaging ideas, Din’s Way never felt either of those things to me. It is centered on personal sacrifice for the protection of your tribe and your honor, but at no point was it ever implied that Din was forced into this, or that he regrets swearing the Creed. He even says that nothing bad happens to you if you break the Creed--you just can’t ever take it up again once you’ve made that choice. “Sanctuary” implied that there are times when he is tempted to leave it behind and live “normally,” but he chooses to resist that urge of his own volition, because he believes in the importance of what he’s doing. 

There has been a lot of helmet-removal foreshadowing in this season, and I was starting to get very concerned about the direction the writers were going in regards to Din’s Creed. I am absolutely 100% completely biased as a religious person myself, so this probably isn’t an objective viewpoint, but I think as long as your beliefs do not require you to intentionally harm other people (either physically or emotionally), it should be socially acceptable for people to believe whatever they choose. To practice any traditions they like, even if they seem weird and restrictive, as long as they are doing it by their own choice. I know this is hard for a lot of people to believe (especially in this country) but many people find a somewhat ironic sense of fulfilment in making personal sacrifices for a higher ideal. And DIn has been shown to take comfort from his Creed and the identity it gives him, and has never expressed anything more than passing wistfulness at the thought of living differently--not bitterness or resentment, simply a “Oh. Yes, that would be nice. But I’m still sticking to my guns here.”

So with all that being said...Holy crap, I love how this episode forced him to break his creed and sacrifice his identity. The show has hammered it into our heads since day one: Din’s most valued part of himself, the thing that he loves enough to die for, is his identity as a Mandalorian and follower of the Way. Din taking off his helmet was not an act of rebellion--it was truly a sacrifice, the greatest sacrifice he could ever make. Din has been shown to be pretty nonchalant about dying, but losing who he is, the code that has shaped him and guided his life--to him, that is so much worse than death. And before Grogu, I don’t think there was anyone or anything that could make him willingly give it up. 

Also MAJOR Kudos to Pedro Pascal for his acting in that whole scene. The guy has already been a god of the recording booth throughout this entire series, but his physical performance during this pivotal moment in Din’s arc was just 👌👌👌 Every swallow, every muscle twitch, every eye movement was clearly very intentional, and even though Din was forced to keep a straight face and pretend this was perfectly normal, the small subtleties of Pascal’s acting clearly communicated that Din was breaking inside. 

ALSO HI, HELLO, WHILE WE’RE ON THE TOPIC OF CHARACTER GROWTH, THREE CHEERS FOR MY BOI MAYFELD

You know, my mother pointed out, the first time she watched “The Prisoner,” that Mayfeld wasn’t quite on the same level of malice as the other antagonists. She picked up that there was a spark of morality somewhere in him. I didn’t think much of it other than “oh cool, different flavors of Evil in the villain squad” but hot DANG they really were teasing his redemption arc from the get-go. 

Also Mayfeld being his snarky, irritating self, spewing about the faulty logistics of a religion he doesn’t actually know anything about, trying to goad Din into showing his face, was such a perfect backdrop to his reaction to Din removing his helmet. Like, just seeing him realize what Din’s creed means to him, seeing this cold-hearted bastard have genuine compassion and jump in to help out his bro--just, tres magnifique.

Din and Mayfeld were obviously the stand-out characters here, everybody else was just kind of there, but that was fine. I like that Din and Cara have a few moments of silent communication, where they just look at each other intently, and nobody goes “Alright, break it up lovebirds.” Yes. Please normalize platonic relationships being just as emotionally intense and full of trust as romantic ones.

I still don’t understand why Boba Fett and Fennec are so dead-set on helping Din, but I’m totally okay if they all come out of this as Found Family. Please give me Din bickering with his sassy assassin sister while Boba yells from the front seat “WILL YOU KIDS SHUT UP, I’M TRYING TO FLY, HERE.” 

Also Fennec and Cara are Sharpshooting Sisters now, and no, you cannot change my mind, they are BFFs and they probably get into bar fights together and talk about guns.

Finally, let’s talk about the final scene (the one that broke me). “You may think you have some idea of what you are in possession of, but you do not. Soon, he will be back with me. He means more to me than you will ever know.” EXCUSE ME FOR JUST A SECOND

*screams in Found Family*

So, everything about Din’s threat message to Gideon is perfect. Not only is he forcefully reversing their roles so that now Din is the hunter and Gideon is the prey, but he alters Gideon’s own words in order to communicate something really important. Din doesn’t say “Soon, he will be mine.” He doesn’t think of Grogu as an asset to be possessed. Grogu is only his in the sense that Din needs to protect and nurture him, but no one owns the child. 

Also AAAAAAAAAH DIN STRAIGHT-UP PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT HE LOVES HIS SON, I AM FREAKING OUT, IT’S EVERYTHING I WANTED

I am pumped for the conclusion to this season now. I don’t think I’ve been this excited for a new episode in...ever. “The Believer” gets a solid 10/10 from Niki, if for no other reason than because it actually made me want to read Mandalorian fics again. Ahhhh I feel my passion for this series returning to me...it is Well and Good.

[straykidsupdate]

Stray Kids are shaking up K-pop’s status quo

The South Korean pop band Stray Kids are clustered around a laptop for a Skype interview, pale in the screen’s glow as heavy rain turns New York City to grey. It’s a fitting backdrop for the group: from their 2017 pre-debut release “Hellevator” to the latest single, the snarling, trumpeting EDM of “MIROH”, the K-pop group have made similarly dystopian environs their visual backdrop, where neon and CCTV screens flicker and the group are hemmed in by skyscrapers, tarmac, and tunnels as they attempt to escape or defy their surroundings.

This concept – of attaining freedom – is central to the group, and it’s an idea that’s rooted in reality. The group’s leader, Bang Chan, handpicked each member for the group from their parent label JYP Entertainment’s roster of trainees, a process unheard of in K-pop, where that power lies with executives and creative directors. Stray Kids write and produce all their material, too, and are one of the few idol groups to do so. Their music focuses unflinchingly on their youth – the anger and frustration, the ecstatic highs and ragged lows – while questioning their own shifting sense of identity.

With bleached bangs falling into one eye, Bang Chan recalls not the gravitas of the opportunity to form his own group, but the pressure of picking wisely. “There was a lot on my mind,” says the 21-year-old, speaking during the band’s run of sold-out North American concerts. “Choosing the right people was a must, because I’m going to be with them for a long time. Because I’d been a trainee for so long,” – seven years – “I think I had the ability to figure out what potential they had.” He turns to his bandmates and namechecks them: Woojin, the eldest at 22; Lee Know; Changbin; Hyunjin; Han; Felix; Seungmin; and the youngest, I.N, who turned 18 in February. “With everyone around me right now, I’m really glad we’ve become this team.”

Bang Chan and 18-year-old Felix, whose cavernously deep voice is at odds with his Bambi-innocent looks, were both raised in Australia, and the broad twang of their accent conveys a cheerful, anything-is-possible resonance. It’s the former who helms the conversation. He’s an engaging speaker and a careful listener, stopping to translate questions for the non-English speakers. At times he falters, and at others he deflects to well-worn answers (a reflection of their newness), but he’s unmistakably a leader, a role he wears effortlessly.

As a whole, Stray Kids are known for their friendly, indefatigable rambunctiousness, but with nearly a dozen rookie awards and five EPs in just over 12 months, it’d be foolish to underestimate their tenacity. Their start was a baptism of fire. On Stray Kids, the eponymously-named survival TV show that they were formed through, they were required to write tracks and perfect performances to short deadlines, then ruthlessly critiqued by the CEO of their label, JYP Entertainment. Two of the group members, Felix and Lee Know, were initially eliminated, although eventually reinstated in the final episode via a public vote. Felix, axed due to his less-than-fluent Korean, hasn’t forgotten the sting. “I still think about my Korean and how I use the language,” he sighs. “I try to learn, and fix it.”

You can see his determination when Stray Kids appear on Korean variety shows to showcase their work and their personalities. Felix’s shyness in speaking had resulted in less camera time but, in recent months, his studying has appeared to pay off and he’s a far more confident presence, able to convey the charm that's endeared him to their fans. It’s the result of constant help from his bandmates, he says, radiating positivity (which is, delightfully, Felix’s default setting). Lee Know, however, who’d had only a short idol training period and was cut early in the series, favours a more stoic approach. “I think I’m here thanks to that feedback. I worked really hard then, and I’m still trying to work hard now too,” he says, and although his small smile seemingly hints at something more pronounced, he settles on a double thumbs up and sits back.

“Choosing the right people was a must... With everyone around me right now, I’m really glad we’ve become this team” – Bang Chan, Stray Kids

Their rough-meets-polished sound was set up by the darkly anthemic “Hellevator”, but the thundering EDM and guitar riffs of their official debut, “District 9”, cemented them as a fresh force in K-pop. In its music video, they flee a clinical-looking prison and use a school bus to smash through to the safety of the titular District 9, although even there they’re left searching. “I don’t know who I am, it’s frustrating, it always worries me / Answer me, then give me an answer that will clear it all,” Hyunjin raps with a volatile urgency.

This ceaseless quest weaves through last year’s EP trilogy (I Am NOT, I Am WHO, I Am YOU) and into their latest EP, Clé 1: MIROH, the clear narrative allowing for sonic experiments (from the minimalist electronica of “3rd Eye” to the bright pop drawl of “Get Cool”) without losing momentum. In their song “NOT!”, they celebrate breaking out the “system” – the status quo – and the strength of being different. For Stray Kids, this is more about ambiguous storytelling than holding a deliberate ’us versus them’ mentality. “We usually don’t compare (ourselves) to others,” says vocalist Seungmin, in English. “Like in the song ‘My Pace’, we’re saying we don’t care about others’ (achievements), we’re just talking about Stray Kids’ own way.”

While Stray Kids have definitely created a richly empathetic musical tapestry, their chosen path raises a pertinent observation: in breaking out of one “system”, they’ve joined another. The idol system that they’re now a part of often appears more restrictive than the one they leave behind, and as they move towards the bubble of fame and money, there’s also the potential to lose a sense of oneself. Both feel paradoxical to their story. Bang Chan pauses. “Well, honestly, we wouldn’t call it a system, let’s say a ‘world’, and we’d call it a decision that we made. In order for us to get out of the main system, we chose being idols, and through K-pop we can show the message we want to express.”

Han, the 18-year-old rapper, singer, and songwriter/producer, drapes himself, cat-like, over Felix’s head and neck to get close to the camera. “I think fame and success can be dangerous to a person, depending on how they feel about it, but we’re going to try to always be positive and good natured about it,” he opines, gesticulating rapidly. “We’re still lacking so much, but we’re going to try really hard to understand other people’s feelings and be a good influence.”

Given Stray Kids’ formation, creative freedom, and growing success makes them something of an anomaly, might their presence provoke change in the idol world? Bang Chan furrows his brow. “I suppose so,” he says with the questioning tone of someone presented with an unfamiliar concept. “I guess it’s up to how people take it in.”

Stray Kids, evidently, have been more preoccupied with looking inward, and, when examining their new EP, it’s apparent their gaze has been in flux. Clé 1: MIROH, which Bang Chan describes as “us being really confident because all nine of us are together”, presents a new fearlessness on tracks like “Boxer”, “MIROH” and “Victory Song”, where Han triumphantly raps:“A laidback victor, a smile spreads on my face / Who else is like me, there’s no one.”

“When I was becoming a singer, some people didn’t support my dreams, so I was sad. I remember that and put those feelings into this song” – Changbin, Stray Kids

They pose fewer existential questions than on previous EPs, but, says Bang Chan, “if you look at tracks like ‘Chronosaurus’ and ‘Maze Of Memories’, it shows nervousness or anxiety, and a feeling of being lost as well.” The latter, its doomy hip hop propelled by tense piano and bursts of foreboding strings, was an emotional outlet for their silver-tongued rapper, Changbin. “When I was becoming a singer,” he says, in English, “some people didn’t support my dreams, so I was sad. I remember that and put those feelings into this song.”

Yet despite sieving emotions and thoughts through the music, their biggest questions, says Changbin, remain unanswered. “But we’re trying,” he smiles. He points to the close presence of their fans, known as STAY. “Maybe we can find the answer soon, through STAY.” How does he intend to discover deeply personal epiphanies through others? “I’m young and lack a lot of experience,” replies Changbin, reverting to Korean. “There are still a lot of childish elements about me as well. By watching those around me, I can find out what I like through them. I feel like I can find myself through (others’ journeys).”

For now, Stray Kids simply continue doing what they’ve done so well thus far – capturing the human condition, including tackling difficult subjects like depression (“Hellevator”), anxiety (“Rock”), and negative thoughts (“Voices”), all of which, Bang Chan says, they’ve experienced first-hand. The group’s core writing team (Han, Changbin, and Bang Chan, together known as 3RACHA) have not only refined their style over the past year but, according to I.N, “improved on their speed of making songs. They’ve gotten really fast,” he says with a sunny grin.

3RACHA’s Soundcloud days are far behind them, although, to their credit, they haven’t deleted the handful of songs that were posted pre-debut. Some will remain just enthusiastic learning curves, but others were raw and powerful, such as “Broken Compass”, which was refashioned into “Mixtape #4” for Clé 1: MIROH.

The “Mixtape” songs, which are only found on the physical versions of their EPs, are where, Hyunjin says, “we all contribute, and fill our individual verses with our personal stories”. In January, 3RACHA revisited a few songs during a Vlive broadcast, and cringed to the point of sweating profusely. As Changbin and Han crease up, Bang Chan covers his face, mock-groaning. “We can’t listen to them now!” But there’s a glint in his eye. “We do have to do episode two of that,” he adds, grinning.

It’s not just the songwriters who are evolving; from being wide-eyed, ambitious and nervous trainees who didn’t always get along, as Hyunjin recently revealed, Stray Kids have become compelling performers with close bonds. They’d clung tightly to Bang Chan during their survival show, but do Stray Kids today feel less lost – or at least more secure in their responsibilities? “I’ll just leave the room so the guys can talk more freely,” jokes Bang Chan, even as Changbin, owner of a bone-dry sense of humour, simply yells, “No!” Vocalist Woojin leans in. “He was very good to us while we were filming the show. At that time we always followed him very well, and relied on him a lot.”

“I don’t have a lot of confidence but when he’s next to me, I know I can do this,” adds Felix, as they ready to depart for the next schedule in a packed day. “But,” Woojin says, “now we’re all developing our own selves, too.”

Source

[celestialtrait]

Pastel Patisserie: A Legacy Challenge [Recovered 5/18/19]

My Pastel Patisserie challenge is back! Thank you to @strwbrrycremu for recovering the original rules and sending them my way! Since writing this challenge, a lot of new features have been added to the game. My hope is to alter this ruleset to include all of the new packs we have!

Hungry for some more berry sweet game play? Looking for a challenge that incorporates all of your EPs and GPs? Want to give your sims pastel hair colors and sugary sweet names? The Pastel Patisserie is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Pastel Patisserie is a 10 generation legacy challenge structured like the Not-So-Berry and Rainbowcy challenges, but written to incorporate aspects of recently released packs. True to The Sims series, it is filled with wacky drama and larger than life characters.

*This is something I’ve made mostly for myself, because I’ve played the first two gens of NSB over too many times and I’m sick of the scientist career.

Rules:

Like some of the other berry sweet legacies here on tumblr, each heir must represent the color or in this case, “flavor” of their generation. You can play with actual berry sims, or “banilla” sims (sims with colored hair but regular, human skin tones).

Color-coded spouses are totally optional. Personally, I think I’m going to fill a save with a bunch of berry townies to keep with the theme.

There are no money restrictions, but the challenge is probably a lot more fun if you don’t excessively use money cheats.

Your legacy is not bound to one lot for its entirety. But if you prefer your legacies to live in one house the whole time, go for it

Wanna share your progress? Use the hashtag #pastelpat

Gen 1: Bubblegum (Founder)

You’re new to the area and ready to put down roots! You love baking, and have always dreamed of opening your own bakery. You start a club for local bakers and put what little savings you have into your business. You spend most of your time at the bakery, so it’s no surprise that it’s where you meet the love of your life. You have one child whom you both love dearly and spoil often. When they finally move out, the house feels so empty you and your spouse adopt another child.

Traits: Cheerful, Good, Glutton Aspiration: Leader of the Pack

Max Baking Skill

Open and run your own bakery. Do not join any careers.

Start a baking club and meet once a week

Complete Leader of the Pack aspiration

Date and marry a sim you meet at your bakery.

Have 1 child (the heir) you both dote on, and adopt a second as elders.

Gen 2: Lavender

Your parents spoiled you a lot as a child, so you don’t really know how to take care of yourself. You love music, but you love partying even more. Children and a white picket fence are nowhere on your radar; you want to DJ and dance the night away for the rest of your life. You have one boyfriend/girlfriend who you are mostly faithful to, but one night you slip up. You/your lover gets pregnant and you must take care of the child. You’re not very good with kids and you never wanted them, so you’re not around very often. You enlist your adopted sibling as a babysitter.

Traits: Music Lover, Dance Machine, Hates Children

Aspiration: Party Animal

Be best friends with your adoptive sibling

Max DJ and Dance skills

Make all of your money from tips

Complete the Party Animal aspiration

Have a boyfriend/girlfriend

Cheat on your partner and conceive, breakup or stay together.

Have little to no relationship with your child.

Have your adoptive sibling watch your child

Gen 3: Baby Blue

Growing up your parent was always out late, so you spent a lot of time playing video games and watching movies. You��re closer to your aunt/uncle than you ever were to your parent, and they taught you a lot about empathy and caring for other sims. You desperately want to give your children what you never had, and are inspired by your aunt/uncle’s story. You end up adopting a child before you start your own family.

Traits: Geeky, Loner, Unflirty

Aspiration: Super Parent

Be best friends with your aunt/uncle

Have 1 childhood friend

Max the Video Gaming Skill

Go to Geek Con every time it’s in town

Complete the Medical Career

Complete the Super Parent aspiration

Your aunt/uncle’s story inspires you. Adopt 1 child prior to marriage.

Marry your childhood friend.

Have two children with your spouse.

Be Good Friends with all of your children

Gen 4: Pistachio

You grew up well in a loving household, but you wanted more than the safe little life your parents built for you. You’re free spirited, and yearn to expand your mind and explore the wilderness. You spend your days living off the land and improving your wellness. You go camping often, and have many lovers throughout your lifetime. All the unprotected woohoo catches up to you, and you have a lot of children. You and your family spend your days working the farm and living commune style.

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Vegetarian, Noncommittal

Aspiration: Outdoor Enthusiast

Complete the Social Butterfly aspiration as a child

Live in a rural neighbourhood

Make all of your money gardening. You may open a retail lot and run a flower shop or farmer’s stand.

Master Herbalism and Gardening skills. Make it to at least level 5 of the Wellness skill.

Have at least 5 children with at least 4 different sims. One of these sims must be the Granite Falls Hermit (you will probably need cheats for this).

Never marry, but you may have multiple girlfriends/boyfriends. Bonus points if they all live with you at once.

Gen 5: Lemonade

You hated growing up in the country with so many siblings. Dirt and bugs gross you out, and there was always so much work to do. You long to start a new life in the city, far away from your embarrassing family. You move to San Myshuno as a teen, and work part-time while you focus on your grades. When you finally age up, you join the business career and marry a rich old sim. You have two children and they have the best of everything. You have brunches and spa days with your rich friends once a week.

Traits: Materialistic, Squeamish, Perfectionist

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Move to San Myshuno as a teen

Complete the Business career

Try to complete the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration

Marry a rich sim. They must be older than you are.

Avoid your big, messy family.

Have a maximum of two children.

Create a Socialites club. Meet once a week for brunch or a spa day.

Gen 6: Peach

You got everything you ever wanted as a child and lived San Myshuno’s high society life. You love living in the city and never want to leave. You are the sim equivalent of the millennial. All you want to do is explore the city and enjoy yourself for the rest of your life. You eat spicy food, blog your whole life, and become a simstagram star. You date a few people, but eventually settle down with one of your exes.

Traits: Childish, Outgoing, Bro

Aspiration: City Native

Never leave San Myshuno

Learn all 22 new recipes

Eat mostly spicy food. It’s your favorite.

Master the Singing skill

Complete the Social Media career

Have a roommate throughout your YA years. Become best friends with that roommate.

Have 3 boyfriends/girlfriends throughout your life. Get back together with one, but don’t get married until you’re both elders.

Have as many children as you want, as long as they’re with the sim you eventually marry.

Gen 7: Tangerine

As a kid you had all kinds of food, but your favorite is Grilled Cheese. You have a small group of close knit friends, and you like to invite them over once a week for grilled cheese. You live in Oasis Springs and work as a detective for the local police department. You are the epitome of dad culture: you’re clumsy and like to take naps. You marry your coworker and have a very happy marriage, but they die after your third child together. Your children are devastated and you have trouble letting go. You re-marry your ghostly spouse.

Traits: Clumsy, Foodie, Lazy

Aspiration: Grilled Cheese

Live in Oasis Springs

Have a core group of 3 friends.

Only eat grilled cheese.

Complete the Detective Career

Master the Handiness skill

Marry a coworker

Have 3 children.

Your spouse dies after the birth of your 3rd child.

Your family takes the death hard. All children must have the gloomy trait.

Never remarry. Stay with your ghostly spouse.

Gen 8: Ash

You lost one of your parents when you were young and it left a mark on you. You want desperately to make your own family, but struggle to do so. One of your pregnancies miscarry and it destroys you. You can’t bear to be around your children, and start a string of affairs. One day your spouse catches you, and leaves with the kids. You become obsessed with death. You raise a cow plant and marry the Grim Reaper.

Traits: Family-Oriented, Gloomy, Insane

Aspiration: Serial Romantic

Marry young

Be a stay-at-home parent

“Miscarry” once (end a pregnancy with cheats).

Begin cheating on your spouse shortly after miscarrying.

Complete the Serial Romantic Aspiration

Sabotage your relationships with your children

Your spouse finds out about the cheating, and divorces you. They take your children with them.

You are preoccupied with death. Download a Grim Reaper from the gallery and marry him.

Have 1 child with the grim reaper. Have all of their half-siblings hate them. This sim does not have to be the heir, but it is recommended.

Raise one cow plant. Eat the cake.

Gen 9: Vanilla

You had a rough home life growing up, but you’re optimistic that you’ll find true love. You adopt a dog and spend your days taking lots of photos. You’re definitely your father’s child, and still spend a lot of time with him. You have a rivalry with one of your siblings and fight almost every time you see one another. You go on dates often in your quest for love. Eventually you marry a cat sim and have a big wedding.

Traits: Creative, Dog Lover, Hopeless Romantic

Aspiration: Animal Lover

Be enemies with at least one of your siblings

Be best friends with your father

Have one close friend

Have at least 1 dog

Master the Photography Skill

Master the Pet Training Skill

Complete the Animal Lover aspiration

Own and operate your own photography studio

Go on multiple dates during your YA years.  

Marry a Cat Lover as an Adult

Have a gold wedding

Have as many children as you want

Gen 10: Toffee

There are so many things you want to do, that you can’t stick to just one thing. You’re a jack-of-all trades and have a myriad of interests. Your many talents attract a lot of potential romantic partners to you, and some are rather eccentric. You find that you really enjoy science, and spend a lot of time visiting other planets. Eventually, you get abducted and have an alien child.

Traits: Goofy, Genius, Romantic

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Change jobs often. You need a total of 3 for your aspiration

Your last job must be the astronaut career

It is recommended that the scientist career is one of your careers

Complete the Renaissance Sim aspiration

Master the Rocket Science Skill

Go to Sixam

Marry an Occult sim

Get abducted

Have as many children as you want

[y01te-moved]

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

i almost cant even count how many this is but im doing every single one anyways and you cant stop me despite the fact that this obviously took me ages to actually answer

1: if ur reading this ur legally obligated to follow max (sender of this ask) Right Now. Just Do It.

2: i think more ppl with my sense of humor should watch Spider Riders bc listen..  if somewhere along the line that show suddenly gained more popularity again in this fine year of 2019 id be both actually funny for once but also revolutionary. by all technicalities some of my hcs are fucking great but i dont think i could say a lot of them and even be comprehensible outside of orientation based ones that are just rlly controversial. granted im not even sure i could or would actually recommend the show to people cause its kinda dumb a lot of the time and also fairly long at least to my standards so its harder to finish unless ur like really invested in it :pensive:

3: also on that note the next time a horny person even THINKS about Corona im Going to break into their home and then break their knees. i hate that she has so much fanart thats basically just fetish art or otherwise managing to be nsfw in some way shes like 15 at best fuck off!! its rlly only a problem on like. deviantart but it still makes me die inside.

4: character development is hard i never actually keep my ideas and what i have written down on like.  my actual bios for everyone on the same pace so its a confusing mess and i wish i was better at combating that

5: anon and kanon r such good loids i wish people used them more but i think a part of the problem is that i dont always look That hard for things that use them ahdbsadgashdj

6: alex is the best sdv bachelor and im not accepting criticism on that notion. 2nd best would probably be like..  sam except i havent tried hard enough to be friends with him yet which i feel bad abt bc he seems nice

7: i miss the cracking open a cold one with the boys meme that was still one of my favorites

8: (goes BACK to thinking about SR shdfjds) the anime had no right having like so many characters base their ideals off of how brade used to be in the past and all those good takes on like not necessarily Having to resort to violence as the ultimate solution and all that good stuff just to be like, “surprise!! he actually IS still around! but also he’s going to be minimally helpful at all until the last few episodes and otherwise we’re going to make a ton of gags about him trying to hit on the like 2 girls in the team who are also like 15 while he ignores practically everyone else because thats funny!” im still so mad about it. he is the absolute worst and he has no rights. there was also so much potential they seemed like they could have used and were trying to hint at using in terms of further developing more important details about the history of the inner world or at least some of the things that had been going on well before hunter ever showed up and then they didn’t do anything but hint at the idea of brade having known hunter’s grandfather. but even that wasn’t 100% confirmed bc they dodged around it the one time they had hunter ask. its a mess.

9: my taste is so fucking weird and i hate it bc its mostly just, “oh yeah i heard abt this thing and it seems cool im hoping to start getting into it soon!” for most things that are actually cool or popular or all that and never actually get into it, but then i see smth dumb as shit that i know would probably make me look like an absolute fool for liking and im like, “oh yeah yknow what i can do this one” and then i do like it but i cant say much about it either cause i dont wanna look like.   a fool.

10: these have been depressing as fuck so im gonna lighten the mood and say that himbo is a fucking hilarious word and i love it

11: also axel (kh) is a himbo. why? he just is.

12: im also bad at character design i think bc i always worry that my characters look too similar in terms of hair style like all the time and idk if its rlly that bad or not jfhgkf.  that and like. so many of my characters just wear jeans and boots in terms of the lower half of their body its so unoriginal but it always works so well…

13: still disappointed in myself for having never 100%’d even 1 tlodw game. lunatic mode.. Difficult

14: i dont keep up with ace attorney fans but i hope everyone out there agrees that miles has peak vampire energies based on the way he dresses alone

15: re:zero fans have no rights only bc i only ever see ppl talking abt rem and ram like. wh..   was no one ever going to tell me about reinhard or was i just supposed to watch him get introduced in the first few eps and then fall in love w/him immediately before even finding out hes supposed to be a knight which makes him 20x better

16: leon and/or leonhart is like genuinely a good name idk why it just sounds rlly nice

17: ive had like so many technical difficulties with this site since trying to answer this i hate tumblr

18: im pretty sure im like. genuinely just gonna go mute or some shit one day cause honestly ive mostly only ever gotten worse and worse about not actually being able to say things even when i know exactly what thought im trying to say, both physically and like. online. its so weird i feel like i just cant say things. it may just be being self conscious but i restrict myself soo heavily and its WEIRD….  its like being trapped in ur thoughts and it sucks.  probably doesnt even actually mean all that much but it still makes it hard for me to accomplish anything ever which i hate.

19: despite all the titles like ssbu and all that existing for the switch i think id only want one to play the new(er) inside system games i havent had the chance to yet like the spinoff card game and rudymical and also brave dungeon but w/neville and klinsy and whoever else was dlc on that game cause obviously i own the 3ds port but also neville..  good…  i wanna see how she plays..

20: i miss when i could be passionate abt cave story it just makes me feel tired seeing it sometimes at this point but it also still holds a great significance to me so its just confusing and im not sure how i feel abt it

21: the SR novels were cowards only on account of not giving us any official design for petra but also for writing igneous like.  That.  novelverse igneous is just too bitter in general and like i get it but they couldve done a lot more with him even though he is still somewhat respectable in the end, granted its hard cause like holy shit hes so fucking mean to hunter literally who asked for that. im just glad the anime let him be somewhat more idk..  i guess sociable while still keeping a lot of the inherently essential aspects his personality had like his almost over the top loyalty to the prince and taking things like training/combat in general very seriously. its just good and animeverse igneous is so good id die for him thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[douchebagbrainwaves]

HERE'S WHAT I JUST REALIZED ABOUT PONZI

That would be a lot of protocols for doing things. Suits, for example, didn't have numbers. So for now this is something startups are deciding individually. Raising an angel round, the less it would take to get new ones to move there. That wasn't the intention of the legislators who wrote it. It's exactly the same terms.1 Look down at your hands. No one actually proposed implementing numbers as lists in practice. With Web-based software will be written on this model. The key to that mystery is to ask, how different from what?

I remember going through this realization myself. They want there to be a cost, and send them looking for it.2 You'd expect them to be cold and calculating, or at least businesslike, but often they're not.3 There's an initial phase of negotiation about the big questions.4 And yet you can see it the way you do releases.5 Do not start a startup.6 And yet by the next time you need to go running, but once I do, I enjoy it. Which means it's a disaster to let the world think the founders thought of everything. With sufficiently lightweight standardized equity terms and some changes in investors' and lawyers' expectations about equity rounds you might be able to reproduce this at most colleges if you make a conscious effort not to do a really good deal.

At least, that's how we'd describe it in present-day programming languages had been available in 1960, would anyone have wanted to use them? Type that has good startup ideas is not to try to explain why the exit polls so wrong?7 I tell my own kids? He just wanted to add a few more? The lesson: don't pick cofounders who will flake. And you know when you're working on language design, I think you'd be surprised at how far you could get. If you're controlling them, they're not even fun. You can start by asking a comparatively lowly VC for a small amount of money, the underlying cause is usually lack of focus. I hardly ever go back and read stuff I write down in notebooks. You may not need to use convertible notes to do it. When you have the resources, it's more elegant to think of startup ideas, particularly their own.8 You do it sitting at a desk.

I've been on both sides, and I know it's the wrong thing that they can express or perhaps even realize what they're looking for. Maybe if I think more about the message your investors might send if they don't, you're hosed. NPR values said one ought to vote for Kerry. But a lot were surprised to find this also applies within startups. After the first 10 or so we learned to treat deals as background processes that we should ignore till they terminated. In fact, programming didn't get done by well-dressed and authoritative-sounding people to make presentations to customers. Twitter was a referral from Evan Williams himself. This essay is derived from a talk at BBN Labs. What made it not a Ponzi scheme, what seemed to be the last to realize it.

Immigration seem to work very well on printer terminals. It's also the best way to prepare yourself for a startup. If we improve your outcome by 10%, you're net ahead.9 How lucky that someone so powerful is so benevolent. They can't tell how smart they were, and most people reading this will be the only kind that work everywhere. And when you can do about this conundrum, so the best plan would be to try it.10 This is not only inevitable, but desirable. And you can start today.11 And while it's truly wonderful having kids, there are sometimes multiple answers.12 That's the characteristic failure mode of VCs. When you switch to this new world as they did the world of investors is not about the founders or the product, has been the lesson for me: be careful what you measure.

There are two ways to deal with investors is probably the second most important thing is to get the right answers. Roughly, it's something done with contempt for the audience. This extra cost buys you flexibility. It doesn't make a very good speech anymore.13 What made it not a Ponzi scheme, what seemed to be several reasons: you'd learn more, get better jobs, make more money. This is more pronounced among the very top funds; the lamer ones still want to fund MBAs. Research imposes constraining caste restrictions.

I wish we'd listened. Unconsciously, everyone expects a startup to write mainframe software would be a pretty cheap experiment, as civil expenditures go.14 Many have just graduated; a few are still in school. They're just postponing it.15 Most adults looking at art worry that if they don't invest more. There's no switch inside you that magically flips when you turn a certain age or graduate from some institution.16 So even a small increase in the rate at which you have to fix it in an ugly way, or even introduce more bugs.

Notes

Some of the reasons angels like to fight back themselves. Eric Raymond says the best hackers work on a hard technical problem.

A round, you need. Trevor Blackwell, who probably knows more about this trick, and making money on convertible notes often have valuation caps, a player who persists in trying such things will do worse in the 1980s was enabled by a sense of things economists usually think about where that money comes from. As I was a small company that has little relation to other knowledge.

I startups. That's the difference between us and the hundreds of thousands of small and then being unable to raise the next year or two, because neither of the best in the mid twentieth century. Actually he's no better or worse than the rich have better opportunities for education.

The dialog on Beavis and Butthead was composed largely of these groups, which amounts to the margin for error.

Parker, op. Currently, when we created pets. What Is an Asset Price Bubble? Apparently there's only one.

The angels had convertible debt at a famous university who is highly regarded by his peers will get funding, pretty much regardless of how you spent your summers. And it's just as on Reddit, for the same work, like a winner. And the reason.

A significant component of piracy is simply what they give with one hand and the low countries, where it does, the only alternative would be great for VCs if the selection process looked for different reasons. There is one of the first meeting. A company will be lots of opportunities to sell things to the decline in families watching TV together afterward. To get a low valuation to see the Valley has over New York is where all the difference directly.

No one in a not-too-demanding environment, and Windows, respectively. Indeed, that's not art because it aggregates data from so many still make you register to try to make a lot of people are like sheep, but those don't scale is to talk about humans being meant or designed to live in a place where few succeed is hardly free.

We didn't try because they can't legitimately ask you a couple years. One-click ordering, however unnatural it seems unlikely at the network level, because they suit investors' interests. Seneca Ep. As far as I explain later.

The other reason it's easy to imagine how an investor would sell it to profitability before your initial funding runs out. They did turn out to be low. Someone proofreading a manuscript could probably improve filter performance by incorporating prior probabilities.

Thanks to Daniel Sobral for pointing this out. Stone, op. This is not one of those most vocal on the cover story of creation in the Neolithic period.

I have no idea what most people realize, because they need to. Incidentally, tax rates were highest: 14. One advantage startups have some kind of business you should be protected against such tricks, you'd see a clear upward trend. Particularly since economic inequality.

Governments may mean well when they were buying a phenomenon, or much energy would be worth about 30 billion. This prospect will make grad students' mouths water, but I'm not making any predictions about the Thanksgiving turkey.

On the next round, though it be in the time it takes to get market price if they don't yet get what they're building takes so long to send a million spams. In a series A termsheet with a product of number of big corporations. There is a major cause of accidents.

I'm compressing the story a bit much to hope for, believe it or not.

16%. This is the most recent version of this article are translated into Common Lisp for, but not the distinction between matter and form if Aristotle hadn't written it? But wide-area bandwidth increased more than that total abstinence is the extent we see incumbents suppressing competitors via regulations or patent suits, we love big juicy lumbar disc herniation as juicy except literally.

[toogoodmusic]

INTERVIEW: Christian French

Singer/songwriter Christian French became his music career by posting covers to SoundCloud before having his debut single blow-up on the Spotify Viral 50 charts. That song he worked on with fellow producer Triegy and the two would go on to release several other songs together. Currently balancing music and school at the University of Indiana, Christian has just released his first solo single, “Love Ride” and looks to have a busy 2018 filled with new music and shows.

Too Good Music got the opportunity to ask Christian some questions about his career in music so far and what else we can expect from him in the future. Read about it all below -

TOO GOOD MUSIC: What inspired you to get into music?

CHRISTIAN FRENCH: I’ve always loved music – was always jamming to the radio when I was younger and my parents always surrounded me with great music like John Mayer, Gavin Degraw, Eric Clapton, and Michael Buble. What really inspired me to get into piano which then led me to singing was watching my friend play the piano. He taught me “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles and I was like ohhhh I have to keep doing this, this is fun as hell. From there I just kept learning and kept trying new things and that eventually led to recording songs and getting to where I am today. It has been a LONG road, but it doesn’t really seem like it. I just enjoyed it so much that going somewhere with it right away wasn’t really what was on my mind. 

TGM: What’s the best piece of advice about music you’ve gotten?

CF: “Keep swinging” – John Mayer – the more swings you take, the more experience you’re gonna get and you will better yourself 10 fold. That really encouraged me to keep going with music – some of the songs I’ve put out haven’t done nearly as well as I would like them too, but it just inspires me to keep topping myself and makes me super excited to watch myself grow 

TGM: What’s the biggest challenge of balancing school and music?

CF: It is CRAZY hard to stay focused at school - There is so much going on. Always. There are a lot of nights where you could just go hang out with friends or do anything but study, but going to school while pursuing music has really doubled my work load, and I’ve realized I have to stay in and work a lot more than a lot of people around me, which I am not complaining about at all, I love this whole process so much. I have learned more about myself and grown more this past year by going through all of this than I have my whole life. Also it is just really hard to create and record day after day in the same room. In LA you’re with amazing artists in amazing studios just surrounded with great vibes, but at school I’m really just on my own and sometimes I feel very restricted and its tough to work through. 

TGM: How’d it feel to have your first single “Fall For You” chart on the US Viral Top 50 on Spotify and how’d you celebrate?

CF: I really just can’t describe how I felt. It all happened so fast - 1 month I was just a kid who released a song with Triegy on Spotify for fun, and the next I was on the US Viral Top 50. To me, the most exciting thing was thinking “This is it. I have a shot at being a real music artist”, because I had been posting covers on SoundCloud for years and had barely gone anywhere with it. I really just began working as hard as I could to keep the momentum going. I still don’t think it has fully hit me.

The story behind when I found out is really funny actually- it was around thanksgiving time and I was in Oregon at my sisters house where there was barely any service because she lives in the middle of nowhere, and finally a little service popped through and I got a screenshot from someone with “Fall For You” on the Viral 50. Everyone I was with had no idea what that playlist was or if it was a big deal or not, so I was pretty much flipping out by myself. It took about 5 tries to get enough service to call Triegy and tell him, and I kind of spent the rest of the day with my heart beating a thousand times a minute with a family that really didn’t know how cool it was. 

TGM: I’m all about chips on my sandwiches and I saw you tweeted that “a pb&j is nothing w out goldfish” do you put anything else unconventional on food/sandwiches?

CF: I put hot sauce on about anything ever. Ask any of my roommates, for about any food I have (except sweet foods obviously) there is always a bottle of franks hot sauce next to me. Other than that I feel like I eat pretty normally. One of my favorite snacks is frozen grapes, but I don’t know if that’s weird or not. Everyone gives me shit for drinking la croix though hahaha. 

TGM: If you could only listen to (5) artists for the rest of your life who would they be?

CF: That’s superrrr hard. I’d have to say John Mayer, EDEN, Fall Out Boy (used to be obsessed with them) Jeremy Zucker and Frank Ocean 

TGM: If you could headline (1) music festival which one would it be?

CF: Coachella. Lollapallooza and Bonnaroo are a close second

TGM: If the “Love Ride” was an actual ride at an amusement park, what would that ride be like?

CF: A lot of excitement – something that would keep your heart beating the whole time, and would take some unexpected turns so you never really know whats coming next. Something you don’t experience on your average roller coaster.  

TGM: What’s the rest of 2018 look like for you?

CF: 2018 is gonna be one hell of a year. I can’t say exactly what is in store, but I am so confident in myself and my team that there’s no way it won’t be great. I’m ready to try a bunch of things I’ve never done before and just go into it doing the absolute best I can. I have a few small shows set up, and I plan on having an EP coming out sometime in the spring that I am SUPER excited for, and just want to give this year absolutely everything I have.

To keep updated on that spring EP and future shows be sure to follow Christian below!                               Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify

[katyaton]

11 Things!

I was tagged by @sinkingorswimming and @scribeoffate  Thanks y’all!!! (And feel free to answer my questions if you feel like it too!) <3 

sinkingorswimming’s questions

What kind of pet would you keep if you had no limits on money, time, or space?

I want some sort of exotic cat, like a Savannah cat, and a fox!

What is your favorite color to wear?

Deep Royal Red

What song do you love even though other people say it’s cheesy?

Probably Friday by Rebecca Black haha

Where would you live with no restrictions?

The Scottish highlands have been the place I’d like to live for the past couple of years. Ever since I got to visit Edinburgh I’ve been dying to go back!

Cake or pie?

Oh jeez. This is a hard one. Cake is very good, but if were talking versatility I’ve gotta go with pie. Not only can you get sweet delicacies like key lime or apple pie, you can also get really amazing savory meals like shepard’s pie or chicken pot pie. You can live a balanced diet off of pie - you can’t exactly do that with cake. 

What do you curl up with on a chilly, rainy day?

My big woolly jumper I got from Oxford, a book or fanfic, and a blanket!

What is your favorite bird?

Owls! They’re basically a cat in bird form, which is prob why I like them so much 

How dark do you like your chocolate?

Chocolate around 60-70% cocoa is ideal for me!

What movie can you put on and feel comforted by every time?

Harry Potter. It is always on Freeform when they do their HP marathons, and I used to always end up watching it as a child and now when I have it on in the background it’s just comforting! 

What’s the last restaurant you ate at?

A really good local burger joint.

How do you like your pasta?

Al dente!

scribeoffates’s questions!

1. Are you a single fandom or multi-fandom person? 

Def multifandom. I have too many interests at any given time to just devote myself to one fandom.

2. What fandom(s) are you in right now?

I’m gonna consider fandoms that im in right now as things that im currently in an obsessive phase for: Merlin, Yuri on Ice, Stranger Things, Fullmetal Alchemist, Boku no Hero Academia

3. What book or series of books (or author) from your childhood has had the greatest impact on your life?

Again im gonna have to say Harry Potter. It really jump started my reading and obsessive nature, in a sense. 

4. How long have you been reading or writing fic?

I’ve been reading fic since I was 14 and writing since about January of this year!

5. What is your favorite fic trope?

Forced bed sharing, temporary amnesia, friends to lovers, time travel ... it’s hard to pick just one!

6. If you could be doing anything at all at this moment what would it be and why aren’t you doing it?

I’d be on vacation! (Or at least graduated from school). And the answers to those are easy: money and time, respectively!

7. What animal were you in a past life?

Prob a sloth let’s be honest

8. What is your favorite food?

BREAD

9. Are you missing anyone right now?

My sister who’s lived abroad for over a year now.

10. Is there a circumstance where you would find it okay to take a person’s life?

Yes. In a case of self defense where the person has intent to kill/harm, I would have no qualms taking their life if I had the opportunity. There are several other situations - in states where assisted suicide is legal in cases of dire terminal illnesses that cause nothing but pain/listlessness for the patient and both parties agree, I don’t see an issue there either. When culpability for heinous crimes (ie mass shooters) is irrefutable, I see no problem with the death penalty. Why throw away taxpayer money keeping someone so horrible alive?

11. What is something you appreciate?

Ahem .. anyway! Back to something more positive! There’s always the basic things like friends, family, and community, of course. But there are a lot of little things too, like a new ep of your favourite show coming out, or snagging the last slice of pie, or the crisp breeze that ruffles your hair as you walk outside. There’s a lot of little and large things in life to appreciate for sure.

My Question’s!

1. Do you deal with anger internally or let it be known to all and sundry? 

2. What was your least favorite subject in school? Your favorite?

3. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

4. If you could push a button and get a million dollars, but one random person out of the 7 billion + people would die if you push it, would you do it?

5. If you found a genie’s lamp, what would your 3 wishes be?

6. What is something about your physical appearance that you love?

7. What’s the worst injury you’ve had?

8. If you could live in the universe of any fandom, which one would you live in?

9. If you could meet yourself from any alternate universe (without knowing anything about the society they come from) would you do it?

10. What is your personal DnD character alignment (ie. lawful good, chaotic neutral, ect.)?

11. If you didn’t have the biological need for sleep, what would you do with the extra hours in your day?

Tagging: @alipiee @mygeekcorner @rollertoasteroflife @burglethyturts @rubynovare @dreamsinteacups if y’all feel so inclinced, and of course, anyone else who wants to! (I would tag more but im shy and awkward so please do feel free!)

[hitamory-dead-blog]

Oh boi a mermaid AU

OK I KNOW MERMAID AUS ARE LIKE RIDICULOUSLY POPULAR AND MAYBE A LITTLE OVERUSED BUT IM HONESTLY ADMITTING THAT I FRICKIN LOVE SOME OF EM SO I WROTE A LITTLE THING FOR A BNHA MERMAID AU AND FUCKIN UHHH I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT AND MAYBE IF YOU GUYS LIKE IT ILL WRITE A THING FOR IT ON AO3 AFTER I UPDATE ALL MY OTHER FICS RIP

(Seriously tho, I came up with this on the fly so if it’s not great pls forgive ; v ; )

Izuku stared again at the bathroom sink, stomach twisting into knots. Slowly, he reached forward and turned on the water as his face twisted with worry. He stared at the stream of water, so insignificant several days earlier, but now…

Every cell in his body was screaming at him to turn it off and leave, but he ignored his instincts and slowly extended his hand towards the cold stream. As soon as the icy water came in contact with his hand, he felt thousands of tiny pinpricks wherever the water touched. He winced slightly, resisting the urge to yank his hand away for a few seconds longer.

Finally, he withdrew his hand and stared at his palm. With a mortified expression, his fears were confirmed as he now noticed webbing spreading between his clawed fingers. Shimmering, dark green scales, the same shade as his hair, had replaced the sun-browned skin of his hand.

“It wasn’t a dream…I really am…” he groaned, leaning on the edge of the sink with his weight on his elbows.

The whole thing with Bakugo being attacked by the Leviathan, Izuku running in to help, being saved from the brink of death by the legendary Hunter All Might, and finding out that the only reason he was still alive was because All Might had granted him the ‘ability’ to become a merfolk as soon as he touched water. Yes, the merfolk Hunter All Might had been, and always would be, Izuku’s number one idol, and he’d dreamed of becoming a Leviathan Hunter ever since he was small, but this wasn’t how he imagined he’d be forced to get over his fear of water.

As it had turned out, All Might was actually a human granted the ability One for All, and with it, would become a merman when he touched the water. He wasn’t the pureblooded merfolk the world thought he was, nor was he the giant of a man everyone had seen on TV. On top of that, a severe injury a several years back had placed a restriction on the amount of time his body would remain in the form of a merman, capped at three hours…but Izuku had no time limit. He would apparently remain in this merfolk form until his body was dry. Which would definitely be a pain in the ass in the long run.

All Might had thrown Izuku the excuse that 'I managed to get through my time at Yuuei pretty much on my own with this ability, so it shouldn’t be too hard with me helping you!’ Apparently the holder often developed one or more abilities along with the alternate form they took, which would be a plus side in his journey to becoming a Hunter. Still…

…this 'becoming-a-merperson-whenever-you-touch-water-no-matter-where-you-are’ thing wasn’t really the greatest development. Izuku raised his head a bit, glaring at the water still flowing from the tap.

And here I thought I was afraid of water before now.

Merfolk weren’t actually considered a good thing in society. All Might was…well, he was an exception. The rest of them were all savage creatures with sharp teeth, claws, hypnotic voices, and a thirst for human blood. They were lumped in with the rest of the monsters that dwelled in the sea—all known as Leviathans. This meant that, if Izuku was found out in his merfolk form…

…yeah, it wouldn’t be good.

A shudder ran through his body at the thought of what could happen as he reached out his scaly hand to turn off the tap. This was a lot harder with smooth scales, so he just uttered a curse word under his breath and switched hands to turn it off. Then, he stared at his hand, spreading out his fingers to look at the webbing between them. This really wasn’t very nice to look at. It was like a duck’s foot, but the webbing was thin enough that light passed through it. His hand was beginning to dry off by this time, scattered patches of scales fading back into his own skin.

“You can do this. You wanted to be a Hunter, right? You got what you wanted, and now you’re gonna have to get over that fear of the water. There isn’t any way around it…” he murmured encouragement to himself, but it wasn’t helping much.

He decided to watch his hand and wait in the bathroom until it had gone completely back to normal. It’d be pretty hard to explain if his mother saw that her son’s hand had become the hand of a merperson.

Oh BOI headcanons(?):

-Heroes are called Hunters in this AU and the villains consist of merfolk and sea monsters. The villains are called Leviathans in this AU.

-One For All is an ability that can only be transferred when 1) The recipient has a near-death experience at sea and 2) The giver actively wants to give the ability to the recipient. Just like in canon.

-One For All is an ability that gives the holder all the abilities of a merfolk, but the side effect is that the holder’s physiology changes as well when their body comes in contact with water

-Instead of being Quirkless, the thing that stops Izuku from becoming a Hunter is an intense fear of the ocean. I know I said ‘water’ in the excerpt but shh, it’s the ocean. 

-All Might is thought by the world to be the first (and only) benevolent merfolk out there, and I still need to flesh out his character more in this AU but yes he graduated from Yuuei. I’m thinking maybe he’s known around the school as Toshinori Yagi in his withered form as a trusted faculty member, but he’s known by the world as All Might, the Hunter who also happens to be a merperson. Like a kinda Peter Parker/Spider-Man or Bruce Wayne/Batman thing, you feel? I need to think about it more, I’m bad at explaining myself.

-The thing Izuku mentioned with Bakugo is that scene in ep 2 where the sludge villain gets set loose and tries to take over Bakugo’s body. Except in this AU, it was a kraken/huge frickin’ octopus that came up onto the land to kill a human for food. It tried getting Izuku first, but was thwarted by All Might, then later it caught Bakugo and was trying to drag him out to sea. Izuku was the first one to move and when he tried saving Bakugo, he got grabbed instead and nearly drowned. He wakes up to find that oh boy, All Might was duly impressed by Izuku’s heroic actions and wanted to save him so yea he gave Izuku One For All to (mostly) save his life. Izuku’s thrilled about this until he finds out that ‘oh boy, he’s also gonna change form when exposed to water.’

-Yeah, All Might spends a lot of time trying to help Izuku with his fear of the ocean and it’s tough but he’s being the best Dad Might.

-Bakugo bullies Izuku about wanting to be a Hunter despite being deathly terrified of the sea.

- Shit boi, idk if this is a good AU but I like it so far, lemme know what you guys think and I might continue this 

[my-time-and-place-blog]

My Vidcon EU 2017 experience

In August last year, I discovered that Vidcon EU would be organized in Amsterdam. When the early bird ticket sale started I didn’t hesitate for a moment and I bought myself a community ticket. I also participated in the Meet & Greet Lottery and I was assigned to meet Dodie Clark, Oli White and Niomi Smart!! I was very happy with that since Dodie and Oli were my first and second choice, respectively.

DAY 1

On Saturday April 8th I decided to leave the house extra early at, since I had my Meet & Greet with Oli White at 9.30am and I had to pick up my M&G wristbands. I wanted to take the bus at 7.15am, but I totally forgot the bus schedule is different at the weekends (sigh). My sweet mum brought me to the nearest bus station, from where the bus to Amsterdam departed.

When I arrived at the venue RAI Amsterdam conventions centre around 8.30am, I could immediately wait in line for the M&G wristbands since I picked up my community badge the day before. I waited about an hour and a half in line before it was my turn and I was a tiny bit afraid that I wasn’t on time to queue for Oli’s M&G, but I was! By the time it was my turn I was nervous, but I felt calmer than I thought I would be. Oli is so nice! We took a professional photo and I gave him my present and the card. We ended with a hug. That were my 30 seconds of meeting him. It felt so strange to meet someone you’ve been watching for years. As a fan I have the feeling that I know him very well and he knows nothing about me, when I’m thinking about it. I’m just a face in the crowd for them. But anyway, that didn’t make the experience any less great.

After the M&G I went to some panels. I saw the last bits of The Power of Community with Tyler Oakley, John Green and Kati Morton. After that, I went to a panel participating Ricky Dillon, Mamrie Hart and Michael Aranda about ‘Being your true voice’  moderated by Michael Gardner. Hearing these people talk about their experiences of finding their ‘true voice’ in this profession inspire me to find my own ‘true voice’ and let me think about who I am and what I want to pursue in life.

There were a lot of stands and interactive things you could do during the day between panels. There was a Musical.ly stage, where different people performed, who are famous on Musical.ly I guess?? Furthermore, there were different booths from different sponsors and movies and bouncy castles. At one of the booths I met Evan Edinger and I took a picture with him and he signed my badge. He was very nice!

I went to the Q&A of Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla aka SMOSH. Even though I didn’t know them, I got a very good sense of how they are and what kind of content they make. They were fun to watch. I queued for Dodie’s M&G immediately after the Q&A. There were a loooot of people in the queue. I didn’t think it would be so long, but it didn’t matter, because I was going to meet my favourite youtuber/artist. When it was my turn, I gave Dodie a hug and I gave her my presents. We talked about the card I gave her and how that reminded me of her. She signed my badge and I almost wanted to go, when she said: We didn’t take a photo, did we? At that moment I could facepalm myself so hard. We took a very cute picture together. I mean how can it not be cute with her in it?

Meeting Oli and Dodie made me realise that they are just people just like I am. They are just normal, very hardworking people that accomplished more in 21 years then I did. But somehow they show me that it is possible to follow your dreams, if you are willing to work hard. Another creator I’m really impressed by is Tyler Oakley. I went to see his Q&A. He is such a loving, caring and funny person. He seemed to enjoy every question he got and I really admire him for his active role in the LGBTQ+ community.

The last thing of the day was the Saturday Night Featured Creator Show. Most of the seats (900+!!) were filled and all the people were enjoying themselves during all the performances. Kati Morton and Scola Dondo gave a very inspirational speech about mental health and that it is okay to talk about it in some way, about being ‘luscious’, being yourself. Dean and Jack showed a preview of their new season of Jack and Dean Of All Trades, which was very funny. Savannah Brown performed one of her poems and I was very impressed by that. I felt every word she said. Sarah Close performed some songs of her new Caught Up EP.

Two performances that evening were very special to me. One of them was Carrie Hope Fletcher performing ‘Pulled’ from the musical the Addams Family, in which she plays Wednesday Addams. Woow! She can siiiing! She is such an inspiration to me. She literally lives her dream and that on its own drives me to follow my dreams. (I don’t mind that this all sound very cheesy haha) The other performance that really got stuck with me was the last of the evening by MatPat. He opened up about his fear of flying. Long story short, years ago he was in England for an audition for a West end production and his actual flight home to the US, which he missed, was the target of an terrorist attack. The moral of his story was that even though he is still very scared, he didn’t let it define his life. That day he fulfilled a wish of a little boy organised by the Make-A-Wish foundation. That was all such a beautiful speech, I cried. That was the end of a very successful day 1 of Vidcon EU!

 DAY 2

Day 2, Sunday 9th of April, started ironically the same as the day before. The bus I wanted to take wasn’t leaving at the time I wanted to leave. Now my lovely dad brought me to the nearest bus station. Today I would have the M&G with Niomi Smart, but due to a sad event that happened that morning I didn’t feel like queueing, so I left that out. I went to some very good panels instead and I don’t have any regrets for that since the atmosphere was so care free and easy-going. That really helped me not being sad or even thinking about the event.

I started the morning with coffee and the panels A Conversation About Mental Health and There Is A Troll in the Dungeon both moderated by Kati Morton. I didn’t know most of the attendees on the panels, but that was a way for me to get to know new youtubers really. The things I have learned of these panels are: it is good to talk about mental health and if there is no connection between you and your therapist, find another one that you’re comfortable with. Another thing is dealing with trolls. These people are probably just projecting their problems on you, so don’t take their criticism/offenses (too) seriously.

After these quite serious topics I went to the Holy Trinity Q&A. The Holy Trinity, for who doesn’t know who they are, are Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart and Hannah Hart. They are seriously so funny together and they certainly brightened up my mood.

One highlight of the day was the LGBTQ+ in Online Video panel. I think a lot teens and tweens have been in a situation where they question their sexuality and so do I. It is very important to keep talking about the LBGTQ+ community and as important to educate ourselves about sexuality and the whole spectrum. I want to salute the internet and especially platforms like Youtube (please, fix restricted mode tho…) and Tumblr for bringing up the subject and education. One other thing that happened during the panel that moved me, was a question of a boy in the audience. The boy had got a rainbow flag around his shoulders. He told that he lived in a town that was very religious and the community wasn’t very accepting to LGBTQ+ people, so were his parents. He asked how he could out himself to his parents in this situation. I think he was very brave to ask this question. He got good answers like if you tell them, have a place you can go to after or if the situation escalates. He started crying and I could tell that it was a very big deal to him. I really wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be fine. That question broke my heart to be honest.  And therefore, I absolutely love the fact that he can be totally himself at events like Vidcon. Although, he should be able to be himself anywhere at any time in my opinion.

I also went to a panel about Race & Representation in Online Video, mainly because I wanted to know what I could do as a white female. This panel thought me that starting the conversation or keeping the conversation going about race is a great help to the people who deal with racism or other negativity with respect to race. After that I went to the Rhett & Link Q&A, which I didn’t enjoy that much. I think it was mainly because I didn’t know who they were and I knew nothing about their content.

The Sunday Night Featured Creator Show was an amazing way to end the Vidcon weekend. The highlights of the show were Dodie and Jon Cozart singing their songs. The Fine Bros showed us their newest video before it was released. The Holy Trinity did a funny quiz about their trip in Amsterdam. There was some food tasting on stage and some live gaming on stage. John and Hank Green closed the show with a little speech about Vidcon and how their experiences were of the first Vidcon EU in Amsterdam! I dare to say that this was one of the best weekends I have had in a while!

[robertkstone]

2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8 First Drive: The 592-HP Jag Built to Conquer the ‘Ring

That headline is a quote from David Pook that I jotted down during the first-drive event for the 2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8 in Portugal. Pook is vehicle dynamics manager at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Special Vehicles Operations (SVO) in Warwickshire, England. The quote sounded familiar to this American’s ears. Why? The 1964 Pontiac GTO broke all the rules in GM’s book and, in doing so, is widely credited as the first car of the muscle car era. Pete Estes waived a restriction that A-bodies be limited to 330-cubic-inch displacements. Instead, he approved the replacement of the Pontiac Tempest’s 5.3-liter V-8 with the full-sized Catalina/Bonneville 389-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V-8, creating the Grand Tempest, later dubbed GTO. A star was born. As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now you know the rest of the story.”

If you want to make a legend, you might have to break some rules.

Old Trick, New Car

Until now, the most powerful Jaguar XE, weighing about 3,900 pounds, was powered by a 380-hp supercharged V-6. So the go-fast boffins at SVO decided to apply that Tempest-to-GTO template to the lightweight, aluminum-intensive XE sedan. Start with the smallest car in the XE, XF, XJ lineup, and wedge JLR’s glorious 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 from the XJR575 into the compact sedan. In the XJR575, the engine makes 567 (SAE) horsepower. In the Project 8, it’s pushed to 592 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. For obvious reasons, all-wheel drive was added to the build sheet. Yet Jaguar didn’t intend to build a mere British muscle car. They had a 12.9-mile, 154-turn goal and the go-ahead from those who control budgets to pursue it with a specially engineered car.

If you want to build a legend, you have to break some rules

Target Identified

The Project 8’s foremost goal was to break the 7:32 “flat” four-door sedan Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record set by the 505-hp Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, our, ahem, 2018 Car of the Year. If SVO was able to do it, JLR would commit to a limited run of production XE SV cars (SVR-badged cars are series production). Eighteen months from its inception, in a “production-intent” Project 8, Belgian racing and test driver Vincent Radermecker broke the fastest-sedan record in November 2017—and not by a little. His lap of 7:21.23 was nearly 11 seconds quicker. (Note: This 27-pounds-lighter, two-seat package with rollcage, carbon-fiber front seats, and racing harnesses will not be available in North America.) For perspective, the Jag lap time neatly splits a pair from a mid-engine supercar, the Ferrari 488 GTB, our 2017 Best Driver’s Car. Record in hand, the Project 8 was a go for production. I watched the two record laps and couldn’t help but notice a contrast: The Jaguar driver was much more relaxed.

How’d They Do It?

Special Vehicles Operations set out to thoroughly examine and improve every dynamic part and system. In all, just 20 percent of the original sedan remains in each XE SV Project 8. The body-in-white, windshield, front doors, and dashboard are the same as those found in the standard XE. For the Project 8, the hood, a front splitter, front/rear fascia, and rocker panels are hewn from carbon fiber. The aluminum rear doors are specifically stamped to meet the bulging rear fenders, and the wheels are forged aluminum. To provide more rear bias, the center differential was retuned, and the air-to-oil-cooled rear differential is now electronic/active. SVO enlarged the diameter of the torque tube and both halfshafts to cope with the added power. The adaptive exhaust system is made of titanium. Also unique to the Project 8 are the suspension (height-adjustable with motorsport ball joints), the brakes (carbon ceramic, 15.7-inch front/15.6-inch rear), the wheel bearings (silicon nitride ceramic, like in the space shuttle’s main engines), and the aero package. Aerodynamics achieve a 205 percent reduction in lift with the front splitter and rear wing in the most aggressive track mode, delivering almost 270 pounds of downforce at 186 mph. With a limited production of only 300 hand-assembled cars worldwide (on a first come, first served basis), the $188,495 asking price is easy to justify.

Benchmarks Selected

It was a shock to learn that the SVO team, based in England, had even heard of our 2014 Best Driver’s Car winner, much less driven the fire-breathing 7.0-liter 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, but they had. Indeed, they benchmarked it for its ability to be driven hard and confidently from the first corner to the last, and twice on Sunday. It was as if they copied and pasted right from our BDC story when we wrote, “With the first turn of the wheel, you become confident in the Z/28. With the second, you’re ready to set a hot lap. There is no learning curve.” The SVO team even considered the Z/28’s square tire fitment, with identical 305/30R19 Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tires at all four corners. As SVO agreed, the problem with using tires that wide and aggressive on the front is that, on regular roads, they can affect the steering feel and stability, often nibbling on minute irregularities or tramlining on what appears to be an otherwise smooth surface. Instead, the Project 8 is fitted with 265/35R20 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 front tires and 305/30R20 rear tires. And although the Z/28’s Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers work great pounding pavement into submission, they’re hard to live with every day. Instead, the Project 8 sports multimode Continuously Variable Dampers (CVD) with racy twin-coil springs (regular coils plus helper springs). Steering benchmark? The SVO team selected another industry great: the Porsche 911 GT3. However, the Porsche is a 3,250-pound featherweight (compared to the Jaguar’s estimated 3,950 pounds), plus the Porsche’s engine is in the rear, so its front tires carry just 39 percent of that weight. As such, it would appear that emulating its steering would be an unachievable goal [strokes chin].

Porti-WOW!

There’s a 2.9-mile race track in Portugal called Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, but most people simply call it Portimão, after the town where it resides. It’s a tricky 15-turn roller coaster with blind crests, fast sweepers, a tight hairpin, and a 1-kilometer (0.62-mile) straight. Formula 1 teams use it for testing, and the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) races here. Jaguar chose to showcase its record-breaking sedan here because it’s such a thorough workout for a car. After two laps as a passenger with Pook (a very skilled driver, I will add) at the wheel, my laps began first thing in the morning. Nothing like jumping right in the deep end with the boss.

We swapped seats, and I drove off. Pook made it look easy, and do you know what? Like its Z/28 benchmark, it was easy to get in and just cane it. I now understand why the ’Ring driver was so cool. One of the first things I noticed was how linear the throttle was. Unlike turbocharged engines that tend to have unpredictable pedal input to engine output relations, the supercharged V-8 in the Project 8 gives it to you in precise increments: 4 inches of pedal travel is literally four times more power and torque than 1 inch. It’s very easy to get what you want when you want it. The first time I went for the brake pedal, I expected a carbon-ceramic brick. Instead, the brakes were supple and easy to modulate, with immense stopping power and not a hint of ABS. It was about the best brake pedal feel-to-effectiveness I’ve sampled.

When the first corner arrived, I cranked the wheel. It was light and buttery smooth, and the front tires bit and went. I wasn’t pushing yet, so I went into the next corner with more vigor and got the same obedience and effortless precision. Again and again, no matter the corner, it was always the same. Curbs? Meh. Double-apex right-hander? Got it. The Project 8 felt like—I can’t believe I’m writing this—a Porsche GT3 RS (with some luggage in the frunk). It’s hard to believe, but with the countless hours of EPS tuning, dialing the center and active rear differentials, and the racy suspension, Jaguar nailed it. There’s no muddy sense of all-wheel drive, no binding, and no push. You’d swear it was rear drive by the way it turns in, settles flat as a morning lake, and then erupts like a volcano.

Corner exits are truly a thing of beauty. With power going mostly to the rear wheels, the only time I could sense the front wheels clawing for traction was when I throttled an exit. Just as the Project 8 begins with what should be a lurid slide, it steps out slightly at the back then simply rockets away. “Huh, it must’ve sent some power to the front,” I thought. “Or maybe I’m just a hero. Yeah, that must be it.” It’s the kind of car that shrugs off everything and prods, dares, and begs you, “Go faster next time! Do you even drive, bro?”

In the fast sweeping corners, it was really hard to separate the suspension and tires’ prodigious mechanical grip from aero/downforce, but the car hangs on with the urgency and calm of a rock climber.

On to that half-mile-plus straight: The eight-speed’s upshifts are dispatched in 200 milliseconds with a shove to the back and a satisfying snort from the exhaust pipes each time. The epic roar of the big Jag V-8, now a hallmark for the brand, was even more present in the Project 8. On the first lap, I didn’t dare look. Finally I did: I hit 160 mph before my eyes shot back to the downhill braking zone and I went to the trusty brake pedal. “Aw, I could’ve gone deeper,” I said to myself. The car is stable at speed, under maximum braking, into corners, and out. This is race car–level control and dynamics.

A Road Drive, Too?

Not long after I’d reprogrammed my brain for what a road car—a specifically purpose-built one—could do on a racetrack, our SVO hosts introduced me to the man the other gathered journalists fondly called Scottish Rob, which sounds like something from a Monty Python skit. Nudge-nudge, wink-wink. Rob also works at SVO and was to lead me on a drive through the surrounding area. He drove a Range Rover Sport SVR, and I was in a four-seat Project 8 with the suspension 15mm higher in the street setting. What nobody told me is that Scottish Rob drives as if it’s a special stage in a WRC race. Ptooey! He was off like a shot from the moment we left the parking lot. I frantically looked down for the drive-mode button: “Dynamic, DynaMIC, DYNAMIC!” Rob’s route—well, Portugal in general—reminded me very much of the California roads we drive for car evaluations, surrounded by rolling hills with dry grass and oak trees dotting the landscape. “Yeah, I got this,” I thought, but it was as if Rob was trying to lose me. I wasn’t about to let that happen, and it didn’t. But here’s the thing: I’ve driven a Camaro Z/28 on roads like those, and although that car is capable and exhilarating, it’s also violent and mentally exhausting. The Project 8 is neither of those things. I really put the spurs to it, sticking to Rob’s bumper, but the Project 8 was happy to do it. It was a pussycat in comparison to a Z/28. That same confident, agreeable nature I had experienced on the track translated to the street, as well. Damn, these SVO guys are good. You can break a record at the Nürburgring and drive the same car home in comfort.

Should You Buy One?

Yes, and you’d better do so before they’re all spoken for. Besides, it’ll give you instant bragging rights. With near-certain collectible status, this car is next-level stuff. You can’t compare it to a BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG E 63 S, or Cadillac CTS-V. Not even close. I know it’s all relative, but I’ve driven thousands of cars in more than 20 years of doing this sort of thing. Now, a week after I drove the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, I’m struggling to find a fair comparison to it. A BMW M4 GTS? Subjectively, it’s better than that; objectively, it’s slower, too. Had it “just” been a Nürburgring special that couldn’t be driven on public roads, I’d have said so. But it’s not. It’s a true, everyday four-door supercar. Name me another. I’ll wait.

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