#annual drama recap
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year-end sugar rush round up 🍭
it’s time for the last round up of 2023. we have made it through another year filled with clownery and love for the boys! as per my tradition in posting year end candy recaps, i am releasing early 31st cause i am gonna be busy with nye shows. i hope you enjoy looking through all the happiness the final month gave us. have a great new year’s eve everyone!!!
if you wanna look through the past months or year/s then go to this link. 🔗
i’m adding a little exercise to this post tho and ask you, what are your top 5 cpns of the year? please comment or reblog with your answers!
• The tattoo rumor resurfaces ( new clue? )
• Bowing to the crowd as thank you
• 13 fake rumors - from the vault
• potential wedding photoshoot and “superman can’t fly”
• not really cpn but a media account on tiktok posted a video of xz’s appearance in MBS. they used the tags related to xiao zhan for more views, but they included one that has wang yibo’s name on it. 😂 i know that they might have just chosen an already existing tag with xz and wyb name on it and forgot to edit it. but it’s still a funny incident.
• 12/3 ZSWW Fake Rumor ( pre singapore timeline )
• 12/4 fake story contribution ( wolf mates for life )
• Washing candies only make it sweeter
• An example of bjyx being an open secret ( sort of )
photos were going around of a yibo vcr played in a chanel annual meeting in china. we were all happy to see wyb lookin so good and fresh faced, but what we noticed is his top.
the style of top he was wearing (p1) is very similar to that of GG’s (p2) at the airport when he was flying back to Beijing. it’s probably because the weather is getting colder so they wear this instead of their usual esspensive t-shirts?
the point is it’s kind of like the same-style in a close timeframe from each other. so it seems like their tastes in casual clothes are still very close.
• 12/7/23 Candies ( GQ MOTY + XZS Singapore vlog)
• The GQ MOTY hat was a gift from XZ 🤍 // Part two : I have to say that this has become a favorite one among cpns and has become notorious since so/os from both sides are trying so desperately to wash it. those on xz’s side using rocco’s 227 kadian to dispute everything even if it was their fault they were called out while xz was busy working his ass of shooting LOCH. this is just a reminder that the celebrity is not equal to their fans. whatever drama both sides do to each other, has nothing to do with us and does not reflect the boy’s relationship. 🤍
• Coffee from Singapore CPN ☕️
• All the things that happened Monday Morning of 12/11 which includes the magazine covers, pants, xz going online for a moment etc.
• xiao zhan’s snowman ⛄️
• The fact that WYB was wearing the bone necklace tho hidden during his BAZAAR photoshoot. The ones in focus were of course Chanel, but those who pay attention will see it. A proof of how special it is. Imagine WYB being bare faced and only had stuff that he actually needs, and he decided to keep the necklace on.
• Not exactly CPN but more of a similarity i love to see. cause Shandong Satellite TV decided to air BAH right after SBMS! We love to see their works not only be shown in online platforms, but also in satellite TV stations.
• Candy Throwback : Alexander Mcqueen shoes, Nike off white & WYB’s missing mole
• 12/15 double attack of stock photos from XZS and YBO. The black and white theme! Anytime these two decide to give us some update is a happy day!
• Du Hua describes WYB’s looks as that of a rabbit
• Tencent Video All Star Night CPNs 💛
• 12/19 they both went back to Beijing. ZZ was in Shanghai to film and WYB also filmed CCTV stage. The thing is WYB started filming at 2:00 AM and then he was back at the airport to leave at 10:00 AM. They both arrived to BJ so close to each other. CPN is they tried really hard to be back home & be together that day ♥️
• throwback cpn : wyb prepares xz’s room in hengdian (2021)
• their studios posting so close together for winter solstice! tho wyb’s is a preview for his new single, ybo still greeted people.
• Winter solstice CPNs ( WYB’s song preview and GG’s photoset )
• Clowning about a possible secret message from a 9key code
• “Everything is lovely” similarity from xzs caption and yibo’s new single and more clues like a possible connection to an lrlg post & what looks like a rabbit and character for ox.
• black and yellow similarity!
• 12/26 WYB EP cpn post ( teaser lyrics )
• FAE : Free and Easy sweater
• Same style of editing between XZS and YBO who we all know are dating ☺️☺️☺️
• 12/28 candies
• Marie Claire x Xiao Zhan issue 🍭🍬
• Yibo’s new singles : Bystander & Everything is Lovely
• LRLG 12/30 translation and short commentaries
• LRLG responding to cpf comments
• Wang Wang Xianbei 😂😂😂😂
• Similar clothes and Participating in the same single for a nye song
That’s all for now, See you next year!!!! ❤️💛💚
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QUEEN'S NEW YEAR ADDRESS LAUDED FOR BEING LIGHTHEARTED AND HOPEFUL
Her Majesty, as is tradition, delivered her annual televised speech earlier today.
The address, also known as The Queen's Speech, often serves as a recap of the past year. It's also where Her Majesty shares her hopes and intentions for the coming months.
This year's address in particular was lauded by royal watchers for its lighthearted and hopeful nature. Her Majesty, despite local turmoils and international conflicts (especially in neighbouring Rennaux), urged everyone to go back to the basics, specifically, to recognise the importance of family.
(Above: HM's family-centric speech went perfectly well with her desk's chosen decor: family photos taken through the years. Ibrahim and Eleanore even get a frame of their own this time around!)
Royal experts claim that the calm and positive tone of Her Majesty's speech has a lot to do with how the Royal Family stands now. One expert suggests:
"The Queen and Prince Jacques are very happy with how things seem to be healing within their family. Although Anya and Eleanore's relationship remains icy at best, at least Anya has been a lot more civil as of late, despite her refusal to reconcile. But sisterly drama aside, the Queen has a lot to be thankful for:
Anya continues to be one of Brindleton's best assets and is a brilliant future Queen; 'Problem Child' Eleanore seems to have really grown up; Alistair is thriving, especially with his work with the military; and the twins have shown themselves to be capable and dependable senior members of the Royal Family. The Queen's relationship with her loyal and loving husband seems to be getting stronger by the minute. And of course, with the arrival of little Lady Ella, both HM and Prince Jacques finally have a grandchild to dote on. Life is, indeed, good for our Royals."
(Above: For her big televised speech, HM looked beautiful in a blue-and-white blouse, which she paired with diamond and sapphire jewels.)
It looks as though our royals really did have a grand time during the holidays! Here's hoping The Queen and her family are able to keep the peace and happiness they've had last year!
Happy new year!
#ts4#theroyalsims#ts4 simblr#simblr#ts4 royals#ts4 royalty#ts4 royal family#ts4 royal legacy#ts4 royal story#mystory#emilia
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A Search for Balance
CHAPTER 41 : SKYE'S SURPRISE
Find the masterlist with all chapters of this story here, the previous chapter here, and the next one here.
FROM THE QUIDDITCH PITCH INTO THE WORLD CUP STANDS
Rita Skeeter recaps the breathtaking season finale of 1993/94 and talks World Cup rumours, favourites and broomstick lengths of the world’s finest Quidditch players.
The dust has only just settled on the Montrose Magpies’ championship win, but already, the eyes of Quidditch fans all around the world have turned to Dartmoor, where the national teams participating in the 422nd World Cup are gearing up for the preliminary rounds (read about tournament placements ranked by looks in collaboration with Witch Weekly on page 37).
The pitch of the newly built Trillenium Stadium won’t be the only place to watch, however. The list of illustrious guests expected to attend is long, including a plethora of Ministry associates, social butterflies, and League players who didn’t make their national rosters (stay informed by subscribing to the Daily Prophet’s immediate World Cup news service, more information on page 40).
Will former Wanderers star Elizabeth Jameson - last season’s biggest guarantor of drama - show her face in Dartmoor, too? Is her sudden absence from the limelight due to her crushing shame at sacrificing her integrity on the altar of success? Or was her failed shot that cost the Wanderers the championship just a pathetic pass rather than cold calculation? Have the Magpies truly gained an asset in her, or will she turn out to be nothing but a bad egg in Montrose’s nest?
The summer break was well underway, and the impending start of the Quidditch World Cup all magical Great Britain seemed to talk about. For once, Lizzie didn’t have a mind to join in the excitement. While her friends and teammates were gearing up to either play or watch the tournament, she had used her time to pack up her old life in Wigtown and settle into her new one in Montrose.
Most of her new colleagues were away for their annual leave, but those who’d stayed, Lizzie had joined in a couple of casual practice sessions already. The Magpies were a good team, the mood between the players great, but somehow, Lizzie struggled to connect with them.
Having to say goodbye to Skye and the rest of the Wanderers had been tough, worse even than she had imagined. She did well enough during the days, but the nights were a different matter altogether. When she lay in bed, moonlight filtering through her window and Mouse warm against her stomach, the thoughts of Orion refused to be kept at bay any longer.
They hadn’t bothered with a big goodbye. Both of them had known what lay ahead when Skye had escorted them from the stands and back to the changing rooms, and putting it into words would have hurt more than necessary. When the party had begun to dwindle out, Orion had simply slipped away, a slight incline of his head and a smile on his lips as he stood in the doorway.
Lizzie was glad they hadn’t drawn it out, but the moment he’d turned away, a door inside her had fallen shut, which she had tried to keep closed ever since. In the first few weeks after her departure, they had exchanged a couple of letters but had eventually stopped. There were too many unsaid things between them, too many regrets and could-have-beens.
It was early August, and shaping up to be another beautiful summer day. Lizzie had stayed up late tending to her broomstick and gear, so when a rigorous knocking sounded on her front door shortly after sunrise, she almost fell out of bed in her hurry to answer it. Stifling a yawn, she blinked into the morning sun as she opened the door. All at once, her tiredness was blown away.
“Morning, Jameson.”
“Skye?” Lizzie said in astonishment. “What are you doing here?”
Skye’s grin was as wide as Lizzie’s eyes. “Dragging you from bed, it seems.” Her eyebrows rose curiously. “Eager, are we? Wearing your jersey already?”
“I’m not,” Lizzie replied curtly, pulling her dressing gown tighter over the old Magpies jersey she had taken from her keepsake box. Thankfully, Skye didn’t push the topic further.
“So, how is it? Tough business, being a Quidditch champion?”
“Not if you’ve seen one of your dad’s boot camps.” Lizzie stepped aside to let Skye inside. “Speaking of it, isn’t that about to start soon?”
“Got postponed until after the World Cup.” Skye cast a curious look around Lizzie’s new home. “Not bad, I gotta say. For Montrose, that is.”
“I like it,” Lizzie shrugged as she made her way into the kitchen. “The company’s not quite as illustrious, but the quiet is divine.”
“You can just admit you miss me.” Skye must have seen the look on Lizzie’s face because her teasing grin disappeared. She sighed. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. It was a joke, wasn’t it?”
Lizzie only hummed in response. A thought striking her, she paused, her spoon loaded with sugar still hovering over the cup of coffee she had been preparing.
“I never gave you my address. How did you even find me?”
Skye scratched her nose. “McNully gave it to me.”
“What are you writing to Murphy for?”
“Stuff,” Skye shrugged, taking the two cups and a bottle of orange juice from the counter and carrying them to the table. Pulling a chair out for herself, she nearly dropped everything when Mouse came into view, hissing loudly before scurrying away into another room.
“Miss you too, you fleabag,” Skye muttered, sitting down on Mouse’s chair. She waited until Lizzie had joined her before she spoke again. “How’s your first few weeks here been? No one’s heard much from you.”
“I’ve kept busy,” Lizzie mumbled, rubbing her thumb over a crack in her old Hufflepuff mug. “Settling in, and all.”
“Sure thing,” Skye said and raised her eyebrows. “So busy you didn’t even have time to write? Not even to Orion?”
Lizzie stiffened. “That’s different.”
“Is it?”
“We decided to just leave it be. It’s hurting enough without us picking at the wound, too.” She was silent momentarily, fiddling with the ends of her plait. Then, she asked quietly, “How is he?”
“Not good,” Skye said grimly. “Turned even more broody and cryptic than usual, and that’s saying something. He’s at McNully’s for the season break, maybe the blathering will cheer him up a bit.” She gave Lizzie an innocent look. “Wouldn’t hurt to pay them a visit, I’d wager.”
Immediately, Lizzie shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
“Why? Bet my new Comet Orion would be happy to see you. And it ain’t like anyone would tell.”
“Tell what? Forget it, Skye. I’m a Magpie now, and he’s a Wanderer. It is what it is.”
“But -”
“Let it be. Please.”
Awkward silence filled the kitchen. Skye’s eyes trailed to the window, her face lighting up upon spotting a brown owl sitting on the window sill.
“Looks like your post is here.”
Letting the owl inside, she dropped the coins Lizzie handed her into the pouch on its leg and received the rolled-up newspaper in turn. Not bothering with giving it to Lizzie first, she was already rustling through the Daily Prophet’s pages as she returned to her seat.
“Rita Skeeter’s spouting her nonsense again. Thank Godric she’s going back to her gossip once the World Cup’s over.”
Lizzie grimaced. “What’s she writing this time?”
“The usual bollocks about the latest conspiracy theories, why the last preliminary game was definitely rigged, why Bulgaria’s Seeker is a hottie…”
She snorted, making Lizzie giggle.
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, she did another section on…” Skye abruptly closed the newspaper. “Nevermind.”
“What? Let me see.”
“It’s just nonsense,” Skye said quickly, holding the Prophet out of Lizzie’s reach.
Lizzie arched her eyebrows. “Skye? What is it?”
“Told you, nothing.”
Staring at each other, Lizzie reached for the Prophet again, Skye trying to keep her away from it all the while. They grappled shortly before Lizzie managed to wind the sport’s section from Skye’s hands. Her feeling of triumph faded as she read through the article.
“She can’t be serious,” she whispered. “She can’t really think I missed that shot on purpose, can she?”
“No one thinks that,” Skye said hurriedly.
“I’d never,” Lizzie shook her head, pacing up and down the kitchen. “I misjudged my throw. It happens. It could have happened against the Cannons just the same.”
“Hardly,” Skye muttered, but Lizzie paid her no mind.
“She only says that because the story about me and Matthew blew up in her face. Does she even know what she’s doing there? What if anyone believes her?”
“Jumping Jarveys, Jameson!” Skye almost shouted to be heard over Lizzie’s increasingly agitated muttering. “Hold your Hippogriffs, will you? No one believes that Skeeter witch.”
Lizzie sniffed. “Are you sure?”
“Sure as a Quaffle’s red. And even if someone did, who cares? The team knows the truth, and they’d tell it to anyone who’s doubting you.”
“Even now that I’ve left?”
“Especially now that you’ve left.” She elbowed Lizzie in the side. “Once a Wanderer, always a Wanderer… That’s what the team is about.”
“Thank you,” Lizzie smiled weakly. Pulling herself together, she asked, “How’s the team, anyway? Has your dad recovered from being runner-up two years in a row?”
Skye snorted. “If you knew what he has in store for next season… not like I’m gonna tell you, of course.”
“Of course.”
“But we’re in for some serious work. Gotta suss out the new dynamic now that you’re gone. We’re not yet sure who’s gonna replace you for good, but so far, Yarwood’s been doing quite well.”
Lizzie had expected as much. She had thought she���d feel bitter about it but was surprised to find she didn’t.
“Good for her. Morgaine deserves a shot at being a regular.”
Skye made a derisive noise. “Not sure I’m as chuffed for her as you are.”
With wide eyes, Lizzie listened to Skye’s recount of how Morgaine had approached her before their first practice after the final. How she had admitted that Matthew had played on her frustration at constantly standing in Lizzie’s shadow, and how he had, bit by bit, made her believe that, if Ethan was too blind to recognise Morgaine’s talent, she would have to make him see sense another way.
“She took your necklace from your bag the day you wanted to break up with McRae and then watched us tear each other apart,” Skye said glumly. “Couldn’t believe it when she told me. Lucky for her, Tweed and Docherty weren’t there to give me their bats.”
Lizzie shook her head. “I would have thought a lot of her, but never that.”
“No, me neither. Gave her a good earful about it, and I think she came around. I won’t have no traitors on my team.”
“Did you tell your dad about it?”
“No. Yarwood messed up alright, but at least she had the guts to tell me. In a way, she got played by McRae just the same as we.”
“She wasn’t the first to fall for Matthew’s tricks. Sadly, I don’t think she’ll be the last one, either.”
Skye looked revulsed at the sheer thought of Matthew. “Have you ever heard from him again?”
“No, he has wreaked enough havoc in my life.” Lizzie sighed. “The only downside is the World Cup. He’d gotten us tickets, but I can obviously write those off now.”
Much to Lizzie’s surprise, Skye’s mouth curved into a smirk. “About that…”
She reached into her rucksack and produced a large scroll of parchment, which she tossed to Lizzie. When Lizzie saw what it contained, her eyes widened.
“Where did you get this?” she almost squealed. “The World Cup final has been sold out for months!”
“I’m a Parkin, am I not?” Skye grinned. “If we want Quidditch tickets, we get them. Jokes aside, Lewis was going to bring his girlfriend, but she ditched him a little while ago, so I asked him if I could get her ticket for you. Can’t let you miss the World Cup, can I?”
“I don’t even know what to say. Thank you so much!”
“Don’t go all mushy on me, it’s a win-win for us both. Never liked Lewis’ girlfriend anyway. She was a Falcons fan, can you imagine?”
Lizzie stifled a giggle. “What was Lewis thinking?”
“My words exactly.” Skye leaned forward, excitement flashing in her eyes. “Wait and see, Jameson. This final is gonna be one for the ages.”
#hphm#hogwarts mystery#harry potter hogwarts mystery#quidditch#orion amari#orion amari x mc#lizzie jameson#skye parkin#balance series#search for balance#sfb
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and i took that personally.
I actually was going to use this headline for 2022, but (Taylor’s Version) seemed a better fit at the time, and looking back on ’23, well, I really did take this year personally.
One charge I am not beating is that I quote The Tempest every time I write about the ups and downs of aging: “Nothing ... doth fade, / But doth suffer a sea-change / Into something rich and strange.” However I’ve yet to find something that captures how bizarre life is better than the phrase “rich and strange.” This year was certainly no different. If you couldn’t tell from the abstruse posts about feeling insecure online, I definitely Went Through It (or at least lower case went through it, lest I be too overly dramatic here) with a strange friendship with a semi-notable person this year. It burned bright and fast and like all other normies who come into the orbit of people with a modicum of notoriety, even if you can hang, it hurts to get dropped for a shiny new thing. The best thing for me to do was to step away from Twitter in August and never look back. Sometimes I miss knowing what stupid thing is going on online (#GagCity) however, if I ever get around to finishing my novel, it’s great fodder for plot. (“How do you serve cunt in a roman à clef way?”)
Besides that personal drama, which wasn’t too bad (frankly, I just got caught up in a one-sided friend crush that took up a majority of Qs 2 and 3), the year was filled with so many interesting things: The movies are back, baby! Country music’s revival won me over. I went to Germany, Switzerland, England, Ireland, and I met a special needs Alpaca named Waffles in Litchfield, CT. Succession ended (RIP Kendall I could fix u), and The Bear’s Copenhagen episode made me cry. I read 30 books, and not all of them were garbage (though some of them truly were). I discovered a brown butter buttermilk cake recipe that I can't quit. It felt like live events were properly in the mix again too; I was able to convince more people to go to Cyclones games with me, but I’m still hitting up Lincoln Center solo (don't men know this is a big date flex??). And how could I not brag about seeing my favorite artist, Ed Ruscha, in the flesh at the opening night of his retrospective at MoMA. But I’ll get into all of that and more below.
Since this annual recap is not a tradition I’m willing to step away from and never look back (yet), here are my highlights of 2023:
Books
Thanks to my SAD in the winter, I plowed through the bigger novels in Q1 (e.g., Confederacy of Dunces, I Have Some Questions For You, Birnam Wood). Though the best books I read this year were slimmer like Big Swiss, Cleopatra and Frankenstein, and Trespasses. I believe someone tried to trendcast this, but I think short books have been a thing since ... checks notes ... people started reading? I am still trying to figure out if I cared about The Guest, but I suppose a sense of low-lying dread and hating the narrator meant it worked. I tried to add more urban history into the hold list (NYC, LA, and Palo Alto), but couldn’t get through the latter two before year-end so that’s going on next year’s reading challenge. Seeing as I do LA every January anyway, I’ll save the California books for the West Coast.
I’m a little disappointed that there weren’t many novels I couldn’t put down this year. But I really did focus on contemporary fiction and I think next year I should spend more time on both nonfiction and “canonical” works that I still haven’t gotten around to yet. That is, it may be time to start reading like my dad.
Music
If Spotify is to be believed (it is), I was in.my.feelings. this year (I was). My erstwhile friend crush was a huge Country head, and I am grateful that brief friendship brought more Country--both classic and contemporary--into my life. (I have joked that women will inhale an entire discography/filmography/oeuvre in a weekend for a crush, but honestly show me the lie.) I’ve always been into Americana and bluegrass, but it was good to dig deeper into true country. At the pottery studio I would start with Johnny Cash and just let the algo take it from there for the next 3 - 4 hours. Beyond the musicians I was already listening to a lot (John Prine, Willie Nelson) I listened to more Townes Van Zandt, Nikki Lane, Jess Williamson, and Tyler Childers.
But of course my top artists were the same as every year: Coltrane, Paul Simon, Prokofiev, Steely Dan. Dean Wareham came up huge for me because I think I played “The Last Word” maybe 400 times this year. You get to the 2:53 mark with the sun shining on Memorial Day Weekend? That’s heaven on earth.
Music was my sanity this year more than it usually is. I had my sad playlist (Jeff Buckley, The Smiths, SZA) for the myriad breakup walks; my Drake playlist for running; my jazz playlist for cooking; and my work party afterparty playlist was even dowloaded by the bar for future use because I spent HOURS figuring out the best arrangement of Beyoncé into Fleetwoord into Dua and they got it.
I also spent a lot of time behind the wheel with the windows down listening to prog rock, too. Told you I was going through it.
Movies
As the year progressed, my already incoherent listening habits became very movie-forward. That is, I started putting on more movie soundtracks to work to (Nebraska hive we stay riding!! Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross run me over with a truck!!!) and I basically only ended up listening to podcasts about movies (Big Pic, Blank Check, Rewatchables). But the synergy between music and movies was strong this year, as evidenced by the thrilling re-issue of Stop Making Sense and the Eras/Renaissance films. (As always, I implore you to listen to Wesley Morris about everything, forever.)
After leaving Twitter, Letterboxed became my primary Social Network (lol). Thankfully it’s helping me keep track of what I watched this year. I did a lot of back-list catching up: I watched all the Miyazaki Studio Ghibli films in time to catch The Boy and the Heron the week after I got to The Wind Rises. In no particular order, my favorites: American Fiction, Oppenheimer, No Hard Feelings, Fallen Leaves, Past Lives, Maestro (but that’s because of Lydia Tàr), and because I quite sensibly spent most of this year catching up on Tom Cruise’s entire filmography, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, pt. I. This man will do anything to save cinema! I love it!!!!
The Lawyer Movie Draft match up of Blank Check and Big Pic was one of my favorite podcast episodes of the year. I definitely re-watched The Firm and The Pelican Brief after it. Luv u too, Michael Clayton.
Odds & Ends
My two goals this year were to leave NYC once a month and see a concert/show once a month. I was close to 100% on both, which was nice. If you go to Dublin, be sure to check out Bar 1661. I had an amazing lunch at this Italian place in Bern, Switzerland. If you are in London, I demand you go to Fortitude Bakehouse. As always, the BEC on a croissant at Arethusa is a religious experience. And Zapp’s chips + oysters + wine + this view in Maine = I can die happy.
I saw three live podcast tapings--my second time seeing both Odd Lots and Who? Weekly and my first time seeing How Long Gone (I’m not proud of it, but I love those two bros and John Early was a great guest). Relatedly, Kate Berlant's one woman show lived up to the hype and Just For Us made me laugh enough I told my folks to see it. I finally saw ABT do Romeo & Juliet at the Met, and there were too many classical concerts to count (highlights being: the Made in Berlin string quartet at Lydia Tàr's Berlin Philharmonic, the Emerson String Quartet performing Shostakovich No. 12, and Chamber Music Society presenting the full Brandenburg Concertos).
On the TV front, for what I lost in Succession this year, I look forward to getting back in Industry next year. My "Smooth Brain Award" for best background streaming goes to And Just Like That and Suits for being too dumb to function. A friend has promised to watch The Curse with me, but that has yet to materialize. At some point I'm going to have to get Apple TV back so I can finally watch the new season of Slow Horses, the first two seasons of which I binged in about a week in February.
Since I’m not actively tweeting, I’m going to put my in/out list here. I was actually on the money with some of my predictions from last year (all light yellow everything and bankruptcy is chic again) however none of you fools got on the “friends holding hands in an 1800s novel way” and I didn’t see enough old bay fries at the bar to make me happy. Let’s see if I can improve my trend casting odds for 2024:
IN: robin’s egg blue, Acting Like You've Been There, cassis and soda, Harvey Wallbangers, Meg Ryan's curly hair in When Harry Met Sally, pretending you know how to sail, whistleblowing, marbled paper, voice notes.
OUT: hard seltzer, oversize blazers, Substack, the pop punk revival, calling things “transcendent,” renter’s insurance, engagement announcements on social media (just get married), Reykjavik, Threads.
I’m probably wrong on all fronts! This take on my predictions is likely also my mantra for 2024. Happy New Year, and to the two to three people who read this whole thing, may it bring you peace and prosperity. Praying the world becomes a little easier to be alive in next year, though I’m not sure that’s how things work these days. If I don’t abandon this effort entirely next year, I’ll be sure to recount what rich and strange experiences came about...
#2023#2024#happy new year#looking back looking ahead#in out lists#I called the light yellow thing fr#I wanted to say posting hog is in but tbh I don't think it is on main I think it is just in the dms lol#music#movies#podcasts#maine#london#dublin#switzerland#litchfield#existential time!#country music#dean wareham#oysters#Shout out to cord Jefferson who stays being real on tumblr
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, September 19
Oz: Hey.
Willow: Hey! (notices) Your hair! Is brown!
Oz: Oh, yeah, sometimes. So, uh, did you decide? Are you gonna be a Corporate Computer Suit Guy?
Willow: Oh. Uh, well, I-I think I'm gonna finish high school first. What about you?
Oz: I'm not really a computer person, you know. Or a work of any kind person.
Willow: They why'd they select you?
Oz: Oh, I sorta test well. Y'know, which is cool. Except that it leads to jobs.
~~Buffy Episode #22: "What's My Line, Part II"~~
[Chaptered Fiction]
Vamp for Rent 1/18 (Spike/Xander, M) by Forsaken2003
Hold My Heart (series) (Xander, T multiple xovers) by arcanedreamer
California Sun ch. 8 (Buffy/Spike, G) by ToBeHers
Crash and Burn Chapter 5/35 (Buffy/Spike, E) by NautiBitz
One, Two, Three Ch. 1-3/3 (COMPLETE) (Buffy/Faith, E) by NautiBitz
Heart Don't Lie Ch. 2/25 (Buffy/Spike, E) by NautiBitz
hit rewind Ch. 5 (Buffy/Spike, M) by untiljanuary
Eurotrip Ch. 5 (Buffy/Spike, M) by RavenLove12
Bound Ch. 50 (Buffy/Spike, E) by RavenLove12
Return of the Soulless Vampire: BTVS S9 Rewrite Ch. 31 - a WWS story (Ensemble, M) by Hoomanbeans
New Beginnings Ch. 4 (Buffy/Angel, Spike/OC, M) by Mindy1981
New Normal, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, E) by holetoledo
The Neighbor's Point of View, Chapter 44 (Buffy/Spike, T) by the_big_bad
Of Babies and Belonging, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, ) by Wojtekstan
Haunted, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, E) by scratchmeout
Do better, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, T) by onlyone87
The Art of Dying , Chapter 26-28 (Buffy/Spike, M) by disco-tea
Edge of the World , Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Dynamite
Use It or Lose It, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Dynamite
Your deepest fears, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, E) by JSBirsa
Haunted, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, E) by scratchmeout
Origin Story of Shanna Brown Ch. 37 (Joyce Summers, M, multiple xovers) by Cristina
[Images, Audio & Video]
Artwork: Buffy by whatshisfaceblogs
Artwork: Angelus, Drusilla, and Spike by lemonharmonica
Artwork: BTVS “Every Outfit” “Witch” *redo* Xx by whatshisfaceblog
Artwork: “Will you just… hold me?” (Buffy & Spike) by thegothicalice
Artwork: Buffy & Faith by to-be-loved-by-death
Artwork: Giles and Buffy by pocketsizedann
Artwork: Cemetery Girl (Buffy) by jasmancer
Artwork:Angel by i-draw-shit
Manip:you can’t fight kyrumption (Buffy & Spike) by l0veisntbrains
Artwork: Spike by twankeys-art-dump
Artwork: Spike & Drusilla by twankeys-art-dump
[Reviews & Recaps]
The Buffy Re-watch: S2E17 Passion (part 2) by jvstheworld
[Fandom Discussions]
watching this years girl and who are you by thepunkmuppet
Hi my name is _illia_ (Killian/William) by a-heart-of-kyber
Faith’s first Watcher by coraniaid
in regards to the audible drama… by thepunkmuppet
“Spike didn’t show enough remorse! He’s a dick!” by a-heart-of-kyber
Cordelia's Development by nightshade nightshade
Did Buffy tell Angel she was in Heaven? by Tamwah1983
When Cordy flirted with Angel in Buffy I thought I had nothing to worry about ...then in Angel... by Almighty_Push91
What on earth was that? by Overtheedge33
Should Angel have treated Harmony better as his secretary? by Night-Caelum
Rewatching Buffy - the production quality. by Portmanlovesme
On my annual rewatch and just noticing now Angelus still wears the claddagh ring by littlelessthan9tails
You’re Welcome by TrueCrimeDanHam87
Just finished You’re Welcome by Daryl90
Melanie Lynskey as Willow by little_moustache
This student in Sunnydale high really looks like spike by Eglantine215
The Body question by ex-mummyhand
What do you think of Angel locking Wolfram and Hart in with Darla and Drusilla? by Night-Caelum
I just figured out that Cecily and Halfrek are the same person by catsandplantsandcats
Scenes like this is why I love Angel by Almighty_Push91
How would you rank the big bads of Buffy and why by Worried_Flower_7539
Is there any actual evidence at all for the often-repeated claim that the “original plan” for Faith was that she’d kill herself in the middle of Season 3? by coraniaid, herinsectreflection, & juanabaloo
tara related things i would have loved to see by missjessefantastico
I am recapping BtVS to my friend by bluestarsandclouds
watching btvs has been so refreshing, bc there’s so many women by lesbianlexluthor
RESTLESS vs HUSH by kipcarson37
[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]
PUBLICATION: The Best Single-Season TV Villain Nearly Unleashed Hell on Earth by Liam Gaughan
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Fanmade Unikingdom Citizens
I’m gonna introduce all of the supporting, minor, and background characters from Big Bright World, starting with my fanmade Unikingdom citizens.
I'll put short recaps for characters I've already introduced, like Pepper. She's my Unikitty persona, and she's wily, random, smart, and slightly spooky. She's smart enough to see right through a prank. Her family moved from the southern side of the Unikingdom to the northern side when she was 7. She would be about 11 or 12 in the show. In the Big Bright World series, which takes place about three years later, Pepper is 14 and a student at Sparklestone High School. Her favorite things to do are draw and write fanfiction. She also loves running and acting, explaining her involvement in the track and field team and the drama club. She finds it hard to sleep at night, and she's a bit sarcastic. She’d sound like me, and I would voice her.
Mabel is another citizen of the Unikingdom who moved there with her family from Botania. She is open-minded and a great listener, and she doesn't back away from going all out. She's determined to give others something to remember about her. She's very energetic, but it's hard for her to slow down. If she were in the show, she'd be about 11 years old. In Big Bright World, Mabel is a student at Central Unikingdom High School and a good friend of Unikitty's. She is a part of its marching band, and she's aiming to be drum major. She plays the piccolo and the clarinet. She sounds like Mabel from Minecraft: Story Mode, except she doesn’t have a Southern accent.
Pheasala is a classmate of Hawkodile and Eagleator who loves to be loud. She trained with them and their class in the dojo, and she participates in their annual familial sports competitions. She likes to scream and shout a lot. She's often seen carrying around her megaphone. She's very spirited, and she cheers on the dojo family. She can fly, but she prefers not to. She sounds like Petra from MC:SM, but she’s much louder.
Maya is smart, self-assured, and good at keeping focused on something. She's a friend of Pepper, Puppycorn and Ellie along with Annie and Ringo. Her favorite thing to learn about is math and feels confident in answering any problem she's able to. She is 10 years old.
Annie is thoughtful and creative. She's also a great thinker, coming up with as many solutions as she can when she's faced with adversity. She also considers all opinions and outcomes. She likes to solve problems and mysteries and help others. She's 11 years old.
Ringo loves to liven up the mood in a place with his tap dancing. He's charming, energetic, and very social. Once or twice, he's danced a duet with the tap dancing butterfly. He is 9 years old and a social butterfly.
Val and Ribbon are a sister-and-brother pair of gift boxes who run a gift box shop. They also run a pawn shop and a storage facility. They spend most of their time running their store, and they're good at looking after their stuff.
Pepper's parents are named Beatrice and Calvin. Beatrice and Calvin can be protective of Pepper and her siblings, and they get quite heated up when it's time to do chores. But, they're generally relaxed people who let the kids do whatever they please. They're helpful as well. Her mom works as a photographer, and her dad works at a car wash.
The house that Pepper’s family lives in is owned by Pepper’s grandmother, Marie. She is, more specifically, Pepper’s maternal grandma. She looks after Will, Pepper and Gracey when Calvin and Beatrice aren’t home. She’s pretty sneaky and mischievous. Pepper’s grandfather has been dead for four years.
Pepper’s older brother, William, prefers to be called Will. He used to playfully make fun of Pepper, but now, he’s laid-back and relaxed. He doesn’t mind if you want to borrow something from him. He tries to make sure that his little sisters don’t get into trouble. He’s a big fan of superhero movies, and he and Gracey try to get Pepper to watch them with them. Though Pepper’s a big fan of the H.I.V.E. Five, she’s not all that interested.
Gracey is the youngest. While Pepper and Will are about 2-3 years apart, Gracey is about 4-5 years younger than Pepper. She’s super bouncy, and she tries her best to be a good kid. Gracey is taking dance classes, and Pepper and her family want to go to all of her recitals. She watches superhero movies with Will.
The family’s pet chameleon, Ink, was a gift from Marie. Gracey likes to take him out of his terrarium and play with him. In fact, they take him out often since he gets the urge to run around.
Now for the guys I haven't talked about yet! Rosa is a young axolotl girl who is sweet and soft-hearted. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and she does things at her own pace. She's trustworthy, honest and lost in thought at times. She likes to read and get lost in a good story. She's also super interested in dancing and choreography. She's very close friends with Mabel, and she considers her to be her best friend. Rosa says that Mabel's the reason she became so interested in choreography. In Big Bright World, she's part of the Central Unikingdom High color guard.
Bigbang is a sports commentator, announcer and master of ceremonies. They're outgoing and exuberant, and they live their life to the fullest. They really, really love their job, so they always get a little sad whenever a sports game they're commentating on wraps up. They'll be right with you if you need them. They're a combination of a megaphone and a speaker, so they can get loud. At home, though, they're pretty quiet, and that's because they've had to pay a ton to fix the glass on their windows.
Princess Unear and Prince Pericorn are Unikitty and Puppycorn’s parents in the Big Bright World AU, and they were the rulers of the Unikingdom before her. Unear is a unicorn/corn hybrid, and she’s where Puppycorn gets his corn half from. Pericorn is a pink cat/unicorn hybrid like his daughter; lots of people in the royal family are, or else the castle wouldn’t be shaped the way it is. Pericorn is omni. He and Unear are both very positive towards everyone. They let Unikitty take over the kingdom when they knew she could take care of herself. They admire her efforts to make it a happier place, and they can’t wait to see what she does next. They love Puppycorn just as much; Unear lets him ride on her back. (By the way, the reason he’s a dog is because of a grandparent who is.) Unikitty and Puppycorn are still being taken care of by Richard, and their parents don’t live in the castle with them. After they stepped down from ruling the kingdom, they went to work for a cruise line.
Mabel’s parents are named Carmine and Meryl. Carmine Maples is a sharp-witted thinker who loves to soak up the sun. He’s adaptable, jolly, crafty, and good at working with a team. Meryl Maples is playful, sassy and not easily unnerved. She has a sense of grace when she moves. Mabel’s parents moved their family to the Unikingdom because they hoped they’d get lots of sunlight to nourish their leaves there. Carmine and Meryl are also a bi-for-pan couple. I think that Meryl would sound like Eda from The Owl House.
Millie Maples is Mabel’s older sister, and she’s about 3-4 years older than her. She is steadfast and right on her feet, plus super tender. Much like her dad, Millie likes to be outside. Her favorite pastimes are rafting and canoeing.
Scarlet Maples is her younger sister. She’s feisty, cheerful, and filled with willpower. Though she knows she can’t go near it, Scarlet isn’t scared of fire. She even likes to paint her face with it.
Douglas Maples is the older one of Mabel’s younger brothers. He’s easily bothered and sensitive to most things. But, he’s super funny, and he wants to go out and show people what he’s made of. He likes to juggle.
Max Maples is Mabel’s youngest brother and the youngest in the family. He can’t speak in sentences longer than two words yet, so he communicates mainly by saying a single word and pointing at something.
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NFL Draft 2024 first round recap: Caleb Williams leads six QBs picked in record offensive first round
The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books and it was the most offensive-heavy first round in the history of the annual player selection meeting. 23 offensive players — highlighted by 14-in-a-row to start the draft — was an all-time record.
While there was little drama with the first pick, where Caleb Williams went to Chicago, heads turned at the tail end of the top 10 when the Atlanta…
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#2024 NFL Draft#Atlanta Falcons#Bo Nix#Buffalo Bills#Caleb Williams#chicago#Denver#Detroit#Kirk Cousins#NFL Draft#nfl network
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2024 Golden Globes recap
www.perplexity.ai/search/ed0a5f36-dcaf-4c36-864f-5cbefb574bdf
Oppenheimer was the evenings winner.
The 81st annual Golden Globes, which took place on January 7, 2024, saw Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” emerge as the top winner of the night, securing five awards including Best Motion Picture – Drama. The event marked a significant change for the Golden Globes, as it was the first ceremony since…
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Dealing With Reality pt. 2
Just notice that this post was saved in draft and I dunno if this ever got posted or not. I’ll post it anyway just in case it never did. For the note, this post is from Feb. or Mar. of 2023 right b4 me and Josh had left California.
As I realized that Josh was unable to make enough money to rent the UHaul truck for today's move out, I was thankful that I was able to take a few boxes from the apartment that I have already packed to be able to drop off at our storage right before arriving to my family's home. My brother was visiting for the day, so I didn't hang around the dining room table too much. I took my bowl of spicy fried noodles to my room and ate while I was watching King of the Hill on the tv since Lim was already put to sleep for the afternoon. My sister said that she didn't realize that Lim had taken another shit an hour after she passed out. Poor baby developed a really bad diaper rash since he's been taking so many shits, but what really sucks is that sometimes my sister doesn't change him as often as she should. Even though I remind her that he needs to be changed every 2-3 hours, she's got shit to do sometimes in the household. She's getting older and she cannot handle a very active little boy all the time. If me and Josh weren't going through what we been going through, I would've been able to take care of him the way I always have at our place. It just sucks that when you're broke to the point where you can't even afford to buy food all the time for yourself, it was just better off that I had Lim stay at my family's house because everything he needs is there especially food.
Me & Josh are in the middle of trying to move out of Beck Park Apartments, so sadly I had to decide to drop off Lim at Ricky's tonite so that we can do what we need to do tomorrow without having to worry about dropping him off at the daycare in the afternoon. I may have to call off from work tomorrow, but at least I'm thankful that I got some vacation time again for the new year. I should be able to save up some sick leave now, if my annual leave won't be wasted so fast like it was the last couple of years. Here's a recap of why: In 2021, When Ricky was putting me through so much bullshit & drama, I ended up using at least 2 weeks of my annual leave to recuperate from the stress and fatigue that I was dealing with when I was temporarily homeless (kicked out of my apartment from Ricky over the weekend, then waited until the cops were able to escort him out of my apartment to serve my restraining order on him). In 2022: Me & Josh ended up catching Covid19 during the holidays so I couldn't work for 3 whole weeks until I tested negative to be able to return to work. 2 weeks of my annual leave during that year got wasted on that bullshit because the pandemic leave program had already expired during Sept. 2021. It never got renewed. I have called off many times on certain occasions when mentally I haven't been well enough to go to work, or other days when I have actually been sick. Other days, it's just because my son had gotten sick 2-3 times then I decided to take time off just to take care of him.
My dad and brother questioned me about whether I'm going to be able to transfer my job if I do decide to move to Tennessee. I said I am trying to. They absolutely don't want me to leave until I made sure I have a job position secured. My sister says that the Chinese woman spirit thinks I won't be happy if we do move there. Why wouldn't I be happy there? Can she state some reasons? Maybe she doesn't know what she's talking about? I might end up liking it there, but I won't know unless I scope out the area and get a feel of the place first before I would judge. If we decide to move out there forreals, then it's our decision and that's the sacrifice I'm choosing to make for an opportunity of being able to build a better life. We still don't know what can really happen yet between now & the summer.
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‘The Bachelor’ Recap: Annual Bachelor Bowl Causes Tension & Zach Sends Home An Early Frontrunner
SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Season 27, Episode 3 of ABC’s The Bachelor.
The stakes are only getting higher during week three of The Bachelor as Zach Shallcross continues to try to deepen his connections with the remaining 17 women. And, in a fairly surprising turn of events, he even sent home one of his early frontrunners after she became embroiled in some drama with her…
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January 2024 CPNs 🍭🍬🍪
starting off the year strong with some good old candies that puts a smile on our faces. i have to say that this month has some challenges because tho we have sweets, there were some outside voices that affected some of us in a negative way. being a bxg is a continuous learning process, and i hope all of us get stronger and learn that xz and wyb will always be the priority. we will respect them. we will be kind to them. and i guess that’s the good thing about monthly recaps like this, a reminder that bxgs live the good life! 🫶🏼
now let’s review this lovely month… ⬇️⬇️⬇️
• New year’s eve candy goodness
• Additional NYE clowning, one of the set props for WYB’s stage, is a clock. It’s not set as 10:05 in an obvious way, but if you turn it just right you will see the 10:05. Most likely a coincidence but who knows.
• ZZ & WYB featured in Elle Japan
• 1/2 yibo official weibo video post
• Probably a coincidence but in WYB’s interview he mentioned that one of his favorite Actors is Sean Penn. Understandable. However people are screaming cause “Sean” is also XZ’s first name. lol. Was this an additional point to like the actor? 😂
• 1/4: Yibo cat photo cpns
• XiaoWangZi = Little Prince
• 1/6/23, photos onset of ZZ’s new drama went on HS. to be expected, cause it’s in hengdian and anything related to ZZ’s project is bound to get some paparazzi interested. there was also some talk that the project might have shared it intentionally to stop the malicious rumors that the drama wasn’t actually filming. anyway, the CPN in all this is that a new CP was born 🥹🥹🥹🥹
baili is mostly paired with shiying — who is a favored person to be shipped with xieyun. so it seems like baili doesn’t have his one & only. so maybe zanghai can be that person. and both their stories include court politics so it’s perfect.
• The Boys & their late night city adventures
• ZZ & WYB + Mimi the Cat
• A new/old snippet from their thailand fanmeet rehearsal where they wanted to hear each other’s voice on their earphones
• WYB smiling cause he heard XZ’s sample/demo for the song tomorrow will be better during recording
• 1/11 zsww rumor : cutting their hair
• 1/12 same light and shadow in studio post caption & another wedding outfit
• THEM WITH A KID 🥹🥹🥹 it’s giving suo-er vibes!
• Weibo Night recap & candies
• yibo is seat #23 and then xzs posts their video at 00:23. what a coincidence 👀
• same brand heurueh bits
• In his SINA interview for Weibo night, he was asked who he prefers to go with during vacations and he answers friends. but before saying that he stuttered. you all know how we are with XZ and his stutter, meaning he is changing his answer or is a bit nervous cause the true answer is revealing. Tell us, who do you really wanna go on vacation with? 😏
• The boys being tourism ambassadors of their hometown which led to them being featured in a newspaper
• A fansite posted a series of photos showing how XZ signed the backdrop for Weibo Night. It clearly shows how he looks at WYB’s signature and the decides to sign right next to it. There are videos too that show this much better. I guess this one depends on people’s interpretation. I think those who are anti cpf will see this as a coincidence and say that XZ just signed randomly on the side cause the other spaces already look crowded. But then again, you can’t deny that he saw WYB’s signature. He knows what it looks like. They both spent so much time signing stuff together during CQL promotion so it’s safe to say that he recognized it. If they are sworn enemies like some people love to imply, why would he sign near WYB’s? This is pretty clear to me, it’s his way of being right next to WYB. 🫶🏼
Here is a closer one posted by someone who attended, you can see how close they are.
• an assistant in weibo night who took care of them both & who seems to be their friend
• matching lawsuits of anti fans
• both of them showing up at loreal annual meeting to give their messages
• our boys love to stay hydrated! 💦💦💦
• a video from SDC where the OP said WYB’s reaction was due to their wangxiao headbands. I know there are a lot of toxicity and fanwar that happened because of SDC fan support and there is some narrative from his so/os that WYB hates us. so/os are free to hate on us but i don’t think it’s ever right to project that onto WYB who is like the most accepting person. let the fan wars be between the fans, don’t bring WYB into it and claim stuff that will put him in a negative light.
• mystery tennis photo where people clown that he could be with xz. but i personally think he is just with some friends, but that doesn’t take away the possibility that he plays with xz 🎾
• GQ caption similarities and sexy backs - and i think the biggest takeaway from this whole GQ drama is that fans should remain rational and we should trust the boys and their decision. I have talked about it initially here, but that was more of calling out fan etiquette than the cpn implications. some bxgs really fell into the brainwashing package of solos and i wanna discuss that here cause this fandom is not only about candies but being firm in our belief. you had shrimps saying wyb is the enemy cause he is all cozied up with gq, and some bxgs bought that. they were “disappointed” with wyb and made up stuff about him doing things against his will. then the same people were slapped in the face when yibo continued to work with him for his album which is about as personal as it gets. only a few respected wyb’s decision and trusted in him & xz. motos are saying gq will never work with someone like xz cause he is the enemy, and that’s why wyb is comfortable with rocco and team. which is proven to be wrong now cause he is working with them. who knows, they may even do a full feature for LOCH. this is a lesson to bxgs, do not rely on solo sob stories to make sense of zz and wyb cause they only see one side of the story. they were always okay with GQ. Maybe GG was hurt at some point but he moved on and so should the fans. i just hate the feeling that ZZ & WYB were so happy with the collabs they did with GQ, in the meantime, BXGs who are supposed to understand them the most were nowhere to be found. we should do better next time.
there are serious efforts out there to make us turn against one of them, and use cpfs as anti minions, so we should be more careful.
• BJYX and Tennis 🎾🎾🎾
• Their Ordinary Life - a translation of a post made about their lives as normal people, and riddled with known CPNs.
• the connection between the tod’s strap included in xzs 2024 media gift box and wyb’s alleged gucci strap accessory in SDC 5
• early cpf story
• new clue from a drawing of a cake 🎂
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Uncle Murda - Rap Up 2022 (Official Audio)
youtube
Uncle Murda has released his annual "Rap Up" song for 2022, and it's a must-listen for fans of hip hop and pop culture. The track, which has become a tradition for the New York-based rapper, recaps the biggest events and trends of the past year in a clever and humorous way.
In "Rap Up 2022," Uncle Murda covers a wide range of topics, from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement to the presidential election and the wild ride that was 2020. He touches on everything from celebrity drama and social media feuds to major world events and cultural phenomena.
As always, Uncle Murda's lyrics are clever and witty, with clever wordplay and clever references to pop culture. His flow is smooth and effortless, and he manages to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. The beat, produced by Murda Beatz, is catchy and energetic, and it provides the perfect backdrop for Uncle Murda's rapid-fire rhymes.
In conclusion, Uncle Murda's "Rap Up 2022" is a must-listen for anyone who wants to catch up on the biggest events and trends of the past year. It's a clever and entertaining track that showcases Uncle Murda's skills as a rapper and his ability to bring together a wide range of topics in a single song. Whether you're a fan of Uncle Murda or just someone who wants to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in the world of hip hop, this track is a must-have.
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Financial Data & the World Cup
We interrupt our usual exploration of weighty financial reporting issues for a subject even more important, which we’re sure is on everyone’s mind these days.
Which companies have something to say about the World Cup?
Just for kicks, so to speak, we pulled up the third-quarter filings of all companies with $500 million or more in annual revenue, and searched “World Cup” in their footnote disclosures. Who would those companies be? Why would they have something to say about the World Cup? Did anyone have some sort of victory default swap against Argentina? Because wow, they really blew it with Saudi Arabia in the opening round.
We found a total of eight companies that mentioned the World Cup in one disclosure or another. A recap is below.
Comcast Corp. ($CMCSA) reported that the adjusted EBITDA for its Sky TV segment fell 27.9 percent compared to the year-earlier quarter, driven by higher operating costs for— you guessed it— broadcasting games related to the World Cup:
The increase in operating expenses primarily reflects higher sports programming costs due to the timing of sporting events, including a shift of certain football matches to the third quarter in advance of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will occur in the fourth quarter of 2022…
This raises an interesting point. Normally the World Cup is held over the summer, which means any costs and revenues derived from the event would be reported in the third quarter of that year. This time around, the World Cup is being held in the fourth quarter because Qatar is too hot for summer games. So that could lead to some unusual fourth-quarter reporting once those filings start arriving early next year.
Endeavor Group Holdings ($EDR), a sports marketing company, made much the same point in its own earnings release. The company’s Events, Experiences & Rights segment reported revenue of $440.6 million for the quarter, down 1 percent from the year-earlier period — again, thanks to the odd timing of various sporting events:
The decrease was primarily due to certain media rights deals for events that do not occur annually, including the Ryder Cup, the UEFA Euro Championship and the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying games, as well as the timing of certain events that took place earlier in 2022 than the prior year.
We also have Mercadolibre ($MELI), an e-commerce business in Latin America that sounded so upbeat in its latest earnings release you almost want management to take a Xanax:
After a successful third quarter that delivered strong growth and profitability, our attention is now focused on executing well in the fourth quarter, which brings Black Friday, the FIFA World Cup and Christmas back onto the retail calendar. We remain as optimistic as ever about the fundamentals of our business… On our mission to democratize Latin America's commerce and financial services markets, the best is yet to come.
For the record, quarterly revenue rose 44.8 percent from the year-ago period, and net income was up 35.8 percent. Far be it from us to judge the company’s exuberance with numbers like that.
Visa ($V) reported higher marketing expenses for the quarter, “due to higher spending in various campaigns, including the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, and client marketing.” Then the company even included line-item detail on marketing expenses:
$1.336 billion in marketing expenses for Q3, up 17.6 percent from the year-earlier period. How much of that $200 million increase was specifically due to the World Cup? We don’t know, but the event is part of that increase somehow.
You get the gist of it. We don’t have a lot of disclosures in the great wide world of SEC filings, but global entertainment, sports, and consumer finance businesses are all spending big on the World Cup. Here’s hoping for a drama-filled series so there’s lots more to discuss — at the water cooler, and in Q4 filings once those arrive.
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Here are some brief thoughts on kdrama that started airing in 2020 that I've watched. I said brief, but those who have been following me would appreciate that this is indeed, brief.
The list is in alphabetical order.
1. 365: Repeat the Year (MBC)
Disclosure: I am a HUGE Lee Joon Hyuk stan. He is second only to Hyun Bin on my list. The fact that this drama is on the top of this list is a happy coincidence 🥰🥰
I was soooooooo excited when I knew Lee Joon Hyuk was to star in a new drama. MBC made the announcement of the drama late last year, and I was literally walking to the office when I saw the announcement on ig.
The premise of the drama was pretty straightforward. 10 people were given the chance to travel back in time exactly one year prior. Mysterious things kept happening to the people who took the trip, so our Detective Ji “Fluffy-Hair” Hyung Joo and webtoon writer Shin “Self-Hater” Ga Hyun joined hands to figure out what exactly happened.
Once they finally figured out what caused the mysterious cases, they faced a great dilemma on what to do, with our Fluffy Hair detective running as a fugitive.
The ending was really sad, and I really wished it ended differently, but the main character of the story was our Fluffy Hair detective, and him having to live on and reset the whole thing from the new past was a nice touch to the ending.
This drama was full of surprises, twist and turn, and it is certainly a drama I would consider rewatching in the future.
2. Do You Like Brahms? (SBS)
Many people criticised the second half of this drama. Apparently the year 2020 is the year when kdramaland keeps being a disappointment, and many people are quick to include this drama in the list of disappointing drama, despite having a good beginning.
I beg to differ though. To me this drama feels more of a healing drama, wherein the characters are forced to deal with their issues. And anyone who has had to go through any form of therapy knows how hard healing process is.
TL;DR: The main leads are both people who have been mentally abused by the people around them, except for Cha Young In, because she was the only reason I did not throw my remote control at my 50-inch TV.
Park Joon Young is your classic example of a ‘gifted kid’ struggle. He was seen as a young, talented pianist who had a bright future ahead of him. But people started to treat him more like a trophy than a human being, so he decided to take a sabbatical, much to the criticism of people in the music industry. Park Joon Young realised that his passion in playing the piano has faded away, no thanks to his abusive piano professor who belittled him again and again, and practically brainwashed him into being a people pleaser. You could see how Park Joon Young was not himself in the beginning of the drama once you finish the drama.
Chae Song Ah took interest in violin at a later age (much later than professional musicians) and decided to pursue her dream by enrolling into a music programme. Her classmates were all younger than her, and it didn’t help that they all learnt music since much younger. I love how Song Ah did not give up on her dream easily and gave it her all, before she finally decided to let go of her dream to become a musician. The metaphor of her love for violin and Joon Young hurting her again and again and she just endured it though.. I cried like a mess well I am a mess but that’s a separate issue
Special shout out to Cha Young In who was there for both of them.
3. Flower of Evil (tvN)
If thriller is your thing, consider this drama. If you are one of those people who like to see your characters being tortured (physically and mentally), this drama is a MUST WATCH. And if you enjoy watching Lee Joon Ki playing a character who is put at a great distress because he is trying to run from his past, go watch this drama.
More importantly, if you enjoy a drama where your ML is sexy, attends to house chores and takes care of his bright young daughter while his wife goes crazy for solving violent crimes, a devoted husband who is attentive and a tender person but also a freak in the sheets, you are wasting every single of your breath not watching this drama.
I mean look at this man teasing his wife about his stamina.
Flower of Evil did not feel draggy at all. Everything that happened within the first 6 episodes could have been an entire drama if this was written by someone else. Seriously, this drama kept me at the edge of my couch!
The dynamic of HS and JW screams POWER COUPLE but at the same time it broke my heart how they were pushed into corners too many times by the people around them I do hope they had some sexy times while they were in the corners though
The focus on their wedding rings throughout the drama symbolised their unbreakable bond. The wedding rings were literally the very last thing that kept them together when JW stumbled upon evidences that pointed against HS.
JW, whose compass was only trusting what she saw, and not what she heard, tried to break the stigma of women being at a disadvantage in the police force. Heck, she was better than her entire team when it came to solving cases, her being the only woman in the team. Who said women cannot make good cops?
The plot twist though.. And the climax.. To this day, I still listen to this soundtrack from the drama and cry just thinking of the climax.
4. Into the Ring (also known as Memorials) (KBS2)
I didn’t even plan on watching this drama. I was channel surfing and saw Park Sung Hoon looking all depressed in the first episode and ran into Koo Se Ra. Girl was UNHINGED and determined to fight for her way.
Her motivation was initially on getting a stable pay check from being a district representative (it was only 60 million won which is like USD55k so it’s not that much) but she eventually became the district representative who fought for the benefit of the people and did not care for the political warfare that took place.
Came along Seo Gong Myung, a government officer in the local government office who was demoted from planning unit of the accounting department or something to be a secretariat to the district assembly. Seo Gong Myung sticks to his principle no matter what, which surprise surprise, is HATED by everyone in the district government.
Turns out our main leads were friends when they were kids so Se Ra kept teasing him and dragging him into her scheme of fighting for the people, which Gong Myung agreed to, not so much because he was a community-loving person, but because he was afraid Se Ra would get into trouble since she was as straight as a ruler.
Long story short, our leads fell for each other, and their relationship was HILAIROUS to watch. I think I speak for everyone who watched the drama that we had no reason to believe Se Ra did not peg Gong Myung for fun 😝😝
They were so cute together awwww
5. Kairos (MBC)
This is another drama that I stumbled into. Only this time, I saw Nam Gyu Ri and I remember seeing her ig post on a new drama so I decided to give it a go. She wrecked my heart in 49 Days so I decided to check this out for funsies. Hooo boy was I in for a major surprise.
The first two episodes got me hooketh!! I still cannot believe how the drama managed to keep me on my edge especially during the last 5 minutes of every episode. The pacing is even faster than Flower of Evil, and since this drama went back and forth between past and future, it keeps me guessing whether their efforts would bear fruit.
Will Kim “Sexy Brain” Seo Jin and Han “I-Know-No-Fear” Ae Ri succeed in fighting the evil, who at this point in time remains unknown? I know Chairman Yoo Seo Il is currently being hinted as the culprit behind everything but I know better that he is just a puppet who sold his soul to the real devil who most likely is in the higher ranks in politics. I mean he even hinted at his remorse for what happened with Taejung Town 19 years prior. My suspicion is he is trying to cover up whatever happened because otherwise his own family would be at risk, so his only option is to redeem himself by doing something about the Taejung Town. I could be wrong, but regardless of who turns out to be the real villain in the story, I can say I am so satisfied by how the story has progressed so far.
The time paradox still hurts my brain, but I am choosing that this drama does not assume that time is linear.
There is still not enough people watching this drama and I’m begging you all to go and catch up before it ends in two weeks time.
6. More than Friends (JTBC)
A little trivia: I reblog most of the posts from @kdramastuff even if I am not watching the show at the point of reblogging the posts. I had been following her posts on this drama for 3 weeks, and I finally decided to marathon all 6 episodes and joined the watching party.
More than Friends was another drama that many people called a disappointment but I had a different opinion on it. Yes, I used to be the nerd who had different opinions on many things in high school sue me
The drama is premised on Kyung Woo Yeon who is said to have a crush on her high school friend, Lee Soo for 10 years. Lee Soo is nowhere near to be the perfect boyfriend material. He is selfish, does not care about other people’s feelings, and was always a lone ranger.
BUUUUUUT, Lee Soo seemed to show signs of care and affection (even though it was not at all for a normal person’s standard) for Woo Yeon. Surprisingly, he seemed to only do it for Woo Yeon and gave attention to Woo Yeon alone, even though he could practically pick and choose anyone he liked from the swarm of girls who were chasing him.
One day, he told Woo Yeon that he had to leave to the US to study, which made our girl sad. She decided to confess at the airport, but he outright turned her down, saying he only wanted to be friends with her. Over the time, they kept running into each other by coincidence (note: her name Woo Yeon is a wordplay on coincidence in Korean). Later, it was revealed that he wanted her to always be by his side, but he has built a wall as tall as the Great Wall of China before the idea of love so he didn’t realise what his true feeling for Woo Yeon was all along.
Woo Yeon, who felt sick of the ten-year crush, decided to end the “curse” and kissed him by the beach, thinking of getting a closure on her crush.
Long story short, Lee Soo finally realised his feeling for her and decided to confess, but by that time, a young, handsome, rich CEO of a conglomerate has entered into the picture. Cue the game of cat and mouse between Lee Soo and Woo Yeon about resentment, regret and relationship.
This drama was promoted as a romcom, but it feels more like a slice-of-life drama with a mix of melo and romcom in there. Seriously, I cried buckets watching this drama, not something you’d expect from a romcom. The dialogues were well-written, with each episode revolving around a specific theme. This was such a good drama coming from a rookie writer.
This drama did not have that many viewers to begin with, and many of those few people dropped it along the way, including the one who was responsible in getting me hooked into this drama :p By the end of it, there were so few people talking about this drama in the tag (shout out to @dohyunsoo @have-yet-to-decide @starfire-s @thbn-anything for keeping me company to the very end of this drama)
This drama broke my record of screenshots per episode and total screenshots for any show. Until now, I have yet to finish posting them. I should probably upload more screenshots later tonight.
This drama had some AMAZING shots in the first half, with beautiful sceneries mostly in Seoul. It’s like what they said, “a daily occurrence for you, a trip for me”.
7. Oh My Baby (tvN)
I did not even remember watching this drama!! It was only after scrolling through my gallery that I saw I had shared some posts on my ig story about the drama.
It was in the middle of a lockdown when this drama aired and many of my memories from back then feel so distant to me.
The plot was not THAT good, but this drama is something you may consider if you like torturing yourself about the struggle of wanting to have a baby.
8. Once Again (KBS2)
Arguably one of the weekend family drama KBS2 in a while that kept me waiting for new episodes in front of my TV. Some people are turned off by weekend family drama because they tend to have slow pacing which makes viewers feel like they are being dragged to one of those boring corporate events that you would rather miss and wish you could be literally anywhere else.
Because this drama had more pairing than the typical weekend family drama, the story did take some time before it was on full momentum. It did feel like the drama could have been better with even one less sibling to worry about, but it was a fun watch in the middle of lockdown.
Will I watch it again? I’d rather rewatch House of Bluebird (starring Lee Joon Hyuk and Lee Sang Yeob as friends to enemies to friends again) because that drama spoke to me in a way that was more relatable. No hate to Once Again though. I just prefer House of Bluebird better.
Note: Justice for Song Ga Hee and her lovely son, Kim Ji Hoon. He had to grow up so much because of what happened to his mother, that it broke Ga Hee’s heart. And mine of course
9. Secret Forest 2 (tvN)
I watched Secret Forest once it has finished and I fell in love with the drama! Imagine my excitement when they announced Secret Forest 2 with my three main characters reprising their roles. No hate to Yoon Se Ah, I love her, but her screen time in Secret Forest was not enough to make me excited about her return. But I was pleased with her role in Secret Forest 2 and I hope if there is a third season, her character gets the redemption arc that she yearns for.
Secret Forest 2 was not as intense as the brilliant original, but I understood that it had to do with the overall theme of the season, and the theme required the script to be as such. Some people may argue me on this, but I still think what they pulled off was brilliant.
Too bad there was a severe lack of Lee Joon Hyuk on my screen though.
10. Tale of the Nine-Tailed (tvN)
Well. This drama went far beyond my expectation. The OTP was to die for. No such thing as miscommunication trope. This drama did not waste time on unnecessary drama. The pacing was incredibly fast, even faster than Kairos. Although to be fair, Kairos had to play with two different timelines and required time to establish the setting.
I’m sad about what happened to Lee Rang, but he did what he did, and he would never be able to erase that much pain from his memory even if the deities decided to be lenient on him because of his roles in killing off Imoogi. A fresh start as a human seemed like a fair reset to his life, and I hope he lives well, surrounded by people who love him.
I was never a fan of Jo Bo Ah (no hate on her, I was just indifferent) but this drama opened my eyes to what an incredible actress she is. I wish her a successful career ahead.
#365 repeat the year#365: repeat the year#do you like brahms#do you like brahms?#flower of evil#into the ring#kbs memorials#mbc kairos#more than friends#oh my baby#kbs once again#secret forest 2#tale of the nine tailed#kdrama#kdrama review#kdrama opinion#personal#annual drama recap
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18/12/2021 Devlog
Hey everyone! Time for our bi-weekly (sometimes tri-weekly) update to tumblr! And a short recap of the year. It's a bit early because it's already typed up and I just wanted to get it out of the way.
Summary:
Many CGs
Worked on Yuu's first chapter
The Ramble:
Honestly. . .I have lost track of the CGs I've done. LoL There are so many.
Some quick math and hard thinking revealed that since my last update I completed all the kiss CGs. Then recoloured and coded all said kiss CGs.
The kiss CGs were all actually CG sets of 2-3 CGs. Some of them were small variations like Morgan closing her eyes or moving her hands. Others were significant pose changes. Recolouring all these CGs was a monumental job honestly. There was a lot of stuff to save and recolour and code. I also really needed to take a break from drawing this week as my hand was in significant pain.
So I only started working on CGs again yesterday.
CGs are now about 70% complete.
All the routes have about 2-3 CGs left to do.
Honestly. . .
I really felt the routes needed more than 5 CGs each but 7 CGs per route is SO much more work. I wish I'd capped it at 5 and just accepted that. LoL It's too late now because the order I've done the CGs in means if I reverted back to 5 CGs per route, I'd have to toss out some work I've already done or else some routes would have extra CGs.
I am committed to 7 per route at this point but honestly. . .
LoL
I think it wouldn't be so bad if Morgan wasn't customisable. Her recolours really do add a lot more work considering I'm just one person. But I hope, hope, hope that the final product is worth it and that all the work pays off.
I have also done some writing. Specifically, I worked on Yuu's first chapter. I didn't get finished with it but I'm going to try to finish up this weekend.
I do think I'm going to be working on Quill's route first. It's the one I'm most interested in if I'm being honest.
I am going to be playing around with the plot of Reuben's route too. I like the plot I have but I kind of came up with this new idea as well and I want to see how much of his route would need to be totally reworked if I went with the new idea.
(New idea would need fewer sprites and would divert his route away from existing plot points touched on by other routes and into new territory, which might be nice. I might be able to take the old idea and merge it into the new idea as well. It also kind of hearkens back to a very, very old subplot in the original Gilded Shadows concept. So that could also be kind of interesting.)
ANNUAL RECAP
This year has been another really tough year for everyone. It's been a roller coaster of stress, drama and, frankly, loss. I don't think there has been a single year in which I've personally lost this many family members and family friends. It's been staggering.
Incessant lockdowns have been a constant companion as well. When I look back to my first update of 2021. . .
I was still writing! I was about halfway through Magnus' route. I hadn't even started writing Lance's route.
That means this year:
I wrote nearly 200,000 words
Edited a full 700,000 word game
Finished up all the sprites
Coded the entire script including all the writing, music, backgrounds, sprite expressions, etc
Created and coded all the flowcharts
Completed around 25 or so CGs (and recoloured. . .and coded them)
Planned and outlined the remaining three routes
I also dealt with my laptop dying, having off-and-on work on an ancient windows surface for a while, trying to get computer repairs during lockdown. And generally dealing with the world imploding around me to the point that some days I couldn't work simply due to the fact I was left reeling by the reality of what life is for everyone right now.
It's been rough.
Even so, I'm looking forward to 2022 and hoping that somehow it will be a better year than the past few.
Sneak Peeks and Previews:
I can't really post too much from the kisses since. . .spoilers adn all that. But here are a couple of snippets that are SAFE since no one's lips are actually touching (yet).
LoL
Upcoming Weeks:
CGs. . .working on some writing, probably.
Of course we're at the end of the year now and this means holidays. Multiple major ones and my wedding anniversary. The next few weeks will be hectic so I'm not sure how much work I'll actually even get done.
If I don't post again before the New Year, please know that I'm hoping all of you have a happy and blessed holiday season for whatever holidays you do and do not celebrate.
And here is hoping 2022 is somehow better than 2021.
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