#the colours in this game are superb

[agentnico]

Rivals - season 1 (2024) review

Blimey Disney - you dirty!!

Plot: Into the cut-throat world of Corinium television comes Declan O'Hara, a mega-star of great glamour and integrity with a radiant feckless wife, a son and two teenage daughters. Living rather too closely across the valley is Rupert Campbell-Black, divorced and as dissolute as ever, and now the Tory Minister for Sport. Declan needs only a few days at Corinium to realise that the Managing Director, Lord Baddingham, is a crook who has recruited him merely to help retain the franchise for Corinium. Baddingham has also enticed Cameron Cook, a gorgeous but domineering executive, to produce Declan's programme. Declan and Cameron detest each other, provoking a storm of controversy into which Rupert plunges with his usual abandon. As a rival group emerges to pitch for the franchise, reputations ripen and decline, true love blossoms and burns, marriages are made and shattered, and sex raises its (delicious) head at almost every throw as, in bed and boardroom, the race is on to capture the Cotswold Crown.

One can recall the time when Disney first announced its streaming service, and how many scratched their heads thinking the platform will be mostly family/children orientated content, as well as Marvel and Star Wars. Since then though the House of Mouse seemingly has grown some cojones, for now they are unashamed to release stronger more provocative mature content. In cometh Rivals, an adaptation of the 1988 Jilly Cooper novel known for its filth and sexual content. And the TV series goes full Game of Thrones in that respect, as it not all all shies away from all the sex, and in fact I even found myself wishing there wasn’t as much sex happening on screen, and to leave a little to our imaginations instead. Then again from what I heard Cooper’s novel was overly erotic in itself, as such can’t blame the series for being faithful. Seriously though, seconds into the first episode we're confronted with a man's bare buttocks furiously humping away in an airplane toilet, as his partner at the mile-high club grinds her red stilettoed heel into the bathroom wall. Yep, this may just be the most expensive porn I’ve ever seen.

Rivals is campy, colourful, glamorous and silly fun about terrible people and inappropriate jokes. Essentially every character is a diabolical self-centred human being, very much emphasising the stereotype of television stardom celebrity. Yet also every single horrible individual is dripping with endless charisma and charm that you can’t help but enjoy seeing them trying to outdo one another. This is a very glitzy period drama set in the backdrop of the 80s, and speaking of the era, the soundtrack of this show is a superb mixtape of the greatest 80s hits. Every other scene another banger is dropped, which was bit another cherry on top of what already was a very delicious cake.

Disney have also forked out for a stellar cast here. David Tennant (ex-Doctor Who) plays the mean and slimy Lord Tony Baddingham, with the “Bad” in his name not without purpose, as he’s a cold-hearted control freak that wants to own the regional TV network, and destroys anyone that come in his path. Especially with his past in Doctor Who, as well as his fun shenanigans with Michael Sheen, I’m used to Tennant being the loveable personality that he is, but he is truly despicable in Rivals. Then again he played a heck of an antagonist in Jessica Jones, so I shouldn’t be so shocked. Aidan Turner plays possible the only human being in this show with a soul and moral compass as television presenter Declan O’Hara, who’s a riff on Jeremy Kyle, only that he’s not 100% a dick. Turner, who most would know as the good-looking dwarf from The Hobbit movies, is a delight here, and the only one you can actually properly root for. He’s a good guy in a pent house full of wolves. Alex Hassell has possible the most challenging job of balancing the “handsomest man in England” role of Rupert Campbell-Black, as he is both a hero and an antihero. He’s extremely watchable, playing a part-villain, part-Adonis, part-whimpering child, and he plays the role with credibility. Then there is Danny Dyer, who one wouldn’t think would be able to perform on the level of his other cast members, but he was truly delightful here. He plays a self-made millionaire who refuses to adhere to the social rules, or dress codes of the upper class, and is made fun of for it. But it his his romantic side-plot that showcases Jilly Cooper’s more sensitive and sentimental side. Finally we have Bella Maclean as 20-year old daughter of Declan, who acts in some capacity as the viewer’s innocent perspective into the madness of the rich, from the raunchy parties to the endless innuendos. Yet she also has a controversial will-they-won’t-they fling with RCB, and even though the age gap is a tad concerning, the two have such off the charts chemistry that I couldn’t help but ship that boat big time.

Rivals is at its best when it does not take itself too seriously. There are darker moments in this also, from references to the AIDS crisis, to Margaret Thatcher’s political strategy, and more notably sex without consent. I totally get why the latter was included, as it was a reflection on terrible people, especially rich and powerful ones, getting away with terrible things due to their stature. Again though, the show is at its most entertaining when it lets loose and throws these characters in fun stand-offs, and I was truly invested from the first episode till last. It’s rare for me these days to be excited for another season, but goodness do I want, nay NEED season 2 of Rivals ASAP! Please Disney, do one thing right for once and renew this show!

Overall score: 8/10

[don-dake]

R I P L E Y (2024)

***Contains SPOILERS***

A review (of sorts, but more a rambling opinion piece that veers off the main subject occasionally).

So I've watched R I P L E Y (2024), all eight episodes of it. One word: Bravissimo!

As someone who loves the Ripliad series of novels by Patricia Highsmith immensely, and having watched all the Ripley film adaptations there are thus far — Plein Soleil aka Purple Noon (1960), The American Friend aka Der Amerikanische Freund (1977), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Ripley's Game (2002), and Ripley Under Ground (2005) — I went into this new series (released on Netflix on April 4th) with expectations…

Not high, for I've learned it's never good to have high expectations or you'll more than likely just be setting yourself up for disappointment…but with expectations all the same!

Thus far, my favourite Ripley film adaptation had been 2002's Ripley's Game starring John Malkovich as an older Ripley. Had been. Until this series that is! I still love Ripley's Game a lot of course! (heh!) And there really should be no comparison given it's two different mediums and the two Ripleys are portrayed from different times of the character's life.

So saying, this new series definitely sets a new standard for a Ripley adaptation! And as someone who love the books a lot, I'm glad this series is very closely adapted from the first book!

The decision to go for a black and white cinematography, I was skeptical about that at first but after looking at the trailers and reading on the director's reasoning for going B & W with this, I can understand why, and generally agree with his decision.

Though at times, especially when looking at the wonderful interior sets, I'll be wishing I could see it in all its colour glory and thinking what a waste it was not to have it in colour, but that is but a minor hitch, for the B & W cinematography is done with superb mastery and skill, and it's hard to find fault with going this route. And it does contribute to getting into the film noir feel from films of yesteryear.

On the actors, I was skeptical on Andrew Scott as Ripley at first, but I'm happy to say he has proven me wrong and his Ripley, while not as young as Ripley should be at the start of the novel series, is one that is characterised the closest, and if Showtime/Netflix has any plans to adapt the rest of the novels, Scott will be perfect as an older Ripley, I think!

Maybe that was/is the plan…that's why Scott was chosen even though age wise, he doesn't quite fit in the beginning…one can hope! (heh!)

Moving on, just a brief rambling on the other main actors/characters because I'm getting tired:

Love Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood, she was exactly how I imagined Marge to be as I read the (first) book. A superb performance by Fanning I'd say!

Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf was underwhelming for me partly because in my eyes, Jude Law was/is the perfect Dickie (even if his — Law's — American accent was/is questionable), but partly also because I find Flynn is lacking charisma (sorry, Flynn fans!), I didn't get the sense of what was so fascinating about this Dickie that Ripley would be so enamoured with him or his lifestyle, enough to kill for it.

Perhaps the fault lies partly with the script too for I felt we the audience didn't get to see more of what drew Ripley to Dickie, besides his obvious wealth and status.

Eliot Sumner as Freddie Miles. Now this was the character that underwent the most drastic change as compared to the book and the 1999 The Talented Mr. Ripley film adaptation. In both the book and the 1999 film, Freddie was described (and portrayed to perfection by Philip Seymour Hoffman in my opinion) as an American with carrot-red hair, stocky, loud and all round obnoxious from miles away sort.

2024 Freddie is slim-built, androgynous looking, with a cherub face and British…he's practically a whole different character except in name.

As such, it's unfair to compare I guess, but having envisioned Freddie as described in the book for so long, helped along by PSH's award-worthy performance, I'll just say this is not the Freddie for me.

But, that doesn't mean Sumner's Freddie was bad. In terms of being almost a foil to Ripley, Sumner's Freddie is still quite effectively annoying.

Special mentions to Maurizio Lombardi and Margherita Buy as Inspector Ravini and Signor(in)a Buffi (Ripley's landlady) respectively! I enjoyed watching these two characters.

Also a special mention to Lucio (Signor(in)a Buffi's cat), who, had it been able to speak, Ripley would certainly have silenced! (heh!)

Last but not least, a special mention to John Malkovich as Reeves Minot.

I was so excited when I first saw Malkovich in the trailer because not only is his casting a nice tribute to his turn as Tom Ripley in Ripley's Game (2002), I thought he would be playing Herbert Greenleaf at first, but he turned out to be playing Reeves Minot! Even better! Gives more hope that new seasons of R I P L E Y (2024) may happen!

Those who have read the books will know that Reeves Minot is a recurring character in the later books — I can't really remember how many exactly, it's been some time since I last read them (and I should again!).

To sum up, I did enjoy this series tremendously and will definitely rewatch many times to come, and I hope we'll get further adaptations of the other books with the same standards as set for this one!

P.S.: I've seen a few people mention “this (R I P L E Y) is like Saltburn!”. I never heard of the film Saltburn before looking at some opinion pieces, but after looking it up, dare I say, Saltburn ripped off the Ripliad stories and its characters (the Ripliad books first came out in the 1950s) and I think it's more appropriate to say “Saltburn is like Ripley”!

[agendabymooner]

colour me your colour || toto w. x ofc (3)

Summary: Tilly Marie nearly loses faith in her passion as she refuses to listen to everyone who told her to quit. Everyone but one. And it’s the man she met years ago at a racing event she didn’t want to attend. Who would have thought that her father’s partial ownership of three brands could take her to the zone of Mercedes and meet the love of her life?

Chapter Summary: Tilly finds herself flirting with Toto on the job. Unfortunately, so did Daniel and Lewis. The two drivers decided to put this information to use by making fun of their own bosses. Everyone's suddenly catching on to the dynamic of the two.

Content warning: Age gap, brief use of explicit language, discusses the 2014 austrian gp, flirtatious banter, mutual pining kind of romance, platonic relationship with Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo, fictional family and business involved (Hearth family and Hearth Automotives Group). NO PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS INVOLVED SORRY

Note: Thank you all so much for the 30 followers! I hope my insanity entertained you (affectionate) and I'll try my best to continue on with it. This is the shortest one, I think. Let me know what you think! Enjoy xx

masterlist

iii. juliet's hit list

I will make a hit list, and Christian Horner will be at the top of it. 

While he’s an amazing and competent team principal, the absolute fool decided to deter that statement when he pulled Daniel out of the last-minute interview. He tried to explain what happened, he really did, but it would have been nicer if he paused for a second instead of pulling the Australian from the scene while his mouth was saying fuck all. Now, the Red Bull seat’s empty; the only thing that’s being filled is my temper. 

Sebastian Vettel’s time for media is already over, and as much as I would like to pull him back once more, it is better to leave him resting. Or rather, it’s best to leave him on his free practice. It turns out engines can fuck up your game one way or another. Christian Horner’s outburst post-Austrian race showed it, and it’s not anything that I can blame on the team principal.

Still, Daniel is absent right now, so I want to strangle Horner with my two hands. 

Horner must have superb hearing because when the string of curse words began to slip out of my mouth, he returned with Daniel jogging behind him.

Horner acts before I can open my mouth by shooing Daniel off to his seat in front of the waiting cameras with Lewis, Kimi, Jenson and Fernando. 

Feeling slightly relieved, I turn around to express my irritation toward Christian, zeroing in on him like he’s a culprit. He looks guilty for a second and tells me, “Minor problem with his car.”

“Is it something to be solved with his… I dunno, the engineers? Before you know… you approach him before his interview?” I point out, watching as he sighs exasperatedly. Surprisingly, he does not say anything besides a mutter of apology as he walks away. I call him quietly and say, “Team principals interview in an hour, Christian.”

He waves it off and continues to walk away. If this man is the same man my father works with, I understand why he gave me this job. He’s a headache.

From what I know, I’m not the only one to suffer from him. I did not think of it until I felt a towering figure next to me. He completely diverts my attention from my newfound migraine by standing beside me. My eyes which were once glaring at Christian, softened at the sight of Toto Wolff. 

“Mr. Wolff–” my mouth shuts at the frown that quickly appears on his face as I correct myself, “Toto.”

“Tilly, it is great to see you here,” he greets me.

We can’t speak aloud as the drivers are already answering questions. But the exchanges of smiles and the question, “How are you handling the practice day?” has taken our attention away from our drivers, our conversation turning into a series of questions about… things in general. 

I can’t remember each question, but with each answer he provides, my brain takes them in.

“You’ve mentioned you live in the country,” he says as I nod in confirmation. He asks, “How far of a trip did you make just to get here?”

I’m unsure if my answer will put me on a list of “fucking idiots who does not know how to control their mouths,” but I hear myself say, “Don’t tell me you want to get on my bed that quickly.” 

The slap of my hand catches the attention of the people near us–it’s either that or the gasp that did it. Either way, I cannot believe I’m this stupid to embarrass myself in front of… Toto?

I certainly did not embarrass myself, I tell myself while I watch Toto’s face turn red and chuckle. He laughs at it like it’s funny. Like he hadn’t expected me to say such things because of how flustered I was during my last encounter with him. 

But it isn’t just his face that caught my attention. The softness of his laugh almost had me kneeling in front of god. The last time I saw him at that 24-hour race in Dubai reminded me so much of how he is now, except more mature. He aged. But I’ll be damned if I don’t admit that he aged like wine. 

But as I’m thinking of Dubai, I suddenly ask myself: Did he remember me, too? 

As always, his voice diverts my attention from my doubts and insanity back to reality. I look up to see the redness of his face fading, his smile expressing nothing but amusement as he says, “I’m more of an old-fashioned kind, Tilly.”

“Is that right?” I find myself saying. Oh great, more ways to embarrass yourself. 

“I suppose,” he teases, “I like to woo the lady first. I don’t mind how long it’ll take me to get there, but waiting would be worth it.”

Our banter (do I even call it that?) is interrupted by the realization that we’re still in the media pit and that the drivers are already thanking the journalists and photographers after their interviews.

I cannot say any more because Daniel’s already on his way to approach me with a call, “Lady Boss!”

I turn to face him, his cheeky grin infectious as he asks, “How did you like my Aussie charm?”

Shit. I didn’t even watch him fully. I was busy drooling over–

What kind of lie would I make up? Wait, no–

“I didn’t know Aussies are charming, Daniel,” I jest, laughing while I berate myself for sounding a little nervous. “Brits are lovelier, you know?”

“Austrians do it best, right, boss?” I can hear Lewis teasing his team principal. I turn around, watching as Lewis snickers at his boss’ silence. Lewis wags his brows at me before he approaches and wraps his arm around me for a quick, tight embrace. He pulls away eventually, “He’d tell you more, but we’ve the practice to do.”

“Yeah, go, stop stealing my Lady Boss from me, Hamilton,” Daniel jokes, pulling me away from my thoughts as I shake my head. I pass it off as an expression of disagreement.

“Yeah, uh huh,” Lewis nods as if letting this banter pass before he looks at Toto. The man still stares at me, and I’m not even scared. Intrigued, in fact. I’m on my way to becoming a shareholder of his rival team, but I’m here ogling at him like it’s a modern Romeo and Juliet.

Ugh.

“Third free practice, Tils,” Daniel nudges me as I nod, finally turning away from the older man as I bid my farewell to the driver and team principal of the other team one more time. 

I tell Lewis, “I’ll see you at dinner tonight?”

Toto, catching the question that escapes my mouth, turns to look at Lewis with a surprised look. Oh no, I don’t mean like that.

Lewis, however, cheekily grins and says, “If you’re done giving my team principal the heart eyes, then sure–”

“Alright, we’re heading out,” I hear Lewis burst out in laughter as I drag Daniel out of the media room, thanking and nodding at each media staff member we pass. 

Daniel seems interested in what he’s heard but chooses not to say anything until we return to the Red Bull zone. He turns to me with a smirk and says, “You know, Tils, with the amount of berating that Horner’s taken from you, we would have assumed you’d be married or something like that.”

I glare at him, only for him to say, “But Seb and I were wrong– and I’m hardly wrong at these things. Maybe you really do hate Horner because of Wolff.”

I roll my eyes at this as he continues to joke, “Horner’s a good team principal–”

I immediately interrupted him, “But nobody can be equally competent and attractive as Wolff. So, I suggest you keep it shut before Christian gives me shit for fraternizing with his enemy. I’ve barely fraternized, but his mouth would say otherwise.”

He mimics a zipper over his mouth as he promises to keep it silent (he won't talk but media outlets certainly would). But knowing him for almost a month or so of being at the headquarters, he won’t leave my obvious schoolgirl crush down. He and Lewis already found a weapon to use while I sit with them during dinner. 

And if they continue on with it, I’ll make sure that they’re written in the hit list as second and third.

[punkpandapatrixk]

[PPA Masterlist] [corresponding PAC]

🧜🏻‍♀️What’s Your Signature Style? ★ Concept Affirmations

🧜🏻‍♀️signature style🧜🏻‍♀️

I’ve got a signature style. That is MY STYLE that tells the world what kind of a Superbeing I AM. People respect me for my signature style. I am honest and authentic in my style. Communication style, walking style, fashion style, learning style, working style, hair and makeup style, LIFESTYLE, you name it, I’ve got my own Signature Style. That is my colour and I’m proud to be authentically MYSELF. I don’t give a what if people can’t stand me. Small minds ain’t a vibe I intend to welcome in my Life~

🧜🏻‍♀️vain sass🧜🏻‍♀️

Others may call me selfish, but I prioritise my mental and spiritual peace, first and foremost. I’ve got to be safe, secure and stable first. If that makes me vain, I accept it wholeheartedly, nonchalantly, casually and naturally. I love myself. I love my stability. I love my security. Anybody who disagrees can go to hell. This is my STYLE of living. Ain’t got the energy to sacrifice myself for other people’s little selfish satisfactions. They call my attitude sassy, but really, I’m just protecting my sanity. Society can burn. I’ll be here in my pretty little world.

🧜🏻‍♀️iconic legend🧜🏻‍♀️

One day when all’s said and done the whole world’s gonna see that I’ve always made more sense than those who are people-pleasing. Pffft. By the time they realise that, much time they’ve wasted. I’m the winner, baby, in this cold game of cruel capitalism. I’ll be your hero, I’ll be a legend, and most of all, I’ll be forever ICONIC. Come get your dime. When all’s said and done, I’m the new paradigm. I came, I saw, and I claimed my paradise. All that’s left is my legacy of an authentic existence. I’m happy to be me. I’m glad I prioritised me. This is my Signature Style. No one can break this for me <3

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

[Patreon] [Paid Readings]

[artmialma]

NORMAN LINDSAY (1879 - 1969)

LANGOUR      1934

Regardless of identity (or politics), Langour is a superb painting by an artist at the height of his game. Lindsay (who was 55 at the time) believed that ‘the best years of a man’s life are the middle years, from his forties (through) his fifties… The reason is obvious. They have gone through the preliminary exercises in a craft and have acquired power of expression. They have fire and passion.

 Part of the intensity of Langour is due to Lindsay’s use of thin glazes of translucent colour applied to a neutral, though often dark, underpainting. Although he did not enjoy painting hands or feet, the model’s poised left hand is exquisitely observed and rendered. 

The pink drape, used as a prop in a number of his oils, still survives today, a treasured textile artifact within the Norman Lindsay Gallery, as the family home in Faulconbridge is now known.

[zekeen]

please give us gorgeous Kats masquerade attire! who kat would be taking (and if they’d be matching)and what possible mission they could be up too for this lil excursion (if it’s a mission at all) 🥴💜 (only if you want too!)

Thank you for the ask ! :3💜

She would go with Astarion !😝

For what mission it would be, if it's before the defeat of the brain, it would be a quest of infiltration to gather information against Gortash, Cazador and possibly try to find allies in case we're sided with Ravengard.

After the game, it would be a party they would be hosting in the palace and all the influential patriar families would be invited. They would both try to find what weaknesses their guests might have, to try to take over their livelyhood. Also there could be an invited guest disappearing.🤭

I usually make her wear black, red or white with gold. And I like when he wears white with a bit of red or black and gold. So it's matching sometimes they wear the same colors but often one is in bright while the other is in dark colours.

For Kat, I found that dress mixed with the hat would be a nice concept. Otherwise the other one looks superb 😍

For Astarion I like his ascendant outfit but with a longer coat in "sinful red on bone white" accompanied with masks and pearls like those below.👇

Or I like the outfit on that drawing with the horned mask. :D

[changingplumbob]

SIMBLR ASK GAME

Tagged by @marcishaun to answer some simming questions 💖

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴?

I was in sims 2 and made a couple. They had three kids from gameplay. I had just built a second floor to the house then the father caught on fire cooking dinner and DIED and I was DEVESTATED (that fire is my earliest in game memory)

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘦?

Good question *thinks hard* I remember going in to EB Games (A game shop we have in NZ) to check the price of a second hand Nintendo DS Lite and I saw the cover for Sims 2 Nightlife and thought, wow I wonder what on earth that game is???

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦?

Sims 2!

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴?

14 years? I got Sims 2 when Sims 3 released and they discounted Sims 2. Then as most people got Sims 3, I worked my way through the Sims 2 expansions.

I actually went straight from Sims 2 to Sims 4. Like I have some Sims 3 expansions now but they've all been bought in the last, I'm going to say 5 years...

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴?

I really liked the gameplay in Sims 2 but the look of sims in Sims 4 is superb, and I know how to use mods now which I didn't when playing Sims 2 so yeah I have to go Sims 4. Special shout out to Sims Medieval, I love that game!

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶?

I've never really been able to play one family for a long time without getting bored so I'm really growing attached to the sims I have in my rotations at the moment. Favourite of those is Devin Villareal (formerly York). I've played through a lot with her, and getting her high school rival to become her girlfriend was such a fun challenge (Luna generated as closeted lesbian and was on the football team while Devin was a cheerleader so clearly making a love story was my only option)

��𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘦?

I do not play enough with townies but I put a few in my rotations and out of those Cassandra Chopra (formerly Goth) is my favourite

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧?

Short version, no.

Long version, do you know what prosopagnosia (face blindness) is? I don't have that exactly. I can see people's faces as a whole and tell them apart. But details... My brain cannot picture details properly. I couldn't tell you the eye colours of my family for example. Or describe the shape of my nose without looking in a mirror. If you ask me to picture Bella Goth and Eliza Pancakes I can until you ask me to describe their faces. It's like while I can see the big picture I cannot see the pieces. Because of this I have never been able to make myself, or anybody I know/know of in sims or any other game.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴?

Mostly every day at the moment while I'm unemployed and stuck in to my rotations. It used to be three-ish times a week, or maybe just once if a PS5 game I was waiting for had come out.

𝘋𝘰/𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴?

All my sims seem to get high confidence so definitely not relating to that... The only thing I have in common with most of my sims is that I have most of them wanting families and children... I certainly cannot relate to their understanding of make up

𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦?

I don't do sims challenges because I do not have the patience, get bored often and become uncomfortable sticking rigidly to prewritten rules. I know I don't have to follow the rules exactly but my brain wouldn't accept I was doing the challenge unless I was following the set rules.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯-𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮?

Stay-at-home-mum... I asked a sim one time about their job and they said that so I'm taking that as an option. If not that perhaps writer?

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮?

I'm going to pick 6 since we can have that now, I'm multi faceted 💎 and indecisive. Loner, Romantic, Creative, Cat Lover, Geek, Cheerful (when not depressed obviously)

𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴?

Have sims fall in love. And selling that garden produce 💰

𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯-𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘴 4 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴?

Same as real life, Autumn

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴/𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦?

Yes. My friend from university actually got me most of the Sims 4 expansion packs and the only kits I have. But we only really talk about sims if it's around a release time because she's doing post grad study.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳?

Don't call me out like this! It's 22.6 GB at the last cut... but- but 19GB of that is CC not mod mods... plus there's those couple of mods I'm waiting on updates for

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘳?

I wanted a record of what I game that's more than (you have played the sims for _ hours). Also I love seeing what other people do in game. And I need to gain confidence talking to people I don't know so hoping to make some online friends (and if we met on Spoutible there's no escaping my acquaintance now)

I feel like this was doing the rounds when I was starting to dip into tumblr so I think a chunk of the people I follow have done it but I'll tag @azuhrasims and @julesbbsea17 since I know they won't roll their eyes and say "OMG stop tagging me"

If we're moots I'm tagging you without tagging you because that's as much as my anxious brain can do when I really need to go have a snack... But don't mistake me, this was a lot of fun to do!

[dira333]

“There is no time like Spring, 

When life’s alive in everything, 

Before new nestlings sing, 

Before cleft swallows speed their journey back 

Along the trackless track – 

God guides their wing, 

He spreads their table that they nothing lack, – 

Before the daisy grows a common flower 

Before the sun has power 

To scorch the world up in his noontide hour. “

It’s spring when Kageyama first notices you. 

Your standing up, reading out loud the poem they’re supposed to be studying, a poem he had no clue about until he heard the words spring from your lips. 

Has he ever heard you speak before? Listening to you feels just right, almost like when he’s on court and he just knows where the ball has to go, when his body does exactly as he wishes them to. 

Has he ever seen you before? 

You’re focused as you read, brows furrowed adorably. Suddenly he understands what Nishinoya means when he says that the Karasuno girl uniform is superb. The dark colours make you look like a flower bursting with life. 

But, just like spring, the poem ends. You  sit down again, pretty eyes turned towards your desk and not him who wishes you’d look up.

Has he ever seen you smile before? He can’t imagine what it would look like.

-

It’s spring when he first manages to talk to you. 

He’s a second year now and there are students calling him Senpai. They no longer have Daichi and Sugawara and Asahi on their team and he feels a little helpless about it. But still excited, because who knows how far they’ll come this year? 

And then he sees you at the soda machine, alone for the first time since school started up again and he swallows and swallows and swallows but still managed to croak out a sentence.

“There is no time like Spring.”

“Huh?” You look up at him and his heart stops. Your eyes are so pretty, why are they so pretty? They make him feel helpless and excited at the same time, just like when they played against Ushijima or Inarizaki.

He’s licking his lips helplessly, his mouth drying up the moment you cock your head to the side and blink up at him.

“You’re Kageyama, right? From my Literature class.”

He bows. He bows like an idiot and he feels just like that one time Hinata hit him in the head with his serve, all dizzy and angry at the world, until he hears your laugh, tingling and sweet like birds welcoming spring.

And then he knows your name.

-

It’s spring when he hands you the second button of his uniform. 

You both have already graduated but he was so scared back then, so overwhelmed by the fact that he’s going to leave Miyagi, that Hinata is going to leave Miyagi and where would you go? He doesn’t know.

But you’re grown up now and so is he. But still he’s swallowing, swallowing, swallowing and the only words that make it past his lips are…

“There is no time like spring…” You mumble, words sweet like pollen from your lips, fingertips softer than a petal as they touch his.

You cradle the button to your chest and smile up at him and he was right. Your smile is sweeter than he’d ever been able to imagine.

-

It’s spring when you get married. 

Years have passed since he’s first heard you read that poem out loud but he’s never been able to forget it. 

Sometimes, when he can’t sleep, you read it to him.

When he’s nervous before a game, he recites the phrases he holds most dear.

Now, as you’re standing in front of him, a bouquet of wild flowers clutched in your hands, eyes shining up at him, he’s swallowing, swallowing, swallowing, his hands are shaking as he pulls the paper apart that he doesn’t even need because he knows the words by heart.

His wedding vows aren’t what anyone might expect.

But you know them by heart as well.

“There is no time like spring…”

----

(The poem is Spring By Christina Rossetti - for @revasserium)

I apologize for typos or errors, english isn’t my first language

My Kofi if you want to tip me

[toomanyf4ndoms7]

And contrast the opening with the chaotic colours of the present day.

And chaos is really the name of the game here, especially for Zatanna. But not for the stranger, whose blue light is a brilliant and vibrant contrast to the burning orange of the surrounding flames.

So, Zee is clearly not at all okay with her situation.

So, the plot keeps happening, and we get this loveky page:

I love flashbacks/parallels with Zatanna contrasted yet matched with her childhood.

The expressions here are incredibly apropos. The lettering is superb as well, the small text really sells the muttering under your breath effect.

One more soon.

[agentnico]

The Gentlemen - season 1 (2024) review

Alright, alright, alright….. wait, McConaughey is not in this one? Oh, well that’s not alright, alright, alright…

Plot: When aristocratic Eddie inherits the family estate, he discovers that it's home to an enormous weed empire, and its proprietors aren't going anywhere.

Guy Ritchie is honestly great. Since way back when he made Lock, Stock and Snatch, he’s consistently churned out top quality entertainment, except maybe the Aladdin remake. I mean I totally get he probably got a superb pay check out of it, but honestly what in the heavens did Guy Ritchie have to do with blue genies I will never know. Regardless, where the man really excels at is when it comes to the British gangster genre. The guy can make swearing sound so poetic and melodic - it’s honestly mad how something so otherwise rude can come off utterly beautiful and delightful like a song. Especially in his 2019 film The Gentlemen, the writing in that movie was so good!! Naturally Netflix caught onto this too as we now how a spin-off series.

Going into the show I was looking forward to it but also cautious, as I was aware this new show was missing the star power of the original film. I mean can you blame me? The movie had the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant to name a few. That’s a solid load of A-listers huddled together. As for the show, the names like Theo James or Kaya Scodelario didn’t instil heavy excitement, especially with James as honestly, I always thought he was a bit of a prick. Granted this may be due to when he played the dickhead in The Inbetweeners movie, and gosh do I feel old with that reference, but he just has that face of a guy that’s so full up his own arse. Again, I’ve never met the chap, he’s probably a lovely human being, but I’ve made this prejudgment in my head and as such when I found out he was the lead of this series I naturally rolled my eyes. That being said I give Netflix props as they hired the original film director Guy Ritchie to create this spin-off and even direct some of the episodes and do a lot of the writing, so of course I was going to check this show out.

Never doubt the Guy should be a new cinematic rule. I’m proud to report that the new The Gentlemen series is a fantastic watch. It’s not the most original show, yet it plays out more-so like a Guy Ritchie’s greatest hits, as it’s got his visual flare and style, with the super cool and smooth fashion choices - honestly Scodelario has a wardrobe change every other scene and each time it felt like she was walking out of a Tom Ford fashion exhibit, and then also all the men wearing their gentlemanly suits dripping with swagger and smoking their cigars and drinking their whiskeys - the whole thing is simply infused with that signature upper-class British gangster feel. Ritchie’s signature syllable-heavy dialogue that just rolls of the tongue is also more than ever present here, and whoever decided to cast Giancarlo Esposito in this show deserves a pay rise, as Esposito’s soft-spoken melodic tone proclaiming the colourful lines of Ritchie’s rich exposition was music to the ears.

The cast here too are super game. Theo James was actually solid as the lead young duke, as he had that manly prowess and was very believable as someone who gets shit done. Kaya Scodelario I thought at first was trying too hard to mimic Michelle Dockery from the original movie, but eventually she made the role her own, and she gave enough mystery to her performance to make us feel uncertain of her true motivations. Daniel Ings as the duke loser-cocaine-addicted-brother Freddy was a lot of fun, however I would say his character became a bit overbearing and annoying in the end, as he constantly made so many mistakes throughout that I honestly kind of wanted him to get killed. It’s as if whenever the show needed an excuse for something bad to happen, they’d just get Freddy to fuck up again. Apologies for my language, I don’t usually swear in my reviews, but also this is a Guy Ritchie project we’re talking about, and he uses the F word every other sentence. So fuck it. In regards to other notable cast members, Pearce Quigley as Gospel John, a leader of a religious gang was oddly creepy yet entertaining, especially when he’d randomly scream certain lines for absolutely no reason. Pure psycho. Peter Serafinowicz and Guz Khan have amusing turns. Lastly we have two British gangster alumni Vinnie Jones and Ray Winstone. These two of course were on a different level to everyone else. Of course Vinnie Jones can be quite cheesy when it comes to acting. One can fondly remember his delivery of the line “I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!”. But when it comes to Guy Ritchie, Jones and him have always been a great pairing. Here as the duke estates’ caretaker, Vinnie is super reserved yet again super cool. I think cool is a word that can be used and abused when it comes to this show. It’s all so cool! Then Ray Winstone as the leader of the crime family… I mean it’s Ray Winstone as the leader of the crime family! He got that Godfather-level gravitas, only more Cockney, and it was great watching him do his thing.

When it comes to the story, this show is standalone to the original film. You can definitely see the inspiration though with certain narrative beats and story choices being very reflective/similar to what occurred in the film, and then the hidden weed farm under the estate looked like exactly the same set as from the film. But overall this is completely its own thing, and each episode brings more fun crime shenanigans for the characters to deal and navigate through, and it was consistently entertaining. My only complaint is that I’d say the finale a tad anti-climactic. I think with all the roughness and toughness that the characters go through, the ending tied everything up a bit too conveniently and neatly. I get I’m not to expect the most realistic thing as this is Guy Ritchie’s world, but I did want things to get a bit more messy, especially due to the build up. That being said this is a major win for Netflix, and I’m expecting a season 2 to be green-lit soon, as this is a winning package.

Overall score: 7/10

[midorisudachi]

"The Herald of Andraste"

So, have I told you how much I love the Dragon Age series, especially Dragon Age Inquisition? I adore it dearly...to me, it is one of the best games ever made (besides Skyrim and Witcher 3). The details & environments are gorgeous; I could run around forever just admiring the different sceneries/climates. Also, the interactions in the DA games are just the best, and I love how you can create relationships. I recently beat DAI for the 2nd time a couple of weeks ago. I'm always sad when I finish a game, especially one I thoroughly enjoyed. Do you feel that way, too?

My OC for DAI was the female human warrior, from House Trevelyan. I named her Bryony. I always try to make the characters look similar to myself, but I've got such odd features that I can never create a character that looks like *ME*. Of course I had to make Bryony go for Cullen. Cullen is so dreamy. He's hot for a video game character. ;-D I did make Bryony go for Dorian until it was discovered Dorian was gay! (So tempting to create a male character to get the relationship with Dorian. :3 ) But I adored the relationship between Bryony & Cullen. The 2nd time I played the game, I actually had all the DLCs, which are amazing additions to the game and overall storyline. I was stoked when Byrony got to marry Cullen. Made my fangirl self feel tickled to death.

The armour Bryony is wearing is a "heavy armor" schematic I crafted using Stormheart. Stormheart makes for pretty armour with the iridescent blue-pink-purple colours. The sword was a "Strong Brutal Claymore" schematic I used, also with Stormheart, equipped with the "Superb Corrupting Rune". I couldn't figure out how to make that effect as I drew it (it looked more like flames than the actual effect), so I actually "cheated" by using a smoke brush in Photoshop Elements to add to the sword. I drew this entire fan art before I equipped Bryony with that badass "Armour of the Dragon Hunter" (obtained from the Jaws of Hakkon DLC) and the Sulevin Blade.

Every other Monday [starting from today], I will be posting this specific kind of DAI fan art until I finish all 10 playable characters, which means it will be a countdown until Dragon Age Day (December 4th)!

Drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens, then coloured in with a mix of Copic Markers & Ohuhu Markers. White accents were done with a gel pen. The Inquisiton symbol, stars, dots, & blooms on the trees were done with a gold Golden Paint acrylics, but the scanner killed the gold and it looks "flat" (in real life, the drawing looks awesome with the super metallic gold). Font done in Photoshop Elements.

Fan artwork © Jacqueline E. McNeese

Dragon Age Inquisition/Trevelyan © Bioware & Electronic Arts

[merklins]

Oh woah, it's Merin Merklins, a cool mutual that I *definitely* don't have an ongoing Mini Golf War with and who is definitely not my esteemed rival. Anyways, what's your favorite moth? There is a correct answer to this, so choose wisely... Alternatively, favorite dinosaur? - Mortimer

ESTEEMED GOLF RIVAL! Hello! And also WELCOME to my inbox, totally not designed to keep you preoccupied and distracted from whatever may or may not be happening on the playing field right now! What! what! ANYWAYS. FAVORITE CREATURE TIME... TWO! I admittedly had to pull up a list to make sure I picked the absolute coolest moth I possibly couldn't remember, BUT I FOUND THEM! I know I said I don't do the favourite game well BUT DISREGARD THAT I DO HAVE FAVOURITES IN THIS REGARD. Usually? Moths don't really have my interest. They're neat, they're cool, but nothing all too impressive, right? Usually I'd turn to beetles for a cool insect. BUT!! I will say. Moth CATERPILLARS? Superb. Absolutely WONDERFUL little creatures. I know its a defense mechanism. It isn't working, SORRY! Little colourful guys with spines and stripes and spots and eyes... VERY cute. VERY cool. BUT!! IN TERMS OF FULL GROWN MOTHS THAT HAVE ALREADY PUPATED. I DO HAVE TWO FAVOURITES. BEHOLD!! The Spanish Moon Moth and Cecropia Moth (: READMORE FOR THE BUG IMAGES!

THE SPANISH MOON MOTH. (Also known as Graellsia Isabella as I've now learned!)

THE CECROPIA MOTH. (Hyalophora Cecropia!)

[govindhtech]

MediaTek Dimensity 7300X Delivers Smooth And Fast Gaming

The greatest 5G smartphone processor options for high-end designs are the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 and Dimensity 7300X, which provide next-generation performance for seamless multitasking, remarkable battery life, and amazing displays. The contents of these 5G processors are as follows:

Outstanding Battery Life: Even for the most discerning smartphone users, this ultra-efficient 4nm processor provides best-in-class power efficiency to extend battery life.

Superb Image Quality: With a 200MP primary camera supported by the Imagiq 950 12-bit HDR-ISP, clear photographs are possible under any lighting circumstances thanks to precise face detection, noise reduction, and video HDR. Compared to earlier generations, it offers up to 1.3X faster live focus and 1.5X faster photo remastering. Additionally, 4K HDR video captures a 50% greater dynamic range than rival models.

Amazing Displays: The MediaTek MiraVision 955 enhances media streaming and HDR video playback while supporting WFHD+ displays with 10-bit true colour, providing smartphones with billion colour displays.

Specifically Designed for Flip Phone Designs: With dedicated support for dual displays, the MediaTek 7300X is especially made for flip phone designs.

Accelerated gaming: Up to 20% more frames per second and 20% more energy efficiency are possible with the combination of MediaTek HyperEngine, a potent octa-core CPU (which includes Arm Cortex-A78 processors), and the Arm Mali-G615 GPU compared to competing alternative platforms. Major studio support and the expanding gaming ecosystem contribute to the power and performance enhancements of VRS.

Advanced Connectivity: The processor has Bluetooth 5.4 compatibility, tri-band Wi-Fi 6E, and MediaTek Lightning Connect, which quickens Bluetooth connection times. Based on face proximity, holding posture, and device orientation, MediaTek UAC 2.0 maximises antenna performance.

Enhanced AI Computing: Supporting new mixed precision data types for better performance, power economy, and graphics, the MediaTek NPU 655 offers two times the AI work efficiency of the previous generation.

5G R16 Modem: New 3CC carrier aggregation offers better average speeds and longer reach, while cellular downlink rates have improved to 3.27Gb/s. In typical 5G usage settings, MediaTek 5G UltraSave 3.0+ offers 13–30% more power efficiency than competing options.

Smartphones with Dual VoNR: Premium audio and video call quality is provided by dual 5G SIM phones with dual VoNR.

MediaTek Dimensity 7300X

Superior Power Efficiency

With its next-generation capabilities and best-in-class power efficiency, this ultra-efficient 4nm-class CPU promises seamless multitasking, transcendent captures, superior performance, and improved AI-enhanced computing.

Superior Visual Clarity

For outstanding photography, the MediaTek Imagiq 950 offers a top-tier 12-bit HDR-ISP that supports a 200MP primary camera. When coupled with new hardware engines that offer video HDR, face detection (HWFD), and accurate noise reduction (MCNR), the image quality of captures is guaranteed to surpass experiences with clarity and crispness in any lighting scenario. Compared to previous generation Dimensity, live focus photo performance is up to 1.3X faster and photo remastering is up to 1.5X faster. Capture 4K HDR video with a dynamic range that is more than 50% broader than competing platforms’ offerings, adding more clarity to videos to produce amazing effects while using less power.

Specialised Assistance for Flip Phones with Dual Displays

Flip phones with two displays can now be supported by MediaTek MiraVision 955, with the primary display offering remarkably detailed WFHD+ resolution and 10-bit true colour. A multitude of international HDR standards enhance media streaming and playback, guaranteeing top-notch cinematic experiences while on the road.

Quick Gaming

Together, the 4X high frequency big-core processors in the octa-core CPU, the most recent Arm Mali-G615 GPU, and MediaTek HyperEngine optimisations enable the Dimensity 7300X to accelerate gaming with up to 20% more frames per second and improve energy efficiency by up to 20% when compared to competitor options.

Major studio support and the expanding gaming ecosystem contribute to the power and performance enhancements of VRS. Optimised 5G and Wi-Fi game connections, intelligent resource optimisation, Bluetooth LE Audio technology with Dual-Link True Wireless Stereo Audio, and more are some of the other improvements to the entire smartphone experience.

Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6E, and Special Connectivity Features

The most recent version of the Bluetooth standard and tri-band Wi-Fi 6E, which offers incredibly dependable and quick multi-gigabit wireless connectivity, are examples of wireless connectivity.

While MediaTek Wi-Fi/Bluetooth hybrid coexistence technologies ensure that Wi-Fi and earphones, or peripherals like gamepads, work together flawlessly without compromising latency and networking speeds, MediaTek Lightning Connect twice the speed at which Bluetooth connections can be made, enabling quicker than ever device connections.

Depending on the direction of the device, the proximity of the hand or face to the device, and even the fold status of flip phones, MediaTek UAC 2.0 optimises antenna performance for wireless connectivity.

Improved Artificial Intelligence

The MediaTek NPU 655, which offers two times the performance of the previous generation, improves AI task efficiency and supports new mixed precision data types. This opens up new possibilities for device manufacturers to offer users improved performance, better visuals, better power efficiency, and new experiences.

3CC-CA Compatible 5G R16 Modem

Faster 5G with Greater Range

By using 3CC carrier aggregation to address a maximum of 140MHz cellular spectrum, 5G downlink speeds of up to 3.27Gb/s can be achieved, offering better downlink speeds in urban and suburban areas. With the application of mixed duplex FDD+TDD, which combines the benefits of low and mid-band, smartphones in CA can enjoy higher speeds and a wider range. Additionally, carrier aggregation allows for a smooth changeover between two 5G connection areas at the coverage layer, giving consumers more than 30% more throughput layer coverage than they would have without CA.

5G UltraSave 3.0+ MediaTek

In typical 5G sub-6GHz connectivity circumstances, MediaTek 5G UltraSave 3.0+ offers a full range of R16 power saving advancements in addition to MediaTek’s own optimisations that yield 13–30% higher power efficiency than competing options.

Two 5G SIMs

Customers have more options and superior voice and video call quality with dual 5G SIM and dual VoNR.

Mediatek Dimensity 7300X Specs

Processor

CPU

4x Arm Cortex-A78 up to 2.5GHz

4x Arm Cortex-A55

Cores

Octa (8)

Memory and Storage

Memory Type

LPDDR4x

LPDDR5

Max Memory Frequency

Up to 6400Mbps

Storage Type

UFS 3.1

Connectivity

Cellular Technologies

2G-5G Multi-Mode, 5G/4G CA, 5G/4G FDD / TDD, CDMA2000 1x/EVDO Rev. A (SRLTE), EDGE, GSM, TD-SCDMA, WDCDMA

Specific Functions

SA & NSA modes; SA Option2, NSA Option3 / 3a / 3x, NR TDD and FDD bands, DSS, NR DL 3CC 140MHz bandwidth, 4×4 MIMO, 256QAM NR UL 2CC, R16 UL Enhancement, 2×2 MIMO, 256QAM VoNR / EPS fallback

Peak Downlink Speed

3.27Gbps

GNSS

GPS

BeiDou

Glonass

Galileo

QZSS

NavIC

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 6E (a/b/g/n/ac/ax)

Wi-Fi Antenna

2T2R

Bluetooth

5.4

Camera

Max Camera Sensor

200MP

Max Video Capture Resolution

4K30 (3840 x 2160)

Camera Features

Hardware Face Detection

Hardware MCNR

4K Video HDR

AI-3A with AE, AWB, AF

Video EIS

Dual simultaneous video capture

All-pixel AF

Graphics

GPU Type

Arm Mali-G615 MC2

Video Encoding

H.264

HEVC

Video Playback

H.264

HEVC

VP-9

Display

Max Refresh Rate

WFHD+ @ 120Hz

Full HD+ @ 144Hz

AI

MediaTek 6th generation NPU

NPU 655

Read more on govindhtech.com

[robinsonranch]

The Stradling’s

Born at the very beginning of the last century (1901 or 1902, according to the source) in Newark, New Jersey, he was the nephew of Walter Stradling, who shot a couple of movies by Mary Pickford after the First World War, and the father of Harry Stradling Jr., who was also a cinematographer. After working as a telegram courier during his youth, Stradling began working in the cinema around 1917 with Arthur Miller in New York. He became a cameraman in 1920 at the Whitman Bennett Studios (a few films starring Lionel Barrymore or Betty Blythe). He also did the lighting on a couple of stars of that time, like Constance Bennett or Pauline Frederick.

He also began working in Technicolor again by filming Esther Williams three times in her famous aqua-ballets (Bathing Beauty, Thrill of a Romance, and Easy to Wed). Finally recognized for his true worth, Stradling was assigned five films starring Judy Garland, produced by Arthur Freed during the golden age of musical comedies : Singing in the Rain ; The Pirate ; Easter Parade ; Words and Music, and In the Good Old Summertime).

Vincente Minnelli describes his first encounter with Harry Stradling during the filming of The Pirate : “When the first day of shooting began, besides a brief hello, there was no contact. I described to him what I wanted, he nodded. I don’t know whether I was speaking to a wall !

He would play cards with other members of the team and I would hesitate to interrupt their game, then he had still showed up to watch our rehearsals ! But when the time came to shoot the first scene, I came to watch the game of poker. Stradling lifted his eyes : “Are you ready for me ?” I nedded. After shooting a glance to the others that said, “I won’t be long” he came onto the set. “Well,” declared Stradling, “you want her to walk from this point to that one ? But there is a dark shadow in that corner ! It needs more light.” I didn’t know what attitude to adopt, I had never worked with someone so empirical and detached. Happily, the dailies, the following day, dissipated all of my fears. They were superb.”

When war was declared after a dozen years living in Europe, he definitively returned to the United States where he was hired by David Selznick for Intermezzo, in 1939, who then fired him because he was unhappy with the close-ups on Ingrid Bergman, replacing him with Gregg Toland.

Recontacted two years later by Selznick to film Rebecca, Stradling coldly turned down his offer in the following terms : “With the permanent obsession over wondering whether or not I am giving satisfaction or whether I will be fired from the film, I honestly don’t believe I’m able to honour you or your company by accepting to film Rebecca,”

In 1945, Albert Lewin (“one of the most cultivated directors in Hollywood,” according to Jean-Pierre Coursodon and Bertrand Tavernier) called on Stradling for his adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray.

Once again, Stradling demonstrated the breadth of his palette : rich gradient of the greys and depth of field in the vast residences, smooth face of actor Hurd Hatfield to highlight the eternal youth of Dorian Gray, and penumbra in the cabaret and tavern scenes.

On 7 March 1946, during the 18th annual Oscar awards ceremony, Harry Stradling received the famous statuette from the hands of David Wark Griffith in person for his black-and-white cinematography of Albert Lewin’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray. This award crowned 25 years of a prestigious career that began in France and England and garnered him fourteen nominations (four for black-and-white and ten for colour).

In 1951 his black-and-white masterpiece A Tramway Named Desire by Elia Kazan. Tennessee William’s universe was visually transposed onto a superb photography that associated contrast, shadow, and a rich range of ashy greys with masterfully structured and arbitrary lighting, in order to successfully convey the dual atmosphere of humidity and physical and psychological incarceration in the claustrophobic sets. At the same time, he preserved Vivian Leigh’s photogeneity throughout the slow degeneration of the character of Blanche Dubois. His cinematography was simultaneously superficial and of a great artistic beauty.

The Technicolor company considered the cinematography on Parrish (D. Daves, 1961) as the best example of the use of their process (which was in fact a Technicolor printing of an Eastmancolor negative).

He won his second Oscar for My Fair Lady (G. Cukor, 1964) shot in Super-Panavision 70. Cukor claimed that he had had some difficulties with his cameraman, but recognized that “he did a remarkable job, cameramen have lots of habits and you have to watch them very closely.”

He would end his career by lighting Barbara Streisand four times, who, when she received her Oscar for her role in Funny Girl (W. Wyler, 1968), justly thanked “My dear Harry Stradling.”

[acromandus]

Finally getting around to doing this! Thank you @thelifeinmyshadesofgrey for tagging me ♥♥♥♥♥ I haven't done these in ages so it was fun to feel like we were back in the 'golden era' of tumblr xD

Tag someone you want to know AND/OR some of your besties: I don't wanna pressure anyone to have to do this, so consider this a warm suggestion rather than a I-will-judge-you-if-you-don't kind of situation @heyitszev :) (and if anyone else reading this feels like it, go ahead, the more the merrier lmao)

Favourite colour: This is a tough one because it all just depends on context so much. I'd say typically I veer more towards darker tones in general: really like a nice dark green, or a dark red or crimson. Purple is lovely too :D

Last song: Two Knights and Maidens by Crash Test Dummies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NS2EcHzdYY

Say what you want about the lyrics, but the chord progression in this song is *chefs kiss*

Last movie: 9. A bit of a strange one perhaps, but an interesting take on a post-apocalyptic world brought to life in a style that reminds me of Tim Burton a little bit. Basically, the world has been destroyed in a war between humans and machines, and we're introduced to a group of sentient dolls, each with a number on their backs from 1 to 9, who have had to survive in this strange new world while figuring out why they were made in the first place. I don't wanna spoil this for anyone who hasn't seen it, so I'll leave it at that :)

Currently watching: I'm in-between series atm haha. Waiting for season 4 of the Boys, and just finished watching season 2 of 30 Coins. Might just do a rewatch of Andor or the Punisher to fill this void.

Other stuff I watched this year: Err… from what I remember (and yes, since we're only in January, I'm counting 2023 into this as well) I'd say Moon Knight, Andor, 30 coins, a rewatch of Supernatural (up to season 12), and the One Piece live action series. Out of all these Andor was perhaps my favourite, but I enjoyed all of them, and was pleasantly surprised at how well the One Piece adaptation remained loyal to the original works :D they obviously had to adjust some things but it still felt true to form. With Andor, I was hesitant to watch it at first because the last SW series I had watched had been declining in quality (weird writing, etc), however… Andor completely blew me away. The way it builds up to the climax was just so well done, the writing is superb, music fantastic, and it's one of those series I wish I could forget about completely so I could experience it for the first time again.

Shows I dropped this year/didn’t finish: I haven't watched many series I've not finished since I usually watch them to the end anyway, but looks like that new Percy Jackson series may unfortunately fall into this category?

Currently reading: I've been powering through the Harry Potter books. Started during the Christams holidays and I'm now on book 6. So far so good, though I've had to slow down with holidays being over. Might need to reread the Robert Langdon series as well after this as it's still one of my personal favourites.

Currently listening to: This changes daily but I do find myself drifting back to Riot music very often. So, that's music made for League of Legends, Valorant, etc. Not the soundtracks, but songs like Worlds anthems like "GODS" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3GouGa0noM) and 2021's "Burn It All Down" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z6CHioIn3s). I also absolutely love "Breathe" from the official launch video for Legends of Runeterra (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNhKAJwlj04). I also like this vid for it heavily featuring Darius, the only champ I ever played when I attempted to get into LoL before the toxicity got to me and I decided it's not for me :3 (didn't take long, but left me with a bit of a soft spot for him lmao)

I absolutely do not play any of these games but man… the music is on point imo. Something again about chord progression, don't ask what my obsession with that is lmao.

If I'm not listening to these and songs like them, I'm listening to heavy metal (industrial or symphonic), movie or game soundtacks, or oldies belonging to various genres from the 70s and 80s, occasionally 90s as well. Here's a couple examples:

Once You've Tasted Love by Take That

Take the Long Way Home by Supertramp

Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra

Misplaced by Sonata Arctica

And I will leave it at that as I've already included too many songs lmao

Currently working on: I'm currently making a backend for a gym app I'm working on. I somehow got the GraphQL elements working, now I need to get it saving to a database of somekind. I could do this locally or learn to save data to the cloud but I haven't yet decided which approach to take lmao. Overall, I'm just upskilling in the hopes of eventually landing a job as a full-stack developer. NO LUCK SO FAR aside a couple freelance frontend opportunities :/

Current obsession: Hmm….. good question. I'd say, despite me not playing it as much as I used to, I am slowly getting back to Elder Scrolls Online? Fire Emblem Fates is another, as well as Bleach.

[a-bisexual-dumbass]

Perfection

Read it on Ao3 here!

SUMMARY: 

Prompt “You’re gonna pretend like you have no idea how I’ve felt about you, since the first day we met?”

You have a massive crush on Donnie.

And he likes you back!

NOTES:

My first foray into writing with a Y/N

Generally SFW, needed something to relax with

It does go outside of my general HCs, but- it's for the story, yk??

1160 words, was a fun write!

April took you to meet her brothers, one day. Told you not to freak out, not to get scared.

Fear definitely wasn’t what you were feeling.

Your eyes were drawn to a certain purple-clad turtle who seemed not to notice that you were there.

Damn.

“Hm? Oh. Salutation!” he bowed dramatically, “I’m Hamato Donatello, AKA Donnie, Bootyyyshaker9000, or Othello Von Ryan. And you are..?”

You reddened slightly, “…[Y/N]”

~~~

Donnie didn’t get crushes.

He hadn’t since Leo made fun of him for liking Atomic Lass- at least nothing serious.

But… [Y/N]…

Goddamn, you were just… perfect. You were impossible.

You could never like him back, though.

He was so fucking emotionally ignorant. A useless piece of shit. A depressive asshole who could only provide tech to the team.

And you were just so much better than him. Absolutely superb. Entirely beyond compare. A piece of art, truly, no matter what you did.

“DON! Head in the game, por favor, we need your- your- your weird math-y stuff!” Leo snapped in his face, “Thinkin’ ‘bout someone? ¿Estás enamorado?”

You laughed in that way, the way that made his heart stutter, “Ts- maybe it’s moi?”

A look passed over your face that made Donatello think that… maybe you weren’t joking?

No. Just wishful thinking. You could never love him. Never.

Donnie blushed a deep green, and coughed into his hand, “Ehem. What do you require of me..?”

~~~

Donatello wouldn’t have admitted that he was in love. And actively stalking you. But- you caught him.

“I was just getting groceries, [Y/N]! De-hehefinitely not following you nailed it!” Donnie rubbed his arm, awkwardly, flushing as he stared at you.

Goddamn. You looked good in that.

You brush his stare off, though. He couldn’t love you. You’re just a writer. Just an artist, an emotionally vulnerable crybaby against his logic and reason. He couldn’t.

“…riiight. Well, I am too. Wanna walk with me?”

The two of you walked and laughed and talked about your favourite Jupiter Jim theories, and Donnie helped you unpack your groceries. Afterwards, you went back to the lair with him to watch him play with wires with artful, graceful hands while he info-dumped about things you couldn’t even hope to understand. You often found yourself lost in his heterochromatic blue-and-red eyes.

You really couldn’t help it.

He was just too… perfect…

~~~

Donatello noticed that you were wearing more purple, wearing revealing clothing around him, staring at him…

He noticed, took note in the back of his mind, and promptly ignored. He was reading too deep. It didn’t mean anything. You were just his friend, and he’d have to accept that.

Didn’t mean it didn’t get him all hot and bothered, though.

Fuck, man.

You invited him out to eat pizza together at Run-of-the-Mill one day.

It… it couldn’t be a date, right?

But he’d dress up nice anyways. You had said mint was your favourite colour, right?

He wore a soft green button-down and black dress pants. He made sure that his eyebrows were extra perfect. He painted his nails. He wanted to look his best for you, even if his love would say unrequited.

And you dressed in deep, royal purples, hair brushed back, simple, elegant, you looked perfect.

Hueso asked if the two of you were on a date.

Donnie watched you, watched you laugh.

He smiled as he drank lightly and you flirted and he flirted back, playing it as a joke, but truly meaning it.

“You look… wonderful, [Y/N],”

“Et tu, Donatello,”

~~~

You would admit that you had been dressing for Donnie’s eyes and his alone. You were in love, and you had to finally admit it.

You painted Donatello, you sketched him, you almost started following him around. He was your muse. He’s just so perfect.

You could stay friends if you must.

But fuck, you were in love!

But as the months went by, you just fell into a pattern.

Friends, best friends, maybe even the love of your life, and you built up the confidence to just tell him, but you just… couldn’t. As you flirted, he laughed and joked and you just couldn’t tell.

Did he like you back?

Fuck, man, it’s so hard to tell. You could usually read him like a book (albeit a somewhat confusing one), but… are you… more than friends? Or does he only see you platonically?

~~~

The two of you had gotten into an argument.

And that was when your heart had decided it was enough.

Neither of you remembered what it was about. Maybe the tension had finally built up enough to tip the bucket.

You were both crying, yelling, wildly gesturing, and upset.

“Are you kidding me, [Y/N]? I-”

“Are you gonna pretend like you’ve had no fucking idea how I’ve felt about you, since the first day we met?” you sobbed, throwing yourself onto him, “Well, fuck it. I’m in love with you, Donnie! I’ve been trying to tell you! Given you signs! I’ve tried everything!”

The softshell stared, shocked, so you kept going.

“Gods, Don- I asked you on a date- we flirted- I- you just laughed me off,” you were melting underneath him, “-I’m sorry that I thought I had a chance with someone as fucking perfect as you are. I’m sorry, I’m so-rry, I-I’m fucking sorry. I thought we were something, but I should-”

He cut you off by cupping your face gently in his hands.

“Can I kiss you?”

It was your turn to stare, now.

It only took a second, though.

You threw yourself at him, intertwining your fingers, wrapping around his legs tightly, your tongues pushing together.

He pinned you to the wall, pulling away from your mouth.

You stared up at him, any anger forgotten in less than a second, “Are- are we doing this?”

Oh gods Donnie was hot like that, breathing heavily, slightly sweaty, looking down at you. You drape your arms around his neck, silently praying that he would say yes.

“Do you want this?” he worried at his lip, almost unpinning you.

“Yes,”

~~~

Donnie woke up to you spooning him.

He curled in on himself and began scrolling on his phone, waiting for you to wake up.

He listened to your steady breathing, tried to memorise the pattern of your heartbeat, thinking about how damn perfect you are, were, wil always be. Perfection couldn’t be impossible. He was looking at them, wrapped in them, surrounded by them.

You had tightened your grip on him as you woke up. He only squirmed a little in your arms, flipping over to look at you.

“Goodmorning, love…” you whispered, stretching and looking at his body, marked with small hickeys, artfully placed.

He looked beautiful.

He kissed you and tried to roll out of bed, but your quiet noise of complaint stopped him.

“Mmm… I need to make coffee…” he purred, cuddling closer, “We’ve things to do… probably…”

You huffed.

“…fine…”