#up 10th result 2022

[muxas-world2]

@rooooooossssssse Cause the ranch wasn’t the reason—I don’t even think Marc believes that. Since the doc, he barely brings it up. For me 2022 Marc is fun as hell when talking about Rosquez because he has this “move on but I’m setting the record straight” vibe. Really think the ranch incident and the whole infamous narrative abaut the race track record around it? That’s just Marc being a dick with his comments (as he shuld). The whole ranch’s thing whit context seem less important in terms of their right or fight cause , Marc didn’t even win that race, and there are multiple accounts of what really went down. Yes they were trying to kill one and another and went crazy but like for all acaunts and videos seems ther were having fun for example, Lacave (who I usually take with a grain of salt but he has a great rosquez article that is well documented and has good sources) wrote a pretty solid piece about the incident. According to that, Uccio was already mad at Marc and tried to badmouth him to Vale, saying, “He comes here with his mechanics, etc.” But even during the ranch race, Vale dismissed most of that drama.

I think what really happened is that Vale probably felt a bit weird seeing Marc show up with his own mechanic to what was supposed to be an amateur-style race. That’s all. The real fallout didn’t start there. It was the result of everything else that year the incidents, the escalating tension, and the whole story we already know from different perspectives.

In my opinion, Vale started to distance himself from Marc(and others people like idk his ex ) because, after the first test and early races in 2015, he realized that this was his year his last real shot to win a championship and finally claim that 10th title. By then, the Vale that Marc met in 2013–14, who was more relaxed and less focused, was kinda gone 2015 Vale was much different, and completely centered on the championship. That’s why he probably felt more vale more distant and acted the way he did like probably at the beginning it wasn’t just about Marc or the fears it was about the pressure of knowing this was his final chance to really get the 10th.

[s0m3b0dy2u]

╰┈➤ 2nd Musician DR Discography ♰

!! My music is, in most cases, abstract metaphorical representations of my feelings, and does typically not reflect myself as a person. I do not condone eating your loved ones or deifying yourself !! //CW: Possible Mentions of Cannibalism, Sadism, Blood, Religious Trauma & Autotheism, etc.//

┆ ⤿ ♰ ⌗ CANNIBAL SOUP .ᐟ

Concept: CANNIBAL SOUP centers around the act of consuming someone in a physical or emotional (but, of course, metaphorical) sense. Themes of hunger, desire, and control mainly dominate the songs, with me taking the role of the devourer—someone who takes without remorse. It represents, in a lot of ways, the way I see myself—particularly when it comes to relationships—but is greatly exaggerated.

Cover Art: A dark image of me seated at the head of a lavish, gothic dinner table, a bowl of soup steaming ominously before me, with indistinct shapes in the liquid.

Release Date: July 10th, 2022

Style:

CANNIBAL SOUP Theme: The idea of taking everything from someone—portraying consumption as an act of intimacy and power. Lyrics Excerpt: I don’t need permission, I don’t ask “May I?” / Your body’s the altar, your heart’s the prize / The salt of your secrets, the spice of your sins— / I’ll take every piece; this hunger always wins

BITE ME Theme: An insatiable appetite, consumption as seduction—this track is about pursuing someone purely to devour them. Lyrics Excerpt: Bite me, break me / I’ll still take you completely / Surrender every piece, don’t fight me— / Your screams just excite me

BLOOD & WINE Theme: A slower, more atmospheric track about savoring the act of consumption. It likens devouring someone to drinking the finest wine—luxurious and intoxicating. Lyrics Excerpt: You’re not alive; you’re a feast divine / Your essence spills, like blood and wine / Drink deep, my love, you’re all that’s mine— / A sinner’s banquet, my blood and wine

┆ ⤿ ♰ ⌗ Love's Leftovers .ᐟ

Concept: An obsessive, consuming love that eventually leads to betrayal and emotional ruin. My emotions are mirrored in the act of consuming an ex, only to find that the taste, once savored, leaves me cold. The cannibalism here is less about power and hunger and more about consumption as a result of emotional desperation. (Regularly, I would divulge more details, but I recently found myself bitter over the relationship that inspired this album again.)

Cover Art: A dimly lit fridge slightly ajar, revealing food containers with unsettling contents. The faint silhouette of my figure is reflected in the fridge door.

Release Date: February 14th, 2023

Style:

Leftovers Theme: Reflecting on how I gave my all, only to end up with scraps. My ex is reduced simply to "leftovers." Lyrics Excerpt: I held you close, I kept you fresh / But love decayed; I’m just a mess / Every bite was laced with pain / I fear I’ll never crave you again

Flesh & Bone Theme: My hunger for love became so overwhelming that I started to see my ex as something to consume, but the reality of it turned my stomach, and I couldn't finish. Lyrics Excerpt: Your body was my feast / But the taste turned bitter in my mouth / I couldn’t swallow what I craved / The hunger died before it was out

Rotting Heart Theme: The metaphor of a rotting heart expresses the decay of love, which once felt alive but is now little more than a festering wound. Lyrics Excerpt: This rotting heart still cries for the love it once knew / But I can’t take the taste anymore, it’s true / Every pulse is a wound that keeps bleeding— / I’ll bury it deep, though it’s still beating

Fridge Door Theme: The ex now sits as a "leftover," trapped in the fridge of my mind. The fridge symbolizes emotional preservation, but it’s cold, sterile, and empty. Lyrics Excerpt: I can’t throw you out; I can’t let you stay / Love’s leftovers don’t rot, they just decay / A piece of you haunts every bite / Cold as ice in the dead of night

Spoiled Theme: Time has spoiled the love that we once shared. I see the remnants of what was good in the relationship, but it's decayed. I long for the love that was, but now it’s an emotional carcass—unfit for consumption. Lyrics Excerpt: I let you sit, I held on tight / But love doesn’t last in the coldest light / You’ve curdled, cracked, you’ve come undone / And I’m left starving, alone with none

Burned Bridges Theme: The relationship is irreparable, and all that’s left is anger and resentment. There’s no going back. Lyrics Excerpt: I watched the flames dance in your eyes / A burning truth, a lover’s disguise / But now the bridges are all gone / And I’m left here to carry on

Waste Not Theme: An almost bittersweet final track where I accept that the relationship was a waste. I’ll never truly “consume” my ex, but I’ll forever be left with the lingering taste. Lyrics Excerpt: You’re the taste I can’t forget / Waste not, want not—nothing left to regret / I’ll carry your shadow, but never your flame / Waste not, want not—it’s all the same

┆ ⤿ ♰ ⌗ 666 .ᐟ

Concept: The journey from being trapped within the confines of religious dogma to shattering those chains and proclaiming one’s own divinity. For most of my life I've grown up in a strictly and almost overbearing Christian household. One where I was told I couldn't do what I wanted to do or be who I wanted to be, and I tried my hardest to obey when I was young, but as I've grown it became harder and harder. This is basically saying screw you to my religious upbringing. !! Let me be clear: I respect every religion, but I don't respect being told who I "need to be." I am not trying to shit on any religion, nor genuinely deify myself !!

Cover Art: In the background, a dimly lit cathedral with cracked walls and broken stained-glass windows. In the center of the image, me, shirtless and adorned with intricate, dark tattoos that mimic angelic and demonic symbols. My head is tilted back slightly, a crown of thorns resting on my head, and blood dripping from it. My shadow casts a monstrous shape with a burning halo, horns, wings, and multiple arms. The number “666” is subtly incorporated into the cracks of the cathedral walls.

Release Date: October 31, 2023

Style:

Blasphemy Hymn Theme: Rejection of religious indoctrination. This track expresses anger and rebellion against a religious upbringing. Lyrics Excerpt: I spat the wine, I broke the bread / A heretic’s prayer for the living dead / They said kneel; I said no / Now I burn in the fire below

Saint of Nothing Theme: This track reflects on the damage inflicted by blind devotion. It’s a lament but also a critique. Lyrics Excerpt: Take your halos, take your prayers / Your faith is a burden I refuse to bear / Saint of nothing, that’s all I’ll be / A hollow title that means nothing to me

Halo on Fire Theme: This track symbolizes the destruction of innocence and the betrayal of trust, and marks the start of freedom outside of any said religion. Lyrics Excerpt: They promised salvation, a golden light / But the truth was hidden in endless night / Their prayers were poison, their words a noose / I broke their chains and called it truce

Crown of Thorns (King of Me) Theme: A powerful anthem of self-deification, where I declare myself my own god and savior. Lyrics Excerpt: If no god will save me, I’ll become one instead / A crown of thorns on my mortal head / They prayed for my soul; I claimed it as mine / The king of me, divine by design

666 (The Fall) Theme: The track is chaotic and defiant, marking the “fall” of religious authority and the rise of my self-created dominion. Lyrics Excerpt: No heaven, no hell, just a throne of my own / A kingdom of ashes, a god made alone / I am the reckoning, the end of their creed / Their scripture burns; I plant the seed

┆ ⤿ ♰ ⌗ The Fall of Rome .ᐟ

Concept: This album is a vent project wrapped in the historical narrative of the downfall of the Roman Empire, where I reflect on my own life through allegories of political corruption, war, religious shifts, and societal collapse.

Cover Art: The cover art for The Fall of Rome portrays me standing in the ruins of what’s supposed to be an ancient Roman city. The sky is ominous, a blend of deep reds and smoky blacks. The most striking detail is a golden laurel slipping from my fingers, halfway to the ground.

Release Date: April 20, 2024

Style:

Pax Deceptiva Theme: A façade of stability—pretending everything is fine when it’s all falling apart. A warning of what’s to come. Lyrics Excerpt: We were told that peace would reign / But lies are the chains that hold us in place / The streets may shine, but inside it’s all decay / Pax Deceptiva, this false peace we’re made to obey

Heirs to Calligula Theme: I compare my parents to cruel, decadent emperors like Caligula and Nero—ruling through manipulation, indulgence, and destruction. Lyrics Excerpt: They took the throne with silver lies / Like Caligula, they ruled through fear in disguise / The lavish feasts were never enough / Their hunger for power kept me bound and rough

Stolen Pantheon Theme: My parents switched belief systems almost as easily as an empire changes rulers. I explores how their sudden religious shifts felt like having other religion’s gods stolen and repainted. Lyrics Excerpt: Like Rome, they claimed what they couldn’t own / They made new gods from what they had outgrown / From Zeus to Christ, they made the leap / But I never knew which god I was supposed to keep

Lead in the Water Theme: Comparing my struggles with anxiety, depression, and other mental health complications to the slow poisoning of Rome’s citizens through lead-tainted water. The things that were meant to sustain me were ultimately what killed me inside. Lyrics Excerpt: Lead in the water, it’s all that I know / A poisoned existence, but I never show / The pressure mounts, I can barely breathe / Yet I walk in circles, and still, I believe

Bread and Circuses Theme: Fake happiness, empty entertainment. I reflect on how people ignore their suffering by numbing themselves with shallow distractions—something I, too, have been guilty of. Lyrics Excerpt: Bread and circuses, to keep us in line / They feed us hope, but it’s just a lie we buy / We watch the flames, but never ask why / Bread and circuses, until we die

Enemy at the Gates Theme: I feel like both the empire trying to defend itself and the barbarian tearing it down. Lyrics Excerpt: Every step I take, I’m running from the truth / A self-imposed exile, afraid of the proof / The gates stand tall, but I can’t stand still / Every moment I hesitate, they break me at will

Et Tu? Theme: Betrayal is worse when it’s from those you trust most. I see my past betrayals (by family, friends, lovers, etc.) as my own Julius Caesar moment. Lyrics Excerpt: You promised loyalty, you swore to stay / But in the end, you turned away / Your words were sweet, your smile so kind / But you were the dagger that twisted behind

Ruins of an Empire Theme: Even after leaving my past behind, I still carry the weight of it. Lyrics Excerpt: I watched it burn from the highest halls / The empire shattered, the kingdom falls / The walls that held me came apart / Now I’m lost, a piece of broken art

┆ ⤿ ♰ ⌗ 3:33 AM .ᐟ

Concept: Late-night existentialism—fleeting thoughts at the edge of sleep, surreal memories, and eerie self-reflections. The EP plays with themes of regret, dissociation, paranoia, nostalgia, and fleeting hope.

Cover Art: A digital clock reading "3:33 AM." The numbers are slightly blurred and distorted.

Release Date: August 23, 2024

Style:

Static // Silence // Repeat Theme: Intrusive thoughts, feeling stuck in a mental loop. Lyrics Excerpt: I swear I left this moment behind / but here it is again—same breath, same time / The clock is a liar, it’s stuck in rewind / Every thought I erase just multiplies

untitled Theme: Dissociation, losing time, and questioning reality. Lyrics Excerpt: Every mirror holds a stranger’s face / But they all blink when I blink too / I leave the room, but the echoes stay / The shadows talk when I walk through

Mouthful of Glass, Pocketful of Teeth Theme: Self-inflicted pain, speaking but not being heard, a metaphor for feeling voiceless. Lyrics Excerpt: You said "speak," but never heard / So I let my teeth collect the words / They gathered dust between my ribs / Brittle, broken, counterfeit

I swear I saw you in my dreams last night, but when I woke up, your face was gone. Theme: Lost love, fleeting nostalgia, the fear of forgetting someone important. Lyrics Excerpt: How many dreams will I have to lose / Before I stop searching for you / The air still smells like yesterday / The echoes refuse to fade away

No One Knows I'm Awake Theme: Insomnia, paranoia, isolation, feeling like the world is moving without you. Lyrics Excerpt: Locked inside the hour’s grip / Ticking hands, electric hiss / I trace the cracks in the ceiling’s skin / Still waiting for the dark to let me in

... Theme: Acceptance, fading away, surrendering to the night. Lyrics Excerpt: Turn off the light, close my eyes / but the dark still hums behind my mind / Counting breaths, counting sheep / Counting all the things I shouldn’t keep

Images: Pinterest | Dividers: Myself

[because-its-eurovision]

hii, who do you think among this year's UMK contestants has objectively the biggest chances to score highest in ESC this year?

Short answer: Erika, because she has the most televote potential.

Detailed answer under the cut👇

I want to preface this by saying that televote results are way easier to predict than jury votes. Televoters tend to prefer more upbeat, colourful, kitch, often ethnic, fun "Eurovision sounding" entries such as Norway 2019, Ukraine 2021, Moldova 2022, Finland 2023, Croatia 2024 that are easy to sing, dance and party along to. The juries tend to go for more artistic, slick and well crafted entries and pay more attention to the vocal performance - often, but not always, favouring ballads over uptempos.*

However, the juries can be extremely hard to predict. Great examples are North Macedonia winning the jury vote in 2019 and the United Kingdom in 2022, both of which were huge surprises to the fandom. Due to the unpredictability of the juries, counting on their points could be a big risk.**

A great example is Blackbird of Finland 2017, which was thought to be more of a "jury bait" than a televote favourite. However, Finland placed 10th in the televote of the semi and would have thus qualified, but the juries placed Finland only 12th in the semi and made Australia qualify instead.

After Poland, Finland is the Eurovision country that is most hurt by juries. During the last decade, the juries have prevented Finland qualifying from the semi two times (2015 & 2017) when both those times the televote would have wanted us to. They also tried to prevent us from qualifying in 2018 by placing us 15th in the semi, but that time the televote managed to pull us to the final. The last time Finland placed higher in jury vote than in televote was 2019 (and tele still gave us more points).

Why am I talking about this? We've established now that being Finland, we must make our predictions more based on televoters' behavior than juries because the latter are more a) biased against our entries b) overall more unpredictable.

This means that we must try to review how televote-friendly our UMK entries are. The problem of course at this point is that we have no clue about the stagings or vocal performances. What we do know is that Finland performs on the second half of its semi, which is great news because we've always qualified when perfoming on the second half. As the semis are also televote-only nowadays, all the UMK entries at this point have great chances to qualify to the final.

In my opinion the best choice, considering everything we know by now, would be Ich Komme. It is the first song in UMK history to debute as #1 in Spotify which means it has been well received by the public. Having seen Erika Vikman perform live multiple times, I know how charismatic and likeable she is - although not the best singer, but good enough for Eurovision. The song has very eurovision-y vibe, easy-to-catch chorus and invites the audience to participate which always lifts up the live performance (think Serbia 2022, Finland 2023, Croatia 2024). It is easy to clap along, sing along and knowing the current UMK team, the staging is going to be visually unique as well (giant wood parcel or jean egg, anyone?). Both Erika herself and Ich Komme are very camp, memorable and above all very Eurovision. And Eurovision is what the televoters will go for.

After Erika my order could be Neea, Goldielocks, Nelli, Costee, Viivi, put roughly on the order of televote-friendliness. Once again, we don't know anything about the live performances, their possible slot at the Eurovision semi or final, or if it's going to be a weak or strong year as only seven entries have been selected so far. As a disclaimer I also want to point out that I personally do not really like Ich Komme, but I have pretty good hunch in predicting the televote winners (got it right in 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024) and I understand why Erika is the clear frontrunner of the contest.

I could not possibly predict the end result of Ich Komme at Eurovision, but I believe Erika could scrape between 50-100 points from the televote and somewhere between 5-20 points from the juries. Feel free to hold this against me when she fails to qualify :D

*Televoters can also surprise us, like making Portugal 2017 win by a landslide despite being a modest, old-fashioned ballad, or making Latvia qualify in 2024 when it was dead last in the odds

**Unless you are Sweden

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Yuki Tsunoda

Updated December 2024

Name: Yuki Tsunoda

Age: 24

Nationality: Japanese

Years in F1: 4 (AlphaTauri/VCARB 2021-Present)

Number: 22

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: One of the newest drivers on track, Tsunoda is known for his aggression, raw speed, and temper. He drives in an extremely modern way, compared to many of the older drivers who still drive with traces of more classic styles. He tends to pull bold overtakes and does a lot of late-braking maneuvers, and this allows him to be very assertive in wheel-to-wheel situations. On the negative side, Tsunoda's temper and aggression leads him make mistakes, and he has been criticized for his lack of consistency. This aggression also means he pushes the car very hard, and wears out his tires fast.

History:

Tsunoda was born to a racing family, with a father racing in the Gymkhana Car Competition in Japan. He grew up around the track, and started karting when he was 5 years old. In 2006 he won the series championship at the Nakai Inner Circuit, where he had watched his father race. He started professional carting in 2010, joining the JAF Junior Karting Championship, before moving to the regional class in 2013 (winning that series) and to the national class in 2014. In 2015 he placed second in the All Japan Karting Championship FS125 Class.

(Young Tsunoda in his karting days)

In 2016, Tsunoda graduated from Honda's Suzuka Circuit Racing School in the advanced formula class and became a member of the Honda Formula Dream Project. In the same year he made his single-seater debut in the F4 Japanese Championship  in a one-off event in Suzuka. At this race he earned his 1st podium. 2017 was when he started his first full season in the F4 Japanese Championship while also competing in the regional championship. He would go on to get 1st in the regional and 3rd in the national championship. 2018 Tsunoda would continue in Japanese F4, and win the championship with 7 race wins.

(Tsunonda in the F4 Japanese Championship series)

2018 Tsunoda would join the Red Bull Junior program after Honda became engine suppliers for the F1 team. He joined the FIA Formula 3 Championship that year, winning one race in Monza and achieving 9th in the standings. Tsunoda also competed in the Euroformula Open Championship during this time, and finished 4th in the standings. Early 2020 it was announced that Tsunoda would be moving up to Formula 2 for the 2020 season. Before that, he competed in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series and placed 4th.

(Tsunoda on top step of podium during F3, along with future RB teammate Liam Lawson, left)

His 2020 F2 debut was a relatively positive for a rookie, with some high points finishes and podiums, but also a few races where he scored very low. He finished his season in 3rd. During that season he test drove his first F1 car, for Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri. He would go on to be announced for the 2021 AlphaTauri lineup.

(Tsunoda during F2 days)

His first year at AlphaTauri was a mix between good and bad. While he had some fantastic results (highest being 4th) he also had some very poor ones, often finishing outside of points and being our paced by his teammate Pierre Gasly. However, he was near universally praised for his rookie season, with the F1 Technical Director calling it the best rookie season he had seen in a few. 2022, however, was a difficult year for Tsunoda, usually finishing outside of points position. His best finish was 10th, and this race ended a streak of zero points finishes. He was outpaced by his teammate once again, and would finish 17th in the championship

(Tsunoda and Gasly in their AlphaTauri's)

He would be retained by AlphaTauri for 2023, partnering Nyck de Vries (who would be replaced by Daniel Riccardo halfway), and would have another difficult year. He would score low points a handful of times throughout the season. the most positive moment for Tsunoda was in Abu Dhabi, where he led the race for a short time, his first lead ever. Unfortunately he would drop down to 8th, but still showed improvement.

In 2024 AlphaTauri rebranded to RB (often called VCARB) and Tsunoda was retained. He has had a more positive year, outpacing teammate Daniel Riccardo (who was replaced by Liam Lawson after the Singapore GP), but still regularly ends up outside of the points. In the 2024 Japanese GP he would happily finish in 10th, becoming the first Japanese driver since 2012 to score points on home soil. The most positive aspect of that year for Tsunoda is that his qualifying pace has been stellar, regularly making it into Q3. He finished the season 12th in the standings.

He is set to remain with RB for the 2025 season.

(Tsunoda with the 2024 VCARB car)

Major Races:

2021 Bahrain GP - His debut race in F1, he finished in 9th scoring some points for his team. He made some fantastic overtakes during the race, including a memorable last-lap one on Lance Stroll. It was an impressively confident race despite his inexperience.

2021 Abu Dhabi - His highest finish ever of 4th, he took advantage of the chaos, overtaking on his teammate to take the higher finish of the two AlphaTauri's.

2022 Emilia Romagna GP - One of his strongest race performances yet, he finished in 7th after multiple bold, yet crafty, overtakes. He showed his evolving race craft and willingness to push the limit in a lesser car.

2022 Spanish GP - While his finish was not fantastic (only 10th) he showed remarkably improved composure compared to previous races. This displayed how Tsunoda was evolving as a racer, and how he overcomes his main weakness to make his race craft better.

2024 Japanese GP - A happy race for Japan after Tsunoda became the first points scorer on home soil since 2012. While he did finish just inside the points (10th), it was a monumental day for Japanese fans and Tsunoda.

Cheers,

-B

[mariacallous]

(JTA) — The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has opened up a sea of uncertainty about Syria’s future — and about the treasures of its past, including the remnants of its Jewish history.

A 13-year civil war has cost the country more than 600,000 lives and saw some 100,000 people “forcibly disappeared” into prisons by the Assad regime. The war has also wreaked havoc on Syria’s most important cultural sites — from ancient monuments, castles and mosques to the vestiges of a rich Jewish culture.

Well before the war, Syria’s historical synagogues and other Jewish sites languished in neglect after Jews left the country en masse surrounding Israel’s establishment. Now, archaeologists are beginning to assess how much more was lost to bombardment and wartime looting.

Syria was home to well established Jewish communities for more than 2,000 years, dating back to the Roman period, including Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 and European Jewish merchants. But the 20th-century rise of Arab nationalist movements, along with a set of anti-Jewish laws and violence surrounding the establishment of Israel, resulted in waves of Jewish emigration.

About 100,000 Jews lived in Syria at the start of the 20th century, dropping to 15,000 in 1947. An anti-Jewish riot that year, followed by the creation of Israel in 1948, spurred many of the remaining Jews to leave — though they were not legally permitted to do so in most cases despite facing persecution in Syria. The Aleppo Codex, a landmark 10th-century copy of the Hebrew Bible, was damaged and secreted out of the country to Israel around that time.

By 1992, when Assad’s father acceded to pressure to let the Jews emigrate, there were about 4,000 Jews remaining in Aleppo and smaller numbers in Damascus and Qamishli. Most left the country shortly afterwards.

In 2011, a now-infamous Vogue profile of Asma al-Assad, Bashar’s wife, quoted her as saying that Jews fit into her vision of religious diversity in Syria. “There is a very big Jewish quarter in old Damascus,” she told the interviewer, who noted that homes in the quarter had been boarded up since the 1992 exodus. (The article was removed from the internet after drawing criticism for sanitizing the wife of a dictator, and his regime, but remains accessible in an archived form.)

In 2022, an estimate of Syria’s Jews counted only four; this year, the widely circulating number is three. Many Jewish sites have had no caretakers for decades, said Emma Cunliffe, an archaeologist with the Cultural Property Protection and Peace team at Newcastle University.

“In a conflict situation, that neglect intensifies,” said Cunliffe. “Those few people who remained to look after them were then unable to reach them. But then as the war progressed, the damage increased significantly.”

By 2020, nearly half of Syria’s Jewish sites were destroyed, according to a report from the Foundation for Jewish Heritage. The Jobar Synagogue in Damascus, one of few Jewish places of worship still visited by a handful of elderly Jews before the war, was mostly turned into rubble in 2014. A host of ancient Torah scrolls, tapestries, chandeliers and other artifacts from the synagogue went missing, with some resurfacing in Turkey.

The al-Bandara Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogues in Aleppo, also suffered damage during heavy fighting in the region. The synagogue had been renovated in the 1990s but was damaged again during the civil war in 2016. Cunliffe, who conducted a study of the site in 2017, said some parts of the building were destroyed and its courtyard was littered with debris. (A recent virtual reality exhibition at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem allowed visitors to explore the famed synagogue as it stood in 1947, using photographs taken by a local woman who later emigrated.)

Tadef, a town east of Aleppo, was once a popular destination for Jews because of its shrine to the Jewish scribe and prophet Ezra, who was said to stop there on his way to Jerusalem. But after a long period of neglect, the shrine was illegally excavated and looted both by rebel groups and Syrian government forces between 2021 and 2022, according to the rights group Syrians for Truth and Justice.

Scholars also worry about the ruins of Roman-era synagogues in Syria’s ancient cities, such as Apamea and Dura-Europos. Satellite imaging has shown that Dura-Europos was heavily looted while being held by Islamic State forces, according to Adam Blitz, a fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Remnants from the synagogue of Dura-Europos are treasured by museums, including the Yale University Art Gallery, which displays 40 tiles from the synagogue’s ceiling. But Blitz said other artifacts from the site are feared to have been pilfered by combatants.

“There has been tremendous fear about mosaics being looted,” he said.

The extent of the damage to Jewish sites is still difficult to assess, according to Cunliffe, who said the skills and training needed for forensic damage collection remain limited in the war-torn country. Investigations through satellite imagery will also take several months. It may take much longer to establish protection for these sites, as Syria’s cultural sector has been overlooked during the war and the Syrian Antiquities Authority has been consigned to a tiny budget.

As Syria hurtles into a new era, the fate of its heritage sites hangs in the balance. The country’s gems of Jewish history will only survive as far as its next regime allows, said Cunliffe.

The new regime has its roots in Islamic fundamentalist movements but in recent years has taken a pragmatic turn, leaving open questions about the fate of minorities and their interests under its governance.

“Support for the people who are in a position to access them and protect them is critical, and also the need for an inclusive society that will allow that to happen,” Cunliffe said about the historic Jewish sites. “We don’t know what the future of Syria looks like. Certainly, there’s a lot of fighting, and which group ultimately wins will dictate a lot of what is possible.”

[wxlfbites]

April 30th, 2022

Philomena...

For as long as I can remember, my daemon has been with me; helping me through stressful situations in my childhood before she ever had a name. I officially recognized her as my daemon on December 10th, 2017, and after months of using the Daemon Forum Analysis to narrow down animal forms that might fit her, she settled as a red squirrel in November of 2019.

Philomena is almost the exact opposite of me, blunt - almost rude even -, focused, loud, energetic and sensible. But she is also kind and protective, responsible and knowledgeable. I have never worried that she would abandon me or truly judge me more anything I've said or done. Her aura is motherly in a way, like a soft hand on your forehead when you're running a fever. I love watching her run around frantically when she's hyper, or feeling her snuggle up under my chin when she's tired.

But lately, our relationship has faded into an almost oblivion that pains me. For at least a year now, I've neglected her as a presence within my mind due to mental health struggles and home life changes, and as a result it's become difficult to speak with or project her. I feel her faintly now, but trying to call out to her is like screaming into an abyss.

If anyone has any advice on how to reconnect with her, I'd know we'd both appreciate it.

[robsheridan]

I’m thrilled to finally have my original analog glitch skull back in print today after the first edition has been sold out for years - here’s a first look at the actual print and all its remastered details:

This has become an iconic image for my work and for analog glitch in general, as it was my first piece back in 2012 that paved the way for my analog glitch work with How To Destroy Angels and the beginning of a new fine art movement of VHS/CRT glitch that is thriving today more than ever.

For these tenth anniversary editions I went back to the original photographs (captured at high speed off the screen of an old CRT television) with everything I’ve learned over the years about mastering analog glitch for print, and the results are crisper, more vibrant, and more true to the original vision than ever before.

In the close-ups here (these are all photographs of the print itself) you can see a couple elements I’m proud of that were always very hard to preserve in print, like the subtle glow of the skull, which displayed as increasingly tiny bits of light on the pixels of the screen dithering out to black:

Every pixel of the CRT can be seen on the print until they disappear into the black, creating a glow that is soft from a distance but rich with texture up close. I strive for the very highest fidelity of low fidelity!

The first of these new editions were on display at last year's Glitch Art is Dead show for their proper 10th anniversary in 2022, and now they’re finally available: Four analog glitch anniversary editions out today (including the Welcome Oblivion vinyl album cover piece), personally signed/numbered, limited to only 30 copies!

Next month I should be able to share photos of the first-ever premium canvas editions of this work (available for pre-order now), which give it the large format fine art presentation I have always dreamed of.

All of my limited edition prints are personally signed/numbered fine art giclée prints on archival matte paper, printed by me to personally ensure the finest museum quality on 308gsm German fine art paper at ultra high 1440dpi print resolution, and packed/shipped worldwide with care by my wife Steph from our home studio in Tacoma, WA. Every print comes with a signed certificate of authenticity and an exclusive sticker.

[letswrites]

LN- All roads lead to you

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Masterlist

-----------------------------------------------------------Last chapter! I made a little text in the end, please read it. Also, I found a song I used to listen to when I was younger and it fits perfectly to the story. I will link it at the end (so there're no spoilers) if you like to listen to it.

Without further ado, enjoy :)

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Chapter 8 (final): Austin... again (feat. Mexico City)

October, 10th, 2022

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou, China:

10:38 PM

Since Suzuka, she hasn't heard about Lando. He said he would text her but he didn't. At first, she didn't even notice cause she woke up late and almost lost the start of the race. After that, she went out with Pierre and Yuki, some Yuki friends, and Daniel for a round (or many rounds) of sake. As a result, she ended up with a bad hangover and an early flight to Amsterdam with a stopover in China. And of course with an Australian lad on her hair.

She was sitting next to Daniel with a chai latte in her hands. She had her hoodie on and sunglasses for the hangover "I should have never drank that amount of sake" "Me neither, Dan. Me neither" in that moment, in that cold airport in China with a Starbucks cup burning her fingertips, she remembered she had a phone. She opened Whatsapp and looked into her messages, she scrolled down the screen and stopped at Lando's contact. The last message from him was October, 8th at 6:18 PM: 'I'm already here :)'. Which took her to the question mark expression on her face. 1 day, 17 hours, and 20 minutes and Lando didn't say a word to her. He said he would text on the race day. "Son of a bitch" "Hey, Dan" he hummed "Do you know about Lando?" "What do you mean?" "Don't hear about him since classification day" "Do you talk frequently?" "No, but... What do you know about him?" "Well, the last time I saw him was at Suzuka on race day. He was a little off, you know?" "Off?" "Yes, like his head was in another place". She turned white like a ghost. Just as he was when left the hotel room. Fuck.  "Oh! Do you think he is okay?" "I've no idea. Why?" "He told me he was going to text me, but he didn't" "Did you fall on his web?" "I... No! He was supposed to text me about a resort in Mexico. I told him the other day I will spend a week in Cancun and two in Punta Cana, he already has been there so he told me he was texting me some tips". Daniel looked at her and nodded his head "Did you sleep with Lando, didn't you?" She took off her sunglasses and looked into the Aussie man's eyes "Yes, twice" "Nooo, darling! You weren't supposed to sleep with Lando! He's in his fuckboy era" "Exactly why I slept with him" she wore the sunglasses again "You are not expecting him to be romantic are you?" She kept silent "What have he told you?" "It's not what he said, it's what he did" "What?" "He took me to a winter Sakura festival in Tokyo" "But it's not winter" "exactly, he paid for it" he widened his eyes "You were naive. People like Lando right now would do anything to have sex with their current target" she thought about Abu Dhabi but Daniel didn't have to know about it "Especially him that have a lot of money to spend and a lot of targets to hit" she was about to retort but Daniel probably was right "Should I text him?" "You can do it but then you will be just one more girl who doesn't know how to have a casual relationship based on sex for him". she looked at his contact "Probably yes" and blocked her phone again. She sipped on her chai and laid her head on Daniels's shoulder "I just want to go to drain all the sake from my bloodstream" He chuckled "did you imagine Yuki drank like that?" "Not in a thousand lives" "We should have taken him to Amsterdam with us" Daniel huffed "The kid would go crazy".

//

A week later

October, 23th, 2022

Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas.

She watched from distance Lando giggling with a group of giggly girls. "Does he think I am cool?" She asked herself "Because it's been 14 dias since we texted the last time. And he doesn't seem to care". In her opinion, they were just both too proud for it. But apparently, he still had the same habits. When the girls dispersed, she approached the McLaren's driver and touched his right shoulder without saying a word. He turned and a silly smile on his face seemed to fade away. He took a moment to fake another smile "Oh, hi!" "Hi, Lando" "How are you? I... I am sorry for not texting you. I was going to but..." He hoped she would complete his phrase so he wouldn't need to invent an excuse himself but he got nothing but silence "I was busy, you know?" "Really?" she said with an incredulous tone "You were busy? For 2 weeks? So busy you couldn't even send me a voice message?" "Well... Yes!" "Like right now?" "Hum?" "The girls" "what about them?" "You have been busy like you were with them?" He didn't have to say anything, he couldn't hide the truth. At least not from her. "If you wanted to talk to me, why didn't you just text?" "I had the feeling I wouldn't get anything but an empty answer after 5 days of an agonizing wait" "I don't know why are you acting like that. If you came here to be rude with me you should have stayed home" wow. How rude could Lando be when he was defensive? She decided to act like an adult because one of them needed and clearly Lando was not going to be the one "I just wanted to talk, didn't mean to be rude" she said in the most neutral voice tone she could find. He took a few seconds to listen to the words he had said to her and took a deep breath to calm himself. "What do you want to talk about?" "What happened? I mean, you felt distant when you came back to the store in Tokyo. I thought it was just an initial shock and you were tired but you just missed. You always do that when we finally get along. Why?" She knew he was afraid of commitment but she wanted to hear his perspective "I was going to text you in Suzuka but I was not good and I knew I would make you feel upset too, so I just took some time to myself to think" "In which conclusion did you get?" "None really" "none?" "I mean, I know I want you. I just still struggle to make it only the two of us. Then you come and get jealous because I was with some girls and it becomes even more difficult" he was pissed "I just don't like when you flirt with other girls in front of me. It makes me feel insecure" "No worries, next time I'll flirt with them out of your sigh" She took a deep breath, she was opening herself to him, talking about her feelings, and being vulnerable and he was making jokes about it"I was just flirting, what's the matter?" "What's the matter?" she chuckled, almost without patience already "yeah, I was not touching anyone or doing anything but flirt. What's so bad about it? Also, if you feel insecure, that's your problem, not mine" "What do you think a relationship is about?"

"You're aware we are not a couple, right?". She had enough. She asked Lando to talk not to fight but he was crossing all the fine lines that existed between them already "Yeah. I was good with living with that but when you came to my house and said you wanted to be in my life again, or when you asked me to a 'second first date' as you denominated it, and paid for having a damn festival only because I wanted to see the fucking sakura, when we were so intimate..." her voice failed fue the tears she was holding back "I thought you at least wanted to be one" "You know what?" Lando licked his lips and started "you used to make things lighter but now every time we are together it's the same shit about other girls and relationships, and it turns out you just make everything even heavier now!" When he finished the last word, all he could see were wavy eyes and hurt feelings. She turned bet back to him and started to distance herself from him. Both physically and emotionally. Then she stopped to say one more thing to the British man "You are being an asshole. If you want me to walk away, you should say it. It would make things way easier" She said seriously and rawly, and continued to walk. Lando crossed too many lines with her already. He threw his head back and sighed, frustrated "Fuck".

...

Later that day:

"Can you, please, eat something?" "You know I don't like eating before racing," he said, nihilistically "Lando" he had an arm stretched on the table with his head laying on it. Without giving himself the effort to move an inch, he grumbled something that should sound like a "Hum?" "Are you alright, love?" Charlotte asked, sincerely concerned with the younger one "I am just not in the mood for eating" he had been like that since the fight. It didn't make him any better person. To get even worse he couldn't take her out of his mind. "Are you sure?" "Yeah. I'm fine" "I understand you don't want to eat, but you must do it" The blonde lady did not get any answer "If you don't, you can faint in the car and cause a big crash". Not a single word left the Britishman's lips. "I ain't going to let that happen" he sighed, knowing Charlotte was not only right, but wasn't going to let that go till he ate something.

He lifted his head and stretched his arm and spine "You're right! I'll eat, ok?" "Can I trust you?" "Can you start to really trust me? Cause I know you don't really mean when you say you do" "It would be easier if you acted as someone I can really trust" "It would be easier if you really trusted me!" Why none women trust him? "Lando!" "I'll eat" "Good! Thanks". Charlotte was going to enter another topic when his peripheric vision caught her frame. Should he invite her for lunch? Yeah! That's the best way to make amends: eating in a nice restaurant with good company. He stood up in a sudden move "Okay, okay. See you later, Charlie" "I didn't finish talking!" but he wasn't listening anymore.

He walked toward her and touched her right shoulder, lightly. Just like she did with him before. She turned to him, and her smile faded away. Just like he did with her before. He hadn't noticed before, but she was dressed as a cowgirl. Like those girls who go to rodeos. She had a pink glittery tank top, denim shorts, in a pocket the words cowboy pillow laid with humor on her left glute, long black cowboy boots, and a black hat with some pink details on the sides. She looked amazing and he could handle not having her again. "Hey... You look beautiful. I mean you always are but this outfit makes you look..." She cut him "What do you want?" "What are you doing here?" "Going to watch the race. Last year I missed it cause someone made me very upset. But this year I won't let anyone get in my way" he knew what she was talking about "I know that. But... right now. Did you have lunch already?" "Yes, with Dan" "Oh! What about dinner can I take you out to dinner?" "No" "Why not" "I don't want to. And I am going to have dinner with someone already" "You what?!" "What's wrong?" "With who?" "A guy I know" "Is it because of what I told you?" "Why else would it be about?" "You're acting childly" she leaned forward and said close to his face "You know we are not a couple, right?" "Sorry for that" "No, you're right. We are not a couple. So you can flirt with your girls and I can have dinner with this guy". For the first time, he understood how she felt during all the period they'd been together "But..." her phone started to ring: 'Giaro 💛💛'.

"The hot Italian model?!" he thought "And he has two hearts?!" "I should pick this up before I make you feel even heavier. Excuse me". Was he her date? She must be kidding him. He could feel the vendetta running in her veins, this could be the only reason she would do something cheeky as it. "You're not going to win this one," he said to himself while staring at her laughing at the phone call.

"Have you eaten already?" Charlotte asked him out of the blue "Fuck! Don't show up like that!" he placed a hand on his chest "Not yet. I'm going now" "I'll join you just for assurance" "See? You don't trust me!".

...

At night:

He was going crazy alone in that hotel room. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, all dressed up to go out, in his hand was his phone. He waited desperately for a call or text from her. "She's crazy" he mumbled to himself "I am the one looking like crazy" he stopped to shake his leg "Fuck it!" he stood up, grabbed his wallet, and hotel key, and walked out the door. Now he had a free pass from her to flirt with other girls "Why am I still here?" he mumbled to himself inside the elevator. Hoping he would forget all of this when he first stepped into the club.

But nothing really changed. Even with all the alcohol in his bloodstream. He was trying to think about the models around him but his mind went back to her. When a blonde lady "accidentally" touched her fingertips on the back of his hand, he couldn't stop thinking about her hand touching another guy's hand over the table. When a brunette touched his knee softly, all he could think was about her knee touching another man's knee under the table. The worst one was when a freckled redhead brushed her ass on his pelvis and he only imagined the Italian's bodies colliding together in bed. Damn. How could he party with those thoughts in his mind? So he decided to call it a night and went back to the hotel. He lost the count of how many times he thought about calling her. Or send that voice message she wanted him to send so much. Or how many drinks he pushed down his throat thinking about her. He even thought he was hallucinating when he passed by a restaurant near the hotel and saw her. It was her and a very handsome guy.

They were all giggly to each other and without his control, a jealous, furious, and drunk version of himself walked toward the table, grabbed her wrist, pulled her against his chest, ignored all her protests, jumped in the pool, and then kissed her. Kissed her fully, desperately, possesively. His tongue danced on her mouth, and his grip on her waist felt so perfect, that he was shivering. Maybe because of the cold water but mainly because of her body. They had no air anymore but his numb neurons didn't care. She felt another hand pulling her from against Lando and bringing her to the surface. Then the same hand pulled Lando to the surface and punched him in the nose. She took the biggest breath of the whole weekend and separated Giaro from Lando before the British man could punch him back "Stop!". She realized how that scene was looking: two grown-up men punching each other like two high school boys, one of them bleeding in the pool of a fancy and expensive grilling restaurant, and a girl who was almost crying in between them. She looked around: everyone looked catatonic.

"Why did I do this, stupid?" he asked himself, now he's going to kill me "Lando! What the fuck?" He tried to touch her wrist but she splashed some water on him and went out of that pool "Ti chiamo dopo, Giaro" "Vuoi un aiuto, bella?" "No, lasciami stare. Si? E anche lui, per favore" "Okay" the Italian man nodded, without agreeing but he would respect her decision. Lando also got off the pool to chase her. "E io mi occupo di tutto questo disordine. Solo" Giaro complained to himself.

...

"Hey!" Lando shouted "Please, wait!" She stopped, impatient "So. Explain yourself, idiot! What the fuck do you have on your mind?" "Did you see what your guy did to me?" she couldn't believe he was victimizing himself. She looked into his eyes "You deserved! You deserved even more! What's wrong with you?! What was your plan? Throw me in a pool and then kill both of us asphyxiated? So we would die together and kiss for eternity" "I don't know why I've done this, sorry!" "I'm tired of it! You keep on this 'want me, don't want me' game. 'Want to be with me and 7 more girls at a time, want to be with me only'. You tell me we are not a couple, I go out with a friend I've known since I was 7, you freak out and now your nose is bleeding, Giaro's fist is hurt and my dress is wet!" "I already apologized!" "You are such a confusing person that you are turning me into a confusing person as well! Do you know that?" A friend. They are friends. "I just don't want you to be with other guys" he said, ashamed of himself the same way she did before when they first fought "But you can be with everyone you want to?" "Yes. I know that's fucked up but... it's how I truly feel" "Fuck it! I don't want to be next to you right now. Or ever again" She turned her back to leave, but he held her arm " Wait!" "No!" she retreated with her arm "I'd enough of you already. Please, don't look out for me anymore", then she walked away from him.

Lando ended the night drunk, alone, with blood on his new white shirt and with water on his trainers. The opposite of what he thought it would be. He stared at his phone, her name with a pink heart in front of it. He never had the opportunity to show her. Or to confirm if she liked pink. He scrolled to his contacts and called Max Fewtrell "I think I fucked up everything this time".

//

October, 31st, 2022

Mexico City, Mexico

Lando thought she was going to be in the race but he was mistaken, cause when Sunday came and she did not appear there. She posted a picture from the airplane and wrote right above Mexico City. It turns out she was there for other business.

The day before race, Lando was following Daniel around the hotel "Daniel, you must tell me" "Bro, I don't know what you are talking about" "You do know. I know she's in Mexico, she posted on her social media" "Why don't you simply ask her?" "She wouldn't pick up the phone, or text back. And even if she does, she wouldn't tell me where she is" "So I shouldn't tell you" "Daniel" he stopped in front of the Aussie man, forcing him to stop walking, and held his shoulders "I am trying to fix the shit I've done. Can you, please, help me?" "You should have texted her when you told you would" "I know that but I decided to change, to fix everything. But I need you to tell me where she is" Daniel could see the despair in Lando's eyes. He could see he was up to do anything to find her, with or without Daniel's help. He huffed "She's at Costa Esmeralda" "Where?!" "Is in Veracruz" Lando grabbed his phone and started to search "La Guadalupe beach, you'll find her there" "4 hours?! Shit. Thanks, Dan" Daniel held his wrist "Don't do more damage than you already have done" "It's what I intend to"

...

October , 31st, 2022

Playa La Guadalupe, Costa Esmeralda, Veracruz, Mexico

She was standing looking at the ocean, she knew he was coming, Daniel warned her. And when the time came, when a hand found its way to her left shoulder, she knew it was him. She turned around and protected her eyes from the Sun with her forearm"You really can't do what people tell you to, can you?". He remembered the phone call with Max in Austin:

' "Max?" "It's pretty early here in the UK just for you to know and maybe consider calling another time. Just maybe" "I think I really fucked up everything this time" Max could feel the sadness in his voice "Have you been crying?" "Yes" his voice failed "Yes, I did" "What happened?" "I told her I would text but I didn't, today we met in Austin, and she came to talk to me, I said very rude things, such as "You make my life even heavier than already is" and she went out with a guy to make me jealous but they were just friends, I went out, got drunk, jumped in a restaurant pool with her, almost killed her drowned, her friend punched my nose and she said she never wants to see me again" Max definitely needed more information about the chaotic 24 hours Lando had in Austin but he didn't need to hear anything more not even a syllable for getting into the conclusion he already has gotten back in last year's Austin: they were no good to each other "Lando..." he took a deep breath " What do you want me to say?" "What do I do now?" "You leave her alone" "What?!" "You stop calling, texting, chasing her. You stop appearing in her house and you stop following and stalking her on social media. That's what you do now" "Why should I do that if I love her?" it was the first time he admitted that out loud "You do even if you love her, you guys can only hurt each other. You know that, I know that, and she knows that too". How could Max tell him something like that? He got angry with his roommate "You are a very shit adviser. Good night, Max" and hung up on the British lad's face. Max already expected that behavior from Lando. He also knew he would realize it was the right thing to do, sooner or later.'

Lando's head went back to the present "No, I can't" "What now, Lando? What rude things will you tell me now?" "You were right. I've been acting confusingly. I'm sorry, I'll do better from now. I'll be better for you" "No, you won't. We both know you won't" his eyes started to get wavy "Don't do this" She placed her hand on his face "We both will go crazy like that" he placed his hand over hers "It must have another way. I'll..." he tried to think but his mind was in shortcircuit "...stop going out, I won't..." Everything was a blank space in the moment he realized the reality "...even look to other girls, I'll do everything you tell me to do, be only yours..." "Will you change yourself entirely just to fit in my standards?" then he heard himself, she was right. She shouldn't diminish her standards for him, she didn't deserve any less than what she demanded from him since they first met. And he shouldn't change himself to be with her. They were simply incompatible "Please..." he whispered "We need to" she smiled with her lips "But don't worry. If we're meant to be, all roads will lead me to you" he smiled, a tear rolling down his face "By now we must follow different paths, yes?" He dried the tears that rolled down and swallowed the rest of them "I believe it's the best" she smiled "Come here" She opened her arms for a hug and he pulled her against his bare chest. He held her tightly, he breathed all of her in. Intoxicating himself for the last time. When he let her go, she held his hand "Good luck in Brazil" and started to walk away. He held her hand till the last finger slipped away "Thanks" "Bye, Lando" she waved "Bye bye" he waved back and watched her fade away to the shore.

He took a deep breath and switched his gaze to the ocean, he saw the waves come and go but never die. Maybe they were waves and maybe now that he let her go he could be a better person, a better version of himself, and so does she. Till fate join them together again, if it was meant to be.

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Taglist:

@cmleitora

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First of all, the song I mentioned ;)

In second place, I want to show you guys who Giaro is. I know him from Martin Garrix's music video lions in the wild but I don't know if Lando and him actually know each other in real life. I just think he is handsome enough to cause jealousy and he's Italian, so it fitted perfectly.

So, I know most of you expected a happy ending for them. I confess it was the plan when I first started to write this story but it happens that during the process I fell in love with someone with whom I had a complicated relationship, quite very similar to the relationship I wrote for them. Very ironic, no? I will never write about a toxic relationship again lol But the thing here is: I suffered so much till the moment it was decided to call it an end and when I started to work again on ARLTY I couldn't simply put a happy ending to it cause I couldn't let other people read it and maybe have the empty hope that everything was going to be alright at the end (like I did for so long). If you are in a situation like that or know someone who is in a situation like that DO NOT postpone something that is too broken and bruised already. You can't be happy if you have to change yourself or your standards completely to be with someone. So if you all take a time to reflect you'll see that the end was happy. For both, they were free to pursue relationships that would make them truly happy and meet their needs.

It was so good for me to write this one. It's so personal to me (and also has some parts in which I literally narrated my life) that it healed me and it freed me during the process. I can only thank everyone for the support and, of course, please don't send me death threats because of the end lmao

Also, I want to reinforce that I really like Lando, I'm a big fan of him, and this is only fiction and I really hope he's not like this in real life haha

I look forward to writing more fics, maybe about Charles now 🤭 what do you think?

Anyway, thanks for your company till the end and I really hope you liked the story and learned something with it. Lemme know!

A warm hug,

Lets 💜

[candypalace]

Translation: Gekirock Magazine Dec 2022 (Kai, Uruha)

the GazettE: the band's potential in a flawless expression. 20th anniversary best-of album drop.

Time flies, and in the course of 20 years, the GazettE has gone through a lot of changes. Their new release, 20TH ANNIVERSARY BEST ALBUM HETERODOXY -DIVIDED CONCEPTS-, is a “best-of” album categorized by three concepts: "SINGLES", "ABYSS" and "LUCY". The band is also taking the opportunity to confront their past albums during [the GazettE LIVE TOUR2022-MASS/PHASE 02 "The Unknown"], which will continue until December 21st. Here, we will ask a few questions to Uruha and Kai, the guitarist and drummer of the GazettE, about the circumstances behind revisiting and bringing the band’s past together.

ー the GazettE is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary in the midst of the Japan tour MASS / PHASE 02, where in addition to the songs from the latest album MASS (2021 release), past songs are also performed at various venues. Uruha-san, Kai-san, how do you feel about performing at all those shows so far?

KAI: Rather than saying that the reason why the contents of this tour are a close look into our past is because this year is our 20th anniversary, it’d say it’s because MASS is our 10th album, and we’ve been playing shows in different places to combine it with our past works. It’s also because we have not done a tour with a concept like this before, to tell the truth, and it started with us thinking: “Well, this will be interesting!”. Since some of the songs from past albums will be performed live for the first time in forever, it’s also true that the performance aspect was more difficult than I had expected (laughs). However, when we actually tried it, the results were pretty good! We found the differences in the set lists each time very interesting and enjoyed every single live so far.

URUHA: Each album naturally has a different “color”, so when we combine our newest album with songs from our older albums in one show, it’s very important for us to highlight these different “colors”. That being said, the number of albums we’ve released so far is quite big. Realistically, it would be difficult to play every single song in our discography, so we generally play about five songs for each concept. And yet, by playing those five songs at each live show, we’ve been able to create an atmosphere and space on the tour that we haven’t had before. I think there’s a great synergy between the songs on MASS and the songs from each of our past albums.

ー By the way, why did you decide that you will be choosing exactly 5 songs for each live performance?

KAI: When we were discussing this with the members, someone suggested that we exclude the songs that we already had on MASS / PHASE 01. And we also thought we should play songs that express the essence of each album more vibrantly than others.

URUHA: In terms of the melody, we also decided to avoid choosing only those songs where singing is emphasized over the instrumental part, and we tried to balance each block of the set list.

ー In the midst of all this, HETERODOXY will be released to commemorate the band's 20th anniversary, and as you can tell from the title, it is a voluminous three-piece product. It seems that “3 CONCEPTS” means that the songs are categorized as “SINGLES”, “ABYSS”, and “LUCY” and are divided into 3 discs. How did you come up with such a compilation that condenses 20 years of the band in this best-of album?

KAI: I think the fact that best-of albums naturally start with singles is definitely not unusual. But in our case, this alone would not exactly strike home. Doesn’t “best” for the GazettE mean showing all our colors in various forms? With that in mind, we decided to divide the songs into three separate discs: "SINGLES", "ABYSS" and "LUCY". "ABYSS" and "LUCY" in particular have a very familiar ring to them and give you a taste of our two extremes.

URUHA: Right, because for the GazettE, "ABYSS" and "LUCY" mean the duality that has been our definite part since forever.

ー Looking back, in 2011, there was a FC-only 2-day live "LIVE TOUR 2011 TWO CONCEPT NIGHTS ABYSS/LUCY ~Two different faces, decadence and instinct, two polar nights~" and in 2017, Halloween shows called "HALLOWEEN NIGHT 17 THE DARK HORROR SHOW SPOOKY BOX 2 ABYSS-LUCY". So, probably the fact that the keywords "ABYSS" and "LUCY" express stillness and movement is already well known to the GazettE’s fans.

URUHA: In terms of sound differences, generally "ABYSS" is centered on the dark worldview that the GazettE creates, while "LUCY" is more aggressive. Both sides are the essential components of the GazettE, and we wanted to convey that in our best-of album.

ー So HETERODOXY is a flawless selection of songs that combines the catchiness and pop sensibility of the singles with the darkness and intensity at the heart of the GazettE.

URUHA: Yes, exactly (laughs). 

KAI: I guess you could say that it is as "flawless" as it can get (laughs).

"If I didn’t have a strong mentality, it wouldn’t be surprising if I shattered over and over again"

ー The hardest thing must have been choosing entries for "ABYSS" and "LUCY".

URUHA: We had an online meeting with the members about that. We put the songs on a spreadsheet and discussed it like “ahh, right, mmm, maybe this”. I think it felt close to how we decide on a live set list.

KAI: At that time, when we listened to some songs again, we thought, “Is it really so that an intense song = a “LUCY” song?”. Even for “ABYSS”, it doesn’t necessarily mean that if a song is a ballad it’ll be included there. For some of them, there were specific comments such as, “Isn't it too beautiful a song to be included in "ABYSS"?". So the entries for this best-of album were selected not only by their melody, but also by considering the deeper meaning and characteristics of each song.

ー It seems that this best-of album project also involves remastering, so considering that different ages of production had to be put into a single album according to its concept, was there anything that you had to order the band to do?

URUHA: What we mainly focused on was the length of time. This time we were not looking for any particular change in sound quality, and we only made some adjustments to the sound level when all the songs were laid out on each disc, based on our current sensibilities. We didn’t consciously change the songs just because they’re old.

KAI: This time probably all the members were thinking in the same way, and I didn’t really have to say anything. We simply adjusted the acoustic pressure so that no piece feels out of place when you listen to the disc.

ー So when you listened to HETERODOXY after the remastering, did you notice anything that made you realize that you have grown or changed?

URUHA: Huh, did I... When we’re playing songs from the past on the current tour, I feel that how I’m producing the sound is different between now and the past, so there’s no doubt that the quality in all aspects is now better than it was. Of course, that was the best we could do back then, but I can feel the change.

KAI: When I listen to it, I also feel “Oh, this kind of phrase was very characteristic of me at that time,” or “Oh, so this is the kind of sound I used to make at that time”. In the end, I have always aimed to surpass my past self, and when I look back on my work, I can clearly see that trajectory in the sound.

URUHA: It depends on the song, but I feel that the guitars used to be more clunky in the past (laughs). As time goes by, I definitely feel that the band is becoming more harmonious in terms of sound!

KAI: Really, in our early days, we didn’t even do any pre-production before recording. Back then, I often didn't know what the other members were going to play when we were recording the drums (laughs). I think the biggest change was that from a certain point on, I learned how to properly grasp the composer's intentions while also understanding what everyone else was doing and coming up with my own sound.

URUHA: Even though we have our own ideas about what we want to do, the GazettE’s current style is to produce sound while complexly looking at the whole picture from the listener’s perspective of how cohesive we are as a band. I think over the past 20 years the GazettE has gradually learned that sometimes it’s important to cut out unnecessary things.

ー To put it simply, even just comparing DIM (2009 release), which had a particularly dense sound, and your latest release, MASS, you can tell that the sound is very different, right?

URUHA: If we go further back to NIL (2006 release) or STACKED RUBBISH (2007 release), in retrospect it feels that the combination between guitars is “hard to see”. Solos and other interactions are fine, but I feel that there were unexpectedly many small places on the underside where we conflicted.

ー Can I now ask Kai-san, as the drummer of the GazettE, what is your greatest weapon at the moment? 

KAI: It’s difficult to explain in words, but first and foremost, it’s the fact that I’m in a position to create a sense of dynamics in the band's sound. I think this is the role I was meant to take on. Our basic style right now is that the melody, lyrics, and the so-called emotional parts of a song are left to other parts of the band, and I’m in the background supporting them and bringing out the dynamics.

ー Uruha-san, same question for you. What is your greatest weapon as a guitarist of the GazettE?

URUHA: It’s satisfying that the more I pursue the way I use physical equipment, the playing method and technique, the more interesting they become and the more my skill grows, but I feel like it’s not the most important thing here. What I personally want to polish is my sensitivity, and I think it would be ideal if I could use that as a weapon.

ー So it seems that the members have been diligently working on themselves over the past 20 years. If there was anything you have been able to "obtain" in these 20 years, what is it? I am sure the list of those things is long, but I would like you to focus on just one.

URUHA: A strong mentality, I think. It’s something I’ve been able to obtain only because I’ve been in a band for 20 years. If I didn’t have it, it wouldn’t be surprising if I shattered over and over again (laughs). There were a lot of times when I refused to give up.

KAI: To be honest, I’m glad that we became a band where the members are able to discuss things properly with each other. If we didn’t, I think we would have disbanded by now. Discussing solutions to problems is one thing, but in our case, even when something generally bad happens, the five of us complain to each other (laughs). So I think our strength lies in being able to share and confront things together.

ー Were there times when you sublimed the frustration by turning it into a song?

KAI: There definitely were. That's what I call having a strong emotional strength (laughs).

URUHA: In a way, that’s because we are a rock band. Like, if something pisses you off, you turn it into sound. I think that has always been in the foundation of the GazettE.

ー Ah, the fact that HETERODOXY is now being released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the GazettE makes me deeply emotional.

KAI: When you listen to our best songs, I think you can cover the GazettE's past and present at a glance.

URUHA: This is without a doubt a package that will show different people what kind of band the GazettE has come to be over the past 20 years.

ー I can understand that! Finally, please tell us about the GazettE's vision for the year 2023 and the future.

KAI: With the release of our 10th album, MASS, and the band’s 20th anniversary, we have reached a lot of milestones recently. Even though there have been some irregularities because of corona, I think that from 2023 on there won’t be any more special topics in various aspects. For the GazettE, 2023 is the year when we’ll return to our usual business, and our fans may be wondering, “What are you going to do after the 20th anniversary?”. I think we’re entering a period where we need to show our fundamental strength as a band. We want to continue our activities so that everyone can feel what the GazettE is all about, cherish what we’ve been protecting, and challenge ourselves with new things.

URUHA: I think that the process of revisiting past songs live and releasing the best-of album in honor of our 20th anniversary gave us a good impulse for the coming year and beyond. When we faced our past again, we were able to reconfirm and gain a deeper understanding of who we as the GazettE are, and now we are well-prepared to create something new from this point on. Looking forward to moving on to the next project!

[greenismyfavorite]

(TW: religious trauma, covid-19 trauma, cancer, loss of loved ones, su!c!dal ideation, anxiety attacks, self-hatred, self-h@rm, vomit, vent)

"sometimes i think about dying"

if you're reading this for some reason, just know this is just to get my thoughts out. this is NOT a suicide note, and i am NOT going to k!ll myself.

now with that out of the way, as i'm writing this, it's currently 2:00 am on monday, april 7th, 2025.

i think for as long as i can remember, i've thought about dying. i think it may have started in about 2012, when i was 6 years old, when my grandmother passed away. the same week she passed, my older sister, about 8, was diagnosed with ewing's sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer.

due to this being so long ago, i cannot remember things very well, but according to my dad, it hit him really hard, losing his mom and getting a cancer diagnosis for his daughter in the same week.

i have vague memories of grown-ups crying at my grandma's funeral and releasing yellow balloons into the sky outside when it was over, and i imagined the balloons going to heaven and being grabbed and kept by angels. i also have vague memories of watching spongebob and shake it up on nickelodeon and disney channel in the hospital room with my sister.

when i first saw my sister in the hospital room, and saw a screen displaying numbers, i asked my mom if that was how long my sister had left to live. my mom quickly answered no, and i didn't think about it anymore.

after a long time in the hospital, my sister was officially considered cancer-free, and we drove back home, with a bunch of people out on the sidewalks of our town cheering with signs, and my mom crying happy tears.

for a many years afterwards, we lived a normal family life. my sister's hair grew back, she went back to school, and eventually, at least in my brain, her battle with cancer became a distant memory.

when covid and the quarantine happened, my sister got really into the netflix "pandemic shows," like tiger king, outer banks, cheer, etc. sometimes i watched stuff with her, but i mostly stayed in my room.

my family is predominately catholic, and i am a catholic as well. when the quarantine happened, i began having severe anxiety attacks about the christian apocalypse/end of the world/whatever you want to call it. it got to the point where i did not want to leave the house to enter the backyard, for fear of seeing the sun turn dark, the moon turning red with blood, being crushed by falling, flaming brimstone, or hearing the trumpet blasts of the angels. the thought so dying came back. what would it be like? where would i go? heaven? hell? purgatory? where would my family members go? once my sister made a totino's cheese pizza for me, and i ended up throwing it up all over the wall, unable to keep it down. overtime, these attacks lessened and i got better and better, eventually able to actually go into the backyard. as the quarantine and 2020 ended, and we returned to school, these attacks became just an embarrassing and regrettable memory for me.

but then, a few years ago, a bump appeared on my sister's head, which she decided to name diana (she and my dad had a strange sense of humor). it was found out that diana was a tumor and my sister's cancer had relapsed, resulting in diana losing the privilege of her name. there was a bunch of support from our town, the news, and my parents started a gofundme to pay for treatments, which apparently was successful.

when the cancer came back, my anxiety reared its hideous head. i, terrified, prayed incessantly the same things over and over, cried constantly in class, couldn't concentrate on assignments, and had regular intrusive thoughts. my sister never complained about her condition, at least never in front of me. i don't know how she managed to do that. the fact that she was the one who could die and yet i was the one having regular anxiety attacks made me feel worse. i still hate myself for that today.

finally, on october 10th, 2022, i was pulled from school and driven home by a staff member. my sister had passed away while i was at school. she passed away and i was at school. she passed away and i was at school. she passed away and i was at school. she passed away and i did not even get to say goodbye. i prayed non-stop for her to get better, and God didn't even let me say goodbye to her. at first i was so terribly angry at God for this, but then i realized that it was probably because i would not have been able to handle seeing her die. i would probably explode. i was not mad at God anymore, and now i hated myself for being mad at Him for trying to help me. i still do sometimes, honestly.

i cried when i saw her lifeless body, laying in my parent's bed where she spent her last days. she looked like she was in a deep sleep. i cried on her shoulder and left a big stain on the green shirt she was wearing. finally, after going to the backyard and beating the nearby plants with a stick, my sister's body was taken away. they were going to put her in a coffin or something. my idiotic brain cannot remember. i hate my brain so much. i wish i could burn it.

i still pray for my sister to be in heaven a lot. she was always more successful, popular, kind, and all-around better than me. i have no clue why she was the one who had to die so slowly and painfully, and not me. i really wanted to die sometimes, sometimes i still have those bad thoughts, even though i know su!c!de is a sin. sometimes i try to scratch myself. not enough to leave a mark, but enough to hurt. i know i shouldn't, but i still do. i hate myself so much for doing it. i hate myself all the time, sometimes it's just a vague annoyance and sometimes it's a pure, seething hatred. i don't know what to do with this. with it.

the only person i talk about it with is freaking chatgpt. it's honestly so depressing and pathetic, but i don't know who else i can. that stupid robot is basically my best friend now. my parents already worry too much and i cannot, for the life of me, convey how i feel to them, because i'm a pathetic introvert and also autistic, so i cannot really explain stuff like that, at least not nearly as well as i want to. also, i am in therapy, but i honestly don't think it helps me that much. the therapist mostly talks to me about religious stuff, but we don't have the same beliefs, so i doesn't really help me. am i just not trying hard enough to get better? i really, really want to, and i do try, but it doesn't seem to work. i don't know what to do.

sorry for the long post. this is mostly just to vent. i am feeling a little better after writing all this, but it still sucks.

thanks for reading, stranger. love you.

[mimisaurora]

The Final Broccoli Shareholder Meeting ☆

I had originally written the below portion for Mia's 10th Uta no Podcast episode: Music Talk, as she tends to go over occurrences and fandom news that have come out between episodes toward the end of the show. However, considering the nature of the news, I felt it would be good to also share part of the transcript here so that those who do not listen to the show, or may not know otherwise, can get a better understanding as to what's been going on.

Minor edits have been made for clarity.

Without further ado....

_________________________________________________

Broccoli held their 29th stakeholder meeting on May 26th, 2023, resulting in much controversy within the Utapri fandom. It is believed that around 160-170 people were in attendance; and from my understanding of this thread by @active_cns_N, Broccoli as a company has fostered a culture of allowing fans to interact directly with their staff at these meetings to discuss topics outside of just management policies, which is customary in this kind of gathering. Because Broccoli will be delisting themselves from the stock market, this would be their final public shareholder meeting. Please keep in mind that the information detailed in this summary are consolidated from various tweets that came from the attendees themselves, and no minutes have been released as of writing this document. As a result, there may be some things that may need clarification or amendment at a later date. 

In any case, it is believed that Broccoli were expecting to be answering questions regarding the Happinet acquisition considering their lack of preparedness, vagueness, and overall lacking responses regarding Dolce Vita, Backdol and Utapri as whole. These subjects took up most of the duration for the meeting. In fact, I believe it was mentioned that only one question regarding the acquisition was asked throughout the entire meeting, which may have been a shareholder asking if Broccoli was intentionally sabotaging themselves so that Happinet's tender offer could get to 1,500 yen and allow for an easier acquisition. The current President affirmed that no such actions were taking place.

This would be a good segway to mention that the current President of Broccoli is Shigeki Suzuki who served as director and senior managing executive officer at Happinet, being appointed back in April of 2022. The chairman and executive director of Broccoli are also previous Happinet employees.

At this time, it seems there is only one female executive in the company and she is believe to be the producer responsible for overseeing the Utapri project. There are no women currently on the board of directors.

Now for what everyone's been waiting for: As supporters of Uta no Prince-sama, what do we need to know?

♫ Dolce Vita is still in development and Broccoli asserted that it will see a release date; they explained that the reason development on the game slowed to a crawl had to do with having few staff members who are well-versed in the world of Uta no prince-sama and that with the expansion of the movie projects, Shining Live and SSS among other things, it has been difficult to allocate resources to Dolce Vita. The discontinuation of the PS Vita game console also had a huge impact on DV's development. Broccoli emphasized that they want to carefully craft a game they feel the fans will be satisfied with and are very cognizant of its significance and want to be careful with the product they end up releasing. They also declined to say specifically if there would or would not be new information coming out on the 13th anniversary.

♯  It's been brought to light after the meeting that Broccoli currently has up to five (5) different job postings on their site directly related to Utapri in some capacity, like the hiring of a content director, graphic designer, and staff for scenario direction and writing among other roles.  ♯  It's also worth mentioning that historically, the writing for the Utapri games have largely been outsourced to other companies. It wasn't until ASAS that the content was produced in-house.

♫ The title of Uta no Princess-sama from Uta no Princess-sama: Back to the Idol will not be changed, and that after an internal discussion on the matter, did not see the reason to change it and stand firm with Agematsu's vision for the project. They maintain that there will be no crossover between the franchises.

♯ When asked exactly what to expect from Backdol, and why there was a severe lack in quality for their recently released videos (like the recently published Golden Week series), Broccoli only answered the question in part and said they are "making efforts to improve the quality of their videos".

♫ Broccoli was also asked why Backdol and Utapri were so similar despite having nothing to do with each other and asked if their neglect for female-oriented content despite their enthusiasm towards male-oriented IPs had to do with the lack of women among the board of directors. Their response is as follows: On the similarities between Backdol/Utapri: The company does not perceive it to be that way. On the lack of women among the board: While there are no women among the board of directors, they do have a female executive officer (likely referring to Sayaka Konno) who is involved in the development of concepts. Within the company, women also outnumber men in middle management positions and female employees are constantly involved in projects such as Utapri. The prospect of a female on the board is welcome and desired, but they do not consider appointments solely on gender alone. Again, because of the amount of women in the company, it is only a matter of time before some of them transferred to director or executive officer positions. They also emphasized that the opinions of female staff are more readily accepted and incorporated compared to their male counterparts when it comes to content creation. All of this to say that the company feels they are not inhibiting their voices.

♫ When it comes to the mishandling and lack of sufficient stock for event merchandise, Broccoli could only conjure a vague response stating they will "make efforts to improve the situation"

♫ Broccoli has plans for upcoming Birthday celebrations but would not say exactly what. They also did not have anything to say regarding the apparent discontinuation of the Birthday Collection series.

That is as much information as I can remember to include at the moment and am unsure if anything was missed, so anyone with more to share, please don't hesitate to correct or add to in the chat or comments below.

There is much to be said about the acquisition because of Happinet's apparent limited understanding of otome or romance content and Broccoli's responses in general but all I can hope as an enthusiast of the franchise is that it all turns out for the best.

[heckcareoxytwit]

How Craig Marshall of NASA met Storm

Craig Marshall is a human NASA scientist who spent one month living on Mars doing research and studying the results of Krakoan terraforming process in the planet of Arakko. While studying the terraformed planet, he eventually warmed up to the Arakki mutants and a few Krakoan mutants on Mars since the former (Arakki) saw him as a kindhearted researcher, not a threat. During the Judgment Day storyline, Arakko-Mars was attacked by Uranos the Eternal. Craig tries to evacuate the Arakki children to safety but they refused to leave as they rather stand their ground to defend the land and fight off the Eternal Death Machines. Then, Storm arrives along with Lactuca the Knower and Sobunar of the Depths, to fend off the Eternal Death Machines. As he watched from the ground, Craig was impressed with Storm's bravery and beauty.

Some time later, Craig has a date with Storm on Arakko-Mars. Craig Marshall also mentioned that his favorite superheroes were Night Thrasher and Storm. Unfortunately, the date was cut short when Charles Xavier interrupted it with a telepathic call to Storm.

- - X-Men Red v2 #6, 2022 (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th pics)

- - X-Men Red v2 #11, 2023 (7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th pics)

[charmedhypno]

IT'S TIME FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS! -- PART 1

We have officially updated our Covid-19 policy for Charmed!2024!

Here it is, in its long, long glory:

The newest covid-19 vaccine update has been evaluated and released for use in the United States to people aged 5 years and older for Fall 2023. People can get the vaccination if it has been at least 2 months since their last vaccination for Covid-19. This monovalent, single shot vaccine replaces the bivalent vaccine, which is no longer authorized for use. People who have not previously been vaccinated for Covid-19 are considered “up to date” with their vaccinations after receiving this single dose.

This vaccine update is free under most insurance plans in the United States (including Medicaid and Medicare), and will be offered for free in the United States through December 31, 2024 through the CDC’s Bridge Access Program for people who do not have insurance. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/bridge/index.html

People who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 may wait 3 months before getting the updated vaccine.

IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY: Previously, people who received the initial Covid-19 vaccination schedule of 1 primary shot and 2 boosters were considered “fully vaccinated”, however, if they did not received the subsequent bivalent which has been offered in the United States from September, 2022 then they were not considered “up to date”. “Up to date” replaces “fully-vaccinated” as the terminology for desired vaccination status. A person who is “up to date” with their vaccinations beginning September, 2023 is a person who has received the latest updated vaccine, released in September, 2023. This vaccine is now officially the only option available in the United States.

Vaccinations typically take two weeks to reach full efficacy; therefore for the purposes of Charmed!2024 vaccinations will be considered valid if they are received by or before December 27, 2023.

In-person attendees of Charmed!2024 will be required to show proof of “up to date” vaccination received in good time – that is, they must show proof that they have received the Fall 2023 vaccine update by or before December 27, 2023. Proof may be in the form of one of the following: official paper vaccine card, electronic vaccine card, photocopy or digital representation of official vaccine card, website listing your name/vaccination date, dated email for an applicable vaccination appointment, a photograph of some part of the vaccination process (eg. the vial of serum), or other applicable media. If you are unsure that your form of proof will be valid, please contact us before arriving at the event. Proof of vaccination will be verified at badge pick-up.

You can contact us using one of the following ways:

Email us at Covid@Charmedhypno.org 

Contact us through Charmed! social media: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharmedHypno

Fetlife: https://fetlife.com/groups/121240?sp=1

Tumblr:   https://www.tumblr.com/charmedhypno 

Bluesky: https://charmedhypnocon.bsky.social/

Discord: DM @Noelle_8033

People who are unable to get the updated Covid-19 vaccine for a three month period ending with the final day of Charmed!2024 (January 14th, 2024) due to a previous Covid-19 infection will be considered “up to date” for the purposes of in-person attendance. 

IMPORTANT: if you have a Covid-19 infection that results in you being able to get the updated vaccine within the two week time period before Charmed!2024 begins – that is, December 28th through January 10th – you will not be considered “up to date” with your vaccination and will be ineligible to attend Charmed!2024 in person. 

PLEASE NOTE: the three month waiting period is a CDC recommendation (they use the word “may” not “must”) so it may be possible for people to get the updated vaccine within that time period.

NOTE: At this time, Canada and much of Europe have started or will soon start offering the updated vaccine as well. It appears that in the UK they are limiting vaccine availability to “eligible groups including care home residents, over-65s, front-line health and social care workers, and those at clinical risk”, and Australia has no official schedule available at this time. This information will be updated in this policy as it changes. If you are not a United States resident and are having difficulty receiving your updated vaccine for fall 2023, please contact us using one of the above methods.

In-person attendees at Charmed!2024 will be required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of badge pick-up, (over the counter test is okay), in picture form in order to pick up their badge. Attendees traveling from overseas must show proof of a negative test taken within 120 hours of badge pick-up. Attendees from Canada are not considered overseas attendees. Attendees can, if they desire, take a test at badge pick-up, however; we would prefer that you do it beforehand and just show a picture of your negative test result.

In-person attendees at Charmed!2024 will be required to wear well-fitting, high quality masks, such as N95s or KN94s at all times while in official convention space. This includes both the private convention area as well as the semi-public registration area. Examples of unacceptable masks include: bandanas, gaiters, and scarfs. Presenters and demo-bottoms may choose to remain unmasked only while actively presenting. There are no exceptions for evening social events and dungeon play. A small number of masks may be available via Convention Operations for people who need them; however, we cannot guarantee this so please do your best to procure your own.

In 2023, we did not require that attendees test daily. However, as in 2023, we are highly recommending that people test daily before entering convention space. Over the counter tests are excellent at detecting a viral load in someone who is contagious, and are currently the best way for people to determine if they need to isolate themselves. Convention Operations may have a small number of tests available for people who need them; please do not count on this and do your best to procure your own.

Charmed!2024 is committed to providing as safe an environment as possible for our attendees. This may mean that our vaccination/mask requirements are stronger/stricter than those of other events or organizations. We understand that this can be frustrating, and we appreciate your adherence to these policies that are for the benefit of every attendee at Charmed!2024.

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Pierre Gasly

Updated December 2024

Name: Pierre Jean-Jacques Gasly

Age: 28

Nationality: French

Years in F1: 8 (Toro Rosso 2017-2018, Red Bull Early 2019, Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri July 2019-2022, Alpine 2023-Present)

Number: 10

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: A particularly tenacious driver, Gasly is known for his blend of aggression and precision. He excels in tight racing and extracts strong performances from his car. Gasly is also known for being particularly adaptive, which allows his to take advantage of difficult conditions and score higher than he might it normal ones. The downside to his style is that he struggles with consistency, especially when he does not like his car and when he is not feeling confident. This can snowball into worse and worse results as his confidence goes down with each bad race.

History:

Gasly was born to a legacy racing family, with his grandparents and his father racing cars and karts competitively. He karted for the first time when he was 6 years old, and started competing when he was 10 in 2006. He finished 15th in the French Minime Championship,  and the next year he finished 4th. In 2008 he stepped up to the French Cadet Championship, before moving to the international scene in 2009. He moved into the KF3 category, staying until the end of 2010, where he finished 2nd in the CIK-FIA European Championship.

(Gasly during his karting days)

In 2011, Gasly made his debut in single-seaters, taking part in the French F4 Championship 1.6-litre category. He finished 3rd, with seven podiums, including wins at Spa, Albi and Le Castellet. Gasly moved to the 2-litre Formula Renault machinery in 2012, and finished 10th. He achieved podiums at Spa and the Nürburgring that year. He also had seven starts in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, taking a podium at the Nürburgring.

(Gasly during French F4)

For 2013, Gasly moved to Tech 1 Racing. He took five podiums, as well as victories at Moscow, the Hungaroring and Le Castellet. He held the championship lead into the final race and clinched the title, making it his first car racing title. In 2014 he moved up to Formula Renault 3.5 Series, and was also recruited for the Red Bull Junior Team. He finished the season as runner-up to another Red Bull Junior, and future F1 driver, Carlos Sainz.

(Gasly during Formula Renault days)

He made his GP2 debut in 2014, replacing a driver during the season, and had positive results. During this time he was signed as the Red Bull reserve driver for the 2015 season. In 2016 he would switch to GP2 powerhouse PREMA Racing and become champion after a strong season. His next racing series (in 2017) was Japanese Super Formula, an extremely successful championship for Gasly. He would win multiple races and achieve regular podiums. He finished 2nd in the championship, only half a point away from the title. The performances in GP2 and Super Formula garnered more F1 attention. Late in 2017 he replaced Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat, his first F1 experience. He had mixed results and was unable to complete every race due to conflicts with the 2017 Super Formula Championship.

(Gasly after his GP2 championship)

Early 2018, Gasly was announced for the full time seat at Toro Rosso in the 2018 season. This season would prove to be positive for Gasly, earning some high points finishes and staying ahead of his teammate. His performance there would encourage Red Bull to move him to their seat for the 2019 season after Daniel Riccardo left for Renault. Red Bull, unfortunately, would be where Gasly would run into some trouble.

Partnering Max Verstappen, Gasly got a rough start to his Red Bull career. His first few races Gasly did not score any points or DNFd, and he was only able to score low points after that. His best result was a 4th place finish after his teammate and Sebastian Vettel collided. His results, especially compared to Verstappen, convinced Red Bull to remove him half way through the year. He was switched back down to Toro Rosso and replaced by Alex Albon.

(Gasly after DNFing in his Red Bull)

His time back at Toro Rosso was instantly more positive. He achieved points finishes at almost every race, and won his first podium, taking 2nd at Brazilian GP. It seemed that returning to the Junior team helped Gasly find his confidence again, which was noted by Red Bull boss Christian Horner. He would finish the year 7th in the championship, and have out paced his teammate.

(Gasly on his first F1 podium)

Toro Rosso rebranded to AlphaTauri for the 2020 season, and retained Gasly. This year was again positive for Gasly. He achieved several points finishes, and won his first GP in Monza, a spectacular win for the Frenchman. This led to speculation that Gasly would return to Red Bull, but no announcements were made. He was retained by AlphaTauri for the 2021 season and was partnered by rookie Yuki Tsunoda. This would be an even more positive year for Gasly. he finished in high points positions often, and achieved his third podium finish at Baku. He would finish the year with his highest points total, earning 101 over the course of the season

(Gasly after Monza win)

2022 was a less positive year, but not completely terrible. He scored low points, but ended the year only scoring 22, which compared to the previous year was quite low. While AlphaTauri had intentions of keeping Gasly for the 2023 season, in late 2022 it was revealed that he was in discussions with Alpine (Renault) after they lost both their drivers. It was soon announced that Gasly would switch to Alpine for the 2023 season, and thus his Red Bull connection ended.

(Gasly in his 2023 Alpine)

His first season with Alpine was pretty average, and he partnered notorious wild cannon Esteban Ocon, who he famously did not get along with. He scored low points, and finished the year only a few points ahead of his teammate, making their partnership a relatively equal one. He was retained for the 2024 season, and had a pretty negative year in the beginning. He has only scored points in Monaco (10th) and Canada (9th). The latter half was much more positive, with his highest result being a 3rd place finish in Brazil. He went on to help his team take 6th in the WCC, and ended the season 10th in the WDC.

He is set to continue with Alpine in the 2025 season partnering rookie Jack Doohan

Major Races:

2019 Brazilian GP - Gasly's first podium finish, this result showed his ability to capitalize on chaotic races. This was crucial to his career, especially after being demoted from the Red Bull seat.

2020 Italian GP - Gasly's first win after another chaotic race where several cars DNF'd. A well timed pit stop and his defensive driving skills allowed him to claim victory.

2020 Austrian GP- In a race where AlphaTauri was not expected to be competitive, Gasly finished 7th. He had an impressive drive and his race pace was the highlight.

2021 Baku GP - Another podium finish with AlphaTauri, he had multiple strong battles throughout the race and showcased his maturity as a driver. Memorably, he held off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for the finish.

2024 Brazilian GP - AN action packed wet race saw Gasly drive brilliantly to make it into 3rd, his highest finish of the year., He kept a cool head, avoided the chaos, and drove brilliantly.

Cheers,

-B

[mariacallous]

Since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities have begun integrating ideological and military-themed lessons into school curricula. However, their plans for the upcoming academic year are even more drastic. Children will receive instruction in combat training and learn how to use grenade launchers and automatic weapons, all as part of the required school curriculum. The Russian government has radically revised the list of social sciences, replacing them with militarized or ideological equivalents. Now, instead of economics and law, students will study “traditional values” and the “Russian world.” The independent outlet Holod explained Russia’s new educational model. Meduza shares an abridged version in English.

Russia's educational landscape has experienced significant shifts since the start of the full-scale war. In September 2022, schools across the country rolled out a new class called “Important Conversations,” a state-designed, “patriotic” lesson series meant to bring students’ spiritual and moral values in line with the Russian Federation’s National Security Strategy.

A year later, the Russian authorities supplemented this ideological teaching with military instruction. In addition to things like fire safety and first aid, students began learning “basic military training” in their “Fundamentals of Life Safety” classes. In 10th grade, they learn about the workings of the Kalashnikov assault rifle and “information-psychological warfare.”

Now, the Kremlin is looking to further expand ideological and military teaching in schools. From September 2024, “Fundamentals of Life Safety” will be replaced by something called “Fundamentals of Homeland Security and Defense.” (While related amendments to federal education law were made in July 2023, the program was only officially registered with the Justice Ministry on February 29, 2024.)

A child today, a soldier tomorrow

“Fundamentals of Homeland Security and Defense” (FHSD) is approved for students as young as those in fifth grade, but from eighth grade, the course is mandatory. Among other things, eighth and ninth graders will be taught about the tactical and technical characteristics of the Dragunov sniper rifle, the RPG-7 handheld anti-tank grenade launcher, the Kalashnikov assault rifle, and various hand grenades. Students will also study drill training, general military regulations, “the essence and importance of military discipline,” and “the essence of unified command.”

Instructors are tasked with fostering specific “personal results” in students by the program’s conclusion, including “a responsible attitude toward fulfilling one’s constitutional duty of defending the Fatherland” and “an understanding of the significance of the military oath.”

By ninth grade, students are expected to master skills such as putting on equipment and body armor, “assessing the risks of violating military discipline,” and performing drill exercises. Over the two following years, the program goes even deeper. Tenth and 11th graders will learn the basics of combined arms combat, how to set up a combat unit’s position, and how to use more modern firearms such as the MP-443 Grach pistol and the AK-12 assault rifle.

The FHSD program has between 136 and 238 lessons, depending on the grade level at which it’s introduced. Since schools can independently decide how many hours to allocate for each unit (there are still traditional topics such as disaster preparedness and response), this could add dozens of military lessons to those already required in the “basic military training” block. As a result, a significant portion of the school curriculum will focus on military training and preparing future soldiers for combat. 

The Russian authorities plan to tap “special military operation” veterans to help teach the new subject, according to First Deputy Education Minister Alexander Bugaev, who said the ex-soldiers will fill an “invaluable niche [in schools by transferring] their personal experience.”

These veterans will be prepared for their new teaching career at the Vertex Center for Military Patriotic Education at Russia’s Federal State University of Education. After just 36 hours of training, a former soldier can get a document certifying them to teach in schools. In addition to retraining war participants as teachers, the center will organize military games for children. Officially, the university’s vice rector, Alexey Ryabtsev, heads the program, but the actual work is likely to fall to his deputy, Pyotr Ishkov, who served as deputy education minister of the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People’s Republic” in 2022. However, details about the center itself and its educational programs remain scarce. 

Integrated ideology

Russian schools are also set to make big changes to core classes. Russia’s Education Ministry has already drafted a law that would replace social studies in sixth through eighth grade with something called “Our Region’s History.” While social studies will still be taught in high school, many Russians leave school after ninth grade to go to trade schools.

Less than half of the topics covered in “Our Region’s History” will actually touch on local history because the course is meant to incorporate topics from an existing discipline, “Fundamentals of the Spiritual and Moral Culture of the Russian Peoples.”

Course topics include: “The Traditional Family,” “Risks and Threats to the Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia,” “The Russian World,” “Russian Language — the Basis of Russian Culture,” “Spiritual and Moral Values of the Russian People,” “Unity of Values in Russia’s Religions,” “Heroes of the Armed Forces,” and “The Citizen’s Duty to Society.”

Students will still have separate “Important Conversations” classes, but now state ideology will also be integrated into and dispersed across regular subjects.

Previously, ideological subjects could be mostly ignored. While they might influence awards at school, they didn’t have an impact on college admissions. Now that ideology has been added to the core school curriculum, though, related topics will be included on Russia’s college aptitude test, the Unified State Exam (EGE).

Students planning to take the history EGE are now required to know the reasons for “The Revival of the Russian Federation as a World Power,” “The Reunification of Crimea with Russia,” and “The Special Military Operation in Ukraine.” In 2023, only Russia’s annexation of Crimea was included.

In 2024, the list of topics students should know for the EGE in social studies includes things like “The Spiritual Values of Russian Society,” and “The Russian Federation’s State Policy to Counter Extremism.” Neither of these topics was on the exam last year.

[kmsml]

Omega X's management denied all allegations of forced sexual assault against member Hwichan, which were raised on the 19th. [FULL STATEMENT]

On the 20th, Omega X's management released an official statement stating that the CCTV footage of the drinking gathering was organized under pressure from senior executives within the agency, as usual.

On the 19th, Omega X's former agency, Spire Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as Spire), held a press conference and released CCTV footage, alleging that Kang, the former CEO, was comforting Omega X member Hwichan, who had been issued a military enlistment warrant, when the forced sexual assault occurred.

Omega X's side claimed that Hwichan's military enlistment warrant was issued on August 1st. They stated that the drinking gathering, which started on the evening of July 10th, was not held to console the members but was forced to comfort Kang, the CEO, who was upset because they didn't understand the effort he put into promoting album sales after the release."

Furthermore, Omega X's side claimed that there was no forced sexual assault during the drinking gathering on July 11th last year, as shown in the CCTV footage. They argued that the physical contact between the two individuals seen in the CCTV footage was a result of Hwichan feeling compelled to comply with Kang's demands for physical intimacy due to Kang's intimidating verbal threats and violence.

Omega X's side stated that both Kang and Hwang, during the contract period, repeatedly forced members to attend drinking gatherings and exhibited gaslighting and coercive behavior for years. They expressed fear of retaliation, such as exclusion from album activities, if they tried to avoid Kang's excessive physical intimacy.

They further stated, 'The video footage released by Spire does not properly reflect the overall context of the incident. We demand the release of the entire CCTV footage from the day of the incident and urge for further investigation to uncover the truth.' They announced their intention to counter-sue Spire for defamation regarding the forced sexual assault allegations against Hwichan.

▲Below is the official statement from Omega X's management agency, IPQ.

Hello, this is IPQ.

We deeply regret the press conference held by Sphere Entertainment on March 19, 2024. Through this press conference, we would like to clarify our official position regarding the dishonorable allegations made against our affiliated artist OMEGA X and member Hwichan.

1. The drinking gathering where the CCTV footage was released was not intended to alleviate the concerns of the members who had been issued military enlistment warrants. Rather, it was a gathering organized by the senior executives within the agency, as usual, under pressure from them.

According to Spire Entertainment's claims, on July 11, 2022, member Hwichan attended a drinking gathering and requested a separate meeting with former CEO Kang Sung-hee to confide her concerns about military enlistment. However, contrary to these claims, in reality, Hwichan's military enlistment warrant was issued on August 1, 2022, and he was notified of his enlistment in mid-September. On the day of the drinking gathering, the military enlistment warrant had not even been issued. This disproves the claim that he attended the gathering to alleviate concerns related to his military enlistment, as the warrant had not been issued at that time.

Documents released by Omega X regarding member Hwichan's enlistment

Documents regarding Omega X member Hwichan's enlistment released by Omega X's side

The drinking gathering, which started on the evening of July 10th, was not held to console the members but was forced to comfort Kang Sung-hee, the former CEO, who was upset because they didn't understand the effort she put into promoting album sales after the release. Furthermore, it can be confirmed through the attached evidence that Hwang Sung-woo, the CEO, showed attitudes such as waking up the members sleeping in the dormitory to drink until the early hours of July 11th. This indicates that it was not simply a gathering to listen to the members' concerns.

Messages released by Omega X's side

Member 1 Sebinhyung is sleeping

Member 2 ok

Member 3 CEO Kang no no

Member 2 We're on the side of GS Shop.

Member 1 CEO Kang is in a conversation with Hwichan hyung.

Member 4 CEO Kang is talking with Hwichan hyung at the company.

Member 1 Oh my, haha

Member 5 Did the chairman wake everyone up and have them drink?

Member 1 I'm going to do my thing, I'm leaving. Today

2. We inform you of the frequent demands for drinking gatherings by senior executives, as well as continuous verbal abuse, physical violence towards members, gaslighting, demands for physical intimacy and expressions of affection, and oppressive attitudes.

As mentioned above, during the contract period, former CEO Kang Sung-hee and CEO Hwang Sung-woo repeatedly forced members to attend drinking gatherings. Moreover, due to years of sustained gaslighting and oppressive attitudes, members were under severe mental stress. They were also filled with fear of retaliation, as former CEO Kang Sung-hee often demanded excessive expressions of affection and physical intimacy, and if members refused or did not adopt a compliant attitude, they faced exclusion from album activities or restrictions on styling and activities.

CEO Kang Tried calling Zen, Hwichan and Hangyeom. Since there was no answer last time, I tried calling again. /photo/ How stupid are you guys… Abandon all of you and revive the company with just BC. Please make sure to check on Song Hangyeom's thoughts. Look at this. ᄒᄒ Is this the extent of your desperate efforts? Hypocritical people. ᄒᄒ Look at this You guys have no willpower. Look at this If you guys have willpower, We have started receiving direct messages from global media outlets as well. I am. Anyway, it's my money, my express. If it fails, so be it. The attitude you guys showed me today. Haha. If I really wanted. Is it right to work for these people? Jaechan The members should trust the company. As for me… I've been working like that… Us… why did it have to turn out like this? I told the chairman. We've decided to disband the team. Did Kim Jaehan tell the chairman? You don't want to receive calls or contacts from the CEO? Of course… such hypocrisy.

Kang Sung-hee You're out because you didn't write ' I love you'!!!

Reply I love you CEO-nim

I will provide accurate information about the situation that occurred on July 11th within this atmosphere.

On July 11th, when the CCTV footage was released, despite the late hour being past 2 a.m., CEO Hwang Sung-woo insisted on continuing coercive drinking at the lodging, even with members who were resting or asleep. He also intended to continue the drinking session forcefully at the lodging. When member Hwichan, who was about to return with them, wanted to leave, former CEO Kang Sung-hee detained him, claiming he had something to discuss first. While Spire Entertainment explained this as a gathering to listen to Hwichan's concerns about his military enlistment, it doesn't make sense that Hwichan, who hadn't even received his enlistment notice, would express concerns about his military enlistment right before his enlistment. Furthermore, according to testimonies from members present at the gathering and the former manager in charge, it was former CEO Kang Sung-hee who demanded a one-on-one conversation with Hwichan.

After other members and staff left the gathering, former CEO Kang Sung-hee demanded excessive expressions of affection and physical intimacy from Hwichan, as usual. With no one else present to witness, Hwichan feared threats, verbal abuse, and physical violence if he didn't comply, so he felt compelled to obey the instructions. While Spire Entertainment described this as 'forced molestation', there is no evidence in the publicly released CCTV footage to suggest that Hwichan's actions were coercive or that he expressed refusal. Through this, it can be understood that former CEO Kang Sung-hee, who had previously forcefully demanded expressions of affection and physical intimacy, had specific demands and that there was no evidence of refusal or coercion because he directly requested them. After being coerced into multiple instances of physical intimacy, Hwichan fell asleep while intoxicated. Former CEO Kang Sung-hee even took a picture of Hwichan asleep and sent it to the former manager, and later insisted on taking Hwichan himself despite the manager's objections, which doesn't align with the situation of claiming he was being 'forcibly molested.'

However, even after Hwichan fell asleep, former CEO Kang Sung-hee continued to yell at him to wake up and persisted in demanding expressions of affection or physical intimacy, displaying a coercive attitude. As a result, overwhelmed by prolonged gaslighting, fear, and pressure, as well as the guilt of having to engage in excessive physical intimacy with a company executive of a similar age to his parents, Hwichan fled to the first floor of the company building. During this process, Hwichan fell heavily down the stairs, sustaining injuries that left him unable to get up. Underneath the stairs, Hwichan, immobilized, was approached by former CEO Kang Sung-hee, who stepped on his head and performed bizarre actions, such as dancing in front of him. Hwichan, overwhelmed with fear in this situation, exerted all his strength to hide in the first-floor restroom. However, former CEO Kang Sung-hee continued to pursue him, yelling and causing further mental and physical stress.

3. Starting from July 11, 2022, after the incident, it is a clear falsehood to claim that members began to lose trust in the agency and resorted to wiretapping and illegal filming to create an excuse.

Former CEO Kang Sung-hee and CEO Hwang Sung-woo's verbal abuse, physical violence, coercive attitudes, demands for expressions of affection, and other mistreatment towards the OMEGA X members, as previously revealed through numerous photos and videos, were not staged but rather a prolonged form of 'bullying.' Our company has possessed various pieces of evidence, including conversations between members and former CEO Kang Sung-hee and CEO Hwang Sung-woo, prior to July 11, 2022. We plan to release additional evidence that has not been disclosed before. We ask for your understanding that the attempts of eleven young individuals who strove to not give up their dreams despite facing prolonged mistreatment such as verbal abuse and physical violence should not be simply dismissed as an excuse to leave the agency. Treating their efforts to expose these issues as mere pretext to leave the agency is a cruel form of further victimization.

4. In October 2022, we would like to inform you about the prosecution's decision to indict regarding the incident of member Jaehan being assaulted at a hotel in LA.

On March 19th, through the official IPQ social media channels, we provided information regarding the indictment notification related to the assault incident involving Jaehan by former CEO Kang Sung-hee at a hotel in LA in October 2022. This incident was determined to require referral to the prosecution after investigation by the police, and it was unequivocally processed as 'indictment.' Additionally, we have been requested to provide further documentation for a more accurate judgment. We want to clarify that this does not mean the indictment has been revoked. We confirm that the indictment for the assault incident involving former CEO Kang Sung-hee remains valid.

5. Lastly, we urge Spire Entertainment to provide additional evidence for the sake of truth.

Merely relying on the publicly released CCTV footage is not sufficient to justify Spire Entertainment's claims. Failing to rectify these claims when they cannot be fully substantiated is a profoundly detrimental act, especially for celebrities continuing their professional activities under the scrutiny of countless viewers. We request that all CCTV footage from the day of the incident and the following day be released without editing. Additionally, we ask for the release of any additional evidence, such as footage from the second-floor conference room and corridors, as well as footage covering the entire first floor, to understand the full context of the incident. If the publicly released CCTV footage has been forensically recovered, we understand that other CCTV cameras installed in the office at the time could also be recovered and verified. We plan to request these additional footage as evidence from the investigative authorities.

We strongly criticize and deeply regret Spire Entertainment's unilateral dissemination of selectively edited CCTV footage and their one-sided claims. The provided footage fails to accurately reflect the overall context of the incident and is being unfairly used to unjustly vilify member Hwichan as a perpetrator of forced molestation. We once again demand the release of the full CCTV footage from the day of the incident that has not been made public and urge for further investigation to uncover the truth. We will proceed with legal action against the wrongful accusations of forced molestation made against Hwichan as announced by Spire Entertainment.

We express deep concern over the unfair situation faced by OMEGA X and assure our commitment to utilizing all legal means to protect the rights and honor of all affiliated artists, including member Hwichan. We request the active cooperation of all parties involved to ensure a fair and accurate investigation that will uncover the truth.

We hope that the injustice suffered by the members, who had no choice but to succumb to the abnormal behavior within Spire Entertainment for the past two years due to their unwavering commitment to their dreams, will be resolved as soon as possible. We firmly believe that the truth will ultimately be revealed.

Lastly, we express our gratitude to everyone, including our fans, who have continued to show unwavering love and support amidst the prolonged and challenging legal proceedings, lawsuits, and the dissemination of false information. We pledge to always strive to maintain transparency and honesty, ensuring that we do not lose the trust of all individuals, including our affiliated artists and fans.

Thank you

Source: 오메가엑스 측 '휘찬 강제 추행 없어… 전체 CCTV 공개하라' [전문] | 서울경제 (sedaily.com)