#set sometime mid season 5

[incognitajones]

Hello! For Trick or Treat prompting, The Expanse + "gathering" or "frost" from the seasonal list (I did not realize you'd written for The Expanse and now I'm rushing off to read root system because marriage of convenience Prax and Amos sounds AMAZING) - If that doesn't spark any ideas, I'm always interested in your rogue one takes too. "longing" feels a little on the noise for that, so maybe "blustery"?

Ahhhh, thank you so much for your interest in "root system"! I had a lot of fun writing that fic. 😊 And here's some Expanse found family for you to fill the "gathering" prompt:

-

The numb chill of space flowed in with Naomi as she followed Amos through the Roci's airlock. A lattice of frost from the warmer air inside the ship crept along the edges of her faceplate. The hatch sealed behind them and she started shedding gear, popping off her helmet with a hiss and clumsily shrugging out of the oversuit. A shudder ran up her spine. Lately, every time she went outside the ship, she was cold for hours afterward. It felt as though she'd never get warm enough after the Chetzemoka. 

Amos, on the other hand, was sweating. He unzipped the top half of his inner suit and peeled it down, tying the sleeves around his waist over his undershirt. Then he tossed her uniform jacket over from where she’d left it hanging in her locker. “Put that on before you start shivering.”

“Dinner is served as soon as you two get up here,” Holden’s voice came over the intercom. “Clarissa and I finally perfected her pancit recipe.” 

Naomi made a face, and Amos laughed at her. “Aw, come on, the cap’s cooking’s not so bad.”

“He never makes it hot enough,” she grumbled. “None of you Earthers do.” “Just because you like your taste buds burned off…” Amos shook his head. 

They were still amiably bickering about food as they entered the galley. Clarissa looked over with lines of concern etched on her forehead—she got anxious when people disagreed in front of her. Amos grinned at her, though, and she relaxed. 

Naomi took her usual seat and Holden handed her a cup of tea. She curled her hands around its heat with a sigh. He set a bowl of pancit in front of her and sat down next to her, his arm resting warm against her side. 

Amos grabbed a bowl from Clarissa and slung his leg over the bench to sit. “Not bad, Peaches,” he mumbled around a mouthful of noodles. “Not bad at all.”

“I helped,” Holden said mildly, scooping some into his own bowl.  

“You chopped a few things,” Clarissa allowed. She manipulated her chopsticks with precision to take a small, neat bite. Somehow she hadn’t yet abandoned her perfect table manners in the face of the rest of the crew, who’d learned to eat fast and furious. 

The pancit might be a little bland for Naomi, but it was still good—filling and hot. The warm meal helped dispel a little more of the chill she carried inside her. Listening to Holden and Amos argue about the espresso setting on the coffee machine did the rest. Hiding a smile, she lifted her bowl to her mouth to slide in the last few noodles. 

“I’ll clean up,” she said, setting down the empty dish.

Amos shook his head. “It’s my turn.” 

It wasn’t, but Amos was still feeling protective enough of her that it wasn't worth arguing with him, and Naomi wasn’t so virtuous she’d insist on doing a chore someone else was volunteering for. “Then I’ll check the Prax panels after dinner,” she said. “The filters are due for a cleaning.”

Clarissa aligned her chopsticks across the top of her empty bowl. “I meant to ask, why do you call them Prax panels?” she asked. “I’ve never heard that before.”

“Our friend the botanist, who put them together,” Amos said. “That was his name.”

“How’s he doing, by the way?” Naomi asked. “Back on Ganymede?”

“Working hard,” Amos said. “Lotta repair work to get those agridomes up and running again.” He reached for the serving dish and dumped another mound of pancit in his bowl.

“To absent friends,” Holden said, raising his cup. Amos and Clarissa did the same, tapping their drinks together. 

“Absent friends,” Naomi echoed, thinking of Prax and Alex and Bobbie and Avasarala and all the others who’d shared this place with them. She touched her cup to Holden’s and drank, feeling the warmth spread through her.

*

A/N: I know pancit isn’t supposed to be hot, but I see Naomi as someone who likes most of her food to be spicy! (it’s a Belter thing)

[valar-did-me-wrong]

After watching a JD & Patrick interview & spinning it in my head for sometime I have come to the conclusion that ROP really shouldn't kill Adar this season! 🙊

just indulge my delulu for a moment please

They were discussing in the interview how their favourite character from Trilogy is Theoden & then carried on about their favourite part of his story which stuck with me:

"I cry everytime he [Theoden] dies on screen.." JD says "He goes through such a wonderful redemption arc & then he earns a good death"

All of this is what I, & I bet many of the fans want for Adar! and after his torturous life it seems fair too! sorry the fangirl is bubbling up

They have written him into this iconic character of ROP that is complex, balanced & lore accurate despite being an OC! Set aside the will & will not; I think they should not kill him this soon..

Uruk (& Uruk family) are now intimately associated with ROP, directly following with with the opening statement of their whole Series "Nothing is Evil in the beginning."

Now who better to represent this than an Elf turned orc father who starts off season 1 with a good intention implemented badly, continues on the morally ambigious path that takes a turn to evil in season 2, has to deal with the repercussions of his scared rushed decisions in season 3, gets a revelation & redemption in season 4 that is completed by mid season 5 & by the end of which he dies an Earned Epic Death!

What better way to treat a character that so amazingly binds the lore with ROP's version of the story!

If they kill him off in these 2 episodes in a rush after building him up for 2 seasons, it'd be a phenomenal waste & I'd like to hope (cautiously) for a little more from these people..

[passengerseatsam]

we don't talk enough about the absolute negligent omission that is sam not keeping a journal like john's.

I don't know whether to blame the bunker again (x) or to simply blame the rapid change in culture around technology in the late-aughts. sam is generally shown to be an early adopter of technology, which is fine and IC enough, blah blah blah. it's also boring as fuck. every time late seasons sam is like "I downloaded a database of the entire men of letters library onto my laptop" i want to fist fight robert singer myself. you're telling me that noted academic lawboy@stanford.edu has gone the last 15 years without keeping notes??? I simply do not believe you.

MY personal hc is that he starts keeping a journal between seasons 3-4, but I also think it'd make sense as early as season 2, when he resigns himself to a life as a hunter (also, when sam is the most pro-dad). it starts as him writing down everything he can remember from his psychic dreams, tracking when his powers arise and what they do. of course, he's also making notes about cases the way john did— crocatta in milan, OH, etc.

mystery spot notes go crazy. every morning he wakes up and writes down what killed dean the day before, and every morning he wakes up to a fresh page, the previous tuesday's notes gone.

when he starts working with ruby, he tracks his progress like a science experiment, because to him it is. he keeps track of how much blood he's drinking, and how his powers change. when dean comes back, he thinks about ripping those pages out, but he can't bring himself to do it. he fills pages with research about angels, makes a list of questions he wants to ask them... then crosses it out when he decides that dean's right, angels are dicks.

in season 5, he sketches out everything he can remember about heaven, in case he forgets it all again.

soulless doesn't write anything down. he doesn't see the point. it gets pretty messy in season 7; he switches to enochian mid-sentence sometimes without noticing, and unconsciously doodles chains and hellfire in the margins.

the discovery of the bunker should really only add to his enthusiasm for meticulous notekeeping. If you want to digitize it, fine, I guess. but I personally think that a rigorous college education plus almost a decade of hunting should have him pretty set in his ways with a pen and paper. also he's had at least 2 laptops smashed.

give him a notion account at the very least

[maigeiko]

The look of… IX: Hakone-Yumoto Onsen

History Although it‘s likely that Geisha worked in Hakone since the late 19th century, not much can be found about their history. The current Kenban was built in 1950 [1]. In the early/mid 80's (before the bubble economy), 400-450 Geisha lived in Hakone [2]. The Otosan of Ikedaya Okiya reformed the traditional employment system and introduced benefits like pension plans and financial compensations for cancelled jobs [3].

In 2000 latest, the Hakone Yumoto Kenban launched its own website [4], creating a space for Okiya to advertise and look for new members [5]. In 2001, the Okasan of Wakita became the current head of the Geigi Union. In order to ensure the survival of local Hanamachi culture, the Kenban became open to public in 2008, and the Geisha band Basara (婆娑羅) was founded in 2009. [2]

In the late 2010's, around 150 Geisha from age 18 to 80 lived in 32 Okiya. Lack of work during the Corona pandemic reduced their numbers to 109 in 2021. The amount of Geisha working in Hakone has increased meanwhile, with 140 of them active in January 2024, but still hasn‘t reached its pre-pandemic levels. [2]

The look of Hakone Maiko

Local term: Kirariko きらり妓

※ Hairstyle: own hair, Shimada mage and Hanaogi mage

※ Kanzashi: Kushi, maezashi, non-seasonal hana kanzashi

※ Make up: western make up or light oshiroi, both lips painted from the start

※ Kimono: Furisode mostly without tucks (rarely with sleeve tucks)

※ Eri: white, white with embroidery (red, red/pink)

※ Obi: Koken musubi

※ Obiage: tied and tucked in, red

※ Obijime: red with simple, rectangular Obidome

※ Footwear: white or black Zori

The look of Hakone Geiko

Local term: Geisha

※ Hairstyle: Taka shimada or Tsubushi shimada Katsura

※ Kanzashi: Taka shimada: Kushi, Tama in the back, Kogai in the back, and sometimes in the front too. Tsubushi shimada: Kushi, Tama

※ Make up: Oshiroi

※ Kimono: Mostly Homongi/Tsukesage, sometimes Hikizuri. Kuromontsuki for Tachikata is always a Hikizuri

※ Eri: white, rarely with white or pink embriodery

※ Obi: Yanagi musubi with Kuromontsuki (white/blue Hakata ori), otherwise Otaiko musubi

※ Obiage: always red with Kuromontsuki, otherwise white, pink or light blue. Usually not patterned.

※ Obijime: light-coloured. No Obijime with Yanagi musubi

※ Footwear: Zori, Geta with white or blue Hanao

Casual/Jikata style

※ Hairstyle: Yohatsu

※ Kanzashi: usually none, maki (蒔絵) kanzashi at best

※ Make up: western make up

※ Kimono: Kurotomesode, otherwise Homongi

※ Eri: white

※ Obi: Otaiko musubi

※ Obiage: mostly warm pastel colours, but basically anything goes. Not patterned.

※ Obijime: Sometimes with Obidome

※ Footwear: Zôri

Otoko style

※ Hairstyle: Maeware Katsura

※ Kanzashi: Tama pin in the back

※ Make up: Oshiroi

※ Kimono: Hômongi

※ Eri: white

※ Obi: Koken musubi with mint/light green Kakae Obi (抱え帯)

※ Obiage: red, white, pink or light blue. Obidome not uncommon

※ Obijime: light-coloured

Notes

Arts: The schools taught in Hakone are Nishikawa 西川 (dance), Honjo 本條 (Kouta, Hauta and Min‘yo), Kineya 杵屋 (Nagauta) and Tosha 藤舎 (Hayashi). [6]

Kirariko is a newly coined term in use since 2003 to call junior Geisha in the age group from 18-30. [7] Upon turning 30, Kirariko have to take either a „dancer grade B“ or „dancer grade A“ test. To pass the B test, she has to perform two dances. For the grade A test, she has to perform three female style and three male style dances. [8]

Companions: Okiya recruit and employ companions as well as Geisha. Companions receive a fixed wage, which is usually lower than that of the Geisha, but the customer pays the same price. Companions can be requested to wear either western clothing or Kimono. Western clothing is a business suit provided for free by the Okiya, Kimono can be rented for a set fee by the Okiya as well. [9] Companions receive professional names like Geisha. They don‘t study performing arts and can work part-time. Their job is to serve drinks and food and engage in „pleasant conversation“ with customers at banquets. [10] In my opinion, a good entry-level job in the Karyukai – some companions became Geisha later in their carreer. [11]

Becoming independent: after being Geisha for seven years, you have the opportunity of opening a branch of your debut Okiya. In all cases I know, the new Okiya takes one or two characters from the original Okiya. For example Ikedaya 池田家 → Wakita 和喜田 and Yukieda 雪江田 (田 Kanji is part of the new name). Wakita 和喜田 → Suzuwa すず和 and Yukiwa ゆき和 (和). Kitami 㐂田見 → Kisaya 㐂茶家 (㐂).

Changing Okiya registration: only possible when becoming independent, or when your (biological) mother, sister, or daughter opens a new Okiya.

Sources

[1] https://note.com/meetgeisha/n/n1cc907ffd4c9. [2] https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/301712, [3] https://conex-eco.co.jp/hakonesaisai/71824/ [4] https://web.archive.org/web/20000919171055/http://www.geisha.co.jp:80/ [5] https://web.archive.org/web/20001017234326/http://www.geisha.co.jp/okiya-name.htm,[6] https://geisha.co.jp/kenban/, [7] https://web.archive.org/web/20040408030159/http://www11.plala.or.jp/fukunoya/what_is_kirariko.html,[8] https://konohanasakuya.blogspot.com/2012/03/dance-performance.html,[9] https://yukieda.com/kyuujin_answer/, [10] https://yukieda.com/recruit/companion/,[11] https://web.archive.org/web/20080220191156/http://www.00wakita.com/hyousyou.html

Picture sources: Group picture 2024, Hakone Odori, three Kirariko 2023, Kirariko back view 2023, Geisha dancing, Geisha preparing Tosenkyo set 2019, Sumomo with a dancer 2009, Anzu and Yuho 2023, really nice picture of Yumiko with Kokyu 2022, Chacha dancing 2022, Atsumi and unknown Tachikata 2019, Natsumi 2022, Matsuyoshi new year's picture 2023

[jadelotusflower]

Stargate rewatch: 2x02 - In the Line of Duty

Finally, we get a good Sam-centric episode!

Written by Robert C Cooper and directed by Martin Wood, absolute stalwarts of the show, setting up some pretty foundational lore.

We cold open on this funny little guy, in-media-res as the team is mid-rescue of an unknown populace of indeterminate origin, although based on the costuming and all the red-headed extras, I'm guessing they were going for a Celtic-inspired culture, even if this dude's beard and mustache are giving Edwardian.

Daniel rescues the man we will later find out was held as the host of the Askrak- badly burned, Daniel says to the medic "he's alive but I think he's going to wish he wasn't" - the irony being that after everything that happens, SG1 are going to be the ones who wish he wasn't.

Meanwhile, Sam is performing CPR on the man who was the unknowing host of Jolinar, who jumps into her.

It's a great opening, actually.

Briefing scenes get a lot of grief but this is a particularly good one - we get exposition on the background to the attack, but Daniel is absolutely correct there was a reason the Goa'uld attacked the Nasyans, and Jolinar knows that she was the reason but needs to deflect suspicion. We think the reason Sam is cold to Teal'c is because she's a Goa'uld, and even though we find out later that the Tok'ra are different, they still have a certain superiority and condescension/resentment towards Jaffa so it still makes sense. This tension will be mined effectively in later seasons.

We also see Jolinar doing a pretty good job of emulating Sam, and yet not quite getting it right. It's a great performance by Amanda Tapping playing Sam, Jolinar, and Jolinar pretending to be Sam.

A note on pronouns - in this episode Jolinar is referred to a "he" because they were originally inhabiting a male host and everyone (including Sam) just assumes the symbiote is also male. We find out later that symbiotes (presumably, other than queens) don't really have a gender, but can have a preference as to the gender of their host, and use the corresponding pronouns. It is revealed in a later episode that Jolinar prefers female hosts and is thereafter referred to as "she" so I will use she/her in this post and going forward.

None of this was controversial in the 90's, I don't recall it ever even being discussed in any way other than pertaining to continuity. If the show had come out today social media and youtube would probably be covered in "woke agenda" ragebait. Sometimes a show being a product of it's time can had positive implications as well as negative ones.

There's a nice touch in the scene between Dr Frasier and Sam, the post-mission protocols we never need to see but know must happen offscreen, with Janet checking the back of Sam's neck but of course finding no implantation scar because Jolinar entered through her mouth/back of the throat.

There's some really effective dramatic irony at play here where we know Sam isn't Sam but the characters don't, and yet we don't know that Sam had been taken host by a Tok'ra and not a Goa'uld. Lulling the audience into thinking they know what's going on only to reveal they actually don't can be very effective storytelling.

The Nasyans have been taken to the US Air Force Academy hospital - I suppose it was necessary as they needed medical care the base couldn't provide, but where are the quarantine protocols? What's the security clearance level of this facility?

Janet's assessment of burned man from the cold open hints that something is off as he's still alive after third degree burns to 80% of his body with no signs of infection. We see Sam clock him but it's unclear if she suspects he's host to the Ashrak.

Cassie returns and since she once had a naquadah bomb in her heart, can sense the symbiote in Sam. This is sadly the last time we'll see Katie Stuart as Cassandra, and the character won't reappear at all until season 5 - it's a shame since as Janet's adopted daughter and her closeness to both Jack and Sam she really could have been utilised more.

Jolinar threatens to kills her if she tells anyone, playing into our knowledge of how a Goa'uld would act, but with the benefit of hindsight an indication that while the Tok'ra aren't evil like the Goa'uld, they're not particularly nice either. Doubtless Jolinar never intended to follow through on her threat, but that's hardly the point.

Would she have let off the grenade in the gateroom however? The standoff is ended when the tranquilizer kicks in.

There's a nice Jack and Teal'c scene where Jack is clearly struggling with the situation - he's already lost his surrogate son and best friend to Goa'uld possession, now he's facing losing a member of his team, and we get glimpse of his and Teal'c's relationship as well, where in the same situation Sam might try to comfort him and Daniel might try to get him to talk it out, Teal'c instead gives advice and a harsh but necessary truth: "When you speak to her, do not see your friend."

Meanwhile, Daniel talks with Talia, the wife of Jolinar's previous host. She's played by Judy Norton, who was apparently Mary Ellen on The Waltons, a show I've heard of but never watched.

The facial decoration/tattoos the Nasyans have also kind of resemble a Celtic knot design. Or they could be an extrapolation of Nordic runes.

Daniel is particularly sympathetic because of Sha're, but his personal investment also tends to make him push a bit too far, as we've seen before. It is revealed however that Jolinar was lying dormant for months which is the first clue all is not as it seems.

You might wonder why Jolinar buries the lede on the whole Tok'ra thing, but I think it makes sense - the Tok'ra a secretive by nature and necessity, and Jolinar most of all given her work as an infiltrator and spy, she did not want to reveal her true nature unless she'd tried everything else first.

And try she does - it's unclear whether the glimpse of "Sam" we see is actually Jolinar allowing her to come though or a feint - I lean towards the latter because "Sam's" pleading doesn't seem like how she would act and she calls him "Jack" which she wouldn't do.

Next up is Teal'c - with Jack she tried to barter with Sam's life and the promise she would leave her as a host, with Teal'c she reminds him of the threat the Goa'uld pose and the help she could give them. It's only when that doesn't work she reveals her name and that she is a Tok'ra.

"It seems this Jo-linar is wanted in Gould town." The way RDA delivers dialogue is just chefs kiss.

There's a nice little transition of Daniel's reflection in the briefing room glass, as he points out they don't know what the Ashrak looks like, to the reflection of the Ashrak disguised as a doctor in the Air Force hospital. I see you, Martin Wood, and I appreciate you.

Daniel is deep in his feelings as he goes to see Jolinar but acting very deliberately, not looking at Sam-as-Jolinar and trying to be businesslike by claiming he only came to get a description of the Ashrak - Shanks always brings the subtext to his performance which I appreciate. It's also interesting that Daniel brought Teal'c for support - or maybe Teal'c took it upon himself to be that support for him.

"I will know his face only in the moments before he tortures me to death" is a great line, Tapping does a fantastic job of distinguishing Jolinar's dictation and cadence as different from Sam's.

Daniel tries so hard not to be affected by her (admittedly reasonable) arguments, keeping himself a step removed, until he can't anymore, stepping closer and finally making eye contact to address Sam and say he's sorry. And that's when Jolinar knows to bring out her big guns - she knows where Sha're is.

I think we're meant to believe Jolinar here, and based on what's to come, can assume that she knows Sha're is on Abydos which is what fits the timeline (I know there's a tie-in book that implies otherwise but I haven't read it). It does make me wonder how Jolinar knew where she was - perhaps she was a spy in Apophis and Amaunet's court?

It is interesting the different ways she tries to manipulate the team - with Jack she is borderline disdainful, refusing to answer questions but making promises, to Teal'c she gives orders but does reveal her identity knowing her it would mean more to him, and with Daniel she plays to the personal, dangling what she knows he wants most. Jolinar accurately pinpoints these three men, their relationships to Sam, and the information they'd be most receptive to. It's really well done.

However it's clear that Jolinar does not completely understand human nature or how to best get what she wants from them - if instead of promises and the insistence on blind trust, she had given them some information in good faith, for example told Daniel where Sha're was rather than hold the knowledge hostage, they may have been more willing to treat with her. You give the chocolate bar to get invited to dinner, you know?

But it's worked on Daniel at least, even though he agrees with Jack that Jolinar is playing on his greatest weakness, he points out that they have no other way of saving Sam. Teal'c supports him, although how much this is rational and how much is due to his own compromised emotions when it comes to Sha're is debatable.

LOL, Daniel removing his glasses to make an impassioned point is such as tv production the-glasses-are-reflecting-in-camera thing you just have to go with, since as a glasses wearer myself it’s not a thing that happens irl.

"I will never, never trust a Goa'uld." Heh, this line has some irony going forward.

Security at the SGC is terrible - a failure at the checkpoint doesn't set off a an alarm, really? This very high value prisoner being guarded by two men, and anyone with a keycard can access the cell? Especially when they know the Ashrak is on the loose.

The Askrak kills Jolinar, Teal’c kills the Ashrak, but now Sam has to live with the trauma of the symbiote dying inside her.

This is a great episode, and at least we do see at the end that Sam doesn’t just snap back to normal but struggles deeply with what she went though. Even though Jolinar was a Tok’ra, she still took Sam as a host without consent, trapped and suppressed her mind within itself, and bargained with her friends for her life. It’s Goa’uld coded behaviour! For Jolinar the ends justified the means and perhaps Sam understands that, but it’s still a massive violation, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Sam is forever changed by this experience down to a cellular level.

But you know my favourite thing about this episode? It doesn't revolve around Sam's love life - sadly this will not be the case for most Sam-centric episodes going forward.

[darilarostarg]

Why do you think Aemond is actually only 15? It's pretty established in the show he is 16 or older

I agree that in the show as we currently stand he is meant to be at least sixteen, if not older (I believe Ewan has stated Aemond is 18?). I'm fine with going with whatever they want, as a lot of the ages in the show do not make sense, for various reasons (aging up/down of characters, the changing/not changing of actors etc).

But if you actually sit down and look at it, with the baseline we have been given, you have to be very generous with the timeline to make him even be sixteen - I tried to make him sixteen logically, but couldn't without warping the timeline or making a tonne of assumptions and liberties.

Here is how I broke it down and got fifteen:

Episode 1

Takes place anytime between 109 or 112 AC. Depending on who you ask it can change, I went with 112 AC for my timeline!

Episode 2

We know at least six months have past between episode one and two. Daemon has occupied Dragonstone for six months. Whether Daemon went straight there after exile we are not told, so jump could technically be longer. But for simplicity, I think we all agree there is a six month gap between one and two.

Making episode two take place in late 112 AC or early 113 AC. We will stick with mid 112 AC to make things a little easier.

Episode 3

It's been three years, making it mid 115 AC. Alicent is heavily pregnant with Helaena- we can assume Heleana was born within a month or so of this episode due to the size of Alicent's bump.

Episode 4

One year later, making it mid 116 AC - Alicent is not pregnant, or possibly is in the very early stages of her pregnancy with Aemond. I believe episode five confirms she is not in early stages.

Episode 5

Pretty much continues on from episode four to some degree. Again you have to assume that the year does not change over still making it mid 116 AC, even though some of these events in this episode and in between the two episodes would span over months, and we would now be into the next year or late 116 AC by the end of the episode, in my opinion!

Towards the end of the episode we see baby Helena, who is at least a year and a half (just based on how old I think the baby looks lol) confirming to me that some months (at least six??) have also passed, on top of the year stated in the previous episode.

So again by the end of the episode, if we are being generous it's late 116 AC and Alicent is not yet pregnant, or is now in the very early stages of her pregnancy with Aemond - meaning at the earliest Aemond can be born in this timeline is mid to late 117 AC.

Episode 6

Set ten years after episode five, which we have stated was late 116 AC, now making it late 126 AC.

We established the earliest Aemond could be born is sometime mid to late 117 AC, making him nine during episode six.

Episode 7

Episode seven picks up in the same year as six, mostly likely weeks after the death of Laena - also making Aemond nine in this episode. (Update: Confirmed in season 2 that it was only a couple of weeks)

Episode 8 , 9 and 10

It's been six years since Driftmark, so it is now late 132 AC - making Aemond fifteen.

The only way you can make Aemond sixteen, is by placing a larger time gap between episode six and seven - but if you do it for one, you would have to do if for others where it makes more even more sense, like episode four and five, which would most likely make him even younger than fifteen.

[rebelsofshield]

Updated Canon Star Wars Shows Ranking

The Bad Batch's third and final season begins tomorrow! What better time to take stock of how the series is currently stacking up against the nine other canon series' in the Star Wars sag.

(As always, please feel free to sound off in the replies or reblogs with how wrong I am. I love hearing your thoughts.)

10. Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Oscillating between dull and distracted, the original iconic bucket headed bounty hunter’s show displays Star Wars at its most shallow and routine. Despite claiming to be a Godfather-esque crime saga, The Book of Boba Fett feels oddly toothless and impersonal. In the process, the series does the ultimate disservice of making its title character less interesting at its conclusion than its outset. A great leading duo in Temuera Morrison and Ming-na Wen can’t really save a series that rarely if ever rises above being passable.

9. Star Wars Resistance

A fun, atypical series that aims for a younger audience with a lighter, more comedic tone. Some fans may not gel with its sometimes zany energy, but it boasts some impressively nuanced character arcs and standout aerial combat set pieces. It ends though on an awkward rushed note that may be as much a fault of the shambling structure of the sequel trilogy as the show itself.

8. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor’s big return to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi somehow feels like less than the sum of its parts. McGregor is wonderful as the title character and there are some truly emotional moments to be found in watching this old Jedi Master find his purpose and make peace with the trauma that came with the end of the Clone Wars, but overall Kenobi rarely manages to hit the highs it should. Messy production design and some clunky mid-season narrative choices end up cutting the series down in moments when the drama should be at its highest. For a series that may have been the most demanded Star Wars project of the last decade, Obi-Wan Kenobi never manages to fully reach the hype of its fanbase or the potential of its character.

7. Star Wars The Mandalorian

After an uneven but mostly promising first season, The Mandalorian has had trouble finding its footing. Despite being the flagship series for not only Star Wars live action television but also the Disney+ streaming platform, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s space western has seemed unsure of itself after two seasons that pushed back its main characters in favor of a parade of cameos and clunky franchise focused world building. Luckily, it still has an eye for spectacle and flash. The Mandalorian looks like a blockbuster action-adventure movie and even when the story fails to live up to its potential, you can still count on the series’ consistently strong directing talent to deliver on some fantastic moments of Star Wars spectacle and creatively designed characters and locales.

6. Star Wars Ahsoka

One of the most ambitious and complicated offerings from Star Wars’ live action television offerings, Ahsoka is the culmination of not only fifteen years of storytelling but an important evolution of both its central character and her creator, Dave Filoni. Unfortunately, it does frequently buckle under the weight of its own mythology and continuity. Trying to create a coherent identity out of a show that functionally serves as a spin off to three separate series, two of which are animated, often proves difficult and clunky. There are, however, moments of wonder and grandeur when Ahsoka really does shine. Whether its in the phenomenal performance of Ray Stevenson as the series’ enigmatic villain, Baylan Skoll, or how enthusiastically Ahsoka embraces the franchise’s more fantastical and weird story elements, Dave Filoni demonstrates that he does still have a sense for how to tell worthy stories in this galaxy.

5. Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

Recently confirmed to be more than a one-time special set of animated short films, Tales of the Jedi now looks to be a regular animated anthology that fleshes out the unexplored angles of some of the most famous members of the Order. While the three installments focusing on Ahsoka offer little more than a reunion for fans of The Clone Wars, the miniature trilogy that Tales of the Jedi tells about the fall of Count Dooku to the Dark Side are masterfully written and directed editions to the animated Star Wars canon. Not only do they finally add emotional and philosophical clarity to one of the most famous villains from the Prequel Trilogy, but they provide a murky exploration into some of the Jedi Order’s failings and why exactly members of its ranks would be tempted to leave it behind.

4. Star Wars: The Bad Batch

While it suffers from some of the same pacing issues that abound in almost all Star Wars television, The Bad Batch has evolved into a fun ensemble action series with some truly stellar character moments scattered throughout. In particular, this Clone Wars spinoff excels in diving into the uncertain fate of the Grand Army of the Republic. At its core is the question of what happens to a people bred for wartime when that wartime ends? The results are often tragic and occasionally disturbing, but almost always make for standout television. Throw in some gripping action set pieces and you have a more than worthy follow up to one of the most beloved pieces of Star Wars canon.

3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

A very rough start and scattered snooze worthy story arcs aside, The Clone Wars is an ambitious as hell show that pretty much launched Star Wars as we currently know it. Its anthology style format allowed for its creators to tell a wide variety of stories that not only deepened a previously maligned era of the series but also played tribute to many of George Lucas’s creative influences. Great swing for the fences storytelling risks and gorgeous animation elevate this series into blockbuster level entertainment that balances incredible spectacle with powerful moments of character development and franchise redefining mythology.

2. Star Wars Rebels

A wonderful achievement in character and inventive storytelling, Star Wars Rebels reaches heights that are among the best moments the franchise has ever produced. Through its endearing and refreshingly complex ensemble cast and a tight four-season arc, Rebels feels like a complete, unique package that isn’t afraid to take risks and knows when and how to challenge its audience. Even occasional filler episodes aren’t enough to detract from what is overall a charming, suspenseful, and ultimately moving series of family and the fight against tyranny.

1. Star Wars Andor

Star Wars at its most human and political, Andor is thoughtful and meticulously crafted drama about the early days of a rebellion. Taking its title character from the ashes of Rogue One and spinning off into the story of a complicated man living in the shadow of fascism, Andor offers up intrigue, emotion, and a stirring critique of systems of oppression whether they be from the galaxy far, far away or own humble little world. Even outside of its heady political allegory, Andor is simply fantastically directed and acted television scattering a marathon of all-time-classic Star Wars moments throughout its first season. It’s that rare gem that only seems to come around only once or twice a decade: Star Wars that is not only great within the context of its universe but a truly essential work of pop cultural art.

[snorlaxlovesme]

thoughts and feelings about the Netflix's Live Action Avatar, now that I've finished:

overall, net positive! as i said in my previous post about the first 3 episodes [x], i'm someone who goes into adaptations with minimal expectations, treating it more like fanfiction, so I can spend more time enjoying myself than being a butthurt baby, so with that in mind i can say that I enjoyed myself a lot! there are episodes that i'm actually really excited to rewatch (5 and 6 are bangers and i won't be told otherwise)

i'm not going to lie and claim that any of the actors will be winning Daytime Emmys, but there were a few standout performances for me at least:

-Zuko was incredible. i love the way this version leaned into Zuko's desperation to capture the Avatar, because now he finally had a real chance of being able to come home after all these years. his acting pre- and post-Agni Kai in the flashbacks felt so sincere. his optimism was adorable before the war meeting and his shattered expression after Ozai banished him was fucking heartbreaking.

-i really loved the boy who played Aang. he was so charming and cute! and i think as the episodes went along he gradually got better at displaying more subtle emotion. for such a young child actor i thought he was doing amazing

-Sokka's actor was putting in work in the back half! i was impressed! the first half of the show I was pretty neutral about Sokka's acting but the more development he got the more I appreciated what his actor was bringing to the table. i think he just needed to be paired with the right acting partners in a scene to bring out the best of his abilities. Katara didn't give him much to work off of, but his scenes with Sai and Yue really hit

-Zhao was great too! they really re-worked his character to be a lot more important from the jump and i loved seeing how underhanded he was being during all of Zuko's quest. normally seeing Zhao on-screen just annoys me but i loved this version and how patronizing he was to Zuko

-idk man every time Gyatso was on screen I was crying. that's just how it is. every time i saw his face it felt like a warm hug

i think the weird part of this adaptation is that the parts that were adapted were pretty mid (or sometimes just bad) in a lot of cases, but whenever they added in their own original ideas it really shined! i feel like that's not the case with a lot of adaptation, people want to see what they know, but honestly if they added in more of their own original writing in s2 I would not be mad because i loved what these writers were bringing to the table (for the most part)

-i've already said that the way they structured ep 1 to include the start of the war was awesome. that was a cool change to show the audience from the jump that they weren't planning on boring everyone with a one-to-one(but worse) adaptation. it also set the tone really well bc my GOD do firebenders be setting people on fire in this show

-big fan of the early inclusion of Kyoshi and the idea that Aang can only convene with past Avatars at their temples. that was not a Hard Rule in the original and it always felt weird to me that sometimes he needed to be at a certain place on a certain day to communicate with his past lives but then in the finale he just had to meditate wherever he was. but yeah, they used Kyoshi lore from the novels and did indeed lose my mind about it

-Zuko and the 41st division. that was SUCH a cool storyline that was woven in starting at episode ONE and i was genuinely impressed with how hard it hit. i didn't see that coming and it had me CRYINGGGG. so yeah, BIG thumbs up for that original storyline. and also they inclusion of the post-Agni Kai Zuko recovering in the hospital and getting banished for claiming that maybe the weak just need the opportunity to get strong. heartbreaking, devastating on its own (Zuko's actor truly was killing me, i loved him so much) but once we see Zuko and Azula start going toe-to-toe next season that line will hurt me even more

-the bonding moment about calligraphy between Aang and Zuko was a really good bait and switch. in the original Blue Spirit episode Zuko didn't talk to Aang at all before firing at him. i like that i was expecting it to play out the same way as before but instead they had a moment of connection before Aang triggered Zuko and all potential for empathy was lost.

-which seems like a good time to address Zuko's character. i want to be clear when i say that i liked something because it was different from the original, it doesn't mean that i like it BETTER than the original. i simply think the new version is fun fanfiction that was written better than i expected. so when i say i like how they dealt with Zuko's obsession with honor, i'm in no way implying it's superior to the original. simply a good different

-anyways. in the original, Zuko's obsession with honor is fully connected to his need to be wanted by his father again. OZAI is the only one who can restore it, and it can only be restored by completing an impossible task for him. in the Netflix version it almost seems like Zuko's honor is tied to the disillusion that the Fire Nation itself is honorable. the bit about Lieutenant...Yi? sorry i'm getting his name wrong, but Lieutenant Yi gossiping about a superior officer, Zuko's disbelief that the Fire Nation would ever use such underhanded tactics like planting spies in Omashu, it was clear to me that Zuko bought into a rigid sense of morality and honor when it came to the Fire Nation. i hope we see more of that in s2 so that we can see Zuko's world truly rocked when he and Iroh become refugees

-Katara being hailed as a master was very sweet! i wish she would have gotten SOME training from Paku (could still happen at the start of book 2) but I did enjoy that during the Siege of the North that she got her own little battalion to command bc she was seen as worth warrior

-OH and I love how they explored Sokka's character. again, them taking out Sokka's blatant sexism didn't bother me, so i was happy to see that in taking that out they DID work hard to make Sokka's character motivations rich and meaningful. having him have the same complex about being a lacking warrior as the original cartoon but with the added twist of overhearing his dad's harsh words about his abilities really added something to Sokka's insecurities. i loved the inclusion of Sai encouraging Sokka to become an engineer because it was clear how much that meant to him. considering in the cartoon he does become a pretty badass warrior (while still being mainly an Idea Guy) i wonder how this storyline will play out later. if he'll try harder to fit into the warrior box he thinks he belongs in or if he'll blatantly begin to reject that role for himself and identify more heavily with his engineer side

-the cave of two lovers had me worried for a second because Sokka and Katara were paired together for that and im like UMMM so i thought it was pretty funny how they reinterpreted "love is brightest in the dark" in that scene. not as good as the original, obviously, but a funny reinterpretation that i didn't hate

i probably have more to say on the additions but this is getting long so i think it's time to get to some criticisms. this show was not perfect by any means and i have several gripes with it so i might as well get that out now

-WAIT first i must say that a lot of the bending looked phenomenal. particularly Zuko and Aang's bending. both actors (and their stunt doubles) were great martial artists and the fire effects and air effects were done really well. i was really worried about how they'd adapt airbending (since air is invisible) and they did a great job adding in dust cloud effects and making sure the props in the scene moved they like would if they were blasted by air

-AND i must emphasize that i was not mad at them chopping up storylines and mixing them together. the Mechanist/Jet plotlines had similar themes of seemingly Good People doing unethical things for what they believed to be a good cause, so putting them in the same episode made sense to me. and having Sokka and Katara getting spirited away and caught up in that mist (a fun LOK reference that time, i loved the easter eggs) and then captured by Koh was a good way to separate them from Aang the Blue Spirit arc could take place. that also made sense to me. people who get mad about the re-shuffling of episodes frustrate me to no end.

okay, now onto critique:

-unfortunately, Iroh was a giant flop. i don't know how else to say it. i didn't really like any part of him, from his costuming to his writing to his acting. something about him felt like he was plucked out of a campy low-budget stage play and just thrown into this show while only know his campy stage play lines. both Zuko and Zhao give pretty grounded, emotional performances and Iroh is SO jarring by comparison when he's in the same room as them acting like a caricature of himself for no reason. his wig was terrible, i wish they had made it more flowy because it stayed the same shape and position the whole time, he used the WEIRDEST announcer voice the whole time (like why are you using a voice?? no one else is using a voice??), and his robes seemed out of place when everyone else was wearing leather armor. and they had a moment in episode 4 where an Earth Kingdom soldier really laid into him because back when Iroh was a general he was responsible for the death of Earth Kingdom soldier's brother. i was interested to see this bc we BARELY get to see Iroh's Bad Side in the cartoon and i was curious to see where the live action would go with it. but it ended with Earth Kingdom soldier slugging Iroh or slapping his face or something and Iroh made some snoody remark about how war changes people, and he WASN'T talking about himself. like bro this man just told you you COOKED his brother alive he has earned the right to slug you, what are you talking about! i was expecting remorse, or at the very least a solemn look of guilt over the person Iroh once was, but nothing. it was bad. obviously having the iconic Uncle Iroh be so terrible is a huge mark against the show. i simply cannot defend that

-circling back to Iroh's wig. well. the hair and make-up department went out of their way to make important characters look like their cartoon counterparts and that was not always beneficial. why did Yue look like she was from Whoville. who okayed that.

-many people have already pointed it out, but it was weird in ep 1 that Aang's decision to leave was because he needed to clear his head, not because he was running away from his responsibilities. i have no idea why they made this change, unless the reason was to have every single person (including past Avatars) dog on Aang for not being around during the past 100 years. but even that doesn't hit the same bc it truly wasn't his fault! he went for a drive and got caught in a storm! he intended to be back in a few hours! idk that change didn't make sense to me. i know Aang felt guilt regardless but the guilt was supposed to be from the intentionality of Aang running away

-the way Katara broke Aang out of the iceberg was weird?? she wasn't angry at Sokka for his sexism, but she could have been angry at him for SOMETHING that caused her bending to grow out of control. or at the very least when she was bending the canoe towards her she could have done a sharp pulling motion towards her that ended with her arms behind her, therefore forming the cracks in the ice (kind of a callback to how in the pilot Katara could really only waterbend backwards at first). instead her hands were fully facing forward and she was gently bending in front of her and that led to the ice sphere exploding behind her. its been bothering me. whyyy

-character-wise, Katara was pretty one-note. like the addition of her guilt for getting her mom killed with her subpar waterbending, while not bad, didn't make up for how much she DIDN'T have going on. it felt like they toned down a lot of Katara's character strengths AND flaws to give Sokka more room to arc, then shoved all of Katara's development into the last 2 episodes. they didn't show much of her resilient hope in the face of adversity or rage towards injustice or how petty she could be. part of this could be her actor, who i won't dog on because she is a child actor who will get better with time, but i don't think the flimsy writing of her did her any favors

-score wasn't nearly as good as Jeremy Zuckerman/The Track Team's. remixing some of the A:TLA's score doesn't make up for the fact that all the original scoring in this adaptation was flat by comparison

-Bumi's whole thing was....weird. i didn't mind at first that they speedran through his reveal because i don't think there's a point to try and surprise the three people who haven't seen the original. 99% of the audience knew the King was Bumi, so I didn't see any problem with that. but the set-up flashback of Bumi lasted like 10 seconds and basically just showed him snort. it didn't give you a reason to get attached to him as Aang's past friend. and his current actions didn't help at all. the acting was very Michael Meyer's Cat in the Hat-esque. so. uh. SCARY AND OFFPUTTING. was not a fan of that all. and having him do a few random goofy tests for Aang AFTER already knowing his identity felt...weird? like what's the point of these now? and then having the reveal that he's NOT kooky, he genuinely IS pissed at Aang for being gone, well. hmm. it's not a bad idea in theory. i liked the concept of having someone FROM THIS TIMELINE (looking at you, Kyoshi, Roku, and Kuruk, and your unjustified rage toward Aang) be upset at Aang for leaving the world in such a state of imbalance. having Bumi be like DO YOU KNOW ALL THE SHIT I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH SINCE THE WORLD HAS HAD NO AVATAR, was an interesting line of thought i could have rocked with, butttt.....idk man. it's BUMI. he's supposed to be a living memory of Aang's past to give him comfort and wisdom! it hurt to see this version be so cruel to Aang and basically force him to try to kill him just to prove a point. i would have rather had them write out Bumi altogether and use that episode for something else than to smear his name like that

-i'm tentatively alright with Azula's plotline right now. the Zuko line "Azula was born lucky, I was lucky to be born" is really essential to how their rivalry worked in the cartoon. Azula was a cold-hearted prodigy while Zuko was compassionate boy but average bender. i liked the idea of showing how Ozai intentionally pitted his children against each other. i liked seeing Azula's moment of defiance where she claims she's DONE being tested because she know how good her abilities are. i liked seeing the origin of her lighting bending. all of those were cool fanfiction. the thing that worries me is that we, the audience, have already seen Azula's doubt in herself, something we weren't privy to until the very end of the series. plus showing how hard Azula trains kind of undercuts the fact that Zuko is supposed to think he can't measure up to her because of her natural abilities that he DOESN'T have. they DID plant the seed to Zuko that Azula was the one backing Zhao the whole time, so we do have some of their rivalry primed to go. but the rivalry in the original is extremely one-sided. it will be odd to see Azula fighting just as hard to earn Ozai's affection, because intrinsically she should think that game was won a long time ago. so yeah. i'm not mad about it YET, just interested to see how it plays out

and then there are little nitpicks that could be resolved in season 2, should it get picked up again

-Aang not learning any waterbending or burning Katara with firebending can be woven into the early eps of season 2 before Toph's introduction

-the gaang's chemistry will only grow stronger with time. as the cast becomes better friends, as the kids become better actors with age, and considering they don't separate much in s2, i have faith that will iron itself out naturally

-tbh im sure there are more but this is so long i'm fizzling out. i'm fading. i must stop.

but yeah! good and bad! there's lots to unpack but in general i think it was fun. i'm excited for more.

[molliemoo3]

Could you explain formula e to me please as Paul Aron is racing this weekend

OK so im not necessarily great at explaining things but a basic weekend run down is

Friday

-Shakedown

-FP1 (30 mins i think)

Saturday

-FP2 (30 mins i think)

-Qualifying

-Race 1 ~ 40 laps, 6 mins of attack (4-2, 3-3, or 2-4 splits)

Sunday

-FP3 (30 mins i think)

-Qualifying

-Race 2 ~ 38 laps, 4 mins of attack (3-1, 2-2, or 1-3 splits)

FP sessions are exactly as you'd expect (if they arent the 30mins theyre 45)

Quali is in 2 sections, first the group stages - 2, 12 (i think) min sessions with the drivers split into 2 groups based on championship position (basically odd is one, even is the other) with the top 4 of each group going through to the duels. And then the duels, which are 1 laps shootouts until the top drivers from group A and group B go against each other for pole.

The races are in a lot of ways just races, except with 1000% more chaos a good 95% of the time, the biggest differences are -

Attack Mode, which is the FE equivalent of drs/p2p, except drivers have to push a button to "activate" it, and then go off line to actually gain attack mode, this is where the main strategy comes into play. It is an increase in energy from 300kW to 350kW, and it has to be activated twice in the race, notably in Monaco Jehan failed to activate it at all, and received a 10 secind stop go penalty post race (48s added to his race time). It will cause drivers to lose postiins pretty frequently so its important to make sure you hit the button and go over the 3 loops on track the first time(s) you intended to in order to not lose positions unnecessarily.

No pit stops unless there is a problem hence why attack mode is the main strategy bit. Also front wings arent vital so if it completely comes off and isnt at risk of coming off under the car, theyll probs just keep going without it.

SC, under if the race is under safety car, and or full course yellow, for a certain amount of time (in relation to a reference lap time set based on each track, for Berlin its 2min45s) laps will be added for the first 80% of the race, any sc or fcy after that point will not result in added laps. There is a maximum of 5 added laps per race.

Energy management is a huge part of FE it can sometimes lead to peloton (i think that's the word i mean) style racing with drivers not wanting to lead for to long which can be a bit annoying, but we do get a good dose of chaos each weekend, especially in the last few laps which is always fun. And the mid pack will always be in some sort of fight.

In terms of where to watch your best bet is going to the FE website (or app) and checking for your country. FP sessions are free on youtube and show on the app/website too. There's a predictor game each race which is fun and on the app, as well as driver radios during the race.

Paul's making his debut with Envision, who are the reigning teams champions of formula e. Season 10 hasnt necessarily had the best start for them, but it hasnt been terrible, with best finishes of P2 at the opening round in Mexico and at Race 2 in Diriyah. Envision is a customer team of Jaguar TCS racing who supply their power train, and who the other Envision debut, Joel Eriksson, is the reserve driver for. There's definitely the possibility for points, with a car capable of podiums with its usual drivers, and a power train that can win races and is currently topping the teams standings, a good quali, and avoiding the chaos (much easier said than done) is vital, but definitely doable for him, especially given how his rookie f2 season is going (i say like these cars arent entirely different beasts). Envision clearly has faith in him, and chaos means literally anything is possible (like an abt almost got a podium the other week, truly anything is possible here)

We're also blessed in Formula E land that we have a bunch of lovely people who put a lot of time into creating guides and gathering info for people interested in FE, the mains ones im aware of are:

@formulawah 's bad guide to formula e season 10 - by bad it isnt bad its silly and funny and something to look forward to each season, they also post on twitter about fe and have a blog they post on

and

@robinfrinjs 's formula e, an intro to season 10 - this goes into more detail about the cars and how theyve changed through the gens and has more info on sessions and how a weekend is run. They have a discord full of wonderful people that love fe too.

@formulaesource doesnt really post much over here anymore, but theyre incredibly active on twitter, and are attending this weekend. Theyre pretty much always up to date on how long races and such are gonna be and a great source for updates on penalties and such, and just changes to the formula e world in general.

Hopefully this is somewhat helpful and anything i havent remembered to include can be explained elsewhere or just send another ask and i shall do my best to help you figure out this chaos child of a racing series. Fingers crossed for a decent weekend for Paul 💚💚💚

[9w1ft]

9-

I was looking through old jewelry stuff and found a necklace Karlie wore for about 6 months, from about Sept 2019-April 2020. It was a gold disk that was engraved with “I can and I will” on it. As our resident jewelry expert, any theories on what that may have been about?

hello hello

thank you for your inquiry 😌

so this necklace is something that i assume was bought along with two other pieces from the same brand because they appeared around the same time and she wore them often interchangeably, and frequently together. the necklace is by Zoe Chicco.

in addition to this disc with the mantra “I Can and I Will” inscribed on it, the necklaces i associate it with are a strand of graduated gold disks and a ‘sunbeam medallion’ which she actually wore a ton on its own.

the mantra necklace was most frequently worn within the set of these three and at the time it felt very much like just, idk, a trendy layered look, and she wore them so often that honestly i did not keep track of the necklaces well. so i had to do a little bit of poking around.

so, for your perusal, here is an incomplete list of times she has worn at least one of the three pieces, based on an account that was documenting her looks at the time (link) and StarStyle (link):

~~

she starts out wearing either the graduates discs or the sunbeam necklace, from september 2019

9/5/2019 in china for the world cup

9/8/2019 to the US open

9/18/2019 papped outside in nyc

9/21/2019 papped in rome (scooter was around)

10/10/2019 on her instagram outside in nyc

10/21/2019 papped outside in nyc

10/30/2019 papped outside in nyc

then the mantra necklace appeared and there was a period where she started wearing the three as a layered look more often, sometimes two together, and sometimes just the mantra necklace:

11/1/2019 promoing adidas on her insta

11/15/2019 papped outside in nyc

11/26/2019 at the elk in nyc

12/8/2019 papped outside in nyc

12/21/2019 yachting in st. barthelemy

1/27/2020 when karlie was in LA

2/18/2020 amex valentine’s day dinner

4/23/2020 instagram live w katie couric

4/28/2020 the today show

4/30/2020 met gala bts video

5/1/2020 exercising on instagram

5/1/2020 on wes gordon’s instagram

5/5/2020 the tonight show

5/17/2020 instagram from her nyc place

5/19/2020 klossy video about how falling on the runway can help your career

from this point forward she started wearing the necklaces separately instead of all three at once (not the mantra medallion though as far as i could tell) from mid 2020 up through mid 2021. for the sake of brevity i won’t list everything up, but you can check StarStyle from the above link.

~~~

as for what the mantra means, you know, this is just a loosely formed thing but… i will offer a quick thought

in retrospect, she wore the necklace along with the other two during a very specific time period, right? a little after taylor’s masters were bought by scooter, all the way up until she headed for LA a few months into quarantine. so if you think about late 2019-early 2020 as being this time where everyone thought karlie further betrayed taylor and where karlie went to places or events where scooter was and such… and how following this period of time scooter’s infidelity was eventually exposed and he divorced and a lot of his business dealings soured, and we got songs like mad woman, vigilante shit, and karma —songs that i do believe show that karlie stuck around scooter and got dirt on him for taylor— then, within that context, i think that the mantra “i can and i will” is pretty… badass 🙈 like, if the amulette de cartier was for dark seasons of life that require courage, this mantra feels much more something suitable for… playing offense 😏

[a-zira-fell]

This post is a Work in Progress and will be edited.

The Second Coming

Jesus comes back in a Judgement Day kinda situation - some Good Omens thoughts

(Footnotes under readmore) (1)

1. Who is Jesus?

At the time of the setting of Season 3 (2026?), he should be in his mid thirties (2)

A carpenter? It seems in keeping with the humour and charme of GO that he may well be a carpenter

I don't care about Jesus's gender at all. Might be a guy, might be a girl, might be neither or both, but what i know for sure is that Jesus has to be queer (3)

2. His Parents

Son of a Carpenter and the 'Virgin Mary'

maybe their names are Joseph and Mary maybe not

Young couple just got pregnant (Jane the Virgin type situation?), decide to keep it, one time there was a weird posh guy who told her she would bear the Second Coming of the Son of God and she replied "I don't even want an abortion, man" and forgot about it (4)

Punk adjacent working class parents in the 90s

Atheist-raised Christ?

3. Jesus had a hell of a weird childhood

Sparks of divine energy at random times, often emotionally triggered

Brought objects to life and revived dead pets for friends

4. Good Omens tie-in

The events of GO 1 may have triggered something in him (5) and since then miracles happen more and more frequently and he's learning to control them

He finds himself speaking truths he can't quite wrap his own head around

There are still bursts that are linked to emotions, so sometimes it's not as easy to hide. With social media and all

It has attracted people to him, some of whon may see in him the Second Coming of Christ. It's true, he knows, but it feels like a dark secret because there is so much he doesn't understand

It's like a cult that he's barely a part of, yet he is the leader

5. His Environment

He's got this close circle of friends but twelve is a lot by those standards and it's mostly just hanging out with some of them at one time

There are few occasions with all of them present but it's always a good time.

Jesus doesn't have a favourite. He has some friends that are closer but everyone contributes to the group.

He still feels set apart from them all except:

6. Judas

is the boyfriend

Absolutely devoted to Jesus but also a natural born helper who puts the cause first and manages the budget of the group as organisers of protests or booths at pride

Crowley finds he is easy to tempt to do many things, but his resolve to protect Jesus is unwavering, temptations that involve Jesus in any way don't catch on Judas (6)

Jesus relies on Judas a lot. He's torn between his fate, this whole unknown side to the world, and Judas, his foot in the real world. His rock in the stormy sea.

7. Miscellaneous

Jesus has for sure taken apart a queerphobic booth next to a church once, at the far side of a Pride Event

He was drunk one summer night and came by a plum tree in someone's yard, plums not ripe just yet. He cussed it out half jokingly, forgetting about magic bursts. Then next day the tree is completely shrivelled up

Got thoughts about Jesus? 💌 (69)

(1) yeah, it's that kind of post

(4) is there one christ per generation? That never goes off bc it's never the time. Like a switch needs to be switched to activate the sleeper agent Christ within. (All humans are made the same. Anyone could be christ.

(2) to my knowledge (adequate) Christ's birth is placed ca 4-7 BC, making him 34-37 in 30 or even 37-40 in 33 ad where his main work that we usually know him from (not the carpentry) took place.

(3) I'll refer to Jesus as he in this post bc that's easier

- is there one woodworker's kid per generation, across the globe that is just Soooooooooo fucking weird?

- does Gabriel visit one mother per generation and activate a Jesus Gene or ...

(5) or was the book of life used to activate that?

(6) I am a firm believer in 'Judas tried to deescalate the situation in Jerusalem before Jesus could come to any harm by choosing the lesser of all evils, which to him seemed to be having Jesus arrested and locked up for the duration of Pesach.' This plan however, spectacularly backfired. He unknowingly sent humanity's God-approved sacrificial lamb exactly where it could be most effectively used. Poor sod. He was just in love and unaware of the power of a mimetic crisis.

---

(69) This is the last footnote. Please step into my inbox 💌 with opinions and ideas. As I update this post, I will tag to credit ideas that weren't mine.

[brw]

this is ur chance to infodump abt aeon flux bc i have no idea what it is

okay. overview is. it's an animated MTV show that aired in the early to mid 90s (91–95) with very heavy inspirations from anime (the creator is korean-american i believe) and german expressionism. it runs on literally nothing but pure, hard vibes. the title character dies in every episode of the second season and only season 3 has feature length, voice-acted episodes. it has incredibly progressive discusses of gender and depictions of sexuality for its time that are nicely casual.

it follows æon flux, an assassin from the neighbouring city of monica where everyone dresses like hellfire gala (that's the comics not stranger things) patrons. what she's doing is always left ambiguous but she moves like a freak and looks like a freak and i love her so much. once she tries to backflip off a ladder and lands flat on her face and looks so embarrassed and i love her. I love her so so so much. the only other properly consistent character is trevor goodchild, her boytoy / fascist dictator boyfriend she's sometimes beating the shit out of. trevor is terrible and i love him dearly. he reminds me of the post someone made praising arcane for having sneaky, manipulative but physically weak men and aggressive, violent physical woman. that's trevor and æon all over.

the thing is. i cannot describe most of the most iconic scenes without it sounding like a porn parody of itself. and i say that will so much love but woof. there is like... this scene where æon wants eggs and goes through her fridge (the only thing other than the egg container is a cooked chicken btw) and there aren't any eggs so she looks around and finds her Trevor, who is a literal dictator war criminal, curled up into this tiny cupboard and eating raw eggs off the floor of it nude in a collar. and that scene lasts for all of 15 seconds and im still struggling to decipher it. trevor literally killed æon in the prior episode but now he's here. nude and eating her eggs uncooked and slurping them from the floor of this fucking cupboard. and this happens a lot so you can appreciate why describing the content of the episodes is difficult because i genuinely go "hey wait a minute. what the fuck" a LOT but it makes it super fun.

They made a more SFW, linearly told movie with Charlize Theron and objectively it's terrible but I'm kind of obsessed with it. The costume and set design is GORGEOUS and while he's extremely generic looking Trevor does at least seem like he would eat raw eggs nude so there's that.

anyway until season 3 all the episodes are like 5 minutes long (maybe watch the 12 minute one afterward bc the end is uh super fucking weird) and even season 3 is like 20 something minutes so. if this at all interests you. consider viewing it i have A Legal Link pinned now so i can convince more people 🫡😁😁

[batsplat]

Looking ahead to this Sunday’s American GP at Laguna Seca, where Rossi has never won in three previous attempts, the Fiat Yamaha rider told MCN: “In the last races Casey has done a great job and he is very fast and now we have to stay concentrated. “But our situation is a lot more positive than last year. It’s always difficult when you have to follow and you have to race sometimes with not enough speed, but a difficult period for my career was last year. Now I have fun and I like to ride the bike, and in the team we have a good atmosphere to make the best and we hope it is enough. “But the championship is long, and we saw at the start of the season that the Ducati was slower than us. Now it is faster so it is possible to work and to bridge the gap to fight with Stoner and with (Dani) Pedrosa to the last race. Now we suffer a little bit but we have the potential to come back to the top.” Rossi said it was vital he stopped Stoner’s revival, as Laguna is the first in a sequence of three races where Stoner dominated in 2007. Brno and Misano follow Sunday’s 32-lap Laguna Seca showdown and Rossi added: “This moment of the season is difficult for us because we go to three tracks where Stoner last year made some great races, so this is a tough part of the season. But we have a good advantage in the points and quite good speed.”

Valentino Rossi looking to end Casey Stoner's revival

Casey Stoner proved last year that [taming the Ducati] can be done, in emphatic fashion. The Australian ran away with the race last year, Laguna Seca proving a vital stepping stone on his way to the world title. With Stoner's current resurgent form, and with so little time between races for the other teams to respond to his improvement, it would be a foolish person who would bet against a repeat of last year's dominance. Based on the evidence of the past few races, we should know whether Stoner will be stomping all over the competition by about the 4th lap of the 1st session of free practice. At previous tracks, that's how long it's taken Stoner to be on, or over, record pace. If he's that fast on Friday, the race could effectively already be over. The man most capable of preventing that will be under a lot of pressure at Laguna Seca. Valentino Rossi started the season slowly, but by the time he'd won his third race of the season in Mugello, it looked like he could be romping to another triumphant title. Since Barcelona, Stoner has come back with a vengeance, with Rossi so far powerless to respond and forced to settle for 2nd place. Add to this the fact that Laguna Seca is a track where The Doctor has yet to win, and has never been particularly happy at, and you start to see the scale of the challenge ahead of him. Rossi's 5 premier class titles say that this is the sort of challenge that Rossi can handle, but it makes it no less formidable.

2008 Laguna Seca Preview - No Rest

The first session of free practice was very much business as usual at Laguna Seca. Casey Stoner was quickest, though it took him 6 laps to be the fastest man on track this morning, rather than his usual 3. Stoner was running low to mid 1'22s with ease, until he started hitting 1'21s. As a reference: That's nearly 4/10ths of a second faster than the existing pole record, set by Casey Stoner last year at Laguna. Valentino Rossi was the only man who managed to get close, though every time he got anywhere near, Stoner went back out and took another couple of tenths off his best time, opening the gap up to over a second, before Rossi closed it back down again. Chris Vermeulen's form shows that he is still very good here at Laguna Seca, and will be a factor in the race on Sunday.

2008 Laguna Seca FP1 Times Day 1 - Stoner Smashes Pole Record As Usual

Conditions may have been different, but the outcome was exactly the same. Once again, Casey Stoner thoroughly dominated qualifying practice, leading by at least half a second for almost all of the session. He saved the last to best, taking another 0.1 of a second off his track record, set in the morning. Stoner is now 0.466 faster than his own pole record, set in 2007. But he's not just quick for a single lap. Stoner was running constantly in the low 1'22s, about half a second quicker than the next fastest lapper, Valentino Rossi, who was running consistent high 1'22s. At this rate, there's going to be a fantastic battle for 2nd place.

2008 Laguna Seca FP2 Times Day 1 - Stoner Smashes Pole Record Again

1.

Bridgestone, on the other hand, are doing just fine. In every session so far, Casey Stoner took the fastest lap within 5 or 6 laps, and never relinquished the spot at the top of the timesheets. And qualifying practice was no different. On his 4th lap out of the pits, and his 3rd flying lap, Stoner was already under last year's pole record, and was just getting warmed up. After a brief sojourn to the pits, Stoner was back out, and flying. This time, it took him 2 flying laps to smash the pole record, although whether "smash" is a strong enough word to describe taking 7/10ths of a second off last year's pole time is questionable. But if anyone thought that lap was something special, the Australian set them straight. In one of the most intimidating displays of pure, unadulterated speed, Casey Stoner set a run of 7 straight laps of low to mid 1'21 seconds, keeping most of the field well over a second behind him. This was just working at race setup. Stoner wasn't even thinking of taking a qualifying tire yet, and the paddock held its breath at the thought of what would happen once Stoner put soft rubber on his Ducati. It was pretty clear that the battle in qualifying would be the same as the battle in the race. It was just a fight for 2nd place, the pole sitter and race winner - barring the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse - already set in stone. Valentino Rossi was the obvious candidate for the runner-up spot, and was quick right off the mark, but sadly for Rossi, only Greatest-Of-All-Time-quick, not Stoner-quick. Rossi's string of laps chasing a race setup was in itself deeply impressive. A run of 17 laps, 12 of which were low to mid 1'22s. Rossi clearly had race pace, but the question was, would he be able to improve on the mediocre qualifying positions he's had recently.

2.

Nicky Hayden looked like taking the 2nd place on the grid, setting a lap of 1'21.430, but the American lost out to Valentino Rossi in the dying seconds of the session, the Italian setting a blistering lap of 1'21.147. Rossi is clearly very fast at Laguna, but his times tend to pale a little when held up against Stoner's.

3.

This is Casey Stoner's 5th pole in a row, and coming off 3 wins in a row, it's hard to see how he can be stopped from taking his 4th straight win. Valentino Rossi's only hope is that he can get in Stoner's way early in the race, and hope the Australian makes a mistake. At least Rossi is in with a chance of being able to get close to Stoner, starting on the front row.

2008 Laguna Seca QP Report

The Aussie said: “I’ve always kind of enjoyed this track since the first year I came here. We were quite fast straight out of the box in 2006 and you know I’ve always got along with this track quite well. I think because it’s quite different. “It’s not your average kind of circuit. With the ups and down and the bumps and it’s quite a slippery circuit, so it tends to suit my style a little more. “I’m just really happy with the way the whole weekend’s gone. We’ve slowly but surely improved our set-up as the weekend’s gone on and we’ve got to a point now where we’re very happy. We’re confident going into the race.”

Casey Stoner confident of Laguna repeat

Fiat Yamaha rider Rossi though was happy to be on the front row in second place and he said: “For sure it will be very important to make a good start, because now we are on the first row, so it is a good point and a good place to start. “We have to have a good start and after we see what happens, because we have a quite good pace, I’m quite fast but it’s a long race, very difficult for the tyres and also for many riders because this track doesn’t have any moment to relax. “I’m pleased with this result and I think we’ve done a good job today. This morning, even though it was very cold, we were able to make some good steps forward, especially with the suspension setting, and I was able to be quite fast. This afternoon we were able to do a long simulation and this was very important to help us understand how the tyres will be tomorrow. Second place is good for us and I think we’ve done a lot better in the practice this weekend than we have in the last couple of races, so I’m happy about this. “Casey is very fast and I don’t know exactly how to beat him – maybe I need to start 30 seconds earlier! Whatever happens a good start is going to be very important and then I will just try to stay with him and keep pushing.” Rossi has never won at Laguna Seca and he said the target will be to better his previous best result of third back in 2005. He added: “It is not one of my favourite tracks, but when the setting and the tyres work it is a lot more easy compared to the past. And I try to improve my best result, which was third from the first year. I think this year we have the potential to make a good race.”

Valentino Rossi happy to be on front row at Laguna Seca

[landinrris]

do you know of any fics that explore their age gap? i always forget that they really are like 5 years apart, i feel like that dynamic is kinda interesting

Hey! I sometimes forget as well, and then it's like "oh yeah, okay cool 😭" I've gone through my bookmarks (which is by no means an exhaustive list) to try and pull some things together that touch on their age difference. Some of these are definitely more "in the spirit of" and touching on the gap in their experiences rather than "they are 5 years apart" The list got a bit long, so it's under the "read more." Feel free to add anything for the ones I inevitably missed or let me know if you'd like me to take your tag/work off the list!

"Canon"-based

⁘ and everything that i do is out of lovin' you by raikkonen (Rating: E)

Racing will always be his first love, but Lando is his second, and he doesn't want to imagine a life where he can't have both.

⁘ Free Practice- Romance Edition by f1princess (@f1princess) (Rating: E)

Lando drives cars at 300kph for a living. He got a hotly contested seat in the pinnacle of motorsport at the young age of nineteen. Experts call him the next British prodigy. Yes, Lando might be in his fourth season of Formula One but he still doesn’t know how kissing works, let alone other forms of intimacy. Cue Carlos, Lando’s best friend and former teammate who agrees to give him free practice sessions when it comes to romance. or: Lando and Carlos are friends with benefits but the benefit is experience and of course they are secretly in love with each other.

⁘ i don't ever wanna leave when you cry by peargasly (@peargcsly) (Rating: T)

the heady apprehension creeps through him like molasses – the sudden knowledge that something is wrong. lando half expects carlos to brush by him without a word and he starts reaching out before the prickling anxiety tells him to let this one go. but carlos’s eyes catch him in their snare and he’s always been hopeless under his stare. carlos’s name is on the tip of his tongue, but carlos is speaking before he can take a breath to say it. “think a little next time, i know you do not like to, but it could be us both if you do that again,” carlos says, voice low and biting. (or carlando post-brazil angst that is solved by the power of friendship and the looming presence of pierre gasly)

⁘ In the Wet by plastics (@shinyfakehard) (Rating: E; very E. pwp E)

How did you learn to get so good in the wet? ... These conditions are where the greats are recognized. - Carlos Sainz Jr. in Beyond the Grid, on how he won every British Formula 3 race in the rain.

⁘ like two ships that passed in the night - our story that gets told in many many years by palalabu (@palalabu) (Rating: T)

The long and intricate history of Lando and Carlos.

⁘ The life we built by formulacherry (@formulacherry) (Rating: T)

Lando is one race away from potentially being World Drivers Champion, Carlos and their kids go along to support him.

⁘ Until you came to me by phebes (@phebess) (Rating: NR)

Carlos Sainz, with the hair, the famous dad, the face - Carlos Sainz is going to be his teammate. In Formula 1. And Lando is supposed to just meet him in a marketing room at the MTC on a Tuesday like it's not something he's maybe thought about for 7 years. Lando really thinks he might shit himself. // Or: A fic based on these tweets from Lando in 2012. Title inspired by the song We Belong by Katie Herzig.

⁘ Yours by phebes (@phebess)(Rating: E)

Carlos watches Lando grow up. Carlos watches Lando explore. Carlos is not jealous.

⁘ You Crawled Inside My Head and Set a Fire by kolyarostov (Rating: M)

Falling in love with Carlos wasn’t an all-of-a-sudden thing, but it happens quicker than Lando would like to admit. One day while they’re eating lunch at the MTC during an off-week, just the two of them between meetings in mid-March, Lando looks up at Carlos laughing across from him, and just thinks: “Fuck." Or: This is how Lando and Carlos fall in love

Alternate Universes

⁘ best intentions by madlyiephasetwo (Rating: E)

And then Carlos asked, the tone of his voice one somewhere between amusement and curiosity, “And what about love?” *** Lando Norris does not wish to marry.

⁘ Dancing You Into a Lonely Night by kolyarostov (Rating: E)

The noise of someone yelling is probably just some stupid first-year who got locked out by a roommate who has headphones on. What greets Carlos instead is a boy about halfway down the hallway with a head full of unruly curls looking like he’s ready to go out. But he’s not out— he’s hammering and kicking at a door in a residence hall at 9:30 at night. A boy kicking and yelling— “Danny! You piece of shit, answer the door!” Or: Carlos has his night interrupted by a tetchy first-year, but maybe it's not all bad in the end

⁘ Every Minute Boy, Steady Rhythm Joy by kolyarostov (Rating: E)

It should be embarrassing that Carlos’ touch makes him shiver after being apart for less than twenty-four hours, even when the touch is above his hoodie. But Carlos sliding his hand around Lando’s waist and below his backpack does just that. Maybe it’s the subtle and blatant possessiveness of Carlos kissing his temple when he pulls Lando close, plain to see in front of Daniel. The press of Carlos’ lips still makes Lando’s knees weak. Before Carlos is able to tug Lando fully out of the room, Daniel calls back for them. Both of their heads turn, but Daniel’s look is inscrutable. He hums to himself and shakes his head. “Fucking of course.” It’s said mostly to himself, but Lando can’t help but grin to himself because Daniel’s right, in a way. The irony isn’t lost on Lando about who he’s ended up with. Or: Looks into Lando and Carlos' life after they decide to give their not-casual-one-night-stand thing a proper go

⁘ fall and fixture by heroics (@restacks) (Rating: E)

Lando’s already had a very poor time of it this morning. First there was no real milk in the break room refrigerator, so he had to put almond milk in his tea, disgusting. Then he caused a panic in the explosives lab by knocking over someone’s project. Now he’s faced with Carlos Sainz Jr., Foreign Operative #055.

⁘ God knows you're lonely souls by fox_this_lap (@redshoulderedblackbirds) (Rating: M)

Lando is an engineering student in Paris, celebrating graduation before he starts his career in motorsport, but there's more to the evening in the bar than he could ever had expected. Like the Universe meant for him to be there...

⁘ If the Love is Pure by loveleclerc (@holacarlando) (Rating: E; a/b/o)

After being attacked in the middle of the night by an unknown Alpha, Lando flees to Spain for protection from the Sainz Pack while his fathers search for a way to keep him safe in England. He never asked to be a male Omega, a designation rare beyond belief and sought after by Alphas around the world, but fleeing into the care of Carlos Sainz Jr. may just be the solution to all of his fears... and dreams.

⁘ i'll race you for pinks by cazio (@chubbydino) (Rating: M)

Heist!AU. Carlos Sainz Jr. is heading a heist operation based out of New York, following his father's footsteps as a criminal mastermind. Max Verstappen, the most feared mercenary in the business, is his second in command. Daniel Ricciardo is the deadly charmer that gets them whatever they need, from whoever they need it from. Lando Norris is the mystery. Carlos has never met him in person, but he knows Lando will be perfect for the job. But Lando is not exactly what Carlos envisioned a computer nerd to be. In fact, he is very, very hot.

⁘ Love is the Heritage (And Cousin to Death) by kolyarostov (Rating: E)

Carlos stays quiet, trailing Lando through the ornate halls that are simultaneously cold yet warm with their rugs and furniture. He watches the way Lando walks, the way the younger boy lets his shoulders fall the farther they get from the watchful eyes of his family. It looks like he’s shedding a coat, a mask specifically put into place for his family’s sake. The change is fascinating— there’s a story there that would explain all of Lando’s intricacies, and Carlos finds that he wants to know every single detail. The family had appeared to be perfectly amenable, so why is the change in Lando’s demeanour so painfully obvious? Or: Carlos travels to England to apprentice under Lando’s father for the summer and admittedly ends up falling in love along the way

⁘ ¡Revolución! by hibivrooms (@interlagosed) (Rating: E)

19-year-old Lando Norris, originally from the Kingdom of Anglosax, decides to pursue his undergraduate degree at the State University of Hiberia. There, he strikes up a relationship with a 25-year old Hiberian man, Carlos Sainz. Carlos is beautiful, kind, and deeply passionate about the Hiberian people and their struggles. Though Lando knows very little about he wants out of life, he knows one thing: he desperately wants Carlos. But against the backdrop of an increasingly tumultuous political situation in Hiberia, will Lando be brave enough to open his heart to all of Carlos?

⁘ the shadow of radiance by hibivrooms (@interlagosed) (Rating: E)

No one expected Galla, protector state of the Holy Principality of Seuloger, to turn heretic in such a violent way. After several years of Galla-stoked hostilities short of war, Anglosax and Hiberia set aside their differences in favor of a grand alliance to return Il Predestinato, Charles of House Leclerc, back to his rightful and Goddess-ordained throne. Years later, as a gesture of goodwill, Hiberia sends several of its squires to Fort Silverstone, where Anglosax's finest pages and squires learn to become fierce knights. Squire Lando of Norris, loyal to Anglosax beyond words, must contend with his own distrust of the leader of this Hiberian contingent - Prince Carlos the Younger of Sainz, a newly minted and already-decorated Knight of Hiberia. Prince Carlos is immensely talented, kind, suspiciously handsome, and seemingly dedicated to this alliance. But Lando isn't buying any of it - for the sake of Anglosax. Allegedly.

⁘ Señor Sainz by phebes (@phebess) (Rating: E)

Lando wants to die. Crawl in a hole, and die. His tombstone can read 'Here lies Lando, he did not speak Spanish.' Carlos repeats himself, looking at Lando with faint amusement in his eyes. Lando can feel his cheeks flush as his simply stares back, absolutely no clue what's being asked of him. // Or: University AU where Lando doesn't speak Spanish but ends up in an advanced class, and Carlos is a young professor determined to teach Lando Spanish.

⁘ What if we said goodbye to safe and sound? by tiredtiredsharl (@wolfiemcwolferson) (Rating: E)

Lando realizes as Carlos is telling them all about this job in London that maybe the feelings he's been carrying around aren't so straight or bro-pal-lad as he thought they were. It's really unfortunate that Carlos is set to move 5,478 miles away from him in just a few weeks. Told over a year and set directly after the end of our Piarles/Maxiel stories, we see Lando come to terms with his own feelings about Carlos, make a lot of mistakes along the way, attempt to get through the last year of his program with Alex, and realize that sometimes being the smartest person in the room isn't as valuable as he's always thought it would be.

[clockworkprism]

DPW inspired me to go back and rewatch the OG X men movies and man, they hold up surprisingly well. The effects aren't great, close to a mid season 5 new who episode, but it was 2000*. But more importantly, it was written so well. No non stop ironic humor or breaking up tense moments. Everyone is playing their characters as real characters. And the writing has so many beats to catch up to what's going on.

Modern super hero movies don't just have ridiculously high stakes, they also don't know how to take their time. We don't need giant action set pieces every five minutes, sometimes we want Magneto and Charles in a hallway talking.

The trilogy face planted of course but seriously they started strong. And I know DPW was constant jokes but that's what I go to deadpool for. MCU doesn't really have the other kind of movie anymore and it's a shame. Super heros went too dark and then over corrected in a new direction that's never sincere.

*saying that made me crumble to dust

[chirpsythismorning]

Hey ! How are you ? I just saw a Video on Instagram and I wondered if what they say is true ?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvWDN3iMEQs/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I really hope it’s not true … ( and I hope that the link works lol )

This is 100% false so don’t worry about it!

I do sort of pity these influencer/podcast types, who give their audience the impression they are valuable sources for information, when it’s clear they’re just using speculation from fans, as opposed to actual verified sources. Them throwing out stuff like this should make people question consuming their content at all honestly. Because the whole 2027 date was thrown out on Twitter by a fan account that was merely exaggerating to get people talking, and has literally not come from anywhere else. Literally nowhere. Predictably the exaggeration spread to people who don’t know much about what’s going on and they treated it like verified information.

I do know that sometimes depending on the subject, it can be difficult to navigate information and know what is true and what isn’t.

But to say Stranger Things 5 isn’t going to start filming until 2027, is so ill-informed it’s hilarious. A claim like this implies the strike won’t end for another two years, which literally nobody is anticipating it to last that long, let alone even a year.

When it comes to Stranger Things specifically, the writer’s strike started in May, right before filming for ST5 was set to begin officially in June. And even despite the strike(s), for the last 3 months, set designers and the like have been working on preparing for filming with pre-production duties. So they have literally been ready to film for roughly two months now and are just using this time on hiatus to their advantage if anything, since they don’t have to worry about rushing bc filming is happening simultaneously like they usually do.

This means that whenever the strike ends officially, like for real, production for Stranger Things 5 is very likely going to be ready to start soon after that. Not the day of or even days after, but likely within weeks at most.

What it will really come down to is working out availability for the cast members since they have to organize a new schedule that aligns with the timetable they’re dealing with post strike, in contrast to what the original plan was.

The original timetable for ST5 filming was June 2023-June 2024. Let’s just say hypothetically the strike ends officially in mid September. In that case, filming for ST5 would likely start within weeks after that, some time in October. If that were to happen, filming would likely go from October 2023-October 2024, still giving them a year of filming like they originally planned before the strike(s).

For reference ST4 finished filming in September 2021 and premiered in May & July 2022. In the case filming would start in September/October, we’d likely be looking at another Summer release for the final season in 2025.

So, if you’re hoping for a 2024 release, don’t hold your breath. In fact just let that go because it’s not happening.

Once the strike is over it’ll be a matter of making sure everyone’s available and schedules align in areas that are necessary. Making sure actors that have scenes together are on set at the same time is going to be a top priority, as well as just the main cast in general aligning their availability with their other potential projects outside of ST (like David who was also going to be filming Thunderbolts simultaneously with ST in Atlanta), so that it works for everyone and can be done in a timely manner. Then making sure supporting actors fit into that as well despite them having less screen time, aligning with each other is important.

I’m optimistic things could end sooner than we were anticipating, like I know some people were saying the strikes could go until January next year. Even now though I still don’t really want to fully get my hopes up because negotiations could continue for weeks upon months if the guilds and studios are still far apart.

Let’s just continue to keep a close eye on what’s going on before getting ahead of ourselves one way or another.

But for some good news, the AMPTP (the studios) have reached out to the WGA to meet on Friday officially for negotiations again. They have not met since before the strike began in May so this is very good news. That alone should be a good sign that the strike is very very unlikely to last another 2 years, so you can just ignore that 2027 rumor, it is baseless!